Part 13

Max watched Elizabeth enter her chamber, his heart pounding. The light was dim, but he could still see her exquisite beauty, which took his breath away.

In the few short hours he had been away from her, he had wondered if he had imagined the extent to which she affected him. But he knew now he had not.

It had been a relatively simple affair sneaking into Nottingham Castle. He was sure that the Sheriff would actually be quite peeved at how easy it had been. He had simply walked through the open gate, past several guards who had been well into their cups and hadn't even questioned him.

Finding Elizabeth's chamber had not been quite as easy. He had finally had to resort to opening every door along the corridor, knowing that all the inhabitants of the castle were at supper. Max had identified Liz's room by the faint scent of violets that had assailed him, as well as by the blue veil sitting on the bed, being the one she had been wearing that afternoon.

He had not had long to wait. She was now crossing the room, an expression of hope on her visage. He stepped out from behind the bed's hangings, his hood still in place and stared at her.

Elizabeth paused. "Max." She breathed. He swallowed, unable to say anything, simply shrugged the hood of his cloak off his head. Her eyes were bright, causing him to go weak in the knees.

And then she was in his arms. His mouth claimed hers in a kiss so fierce it left both of them gasping for breath. There was nothing gentle in this kiss. It was completely different from the one they had shared that afternoon - that had been a kiss full of promise.

This was one of possession.

Max broke away, ashamed of his lack of control. Her hands were on his shoulders, her fingers clutching at the fabric of his cloak. Her eyes were half-closed, shining with some emotion he could not identify.

They stared at each other. He brought his hands up, gently tucked a stray lock behind her ear, took her hand and led her to the bed. She sat down, blinked up at him, perplexed.

"I apologize my lady." He said. "I do not know what came over me." Elizabeth gazed steadily at him.

"I beg you not to say you are sorry. Max, please! We both know that it has gone far beyond that."
Max blinked. He dropped to his knees in front of her, claimed her hand and brought it to his lips. She placed her other hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "I do not know what is happening to me, but I know that we must never regret what transpires between us."

They stayed quietly like that for several moments. She stroked his cheek. Finally she said, "Why are you here? It is so dangerous Max! I told Mary and Alexander I would come to you on the morrow."

"I had to make sure that you were safe." He clutched her hand tightly. "Liz, you risked too much for us this afternoon. You must promise me that you will never expose yourself like that again." He was determined that she agree. He would not leave until he knew that she would never risk herself again.

Liz dropped her gaze. She looked as though she was hiding something. "I cannot make such a promise Max." Max felt his face tighten.

She quickly changed the subject. "I do not believe that the Sheriff wishes to pursue the matter Max, but the Bishop is insisting. Sir Kyle and my lord Sheriff will be in the Forest tomorrow to find the bodies. You must move them tonight."

Max nodded quickly, trying to brush aside her fears. "It will be all right my love. We have set up camp in the Forest until all this blows over. Alexander and Lady Mary have decided to remain with us. They are perfectly safe. Thank you for sending them to protect Tess and Isabel." He brought her palm to his lips again, still astounded that he was allowed to do so. The way he felt about her - he had never in a million years imagined that she could feel the same way.

But the way she gazed at him, her heart in her eyes - he knew it was true. She brought her hands up, cupped his face and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He felt his heart begin to thunder in his chest.

He had never known that he could feel this way about anyone. He had always known that he was to marry Tess, but she was like a sister to him. She had never made him feel the way Elizabeth did just at the thought of her.

The thought of Tess gave him a minor pang of guilt, but he quickly brushed it aside. He could not waste a precious moment in the company of Liz with regrets.

She was right. They had moved well past the point of regret.

"You must go my beloved. You are in danger here." Liz told him. He didn't know when he had started to think of her by that name. He had realized rather quickly that no one else called her such. It just seemed natural to him - like he had always called her thus.

"I will not go anywhere until you promise me that you will do nothing to jeopardize your safety." He replied stubbornly. Liz gave him an annoyed look. "Promise me Liz. If not, I will go and turn myself into the Sheriff right now." She frowned at him. He thought she looked adorable, but he knew she would give in.

She pressed her lips together, clearly debating with herself. "Very well. I promise." She said quietly.

Max stood, pulling her to her feet. She placed her head on his shoulder, clutched him tightly. "I do not know how or why, but I love you." She pulled back slightly, smiling at him shyly. "I know that I am being most forward, but I cannot help myself. I NEED you to know."

Max lowered his head, kissed her thoroughly. He finally broke away, placed his forehead against hers and whispered. "You must always swear to me that you will never keep anything from me. For I love you too. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that you were my other half."

She kissed him again. He felt her tears against his face. "Now, please go my love. I could not bear it if you were caught here."

Max managed to step away from her, although every part of his being was screaming for him to return to her arms. She was gazing sadly, but lovingly at him. "I will come to you again soon my love." She nodded, attempting to smile.

As he opened the door, he heard a flurry of movement behind him. He turned and she was in his arms again, placing kisses all over his face. "Please be careful Max! I could not bear it if anything were to befall you." He caught her lips in another deep kiss, trying to reassure her.

He pulled away, gazed into her eyes and replied, "You are like a May morning. I will never give you cause to weep my Liz." With that, he reluctantly disentangled himself from her embrace and disappeared down the corridor.

Part 14

Elizabeth watched Max disappear down the stone corridor, a small smile on her face. She could feel her body still glowing where he had touched her so tenderly moments before.

How can I have fallen in love with someone I barely know? She wondered to herself as she crossed her arms, hugging them to herself as shiver suddenly went through her.

A premonition. The image of Max lying in a pool of blood suddenly flashed through her mind. She threw her hands to her head, tried to push the picture away.

She swallowed convulsively, took deep breaths.

"Milady! Are you well?" Elizabeth's eyes snapped open. She was still standing in the doorway to her chamber. A servant passing by with a tray in her hands eyed her worriedly.

"I am fine Parkyla." She shuddered as the horrific vision tried to reassert itself. "Are you taking that to the Sheriff and the Bishop?" She asked Parkyla suddenly. More than ever it was imperative that she hear what the Sheriff was planning. She had to keep Max and the others safe.

Parkyla nodded her head. "Aye milady." Elizabeth reached out and took the tray from the serving girl.

"I will take it in to them. I must speak to the Sheriff this evening. They are in the Solar?" Parkyla nodded, curtsied and hurried away, glancing once behind her, her expression curious.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and hurried down the corridor, the tray balanced carefully in her hands.

The Sheriff's Solar was up a flight of stone steps in one of the castle's towers. As she approached, Elizabeth tried to make as little noise as possible. She was pleased to note that the Sheriff had left the door to the room slightly ajar. Had the heavy oak been closed there would have been no way of hearing.

"......insist that you take care of this Sheriff." Elizabeth gently set the tray on a nearby ledge, inched closer to the door.

"But Your Grace, the whole story seems somewhat outlandish. My men are occupied with collecting taxes for the King. They have no time to chase two likely innocent boys through the green wood." The Sheriff replied.

"I trust Father Desmond to speak the truth DeValence. If he says that those boys used witchcraft, then I believe him." The Bishop replied in ringing tones. "Do you doubt ME?"

"No, of course not your Grace." Elizabeth could hear the Sheriff sigh. "Very well, I will send my men out tomorrow, but I must insist that those boys be given a fair..." The Sheriff was cut off. Elizabeth heard someone tapping on a door. She recalled that there were two entrances to the tower. She crossed herself quickly, thanking God that the messenger had chosen the other one. She would have found it difficult to explain her presence in the corridor with her ear pressed to the door.

Elizabeth felt an hysterical giggle about to erupt. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, forced herself to listen.

"....some horrible news milord." Elizabeth recognized the voice of the Captain of the Guard.

"What is it?" The sheriff barked, clearly annoyed by the interruption.

"We fear that the outlaws that were rumoured murdered in the forest might have been our men in disguise." Elizabeth threw her hands up, covered her mouth, sure that she was going to cry out.

"What does this mean captain??" The sheriff sounded confused and annoyed.

The captain's voice was sheepish as he replied, "We've been trying without success to ferry the taxes through the Forest milord. Every shipment has been stolen to date." Elizabeth heard the Bishop snort, mutter what sounded like "outlaws."

"We thought disguising the men as outlaws might cause other outlaws to leave them alone. There is a certain honour amongst thieves you see. We thought that if the real outlaws thought our men had already robbed the taxes, they would leave the convoy in peace."

The Sheriff erupted. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of!!! Why was I not notified that this was happening??? Who originated this insane idea to begin with???"

"Well...." the captain trailed off. "It was Sir Kyle."

"Well DeValence, " the Bishop interrupted. "If you won't go looking for those demons for the Church, perhaps you will do so to avenge your men."

"We do not know for sure that there were any murders!" The Sheriff yelled in frustration. Elizabeth jumped. "We are going to the clearing tomorrow. I refuse to make hasty decisions."

"And if you find proof of what Father Desmond has said?" The Bishop inquired annoyed.

"Then I will act by God." The Sheriff replied coldly. "I cannot allow my men to be slaughtered, whether by demons or real men."

Elizabeth sent up a silent prayer that Max had heeded her warning, that they were moving the bodies. She knew that if the Sheriff found any proof whatsoever that his men had been harmed, there would be Hell to pay, whether Michael had been acting in defense of Isabel or not.

None of this makes sense, Elizabeth thought frantically. Why would the sheriff's guard, posing as outlaws, really rob someone? If the story that Isabel had told was true, then those guards had been robbing and threatening her and her siblings...

I must speak with Max. The thought appeared unbidden in her mind, but she knew it was true. She was going to have to break her promise to him, only one day after she made it.

She was going to have to go find them in Sherwood.

I must - I must warn them that everything has worsened.

"The Queen must be informed of these developments." The Bishop was saying. "Where did that tax shipment disappear to? She will be furious if we do not let her know. King Richard needs that money to ransom himself from the Emperor."

Elizabeth decided that she had heard all that was important. She needed to prepare for her journey into Sherwood.

She would leave at first light.

To be continued...