"How dare you?"

Marian had never been as angry at Robin as she was now. As soon as Gladys had made it clear that she wanted to know what it was like to do more than just kiss Robin of Locksley, whispering that Robin had boasted to Ralph that he had done everything with Marian, Marian could no longer sit with her aunt and sew. "Excuse me," she had said, leaving her aunt's chambers to hunt down Robin before he left the castle.

She found him with Much outside the stables, preparing to mount their horses. Robin was delighted to see her, thinking she had come after him to kiss him goodbye, until he felt the full force of her anger.

"What have I done?" he cried out to her, never having encountered such anger from Marian before.

"You know what you did!"

Much's mouth and wide blue eyes opened even wider as he stood silently by, feeling Marian's wrath extended to him.

"No, I don't!" Robin shot back. "But if you'll explain, instead of just accusing me, I can defend myself!"

"There's no defending what you said!"

"Oh, so it was something I said! You can't be angry I invited your aunt to a party! I only did it to shorten your punishment. And it worked, in case you've forgotten."

"Party?" Marian groaned. "I'm not talking about that. I know all about what you said to Ralph!"

Robin thought hard, trying to recall the conversation he'd had with Ralph and Martin, just before the Council of Nobles. He couldn't think of anything he had said to anger Marian, other than participating in talk unsuitable to her ears. But he hadn't been the guilty one. He hadn't wanted to discuss the tavern girls. There had to be a misunderstanding, and he thought he knew what it was.

"Marian," he told her, his voice quiet and pleading, "I have never visited the girls at the Trip. I swear it."

She couldn't comprehend. "Girls? Trip? What are you talking about?"

"What are you?"

At last, she was ready to state her accusation...almost. "Gladys told me what you told Ralph. How dare you, Robin? How dare you make up lies about us, and ruin my reputation?"

"What lies?"

"Do you really want me to say it?"

"It would help!"

Marian groaned again, then straightened her shoulders and blurted it out. "You claimed we have already enjoyed the pleasures of the marriage bed, only I don't think you said it so nicely."

Robin's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened so that he resembled Much. "I never did," he told her. "I only said..." His voice trailed off, too embarrassed to tell her.

"What?" she pressed.

Robin heaved a sigh. He lowered his voice so much, Marian had to strain to hear him. "I only said..." He sighed again before continuing. "I only said I won't have any trouble, on our wedding night."

Marian's face flushed. "Trouble?"

Robin, blushing himself, nonetheless grew charming, sure of himself and expecting this misunderstanding would now end in kisses. "I meant that it would all be perfect, considering how we feel toward each other."

He quickly learned there would be no kisses today.

Although relieved that Robin had not boasted any untruths, Marian was still angry that he would engage in such a conversation with other men at all. "And how do we feel about each other?" she asked, still hoping for a declaration of love. She was flustered by what he had just said, not wanting to feel the pleasure it gave her. "Don't you ever speak about me in that way to anybody, ever again!"

She turned and almost ran back inside the castle.

"Marian!" Robin cried out, wanting to mend the argument.

Much, relieved she had gone, took deep breaths to calm his nerves, then asked Robin, "Why didn't you tell her, you were forced into the conversation?"

"I wasn't forced, Much."

"No, but you weren't a willing participant. Those nobles twisted what you said."

The two young men mounted their horses and eased them to a walk through the streets of Nottingham.

"What did I say, exactly?" Robin asked his servant. "I'm trying to remember."

"I think they wanted you to come with them to visit the tavern girls. Horrible men! And the one who talks like a baby said you shouldn't not know what to do on your wedding night. Is it 'shouldn't not,' or how should I say it?"

Robin ignored Much's concern over grammar. "And I said it wouldn't be a problem," he remembered. "Oh, Much! I didn't think!"

"But why, Master, would they claim you and Marian had already...already...? You didn't say that!"

"They must have assumed it. I told them there wasn't another woman, when they guessed there was. So they assumed I meant that Marian and I...!"

Robin reined his horse then steered it around.

"Master, where are you going?" With difficulty, Much turned his horse as well.

"I need to stop their lies, before anyone else hears them," Robin explained, nearly as angry as Marian had been.

"Let's hope the sheriff hasn't heard them yet," Much said.

But unfortunately, Sir Edward had.