"Giiisbuurne!"

"My Lord, I'm here," came the prompt response, which however the Sheriff had obviously not expected, for he flinched when he heard the knight's voice immediately from behind his back. The latter pretended not to notice, even if he was aware that de Rainault would then find something else to show him his displeasure.

"Why are you still hanging around here? Have you not seen that visitors have arrived?" The Sheriff's mood had been steadily deteriorating since the day Lady Margaret had informed him she would be returning to Nottingham, and in company.

Gisburne was aware that it was useless to point out to the other man that he had already been on his way to the bailey and been only delayed by him.

Instead, he assured him that he would head outside immediately.

"Isn't that what I just said, Gisburne?"

The knight could only with difficulty suppress a sigh, but any hint of what he actually thought of his master's behavior would only make the situation worse. Should it be really his mother who had just arrived - which he strongly suspected - then there was even the possibility that the Sheriff would get so upset with Lady Margaret and the impertinence of once again disrupting the routine in the castle that he might even throw one of his infamous tantrums if he would been forced to greet her in person in the bailey. Al least it would not be the first time for de Rainault to lose control over such an issue and Gisburne could certainly do without that.

Therefore, the knight crossed the hall at a quick pace, then ascended the stairs that would take him to the exit. He had no intention to keep the people who had just arrived waiting. But he wanted to escape the presence of the Sheriff, as well, even if it would only be for a short time.

When he had made it at last to the outside, he could see that the recent arrived guests had already dismounted. The stable hands had rushed over to take care of the animals as well, a fact the knight registered with approval, for they were not always so eager. The same was true for the servants, who were already busy with the luggage of those who had just reached the castle. From the number of bags, bundles and trunks it was obvious that the guests had not come to stay only a short time. Gisburne could not fail to notice that their intention seemed to be staying for at least a few days.

His mother was indeed among them - he had already assumed this beforehand - and standing next to a second much younger woman. The two of them were obviously waiting that someone would welcome them and Sir Guy was sincerely hoping it had not been too long, for this would not reflect well on the castle's residents. And thus, on him. Needless to say, he also wondered if the stranger could be the bride his mother had told him about. The notion made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. In the past weeks he had tried not to dwell on what Lady Margaret had told him, but now the entire affair had caught up with him once again.

"Guy," his mother called out as soon as she had caught sight of him, and the other woman then turned to face him as well, thereby giving him a chance to get a better look at her. The next he became aware of was that he was standing near her, but he did not know how he had made his way across the bailey. And it would be only later that he was able to figure out the reason for this to happen. It had been due to the fact that he has honestly not expected to encounter such a pretty young woman as the one who was at this moment looking at him expectantly.

"Guy," his mother addressed him once again, and her tone made it instantly apparent to him that he had not been listening to her.

"Mother, I beg your pardon," he replied to her, for after all he knew what was proper, even if in the service of the Sheriff he had seldom occasion for courtesy, at least not towards Ladies. "I was distracted," he added then, without thinking further about his words. As soon as it then dawned on him what he had just uttered, a blush rose to his face.

The young woman, who until just a moment ago had been eyeing him quite unabashedly, suddenly lowered her gaze as well, as her cheeks had also changed color.

The knight could hear a soft laugh coming from his mother. "May I introduce you to Lady Alexandrine de Challon, Guy. I have told you about her." She spoke to him as if he were just five years old, but at that moment it did not bother him at all.

His mother turned next to her companion. "Alexandrine, may I introduce my son, Sir Guy of Gisburne, to you."

The young woman raised her eyes once again and then offered a slender hand to him, which was covered by a thin leather glove. He leaned forward a little bit and brought the back of the hand to his lips. "It's a pleasure for me, my Lady," he managed to bring out.

"For me too, my Lord," she replied. Hers was a pleasant, rich voice that went well with the rest of her appearance. Sir Guy caught himself staring at her once again and forced himself to look at his mother instead. The latter returned his gaze with a somewhat amused expression, and it was only at that moment that he realized he was still holding Lady Alexandrine's hand. He let go of it as quickly as if he had burned himself.

"If you will please follow me, the Sheriff doesn't like to wait." The next moment he scolded himself for being an idiot on account of his rash words. "I meant the Sheriff shouldn't be kept waiting," he tried to clarify, only to realize that this did not sound much better. Since he could not miss that, he rather decided not to say anything more.

"I see what you mean, my Lord," the young woman merely replied, however. She seemed to be smiling, but he did not dare to look at her. He was not sure if he would not behave even more idiotically if he did so. On the other hand, he was very certain, that the Sheriff would not fail to notice of it were so. He would perceive in an instant the way his deputy was reacting to Lady Alexandrine and he would then for sure not hold back anymore. When he was of the opinion that the knight had once again succumbed to the charms of a woman, he would always manage to find words that hurt, and Gisburne had to admit that he was quickly getting exposed in this respect. On top of that, Lady Alexandrine was indeed a beautiful woman, the likes of which were rarely encountered in Nottingham. This was indeed something that had to be noticed even by someone like the Sheriff, although he wanted to have nothing to do with women in general.

All at once it came to the knight that they needed the Sheriff's approval. "Mother," he commenced, "my Lord de Rainault must give his consent, otherwise the wedding can't take place." It bothered him immensely to be dependent on his master even for something like this, but that was unfortunately a part of the conditions of his service.

"I know, Guy," Lady Margaret replied. "But if he should persist, I will refer to the Earl of Gloucester. For he is quite in agreement with the match. However, I may not need to bring him into the picture at all."

'You don't know de Rainault,' was all Sir Guy thought as he led the two women into the Great Hall, where the Sheriff had already settled at the table. Obviously he had not wanted to wait to be told who had just arrived and had already made a start on the evening meal. Gisburne was not happy to inform him that the guests were not intending to leave right away, as he was certain the other man would not be pleased about that. Moreover, the knight did not even want to consider what he would say about the purpose of this visit, since he feared the worst.