Alec
I promised you something before I left for Nottingham. I promised I would write a letter every evening to tell you how I had fared during the day. I must confess that this was rather difficult for me at the beginning, but only as I was not certain what would be important for you. But then I remembered that our interests were always pretty much the same and from that point on it was a pleasure to tell you about my conversations with Lady Margaret and how I laughed with her about that horrible little man who tried to evict us from the castle on a daily basis. Of course, he was unsuccessful in doing so, for Lady Margaret knows how to take him. I also enjoyed writing about my excursions around Nottingham, where I couldn't help but notice that we (by that I mean Sir Guy and myself and the soldiers who accompanied us) did not visit certain parts. I have already written to you that I believe this is due to Sir Guy's desire to avoid encountering outlaws, by which, of course, I primarily mean Robin Hood and his bunch. Sir Guy does not let himself be swayed in this respect by anything, even if he otherwise always complies with my wishes. I can only say that he is really very considerate. I have also written to you that we have found some topics to talk about. I assure you, you won't have any trouble getting along with him either, but I advise you to curb your adventurousness a bit, at least in the beginning, or the poor man will die worrying about you. And I am quite serious about that. He always worries about my personal safety. It took him a few days to convince himself that he could put me on a more spirited horse than the sluggish mare he had chosen for me at the outset. First I had to prove to him how well I could ride, but then it was no longer a problem. And in that way it happened with other issues as well. I am convinced that he will be a good husband to you if you just give him the attention he deserves. He thirsts for it, and it looks as if he receives nothing of the kind here in Nottingham, with this Robert de Rainault. And his mother is, under ordinary circumstances, not in a position to visit him often enough to assure him that he is doing his work well. He doesn't have anyone else here. We have mostly avoided the subject of this Robin Hood in our conversations, but when one is here in the castle the outlaw is also ever present and it cannot escape anyone's notice how much Sir Guy suffers from not being able to get hold of him. And how much the Sheriff reprimands, insults and ridicules him for it. It would be really good if Father could see to it that Sir Guy finds another post. The Sheriff, that awful man, is also the reason why, for once, I am not going to tell you about my day, for I was not well enough to leave my chamber all day. I have spent most of it in bed, and Sir Guy often – meaning hourly - looked in on me. I think he wanted to make sure I wasn't mortally ill. Lady Margaret also looked after me quite touchingly, but I could make them both think that I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me. The real reason for my indisposition, however, is something else and I must tell you about it. At the same time, I apologize to you for not having written to you yesterday and I hope you weren't too worried about me. But I also want to apologize for not telling you sooner about what happened last night during the dinner and who was to blame for making me feel so miserable. The Sheriff has finally given his consent to the wedding, which in itself is good news. His willingness to host the celebration also sounds really good, but he has added a condition to it that we can't decline, otherwise he will withdraw his consent. He demands the wedding to be held already in one week, this means there are now six days left when I write this letter and hopefully five left when you read it. I am begging you to come here straight away. Please let me know when we can exchange places so that you will be able to marry this wonderful man. I am eagerly waiting for your reply.
With love
Alexandrine had already read the letter countless times and by now some of the words were no more easily decipherable, as she had shed numerous tears while reading. This was due to the fact that she would really like to comply with her brother's request, but the surgeon who was taking care of her - and who had already cost her a lot of money - had been forced to inform her that she was not yet able to travel again. Therefore, she had to accept that it was simply not possible for her to get to Nottingham in time.
Eventually, the young woman had recovered her self-control and was able to dab her eyes dry with a cloth. Then she was in a position to reach for parchment and quill to compose an answer.