Sorry for the delay in updates. I was away for the past few days, but I'm back now for the rest of the summer and yes, I will try and be as diligent with my updates during the fall semester as I have been during the break. :)

WARNING: This chapter contains suggestive mature themes. Well...it heads into the more explicit, but I don't think it's very detailed so I'm labeling it more suggestive. I don't normally put heavy sexual content in my stories because I think it takes away from the point of the story in some minute way. That being said this story is going to have more sexual content later on; having never written explicit content before I'm not sure if I'm going to be pleased with the end result. I apologize if scenes of this nature are offensive to any of my readers.


XVI

Painted Traitor

For once in Rebecca's life she was almost pleased to be going back to Locksley. She sat silent in the carriage. Now that they were out of the town all around them was greenery. She was rather grateful to be enclosed, for the past few days the temperature had been rising to almost intolerable levels. It would be dry summer to be sure.

Rebecca's gaze flickered from Isabella to Guy. The two were at obvious odds with one another, for neither engaged in conversation or bothered to look at each other. Rebecca was sitting beside Isabella and she was staring out the window next to her. Guy sat directly across from Rebecca, and was--much to her surprise--staring at her. Not wanting to talk, Rebecca merely raised an eyebrow at him, as if to ask him what it was he wanted, or what he was thinking. When she shot him these challenging looks Guy would quickly avert his eyes as if he hadn't thought to glance her way.

Rebecca had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. She felt like rather childish. She was reminded of times when she and Guy had had to keep their silences while remaining in the same room as the other. They would often shoot each other inquiring looks, but more often than not, when no one was looking Rebecca would attempt to make Guy laugh.

Rebecca cleared her throat, covering her mouth with her hand. Guy was no longer looking at her, he was resting his head against the side of the carriage, but Rebecca could see the thin smirk upon his lips. Rouge, he was doing this on purpose. Isabella glanced over her shoulder at her. Saving face, Rebecca tapped her throat in an apologetic gesture. "Not sickening for something are you, Becca?"

"No...must be the heat." Rebecca shrugged, feeling rather strange to have broken the tedious silence.

If Guy's leg had not still be hurting him, she would have kicked him. As it was, Rebecca shifted her focus back to the window and did not let her eyes stray away from it for the rest of the ride to Locksley.

***

Rebecca walked into the servant's quarters with little bravado, as if she had not been gone for nearly a week. There were only three servants still in the quarters, one maid and two young lads who were helping her sweep up. All activity ceased as soon as she walked in. She gave them a smile and a little wave. "No need t' stop on my occasion." She said cheerfully. "Just came t' collect my things."

"Collect your things?" One of the boys asked, "What for?"

"The master's sister is staying with us for a time an' I'm t' be her maidservant while she's here. She made me up a cot in her room. Doesn't want me too far I suppose." Rebecca said casually as she gathered up the sheets from her old cot. She smiled as she saw the three servants exchange curious glances from the corner of her eye. They had good cause to be confused, for all they knew she was a veritable stranger to the new lady. Rebecca was slightly pleased that she would get a bit of a rest away from the other servants. Isabella had been in a whirlwind ever since they had first set foot back in Locksley; rushing about and ordering this and that as if she was the full mistress of the manor. She had seemed in good spirits though, and Rebecca took this as a good sign. Perhaps now that she and Guy were now once again under the same roof they would at last be able to speak to one another and settle any past grievances between them. She was confident that in time they would be as they always were.

Rebecca heard the maid drop her broom in the corner and she turned around to see what had startled the girl. She gave a gasp herself when she found herself face to face with Guy. "Master?" She jumped a little, placing the bundle of sheets back onto the, now bare, straw filled mattress.

Guy was looking at her with a most unusual expression. A cross between cold calculation and confused friend. He didn't say anything at first. "Master?" Rebecca asked again in a more questioning tone. What did he want with her?

He gave his head a little shake, as if he had been lost in his thoughts for a minute, "Isabella has asked you to stay with her has she?" He asked.

Rebecca nodded. Guy looked as if he was trying to find a double meaning in the simple nod, "And you are accepting of this?"

"O' course." Rebecca shrugged, "It's my pleasure t' help your sister while she's here. Is...is that all, master?"

"Yes." Guy said bluntly as he turned to leave. He paused halfway to the door before turning about again, "No...Becca? Be careful around her."

Rebecca snickered, "I don't understand ya, master. Your sister knows I think the world 'o her. What reason should I have t' be careful?"

"Just..." He shook his head, as if suddenly displeased with himself for bothering to warn a servant of his misgivings of his own kin, "Nevermind..."

"Master!" Rebecca called out again, causing Guy to stop once more. "Your leg's healing nicely...m-m-maybe later ya'd like for me t' take out those stitches?"

"I'll send for you." Guy muttered as he finally managed to make his exit.

Rebecca stood staring after him a small grin slowly spreading over her features. Guy had been stepping around her quite like an unsteady child for the past few days. Rebecca did not know what to make of it. Only a few months ago the two hardly had a word for the other and now he was seeking her out to give her warnings over her safety; stranger things had never happened.

Rebecca's blushes and smiles faded suddenly when she noticed the three servants staring openly at her. "Well?" She snapped turning back around to finish her own task, "What's the matter with ya? Forget how t' use a broom? Get back t' work!"

She finished gathering up her belongings and headed from the servant's quarters back to the manor house. She gave a little laugh as she noticed that someone was heading from the manor to the servant's quarters. Isabella was startled to see Rebecca coming towards her. She quickly tucked something unseen into the belt strapped about her dress. "Becca," She said forcing a smile to her face, "I was just on my way to see you."

"What a strange day this is turning into." Rebecca said, "Your brother just came t' see me as well, my lady."

"I know." Isabella said quickly, "I saw him crossing the grounds from the upstairs window."

"Do ya need anything, then?" Rebecca asked.

"Actually..." Isabella's eyes seemed to dart in every direction as if the words which emerged from her lips were being shifted and turned on the spot, "I was wondering if I might...help you?"

"Me?" Rebecca coughed, "Why would I be needing your help, my lady?"

"Judging from the fact that that bundle you are currently holding in your arms is almost twice as big as you...I thought I would help you carry your things into my chambers." Isabella said with a ringing laugh.

"My lady, that's very kind o' ya, but I'm sure I can handle this on my own." Rebecca smiled fondly at her. That was the girl she had helped raise, sure enough.

"Don't be stubborn." Isabella said, taking some of the bundle of sheets out of Rebecca's arms. "I don't mind helping."

"If ya insist, my lady." Rebecca rolled her eyes, falling into stride alongside Isabella as they both walked back towards the manor. She noticed that Isabella seemed far more cheerful then ever she had seen her. There was a glimmer of satisfaction in the woman's eyes. Rebecca knew that in time Isabella would warm; now it was just a matter of bridging the gap between her and her brother, but that wouldn't be too far behind. Maybe with his sister's help, Guy would find a bit of solace as well; and maybe, this place that had always felt so foreign and cold could finally feel a bit like home.

Once inside the manor Rebecca hurried her way up the stairs to the room that had been set aside for Isabella's use. She paused upon the top step, realizing that Isabella was no longer at her side or immediately behind her. She looked downstairs to see her still standing in the hall, a sly little smile on her face. Rebecca followed the line of her gaze, noticing Guy. She grinned to herself as she snuck quietly away. Let them talk.

"Good day, brother." Isabella said charmingly.

"When did I take you up as a servant?" Guy said, pointing to the small bundle in Isabella's arm.

She laughed lightly, "I'm just helping Becca move her things. She's already upstairs, no doubt waiting as we speak."

"Then don't let me keep you." Guy muttered, brushing past her.

Something fell to the floor. It must have been light as there was a only a slight tap as evidence of the crash. Yet that small tap was enough to draw the attention of both brother and sister to the same little object. "Oh?" Isabella tried to kneel down to retrieve it, but Guy snatched it up first.

It was a tag, crudely carved on a piece of wood and strung through with bits of leather and twine. Guy held it by the strap, letting the tag swing and spin in the air, it's symbol flashing each time it made a rotation. Guy stared at it for a time, as if he couldn't believe what he was holding in his hands. He then looked over at his sister accusingly and even Isabella had to take a step back for fear he would kill her where she stood. She had to work to remain calm and innocent. For if she let on that she sensed her brother's demonic anger all of this planning would have been for nothing. "Strange thing isn't it?" She said, the words coming out quickly and slurred as she hurried to speak before her brother. "Found it with Rebecca's things. I thought it might have been something her mother gave her." She held out her hand, "Don't think she'll want to lose it, I'll give it to her."

"You found this with...Becca?" Guy croaked out. "That's impossible."

Isabella giggled, "Guy, don't be ridiculous, why shouldn't Becca have this when I found it with her things?"

"Do you know what this is?" Guy demanded.

"No...should I?"

"This is Robin Hood's! This is the tag he uses to mark his outlaws. Now, explain to me how this came to be with Becca?!"

"You're saying that this..." Isabella stammered, "is....oh no..."

"Isabella, tell me how you found this."

"I...I didn't find it. Becca was already carrying her things back to the manor and I offered to help her. She...she didn't want any help. She was adamant about it. I..I just thought she was being stubborn, but...now you say that this is Robin's..."

"Becca is not a spy." Guy stated with eerie calm as his fingers tightened over the outlaw tag.

"But, Guy..." Isabella took a few swift looks around before lowering her voice, "You're holding proof right in your hands."

This was the wrong thing to say. Isabella had to leap out of the way to avoid the sudden blow from her brother, "Becca is not a traitor!"

"Is something the matter? I heard shouting?" Rebecca appeared over the second floor balcony, she peered down at the siblings curiously.

Isabella gave a convincing gasp of shocked horror, "Becca! Oh...you gave me a scare. No...nothing's the matter."

"Master?"

Guy was looking down, his hand completely covering the damning evidence. He would not look up at her. He couldn't. Rebecca knew when something was wrong, "Master, are you all--"

"Becca." Isabella interrupted swiftly, "Why don't you wait for me in my chambers. I'll be up in a moment."

"Yes, my lady." Rebecca said with a small sigh before disappearing down the hall once more.

Isabella turned back to her brother, who was falling apart right before her very eyes. It was a wonderful sight. "Do you want me to handle this." She said with all the tone of a sister concerned for the well being of her brother.

"No." Guy snapped, "I will deal with her myself."

"You don't think she really could be working with Robin Hood, do you?" Isabella gasped.

"I...I don't know." He admitted, looking down at the tag in his hand.

"Guy, maybe it's time to see things as they really are. I did try to warn you..." Isabella said as she began to mount that stairs.

"My Becca would not betray me!"

Isabella raised an eyebrow at that. "Then, Guy, maybe it's time you realized that Becca is not yours, and possibly never has been."

1177

The inn was bright with raucous laughter and drunken merriment. Guy sat alone at his table nursing a tankard of ale, observing the gaiety about him with a disinterested and, as yet, sober eye. He kept himself to himself. He was only passing through the small coastal town.

There was a fair amount of significance to the rowdy inn. It was the first establishment Guy had set foot in on English soil. The ale, which he drank slowly, was the first English ale he had tasted in nearly five years. He listened to the other patrons chatter as it swirled about him. The words were spoken in English; a language that, up until a few short months ago, he thought he would never hear again. This should be his moment of absolute triumph, but all Guy could think of was how fast it would take him until he was as blissfully drunk as the others in the inn.

For four years he had toiled and struggled to earn enough money to buy passage back to England. He probably would have still been working endlessly back in France too if it hadn't been for his sister. Thank God she had been blessed with the grace and looks of veritable angel; otherwise Squire Thornton might never have noticed her. True, the nobleman had been significantly older than Isabella,but he was also significantly richer.

Isabella had been terrified at the prospective match, but Guy was her only guardian and the final decision fell upon him. He had had his doubts at first. She was only the unofficial ward of her uncle's. After she and Guy had fled to France Guy had hoped he would have been able to procure help from his mother's family, but all he had received was a cold welcome from his mother's brother. They were given lodging, but Guy worked as little more than a servant in the household. Some of his uncle's guards had taken an interest in the boy and taught him how to use a sword and how to throw a knife. These were skills he used to earn his keep and not always in the most honourable of ways. He kept this secret life hidden from Isabella, it would only upset her if she knew that he intended to pay his way back home with coins dipped in blood.

Squire Thornton had been the friend of his uncle's and upon seeing Isabella had taken an almost obsessive interest in the young maiden. Guy had tried to stall his advances only for the sake of his sister's uncertainties, but when at last Thornton, having lost all patience with the flighty girl, offered him a substantial amount of money to marry Isabella Guy had not had to give the offer a second thought. As disgraced and landless nobles they had to snap at every opportunity they could. Isabella had no dowry, and no hope of ever getting one. Guy tried to explain that she could not afford to hold of Thornton's advances any longer.

Having agreed to the engagement there was only the matter of the wedding to be taken care of. It had been a small affair. Isabella had cried. Guy had done his best to comfort her, telling her he would see her again as soon as he could. The money Guy had received from the marriage was generous enough for him to finally make his way back to England on comfortable means. He had been almost mad with his success, but he hadn't counted on how lonely it would be once he arrived.

His sister had been his sole reason for living after his parents died. Guy tried to content himself with the fact that Isabella would be more well off then he. She was even now a Lady of fair status. She would never know cold or hunger ever again in her life. This knowledge was an even greater triumph than his own current situation. He had kept his promise to her; he had provided for her.

A cheer rang out from the centre of the tavern hall. A fair skinned, dark-eyed beauty carrying a tray laden with tankards of ale and goblets of wine had come to deliver the next round of drinks to the table nearest the hearth. Guy watched in incurious amusement as the serving wench was grabbed at by drunken hands. If she did mind this flurry of touch she did not show it, for she laughed along with the men even as she was coaxed into sitting upon one of their laps as soon as she was released from her burden.

The dark-eyed woman had a charming grin, about as tempting as a serpent's. Guy was willing to bet she had the tongue to match. Reflected in the wench's smile was the memory of another far more shining and innocent one.

Guy looked down at the tankard in his hands, but the fleeting image stayed with him: dark, hazel-black eyes tinged bright with laughter and a smile curving sweet and familiar lips...Guy tried to place a stamp of hatred to the far away figure. Perhaps only trickery had been in those midnight eyes, or cruel laughter forming on those perfect lips. After all this figure had not been there when he had needed her the most. He never managed to hate this ghost of his past, lord knew he had tried, but hatred was just another form of memory so he had done his best to forget the owner of those dark eyes and that darling smile.

When Guy next glanced up the girl had moved away from her perch upon the man's lap. She was once again making her way round the room, making sure every guest was kept drunk and sated in all forms. She was steadily heading towards Guy.

"All right here, m'lord?" She asked, her voice a rasping, dripping, amber honey.

She really was rather beautiful. Guy found himself staring, and not always at her eyes. The woman smiled in a crooked fashion, not minding his stares. She even gave him a look herself--handsome rogue that he was.

The gold coin flashed cheerily in the bright room; a most pleasing sight to the woman--the only pleasure she understood. Guy set the coin upon the table, "Come to my room tonight." It wasn't a question.

The woman picked upon the coin, being sure to lean over against the table to give her admirer a better view of the wares. "Certainly, m'lord." She said silkily as she slipped the coin between her breasts. Not a bad bargain--gold crown and a handsome man--not a bad bargain at all. She slipped away from Guy's table, flashing him lovely gems of smiles as she went.

***

There came three light taps against the door leading into Guy's room. He opened it slowly, his promised whore for the night stood dressed only in a a lacy, white shift. She curtsied deftly and Guy led her inside.

The shift the woman was wearing left nothing to the imagination. Every curve, every supple and soft tease of flesh could be seen. Guy's eyes were already darkening with lust as he watched the woman swish and sway her way inside.

She circled about him, sliding her little hands over the wolf's head clasps of his coat. "Still locked away in these leathers, m'lord?" She laughed huskily, "Let's see if I can make you more comfortable, hm?" With one deft movement of her little fingers she unclasped his coat.

Shrugging off his coat, Guy took the woman in his arms, kissing her lips hungrily. The woman gave a little gasp of surprise at his suddenness, but she quickly became accommodating: opening her mouth to let him taste her. She rubbed up against his already straining lust; giggling like a naive little girl, flicking her tongue ever so slightly inside his mouth. She pulled away coyly as she felt Guy's hands move to her breasts. "Not so fast, my lovely." She teased, playing with fire as she saw a look of displeasure cross his face.

She brought him over to the bed and upon removing his boots, had him lay down upon it. Removing his shirt, she laved at his chest, kissing and licking her way down his stomach to the line of his trousers. She could hear him let out a strangled moan of frustrated pleasure as she wrapped the laces of his trousers about her little finger. Normally she would rather get this whole business over with, but he was a handsome man; with such fine dark hair and steely eyes. Why should she not get a little enjoyment from this as well?

Straddling him, she began to remove her translucent clothing. She smiled boldly, as she felt his eyes upon her skin as inch by inch of it became fully visible. Placing his hands on either side of her legs, Guy let his fingers trail effortlessly along the whore's inner thighs. Occasionally he parted the dark curls concealing her sex. He felt her throb with every stroke. Guy smirked, if she chose to tease him mirthlessly he could be just as cruel with her.

"What is your name?" He asked her. His voice was surprisingly calm in contrast to the raging need steadily escalating throughout his body.

"Abby, m'lord." she said sweetly as she began to tug at the laces of his trousers, while at the same time rubbing her hand against the straining hardness underneath. What an unusual question. None of the men she had been taken to bed with had ever asked her for her name.

Reaching over to the small table beside the bed, Guy held up another gold crown. Abby's eyes followed it. "How much to change your name to Rebecca tonight?" He asked.

Abby let out a ringing laugh, "Missin' your sweetheart, eh?" She said knowingly. Her eyes flicked away from the coin to his prone figure, "Oh," she licked her lips, "an' I bet she's missn' ya too."

"Answer the question, whore!" Guy snarled, holding the coin just out of the woman's reach.

Abby shrugged, eyes twinkling, "For that gold crown ya can call me whatever your heart desires, m'lord."

Guy tossed her the coin and she caught it, kissed it, and tossed it atop the pile of her discarded shift. She smiled sweetly, but it was not the sweetest smile Guy had ever seen; her eyes flashed brilliantly, but they were dull when compared to another's.

"Rebecca, m'lord, at your service."