"We mustn't," Marian objected, wriggling free from her husband's embrace. "What will the servants think?"

"I hope they'll think we're up here playing chess, but I doubt it."

Robin's wolfish grin turned tender, when he noticed how tired Marian looked. "I'm sorry, my love," he said, his voice turning gentle. "Are you alright?"

"Just a bit tired, is all. I helped make cheese all morning."

"Cheese! No wonder you made me so hungry!"

She rolled her eyes, smiling at his cheekiness, then stepped behind a screen to change out of her wet clothes. "How was the council?" she asked.

Yanking off his belt to remove his own wet things, he responded, "Unnecessary. Do you know where Thomas put my dry socks?"

A naked arm appeared from behind the screen, pointing. "Where he always puts them, Robin. But tell me more. I want to know what happened."

Robin, stepping into dry trousers, told her. "I made a new enemy, Marian."

"I assume you mean the Chancellor," she said, appearing fully dressed. Using a towel, she began rubbing the excess moisture from her hair. "Are you surprised, Robin? He was appointed by King John, after all. It was only a matter of time, till you butted heads."

Noticing the worried look in his eyes, she put down the towel, and approached him, saying gently, "Tell me."

Still shirtless, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Marian onto his lap. "He told us to 'squeeze' all we can from the people, to fill John's coffers. Who does that remind you of?"

"He can't be as bad as...Vaisey. No one could."

"He's not a maniac. But he's cold, without a conscience, I think. He'd have to be, to do John's bidding. And there's something else."

"Go on, then. Tell me."

Robin sighed, sadly. "I'm a hypocrite, Marian. You know how I'm always telling you, one man is much like another? Well, I made it a point today, to openly mock his birth."

She drew her breath in slowly, and waited for him to explain.

"I made certain to call him Master Chancellor, because I'd learned from his wife how sensitive he is about his origins. He's a tanner's son, who made his money selling hides."

"Well," Marian said at last, "be glad you didn't call him 'Tannerson.' It doesn't change your beliefs, Robin. You only did it to taunt him."

Holding her, he felt overcome to kiss her, and did so, tenderly, holding back the passion he was feeling.

Marian was beginning to regret her earlier refusal, and let him know it by her kiss's response.

A respectful knock on their bedchamber door pulled their lips apart.

"What is it?" Robin called from the bed.

"Excuse me, Master," Thornton apologized from the other side of the door. "You have a visitor." His voice changed, revealing his distaste. "Mistress Fitzhugh has returned again."

Robin and Marian stared at one another, both of them with eyebrows raised.

...

All the way back towards Locksley, Annora had been trying to think up a plan to get Robin alone. The only thing she had come up with was to express a desire to see his horses, hoping his stables would be unoccupied of people.

"What kind of horse was that you were riding again?" she asked, not even having to feign an interest, since every detail of his life now fascinated her. "You rode off so fast, you stole my breath away!"

Annora was sitting across from Robin and his wife beside a roaring fire in his hall, since the rain had brought a chill in its wake. Their daughter sat between them, gnawing on the nose of a toy horse. Removing it from her mouth, she bounced her toy up and down to make it dash away, crying out, "Neigh, neigh!"

Robin laughed and Marian smiled, both of them clearly enjoying their daughter. Annora needed to get him away from this domestic scene.

"Veillantif's a destrier," Robin informed her, winking at Marian, whose love of horses exceeded even his own.

"What a funny name!" Annora exclaimed.

"It was the name of Roland's horse," Marian explained, realizing too late that Annora had no clue who Roland, the legendary war hero who'd served under Charlemagne, was.

"I want to see your destroyer," Annora proclaimed, "though I hope he won't destroy anything of mine!"

"Destrier," Marian corrected, growing impatient. "It means Veillantif's the finest, best bred warhorse available."

"But being a warhorse," Robin cockily added, " 'destroyer' might not be so inaccurate after all!"

Annora did not understand his joke, nor was she in the mood for jests. She only felt he was rescuing her from his wife's disapproval, and she felt it proved his love for her.

"I want to see him," she said again. "Show him to me."

"Alright then," Robin agreed, knowing Marian would also enjoy showing off their horses.

"Mama, pee pee," Ellen suddenly said.

"I'll take care of it," Robin volunteered. "You two go ahead. I'll meet you in the stables in just a bit."

"No, you go on," Marian said, kindly but unwisely. "I'll do it. Come along, Boo, darling."

Annora thanked her lucky stars, or whatever it was that had made the child want her diaper changed, just at that perfect moment.

"You sure you want to go out in the rain?" Robin asked, from the doorway. "You might ruin your slippers."

"Carry me," she breathed.