Chapter 1

By the time Marian, Duncan and Sarah arrived on the lands of Blidworth castle the mist had receded, and the already warm sun promised a long day for those in the fields. Much of the gentle slopes surrounding the castle had been thoroughly ploughed and cleaned to make way for plantations of wheat and barley. Thankfully, the weather had been mild, and the crops were thriving. The wheat would be ready to harvest in August, while the spring-planted barley only needed a couple more weeks. Marian spotted a couple of children walking around the fields, weeding and shooing away birds and small rodents.

The trio walked through one of the fields that had been left fallow, towards the sheep enclosures. Shearing was well under way. Half a dozen men were busy handling the animals while a few more were putting the heavy wool in tightly closed containers to be stored in the barn. Sarah stopped to chat with her brother Bennett who was part of the sheep-shearing group and Marian headed towards farmer Jeffery who also acted as steward when she was away. He took his eyes off the shearing work he was overseeing and greeted her with a large smile.

'Good day M'lady, glad to see that the ghost of Sherwood Forest did not claim you!'

Marian laughed at the idea. Many people in the Shire believed that the woods were haunted and did not dare going there after sundown. These superstitions, while fed by pagan beliefs most devout Christian would sneer at, had had the great benefit of allowing Robin and his Merry Men to remain at peace in the heart of Sherwood. 'Long may it last', she thought.

'Hi Jeffery! As you can see, I am alive and well. I hope that you are not working our people too hard. It will be a warm day.'

'We are taking advantage of the cooler hours of the morning Lady Marian. When the shearing is done, we will take a break for lunch. The ladies and children will then start carding i (see notes below) in the shade of the trees while the men start the repairs on the North wall.'

'Thank you. Sarah and I will start cutting some bread and cheese for you all after I am done looking at our expenses. Now, what has happened while we were gone?'

As the ladies had only been away overnight, there was not much to be caught up on. Jeffery gave a succinct account of a few events: one of the cattle had been given an ointment for its sore feet and was doing much better. Local merchants had finally made their last payment owed on the cured meat they had purchased last week which would allow Jeffery to pay for tools needed to repair the North wall of the castle.

Marian spent an hour looking at the castle's budget. Taxes had been recently paid, but with the sale of the cured meats and the anticipation of imminent cash injection from the wool that had been sheared today they should be able to feed the serfs ii and live decently for the next couple of months. She remembered that the barley had been planted late this year, and she noted that the harvest would have to be done in December instead of November in order to start making beer that could be sold after the winter, when money would be scarce again. She put her quill down and rested her head on her hands with a frown. There was also the matter of Robin's enterprise to think about. She had promised him that she would do as much as possible to help, and even though sending a message to Richard would already expose her to the Sheriff's scrutiny she also had to manage more immediate and concrete help. Money would have to be kept aside to help him purchase weapons and feed his own people, which would also put them at risk of being discovered and accused of treason. What on Earth had she gotten herself into… Marian got up with a heavy sigh. The sun was already high in the sky, and lunch needed to be made.

The whole population of the Dubois demesne sat together to eat their bread and cheese in the sun. Laughter echoed around the yard walls and rolled over the grass, lifting the spirits. The children started running after an offended chicken, and as a toddler started rolling around a heap of hay Marian felt a smile running across her lips. It was good to be home. As hard as these last few years had been, and as time-consuming as her management role was, she was always thankful to get a moment to sit down and contemplate the community they were all helping to maintain. These people looked happy today, but she was not blind enough to ignore the fact that their lives were so much tougher than hers. As a privileged child, she had never lived through the hardship of having to work every single day for the right to be housed and fed, but her generous nature had pushed her to be kinder to them every year that passed. They needed each other, and every time that a successful harvest brought more money to the castle Marian thanked her peasants by organising a feast in the yard or slipping a few more coins in their hands.

Much of the afternoon was spent helping in the fields and putting some of the fruit from the orchard in the sun to dry in order to be kept in big containers for the colder months to come. When the sun started going down and the workers went home, Sarah and Marian finally gathered in the Lady's chamber to decide how the promise to Robin would be best fulfilled.

'Gisbourne and his men scour the Shire day and night… How will we get a man past them without looking suspicious? People don't travel alone anymore, it isn't safe… Not to mention that the countryside is full of scoundrels!'

'We cannot spare two men. And you said it yourself Sarah, this is a dangerous journey. I couldn't ask more than one person to take these kinds of risks.'

'Well… In that case, may I suggest Aymeric Milady? He can hold his own in a fight if it comes to it, and he is trustworthy.'

'Very well. I will send him dressed in fighting gear, as a representative of the Dubois house in the Crusades since Peter passed away. He should leave as soon as possible.'

An hour later, the young man was in the courtyard, ready to leave. The ladies had decided that the fallen night would provide him with the best cloak possible, to make his journey swift and quiet. Marian gave him her best sword, and a sealed parchment.

'You should reach Dover in a couple of days. There will be plenty of boats there to take you to Acre. If Richard refuses to see you, show the seal to one of his men. They will recognise it but insist on taking the message to him yourself. Please travel safely, may God help you Aymeric. I will not forget the favour you are doing me.'

When the young man had disappeared in the shadows of night, the message safely hidden in one of his boots, Sarah thought it safe enough to ask about the contents of the plea:

'Tenebrae hic est. Nunc age!' iii

'I am not sure what it is supposed to convey, Milady! 'Tis a bit cryptic, if you ask me!'

Marian turned to face her and paused for a moment. The rising wind made her shiver, and she rubbed her arms together.

"When we were younger, we visited Richard's family in Aquitaine for a few months. He had this silly game he would play with… Well, on us I suppose. As soon as it got dark outside, we would all be running in the gardens of the castle every evening. Richard would hide and jump on us when we came near him shouting "The darkness is here! I will eat you up!". We were quite a few years younger than he was, and he thought it amusing to see us panic like 'babes' as he would call us. He used to say that the true darkness was the people who would take his father's side against him iv . Our paths have not crossed many times since but whenever it has, I have heard him mention 'the darkness'. He was always worried about the nobility betraying him. I dare say he will understand the message when he gets it.'

Sarah nodded, trying in vain to catch a glimpse of Aymeric as if a last look could somehow shelter him from the perils of his journey.

'For all our sakes Milady, I am praying that you are right.'

'So am I Sarah, so am I.'

i To card the wool is to clean and untangle its fibres before spinning it (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

ii Serfs were members of a servile feudal class bound to the land and subject to the will of its owner (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

iii 'Tenebrae hic est. Nunc age!' 'Darkness is here. Come now.' (Latin was widely used in writing by the nobility at the time).

iv Even though Richard Lionheart was born in Oxford, he left for Aquitaine with his French-born mother in 1171. He became Duke of Aquitaine the following year at the age of 14 and started a rebellion against his father in order to reign independently over the territory of Aquitaine and Poitou he had been promised when he had been made Duke.