The Eternal Shadow

Chapter 43

XLIII

If Francesca had found it difficult dealing with her father and Natalia, then that was nothing compared to dealing with her father, Winchester and Vaisey.

The sheriff had begrudgingly taken them in at the castle - could do no other since they were there on Prince John's bidding but it was fair to say that he wasn't a pleasant host. It was also fair to say that her future husband wasn't a pleasant guest and so the two men spent much of the day sniping at each other like a pair of old women. Her father had once been good friends with Vaisey; this arrangement came to an end however, as soon as Vaisey discovered his allegiance lay with Winchester.

The atmosphere was one of latent animosity and added to this was Vaisey's continuing punishment of Guy. Francesca had hoped that his spell in the dungeon would be just the one night but Vaisey declared he had no desire to see the younger man at present and so he was to remain in his cell until his master's mood improved.

Francesca knew there was no way in which she could ameliorate the situation and so decided that the best thing she could do was make herself scarce. Fortunately, the grumpy old men were too busy licking their wounds and plotting their next move to care much about what she did so she was free to go catch a breath of fresh air, (so long as she took a couple of guards with her that is).

A servant informed her it was market day in Nottingham and she figured it wouldn't hurt to take a look, perhaps she could find something for Guy, though in his present situation she doubted he would find much comfort in trinkets... but still, you never know...

She quickly found herself overwhelmed. The market was meagre - the people of Nottingham had little to sell and were desperate to sell it, bombarding her from all sides with their wares. She made the mistake of looking at a scarf a second too long, which was an open invitation for the seller to thrust her entire selection at her and rattle off the usual sales patter.

Luckily, she was rescued.

"Good day Lady Francesca, found something you like?"

Unluckily, it was Guy's fiancée.

Well, this was awkward.

Here she was with an armful of scarves, one of which she was considering buying for this woman's fiancé and what had seemed like an innocent gesture to cheer a man in the dungeon, (and improve his taste in scarves because let's face it folks, that yellow thing he currently had round his neck was not the most flattering), now felt very wrong indeed.

Marian noticed her unease and knew the reason why. She'd already guessed why the garment had caught her eye and it wasn't because she'd puzzled at Guy's taste in scarves herself...

No, this woman was in love with him, that was as plain as day.

What Marian couldn't get her head round was why. Putting aside the most obvious reason; the fact that he was strikingly handsome, Marian could not think what he had to recommend him. He was moody, difficult to talk to, bad mannered (pointedly so in his dealings with servants or villagers), permanently frowning or scowling... Yes, he had at times proved himself gallant by her but clumsily so – his gifts and compliments were offered with the awkwardness of a youth. His attempts to get closer to her were strongly at odds with fits of temper that genuinely frightened her and that wasn't even scratching the surface of what he did for the sheriff.

Not ten minutes before he proposed to her, he backhanded her father. That pretty much says it all doesn't it?

And yet... she doubted she would ever forget the way he'd looked at Francesca as she'd tended to him in the forest nor how she'd looked at him. It had been shocking to find them that way, especially after all that Robin had said in his angry outburst but there they were; as tender with each other as lovers and it had horrified and intrigued Marian beyond measure.