The Eternal Shadow

Chapter 44

XLIV

Marian's words had made Francesca feel heartily ashamed of herself.

Who was she to analyse Marian and Guy's relationship? To question Marian's motives? It was none of her business. He was none of her business.

His life was with someone else now and as much as she didn't want to face the reality of her situation, so was hers. It was Winchester whom she should be considering when buying scarves and as absurd as that thought seemed to her, (for spending time with him had not improved her opinion of him one iota), her future lay with him.

Thankfully, the following days were busy ones for Guy; the sheriff released him from the dungeon and he was occupied working on a project with a fellow called Lambert, which meant Francesca saw little of him. It gave her time to reflect on her behaviour towards him and cement her decision to keep her distance in future.

It wasn't easy though, especially as one morning he appeared in the great hall, smiling broadly, asking everybody to accompany him for he had something to show them. The look of excitement on his face made Francesca feel giddy before she reprimanded herself for being pathetic. She was trying to think of an excuse not to go when Marian arrived and that was exactly the kind of reality check she'd been needing. If she could see them together as a couple, that would surely stop her from behaving like some lovesick idiot wouldn't it? She had once thought that to see him happy with another would be the death of her but now she was determined to be the master of herself and get over this just as she had gotten over everything else in life that had not gone her way.

You can do this. You will do this. You must.

Not an hour later, she found herself in a clearing near the mines trying her best not to burst with pride for him and his friend. The explosion was like nothing she had ever seen and their idea to use the black powder in the mine was a stroke of genius. His joy at having impressed Vaisey was something to behold - she knew how seldom praise was from the elder man and how important his approval was to Guy.

Of course, it couldn't last. No sooner had the smoke cleared that Lambert realised the folly of bestowing something so powerful upon the sheriff and it all turned ugly. The speed with which a business proposition became a melee made Francesca's head spin and once again, it was Guy's behaviour that shocked her the most.

How could he do this to his friend? How could he turn on him? Just as his coldness at Locksley had floored her, now he was trying to force Lambert to do a deal with Vaisey and all she could do was stand there with her mouth hanging open as the man she thought she knew became a stranger to her once more. As the guards dragged Lambert off and Vaisey spoke of "hurting him carefully", a terrible dread took hold of her.

Oh Guy, what have you become?

**********

Upon returning to the castle, Francesca holed herself up in her quarters.

She felt as if the only sure thing in her life was falling apart and so wasn't up to being around people. Luckily, nobody cared where she was and so for a few hours she able to enjoy relative peace in her chamber...

Until somebody outside started yelling, that is.

"Sir Guy of Gisborne come out here this instant and speak to me!"

She frowned and went to the window. The sight that greeted her was a group of guards congregating around an irate older woman who was trying to get into the inner courtyards of the castle.

"I know you're there! And I don't care how long I have to wait; I'm not going anywhere till you talk to me!"

As she then heard the woman protest at being manhandled by the guards, she made a decision to intervene; she was damned if she was going to stand by and watch as another poor soul was dragged off to the dungeons this day.