"Sir Guy's Dilemma" (Book 2), by Gratiana Lovelace, 2012-2013

"Sir Guy's Dilemma", Ch. 7: A Peasant Woman Healer Becomes Seth's only Hope

“Sir Guy’s Dilemma”, Ch. 7:  A Peasant Woman Healer Becomes Seth’s only Hope as one other takes ill, 11/30/12  Gratiana Lovelace

(An Original Fan Fiction adaptation of the characters from the BBC’s Robin Hood;  & a Sequel to “Guy’s Rose” by Gratiana Lovelace)

(All Rights Reserved; No copyright infringement intended)

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story with my dream cast of:  Richard Armitage as Sir Guy, Clive Standen as Lord Archer, Emma Watson as Lady Rose, etc.]

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Author’s Mature Content Note:  “Sir Guy’s Dilemma” is a story of romance and intrigue set amidst Medieval times.  As such there will be some passages in this story involving heartfelt love scenes (R rated) and some passages involving highly dramatic moments.  I will label the maturity rating of those chapters accordingly.  Otherwise, the general rating for this story is PG or PG-13 due to some mature situations and topics.  If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read the chapters with those labels.  This is my disclaimer.

Author’s Recap from the previous installment:  Sir Guy discovers that his brother , Lord Archer, has secreted the bulk of the Nottingham treasure--comprised of the dead Vasey’s wealth and Prince John’s tribute monies--by burying chest of coins in his stables.  Sir Guy is seriously displeased.  And Lord Archer has paid a bit too much attend to Lady Saline Talkington.  But before Sir Guy can send Lord Archer packing, Sir Guy’s little 4 year old son Seth takes ill with Measles--that Lord Archer reveals had ravaged through Nottingham.  So now the only way Lord Archer can redeem himself in his brother’s and his sister-in-law’s Lady Roseanna’s eyes  is to bring a healer woman--the very one who had healed Sir Guy from his sword injuries last year--to the Middleton Estates in Leicester to heal Seth.   And there will be one other who needs healing as well.

“Sir Guy’s Dilemma”, Ch. 7:  A Peasant Woman Healer Becomes Seth’s only Hope as one other takes ill

Archer wastes no time Monday Morning in speeding to Nottingham from Sir Guy’s home near Leicester in order to retrieve the healer woman--and after only a few hours rest at Locksley Manor before traveling back to the Middleton Estates at Leicester--it is mid day the next day on Tuesday when they arrive back at Middleton Manor. 

The healer woman, Althea [(2) right], is bringing her two remaining children with her--Sally and Tommy--because she could not bear to part with them.  At first, she did not want to come at all--still grieving for her little boy Martin and having a few other older patients to tend to in Nottingham.  But when Lord Archer reminds Althea of who Seth is--the little boy she met last year when tending to Sir Guy--she relents, and thinks of how Seth and Martin played so nicely together.

As soon as Lord Archer’s carriage and riders are spotted by Sir Guy’s groom serving as lookout, he speeds back to the manor on Wildfire to inform Sir Guy.  It is then but another half of an hour or so--time keeping with sun dials not being that accurate [(3)]--that it takes the carriage to reach Middleton Manor itself.  Sir Guy alerts Lady Roseanna and Lady Saline that the healer woman will soon be here as Lady Saline continues to soothe and comfort little Seth while--by necessity--Lady Roseanna must look on from his bed chamber doorway.  It is wrenching for Lady Roseanna not to be the one to tend to their son--especially since their bond as mother and child is such a new one, with Seth being Sir Guy’s son from a previous relationship.

Sir Guy waits at the Manor entrance for Lord Archer’s carriage to pull up, then he nearly pounces on them.

Sir Guy:  Opening the carriage door, rather than waiting for a footman to do it, Sir Guy [(4) right] admonishes.  “Archer!   We had hoped you would arrive sooner.”