Roe Relaxing at the Trip(Thea)

[Roe]

Roe made his almost daily in the Trip after finishing up his rounds and putting his horse away in the stables. He would check his secret hiding place in the wall to see if any messages had been left by the outlaws. Being a spy for Robin was his primary job right now. Anyway, he had decided that he had to get out of the castle for a little while, just to maintain his sanity. He really did not have any friends he could talk to inside the castle, at least without putting them under some risk.

He figured he needed a good drink so he wandered over to the pub at the Trip. His normal operating procedure was to get a table back in a dark area with his back to the wall for safety's sake. Conveniently this was just adjacent to the spot where messages could be left for him. It seemed to be a relatively dry period for activity, since he had not heard anything in at least 3 days from anybody.

He generally cut too menacing a figure for most to want to converse with him anyway, and most of the locals did not want to have much to do with anybody working in the castle. It didn't look like much was going to develop so Roe simply slumped back in his chair and began working on his 2nd bottle of Ale.

[Thea Linnet]

The letter felt heavy in Thea's hands. She didn't recognize the seal, but something twisted in her stomach every time she looked at it. It remained unopened as she stood outside the Trip Inn. She didn't trust herself to read it in private. In private, her mind would give to nightmares that she could scarcely control. If she was in public she could at least try to keep her emotions in check. With something similar to tunnel-vision, she entered the bar and took a seat near the centre. Distorted shadows of her profile danced across the wall as she drew the candle closer to her. For a while she left the letter on the table, unwilling to touch it. She tried to prepare herself for what it would say. Possibilities ran through her mind; something about Runner and his marriage to a wealthy woman, her father finally reached the Holy Land, a letter from her uncle about her visit. Finally, when the curiosity became too much, she seized the letter and opened it with shaking hands. Two pieces of parchment fell out, one one sealed again, the other lying open on the table. Carefully, she picked up the open one and studied it before reading. Only a few words were on the paper, barely more than a sentence it seemed. Taking a deep breath, she read the few words.
To next of kin, David Linnet was killed during a raid earlier this week. It was signed by Kind Richard.
Thea's grip on the paper was a vice, her knuckles white from the strain. She reread the words again and again, trying to see something that wasn't there. Her heart fluttered her chest unevenly, it spasms echoed by the pounding in her temples. It couldn't be. Her father had just left a week and a half ago. He couldn't be dead. He'd hardly reached the Holy Lands. Shaking, she brought her hand to her head, pressing on her forehead. She read it again and smashed her fist on the table then threw an abandoned mug at the wall. Tears stung her eyes, tears of anger, pain, sorrow, stress. Everything was coming at her too quickly. It was too much, far too much. She crumpled the letter and tossed it to the back on the Inn and threw her head into her hands. The tears came quickly but quietly. Anyone looking on would have though she was tired, just resting her head in her hands. It wouldn't be until they saw her moist cheeks and red eyes that they would truly know. An emptiness filled her chest, a hollow wound that she didn't think could be healed. Despite her deep breaths, she couldn't breathe. The wound wouldn't let her. Gasping, she grabbed the edge of the table, holding herself together with it.
Something moved behind her and she turned slowly. In the candlelight she saw a familiar face, but she didn't smile. Instead she closed her eyes and croaked one word.
"Roe?" Her voice was quiet and thick with tears, but she knew he'd heard her.

[Roe]

Roe was already working on his second bottle. He almost always took the position against the wall so he would have a good view of whoever would enter the Trip. He was halfway hoping that he would run across Carter this evening .... he was always good for a certain amount of entertainment, especially if Roe was doing the buying. Most of the Trip's patrons were definitely male, so it was a bit of a surprise to see a young and definitely female patron enter the establishment and sit down at a centre table.

Although he was separated by several tables from her, the ace and especially her hair allowed him to quickly identify here, unless she had a twin sister of course, as Thea, niece to the High Sheriff of Nottingham. In probably the strangest evening that he had spent in Nottingham since his return he had helped her escape from the dungeons at the castle and had taken her to the Priory for safekeeping under the watchful and caring eye of Sister Magdalene. However, he had had no knowledge of her situation since that point in time. Roe could have been mistaken butr it appeared that she had carried in and was now staring at an envelope. Most people came into the Trip to drink, not to read their mail .... very curiou he thought.

Since his table was at an angle to hers hje had a pretty good view of what she was doing with her hands, even though it was at some distance. Even at this distance he could tell it was an envelope, he just couldn't tell anything about it. He saw her open it, read a page, watched her body appeared to tighten, and then watched her wad the page up and throw it to one side. Finally, she arched an empty mug the length of the room, where it crashed into the wall. She slammed a fist into the table and then laid her head down upon it.

Roe knew that whatever she had tread had affected her greatly, and he thought it would be a good idea to go to her and clam her down before she caused any more of a scene and got herself thrown out. He got up, picked up his partially-drunk bottle of ale and an empty mug and began to make his way to her table. Before he had quite gotten there she must have sensed his presence, since she turned around slightly and said:

"Roe?"

He reached her table and said, "You've got quite an arm there. However, the real purpose of an empty mug is to fill it like so with ale and then to drink it. Why don't you try it .... it takes very little practice .... Thea. What's the problem .... maybe I can help .... again," and he sat down with his ale at her table without waiting for much of an invitation. Her voice was quiet and thick with tears, but she knew he'd heard her.

[Thea Linnet]

Eyes still shut, Thea listened to Roe and when she felt him sit down she lifted her head slightly. She couldn't bring herself to laugh at his joke. She wanted to but the sound wouldn't come. Her gaze met a mug filled with ale which she stared at curiously. She looked at Roe then back at the ale and finally took a small sip. Her tears had stopped but her face was still moist and she was sure her breathing wasn't regular.
"I don't really think you can help this time," she whispered. Unable to speak the words, she reached for the letter with her foot and pushed it to Roe.
"Do you know what this means? It means that my father was taken down by someone who didn't even know his name. He was killed by someone who didn't care that he had a daughter. It means I have no one, that for once in my life, I am thoroughly alone." Her voice was stronger now, an anger taking place of the aching sorrow. She looked to him for a sense of understanding, but scoffed and looked away."You wouldn't understand." She was too hurt, too angry to care if she had offended him. Once again her mood took place over her mind and she was acting out without thinking.
"It's not fair," she hissed under her breath, taking another jerky gulp of ale. She waited for Roe to face with a look of pity, to try and comfort her, something to justify the way she was acting. She just cycled her gaze from the ale to Roe until one of them said something.

[Roe]

"I don't really think you can help this time."

Roe assumed that the letter that she shoved toward him, somewhat unceremoniously, with her foot had lit the tinderbox that had ignited her temper. Roe read it several times. He understood that she had lost what was most dear to her and had undoubtedly thrown what stability she had probably known in her life into complete disarray and chaos. What had probably been a comfortable life in the past wast now full of doubt for the future. This was especially the case since now she would be quite dependent on her uncle, the High Sheriff, it would seem. That was a horrid enough thought by itself. "I don't know of any worse news to receive or send. I sent of these myself to know."

"Do you know what this means? It means that my father was taken down by someone who didn't even know his name. He was killed by someone who didn't care that he had a daughter. It means I have no one, that for once in my life, I am thoroughly alone."

He knew what that was like .... both kinds .... the kind where you were left alone .... like she had .... and the kind where you isolated yourself from people, feelings, everything. "You mean someone like me .... someone who just kills .... without knowing or caring, eh? I don't mean to be callous about it or minimize it, but you aren't the first and you aren't the last. Some come into this world with nothing and then leave it, without knowing anything more. and then there are those who have lost everything and evryone more than once. This is terrible, for you, and I'm sorry, but there's plenty of grief to go around, as well."

"You wouldn't understand .... It's not fair."

He nodded his head in the affirmative. He did not think that he could have her hear even half of the things that he had experienced, that he had seen. "You are probably right on both counts. There's nobody on Earth that can really understand, unless they were you. And no its not fair, but life rarely is. However, just because its not fair doesn't mean we give up on it either ... we just have to fight for it harder. The things are worth something are the things worth fighting for."

"Let me tell you a story. There was once a young noble family, a baron and a baroness. He had a soft heart, this baron did, he saw a peasant family in need and he would provide for it. He did this much more than he should have, so he owed more than he had. He had a young son .... 5 or 6 he was, and his wife was pregnant again. Before she could give birth, her husband, the baron, answered the call of his king to go and crusade. He died, much as your father did. The news broke his young, pregnant wife, and she died in a difficult childbirth as did the baby she carried. However, the six-year-old did not die. His father's debts were paid off by the selling of his lands and his title back to the crown."

"So the boy was left with no family, no title, nothing. Fortunately, his father had a friend, another nobleman, an Earl who took him in as a ward, but it was made clear to him that although he was a noble, he would be raised as a commoner, and expected to make his way in the world, while others around him in the household were noble. They were kind and good to him, but it was never the same. Now, things will never be the same for you .... but you still must go on, unless you are planning on crawling in a hole somewhere to die. So, what do you plan to do next .... hmmm .... what's on that other piece of parchment there?"

[Thea Linnet]

"You mean someone like me .... someone who just kills .... without knowing or caring, eh?" At his words, Thea's temper shot through the roof. He was just like the man who'd killed her father, he killed without thinking. Suddenly she wanted to hit him, punch that pensive look out of his face. Murder, she thought acidly. Her hands gripped the table harder as she tried not to reach across the table the throttle Roe. Instead she looked just past him and focused on what he was saying.
Her grip relaxed as he spoke, his words reminding her that he was a human too. That he had probably dealt with loss, that he had dealt with loss much like she had. She let go of the table with a gasp as she understood. They were the same. No family left. The few that they had were ripped from them all too soon.
"But you still must go on, unless you are planning on crawling in a hole somewhere to die."
Thea gave a weak laugh. "Don't tempt me, Roe. And of course there are things worth fighting for, I know there is, but what are people fighting for over there? Power? That's not worth fighting for. And I know things will never be the same and that's what I'm terrified of. I've always known what to do, what to say and now I don't." She hoped he knew the feeling. That strange emptiness in your gut that stirs at the thought of the unknown. It wasn't unlike the sweeping sensation you get when you miss a step on a flight of stairs. And that feeling was growing with each word he spoke.
Raising her eyebrows she reached for the second note and broke the seal. A name was written garishly across the top: Lord Birmingham.
"Of course," Thea hissed. Lord Birmingham had been a nuisance since she could remember. Her family's land hadn't been much when they first acquired it, but it has quickly grown into quite an impressive estate. One that Birmingham had been itching to get his hands on for quite a while. She read it quickly, her eyes growing wider with each word. Anger swiftly took the place of fear and grief.
"Unbelievable!" She exclaimed, throwing the letter down. "He has the nerve to send this along with the news of my father's death?" Answering the unasked question she faced Roe, flushed with anger and spoke quickly.
"The lands were left to me, everyone in Birmingham knows that! But I can't have them until I present myself to Lord Birmingham with a husband. He knows fully well that I am but nineteen years! A woman can't claim the lands by herself! I need a husband?!" she shrieked. "He is nothing but a selfish old fraud waiting to get his hands on my property. And he's not getting it if I have my way," she threatened. Her voice trailed off as a plan came to her. Her eyes flickered to Roe and she wondered what his reaction would be. But she decided to wait for him to speak first before asking. After all, it was a rather large request.

[Roe]

Roe could tell that his initial, somewhat sarcastic words, jut served to stoke her considerable anger. However, his story about his childhood served its purpose. Ashe told it he could see that the fire of her anger became more and more banked. Outside of calming her down, he wanted her to realize that she wasn't the only person that had ever suffered a loss of this magnitude. And he had gone through a lot more loss than that .... that was just a primer for what would come later .... when he was not allowed to marry who he wanted.

After that of course was leaving everything that he had called home before and never ever intending to return, sending back new of his death from Spain, and all of the comrades he had lost in the Holy Land. She, with her life in England, really had no concept of what loss was on a grand scale and he hoped she would never have to experience such a thing.

"Those are all interesting questions and comments, Thea. In the beginning the reasons were simple. At least they appeared to be. They were to re-claim the Holy Lands from those God-less Saracens .... Muslims. The problem was that it turned out that they weren't thay godless, necessarily, and fighting to claim lands that it could be argued they had just as valid a claim."

"It moved from being about religion for some to about power. Whatever it was about was it worth the carnage that came with it? If it was not for something as basic as freedom was it worth the massive loss of life I saw at the Siege of Jerusalem. I determined it wasn't. Others just go to fight ... for the love of the contest. Personally, I put the king in that category. So yes .... there are things worth fighting for .... but not money or power .... unless its being put to use for the people's benefit. So .... now that we've decided that, why don't you see what' s that second item, eh? Don't worry about that .... things are always changing and motion .... that's what keeps life interesting."

Roe listened to her explode .... once again .... this time about the letter and the demand from Lord Birmingham. She was outraged and justifiably so. However, it wasn't exactly a surprise. "If its as big a prize as you indicate its not surprising that he would move quickly, before you have even had a chance to mourn to snatch it. In many places women don't have property right t all, whether they are noble or not. He is simply trying to take advantage of the situation that he finds you in to get what he's wanted for some time, apparently. He obviously thinks he's got you."

"As far as he knows you have no husband and he's betting that its a sure thing that you can't get one in the allotted time. Your only hope,then is to find a husband. If you find one to masquerade of course you will have to have the right paperwork, or at least well-forge paperwork to fool him and the people with him. Do you have any candidates for tis lofty position," he asked with some curiosity.

[Thea Linnet]

"Ugh, paperwork," Thea sighed. This wasn't going to be easy at all. She smirked up at Roe when he asked if she had any candidates.
"Well, as a matter of fact, I was considering one man who has helped me before." she grinned slyly for a moment before her face turned serious.
"I'm asking you, Roe. I know it's not the most pleasant of jobs, but will you be my husband for a day so I can claim what is rightfully mine?" Her voice became softer as she went through the steps in her mind.
"I have a friend who can have the documents made quickly and I'm sure I can have them by sundown. And I've got rings. It should only take a few days to reach Birmingham and just one afternoon to convince him. We'll have to have a story in place and he'll no doubt try to verify our story with his comrades in Nottingham, so the people will have to see us together at least twice." she ran her finger around her lip, an old habit of hers, as she thought the plan through. "What do you think? We fell in love upon my arrival then were whisked away to a small church to have a secretive wedding. But why would we keep it a secret..." her eyes searched around the room for inspiration, but none came. She looked at Roe for his input, then caught herself with a shake of her head.
"That is, of course, only if you agree." She added hastily, but hoped he would.

[Roe]

Roe thought to himself tat he had forgotten quite quickly and easily how impulsive a creature she could be, remembering that kiss she had given him on the way to the Priory. Being impulsive also leant itself to not thinking plans all the way through, including everything that would be required, and what their consequences would be. "Yes, you have to think about te time frame you've got set up by Birming ham here. It will take time to get te paperwork taken care of and there will be a cost. You would have to decide if you want the papers forged or if you want to bribe an official or set of officials to take care of the paperwork. And of course the quicker you want it done the more expensive it will be."

Then of course there would be the person who would be staged as the husband that would be presented. She then had responded, "Well, as a matter of fact, I was considering one man who has helped me before .... I'm asking you, Roe. I know it's not the most pleasant of jobs, but will you be my husband for a day so I can claim what is rightfully mine?"

Roe was shocked as well as speechless, when she proposed him as the 'husband-for-a-day candidate. She then quickly went on to indicate that she already had someone in mind to take care of the document end of things. She had thought about details like the rings and the fact that they would have a story set up and make sure that there were witnesses, just not too many, since she was talking about it being a secretive wedding. He also was at least a little bit suspicious about whether she had any ulterior motives .... any secret agendas.

"I am flattered by you propoing me, but surely there would be better candidates than me. There are people more experienced at basically conning people than I .... Allan-a-Dale comes to mind. As far a the story goes .... it sounds simple enough, if it were me. We met in the castle and it was love at first sight. The wedding had to be quick and secretive, because you are now pregnant, and I, for example, am not an English knight, bu a French one. In order to avoid the public embarrassment of an obvious out-of-wedlock birth, and to a foreigner no less, a quiet wedding was arranged .... at the Priory perhaps."

"The Sisters would make for excellent witnesses, once its explained to Sister Mags the reason. Or you could have an actual wedding there, and we just have it annulled after Birmingham recognizes it. What do you think? By the way, how 'official' would these documents be. There wouldn't be any possibility that you are planning to make me husband for more than a day, now would there," he asked somewhat suspiciously.

[Thea Linnet]

"Well, I hardly know this Allan-a-Dale character, do I? And though I trust your judgment of people, I should I would scare the poor fellow off by proposing such a proposal. Besides, as I said, you've helped me before, I trust you and that fact that some people may have already seen us together, here for example, lends itself well to the story."
She couldn't hold back the laugh at the end of his speech. "More that a day? Dear Roe, I would force that punishment upon my greatest enemy, never mind a friend. That's what we are right, friends?" She looked at him seriously then sneered.
"And besides, you're old." she teased.
"Perhaps one day in the market before going to Birmingham? Just to get a few good witnesses. Luck might be on our side and we might bump into a noble. They are known for gossiping." Thea rolled her eyes at Roe and smiled again.
"Uncrease your brow, Rober'. I assure you I have no intention of taking away your status." And it was mostly true. Thea couldn't lie to herself and say that she didn't like the man. He was kind, rather dangerous and friendly. And, though she would never tell him, quite a sight to behold. A small smile played on her lips as she admired the man in front of her, but she quickly shook herself awake. No, like she'd said, she wasn't going to actually marry him.
"An true marriage is hardly in my near future."

[Roe]

Roe considered everything that Thea was telling him, and most of it sounded like it would true, even interwoven with the sarcasm she liked to use. "Well, with Allan, and people like him, its not a question of being shocked ... its a question of compensation, and how well you know him isn't much of an issue. You trust me and why should I do that? Well. I suppose that's true .... here and on our way to the Priory, I suppose."

He was glad to hear her make his question into a joke. However, he couldn't be completely sure of her overall intentions. "I'm not sure about that. I think that you would be capable of inflicting a lot of punishment onto Birmingham, eh? I guess we're friends .... although I seem to be in this nasty habit of bailing you out of water .... I wonder what I'm going to get out of this friendship if we have too many more of these. But then, again, you will have to put up with a lot as well, I suppose. I imagine that you'll have to have a kiss or two from this senior citizen when we go to have a visit with Birmingham, eh?," he said, laughing quite freely.

"Yes, a few good witnesses will be a good finishing touch, whether they be noble or not. Yes ... they just live for the gossip. Although you uncle may not be too approving of the gossipers or your husband-to-be. So, yes, I think I could see myself going along with this. And when its over I'll just say it was a mistake and that we had it annulled. And I would have the honor of having Thea to be my wife for a day or two." Suddenly, though, he noticed that she was looking at him quite strangely, and he wondered just exactly what was that all about. "Oh I imagine you'll capture the right guy at some point, eh?"

[Thea Linnet]

Thea brows pulled together in curiosity. "Well, now you've got me all interested in the Allan man. Roe, don't you know, it is awfully wrong to tell young, single women like about other men. It's really quite dangerous." She laughed, but stopped abruptly. "Oh, well I guess I'm not single anymore. Now that's a strange thought." Her brow creased further as her face showed obvious disdain at the idea.

She had to laugh when Roe spoke about bailing her out. "Yes, Nottingham has been an interesting experience. But thank you for being my knight in shining amour. Well, not so shining, but you understand." She laughed and pointed to a stain on his shirt. However, her eyebrows shot upward as he spoke again and she hit his arm, surprisingly hard, picking up on the double-meaning to his words.
"I never! I can assure I have standards. You will not be getting anything out of this friendship other than the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with helping people!" She tried her best to look offended, but after a few moments of his scrutiny and she broke into soft giggles.

"I can't imagine that the next few days will be absolute hell. In fact, they might prove to be quite entertaining." A mischievous smile spread across her face, making her glow. "And have no worries about my uncle, I rarely do. And I haven't seen him since arriving in Nottingham, so I doubt he's really worried." She rolled her eyes and thought of the strange man. He had also inherited the vertical difficultly that most people in her family suffered from. And the more she thought about it, the more she saw small similarities between herself and the Sheriff. Both were prone to mood swings that could be quite dangerous; both had the talent of acting before thinking; Thea was in the habit of becoming vocal when she was angry, as was her uncle. Scary, she thought with a shudder.

"The honour?!" Thea snorted in an unladylike fashion. "It's hardly an honour. Why do you insist on believing that I am a fun person to be around? Most people can hardly stand me, so why do you?"

[Roe]

Roe was amused by her reaction, as was usually the case he had found. She was a bit too much like her uncle to have much attraction to Allan, he thought. "I assure you, Thea, that his only interest in you would be from the monetary value of te relationship. he's basically a criminal at heart with enough feeling for the common folk to be a useful outlaw. In fact, it took some time for him to accept me for who I am. Who knows how he would react to. Hmmm .... I don't know what you mean ..... why wouldn't you still consider yourself to be single?," he said with a smile and a laugh.

Roe thought grimly about his past in Europe and the Holy Land. "Until recently, I have had little opportunity to impersonate a knight in shining armour, as you refer to it. Mostly it was stained by different shades of blood," he said, taking a long sip on his ale. "My .... you do pack a pretty good punch .... I wonder if you can take as well as you receive .... Should we test the idea out," he laughed again.

"Its good to know that you have standards. The question then is why you are lowering yourself to my level. I guess if that's all I will get out of the activity, I'll simply have to be happy with that warm, fuzzy feeling, eh? But then again, I could get that from a couple of good mugs of Ale," he winked. "I wonder why I just don't settle for that, instead of coming to your rescue. Suddenly he heard her break out into a rash of giggles. "And I thought I was dealing with an adult lady. I'm not so sure I should accept you hard words at face value, hmmmm?"

"Well then, a warm, fuzzy feeling and entertainment .... that may make it an acceptable compensation then." Turning serious, "ah well, I always take your uncle extremely seriously. He's one you never turn your back on .... you never know what he has planned. I trust I won't have to worry about that from you," he asked inquiringly. "Well,at the very least you are unpredictable and that can be worthwhile if the surprises our pleasant ones, my beautiful bride-to-be."

[Thea Linnet]

Thea pet her arm on the table, flexing the muscle that was there. "Go on then. I'm sure I can take it. And if not, I've a the bruise to prove that our marriage was a mistake," she laughed.

She pursed her lips at him. "Are you comparing me to alcohol? Is that all I'm worth? A few pounds at the local inn?" she smirked at him and huffed in mock anger. "And I supposed I could make it worth your while, depending on what that means to you. And stop selling yourself short, Roe. I don't have to lower my standards at all! Honestly, if you've gotten that habit from me, we should break off this relationship as of this moment." It was one thing for her to say things like that about her self, but Roe. He was a kind and selfless man from what she could tell. She told Roe as much then sighed.

"I am an adult lady, thank you. I just many child-like tendencies. It's fun to be young at heart. And like you said, I'm unpredictable. While I'll never stab you in the back, it's probably not a good idea to turn you back on me for too long. I might just hop on," she joked. She was quite unpredictable. "I bet you didn't come to the Trip today with the expectations of getting engaged and married, did you? See, I make life less mundane for a select few." When he called her his bride-to-be she flushed a flattering shade of red. Her cheeks burned at the thought, even if it was only for a few days. But she couldn't decide if it was the thought of being someone's bride or the idea of being Roe's bride that excited her more. Running a finger around her lips, she thought about it, taking quite a few sips of ale in the process. She wondered what would happen after this charade. She looked at Roe and smiled. She hoped they would still be friends. But I guess it all hung in the balance of the next few days.
"So, tomorrow why don't we meet at the gate and go for a walk through the market? Start picking things out for the house," she teased lightly, the flush still not leaving her face. She prayed silently that there was enough shadow to hide the fact, but she knew by his face that he could see.

[Roe]

Roe tried to put a serious-looking expression on his face a he wound his arm up, preparing as if to launch his fist in a punch. "Am I making that comparison? Well, I suppose I am. Some unbiased observer would probably asked what I'm getting out of the deal. And if I'm not getting something tangible out of it, why I'm doing it? For some alcohol might be tangible enough," he laughed. Suddenly he stopped and asked himself how far she was really willing to go. He realized she was still talking to him hind of tongue-in-cheek, but he still was unsure exactly how serious she was being with him. "I'm glad that you believe that I'm a man of high standards and morals. However, one would wonder exactly what you think drives what I do, which often doesn't have much of a relationship to what I say," he laughed drily.

Somewhat in a more serious vein he responded, "It is very easy to see that you are an adult lady, which is more easy to see physically than the way you act sometimes. You react on impulse and you like to enjoy yourself. From a young age I had to learn control. I had to learn how not to react to being insulted, so that I could survive, and thrive, day-to-day, as a youngster. Learning to fight as a young man in the Crusades I did not have the luxury of being impulsive or having fun or being unpredictable, unless it was part of an overall plan or strategy. So, I do imagine that your child-like tendencies are very enjoyable for me to watch and experience as long as it doesn't get us in too much trouble, eh?"

When he made the last off-hand comment about her being his bride-to-be he saw the scarlet tones comes across the cheeks on her face. He hadn't thought it possible to embarrass her and he smiled. It was proof to him that she had thought about the consequences, results, and even temptations of being married to him for as little as a day. And then she changed the subject to what they would do to start the charade tomorrow? In response he asked, "Why wait until tomorrow," and he picked up and raid her hands to his lips and kissed them, just to see if he could get the blush to return to her face.