Convincing (Roe, Isabella)

[Thea Linnet]

Thea picked up the edge of her skirt and walked toward the market, which was already busy. Squinting against the afternoon sun, she looked around before placing herself on a bench, letting her dark blue dress spill out around her. The dark fabric made her hair look an even fiery red and her skin like cream. Even the most celibate of men couldn't deny her beauty today.

She had met with the forger last night and they discussed a price. It was a large one, but they arrived at her door early this morning and were well done. Even though she had already checked the quality beforehand, every so often she would reach into her pouch and check them once more. They stated that Sir Rober' and Thea Linnet had been join in matrimony earlier in the week, the day after her arrival. And from there, the story was easy. They had been married quickly and quietly in a church just outside of Nottingham, since they feared public refusal of the joining. After then, they met in secret and soon discovered that Thea was pregnant. It was rather fast, but not impossible.

Thea spun the silver ring around her finger absentmindedly. It was a plain silver band with a modest ruby set in it. Roe's, which was in her pouch, was the same but a bit larger. Her father had bought them in the hopes of giving them to one of Thea's suitors and now, Thea thought, they were serving their purpose. Sort of.

A stall selling fresh fruit caught her eye and she wandered over to buy an apple. She didn't stray too far from the entrance, but Roe could easily find her by her hair colour alone. Picking out the reddest one she could find, she paid the man and bit into the flesh. She smiled at the people milling about while she ate. It astounded her that even under the reign of a man like her uncle, people were still so happy to sell their wares. The market had always been a social affair for Thea. Whenever she was able to go with her father to the one in Birmingham, she always got to talk to new people, make friends, see some things she had never seen before. It seemed like the was the same here. People all around her were greeting each other with hugs and warm smiles. Even people they didn't know were welcomed to the stall with a friendly greeting. From behind the apple, she grinned. Maybe today would go better than expect. Now, all she needed was Roe.

[Roe]

Roe was not who often paid much attention to appearances, least of all his own. He expected, though, since Thea wanted them to meet at the market, that at least to some extent, he was going to be on display, as would she. Therefore, he was going to do his best to dress up, at least for him. He took out his best uniform from his Crusading days, the one with hardly a mark upon it, and he had his best cloak cleaned, as well as his boots. He spent a little time shining the hits of his swords up, before going to the stables, and saddling up Sherfore, before heading out at a slow pace for the market.

He took the long route through Nottingham to the market, so the maximum number of people would see him. Unusually for him, he said hello to several of the pedestrians he passed by, realizing some would remember a knight saying hello. On this uniform at least, the crest on front was very clear, indicating both his allegiance to the king of France, as well as his past one to the king of Jerusalem. His allegiances in Britain, at least by his uniform were unknown.

Finally, he entered the market, thinking that Thea would be easy to pick out of the throng with her fiery hair. He was right about that, of course but he was amazed by how even more striking she was than normal in that dark blue dress. He thought to himself that it was amazing that she hadn't been snatched up by some noble befoe he had even arrived. He imagined that her appearance would put him to shame. He knew that although he did tower over her, that was the only advantage he seemed to have on this day.

It was a beautiful morning in the market, and the market seemed to bustling with people, who for the most part seemed to be enjoying themselves. She seemed to as well, and did not seem to be showing any of the nervousness one might expect. In fact she seemed to be enjoying a fairly ripe red apple, and for a moment he was entranced by her lips as she ate it. He snapped himself out of the thought immediately, silently reprimanding himself, wondering whether she had accomplished all of the necessary tasks. He rode up, beside her, dismounted his horse crisply, bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips, "and how you this fine bright morning, my lovely .... quite lovely .... wife .... Thea?"

[Thea Linnet]

Thea's eyebrow rose at the sight of Roe. He looked quite handsome and even more formidable than ever. When his lips pressed against her own, her eyelids fluttered in response. She grinned warmly and fed the rest of her apple to his horse while responding.
"I am quite well. In fact I'm feeling extraordinary today." She laughed, her orange curls dancing around her shoulders. "Before I forget," she reached into her pouch and pulled out his ring and slid it onto his left hand then pressed the document into it.

"It should be more than passable. It certainly looked fine to me." She blushed lightly when he spoke, the comment about her being lovely bringing more joy than it should have.

"I should say the same to you, my dear husband. You look very handsome." She reached up, with a bit of difficulty, and toyed with a lock of his hair playfully. Secretly, she wondered if she had the same effect on him as he had on her. Well, today would be the day to find out.

She reached out and rubbed the horse's nose affectionately. "Are we taking this magnificent beast with us, or shall we keeping him in a stable?"

She slid her small, delicate hand into his calloused one and patted her belly with a laugh. "Don't forget, we need to get things for the baby." she could help but laughed at that. It sounded too strange coming from her mouth. As they wandered, she spoke mindlessly about their life, or the child, or the house. She would pause and consider things from various stalls before moving on. Often, she looked up at Roe and smiled warmly at him. At one point a group of women passed by them, stopping to look at the couple. Thea felt their gazes and lifted herself to kiss Roe lightly on the lips. Before pulling away she teased, "All for the sake of believability, I assure you."

[Roe]

Roe seemed to have sneaked up on her somewhat. Or perhaps it was the speed at which he swept down off the horse. Or the fact that he was well and sharply attired as an ex-Crusader. Maybe it was a combinatiion of all of those. As he kissed her, though, he kissed her lips with his eyes wide-open because he wanted to see what kind of effect it had on her, if any. With the way her eyelids wavered and the smile that came to her face it was obvious that it had an effect, or may be it just showcased her skills as an actress. He decided that he would give her the opportunity to find out .... ample opportunity. It would be best to find out her true intentions early, he thought. "Well .... Sherfore will have an excellent opinion of you if you give her a steady stream of apples," he laughed.

"Good ..... that's appropriate .... after all, it could be a very extraordinary day." It was impossible to not notice here hair, especially against the deep blue of her dress. It almost sucked you right in, he thought to himself. She then handed him 2 objects: one that she slipped on the appropriate finger of his left hand, and the necessary documents that it would be expected that the newly minted husband would have in his possession. "I will take a look at it when we have a bit more privacy, so I can be familiar with it. After all, being married is as a new experience for me," he smiled. He noticed for the first time the blush she had made to his simple and relatively obvious compliment. "Will you always look this lovely. The blue that you are wearing makes your appearance quite devastating."

He must have responded to Thea's compliment of his appearance in much the same way, he thought. He could feel his cheeks tingle slightly, and when she ran her fingers through his freshly brushed locks he almost swore both his scalp and his shoulders tingled. Fortunately, he thought, the sensation was short-lived.

"We are definitely taking Sherefore with us. She's too valuable and important for me to trust to anyone else but myself, or maybe my wife," he winked. "After all, given her pregnant state, she's going to have to ride in an easier form of transportation than walking, eh? How do you wish to travel?"

Then, at her suggestion they toured the market, ostensibly for thing the newlyweds and baby would need. Her hand felt soft and extremely fragile in his larger one. Periodically,she would initiate a kiss. She said it was for the sake of believability. However, to him, it seemed each had a bit more feeling behind it than the last and she was greatly enjoying the experience. Of course, it also satisfied the part of her plan where she wanted to be seen by as many market-goers as possible.

[Isabella]

It was undeniably a lovely day. The sky was perfectly clear and the sun glowed. The weather made Isabella feel brighter. It had not been long since she had first encountered the formidable Lady Gosford, whose haughtiness and manners greatly imposed upon her. Isabella had been put out by the woman, but now that she had been able to escape the castle, it didn’t seem that bad.
She liked the bustle of a marketplace. Especially the sounds; hundreds of voices chatting, joking and haggling, the calling of livestock from within wooden pens, the running, dawdling, hurrying footsteps on the ground. But there was something else that inhabited the market: the way that she was utterly surrounded by people, yet felt somehow separate from them.
Isabella shook off the feeling. After all, she was very blessed at the moment. She had escaped Thornton, she had a roof over her head, and she was helping Robin Hood and the outlaws. She had friends now, too: Robin, Much, Allan, even Carter, on a good day. And then, of course, Roe. Roe, who she was so happy to see again after all these years, who had told her that he cared for her…
who was kissing a pretty young woman in the middle of the marketplace.
At once, Isabella hid behind one of the market stalls to avoid being seen. Then she poked her head around the side, and stared at the couple for a few moments, taking in exactly what was happening. The woman was young, little more than a girl, and with her bright russet hair and striking features, she was very beautiful. Roe was dressed much more smartly than usual, and as he kissed her, tall and dark-haired, looked handsome. They did not seem to have a care in the world, and continued slowly through the marketplace, occasionally stopping to kiss one another.
Isabella felt a whole spectrum of emotions well up inside her; disappointment, anger, confusion, and definitely envy. She realised that she could not just hide there and let them go through. She could not blame the girl too much; what did she know? But Roe. Now that was a different story.
Impulsively, she swept around the side of the market stall and surged towards them. They were still kissing, so she folded her arms and stood in front of them deliberately. The expression she wore on her face could have turned cream sour. She waited for them to finish. Roe was going to regret this.

[Thea Linnet]

Thea couldn't hold back her grin at all. Her mind kept replaying the moment when she'd tousled his hair. She'd seen the subtle blush colour his cheeks and the way his shoulders seemed to shiver as she played with his hair. She, Thea Linnet, had not only made a grown man blush, but she was willing to bet she had an effect on him too. The idea made her stomach jump happily.

His hand was pleasantly warm as it covered hers and the difference in size made her aware of how interesting they would look to the people. She looked down at their intertwined hands and let her gaze slide up his arm before resting on his face. He wore a small smile like he knew a joke that no one else did. It lit up his face making him look years younger. She laughed lightly, throwing her head back in delight at the whole charade. As she brought her attention back to the market, she notice a woman not far off. Noble, it seemed. Thea grinned slyly and pulled on Roe's hand. She led him to a stall that sold all types of fabric and put his hand on top of hers over her belly.

"Oh, look. Don't you think this would be perfect?" she asked, picking up a soft cream swatch. She looked up at him then over his shoulder at the noble, making sure that they had a good view of the couple.

"Hello," she said pleasantly to the woman after unlatching herself from Roe, though she still kept hold of his hand.

[Roe]

It was quite clear to Roe that Thea was enjoying herself quite well. He had the sincere feeling that the smile and grin on her face was quite genuine. He just wished that he was privy to the thought processes that were going on in that pretty little head at the same time. Was she simply thinking that her plan to fool Buckingham was at least starting without a hitch. Or were there many different levels to her plans, some of which he wasn't privy to just yet. All in all, though, he could not recall when he had seen a happier person than she was. But it was easy to see, just by the expression in her eyes, tat her mind was definitely working on some problem or solution. He didn't think those gears ever stopped moving.

They happily alternated between an occasional kiss with the more frequent holding of hands as they moved from vendor stall to vendor stall. Her hands felt small and fragile in his hands, but like they belonged there. He could also feel her searching eyes go from his hands, to his arms to his shoulders to his neck to his face. It was if she was committing something to memory .... something that she couldn't believe she had. Hold on, she isn't thinking of permanent possession is she, he asked himself. Then, just as suddenly he expelled the thought from his mind. But he still wondered what she was thinking as she looked upon him and was smiling. He kept the Cheshire Cat grin on his face, but he wasn't comfortable just with the just the thought of what she could be thinking.

She then led him over to a booth where they were selling fabric, and after one of their more prolonged kisses, said "Oh, look. Don't you think this would be perfect? .... Hello!" When she said that greeting to whoever it was behind him Roe turned around slowly. there he saw the last person he expected to see, and very definitely the last person he wanted to see. However, she was completely calm and normal looking, except for her eyes. her eyes were burning with an intensity that could only be fueled by absolute blind rage. He had seen it several times when they were growing up, but had seen it rarely since his return. However, he did recognize exactly how dangerous she could be in the frame of mind she was in now.

Roe tried his best to think of some way to tell Bella what the situation was without giving it away to everyone else, and destroying the carefully laid plans. He decided that he was going to have to be extremely subtle and hoped she picked up on it, and would then go along with it. Looking directly at Bella he winked and said, "My dear Thea, this is Lady Isabella Thornton, She is the noble that I told you about that I have told you that I have known since we were children. She is currently the first lady of Nottingham Castle, welcoming visitors such as our own Prince John. And Lady Thornton," once more trying to wink at her, "this is the former Lady Thea Linnet, niece of the High Sheriff, who is my wife. In fact, we are expecting our first child early next year. But first, we are traveling to Birmingham to settle some outstanding business there." When he said that last sentence he fairly cringed, seeing her body language as she coiled up like a spring put under a heavy weight, straining to explode.

"And what do we owe your presence in the market on such a beautiful day," he said hoping to defuse an explosive situation, but doubting whether that was possible. He just hoped that she would not respond with a dagger or some other sharp instrument against himself or his 'wife', so that he would have to kill her. That prospect he didn't look forward to. However, on the bright side, they were getting a lot of attention. Everyone was going to know that this married couple had been in the market on that day.

[Isabella]

The intensity of Isabella’s stare turned up a notch. What on Earth was Roe doing, casually chatting to her like that… and was that a wink she spotted? She didn’t understand it. Was he pleased with himself, that he had such a beautiful wife? Was he seeking her approval? His words were bad enough. She ground her teeth together as he explained that the girl was Thea Linnet, the Sheriff’s niece, and that she was his wife. Wife? When did that happen? Did he not think to even mention it to her? She could have taken that situation calmly – well, relatively calmly – but this? Then came the real bombshell – that they were expecting their first child early next year. Thea was pregnant. It wasn’t the first time that had happened. She supposed that Roe must have been lucky this time that he was able to marry the woman he got that way.
But even if this marriage was just to avoid a birth out of wedlock, they seemed happy enough. Thea clasped Roe’s hand and smiled contentedly, and he looked like he was tied to her, he followed her so willingly. Their joy made Isabella feel even worse about the whole affair. She wondered how well they knew one another. Did Thea know about what had happened between her husband and that other girl he loved all those years ago? Did she know what she was letting herself in for? And how had Isabella let herself be strung along by him, when he had clearly been sleeping with another woman? She felt foolish for ever believing him, for ever hoping that he loved her.
Isabella would have found a definite satisfaction in whipping out the dagger she always carried on her and plunging it into Roe’s chest. The idea crossed her mind for a second, but she quickly dismissed it. She was drawing enough attention to herself already, and she wasn’t meant to know Roe too well. She would have to make it look like she was merely passing the time of day with the happy couple, and let Roe know exactly what she thought of him some other time. But she could still pass comment now. Ignoring his question, Isabella turned to Thea, forcing a smile.
“You must count yourself a lucky woman,” she said, “There are doubtless many others who wanted to be in your position. I only hope your husband deserves you. And of course, I wish you the best of luck.”
She walked forwards, about to walk past Roe, but stopped just before she did so. Turning to him, she whispered with venom:
“She’s going to need it.”
And strode on, deliberately brushing past him with more force than necessary as she swept away from them.

[Roe]

Quickly and deftly Roe hooked her arm, stopping her forward momentum abruptly. This was definitely not the Isabella he knew. She was the one who could suddenly explode like some black Byzantine powder. This was how she was when she was planning something .... something very vindictive. Whispering, bending his head down, "and what was that supposed to mean, exactly?," looking her straight in her hate-filled eyes with a pair of intense ones of his own.

Then speaking in a normal voice. "Please Bella, don't be rushing off, if you don't need to. Of course, though, I realize that you may have some official duties that we may be impinging on. I didn't know, since Thea and you have just met, if we wouldn't want to talk a bit, and maybe get something to eat. It is such a fine spring day .... one in which we would like to celebrate our good fortune, eh?"

[Thea Linnet]

Thea shrank into Roe's side at the woman's glare. Obviously the two knew each other and at Roe's explanation Thea nodded lightly. She watched them, a sweet smile still on her face until she saw the wink Roe threw Isabella. She faltered, her hand grasping Roe's a bit tighter. Something was there, she thought. Roe didn't want Isabella to think they was actually married. Regaining face, Thea turned to Isabella and said, "I've heard so much about you." It was a bit of a lie, but she didn't really need to know. Thea saw the second wink and forced her smile even harder. She looked at Isabella and had to look away. The hate in her eyes was too much, but Thea noticed where it was directed. She looked up at Roe and shook her head. There was something, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was yet. Deftly, she detached herself from the conversation, her face becoming little more than a mask. She looked at Roe and Isabella and sorted through things in her mind. They had grown up together and had just been re-acquainted recently. Thea had to admit that Isabella had great skill at hiding her emotions. But every so often a crack would appear and her face would change, showing how she truly felt.

Thea eyebrows shot up when she was addressed then pulled down into a frown at the comment. “You must count yourself a lucky woman. There are doubtless many others who wanted to be in your position. I only hope your husband deserves you. And of course, I wish you the best of luck.”

The best of luck? Thea asked silently. It should have been a normal blessing anyone would have given newlyweds, but the way she said it, not to mention the hissed comment at Roe made it sound wrong. Thea hadn't heard what Isabella had said, but judging by both their faces, it wasn't pleasant.

When Roe swung out and caught hold of Isabella, Thea gasped quietly and withdrew her hand from his. She stumbled back and caught herself on the edge of a stall. Shaking her head to clear the stars from her vision, looked up at the two. Instinctively her hand went to her mouth and she began tracing her lips, a sure sign something was on her mind. Time seemed to stop as she watched them and her eyes narrowed angrily. Not necessarily at them, but because she couldn't figure out what was happening. Then she stopped, the breath leaving her chest as if someone had punched her. She saw it there, just in that moment. Their eyes-for one second- weren't filled with hate, but another kind of intensity. Thea put her hand on her stomach, trying to hold whatever was bubbling there down. Fury and envy came to mind first, but neither of those hurt as much as what followed. Disappointment. That was the salt in the wound for her. She covered her mouth and spun around to hide her face. She couldn't cry about it now, there were too many people and she and Roe were supposed to be a happy couple.

Why did that realization hurt as much as it did? Hadn't she told him from the start that it was all just a charade? Had she been lying to herself as well as him? No, she thought with a shake of her head. She didn't care, this didn't matter, she was only doing this to get her lands back. She smiled at the vendor in front of her before walking back to Roe. She slipped her hand in his and forced a smile in his direction.
"It would be an honour to spend the day with you, Isabella. I know Roe doesn't enjoy the shopping as much as I do, so he'll be glad for the company." Thea forced at smile in both their directions, but knew her eyes betrayed her. Turning her head, she sneezed delicately.
"Oh, excuse me. Must be something in the air," she said lamely as an excuse for her eyes. "Join us, Lady Thornton?"

[Isabella]

The suddenness of being jerked towards Roe sent Isabella off balance, and she stumbled clumsily. She tried in vain to wrench herself free, but she had lost her footing and it was no use. She glared at Roe as he whispered:
“And what was that supposed to mean, exactly?”
His stare was intense, but she was not scared of him. She was too angry to care about her own safety.
“She’s going to spend the rest of her life with you. She needs all the luck she can get,” she replied unflinchingly.
Unexpectedly, Roe’s anger seemed to subside a little. He said politely that they might want to talk, as Thea and she had only just met. The offer could not be less appealing to her. She was not going to ‘come quietly’, or willingly, for that matter. She was not going to simply let Roe get away with this. Isabella shook her head, tears of rage and sadness starting in her eyes. She was so tense that it was almost impossible for her to say anything. She could manage one word, though.
“No.”
Her voice was full of anger. She began to pull away from him, the movement slow, almost reluctant. Then she noticed that Thea was talking to her, and she tore her gaze from Roe, towards her. She was polite enough, asking her to join them, but there was the trace of an emotion in her eyes that said something was wrong. She sneezed to hide it, and Isabella realised that she was upset. It must be her fault. She regretted speaking to Thea in the way that she had. Her quarrel was with Roe, not her.
“I am sorry,” Isabella said, as civilly as she could, “I have to go now.”
And turned away from them once more.

[Roe]

Suddenly Roe had the greatest desire to simply get on his horse and ride it to the deepest part of Sherwood and leave these two apparent vipers snapping at each other, instead of. He just knew that he was going to catch the lion’s share from Isabella, but Thea’s reaction, though not necessarily a surprise was not what he had hoped for. By her reaction she obviously had seen the winks to Isabella. Unfortunately, Isabella disn’t react the way that he’d hoped, and play along. She, of course, reacted emotionally.

Even though Thea tried to be casual about it all, it didn’t work that well. It started off well enough with "I've heard so much about you," when obviously she had heard next to nothing. But the stare was a withering hateful one, but fortunately not directed at Thea, but at Roe. The way that Thea was clinging to him, and then looking from one face to another, indicated to Roe that she was not just an excellent actress, but she was getting into her role …. A bit too much into it he thought. His suspisions about a marriage lasting more than a day began to rear up in the back of his mind. And he noticed she didn’t react too well to Bella’s closing comment either. “You must count yourself a lucky woman. There are doubtless many others who wanted to be in your position. I only hope your husband deserves you. And of course, I wish you the best of luck.” Hints of a frown replaced the smile, and he could see these were two strong-willed women, who didn’t really want to be friends, but were competitors, and Roe felt even more like escaping now than he had before.

The hissed exchange caused Thea to back off momentarily, but she quickly rallied, forcing a smile and issuing an invitation: "It would be an honour to spend the day with you, Isabella. I know Roe doesn't enjoy the shopping as much as I do, so he'll be glad for the company." He had seen the change in expression and it was if one wild animal had identified another competitor. She couldn’t maintain Isabella’s stare however, and she looked away, rubbing something that was in her eye and repeating the invitation. At least her refusal was about the most civil act she had done all day. As she walked away, he called after her, “Perhaps another time Isabella, when you aren’t so busy and pre-occupied. I shall remember the time you did elect to grant us out of your busy schedule ----- wasn’t that sweet and heartwarming,” he said under his breath to nobody in particular.

[Thea Linnet]

Thea couldn't take her eyes off Isabella as she walked away. Brows creased, she turned back to Roe and frowned at him. "Very sweet," she muttered while rolling her eyes. Thea's suspicions grew about the two of them, the wrinkle above her nose growing more and more pronounced each second. She looked up at Roe and almost flinched. He looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. She couldn't blame him though since the same feelings were nagging at her. The whole idea seemed like an awful one now. Maybe she should just call the whole thing off and sort out Birmingham on her own. But she couldn't do that now, she'd started the whole mess and she as going to end it. But Thea couldn't get Isabella and Roe off her mind. The rage Isabella shown and the moment between the two of them made her stomach churn.

Thea wanted nothing more than to simply mount Sherfore and ride away to Birmingham, but every time her hand reached for the reins questions popped into her mind. They buzzed around in her mind until it was too much and she let go of Roe and said, "I'm sorry, I'll be back." She hiked up her skirt and ran after Isabella. She cut her off and held her hands up.
"Think of me not as an enemy, please."

[Isabella]

Isabella was relieved when she managed to put some distance between herself and Roe. But no sooner had she gone that his sour words rang out:
“Perhaps another time Isabella, when you aren’t so busy and pre-occupied. I shall remember the time you did elect to grant us out of your busy schedule… wasn’t that sweet and heartwarming?”
She had a sudden urge to turn around and shout that she would remember the time he elected to grant out of his busy schedule to string her along whilst sleeping with another woman, but she fought it down and merely swore at him under her breath. She kept on walking. She could not care less where she was going, so long as it was away from Roe. Isabella felt so stupid for trusting him, and made up her mind to never be so naïve again. She’d been such a fool.
“How can he expect me to talk to him when he’s done that?” she muttered furiously under her breath, “How could he? What did I do wrong?”
She was so irate that she hardly noticed Thea until she had run right in front of her. Holding her hands up, she said:
“Think of me not as an enemy, please.”
Isabella stopped abruptly and stared at her.
“I do not;” she replied coldly, “My quarrel is not with you. It is with Roe, and that’s how it will stay.”
She sighed, her gaze falling to the ground for a moment. Then she took a breath in and her eyes flicked back upwards to Thea.
“Thea,” she began, finding it hard to speak, “I – I am sorry for what has happened. Just – just be happy with your husband.”
She nodded at her, wanting to talk with her no longer, then made as if to walk away through the market.

[Thea Linnet]

Thea grabbed Isabella's arm before she got too far and faced the noble. She looked at her closely and thought about her reactions, the way she struggled to say her husband, that her quarrel is with Roe, not with her. She could see the emotion welling up in Isabella's eyes. Still holding the woman, Thea said quietly. "You love him." It wasn't a question. Saying the words stung Thea, but she had to step back and think properly. Roe was at least ten years her senior and they hardly knew each other. She had let her heart take place over her mind when she ever thought that her and Roe could have a future.

She smiled warmly at Isabella and let her think in silence. Thea didn't move from her spot though, she wanted to hear her suspicions confirmed.