On His Behalf (open)

[Liam Bronte]

A horse and rider approached Nottingham Castle in the bright afternoon sun, both adorned with the King's crest. Dismounting, Liam shook out his brown locks and surveyed the courtyard. He whistled to one of the stable boys and told him to take his horse and feed him well. Climbing the steps, the sun caught the sword hanging from his hips and sent bright rays across the stones. Once inside the cool entrance, Liam walked purposefully to the Main Hall and sat down at the head of the table with a chuckle.
Soon, he thought. Very soon.

A young serving girl walked into the room and jumped when she saw him. "Bring a flask of wine, dear." He crooned, flashing her a perfect smile. "And make it quick," he propped his feet up on the table and grinned at the room. This could make for quite a comfortable living, he supposed.

[Isabella]

Isabella was making her way down the corridor when she heard a voice come echoing out of the Great Hall. It was a male voice, one that sounded quite young, and one she did not recognise. She stopped to listen, and managed to make out part of what he was saying.
“…and make it quick.”
His voice had authority, as if he was a person used to being obeyed. It didn’t sound like one of the many servants of the castle, who spoke in the local rolling burr. His speech was more like that of a nobleman. But Isabella had not been informed of any guests coming to the castle today. If anyone of importance was due to arrive, she would be told, and expected to organise a formal greeting. It was a duty that could prove both fascinating and trying, and was entirely dependant on the guest.
Despite the uncertainty of whether or not this guest would be amiable, Isabella’s curiosity got the better of her and she stepped into the Great Hall to find the owner of the voice. Then she felt a wave of déjà vu. He was sitting with his feet up on the table as if he owned the place; exactly as Morgan Fitzroy had done when she first met him. But this man was young. He was handsome, but arrogant with it, and reminded her of a peacock. She instantly regretted coming into the room, but nonetheless, she curtseyed politely to him.
“I beg your pardon, sir,” she said, “I am Lady Isabella Thornton. I greet the guests here, so I apologise that I did not arrive sooner, but I am afraid that I was not aware of your arrival.”

[Liam Bronte]

Liam rose and waved her worries away. "Not a problem, not a problem. I wasn't planning on stopping by, but you see I'm on an errand for the King." He rose and approached the lady, taking her hand in his and kissed it gently.

"Enchanté, Lady Thornton. I'm Sir Liam Bronte, member of the King's private guard." He noticed that serving girl enter and place the try on the table. "May I interest you in a refreshment, Lady Isabella?"

She was a lovely woman, around his age and seemed to be running that castle. Though he did sense discomfort on her part. He placed a hand on her arm and led her to the wine. "There is no need to apologize, I assure you. Now tell me," he asked while filling two cups with the deep wine, "do all the Sheriff's guests get a welcome, or is it only the special one's that receive the blessing of your presence?" He offered one to her with a charming smile.

[Isabella]

Isabella was surprised at just how familiar the situation was; Fitzroy had done exactly the same thing as this man was doing now. Sir Liam Bronte. A name that would stick in her head, no doubt. Well, although he seemed sure of himself, he was courteous, and she could not hold that against him. She smiled at his assurances that the lack of a proper welcoming party was unimportant, allowing him to lead her towards the tray of wine that a young servant had just placed on the table.
“You are too kind,” she said, taking the goblet of wine he held out to her, “I greet most of the guests to the castle, though on important occasions the Sheriff greets them himself. Though I am sure that you must be one of the ‘special ones’, as you put it.”
She took a sip of the wine, though she did not care much for the taste herself.
“So you are here on behalf the King himself?” she asked, interested, “I suppose the manner of your errand is secret?”

[Liam Bronte]

Liam chuckled when Isabella said he would be one of the important one's. "I've been told so in the past," he laughed, taking another deep drink of the wine.
"You are quite right, milady, on both accounts. I am here on behalf of the King and some would say my duty is a secret." He flashed her a devious smile then leant in close to her.
"You see," he began in a hushed tone, despite the fact that they were alone. "Rumors have been spreading in the Holy Lands that someone is trying to claim the throne while the King is fighting. I know Prince John was a threat, but he's been taken care of for the time being. However, there have been whispers of another person trying to claim the crown. I've come to Nottingham to investigate and dispose of the threat." His blue eyes looked into hers as he grinned. "God save the King," he said in a toast, touching to rim of his goblet against hers. God help the King, he added mentally. He pulled away and surveyed her for a moment.
"You seem like a woman who knows the going-ons of a place like this. Perhaps you could point me in the right direction?" A smile tugged at corner of his lips, hitching one side of his mouth up into a charmingly crooked smile.

[Isabella]

Isabella smiled when Bronte said he’d been called important in the past, though internally she commented: I bet you have. He had the confidence of a man who had a way with women, or at least, was convinced he did. Isabella wasn’t going to fall at his feet that easily though – the shrewdness she had developed during her stay in Nottingham Castle told her that he was trouble. Though there was nothing to be gained in expressing that to him.
Instead, she played along, grinning as she learnt the secret purpose of Bronte’s visit. The knowledge did interest her greatly – a person other than Prince John trying to claim the throne whilst the King was away from his country, campaigning in the Holy Lands. She could see the opportunity for any ambitious would-be monarchs: the King had been gone for many years now, and without a leader, England was somewhat lost. The people had begun to forsake him, many now doubting that he would return. Whilst Isabella hoped that he would, she could see that drumming up support for a new monarch would not be that difficult.
Robin should know about this, she thought, deciding to find out what she could from Bronte before passing it on to the outlaws’ leader. Bronte had taken a risk by telling her what he had, but it was amazing what treating someone with courtesy could do. It only needed a few thought-out words and a smile. He was turning out to be one of the more important guests, after all.
“God save the King,” Isabella said, joining his toast.
She considered Bronte’s question: who in Nottingham could be behind a plot like this? No-one came immediately to mind, other than Prince John. She ran through the recent guests of the castle, judging how likely they were to be the culprit.
Thea Linnet couldn’t be considered for this. She was too young, and didn’t seem to her to be power-hungry or interested in personal gain. Besides, she had her mind on other things, Isabella thought with an unmistakable twang of bitterness.
The same went for the young Honeysuckle Herron, she decided.
Lady Gosford was definitely up to something, that much she was sure, but this didn’t feel like her doing. Her area was secretly sneaking up the political ladder with bribery and deception – a huge, all-or-nothing campaign wasn’t her style. Besides, she was a woman. She knew how to use this to her advantage, but also knew the drawbacks, and must realise that it was unlikely England would be content with a Queen, not a King, in this day and age.
But then there was Morgan Fitzroy. He said he wanted to lead a quiet life, that of a simple farmer in Clun. But he was of royal blood – or at least, half. He was one of the late King’s illegitimate sons, and had been recognised as that by his father. What if he didn’t want to settle down at all? What if he was plotting to become the next King?
It was definitely a possibility, and one that should be considered. Isabella had no loyalties to Fitzroy, no ties or connections, but she wasn’t ready to trust Bronte yet. She wondered what could happen if she told him about this. Fitzroy might find out it was her who’d said it, and for that she could pay dearly if he really was organizing a rebellion. At the very least, he wouldn’t like her any more. And she didn’t want to lose allies. On the other hand, she wanted to find out more from Bronte.
In the end, she decided upon a course of action.
“Well, there have been a lot of guests to the castle recently,” she informed him, “Lady Thea Linnet, niece to the Sheriff, Lady Honeysuckle Herron, Lady Eveline Gosford, a friend of Prince John’s, and Sir Morgan Fitzroy, the Prince’s half-brother. They’ve certainly kept me busy.”
The guests to the castle were common knowledge in Nottingham, but Isabella doubted that Bronte, as an outsider, would know, unless he had been previously informed.

[Liam Bronte]

Liam's eyebrows rose at the mention of the first name. "Thea Linnet is here?" He "hmm'ed into the goblet as he took another drink. Her family had been well off, David being quite the merchant. Why would she be at the castle though? Of course, he'd overheard some conversations with David and knew she was related to the Sheriff, but why would she leave such a lovely house behind to live here?
"Little Linnet bird, huh? Any idea as to why she's at the castle? I hardly doubt she's enjoying herself. As I remember her, she was quite the spirited, but spoiled, little girl." Spoiled, lots of money to be made from her. She would be, what, twenty now? Perfect age for marrying, and besides he could do with a better living than a room above the Inn. He'd tuned out Isabella as he spoke, but one name drew him back.
"Fitzroy?" It was from the Holy Land, he'd heard it then, but couldn't recall the importance. "Half-brother. Well, I'd say that's a good place to start, wouldn't you?" He bowed his head in thanks and finished his wine.
"Lets start at the top of the list, shall we? What can you tell me of Thea? Has she been busy?" He lifted himself onto the table so his legs swung underneath him. He pulled out a chair and offered it to Isabella.
"Rest your feet, s'il vous-plait,"

[Isabella]

The situation was becoming more and more interesting. So Bronte knew Thea Linnet? Well, he’d got her character right: spirited and spoiled. Isabella could not hear the girl’s name without thinking about just how much they disliked one another. That accusing little… She stifled a sarcastic laugh at Bronte’s comment about Thea enjoying herself, recalling what chaos she had caused during her brief stay at the castle.
Bronte must have come to the same conclusion as her about Fitzroy, though. Of course he had – it was the obvious place to start.
Isabella hadn’t realised that he’d want to question her on all of the guests to the castle, and sat down on the chair he offered her.
“Merci,” she thanked him.
She tried to work out quite what to say about young Thea Linnet. She’d just have to remain detached about her, as if she were merely an acquaintance, and not the vicious opponent she really was. Her brief marriage to Roe was widespread gossip throughout Nottingham, thanks to their publicising of its occurrence in the marketplace. But Isabella’s own connection to it was, as far as she could tell, unknown to anyone but herself, Thea and Roe. And she was going to keep it that way.
She looked up at Bronte, who had lithely sprung onto the table. She ought to be offended, but only felt a very mild surprise. Men who were as handsome as he was could get away with most things. And he was undeniably attractive. Snap out of it! her mind hissed furiously at her.
“Yes, I believe she has been busy,” Isabella replied, keeping the anger from her voice, instead filling it with intrigue at the gossip, “Of course, I have only heard about this, but it has been talked about throughout the town. She was married to a Knight of some kind – she was with child. But their marriage was annulled soon afterwards, and she resumed her place at the castle.”
She shrugged.
“I suppose it is just as well,” she continued, “From what I have heard, it was a very unsuitable match.”
Hell, it was, she thought irately.

[Liam Bronte]

Isabella's voice was filled with interest and Liam mimicked it with his expression. His eyebrows rose and he grinned, amused with the gossip.
"Married? So young, too," he thought that having one marriage annulled was bad enough for a woman's reputation, another would simply be scandalous. Though, he didn't care about her reputation. He looked inquiringly at Isabella. "With child?" That could prove to be a problem; he didn't really like children and pregnant women were impossible to deal with.
"Unsuitable how, milady?" he grinned at her knowingly. "Of course, only according to the rumors," he liked using this trick. Make the person think you know exactly what they're on about and they end up spilling more than initially intended. He leant down and tapped her temple.
"Come now, there must be more than just that in your mind. I know how women gossip, regardless of what they would have you believe. There must be more whispers about her than just that. I hardly believe someone like her can stay in a place and not make waves. You seem like a good judge of character, what do you think of Lady Linnet?"
Liam watched Isabella, noting a flicker of something in her eyes. More than anger came to Lady Thornton's mind when she spoke of Thea. Interesting, lots to be learned there.

[Isabella]

Isabella did not like where this conversation was going. Bronte hadn’t sussed her completely – but she was fairly sure he knew there was more to this than met the eye. She was starting to feel uncomfortable under his shrewd scrutiny. But she was a woman who knew about political games – she could deflect the attention away from herself, if she was tactile enough.
She nodded when Bronte repeated that Thea was with child.
“Yes,” she replied, keeping up the speculation, “Though I personally do not think she is now. I guess that was the reason the marriage was annulled.”
That hadn’t been too hard to counteract – but his next question was more difficult: how was her husband unsuitable? Though there had, for Isabella at least, been a variety of reasons, she wasn’t letting on. Lowering her voice slightly, as if she was shocked by this knowledge, she leant closer to Bronte and said:
“I’ve heard he was a great deal older than her. And a foreigner.”
This was true - she had been told this about Roe from others. She was beginning to feel more in control now, but her questioner was making things less than easy by asking for her own opinion of Thea Linnet. She shrugged non-committally, keeping her anger to herself, replacing it with detached interest, as if she watched the girl’s progress from afar but felt no strong emotion towards her.
“I have only spoken to her tuthree times, perhaps,” she replied, “She is young and vivacious and very fair to the eye, but perhaps not quite a woman yet. Though I am sure she shall become one, given some time, once she has settled down a little. But at the moment she seems to be a magnet for trouble, on any account.”
Isabella paused before continuing, hopeful that her guise was working.
“Before her marriage – just when she arrived in Nottingham – there was some trouble regarding another Lady of the castle. Lady Rosetta Court. I am sure that you have heard about her. When they first met, Lady Court took a dislike to her, and had her thrown into the dungeons, poor girl. I did not think Lady Court’s judgment fair and – well, we have all heard the rumours about her – I would have attempted to effect Lady Linnet’s release, had she not already escaped the dungeons herself! You really wonder at her resources. But after things had become more favourable to her return to the castle, she came back. Quite extraordinary.”

[Liam Bronte]

Liam nodded along with Isabella, relieved to hear Thea wasn't with a child anymore. Thank God, he thought. Who knows what trouble that could cause. "Older?" Liam almost choked on his wine. "That seems very unlike Thea. She's far too romantic for her own good," he mumbled with a shake of his head. "And foreign? I take it her estranged husband has since left the shire? Certainly he wouldn't stay, given the circumstances."
Upon hearing Lady Thornton's description of Thea, Liam laughed. "Yep, that is Thea, though I doubt she'll ever settle down."
Lady Court? That name rung a bell as well, and after a moment Liam groaned. "Ah, that Lady Court. I can see how the two women would have difficulties getting along." He hopped of the table and walked about the room, stretching his legs.
"Enough about politics and gossip. What about you, Lady Thornton? I've been rather rude not to inquire politely about your stay at the castle. Perhaps I should make a remark about the style of the room, or a bland comment about the weather. Social law requires it," he chuckled and turned to face the lovely lady.

[Isabella]

The relief that registered on Bronte’s face when Isabella said she thought Thea was no longer with child was unmistakeable. And interesting. Then again, he was turning out to be very interesting. From what he said about the girl, and agreed with what she said about her, she wondered how he knew her – as a friend, or an acquaintance? Whichever it was, she still doubted his motives. He was impossible to trust, but impossible not to like. Lord, he was going to stir things up around here.
Isabella started to compose the best answer to Bronte’s question about Thea’s husband leaving the shire. Of course, she knew he hadn’t, but she wasn’t supposed to know him.
“I should think him foolish not to leave,” she remarked, “I’m willing to bet that Lady Linnet is formidable when enraged.”
This she had learnt from painful experience. She was not looking forward to the inevitable repeat of their last meeting when, inevitably, they next met. That they both lived in the confines of the castle was highly unfortunate. If only she would grow up, she thought, frustrated. Still, she smiled when Bronte said he doubted Thea ever would.
“You’re probably right,” Isabella agreed.
She nodded knowingly at what he said about Lady Rosetta Court. Of course he knew who she was – her reputation preceded her. If her foolish insistence on telling anyone and everyone about her ill-advised use of witchcraft wasn’t enough, there was also the horrendous non-wedding between herself and Prince John to remind the whole of England that she was a woman best avoided. She really was a walking disaster. Deep down, she meant well, but just that wasn’t good enough. What use was she in helping the people of Nottingham if she was tried for witchcraft? It was really astounding that she’d avoided it already.
Isabella grinned impishly at Bronte’s playful comment about social law.
“But I have already forgotten such pleasantries myself,” she exclaimed, “I did not ask as to the agreeable nature of your journey, or remark that you must be very tired.”
“It would seem we are both criminals to social law,” she sighed.

[Liam Bronte]

"Oh, Lady, There is no need to worry over my trip. Though it was long, it was pleasant. It's lovely to see the England again after so many years. I forgot how wonderful the summer's were," he stood at the open window and grinned at the bright sky. "Said law states that while I may be tired, I may not lead onto the fact." He gave a small, foolish wink then chuckled. "I have lodgings above the Trip to Jerusalem Inn. They're suitable and I can't say I don't enjoy being so close to the ale..." He laughed again, bowed to Isabella with a laugh.
"So, Lady Thornton, what does this ridiculous law state we do now? Work can wait for one more day, don't you think?" He pushed off from the wall and approached her, thinking. He decided to test a theory on her.
"Actually, could you lead my to Lady Linnet's quarters? After so many years, she would think it rude if I didn't find her." He stopped suddenly, as if a thought occurred to him. "How rude of me! I can only imagine how you must feel about her. The disgrace she must have brought to this castle, her uncle, you, due to her marriage." His voice held a bit of distaste for Thea's choices and was apologetic to Isabella, trying to coax something more from her.

[Isabella]

Isabella was somewhat doubtful as to the truth in what Bronte said about the wonderful English summers, but nodded in agreement anyway. In this country, it rained in July as often as it did in January, but she preferred it to any other. This was where she had been born and spent her childhood, and it held some of her happiest memories. It was only recently that she had returned to Nottingham, so she understood why Bronte had missed England. It was familiar, something solid and real, despite its faults and hardships.
She was just thinking of what to do next when Bronte suggested re-introducing him to Thea Linnet. Isabella had hoped to be shot of her from their conversation, but it would appear otherwise. Then he stopped abruptly, and exclaimed that she must not like her, given the disgrace she had brought upon the castle after her scandalous marriage. Isabella was tempted to agree, but remembered what she had said previously and held her tongue.
“Oh, do not worry,” she assured him, getting to her feet, “If Lady Linnet has brought any disgrace, it is only to herself. Besides, I cannot judge her; I myself have brought scandal enough to the castle.”

[Liam Bronte]

Liam raised his eyebrows at Isabella, smiling. "Scandals? I can scarcely believe someone as poised as yourself could bring any type of scandal to this place." He took her arm gently and walked from the Main Hall, wandering really.
"Perhaps Thea can wait. I reckon she's in a bit of a state, given what you've told me. And besides, I'm curious about the scandals you spoke of." He looked over at her and gave her his most charming smile, one he had used many times over to get what he wanted from strong-headed females.
"I would love to hear these stories. Maybe they'll help me gain some insight into what I believe is a very complex mind."