The Lady Katherine Chronicles, Number 4

Lady Katherine And The Pagan Witch

By Sazzy

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction but uses characters that bear a striking resemblance to those that are copyright of Paramount Pictures.  No infringement on their copyright is intended by the author in any way, shape or form - this is just a bit of fun. This story includes an all female relationship so if you don’t like that then look away now.

Codes: uber J/7

Rating: NC-17

Time Period: This story is set in 12^th Century England (though no claims are made about its historical accuracy!)

Thanks: to Trek and Jay for beta reading this for me :)

Chapter 1

Lady Katherine Johnson felt the rays of the July sun playing warmly across her face as she closed her eyes and lay back. The water that surrounded her bore the weight of her body and she outstretched her arms to allow herself to float upwards on the surface of the lake. She lay there for some time, basking in the warmth of the sun and the calming sensation of being buoyed up in the silence of the shallow waters. It was one of the few times she’d had to relax over the past couple of weeks since the French Ambassador had left Markham. After his departure there had been a flurry of trade meetings with various other local lords that had also been on Pierre’s itinerary. It appeared things finally seemed to be getting sorted out and Katherine had taken the opportunity to slip away from Markham Manor for a few hours and come to Sherwood Forest to meet up with Anne. They hadn’t seen each other much over the last two weeks apart from a few snatched meetings when Anne had sneaked into Katherine’s bedroom or Katherine had gone out for solo rides across her lands. Hopefully now the pressure on Katherine was lessening, they might be able to get back to their more regular meetings, though things were always somewhat difficult due to the clandestine nature of their relationship – what with Anne being an outlaw and Katherine a supposedly respectable noble lady.

They had come down to Anne’s favourite secluded spot in the forest, a small lake whose waters were pleasingly warm after being heated by the summer sun for the previous couple of months. Since the lake was so secluded they hadn’t seen the harm in taken an impromptu dip in the waters. It was unlikely they would be disturbed as the only people who frequented this area of Sherwood Forest were the men of Robin Hood’s outlaw band, of which Anne was a member. They were all busy off on some mission with Robin and Anne had reassured Katherine that none of them ever came down here anyway. They tended to be more interested in whiling away their spare time drinking or gambling back at the camp, rather than enjoying the natural beauties of the forest.

Katherine thought how that was another thing that set Anne apart from the other outlaws, along with the fact that she was the only woman in the group. She had an appreciation of the world around her and intelligence far beyond most of the other men, save perhaps Robin himself. Katherine wondered what sort of a woman Anne might have grown up to be if she hadn’t been living with the outlaws for the past fifteen years, in their harsh world where she’d had to fight to survive, where she’d had to be guarded of her emotions. Would she have been different? Would Katherine have fallen in love with her? She knew she still had to talk to Anne about what Friar Tuck had told her a few weeks previously, about Anne’s past. She hadn’t found the right time to ask Anne about her pagan upbringing and her parents. Until she did, she felt like there was a bit of Anne that was closed off from her, and she knew she must broach the subject soon. Maybe today was the right day?

So distracted in her musings was she, that she didn’t notice the slight ripples disturbing the lake to her left until a form sprang up out the water and flipped Katherine over, sending her splashing under the surface. She popped back up to be met by Anne’s grinning face, her long blonde hair dripping wet and trailing down over her tanned shoulders which poked from the water. Katherine shot her a mock frown before sweeping her hand across the surface, splashing Anne directly in the face with a cascade of droplets.

“Ooo, you want a fight do you?” asked Anne playfully, diving under the surface again.

Katherine glanced around, to see where the young woman had gone. Suddenly her legs were pulled from beneath her and she was tugged under too. Once she had gained her footing again, the water only actually coming up to her chest level, she leapt at the laughing Anne and pushed her head under the water. As Anne surfaced, spluttering and advancing on Katherine, the older woman raised her hands in a placating gesture.

“All right, all right, no more, I surrender!” she said.

“Does that mean, that as the victor, I get to claim my prize?” asked Anne, quirking her slightly scarred left eyebrow.

“I’m all yours…” said Katherine, smiling in return.

Anne wrapped one arm around Katherine’s waist and drew their naked bodies together against the resistance of the water. She used her other hand to brush the wet strands of Katherine’s auburn hair from her face and tilt her chin up so that the young woman could cover Katherine’s lips in a slow, sensuous kiss.

Katherine’s hands glided through the water and slipped up Anne’s back, softly trailing rivulets of water across the smooth flesh as they went. She felt the warm press of Anne’s bosom, as their bodies slid seductively against one another, their limbs entwining below the surface of the lake.

Anne released the lock she held on Katherine’s mouth and brushed her lips across the older woman’s cheek until her breath was gusting hot over Katherine’s ear. Despite the fire that raged within her, Katherine involuntarily shivered as the warmth ghosted by her ear. Then Anne’s tongue was slowly tracing a path around it. Katherine could hear Anne’s ragged breathing, so close to her ear, and it served to inflame her desire even more. As Anne gently nibbled on her earlobe she let out a gasping cry and dug her fingernails into the bare flesh of the young woman’s back.

As Anne continued kissing on down her neck Katherine brought a hand round to tease one of Anne’s nipples, which was already stiff with arousal. She rubbed the flat of her palm across it before taking it between her thumb and forefinger and gently tweaking it. Katherine heard a soft moan come from the mouth that was still kissing her shoulder blade.

Then Anne’s mouth was suddenly back on her own, devouring her lips as Katherine found herself being swept around in the water in the young woman’s strong arms. Katherine let herself be consumed by the intense passion of the kiss, Anne’s tongue sliding hotly against her own.

Katherine slid her hands down Anne’s body, letting them dip below the surface of the water, freely gliding over the slick skin as they went. Reaching the juncture of the young woman’s legs Katherine’s fingers slipped through the mixture of Anne’s own copious juices and the lake’s waters. First one finger, and then another easily slipped inside Anne; Katherine revelling in the sensation of the combined sources of moisture. Anne groaned lustfully and buried her hands in Katherine’s long auburn hair, pulling Katherine even deeper into a frenzied kiss.

Katherine tantalisingly slid her fingers in and out of Anne, gently, teasingly; eliciting fresh moans from the young woman with each slow thrust. She could feel Anne’s building fervour, so without allowing the young woman to climax, she withdrew completely and drew her fingers up through the soft folds to the apex of Anne’s sex, her fingers slipping over the hard nodule there.

“Oh, Katherine…” groaned Anne, as Katherine continued her enticingly slow ministrations.

“Please…” moaned the young woman.

“Please what?” asked Katherine huskily, her breath floating across Anne’s face as the young woman tipped her head back to gasp while Katherine flicked her thumb across her clitoris.

“Please…oh…please…,” cried Anne, “Do not torment me any longer!”

Katherine smiled to herself and slipped her fingers back inside Anne, keeping her thumb rubbing on the hard nub. She flexed her digits within the young woman, sliding back and forth against the slick walls. She increased the speed of her stroking until she could feel the walls constricting around her fingers. One final flick of her thumb and Anne was gripping onto Katherine’s shoulders and crying out while her body shook from the orgasm ripping through it.

Finally Anne bowed her head onto Katherine’s shoulder, the water easily bearing the rest of her weight as she leaned against the smaller woman. Katherine softly stroked Anne’s damp hair.

“You should be careful, you’ll be scaring the wildlife,” laughed Katherine.

Anne laughed too and brought her head up to regard Katherine with her soft blue eyes.

“I think you’re the wildest thing in these parts!” remarked the young woman.

“Oh really?” said Katherine, raising her eyebrows.

“Indeed, and I shall prove it to you,” stated Anne with a seductive smile.

……….

Some time later, they finally made their way to the shore of the lake. After repeated attempts by each of them at trying to prove that in fact the other one made more noise when they reached orgasm, they had determined that they could come to no definite conclusion and would just have to study it further another time. Katherine decided it was time to bring up what had been bothering her earlier. She thought it best to start off on an innocuous, light-hearted track, and work from there.

“It must be time for me to make another guess as to why your nickname is Seven,” she remarked.

Anne laughed, “You’re not still trying, are you?”

“I told you before, I will find out the reason, it’s only a matter of time,” Katherine replied.

“All right, give it your best shot then…” teased Anne, stepping from the water.

Katherine was momentarily distracted by the bewitching sight of Anne smoothing back her long golden hair, squeezing the droplets from it as she tipped her head back. Beads of water flowed across her chest and down her body, tracking down the long, smooth limbs. Katherine could feel the desire rising inside her once more and she had to look away to stop it from overwhelming her. She sat on the grass, pushing back her own auburn hair and allowing the warm sun to dry her body. She found herself joined by Anne who came to sit beside her.

“So…let’s see…your name…,” pondered Katherine.

She could see Anne smiling to herself out of the corner of her eye. This had become a bit of a joke between them, Katherine’s inability to fathom the reason for the nickname. Of course, Katherine often just used her guessing to lighten the mood, as now, though she did have a genuine curiosity as to the story behind the name.

“Is it…is it…the number of times you’ve cooked dinner for the outlaws?” Katherine asked.

“No,” laughed Anne, “I’ve only done that the once! They didn’t seem too keen for a repeat performance after that for some reason. They decided it was much safer to stick with Nicholas’ cooking.”

After Anne had stopped chuckling to herself, Katherine turned to regard the young woman.

“Of course, there are also some other things I still don’t know about you, that I’d like to,” she began.

“Mm-hmm?” mumbled Anne, her eyes closed against the bright sun, her head tilted up to catch the rays.

“I just feel like you’re holding something back from me,” continued Katherine slowly, “I want to be a complete part of your life, Anne, I want you to feel like you can tell me anything. That you can trust me with your feelings.”

Anne didn’t say anything for a while, just letting Katherine’s words hang in the air.

“You’re talking about my parents again,” she finally said without opening her eyes or turning towards Katherine. The words were a statement rather than a question.

“Yes,” replied Katherine.

Silence fell between them once more. It didn’t seem as if Anne was willing to offer anything more herself. But Katherine decided that since she had finally brought the subject up, she might as well see it through to its conclusion. She thought it best not to mention that the friar had already told her the partial story of Anne’s pagan upbringing - that Anne actually had the potential to become a powerful pagan mystic. She didn’t want to antagonise the young woman in any way. This topic was highly sensitive, and Anne had been liable to get defensive and angry in the past when it was mentioned.

“What happened to them, Anne?” Katherine asked softly.

Anne suddenly got up and grabbed her clothes, swiftly pulling on her trousers and sleeveless black top. Katherine did likewise, thinking the young woman was going to leave and that she might need to follow. However, just as Katherine was slipping her own light tunic top over her head, Anne swung back round to face her.

“You really want to know?” she said, an annoyed edge to her voice.

Katherine didn’t miss the tone, but knew now was not the time to back down from the challenge.

“Yes, I do…” she said gently, “…please?”

Anne sighed and threw up her arms.

“Fine!” she said exasperatedly, “You’re not going to let it lie are you, even though you know I don’t want to discuss it!”

“It’s obviously eating away at you…I think you need to discuss it…,” suggested Katherine.

“Oh you do, do you?” said Anne, “You think you know what’s best for me?”

“No…” replied Katherine, “I just think that this is something we need to talk about if we want this relationship to go further. I love you, Anne, but I just feel there’s a whole part of your life I know nothing about.”

Anne just glared at Katherine and the older woman wondered whether she had misjudged things, whether she really should have left it. Anne broke the eye contact and turned to look out over the lake, bowing her head before she spoke.

“All right,” she began quietly, still facing away from Katherine, “From the beginning…”

………………………………………………………………………..

Chapter 2

Katherine waited patiently for Anne to begin her story, giving her all the time she needed, as the young woman remained staring out over the lake. Katherine glanced out over the waters too, noting how the afternoon sun caught the small ripples that broke its surface. When Anne finally began speaking Katherine turned her attention back to the blonde head in front of her.

“I was born in the village of Oxton, on the borders of Sherwood Forest, 26 years ago,” said Anne with little inflection in her voice, as if she were reciting the words from a book.

“I was an only child,” she explained, “Though my parents did try for more children, it seemed the fates had decided that I was to be their only one. My upbringing was little different from any normal peasant child - working on the village lands, tending the animals, basically being part of the village community. It was a hard but honest life and everyone in the village was close and supported one another.”

Anne paused for a moment, but Katherine didn’t interject, just letting Anne compose her memories to continue. Anne slowly turned to face Katherine, fixing her with her icy blue eyes. Katherine thought they were strangely emotionless, as if Anne was trying to distance herself from the words she was speaking.

“My childhood was the same as any other child in the village…apart from one thing - my parents were druids, upholders of the pagan faith,” she stated.

Katherine just nodded her understanding, indicating she wished Anne to carry on.

“Not that being a pagan was particularly frowned upon in rural areas at that time,” continued Anne, “In fact the druids were generally respected and many of the people were pagans themselves. This was all before the church-led crackdown on the practice of paganism, though. Nowadays if anyone does still actively practice paganism they keep it quiet and many peasants are fearful of the whole thing, having been taught by the church that it is equivalent to being in league with the devil.”

Katherine frowned slightly at that, she was still as shocked now as she had been the first time she had heard of the church’s intolerance of the pagan faith.

“Of course, that couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Anne, “Paganism is about peace and being in harmony with nature. It’s not that different from the Christian church in many ways, there’s still the concept of having faith in a higher power, belief in that power to watch over you and protect you if you are devout enough. Pagans just believe in many gods rather than one, those gods being closely tied to specific aspects of life and nature. And as with the Christian church there can also be a…dark side to paganism.”

Anne paused again after the final point, perhaps contemplating whether to elaborate further.

“So, anyway,” she finally continued, obviously deciding against explaining any more about this dark side, “My parents had a number of responsibilities as druids. It was up to them to organise the regular followers, maintain the various shrines to the pagan gods and perform the necessary rituals that were required to appeal to pagan gods for their blessing on a range of day-to-day things. They were the equivalent of the friar in the regular church. People in the village would also come to them for help with their ailments or when they needed a blessing for a particular occasion or reason.”

“And what about you?” asked Katherine, wondering whether Anne would admit to her what she already knew anyway.

“Me?” said Anne, slightly confused.

“Were you an active participant in these duties of your parents?” said Katherine, clarifying her question.

Anne regarded her for a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly. Katherine guessed she was pondering the older woman’s line of questioning.

“I followed paganism, if that’s what you mean,” said Anne, “Basically I knew no different - paganism was the norm to me.”

“You were just one of the regular followers of the faith then?” asked Katherine.

She knew she was probably skirting a bit close to revealing that she already knew of Anne’s innate mystical abilities, but that was one of the things she most wanted to know about.

“That’s right,” said Anne, looking at Katherine suspiciously.

Katherine merely nodded. She knew Anne was lying, but she couldn’t press her on it, not without disclosing she had discussed the young woman with Friar Tuck. She wondered why Anne still wasn’t telling her the full story.

“Sorry, carry on, you were explaining about your parents duties…” prompted Katherine, to get back to where Anne had left off.

“Indeed,” said Anne, still eyeing Katherine with a hint of wariness but continuing on anyway, “So, they were devout followers of paganism. They believed wholeheartedly in the pagan gods, had faith in them to care and nurture for them and the people around them.”

Anne stopped once more and her eyes flicked down to the floor. Katherine could see that she was taking a few deep breaths and also licking nervously at her lips as if what she had to say next was proving difficult to express. When she continued this time, the tone of her voice had notably changed – becoming much softer and emotion laden, whereas before it had been coldly detached.

“Then when I was eleven everything changed,” she said slowly.

“Go on,” said Katherine gently, sensing Anne needed some encouragement to proceed.

“It was a day like any other, my parents and I were at the shrine to Gaia preparing the next service as we had done a hundred times before. Only on that day we had some…unexpected visitors,” said Anne, still keeping her eyes fixed on the floor as she spoke.

“It was a group of the Sheriff of Nottingham’s men. With Oxton being on his lands it was not unusual to see them around the village. However, that day my parents must have known they were not there to pay their respects because as soon as they came into the shrine they secreted me away behind the altar before the soldiers saw me.”

“From my hiding place I could see and hear everything that was being said. The men had been sent by the Sheriff to round up the local pagans and destroy the shrine. The soldiers demanded that my parents hand over the Stone of Gaia, no doubt the fact that it was a rare jewel having made the Sheriff keen to get his hands on it.”

“Of course, my mother and father refused to surrender it since the stone was sacred to Gaia and my parents were devoted pagans. Despite the fact that they were unarmed against a group of soldiers they refused to back down and allow them to pass.”

Anne paused once more, taking a few calming breaths and swallowing the lump in her throat.

“I can still hear the cruel laughs of the soldiers, see the sneers on their faces as they drew their swords and struck my parents down…murdered them in cold blood.”

Katherine felt a wave of sympathy for the young woman wash over her and she moved closer to place a comforting hand on Anne’s shoulder, as her head remained bowed. She stopped short of enveloping her in arms, sensing Anne still had more to say, though she wanted nothing more to wrap her up and make all those terrible memories disappear. Katherine was horrified by what Anne had just told her. She was shocked that the sheriff’s men could act so callously in his name - killing unarmed, innocent people. And that Anne had witnessed the whole thing must have been unbelievably traumatic.

Katherine felt sick that the Stone of Gaia had ever been in her possession, now she knew the story of how it was acquired in the first place. Despite the fact that neither she nor Mark had known of its source when the Sheriff had given it to Mark as a gift, she could not help but feel guilty and somehow culpable. She also now understood what had sparked Anne’s anger when she and Robin had taken Katherine to Gaia’s shrine nearly three months ago – it was the very place that Anne’s parents were slaughtered. No wonder Anne had nearly tried to throttle her when she had inadvertently made some offhand comments.

Without looking up to acknowledge Katherine’s hand, Anne carried on, her voice quiet and faltering.

“I don’t know how long I stayed behind that altar after they had left, taking the stone with them…but eventually I summoned up the courage to come out of my hiding place…”

Anne closed her eyes, as if trying to ward off the images that were flooding her mind. Katherine squeezed Anne’s shoulder in sympathy, her heart going out to the younger woman as she blinked away the tears forming in her own eyes.

“There was blood…everywhere…over the stone floor…I…I…stepped through it…my father’s eyes were still open…lifelessly staring at the ceiling…I don’t know how long I stayed there…just…looking at them…”

“Oh, Anne…,” Katherine sighed.

Anne wiped away a stray tear that had escaped down her cheek before steeling herself to proceed. Katherine could feel her shoulder stiffen under her hand and Anne finally looked up, her eyes once again cold and emotionless as she regarded Katherine. When she spoke her voice had regained some of its composure.

“Anyway, at some point some people from the village came and took me away, “ said Anne, “It wasn’t safe for me in the village anymore, though, not with the pursuit of pagans by the church. Since I had no other family, I went to stay with Robin, who had always been a friend to my parents. He looked after me, brought me up as a surrogate sister of sorts. After what had happened, I understood what it was Robin and his band were fighting against – the injustices meted out by the nobility and ruling classes. It was hardly what you might call a normal upbringing, growing up amongst a band of thieves and outlaws, but I welcomed the chance to get away and forget about my past life and embrace that lifestyle instead.”

“So you gave up everything of your past life, including your pagan beliefs?” asked Katherine.

Anne suddenly brushed Katherine’s hand off her shoulder.

“Those beliefs killed my parents,” she said, anger now creeping into her voice and flashing in her eyes, “If they hadn’t been so foolishly devoted they would have just given up the stone. But no! They stood there and let themselves be killed - and for what?! For their principles? For the high and mighty pagan gods?”

“It was hardly their fault…” began Katherine, rather shocked at Anne’s sudden switch in mood.

“Wasn’t it?!” snapped Anne, cutting her off, “They knew those men would kill them and yet they stood there anyway? How stupid is that? How blindly devoted is that? Devotion? Delusion more like!”

Katherine tried to interject once more, though she realised that Anne obviously harboured a great deal of resentment towards her parents.

“Anne, you can’t blame them, they were willing to stand up for what they believed in...”

“I can blame whomever I like!” cried Anne, “Oh, don’t get me wrong I hold those soldiers responsible too. Their faces are etched into my memory and if I ever saw any of them again…I’d kill them.”

Katherine was taken aback by the venomous edge to Anne’s voice and had no doubt whatsoever that she would carry out that threat.

“But, though the soldiers may have delivered the final blows, it was my parents foolish beliefs that killed them,” stated Anne.

“And so you turned your back on those beliefs?” reasoned Katherine.

“Yes,” agreed Anne, “I didn’t want anything more to do with paganism. I wanted to learn how to fight, so I could look after myself properly and not be left with just my beliefs to defend me against the world.”

Katherine felt sad for Anne, she had obviously hardened herself, to protect herself from getting hurt. She was amazed that she managed to get the young woman to open her heart to her thus far and realised how much that must have taken for Anne.

“So, it’s not something you’ve ever wanted to investigate again?” asked Katherine gently.

“What is this?!” cried Anne angrily, “Are you a secret pagan or something, trying to convert me?”

“No,” said Katherine, holding up her hands in a placating gesture, “I just think you’ve barricaded these events away, to stop them hurting you, but at some point you need to face up to your past, explore that aspect of yourself.”

“Aren’t you listening?!” spat Anne, “I don’t want anything to do with that anymore! Why do you always have to push me!”

“I’m not pushing you…” said Katherine, still keeping her voice calm and soft in the face of Anne’s fury. She moved towards Anne again but the young woman stepped back.

“You could have fooled me!” said Anne fixing Katherine intently with her blue eyes, “You always think you’re right don’t you? That everything should be done your way!”

“We’re not talking about me here…” said Katherine.

“Well maybe we should be!” suggested Anne, “About your need to control everything. We always have to fit in around you, don’t we? Do things your way, meet when you say.”

“I’m not trying to control you, I just want to help you…” said Katherine reaching out once more.

“Well, maybe I don’t need helping – did that ever cross your mind?” said Anne, batting away Katherine’s hand, “I don’t know why you’re so bloody interested in me following my blasted pagan roots anyway - it was your people that killed off paganism!”

Katherine realised Anne was irrationally angry and most likely didn’t mean what she was saying, but that didn’t stop her words hurting.

“Anne, please…” began Katherine slowly.

“Oh just save it!” exclaimed Anne.

“Anne…”

“Just leave me alone!” yelled Anne before turning on her heel and stomping off into the trees.

Katherine was left standing there dumbstruck for a moment, staring at the space where Anne had disappeared into the forest. She contemplated following the young woman, but decided that it might be a good idea to give Anne a bit of space and time to cool off. It had obviously been painful for her to bring all those memories to mind again. She’d been surprised by the degree of anger Anne felt towards her own parents, though. She supposed it was because Anne had actually loved them very much that it had been so hard for her to bear losing them. She had needed someone to blame, even if that included her parents themselves and their beliefs. Katherine wondered for a moment if she should have brought it up, the last thing she wanted to do was cause Anne pain. Ultimately, though, she thought she had done the right thing. It seemed to her that Anne had closed off that part of her life and never really dealt with the repercussions of what she had seen - directing all her emotions into anger instead and burying away the past.

Sighing to herself and rubbing her temple, Katherine walked over to where she had left Delta and untied his reins. As she clambered onto her horse to head back to Markham she didn’t notice the small man emerging from the nearby undergrowth with a satisfied look on his face.

………………………………………………………………………….

Chapter 3

Anne angrily swatted away the branches from her path as she crashed through the forest. Normally she would be much more stealthy, since you never knew who might be lurking in the trees, but today she just couldn’t be bothered. Her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts, pre-eminent of which was Katherine. She couldn’t believe her sometimes, she was just so damn…arrogant!

To think she knew what was best for Anne all the time, like Anne didn’t know her own mind, couldn’t make her own decisions. Katherine had being pushing and prodding at her for the past month or so on the subject of her past until Anne could take it no more and had told her the whole sorry story. No doubt Katherine was feeling pity, sympathy, guilt right now. Well, she could keep her pity! She hoped that Katherine was happy and satisfied that she had got her story, because Anne certainly wasn’t.

Anne had buried those memories for a good reason, and now her mind was crowded with unwanted thoughts and images again – things she had tried to forget.

She kicked out at the twigs lying strewn on the forest floor, sending a hail of them crashing into a tree trunk. She stopped and looked at the detritus, her fury simmering ever closer to the surface. She felt so angry; she just wanted to hit something to release her pent up frustrations.

Why had Katherine made her remember those things? That life was gone now - she didn’t want to think about pagans, about her parents.

She quickly drew her sword and slashed wildly at the undergrowth, hacking the top off a nearby bush. She watched with faint satisfaction as the lopped off section flopped onto the dry ground. She swung again at a small tree, putting all her might into the blow. Her sword buried itself deep into the trunk and she placed her foot on the bark to brace herself and grunted as she yanked her sword free, stumbling backwards as it came loose. She chopped at the tree again and again, the sweat starting to glisten on her bare arms at the exertion. It felt good, not thinking, just hitting.

She could feel another familiar sensation building within her as well as her anger. It was one that never seemed to be far away at times of high emotion - a strange connection she felt with the world around her, like the earth itself was talking to her. Normally she tried to fight it, to push it away, since it was another link to her past. She and her parents had known from an early age of her innate mystical abilities and they had tried to teach her the best ways to harness them. They had insisted to her that it was a blessing, though she had never been quite so sure. She didn’t know why she had to be different to all the other children in the village. Of course all the lessons had stopped when her parents had been killed and, with no one to guide her, she had pretty much tried to ignore the fact she possessed those abilities. She didn’t want the reminder of her past anyway, and was more than happy to live her life without tapping into that side of herself.

However, today she allowed the sensation in. She felt the energy of nature itself cascading through her, infusing her body, adding to the strength of her blows. The elemental power flowed through her, almost consuming her until she hardly knew where she began and it ended. At this moment she didn’t really care, she wanted to be oblivious to her own thoughts. She could feel the warmth of the soil under the summer sun, the whispering of the breeze as it swirled around the forest, brushing the leaves on its way. The sounds of the many animals around her filled her mind, chattering away with a thousand different voices.

Just as she was almost completely lost by the many sensations assaulting her, a creaking sound signalled the end of the tree trunk’s resistance as she finally managed to hack through it. As it crashed to the ground, she pulled herself back from the edge, pushing away the sights, sounds and smells of the forest. Dropping her sword, she sank to her knees and viewed her handiwork. She breathed heavily as her anger abated somewhat and with it the heightened awareness of nature that had been empowering her. She raked her fingers through her loosened blonde hair, sighing and closing her eyes to try and shut everything out.

After a few moments she stood once more, picking up her sword and sheathing it as she did. She sat down heavily on the fallen tree and put her head in her hands, as thoughts of Katherine crept slowly back into her mind. Even now she couldn’t seem to forget about the older woman, even when she had angered her so. Part of Anne just wanted to dash back to the lake and see her again, but her other stubborn side refused to do that.

“Are you all right?” came a voice from behind her suddenly.

Anne started, leapt up from the tree and swivelled round. She quickly drew her sword again and held it out in front of her, in the direction of the person who had disturbed her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” said the stranger softly, holding up her hands to ward off any potential attack.

The speaker was a woman, maybe a few years older than Anne. She had long straight, black hair that fell about a classically defined face. Her bright green eyes regarded Anne intently.

“Who are you?” demanded Anne, keeping her weapon pointing at the other woman.

“Look, I just wanted to see if you were all right, you looked like you were upset. But if you want to be left alone, that’s fine,” said the woman, turning to go.

“No, I’m sorry,” said Anne, sighing and lowering her sword, “I’m just a little on edge, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“That’s all right,” said the woman, “You look like you’ve had a bad day”

She took a few steps in Anne’s direction, maintaining eye contact with Anne the whole time. Anne felt almost mesmerised by the green eyes, like she couldn’t look away, even if she had wanted to.

“I’m Bronwyn, by the way,” said the woman.

The woman held out her hand, and Anne slowly took it. As their flesh touched Anne felt a strange feeling creeping over her, accompanied by a kind of tingling dancing up her arm. It was slightly unnerving and she looked at the other woman quizzically as they continued to shake hands. Bronwyn showed no signs that anything was amiss, just smiling back at Anne.

As they disengaged their hands, Anne finally remembered to speak, now the spell of the sensation evoked by the contact was broken.

“I’m Anne.”

“Well, pleased to meet you, Anne,” said Bronwyn genuinely.

Anne found herself smiling back at the other woman - there was something about her that Anne found intriguing. She couldn’t quite place what it was, but she sensed she wanted to know more about her.

“Sorry again about the whole sword thing,” said Anne apologetically.

“Forget about it,” said Bronwyn with a dismissive wave of the hand, “So, is it anything you want to talk about?”

Anne quirked her left eyebrow questioningly.

“The reason for your bad day?” clarified Bronwyn.

“Not really,” replied Anne.

“Well, maybe another time then, if you want to?” suggested Bronwyn.

Anne searched the other woman’s face for any hint as to why she was being so kind, but it seemed her offer was just an honest one of help.

“Maybe,” said Anne warily.

“You can usually find me about these parts, if you just want to talk some time,” offered Bronwyn.

“That’s funny,” said Anne, “I’ve never seen you around before, and I don’t think I would have forgotten seeing you.”

Bronwyn let out a small laugh at the implied compliment.

“I live in a small cottage just on the edge of the woods, about a mile east of here,” she explained, “I guess I’ve just never been lucky enough to bump into you before.”

Now it was Anne’s turn to blush slightly.

“I come into the forest quite a lot to gather wood and supplies,” continued Bronwyn, “And you…you are an outlaw aren’t you?”

“Yes I am,” confirmed Anne her eyes steadfastly meeting Bronwyn’s as if challenging her to make something of it.

“It’s all right,” laughed Bronwyn seeing the determined look on Anne’s face, “I agree with what the outlaws are doing. I’m not going to give you up to the lady of the manor’s troops or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Anne stiffened at the mention of Katherine.

“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” asked Bronwyn, noting Anne’s change in demeanour.

“No, it’s not you, it’s just I have certain…issues…with her ladyship,” explained Anne.

“Really?” enquired Bronwyn.

“Yes, but maybe that’s something for that other time,” said Anne, not really wanting to discuss Katherine right now.

“Well, as long as there is another time,” said Bronwyn, a small smile curving her lips.

“I’m sure there will be,” agreed Anne, smiling herself, “Now, if you’ll excuse me I really must be going.”

“Of course, goodbye Anne, and remember, feel free to drop by any time,” said Bronwyn warmly.

“Thank you,” said Anne with a nod, as she turned and headed off into the trees towards the outlaw camp.

……

Bronwyn stood watching Anne’s departing form in quiet contemplation for a few moments, before her thoughts were disturbed.

“So, what do you think?” came a voice from beside her.

She turned to regard Will Scarlet, who now stood next to her. He looked anxious as he quite often did in Bronwyn’s presence, shifting nervously from foot to foot and glancing agitatedly about him. She smiled to herself at the affect she had on weak-willed people.

“Oh, yes, she has it all right,” noted Bronwyn with satisfaction, glancing off at the trees once again, “I could feel it as soon as our hands touched – she has the power, she just doesn’t know how to harness it properly.”

“And you are going to be the one to show her?” asked Will.

“Naturally,” said Bronwyn, smiling wickedly, “And even better it seems all is not rosy with the lovely Lady Katherine.”

“Really?” asked Will with interest.

Bronwyn knew of his dislike of Katherine and that he would like nothing better than to see a wedge driven between her and Anne. That was one of the reasons he had been more than eager to help her out when she had approached him. She also thought he had some foolish notion regarding himself and Anne, since they had at one time shared a relationship.

“Indeed,” said Bronwyn, “She didn’t let on much, but I would say they’d had some sort of argument. Which makes the timing of our first contact just right.”

“So it went well then?” asked Will.

“It went very well, Will” confirmed Bronwyn, fixing her piercing eyes on him and moving closer, causing him to flinch, though he tried to hide it.

“And I think she is receptive to seeing me again,” she added.

“Everything is going to plan then?” said Will.

“Oh yes,” agreed Bronwyn, “Perfectly.”

……………………………………………………………………….

Chapter 4

Katherine shoved open the door to Markham Manor, not caring about the huge crash it made as it impacted against the inner stone wall. She was feeling frustrated after her earlier conversation with Anne and the ride back to the manor had done little to help clear her mind. So it felt good to let off a bit of steam on an inanimate object like the solid oak door.

The sound drew the attention of those present in the main hall and a half a dozen sets of eyes swivelled in her direction. She met them all with a steely gaze and the eyes were all quickly averted once more. The peasants and workers around the house knew the lady of the manor well enough to know to avoid her when she had that particular look in her eye.

One occupant of the cavernous room was obviously feeling either exceedingly brave or foolhardy, however, since he approached Katherine before she could make her way across the floor to the stairs.

“Good afternoon, Katherine,” remarked Charles Kirby amiably.

Katherine considered letting off a bit more steam on another inanimate object, but just about managed to prevent herself from punching him. The last thing she needed on a day like today, though, were the totally unwanted attentions of the lecherous knight.

“Charles,” she acknowledged with barely suppressed disdain.

“Is something the matter?” he asked with concern.

“I just have a few things on my mind,” she replied shortly.

“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help?” he offered, not taking the hint that she wanted to make this conversation as brief as possible.

“There isn’t,” she said, knowing she was being rather rude, but not having the desire to observe normal courtesy right now. She just wanted to get up to her room and be on her own.

“All right,” he said, still smiling, “I can see I’m keeping you.”

“Yes, you are,” said Katherine curtly, “Good day, Charles.”

And with that she swept off across the room, not waiting for any kind of reply as she left him standing.

…….

Kirby watched Katherine swiftly crossing the hall and climbing the stairs to her quarters. He smiled to himself as he considered that no doubt the reason for her short temper was that she’d had some sort of disagreement with her young lover.

Kirby had doubted the sanity of his French spy when he’d first come to the knight with news of what he’d discovered about Katherine’s secret. But as time went on, and the spy had continued with his surveillance, Kirby had come to realise the veracity of the man’s reports. As hard as it had been for Kirby to comprehend, Katherine was indeed having some sort of relationship with a female outlaw.

Kirby had to confess to being slightly…aroused…at the thought of Katherine with another woman and had been tempted to accompany Leon more than once to witness it himself. He tried to reason to himself that the main reason for any such action would be that he needed first-hand proof of her affair, but he knew deep down it was just the sheer titillating prospect of it that was the main driving force behind his desire.

Of course, he realised that what Katherine was doing was a sin and she would be going straight to hell for participating in such ungodly activities. Unless, that was, he could redeem her soul for her.

He was certainly willing to give it a go and the nature of her current relationship was perfect fodder to realise his plans for both Katherine and the manor. Once he had gathered enough evidence she would be at his mercy. Pretty much everything about what she was doing was wrong and would bring immediate disgrace and probably much worse if it were ever discovered.

He decided he needed to get back to his house at Ollerton so he could find out from Leon exactly what had upset Katherine so this afternoon. Leon had been most proficient and Kirby was sure that the man would have been present at whatever had occurred between Katherine and this Anne woman. The spy seemed to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Smiling evilly to himself one more time, he turned and exited out the manor house’s front door.

……..

Katherine heaved a huge sigh of relief as she entered her bedroom. She knew she had been unbelievably rude to Kirby, but she just couldn’t stand the man and her present mood had made it impossible for her to make her normal attempt at even a semblance of pleasantness between them. She crossed to her bed and collapsed onto it on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

“M’lady?” came a voice from the corner of the room.

Katherine bolted upright.

“Jesus Christ, Beatrice, don’t do that to me!” cried Katherine, glaring at the young maid.

“I’m sorry, m’lady,” stammered Beatrice, “I was just putting away some things, I’ll come back later.”

She hurried across the room and out the door before Katherine could say another word. Katherine groaned and flopped back down onto the blankets, putting the back of her hand to her temple and curling her fingers shut. Great, now she was scaring the servants too.

She knew she had to try and get a grip of herself. It was one thing to allow herself to be affected by her arguments with Anne in private, but to also show her feelings so publicly was courting disaster. And she and Anne certainly did seem to have their fair share of arguments. She guessed it was just a by-product of them both being such determined, opinionated and plain stubborn women. It was only healthy to have some degree of disagreement in a relationship, though at times she did wonder at their levels of antagonism.

However, she knew that one of the primary attractions of Anne was her strong-will and passion and Katherine wouldn’t have her any other way. Not to mention the fact that Anne was completely gorgeous and Katherine felt like her heart would beat right out of her chest every time she saw her. Added to that was the small matter of how Anne constantly occupied Katherine’s waking, and non-waking, thoughts. Basically Katherine was desperately in love with her and couldn’t imagine her life without her.

She just wished Anne would be a touch more…agreeable sometimes.

Take today, for example. All Katherine had wanted to do was understand and help the young woman, yet somehow their earlier conversation had ended in Anne angrily departing into the forest. She wasn’t trying to control Anne, was she? She knew she could be a little insistent, but she only wanted what was best for Anne.

As she lay on the bed, she pondered that she might, just might, have been a little too pushy. Perhaps, in her quest for understanding, she hadn’t fully considered Anne wishes. But it was hard to be objective when you cared so deeply for someone - emotion had a way of clouding judgement. Considering the things Anne had revealed to her, though, Katherine thought she could possibly have treaded a bit more cautiously. Mind you, how could she have guessed at the true horrors of the young woman’s past? To see your own parents killed in front of you, it was just beyond comprehension.

Katherine resolved to go and see Anne the next day. She didn’t want to leave the younger woman alone too long with those things preying on her mind and no one to discuss them with. That was, of course, if Anne wanted to discuss them – Katherine had learnt her lesson and wasn’t go to push if Anne was unwilling. Thoughts of those tragic events of fifteen years ago played repeatedly on Katherine’s mind for the rest of the evening and long into the night.

……

Anne deftly pushed aside the branches that blocked her path and continued on her course through the forest. It was two days since she had last seen Katherine, but fortunately she had managed to keep herself busy in the outlaw camp to stop her mind wandering to thoughts of the older woman, as it had a habit of doing in spare moments. Today, however, things had been quiet back at the camp, so Anne had come for a walk in the forest to try and distract herself. It was another warm July afternoon and the sunlight filtered through the trees and dappled the forest floor.

Anne still felt some degree of residual anger towards Katherine and had decided that she wasn’t going to be the one to make an effort to contact her. If Katherine wanted to speak to her, then she could come and find Anne. Anne was somewhat surprised that Katherine hadn’t sought her out over the past 48 hours - she didn’t normally like to leave things unresolved for long. Anne did find it rather difficult to resist the urge to go to Markham Manor herself, but she was going to be strong. She knew it wasn’t the most charitable of things to think, but part of her wanted to make Katherine suffer, and hopefully some separation would do that. Anne chose to ignore the fact that the same separation would have a negative affect on her too.

Trying to force Katherine from her thoughts for a while, Anne’s mind drifted back to the encounter with the woman named Bronwyn a couple of days ago. She had said that Anne was free to visit her, and since she had nothing better to do, Anne decided she might as well take her up on that offer. She thought it might be refreshing to talk to someone completely unconnected with either the outlaw camp or Markham for once.

Following the directions that Bronwyn had given her, she eventually came to the edge of the forest and spotted a small dwelling on its own just beyond the treeline. Checking that there was no one around, she stepped from the trees and cautiously made her way over the open ground to the door. There was no response to her knocking and Anne cast her eyes around to see if there was anywhere else the other woman might be. Perhaps she was out in the forest somewhere, she surmised.

“Hello there,” came a voice from behind her suddenly.

Anne swivelled round abruptly.

“Sorry, I seem to be making a bit of a habit of surprising you,” said Bronwyn, a warm smile on her face.

Anne glanced around suspiciously, unable to work out where the other woman had come from.

“How did you manage to sneak up on me?” she asked, her eyes coming back to rest on the dark-haired woman.

Bronwyn laughed. “I didn’t sneak up on you, I was just round the back, tending some of my plants. I thought I heard some knocking.”

Anne considered this for a minute. It was plausible, but she still couldn’t help being somewhat unnerved by Bronwyn’s sudden appearance. It was unusual for anyone to be able to get the drop on her like that and if she didn’t know better she would have sworn the other woman had appeared out of thin air.

“Come on, why don’t you come in for a drink?” suggested Bronwyn cordially, heading towards the door.

Realising Anne wasn’t behind her, Bronwyn turned back round.

“Are you coming?”

Anne guessed it couldn’t hurt, she had made the effort to come here after all. Nodding she followed the other woman inside. It was a small hut, consisting of just the one room that made up both the living, cooking and sleeping space. There was a small fire burning in the corner with a pot balanced above it containing some sort of liquid that was bubbling away and sending a plume of steam up the chimney.

“My witch’s potion,” remarked Bronwyn, following Anne’s gaze.

Anne’s eyes flicked to Bronwyn in surprise.

“That was a joke,” said Bronwyn, noting Anne’s look of horror, “It’s really a herbal and fruit concoction, it’s very tasty.

Bronwyn ladled some of the brew out of the pot and into a small cup, holding it out for Anne.

“Here try some,” she offered.

Anne hesitated from taking the proferred cup.

“Honestly, it’s not dangerous – just fruity and quite tasty,” said Bronwyn, with a small wink.

Anne took the cup and gingerly sniffed its contents. It did smell lovely, with a strong hint of raspberry. Tentatively she put it to her lips and took a sip. As the liquid slid warmly down her throat, her eyes shot to Bronwyn, who smiled back.

“Didn’t I tell you it was rather nice?” said the other woman.

“That is a slight understatement,” said Anne, “What is it?”

“Ah,” said Bronwyn, placing her finger on the side of her nose and tapping it, “Secret family recipe.”

“Well, in that case I thank your family and you,” said Anne sincerely.

“Thank you,” replied Bronwyn, “Here, why don’t you have a seat?”

Anne lowered herself onto the offered stool, Bronwyn herself taking up a matching one opposite Anne. Bronwyn seemed slightly distracted, as if she were contemplating something she wanted to say, her gaze having fallen to the floor.

“I think there’s something you ought to know about me, before we go any further,” she began nervously, “After I’ve told you, you may not want anything to do with me, which I will completely understand. I just feel I want to be honest with you from the outset if we are going to be friends.”

“Go on…” said Anne warily, wondering what this terrible thing could be, but also pleased that Bronwyn wanted to consider her as a friend – she didn’t have many proper friends, certainly not any female ones.

“There is a reason I live out here on my own,” said Bronwyn, “I believe in something, that many people don’t approve of…oh, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just spit it out – I’m a pagan.”

“Oh,” was all Anne could manage.

“I knew it,” said Bronwyn, with a sigh, “You think I’m some sort of devil worshipper or just a lunatic. It’s fine, really, I’m used to it. I won’t think any the less of you if you want to leave now. But I promise that if you stay I won’t try and convert you to my ungodly ways.”

Anne certainly contemplated the option of leaving for a moment. Here she was trying to get away from all things pagan and she had inadvertently stumbled into it again. And yet it wasn’t as if Bronwyn was trying to push it down her throat, unlike some other people, she didn’t even know anything about Anne and her own situation. She was just being honest, and Anne appreciated that and the courage it had taken to own up to something such as being a pagan. Added to that was that she sympathised with Bronwyn’s lonely existence to some extent, she knew what it was to be ostracised from society.

“No, I don’t want to leave,” said Anne finally.

“Really?” said Bronwyn, her eyes coming up in surprise to regard Anne.

“Really,” confirmed Anne, “It’s all right, you’re entitled to believe in what you want.”

“Well, I have to say that makes a refreshing change, most people run a mile when they find out,” said Bronwyn.

“I know the feeling,” muttered Anne to herself.

“Sorry?” enquired Bronwyn.

“Nothing,” replied Anne.

“Everyone tends to think I’m either crazy or demonic or both,” continued Bronwyn, not pressing Anne on her inaudible interjection, “ Plus they don’t want to be seen associating with a pagan for fear that they will be labelled as one too and hauled off by the church. In the end, it just seemed easier to live out here on my own, where I’m free to do what I want and not be regarded as a freak.”

“I can understand that,” agreed Anne.

“You can?” asked Bronwyn seemingly surprised by Anne’s sympathetic stance once more, “I have to say you’re the first person I’ve been able to talk to about this in a long time, the countryside isn’t exactly awash with other pagans to chat to.”

“Well, I do know a thing or two about it,” confessed Anne, not quite sure why she was confiding in the other woman so. It just seemed like the right thing to do, since Bronwyn had been so honest and forthcoming.

“You do?” said Bronwyn, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

“I was brought up as a pagan myself,” admitted Anne, “Not that I practice anymore,” she quickly added.

“Ah, well, if you ever want to take it up again,” said Bronwyn, smiling and offering Anne a small wink.

Anne couldn’t help laughing at the cheery way the other woman had put it.

“But I understand why you wouldn’t,” added Bronwyn more seriously, “It certainly is a lonely religion these days.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Anne.

“Anyway,” said Bronwyn with a wave of the hand, “Enough about all that! Let’s talk about something more interesting, now I haven’t managed to scare you off with my revelation.”

“Sounds good to me,” agreed Anne, “Especially if there’s more of this drink on offer.”

“I’m sure that can be arranged,” smiled Bronwyn taking Anne’s cup to refill it before rejoining her to carry on their conversation.

…………………………………………………………………..

Chapter 5

Katherine stood in the courtyard at Markham Manor, watching the group of men departing out the gate as the summer sun lowered behind the manor walls. As the imposing doors were swung shut behind the party by her guards, she allowed herself a deep sigh. Closing her eyes, she brought her hand up to massage the back of her neck, trying to ease the knots that had gathered there.

“Still no success?” asked a voice beside her.

“Unfortunately not,” replied Katherine, turning to look at Tobias who had joined her in the grassy yard, “Neither of them is willing to back down, we just seem to be going round in circles.”

“So they will be back tomorrow for more mediation?” deduced the tall man.

“Yes,” said Katherine, an edge of exasperation creeping into her voice, “Though I’m getting seriously close to the point where I’m just going to bash both their stupid heads together – we’ve been at this for three days straight now!”

And those were three days when she’d been unable to get away and see Anne. After their heated conversation by the lake, Katherine had resolved to go and see the young woman the following day. However, her plans had been thwarted when two of the local farmers had come to her with a boundary dispute. As lady of the manor it was her duty to help settle such matters and so she’d been locked in discussions with them for the last three days.

“You have something else on your mind too?” asked Tobias.

Katherine regarded the captain of her troop’s stoic face, which revealed nothing as always, maintaining a steady gaze straight ahead.

“Perceptive as ever, Tobias,” she replied with a small smile.

“Is it anything to do with your…lady friend?” he asked, tripping over the last phrase and causing Katherine to snort a laugh at his terminology.

“Yes, it is to do with my ‘lady friend’,” she confirmed.

She wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to discuss this with Tobias or not. She pondered that there wasn’t really anyone else she could confide in, apart from the friar, and he was away visiting another parish and wasn’t due back for at least another day. She knew Tobias could be trusted to keep her confidence, but he wasn’t exactly known for his understanding of emotions.

“May I speak freely?” he asked, interrupting her train of thought.

“Of course, Tobias,” said Katherine, interested to hear what he had to say on the matter.

“It is no secret that I do not approve of your liaison with this woman,” he began, “I think it is highly dangerous for you to be involved with such a person.”

He held up his hand at this point to forestall the objection that was starting to issue from Katherine’s lips.

“Nevertheless,” he added, “I have known you for many years and I do not believe I have ever seen you as happy as when you have been with her. I’m sure you know we were all…worried about you after Mark’s death, but she seems to have brought you to life again. So despite my misgivings, at this point in time I have to conclude that what is best for you personally is Anne.”

Katherine smiled warmly up at the dark man, she couldn’t quite believe that he was practically giving her his blessing. She knew he would never outright object to her personal relationships, but for him to say he pretty much approved meant the world to her. There was no man she respected or trusted more than Tobias and she greatly valued his opinion.

“Thank you, Tobias,” she said, reaching out and stroking his arm.

“However,” he added, “I can only assume that, given your somewhat…erratic behaviour over the past few days, the two of you have had some sort of disagreement?”

“You could say that,” said Katherine with a sigh, “It’s too complicated to go into, but basically things were left rather unresolved and I had been hoping to go and see Anne at some point during the last three days, before all this blew up. There just isn’t enough time in the evenings to go there before it gets dark, not to mention getting back, and the friar hasn’t been around to convey a message either.”

“Ah, I can see how that would prey on your mind, leaving something unresolved,” noted Tobias.

Katherine laughed and rested her hand on his arm again.

“Oh, Tobias, you really do know me too well. Alas, it looks like I’ll have at least one more day to wait before I can do anything about it.”

“Actually, I have a suggestion,” said Tobias.

“Oh yes?” she enquired hopefully, her eyes flicking up to his face.

“I think you should go and see Anne tomorrow,” he said, meeting her gaze.

Katherine shook her head. “A nice idea, but I have these negotiations to oversee,” she reminded him.

“I will take your place,” he informed her, “I think it is in everybody’s best interest if you resolve what is distracting you.”

Katherine’s eyebrows crinkled into a slight frown and her hands made their way onto her hips.

“Is that your polite way of saying that I’m letting my emotional state cloud my judgement and impartiality in these discussions?” she said, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on him.

“I would never be so presumptuous as to suggest such a thing,” he replied evenly.

“Well, if you had, you would be right!” said Katherine, rolling her eyes and casting her hands up in exasperation, “I just can’t seem to concentrate, my mind keeps wandering to Anne at the most inopportune moments. It’s ridiculous, I’ve always been in control of my feelings before, been able to separate my personal life from the running of the manor.”

“Maybe your feelings have never been as strong before,” remarked Tobias.

“I believe you could be right, old friend,” she concurred, “What I feel for Anne…it’s beyond anything I’ve ever felt for anyone else, even Mark. It just feels like she completes me, I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”

She stopped, noting Tobias starting to look a bit uncomfortable at the direction the conversation was heading in.

“Well,” she continued, getting back on track, “I guess since you so kindly offered to step in for me, it would be rude of me to refuse. Thank you, Tobias.”

“You are welcome,” he said, nodding, “and good luck tomorrow.”

“You too, though I’m not sure which one of us will need it more,” said Katherine ruefully as she patted him on the shoulder and headed indoors.