Will glanced at the outlaw, who seemed to be standing straighter now, and no longer affected an awkward stance. One might imagine that he was annoyed with his lover’s skill. That thought did make Will smile, although the humor faded almost immediately.
If Marian won, John would surely recognize her when he awarded her the golden arrow. Would she then escape, returning to the forest with Robin Hood? That would seal her fate in the eyes of the prince.
But surely she would not be foolish enough to reveal her relationship with Locksley. Will relaxed marginally. He must credit her for her intelligence. She wasn’t that much of a fool.
Marian sensed the moment Will recognized her, for from the corner of her eye she saw him tense completely, drawing himself even taller in his saddle. It appeared he was not terribly pleased with her ruse.
She was surprised he’d seen through her disguise. The large, soft cap that sat on her head covered her bright, bundled hair, and she had affixed black horsehair to its edges to create the appearance of black locks. A bit of dirt on her face to darken her skin, men’s clothing, and taking care not to lift her face too often or too far had helped keep her identity a secret.
Since he had recognized her, she hoped he wouldn’t do anything about it. Or, if he did, he would not do so until she was awarded the arrow.
But Will’s reaction was naught compared with that of Robin’s. Marian had to bite the inside of her lip to keep it from twitching at the annoyance that blasted from his stance. She was fairly certain that he had not yet recognized her, for she had taken care to remain at a distance from him, with her face averted. But whether he had or had not, ’twas clear that he did not enjoy meeting up with a longbowman-or woman-as skilled as he was.
Or more so.
Marian realized with a start that it was her turn for the last shot. She had purposely not looked at the other targets during this round, so she was not aware of how well she was doing against her competitors . . . but Robin’s demeanor suggested that someone, at least, was challenging him.
Stepping up to the archer’s position, she pulled one of Tesh’s arrows from her quiver. She’d warned Robin that the wood-worker from Mead’s Vale made the best, straightest, and fleetest of arrows in England, and she was about to prove yet again that she could hit her target with them.
The bolt felt familiar and steady, and she took her time, aiming through the misty air. The target sat at the tree line, with the dark forest looming behind it, its red painted circle already host to two of her bolts.
Will’s gaze bored into her back, right between her shoulders, but she couldn’t let that bother her. She pretended that the target was John’s raging red cock, then closed her eyes and let the arrow fly.
When she opened them, it was over and the crowd was cheering. Marian looked at her target and saw that her third shot had landed precisely where she intended it-in the center of the target. Her three arrows created a small triangle in the dead middle of the small circle. She glanced over at the other targets for the first time, but found that she didn’t need to-for Lord Beghely, the man who’d led the three judges, had turned toward her, congratulations in his expression.
Delight coursed through her. She’d won! As Lord Beghely approached, she looked over toward Robin and saw that he was staring at her with a shocked expression. Clearly he was only now recognizing her. Marian swallowed a giggle. She’d told him she wished to challenge him-and he’d belittled her chances. Now she’d won the match in full view of all. Although no one else would ever know it was Marian of Morlaix who earned the golden arrow, Robin would. And that was enough for her.
Before Marian could bask any longer in the knowledge that she’d bested Robin Hood, Will’s large black horse pranced into view. After a brief congratulations, Lord Beghely stepped back with the sheriff’s approach. Marian looked up into Will’s face and couldn’t help the twitch of a proud smile as their eyes met.
As usual, he bore only a staid expression-one that could be called forbidding, in this case. Could he not see the humor in the situation just this once? He knew Robin of Locksley as well as she did; he must know that the man’s pride would be bruised. Or perhaps that wasn’t what annoyed him. Maybe Robin’s humbling was nothing compared with what he saw as the outrage of a woman besting a man?
But how absurd! Marian thrust away her moment of glory and realized how foolish she was being. There had been one reason and one reason only for this archery contest-she was smart enough to realize it had been a trap for Robin Hood. And he had indeed attended, and now he was to be captured.
Unless her ruse would sufficiently distract and confuse people from being able to do so successfully.
