"Sir Guy's Atonement" (Book 3) by Gratiana Lovelace, 2015 (a Wattys2015 Nominee)

Ch. 3: A Boon and a Betrothal, Part 2

"Sir Guy's Atonement" (Book 3), Ch. 3: A Boon and a Betrothal, Part 2,  by Gratiana Lovelace, February 02, 2015
[An Original Fan Fiction adaptation of the characters from the BBC's Robin Hood;
& a Sequel to "Sir Guy's Dilemma" (Book 2) by Gratiana Lovelace]
 (All Rights Reserved; No copyright infringement intended) 

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story with my dream cast of:  Richard Armitage as Sir Guy, Clive Standen as Lord Archer of Locksley, Emma Watson as Lady Roseanna Gisborne, Tommy Bastow as the young Seth Gisborne, Lucy Griffiths as the spectre of Lady Marian, James McAvoy as Lord George Middleton, Toby Stephens as Prince John, and Dakota Fanning as Lady Caroline Havorford, etc.]   [(1) story logo, top right]

Author's Mature Content Note:  "Sir Guy's Atonement" is a story of romance and intrigue set amidst  Medieval times.  As such there will be some passages in this story involving heartfelt love scenes (S) and some passages involving highly dramatic moments (D).  I will label the maturity rating of those chapters accordingly.  Otherwise, the general rating for this story is PG or PG-13 due to some mature situations and topics.  If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read the chapters with those labels.  This is my disclaimer.

Author's Recap from the previous installment:  On Saturday, March 23, 1199, Sir Guy learned from his brother-in-law Lord George in an estates planning meeting that he, Sir Guy, is to be made a Baron by King Richard's decree for his service to the crown. And Sir Guy gently teased his ten year old son Seth about having a secret on their ride home from Middleton Hall.  However, Seth was also focused upon his Aunt Lady Mary's younger eleven year old sister Lady Caroline's current visit—Seth having dodged running into her that day—annoyed with the little Lady Caroline of his memory of two years ago when last they met fawning over him and wanting to marry him.  Sir Guy thinks and hopes that Seth might change his mind—because Sir Guy and Lady Roseanna hope to betroth their son Seth to Lady Mary, if all parties are agreeable.  And when they arrive home, Sir Guy also discovers that his wife Lady Roseanna had been told of his upcoming elevation to a Barony by their sister-in-law, Lady Mary, who learned of it when her husband talked in his sleep.  So the Gisbornes and Middletons and Locksleys will travel to Leicester for Sir Guy's investiture by Prince John.  And Seth will have to see if he can still escape from Lady Mary.

"Sir Guy's Atonement" (Book 3), Ch. 3: A Boon and a Betrothal, Part 2

The following six days at Middleton Manor for the Gisborne family—and at Middleton Hall for the Middleton family—are a whirl of travel preparations for adults, children, and a small retinue of servants to travel with them to Leicester on Friday, March 29th, 1199 for Sir Guy's investiture as Baron on April 2nd.  This travel will be made doubly difficult because Lady Mary is now in her seventh month of pregnancy with their third child.  So whereas Lady Roseanna is a blur of activity in her own [household] for travel preparations, Lady Mary sits tiredly and somewhat directs their preparations—as her husband Lord George takes as much of the burden from her as he can.  Lord George thinks about going to Leicester by himself as the family representative to spare his wife the two hour trip over uncertain and bumpily jostling roads, but Lady Mary will not hear of it.  She proclaims that the mild fatigue she feels is to be expected with her pregnancy and she is young at 20 years old, eager for some excitement before she must confine herself to home to await their third child's birth—her hoped for baby daughter to join their two sons Edward and Nigel.

Upon arriving at Gordon Castle, the seat of the Oxbridge family and the Middleton's cousin the Earl of Leicester [(2a) right]  in the afternoon, the Gisbornes, Middletons, and  Locksleys—who had journeyed all day from Nottingham at dawn—are immediately struck by the grandeur of this imposing castle home and fortification.  Whereas Lord George's home Middleton Hall is stately and quite large with 30 bed chamber suites, it cannot accommodate a garrison of 200 knights, as does Gordon Castle.  Of course, Lord Archer's domain as Sheriff of Nottingham is slightly bigger than Gordon Castle, he notes with a smirk.