"Your husband seems excited than worried, Ysabella," Maxwell dryly noted while the four of them waited across the street from where the red stone formations were located in the small village of Blucksley. Beyond the formations lay what the townspeople would call tree rocks for the stone pillars extended way up above. He had walked through similar formations in the hunting trips he spent with his brothers in the past, but those incidents could be counted in one hand. Such formations were rare. And most hid secrets.

It was no wonder that the one they were facing now hid another small village where bandits resided. And it was no wonder as well that his bloody sisters once found their way into that bandit village and made themselves new friends.

Ysabella turned her head to study her husband and she smiled. "He simply desires to see you experience Ned and Barto's rite of passage, brother."

Wakefield turned his blonde head at his wife. "I believe your friends unreservedly follow traditions, darling. I am merely happy to no longer be a part of it." He turned to Maxwell and asked, "You do know Levi went through the same thing, yes?"

Maxwell ignored his brother-in-law and turned to Maxine who had been silent since they arrived in Blucksley. He faced her as she sat on a large rock beside Ysabella. He went down to level his gaze with hers and asked, "Are you certain you do not wish to do this on the morrow? We can do so at any day you wish, Maxie."

Ysabella, sensing their conversation to be private, jumped to her feet and snatched her husband's hand, saying, "I wish to stretch my legs, darling," and dragged him away.

Maxine lifted her head and gazed at Maxwell, her pale grey eyes determined yet hesitant. "Do you reckon they can provide us with answers?"

He nodded despite the fact that he was doubtful. There were too many bandits all over the Town. Maxwell would indeed consider themselves very lucky if Ysabella's friends could point them at the right direction.

"You are lying," his wife said with a sigh, looking up ahead at the stone formations.

He scoffed and stood up straight, stretching his legs. "I am a cynic, Maxie," he said to his wife, "but I do not diffuse hope when it is due."

He heard her snort. "Of course—"

"Oi!" a loud voice boomed from across the street.

Ysabella and Wakefield whirled around a few paces away and Maxine saw his sister's face light up as she ran toward the voice. Her husband was striding fast behind her.

Maxwell looked down at his wife and offered his hand. "I believe that is the bandit language for 'move your arse'."

Maxine rolled her eyes and took his hand to pull herself up. "I believe that is the bandit language for 'trouble is coming'."

They both turned and walked across the street to join Ysabella and Wakefield. The couple was facing two young bandits, both wearing newspaper boy hats and large coats.

"'This yer brother, Ysa?" the taller of the two men said.

Ysabella nodded with a smile. "Maxwell, yes," she said. "And his wife, Maxine."

Now that he had the chance to study both men, Maxwell let out a groan. "Not only did we meet these two gentlemen on a carriage ride to Willowfair," he said, addressing his sister, "but I believe they were also in attendance at your wedding, Ysa."

The taller of the two playfully pushed the other, saying, "Didn't I tell ye he's an Everard?"

"Aye," said the other.

"Should we not move along?" Wakefield interrupted but his wife did not hear him as she made introductions. "These are Ned and Barto," she said to Maxine and Maxwell. "They are Alex's cousins."

"And they do love ropes," said Wakefield. "Go on, bring them out and let us get this rite of passage done at once."

Ned and Barto frowned at Wakefield. "We didna bring any ropes, guv, no we didna!" Barto said, grinning with pride.

Wakefield started to scowl. "Why the bloody hell not?"

"Alex, see?" Ned said under her breath.

"We did read yer letter, guv," Barto said to Wakefield."

"What letter?" asked Ysabella.

Wakefield laughed and gave Barto a pat on the back. "Nothing, darling. Nothing."

"He asked us to spare the woman," Ned said, nodding at Maxine, "and use all ropes on the man," he finished, nodding at Maxwell.

"A joke, of course!" Wakefield said, pushing Ned none too gently. "Off we go then!"

"Not a very good joke, William," Maxwell heard Ysabella say as she followed her husband deeper into the tree rocks.

Maxwell grabbed Maxine's hand and followed the group before them.

"Alex is excited to see ye," Ned was saying, leading the group. "Wouldna stop fussin' over us all, see?"

"Why did she not come along?" asked Ysabella.

"Her 'pa won't let her, see?" Barto said. "She can't leave Meriwether for one bleedin' month!"

"Why not?"

"Ah, long story, Ysa," said Ned. "Come along! Hurry!"

Maxwell turned to throw Maxine a glance. She was awfully quiet.

Whatever they needed to find here, it better be better than nothing.

*****

Anticipation left Maxine's mind as the journey into Meriwether overtook her interest. Walking through the tree rocks was like walking into a dream. She found herself awed by the many revelations the Town had to offer. The tall stone pillars extended way up above them. Hints of lamp lights came from some parts above and she wondered if bandits were above there, watching their every step, guarding the entrance into their secret haven.

They walked across a rocky field and straight into a narrow corridor. It could have been a crack through a giant wall of rock, she thought. But the crack was as narrow as the service corridors around Nicholas' estate, allowing them enough room to pass through, but not enough to walk side by side. Maxwell held her hand from behind him as light diminished for minutes, leaving them in utter darkness. After many blind steps, Maxine saw the light from the other end and they were nearly blinded by it when they finally emerged from the crack.

She looked up and her eyes widened in amazement to see a giant hole above them. It was daylight aboveground. The sky was lightest blue she had ever seen her entire life. A faint sound of the wind could be heard from where she was standing beside her husband. She sharply turned her head to get Maxwell's attention but realized that he was looking up at the hole as well, eyes filled with awe.

"Welcome to Meriwether," Ysabella uttered with a proud grin.

Maxine looked around and found stone houses scattered around them but never directly under the hole. From a far distance she could see trees and crop plantation. Not as large as the one they had in Theobald, but enough to sustain a small village like Meriwether.

"Alex!" Ysabella exclaimed and Maxine followed her sister-in-law with her eyes as Ysabella rushed toward a woman wearing breeches and boots.

Maxine stiffened when she saw the face of the woman beautifully beaming at Ysabella, her bushy black hair flying behind her as she quickened her steps to meet Ysabella's embrace.

And beside her Maxine also felt Maxwell pause.

Ysabella tugged at the woman's hand after their embrace and guided her toward them.

As the woman drew near, Maxine met the woman's grey eyes.

*****

Maxwell wanted to deny it, but the similarity was quite astounding. He wanted to study Alex closer, see if there was something else other than the dark hair and grey eyes, but the woman seemed too excited to have them as guests that she dragged Ysabella and everyone else into one of the stone houses.

Maxine did not move and Maxwell had to take her hand and pull her back to her senses. She flinched and when their eyes met he saw the panic in her eyes.

"We must see this through, Maxie," he said, stepping closer. "Whatever it is you are thinking, do keep it to yourself for a while."

She swallowed and slowly nodded her head.

He turned and followed Wakefield into the stone house.

"Have a great day, guv!" Ned and Barto called out before running away. "Thank us for no ropes next we meet, aye!" they added with a laugh. "An Everard jewel, please!" Barto shouted before Maxwell and Maxine completely disappeared into the stone house.

Alex was already standing in the middle of the house. Wakefield stood by Ysabella as she was lifted off the ground by a large, bearded man. "Ye must've had a jolly good time to not have written me a note, lass!" the man said in a booming voice. "How eez yer sister?"

"Emma is doing tremendously fine as we speak, buried in her books," said Ysabella with a chuckle. "By the by, Gustav, allow me to introduce you to my family." She stepped away from the man and waved her hand at Wakefield. "My husband, William Hayward, Lord of Wakefield."

"Agh," Gustav uttered, taking Wakefield's hand and shaking it with such strength that Wakefield's shoulder shook with it. "A lord! Ye lass know what ye want, eh?"

Ysabella merely laughed and waved her hand at Maxwell and Maxine. "And my brother, Maxwell Everard, Lord of Kenward and his wife, Maxine." An awkward silence followed as Ysabella struggled whether or not she must mention Maxine's name.

"I am a Theobald bastard," Maxine spoke for the first time, surprising everyone but the bandits.

"Not a problem, eh?" asked Gustav, walking toward Maxwell and Maxine to both give them the same courtesy as Wakefield.

Maxwell noted how Maxine studied the man's features before Gustav turned to face Ysabella. "Alex tells me ye want to speak with us, aye?"

Ysabella nodded. She walked over to where Maxine and Maxwell were. Alex and her father followed her with curiosity. "As you very well know by now, my sister-in-law is a bastard and she is in search of her birth mother."

Alex and Gustav frowned. Maxwell took the chance to study father and daughter and realized that Alex took her bushy mane from her father. Her grey eyes were darker than Maxine's. His first impression was slowly ebbing away and he was not certain if it was good or bad.

"Have a seat then," Alex said, pointing at the tattered sofa at one corner.

Wakefield and Ysabella walked over to seat while Maxwell guided his wife to take the chair beside the sofa and stood beside her.

Alex and her father sat beside each other opposite Ysabella and Wakefield.

"Are ye not goin' to sit, guv?" asked Alex.

Maxwell shook his head. "I am fine."

"Very well," Alex said with a shrug, turning to Maxine. "How can we help?"

When Maxine opened her mouth to speak, no words came out. Maxwell took the liberty to explain their mission and said, "My wife's birth mother is a Trilby." Alex and her father were surprised at the revelation. "And she was banished from Willowfair after she gave birth to Maxine."

"We have gained knowledge that she was taken in by the western bandits," Maxine was finally able to say.

A short silence followed as they allowed Alex and her father to absorb the information.

Finally, Alex blinked and she frowned. "Yer not thinkin' that coz we 'ave the same hair coloring and grey eyes that we 'ave the same mother, aye?"

Maxwell held his breath. Yes, of course they thought of it at first sight, yet now that Alex had so wisely pointed it out in the open he thought the idea to be farfetched.

"Perhaps," he heard Maxine reply in a weak voice. "But your eyes are darker and mine are pale."

Gustav allowed a heavy sigh of relief before he chuckled. "For a moment I wondered if me wife, God bless her soul, did have another daughter!"

Alex snorted. "Impossible! Me 'ma was no Trilby! She was no gentry!"

Gustav nodded his head vigorously. "I vow to ye all that Alex 'ir eez me own! 'Er 'ma died upon givin' birth, see? But she was no gentry! We grew up together!"

Maxwell planted his hand over Maxine's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"It would be quite astonishing if the two of you are related at all," Ysabella admitted. "Apart from a slight similarity on hair and eyes, I do not believe the same."

Maxine let out a nervous chuckle. "I had been searching for my mother for quite some time now and I do hope you forgive me if I jumped to conclusions," she admitted.

"Nae need to apologize," Gustav said, waving his hand. He leaned his forearms over his knees like a giant rock bending over into a ball and gave Maxine a serious look. "But dear lass, we're not the only bandits! And ye say yer mother took refuge with the western bandits, aye?"

Maxine nodded. "As was told by my aunt," she said. "My mother's sister."

"A Trilby?" Gustav asked.

"Yes."

"You must'na believe a Trilby's word, lass," Gustav said, shaking his head. Maxwell could not agree more. "But I will ask 'round. I 'ave friends in the west."

Alex nodded. "I will help."

"No, you will not!" Gustav boomed and everyone flinched at the volume of his voice. "Ye can't leave Meriwether."

"But 'pa!" Alex whined, stomping her foot.

Gustav gave his daughter a sharp look before turning to face the Everards. "She nearly got 'erself in trouble two days 'go," he explained. "Tried to rob a bloody Guard!"

"Oh, Alex," Ysabella said, shaking her head with a mixture of concern and mirth.

"I did'na know he was a bleedin' Guard!" Alex cried in defense.

"Still a fatal mistake!" Gustav said, shaking his head. "If yer 'ma eez alive, she would've died!" As he fell quiet, he gazed at Maxine once again. "Pardon me fer sayin' this, lass, but ye were unlucky to be born as a Trilby."

"'Pa!" Alex said in horror.

"Fret not," Maxine said. "The Trilbys do have a reputation for being horrible to people, even to the ones they consider their own."

Gustav shook his head. "They're far worse than that, lass, I tell ye."

Maxwell frowned. "Pray tell."

Gustav shook his head, saying, "Nae, guv. 'Tis a matter only fer bandits, see?"

Alex sighed. "The Trilbys have control over some of our own, that's what my father is tryin' to say."

"Alexandria," Gustav uttered with warning.

Alex shrugged and said, "They're no enemies, 'Pa! They're also enemies of our enemies!"

But Gustav's gaze fell on Maxine. Maxwell felt Maxine cower in discomfort. He stepped forward. "My wife has lived all her life as a Theobald. She may have Trilby blood in her veins, but she is no Trilby."

Alex slapped her father's arm. "Now see what you've done!" She turned to Maxwell and smiled. "Yer wife is an Everard now, milord. And a Theobald, of course!"

Gustav merely grunted. "Forgive me, lass," he said to Maxine. "I have a village to protect, see?"

Maxine nodded. "Of course, I fully understand."

"But he'll help ye still, is that not right, 'Pa?" asked Alex reassuringly.

Gustav nodded. "I'll speak with me friends in the west. But nae promises."

"That is enough for us," said Ysabella.

Gustav's gaze did not leave Maxine and he added, "But ask the Trilbys again, lass. They could've lied."

Maxwell could not disagree on that matter. Amelia Trilby could have indeed misled them.

"One ought to be careful where the bloody Trilbys are concerned," Gustav said in a very dangerous tone before his face lit up and he smiled. "What ye say to a bucket of brew?"

"I would love some, please," Wakefield immediately replied.

Gustav slapped his knees and laughed. "I like yer husband, Ysa, lass!"

Ysabella smiled. "As do I, Gustav."

*****

Maxwell followed Maxine outside the stone house while Alex and her father entertained Ysabella and Wakefield with recent stories of misfortunes and fortunes on the road. Their laughter faded as he closed the door behind him.

Taking careful steps, he stood beside her and joined her looking at the children running about, gaily laughing as a young bandit ran after them with a stick.

"What do you plan to do now, Maxie?" he asked.

Maxine shook her head, keeping her silence.

"We can wait for Gustav to be done with his inquiries, and while doing so I can gather acquaintances to locate your mother." He turned to study her face. "But that will mean telling them the truth about you and your family."

His wife moistened her lips with her tongue and her jaw tightened. "I have seen this coming, you see," she said in a voice only for him to hear.

"This matter requires time, Maxie. We are not failing if that is what you are thinking."

He saw a hint of a smile on her lips. "You always know what I am thinking."

"As your husband, it is now an instinct," he said with a sigh. "It came with the ring on your finger."

Her smile grew but did not reach her eyes. "Max," she said after a while.

"What is it?"

"I want to see my family."

He looked down and saw the longing in her eyes. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. "Which one?" he asked without elaborating. He knew she knew what he was trying to ask.

She turned and tilted her head to plant a soft kiss on his jaw. "The only ones I have, of course—the Theobalds and the Everards." She looked into his eyes and added, "Perhaps my brothers shall give you a taste of their own rite of passage, milord."

Maxwell stiffened. He did not like how that sounded.