"I know these people," she said softly. "I know what they're fighting and what they stand for. And it isn't him." Her hold on him tightened, her eyes closing. "This isn't about him. It's about you and me." He'd never know how hard those words were for her to say. Because she knew him, possibly better than he wanted her to. She wasn't blind. She knew how the War had changed him. This wasn't the noble, gallant, and carefree boy she'd said goodbye to, thinking he'd be home shortly and they'd be married soon after. That boy would have at least considered fighting to keep his land and his titles. This Robin? The man she'd fallen so desperately for? That meant little to him. Like her, the only thing that truly mattered was Nottingham's people. "I'm not asking you to forget the things you've done in the past. But why add another? One who has already promised to stay away? It won't make any sense."
The question she'd feared so long hung in the air at first and finally she pulled back enough to look up at him. Not enough to let him go, though. One arm remained around him but the other reached up, taking his face in her hand. "You'd only just arrived. You were confused and upset. Why would I add to that?" Her eyes darkened slightly, as they often did when she considered her death. But she couldn't let him dwell on the hurt he was feeling. It would, in all likelihood, only make hers worse.
"Don't you see? I wouldn't hurt you for anything. Not if I can help it. You needed time to settle first." She hesitated, hoping her words didn't sound as empty as they felt. "It isn't exactly an easy conversation to have anyway."