Chapter 13 #2
Marianne studied the items more closely. “Yes, I believe you are correct. The style is quite ancient, yet the fabric could be almost current. Perhaps it was someone’s fancy dress costume for a masquerade.”
“Perhaps,” Meg said with a shrug. “But only if someone intended to dress as a frog. Look, the whole lot of it is dyed the same color green.”
Marianne realized she was correct. She began to realize another thing, too. “I believe this shade is called Lincoln green.”
Meg was unimpressed. “It would make anyone who wore it look like a tree. And heavens, but these woolen hosen are quite rough! I can’t imagine they would be comfortable. What sort of Bedlamite would wear such a costume?”
“I know exactly who wore them,” Marianne announced.
“Who on earth was it?”
Marianne couldn’t help but smile as she answered her cousin.
“Robin Hood, of course.”
Robert had left the women alone to give them time to compose themselves and do whatever it was women needed to do when they had been through an ordeal.
Miss Maidland seemed little worse for the wear, but he could not be sure Miss St. John wasn’t planning a fit of the vapors at any moment.
He’d been very happy to leave Miss Maidland to deal with her nervous cousin when he went to his men to find where things stood after his short absence.
The vicar had been entertaining the children with stories and games. It was good to keep them occupied—and indoors. The woods was likely crawling with men hunting for the missing women. Those children were much safer indoors just now.
Gathering up his friends, Robert suggested they sit down and fabricate a quick solution to the problem at hand. How were they to avoid detection, and what would they do if they failed? Mr. Fraytuck excused himself from the children with promises of another visit—and more sweets—soon.
“We can meet in the room upstairs,” Robert offered.
They’d been using a drawing room up there as their conference area. It was comfortable, away from the chaos of the Grover family, and the windows gave an excellent view of the outside. If anyone was approaching, Robert wanted to know about it right away.
They all traipsed up the stairs and he let the men settle in the drawing room.
Conversation went immediately to the most pressing matter; what were they to do with Miss Maidland and Miss St. John?
Much had very strong opinions on the matter, as did Robert’s men.
John in particular seemed to think they should send both ladies off with Much and lessen the risk of searchers stumbling upon the lodge.
Much was in agreement with that until Robert reminded him that the roads were likely blocked and things would not go well for him if he was found with either of the young ladies.
“It is quite an impasse,” Alan said. “Perhaps we ought to take up whatever arms we can find and go storm the estate.”
John especially liked that idea. “It is, after all, your own home, Rob. We can set that ruddy steward of yours out on his ear, then devil take him and anyone who tries to help him.”
“It’s no good, John,” Robert sighed. “I’ve thought it through and there’s just too much risk.
The man’s already tried to murder us once, what’s to prevent him from trying again, and again?
He’s got the sheriff in his pocket and made the magistrate his partner.
With all the resources at hand, we’d find ourselves handily outnumbered. ”
“We’ve been outnumbered before,” Will pointed out.
“But we didn’t have a dozen helpless dependents to look out for at the time,” Robert reminded. “We can’t put ourselves at risk until we can be certain the Grovers and the two ladies are safe.”
The men grumbled, but the couldn’t argue his point. Indeed, they were right back where they started, and the clock was still ticking. The sheriff’s men could be closer to finding them with every passing moment.
“Perhaps we should get the ladies in here and ask them what they’d rather do,” Will suggested after a pause.
Robert couldn’t see how it would help, but surely the women deserved some say in what was to happen to them.
He left the drawing room and went to their chamber.
Tapping at the door, he heard muffled whispers and the scuffle of feet before he was invited in.
Gingerly, he pushed the door open. Happily, no one seemed hysterical.
They stood at attention across the room, next to an old chest. He was glad to see they had taken his advice to avoid the windows. They faced him with forced smiles and he instantly wondered if he’d been wrong about the level of hysteria. There was a distinct tension in the room.
“Er… perhaps the two of you should join us as we discuss a solution to our current dilemma,” he offered.
Miss Maidland nodded with far too much cheer. “Of course! Yes, that is just what we should do. Thank you.”
Her cousin simply nodded. Neither lady took a step or indicated they would follow him. They simply smiled agreeably, standing with hands behind their backs.
“Very well,” he said after too long. “We will be in the drawing room, just across from the stairway.”
“Thank you. We will join you in a moment.”
There was nothing further to say. Robert simply bowed and ignored their oddly cheerful smiles and obvious eagerness to be rid of him. If they needed a few more minutes before joining the men, he should not question it.
He returned to his men and was about to ask George Muchleigh to explain—once again—just how he had planned to get Miss St. John out of Nottinghamshire without incurring the wrath of her father.
The ladies arrived almost immediately, though, interrupting him and inviting a few minutes of useless introductions and small talk.
Finally, things circled back to the emergency at hand.
Much reassured everyone that he had no intention of being hauled back to Nottingham by the sheriff.
Robert hated that he had to play an adversarial role, but he was forced to remind his friend that intentions meant little when there was no hope of following through.
St. John and the sheriff absolutely had the upper hand.
“I don’t care what you say,” Miss St. John snapped at Robert petulantly. “I am not going home. I will stay here with George.”
Oddly enough, Robert found that he had an ally in Miss Maidland.
“But Meg, be sensible. Just think what your father will do when he finds us!” she insisted. “Think what he’ll do to Mr. Muchleigh.”
“I’m not worried for myself,” Much said with determination. “I’ll stand up to St. John any day. It’s Meg that I worry for.”
“Then remind her what sort of man her father is,” Miss Maidland said. “He will send men to comb every inch of Sherwood until Meg is found. He will punish everyone who harbored her, without mercy.”
Miss St. John went wide-eyes as the true of Marianne’s words could not be denied. “You’re right, of course, Marianne. I’ve ruined everything by running away. I’m sorry, George. Papa will find me and then he’ll put you in gaol! Oh, you’ll be branded a criminal. What can we do?”
“We have to go home,” Miss Maidland said.
“That’s why I came after you. If we go home now, before he finds us here, perhaps we can make an excuse.
There will be no proof to connect Mr. Muchleigh with your disappearance, so he will be safe.
Uncle Prinley will be angry at us for staying out too long and making him worry, but it will be no worse than that. ”
“You mean, we will simply go home? As if nothing has happened?” Miss St. John asked.
“It does seem awfully simple,” Robert noted. “But have to admit that Miss Maidland makes a good point. If you go home, the searches will stop. If you are not found with Mr. Muchleigh—and do not mention his involvement—he can’t be implicated. All the problems are solved!”
Miss St. John’s bottom lip quivered. “Not all of them… I will still have to marry Mr. Reeve!”
Much clenched his fists. “I’ll never allow that to happen.”
“Of course it won’t happen,” Miss Maidland said and turned her wide, hopeful eyes onto Robert. “I’ll wager Mr. Locksley has some sort of plan to break Mr. Reeve’s power. It’s why he came back, why he’s been hiding here. Isn’t it, Mr. Locksley?”
He wished to God he could give her assurance. What plan did he have? He could not even walk into his own home, how on earth could he save Miss St. John from a bad marriage? He had begun to doubt he could save anyone.
The trusty vicar seemed to have a bit more faith. “Once Locksley resolves that issue about the mortgage on his estate, perhaps he will be in a position to get Mr. St. John to bargain.”
Miss Maidland cocked her head at the vicar’s words. “What does the man’s mortgage have to do with convincing Uncle Prinley to let Meg marry as she wishes?”
Robert said. “Unfortunately, your uncle seems to hold the mortgage on my estate.”
“But I thought you were not especially fond of my uncle,” she said. “Why would you take out a mortgage with him?”
“I didn’t,” he explained. “As I’ve told you, the mortgage is not real.”
“Then why are you so worried about it?” she asked.
“Because Gisborn and your uncle have convinced everyone that it is real and they are using Mr. Reeve to enforce their corruption.”
“But what does this have to do with Meg being forced to marry Mr. Reeve?”
“It is, no doubt, the very reason that Mr. St. John wants Reeve for a son-in-law. He needs his complete loyalty. Forgive me for speaking badly of your family, ladies, but in order for Prinley St. John and my steward to have taken such a hold over everything here, they clearly are willing to do whatever they must to everyone around them. There is no telling how deep their corruption goes, or who could be hurt if I try to confront them. Before I can move, I need to understand just how powerful my enemies are. I can’t count on being protected by law if the very law has been corrupted. ”
Miss St. John whimpered helplessly at his words, but Miss Maidland merely nodded.