Page 12 of Rogue of the Greenwood
“I wasnotdesperate.”
“Perhaps not, but you should know I exerted myself quite a bit to rush out here, swing up into a tree, and then courageously drop down onto your steeds. Because you werescreaming. No, don’t deny it—you were.”
“Very well, I was screaming. But it wasn’t for you, I assure you.”
“You were calling for someone else to rescue you, then?”
He glanced warily around the forest. It was bad enough that he’d had to reveal himself to her, the last thing he wanted was additional detection. It would ruin his plans to be discovered alive before he and his men had learned anything useful about Gisborn’s scheming.
“If you must know, I was hopingno onewould rescue me,” she said.
He shook his head. “So, this was your attempt at suicide? Badly done, Miss Maidland, I must say.”
“No! Why am I bothering with you? Be gone. I don’t even know who you are.”
“But you recognized me from the first. You said it yourself;Robert Locksley.”
“Robert Locksley died on the battlefield months ago.”
“Is that what Mr. Gisborn told you?”
“Of course, though for the life of me I can’t understand why you should lie to the poor man about such a thing.”
“You’re certain that’s what I’ve done?”
“Obviously! If he knew you were alive he certainly wouldn’t be…”
Ah, here they were getting to something useful. “Wouldn’t bewhat? What has my trusty steward been about in these months since I’ve been presumed dead?”
“Well… he has been managing things for you, of course.”
“My finances and my estate, you mean?”
“Of course. You did leave things in a bit of a mess, after all.”
“Did I? How on earth can you be so privy to this sort of information?”
“I may have overheard some of the discussions between Mr. Gisborn and my uncle,” she said with a cagey tone. “They worked together on that mortgage you instructed Mr. Gisborn to take.”
There was that word again!Mortgage. Robert tried to hide his surprise and his anger. Was it true, had Gisborn somehow mortgaged the manor? Robert could scarcely believe it. This was very grave indeed, and something Robert needed to investigate. Perhaps running across Miss Maidland this way had been lucky for him, after all.
If she could be convinced not to tell Gisborn about him, of course. That was still a very large unknown. What was her relationship with the man?
“And who holds this mortgage I supposedly authorized?” Robert asked carefully.
“Did you not authorize it?”
“No, Miss Maidland. I didnotauthorize it nor did I leave my estate in such a manner that would require it. I doubt you believe me—since I’m dead, after all—but I gave Gisborn no such instruction.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she glared down at him. “I don’t believe you. Mr. Gisborn would have told me if… that is, he could not expect my uncle to…”
“And just how is your dear uncle involved? Mr. St. John has never been inclined to be helpful to the Locksley family before.”
“He holds the mortgage, sir.”
It was as if the wind was kicked out of Robert’s chest. Prinley St. John held the mortgage onGreenwood Manor? No, Robert couldn’t believe it. Hewouldn’tbelieve it.
His surprise must have shown plainly on his face.
