Page 55 of Rogue of the Greenwood
“Forgive me, my friend, for bringing you into this mess. I never expected to find so much strife here in my own Greenwood. Again, I have to thank you for standing with me. I know the last thing any of us wanted was to wind up in another battle.”
“Life is full of battles,” his friend replied. “At least this one is worth the fighting.”
“I hope so, John. I truly hope so.”
Marianne was exhausted from the day. Dinner had been a quiet affair, full of tension, and it was clear Uncle Prinley still brooded, though so far he had kept his promise to take no action against Mr. Muchleigh. Marianne had no idea how long he would keep that promise, but for now it seemed things were calm.
The worry was obviously weighing on Meg, though. Her face was drawn and her eyes were weary. Aunt Regina showed extra patience toward her daughter, not commenting when Meg left much of her dinner untouched. It was a kindness when the lady suggested they all make an early night and retire to their rooms.
Marianne was only too glad to comply. Sleep would do her some good, although she doubted she’d get much of it. Her mind raced with memories of the day and worries for tomorrow. Even now, her fingerstrembled as she fumbled at the ribbon on the neck of her night rail.
“Look at you, Miss,” the maid said with a compassionate smile. “You’re a bundle of nerves! Let me help you with that.”
“Thank you, Betsy. I don’t know why this knot is giving me so much trouble.”
“You’ve had quite a day, Miss!” Betsy noted, deftly taking over the task. “It’s no wonder you’re all worked up from it. There you go, all sorted. Now here… climb into bed and forget all your troubles. Mrs. St. John tells me there’s a dinner tomorrow and I’m to have your best dresses all pressed and ready for you. Now isn’t that something to look forward to?”
“Er, yes, of course. I’m quite looking forward to it,” Marianne lied.
If her expression or tone of voice had been less than convincing, Betsy didn’t seem to notice. She hummed cheerfully and moved about the room, tucking Marianne’s blankets and tidying up. It was rather pleasant to receive such kind attention.
“You certainly are in good spirits, Betsy,” she noted. “I daresay you’ve had a much better day than I have.”
The maid gave her a smile. “Indeed, Miss. You’ve certainly had a hard go of it, finding Miss St. John in that river, and all. But yes, I must admit I’ve had my own bit of luck that’s left me feeling cheerful.”
“Oh? What was so lucky for you?”
“It’s my auntie, Miss. She’s been sore upset for some days now. Her son, you see, was in some trouble—got himself put in goal, for no fault of his own!”
“Goodness! That does sound worrisome.”
“So it was! The whole family was in a bad way—he owed much more than he has and his poor wife was sent off to the factory until she could work off the cost. We all feared they’d even come for his little son, so my auntie had to send him away.”
“That’s awful! What can be done for the family?”
“We thought nothing could, miss… until tonight. My auntie just let me know that an angel from heaven turned up.”
“An angel?”
“Nothing other than that! Just this evening; two fellows—strangers, at that—paid my cousin’s tax and got him set free, all out of the blue. They wouldn’t tell anyone where they came from.”
“They got your cousin out of gaol? You don’t even know these men?”
“But we know who sent them, for sure.” The maid smiled, then glanced around to confirm they were still alone. Her voice dropped low and her eyes flashed with secret knowledge. “It was Robin Hood, Miss! He’s come back to Nottingham… lots of folks have seen him giving alms, helping the poor. Oh yes, it’s Robin Hood himself.”
“Robin Hood!”
Suddenly Marianne realized why Betsy’s sad tale sounded so familiar. Her cousin who’d been in gaol must, in fact, be Henry’s father! So Robert had done as he’d said he would and got the man’s freedom. He had begun his campaign of righting the wrongs and helping those who were victims of her uncle’s cruel management. On one hand, it was thrilling to think of him involved in such exploits. How daring and bold! Yet, on the other hand, she knew it increased his danger.
Now, of course, Marianne knew what Robert would be about. If he’d rescued Henry’s father, he would certainly be planning to do the same for his mother. He would take her out of that factory. Mr. Gisborn would not appreciate losing another worker, and a good healthy one, at that. His anger toward Robert would boil—he would have Mr. Reeve double efforts to find their hiding place! With each good deed that he did, Robert was getting deeper into danger.
“Don’t you believe me, Miss?” the maid was saying. “I swear to you it’s true!”
“Oh, yes, Betsy. I do believe you, and I’m quite happy for your family. I just… I worry that your Robin Hood will make enemies of those on this side of the law.”
Betsy suddenly seemed to realize where she was. “Forgive me, Miss. I know that my master is the magistrate here, and it’s not my place to question him, but I cannot deny what’s true. Since Mr. St. John has made such close friends with that Mr. Gisborn, things have been bad in Nottingham. You’ve only just come back, so you likely haven’t seen it, but good people are suffering, Miss. If it takes Robin Hood to help them, I’ll gladly take his side, even if it means you’ll tell your uncle and have me sacked.”
“I’m not going to do that, Betsy; of course not. And yes, I have seen some of this suffering, I’m afraid. It does seem Nottingham is not a happy place.”
