Page 55 of Robin and Marian
“Why are you sorry?” Midge sniffed. “It’s Alan! He’s the one. He can’t cheer up Scarlett. He didn’t even try. He’s cranky and mean!”
“No, no.” Robin knelt on the blanket in front of them. “He’s only worried and angry. He and I aren’t getting along…”
“But Scarlett told him you didn’t do that! You’re not a thief, Robin!”
Marian’s heart sank at this new development. He wasn’t supposed to know that. None of them were—she felt like she was to blame. Worse, Scarlett was calling him from the house, which meant they had no time to fix this. “Midge, you know you can’t tell anyone about that?” she said.
Midge met that suggestion with a glare. “But everyone’s mad at Robin for going to prison!”
Robin intervened. “You’re a pretty good spy. But we can’t say anything until we prove what really happened. Do you know what I’m saying?”
“I can help prove you’re innocent!”
That sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. Robin steadied himself. “What did you have in mind?”
“I could find clues and stuff.”
“Okay,” Robin surprised her by saying. He ruffled the boy’s hair. “If you find anything, report it back to me, no one else.”
Marian knew that Robin thought he was distracting Midge, but this kid was pretty stubborn. She was afraid what he might do to find his clues, and she no longer trusted Guy not to turn violent. “Make sure you don’t do anything too dangerous,” she said and attempted to make him see reason, “—or you’ll get caught. And the rules are that you can’t get into anybody’s stuff without their permission and you can’t go anywhere you’re not supposed to go.”
Midge looked over at Robin, who nodded in confirmation. “We don’t want you to get us into more trouble,” Robin said.
The boy could see the reason behind that and he hugged his nephew. Scarlett called for him again, and he leaped over the blankets and basket to get to her. “I’m coming!” he shouted. “I’m coming!”
His voice echoed back to them from the darkness, and Robin sighed, his eyes glittering under the light of the lanterns. “I guess I’m confused,” he said. “I thought the tree worked?” True to form, he reverted to jokes when all seemed lost. “Come here, I need to try this out again.”
“Robin!” She shrieked out in laughter when he grabbed for her.
Chapter 15
Robin tried to bury his sudden feelings of helplessness while he held Marian. There was something different about her, and he tried to figure out what it was as he pulled from their kiss to take in her expression of soberness that she tried hide.
She touched his cheek with the back of her hand. “Do you realize something? This is our last night.”
Even though her words had a touch of humor in them, they made his heart lurch a little. “What?”
Her eyes sparkled under the lights that were arranged sporadically around the garden, and her fingers tightened on his arm above his cast. “Your ridiculously fantastic Porsche! You’re going to have to surrender that to Little John in the morning. I think you really need to take me for a joy ride.”
And here he’d thought it was something serious. He caught her hand in his, and Marian collected her purse from the bench, a colorful thing that could pass as a beach bag. They deserted the malfunctioning Blooming Tree to go to the car garage that held their most expensive cars. The wind carried the sound of the band to them. It was thePotter and the Monk—a Celtic group that played tribal music, though they took the liberty of adding all sorts of modern instruments to the mix. The beat of their drums followed them all the way across the estate’s enormous lawn.
Lines of cars parked around the circular driveway and down the road, and Robin and Marian passed crowds of people from the town on their way to the celebration. Some watched them with curiosity, but others glowered darkly at him. The palpable discomfort Robin caused when he went anywhere was still there. The outright snubs, the glares, and whispers would never end.
Robin’s brows lifted at the conversations that drifted to them. They were hardly keeping their voices down as they gawked:
“Is that Robin?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Unbelievable!”
To the side of them, some teenagers sneaked pictures surreptitiously from their phones. This town would never accept him, not when everyone believed him to be a criminal. And still, the one person who mattered to Robin the most knew the truth, and he wrapped his arm around her and brought her closer. Tonight, he’d just enjoy being with her and forget everything else.
They moved around the secluded pathway to find the hidden door to the garage, where he punched in the code. The numbers had changed over the years, but each combination held some sentimental meaning to the family. Maybe not the smartest thing. The latest code was the date Robin had gotten out of prison. That was Richard’s doing—he was sure.
The door opened and they walked inside the climate-controlled room; Marian took her time, shocked into silence. This was where they kept their most beautiful cars—they were like shiny works of art—waxed, detailed, and ready to take for a spin… though that was rare. He remembered when an upscale car had been a staple in his life, and the servings of the garage were brought to him as a regular feast. Things were different now. These belonged to Guy, and he was a pauper at the banquet table.
They passed the collection of Mercedes Benz and Ferrari’s—these were collector’s items, and Guy had them in every color imaginable. Marian’s mouth tilted up in amusement as each vehicle they passed became more extravagant and impractical.
