Page 71 of Robin and Marian
Elinor made a sound of disgust. “What do you care about this town?”
Marian couldn’t stand this and with a sudden impulse, she spilled everything. “He didn’t take your money, Elinor. He confessed to protect his sister Scarlett! And—and she didn’t do it either.”
Robin cast her a sideways glance and his lips clamped down stubbornly, but Marian wasn’t sorry. It was awful to see him pummeled with false accusations.
Elinor’s face reddened. “Is that whathetold you?”
The loud sound of the back door opening in the dining room made them all flinch. The sheriff was back with the ice. Elinor grabbed Robin’s good arm and pushed him into the closet with the mops and brooms. “Just stay there until I figure out what to do with you.” She shut the door firmly.
“Elinor!” Marian cried.
Her aunt put her finger to her lips just as the sheriff hauled the ice into the kitchen, and she forced a smile at the man as he set it heavily on the counter. “I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you that William and I are dating,” Elinor said.
Marian was floored. The sheriff wasn’t here to collect on her aunt’s debts? Not able to go now that Robin was stuck in the closet, she shifted uncomfortably. The little dog was a wreck, and he was going to give them away. He barked and sniffed at the closet door.
Elinor sighed loudly. “William, take Bobby outside please.” The sheriff’s lips quirked up at the sides and he did her bidding without a word of complaint. It was as if they were already an old married couple. As soon as the sheriff left the kitchen, Elinor jerked open the closet door to free a breathless Robin. “Go out the back way in the kitchen,” she said, pointing to the exit by the microwave. “That door goes to the living room and then you can find your way out.”
He hesitated. “You don’t owe Guy anything?”
She looked exasperated with him, but some of her veneer seemed to crack at his frank determination. “Everyone owes Guy something in this town, but I wasn’t stupid enough to let him buy the tax liens on the whole property. Part of that mountain belongs to me. Not to say that Guy hasn’t been chipping away at it. I’ve sold off a little here and there to him to pay off my taxes. And it’s not William’s fault. I won’t hear any of that. He’s only doing his job.” Taking Robin’s good arm again, she shoved him at the living room entrance. “I should’ve sold it all off to Jana Prinz when I had the chance. I’d have gotten a better price for it.”
He colored and Marian remembered that Robin had advised her against that. “How much do you need?” he asked.
The door opened to the kitchen again and Elinor pushed Robin behind the island this time. The sheriff was completely oblivious to the intruder as he came inside and broke into a laugh. “Bobby took off outside like he was chasing a raccoon. Is that your… uh, car thing, Marian?”
She watched Robin shift uncomfortably behind the counter and Elinor swatted him down. “She’s borrowing it from the King household,” Elinor said.
“I’ve seen it around a lot tonight. Were you visiting friends, Marian?”
“Yes, what were you doing?”
He sighed. “Guy is calling in his debts.”
Marian still thought he was up to no good. “Is that why you’re really here?”
He looked surprised. “No… sure, he wanted me to pay a visit to Elinor in an official capacity—later. He just wants his monthly payment. Maybe a trade for another piece of land?”
Working her jaw to maintain her composure, Elinor took a deep breath. “Can we just have a meal without talking about money?” She dumped the ice into a silver chiller and headed for the dining room. The sheriff frowned and complied. Not wanting to leave Robin but having no choice, Marian followed them out to take a seat at the table where her aunt hurriedly set another place. Bobby barked loudly outside and Elinor wiped her hands on her pants. “Oh, what is it now? Someone’s at the door?”
Her aunt’s swain was up from his chair to get it and Marian recognized Guy’s voice from the foyer when the door opened. “I came as soon as I heard,” he said.
He was here! Filled with fear, Marian shot up and backed into the kitchen, the door swinging open as she collided with it. “I’ll just go out the side door with Robin,” she whispered.
“No!” her aunt said. “That’ll look ridiculous. William will wonder where you went.”
It didn’t matter. She wantednothingto do with Guy. Panic rose in her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She tried to slip out, but got stopped by him calling her name. “Marian? Why didn’t you go to the party? You would’ve looked stunning in that necklace I gave you.”
Turning to the side, she smiled weakly. Why had Guy brought that up?Did he know?
“Did you drive up here on your own?” he asked. His oily presence filled the room as he advanced on her in his blue, sharkskin tailored suit. “I noticed that Alan lent you his Engler F.F.” His eyes met hers meaningfully. “That’s a difficult vehicle to handle.”
“Yes, I invited her up here tonight,” Elinor said quickly. “Are you staying for dinner, Guy?”
His mouth twisted into a sneer. “No, Marian is such aprofessional.She might object.” He meant to throw that in her face? She’d allow it if it meant he wouldn’t stay long. His attention didn’t leave her. “Marian, a word with you?” Without waiting for an answer, he strode into the kitchen. It was turning into quite the crowd in there—she had no way of knowing whether Robin had left or not. Her aunt’s eyes widened at her before Marian followed him inside.
Guy’s demeanor changed as soon as he thought they were alone—it became intimate, angrier. In two quick strides, he was in front of her, his fingers curling. “You helpedRobinsteal the jewelry from my study, didn’t you?” he hissed. “You’ll never see a cent from any of it. I’ll make sure of that.” His hand clenched with each declaration, his face getting too close to hers.
Over Guy’s shoulder, she caught sight of Robin rising angrily from his hiding place behind the kitchen island. If Marian didn’t do something fast, there’d be a fight. “I can’t say what happened to that jewelry,” she said, “but I did find it interesting that none of it belonged to you!”
