Page 84 of Robin and Marian
“Come with me, Robin.” Richard went into a side parlor without waiting to see if he followed.
Meeting Scarlett’s eyes, Robin pressed her hand. “Wait for me. I need to talk to you.”
“Robin?” Richard’s voice rose in anger from the other room.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Her hand slipped from his before he entered the parlor and closed the door behind him. It was decorated with his cousin’s usual modern art creepiness. Guy had desecrated every room in that house, destroying the memories from Robin’s childhood and warping it into a thing of his nightmares. Richard stood before the fireplace. “Tell me what happened.”
He actually couldn’t.
At Robin’s silence, Richard closed his eyes and held up his hand. “I’m very disappointed. I thought I saw a change in you. Do you know that I was actually considering giving you the business?” Robin’s head shot up at that—he’d never thought that had been remotely possible. “That’s why I left,” Richard said. “I had a fight on my hands with the board, but… well, that’s out of the question now. I wanted to let you know what you lost.”
Robin felt like a stone had lodged in his throat as everything he cared about was given and taken away at once—a chance at a normal life, gaining back the respect he’d lost, earning his grandfather’s trust and love. Richard’s expression clouded with his own sorrow as he studied his grandson’s bent shoulders. “Maybe it’s cruel, but it’s time you realize there are consequences.”
Robin cleared his throat, fighting past his own pain. “May I ask who you will name as your successor?”
“I don’t know yet.” Richard shifted to stare out the front bay window.
Robin looked past him and saw the carnival rides that Richard had set up by the docks—the mammoth back of the Ferris wheel glinted in the sun—it brought tears to his eyes. His grandfather had set his heart on their wild dreams. Maybe it wasn’t too late. “I’d like to suggest Scarlett,” Robin said.
Richard let out a snort of laughter. “Ah yes, of course you would. There is no love lost between you and your cousin, and I’d be a fool to listen to you. We’re through here. I can’t even look at you.” Instead of making Robin leave, Richard staggered away on a stiff leg. He pushed open the door to the parlor, refusing Robin’s help with a snarl. He bent over to collect his bag from the servants at the foot of the stairs, insisting, in his agitation, on taking it himself. Midge took the other side of it, talking animatedly about Robin and how he wanted to be him when he grew up.
Richard loudly shushed his son then passed a contrite Scarlett on the way to his room. “I’m announcing my successor at the Mayfair tonight,” he declared over his shoulder, “and then I’m taking a long vacation.”
It was obvious who he would name—his grandfather’s violent reaction against Scarlett told Robin everything. Robin might’ve even pushed him to it. Robin couldn’t let Guy inherit the business. Yet how could he stop it? “Scarlett?” he whispered.
Without another word, she came with him into the parlor, hanging her head, her long red hair covering her face. She pushed the door shut behind her. “Guy is using me against you again, isn’t he?” Her voice rose, “What has he got on me? Tell me what’s happening. I can’t see you like this. It’s breaking me.”
Robin sat down and she took the overstuffed wingback chair opposite him. There was no way to make this easy on her. “I’m sorry, Scarlett… Alan is cheating on you.”
A tear squeezed from her eye as she nodded and nodded. Robin took her in his arms and she cried into his shoulder. “I knew that… that there was something…” she couldn’t finish her words, just sobbed.
They heard the front door open in the foyer and Robin stiffened, wondering if it was Guy or Alan. Maybe both? But when no one disturbed them in the parlor, he thought they were free. Scarlett straightened and pulled from his arms. “I still love him, Robin! What am I going to do?”
“I don’t know, but Guy’s been manipulating him all of this time. Alan might’ve…” and then he said what he’d suspected since the moment he’d found out. “Alan might’ve been behind framing you the first time.”
“What? No! Why? Why do you think that?”
“He was always around you when you were dating; he’d get you to sign papers…”
“That would be entirely heartless! You’re saying heneverloved me?” She was angry at Robin now, and he knew he shouldn’t have said anything yet. It was too much to process all at once.
“He might’ve loved you, but… maybe he was protecting himself. You didn’t see him with—with Jana Prinz.” Too late, he saw his sister’s face go chalky white and he knew he shouldn’t have named the other woman either. This was too much for him to handle. His power over the situation was spilling out of his hands like sand, and he felt out of control. He took a deep breath and tried again. “Guy’s got something on Alan, too. He’s a blackmail collector and he uses it to make everyone do what he wants.”
“I’m not ready to think about… this.”
“We have to,” his voice broke on his plea. “Or we’ll never be free.”
“I don’t want to be free! This is myhusband.” Her hands covered her mouth—too roughly—and she peered wildly over them. She was definitely in shock. “Let me talk to him,” she moaned into her hands. “We’ll figure out what to do.”
“He’ll only lie.”
“No!” She shook her head. “He’d never do that to me. He loves me, Robin. I’ll figure this out.” He tried to argue and she cut him off with a swipe of her hand. “No! You’ve done enough. This ismyproblem.”
“Is that so?” Robin felt his patience snap. “Then why did I go to prison? Huh? Why am stuck here with an ankle tracker, Scarlett? Or do you think I’m the one lying?” Her eyes widened, then glistened over. His stomach dropped. She’d been so blinded by love that he’d been desperate to find a way to reach her, but he didn’t know the half of it. How could he? He softened his voice. “He might love you, Scarlett,” he conceded, “but not enough to protect you over himself… or to… to stop what he’s doing.”
She went silent, staring at the floor, almost as pale and listless as he’d seen her the first day he’d returned. This was not the bright, cheery girl he’d left. What had Alan done to her? “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I just can’t… this doesn’t feel real.” Her lips trembled. “Butyougot hurt… this is my fault.”
