Page 90 of Robin and Marian
Her?
Marian couldn’t keep her smile back this time. “I’m sureshewill be.”
“That’s a good girl.” Richard lightly touched her cheek. “I’m glad that Robin has found you. You seem to be his inspiration. He could use more of your influence in his life.”
“I hope to be in it more,” she returned. By now she was floating on a cloud. Richard had given her good tidings and his blessing all at once, and awakened a feeling of hope in her. He left her with a backwards smile as he went on to admire the rest of the Mayfair.
Marian shot off a text to Scarlett.“Where are you? I’ve got some good news for you, but I’ll wait to tell you in person.”
She waited, but didn’t hear anything back. Scarlett had promised to stay near Little John all night—he’d take good care of her. Marian’s aunt found her next. She was in a pale pink sweater to ward off the cool night, her dark hair done in a soft wave around her face. Elinor gave a little squeal. “You look so beautiful! Can I hug you?”
“Yes, just don’t get makeup all over yourself.”
Laughing, her aunt gave her a careful side hug. “Marian, look what you’ve done to this place. This was you and Robin, wasn’t it?”
“And Little John, and Scarlett, and… uh, Tuck.”
“Tuck?”
“He’s a youth pastor. Some people call him Uncle Franco.”
“Oh.” No recognition passed her expression. “Well, I’m so proud of you. This is big! I’m looking at a town that’s going to survive. I just talked to Natalie and Lionel. They told me that John told them not to sell to Jana… and now they’re glad they didn’t. Well, especially after seeing that video on the internet.”
“They saw that?”
“Most everyone has. That’s how you got these numbers, didn’t you?”
Yeah. She bit her lip. Guy’s stunt had backfired on him in a major way. If he hadn’t brought so much attention to Robin then this wouldn’t have blown up. This was Olympics-big.
“We all want to invest in Nottingham,” Elinor said. “It’s time we made this town into the cute little tourist attraction it was always meant to be. Isn’t that what Robin wanted all along?”
Had Elinor’s faith been restored in him? This night was just getting better.
“Yes, yes,” Marian said.
“And I suppose if he wants to take you off my hands… well, I’ll only fight him alittlebit.” She pinched her niece’s cheek. “Don’t tell him I said that—the forbidden is always better for a guy like that.” She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and left Marian with a jaunty spring to her step.
Marian checked her phone again. There was no word from Scarlett. She texted Robin instead:“Has Guy left the house yet? Any luck on finding the keycard?”
If Robin couldn’t find it after Guy left then it could possibly still be on him, despite the lack of pockets in his Green Man costume. If that happened, Tuck had volunteered to help her after that. Apparently he was quite the pickpocket, but there was no sign of him either.
Her phone buzzed and she picked it up. Robin had texted her back: “He’s left, but no sign of the key. Still looking.”
So why wasn’t Guy there yet? It wasn’t like she wanted to see him. Her heart hopped into her throat at the thought of it, but his disappearance also made her nervous, like he was lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce at her.
And then she realized that Scarlett wasn’t answering back either. Her breath hitched and she texted her again: “Please answer back, Scarlett! I’m starting to get worried!”
When she didn’t answer, she took a steadying breath and texted Guy: “Where are you?”
Her phone buzzed almost immediately: “Coming.”
After Guy finished off his cousin? She didn’t know what to do, and so she played the role of the clingy girl: “What’s your ETA? The floats are about to go out.”
He didn’t answer that. She set her shoulders, her head starting to ache from the weight of the May Queen crown. She was afraid to try removing it without ruining the rest of her makeup—not that it mattered; she had no intention of going out on the float with Guy. She put her hand to her head.
“Relax,” Tuck said, coming up behind her. She barely recognized him. He had on a fox mask with red fur that covered half his face… he’d also combed his hair. He wore a light jacket and dark jeans with a belt. A belt! He must be playing the youth pastor that night. “The floats aren’t going out for another hour yet,” he said.
“I just told Guy they were going out now.”
