Where are you going, boy? Get back here!’
At the mention of bandits, Hadden Sloop had sprung down from the driver’s perch and now he was sprinting away into the woods.
‘Give up your gold,’ Robin said, trying not to laugh. ‘And we will spare your skins.’
As he spoke, he watched Marian crawling along a branch directly above the litter. She unstoppered her phials and Robin watched the powder filter through a sunbeam beforeclouding around Father Titus and Elias Long. The priest and his acolyte coughed and sneezed and rubbed at their eyes.
‘What’s happening?’ wailed Elias Long, gripping the priest’s arm. ‘I’m blind!’
‘Outrage!’ bellowed Father Titus. ‘You will pay for this violation, in this world and the next. Unhand me, Elias, comport yourself!’
While the horses fussed, and the two travellers wept and cursed, Robin and Marian crept close to the litter. With his hunting knife Robin sliced the cord of the purse that hung at the priest’s waist. Marian darted in and grabbed a sack that lay at Elias Long’s feet.
‘… Lord Delbosque will hear of this,’ Father Titus continued to splutter. ‘He will hunt you down like dogs. He will have you torn limb from limb, he will—’
‘No more talk of Guido Delbosque,’ Robin said, through the speaking horn. ‘Everyone knows his ship sank, and he was drowned. These woods belong to us now.’
‘What … what do they mean?’ said Elias Long, weeping. ‘But … but this whole thing … the reason we’re leaving … only this morning, the message you received—’
Father Titus jabbed his companion with his elbow. ‘Quiet, Elias, we will not speak with these ruffians. They are lower than beasts. They will be apprehended, and they will be punished.’
Marian was watching Elias Long quizzically now. She came to Robin and whispered in his ear. Robin lifted the speaking horn to his lips. ‘Elias … I mean, you, the younger one, what were you going to say? Tell us about the message.’
‘Tell them nothing!’ Father Titus shouted. ‘They will writhe in Hell for this sacrilege, this assault on God’s loyal—’
‘Tell us!’ Marian shouted. ‘Tell us what you meant this instant, or—’ She clapped a hand to her mouth. She looked at Robin.
‘Lady Marian?’ Father Titus said, squinting, his eyes streaming. ‘Lady Marian, is that you? What in God’s name—’
Marian picked up a willow switch and used it to whip the rumps of the horses. The animals bucked and pulled and the litter lurched away, the priest and his acolyte bouncing along in their seats, wailing and coughing and cursing.
‘Now you’ve done it,’ Robin said. ‘Wait till this gets back to Bawg.’
Marian frowned, staring after the dwindling litter. ‘I don’t think we need worry about that,’ she said. ‘I don’t think we’ll ever see Father Titus again.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You heard what Elias said: “the reason we’re leaving”. And you saw the amount of stuff they were carrying. I think they were going for good. Where would they go? And what did they mean about Father?’
‘You don’t think …?’ Robin said. ‘He can’t be …?’
Marian said nothing, only frowned in thought. Robin watched her and got a horrible feeling in his stomach. It couldn’t be true, could it? Marian’s father had been gone almost four years. At one time they had heard many rumours of his imminent return, but they always turned out to be false. And in recent times the rumours had all been of a different kind: Lord Delbosque had drowned at sea, or he had died of plague, or been poisoned by one of his debtors.
‘It’s probably nothing,’ Marian said, turning to Robin. ‘If Father was coming back, why would that make Father Titus leave? He’s lived at that house for ever, he married Mother and Father, and he baptized me. He’s part of the stonework. No, if he’s leaving that only proves one thing: Father is dead and buried. Forget it. Let’s count
At the mention of bandits, Hadden Sloop had sprung down from the driver’s perch and now he was sprinting away into the woods.
‘Give up your gold,’ Robin said, trying not to laugh. ‘And we will spare your skins.’
As he spoke, he watched Marian crawling along a branch directly above the litter. She unstoppered her phials and Robin watched the powder filter through a sunbeam beforeclouding around Father Titus and Elias Long. The priest and his acolyte coughed and sneezed and rubbed at their eyes.
‘What’s happening?’ wailed Elias Long, gripping the priest’s arm. ‘I’m blind!’
‘Outrage!’ bellowed Father Titus. ‘You will pay for this violation, in this world and the next. Unhand me, Elias, comport yourself!’
While the horses fussed, and the two travellers wept and cursed, Robin and Marian crept close to the litter. With his hunting knife Robin sliced the cord of the purse that hung at the priest’s waist. Marian darted in and grabbed a sack that lay at Elias Long’s feet.
‘… Lord Delbosque will hear of this,’ Father Titus continued to splutter. ‘He will hunt you down like dogs. He will have you torn limb from limb, he will—’
‘No more talk of Guido Delbosque,’ Robin said, through the speaking horn. ‘Everyone knows his ship sank, and he was drowned. These woods belong to us now.’
‘What … what do they mean?’ said Elias Long, weeping. ‘But … but this whole thing … the reason we’re leaving … only this morning, the message you received—’
Father Titus jabbed his companion with his elbow. ‘Quiet, Elias, we will not speak with these ruffians. They are lower than beasts. They will be apprehended, and they will be punished.’
Marian was watching Elias Long quizzically now. She came to Robin and whispered in his ear. Robin lifted the speaking horn to his lips. ‘Elias … I mean, you, the younger one, what were you going to say? Tell us about the message.’
‘Tell them nothing!’ Father Titus shouted. ‘They will writhe in Hell for this sacrilege, this assault on God’s loyal—’
‘Tell us!’ Marian shouted. ‘Tell us what you meant this instant, or—’ She clapped a hand to her mouth. She looked at Robin.
‘Lady Marian?’ Father Titus said, squinting, his eyes streaming. ‘Lady Marian, is that you? What in God’s name—’
Marian picked up a willow switch and used it to whip the rumps of the horses. The animals bucked and pulled and the litter lurched away, the priest and his acolyte bouncing along in their seats, wailing and coughing and cursing.
‘Now you’ve done it,’ Robin said. ‘Wait till this gets back to Bawg.’
Marian frowned, staring after the dwindling litter. ‘I don’t think we need worry about that,’ she said. ‘I don’t think we’ll ever see Father Titus again.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You heard what Elias said: “the reason we’re leaving”. And you saw the amount of stuff they were carrying. I think they were going for good. Where would they go? And what did they mean about Father?’
‘You don’t think …?’ Robin said. ‘He can’t be …?’
Marian said nothing, only frowned in thought. Robin watched her and got a horrible feeling in his stomach. It couldn’t be true, could it? Marian’s father had been gone almost four years. At one time they had heard many rumours of his imminent return, but they always turned out to be false. And in recent times the rumours had all been of a different kind: Lord Delbosque had drowned at sea, or he had died of plague, or been poisoned by one of his debtors.
‘It’s probably nothing,’ Marian said, turning to Robin. ‘If Father was coming back, why would that make Father Titus leave? He’s lived at that house for ever, he married Mother and Father, and he baptized me. He’s part of the stonework. No, if he’s leaving that only proves one thing: Father is dead and buried. Forget it. Let’s count
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