Robyn and the Hoodettes (18 page)

A hesitation, “I don’t know. Yeah. Probably. Why
not?”

“
You’re not even trying now.” Robyn snorted. “Maudlin’s father
and grandfather are both long gone. How else did she inherit
Sheffield Castle?”

Ellen’s face fell, “How did you know that?”

It was hard for Robyn not to boast, it really was. “It’s how
things work.”

“
Shame on you both, taking advantage of a girl who can’t
read,” Ellen said.

Pangs of guilt spiked Robyn’s tummy. She was hardly better in
the lettering department. “Why don’t we drop the pretence and get
everything out in the open.”

Ellen made shapes in the ground with the toe of her boot. “To
be honest, I’m not sure how to tell the truth these
days.”

A sigh from Robyn. “Start by telling us whose stuff
this is?”

“
It’s Roger’s. Well, not really Roger’s but he and his gang
took it from Littleton and Loxley and the other villages around
these parts.”

Marion asked, “Did you burn those villages too?”

Oh shush Marion
, Robyn thought. They were on the verge of getting
her to open up.

“
I didn’t set fire to anything. But to be honest I didn’t stop
them either.”

“
Thanks for nothing,” Marion shot back.

Robyn said, “Marion, why don’t you go through the goods and
sort things out for us? You’re ever so good at counting and sorting
things.”

A sigh from Ellen
. “I couldn’t stop them lighting the fires, not
really, otherwise I would have stood out too much. It was bad
enough being the smallest one in the gang. I pretended to be a boy
so I could spy on Roger for Maudlin, because she doesn’t trust him.
She doesn’t trust anyone. I don’t know why, she’s a good woman.
Well, she was good to me. Maudlin took me in when I had nowhere
else to go. Life with her was lush. So when she asked me to do her
a favour, I won’t lie to you, it felt good to be needed. To have
something to do. So I joined Roger when she asked me.”

“
So, you’re working for Maudlin, and you’re working for
Roger?”

“
Yes, but Roger doesn’t know.”

“
He doesn’t know you’re working for him?”

“
No silly, he doesn’t know I’m working for Maudlin. He thinks
I’m a boy. He thinks you’re a boy as well. I knew it was girls who
whacked us on the King’s Road that night. If it makes you feel any
better, he told Maudlin we were set upon by a huge gang of
outlaws.”

Roger knew her real identity after the way he looked at her
in the dungeons. “In any case, he knows I’m a girl now.”

“
Does he now? Well, he lied and said there were ten of you
or more at the time. He only said that to Maudlin to cover up for
how pathetic he was at getting a belting from two girls. Then next
time we were out–” she held her fingers up to make quote marks in
the air, “collecting taxes” then she put her fingers down, “–He
packed some of it away and hid it here, to come and get next
time.”

Robyn creased her brows, “What are those finger things in the
air?”

“
I don’t know, to be honest. Must have picked up the habit from
Maudlin.”

The girl was utterly baffling.

“
At some point,” she prattled on. “Roger will come back here
and take this and keep it for himself. But of course, it belongs to
Maudlin, so we can take it back to her in the wagon and then she’ll
be happy, and she’ll forgive you for taking the food and you’ll see
how nice she can be.”

“
But this is
our stuff!” Marion held up a packed crate of metallic goods
that clunked and clanked as he carried them. “No way are we giving
this to Maudlin.”

Panic filled Ellen’s face. “Oh! But we have to give it to her.
That’s the only way I’ll get back in her good graces.”

“
You’re serious? She’s a raving banshee.”

“
I know, Robyn. But she’s my raving banshee and I loves
her.”

Robyn and Marion shook their heads again. They packed what
they could and carried it back to the road. As they reached the
edge of the Shire Wood, they had yet another hurdle to
overcome.

Roger of Doncaster stood there, hands curled into fists. And
he looked none too happy about someone trying to steal his
previously thieved items.

CHAPTER TEN

Any moment now, Roger would order his men to arrest them.
Darkness settled about them; a blessing and a curse. He’d have to
get closer if he wanted to lay a hand on Robyn, and she and Marion
were fast enough to make a run for it. But they didn’t know this
part of the Shire Wood very well. They might make a run for safety,
but they could just as easily charge off and brain themselves on a
tree.

“
We’ll take those now.” Roger reached his hand out to
Marion.

“
They’re mine.” He said.

Roger looked peeved. “I think you’ll find they’re
mine.”

Ellen interrupted. “I think you’ll find they’re Maudlin’s, to
be honest.”

“
Whose side are you on?” Robyn and Marion said
together.

“
Who in God’s name are you?” Roger asked as he looked at
Ellen.

“
You don’t recognize me?” Ellen asked.

“
Should I?” He shot back.

“
I worked for you for long enough. I took a belting for you.
You left me here to look after your commission.”

Roger stood there on the rise, squinting at her.
“Allan?”

“
It’s Ellen really. I won’t lie to you, I was only pretending
to be Allan.”

Roger shook his head in frustration. “So you’ve dobbed me in
good and proper to the witch, have you? Fine then, we’ll still be
taking this but we won’t bother returning to Sheffield.”

Silently, a large shape appeared behind Roger as he talked.
Robyn wanted to look, but dared not in case she gave something
away.

“
Come on lads, there’s work to–”

The large shape belted something hard into the side of Roger’s
head, sending him sprawling into the fallen leaves below. His men
shouted in alarm and tried to spring into action, but they too were
set upon from all sides.

Thwacks and whacks filled the forest, followed by grunts and
moans. Everything happened quickly yet Robyn took in the detail.
The newly reunited Joan and Georgia worked like they’d trained
together all their lives, their fighting styles felling Roger’s men
with strokes strong and sure. One started to put up a fight with
Joan but Georgia clonked him from the side.

The giants ‘high-fived’ each other at a job well
done.

The fighting over, Robyn dashed over to make sure Roger was
still alive. She put her ear to his mouth and felt his soft breath
tickle her skin. Yes, alive, but completely
unresponsive.

“
Nicely done.” Marion gave Joan a fist-bump.

“
Little help?” Robyn called out, holding Roger by the feet and
needing someone to carry the other end of him.

Georgia stepped over to her. “Leave it with me, love,” she
said, putting down her tree branch weapon and hauling the floppy
Roger over her shoulder in one scooping motion.

They loaded the knocked-about men into the back of their
cut-off wagon. Wilfred sneezed so loudly it shook the last leaves
from the trees.

What did they do with all these injured attackers? They
couldn’t leave them here, they’d freeze. The only option was to
take them back to Sheffield.

That’s when Madge struck a flint and lit a candle inside a
dirty lantern. A lantern hanging inside a plush carriage with the
Earl of Derby’s colours on the doors.

“
I’ve got a plan,” Madge said with a beaming smile. “Let’s
load the good stuff in this carriage, and hook Shadow and Plus-One
up to it. Then we can haul Roger and his men in the wagon behind
us?”

“
I like it,” Robyn said. “We’ll head back towards Sheffield and
leave these rotters by the gate. Then we’ll make our way in the
other carriage to Nottingham and give it back to the
Sheriff.”

“
Can we give the horses back too?” Wilfred said, then
sneezed.

That meant saying goodbye to Shadow. Unless Robyn could
stay with the horse? After all, the Sheriff was also an earl, and
earls probably had stables as big as the entire village of Loxley.
Maybe one more peasant working in the stables wouldn’t be
noticed?

Ellen held a tree branch in her hand. “Whose stick is this
long-staff?”

“
Mine,” Georgia said, taking it back and placing it across
the driver’s seat of the carriage.

“
I can drive the carriage if you want,” Wilfred
said.

Madge put her hand to his arm. “No Will, you’re in here
with me.” She dragged Wilfred inside with a giggle.

Robyn rolled her eyes and climbed up to the driver’s seat.
Hang on. “Where’s Ellen?”

“
I’m on this one,” she called out, indicating she was
travelling with Joan and Georgia and Roger’s men.

“
No Ellen, you’re with us,” Mother Eleanor said, dragging
her off.

From below her seat, Robyn heard Madge groan her
disappointment that she and Wilfred wouldn’t be left alone after
all.

Ellen moaned, “But why can’t I go back to
Sheffield?”

“
Because,” Robyn said from her perch, “You’ll tell Maudlin
we’re going to Nottingham, won’t you?”

“
Oh no, I wouldn’t say that.”

“
Yes you would.”

Ellen’s shoulders slumped. “Well, yes, I probably would. But
I’d give you a day’s head start at least.”

“
Sorry, can’t let you do it. You’re staying with us whether you
like it or not,” Robyn said. “All right, is everyone on
board?”

“
Yes.” They answered.

Shadow didn’t want to move on without Robyn. “It’s OK, Shadow,
I’m right behind you.” Robyn climbed down from the driver’s seat
and made her way to the front. “Easy girl,” Robyn rubbed the
horse’s nose and gave her a kiss. “I’ve been on my feet all day too
and I’m ready for a nap. Once we take these varmints back to
Sheffield, we’ll have a good rest, OK?”

Shadow seemed none too impressed as Robyn gently held her
bridle and guided her in the right direction. “We’ll not go all the
way to Nottingham tonight.”

She wasn’t sure if she were speaking for the horse’s benefit
or her own.

“
Er, Robyn?” Marion called out.

“
What?” It was enough she had to put one foot in front of
the other, much less answer Marion’s irritating
questions.

“
We should take the South Road.”

“
We’re on it, aren’t we?”

Noisy creaks sounded behind her as Marion left his post and
caught up. Soon enough, he fell in step beside her. “No, we were on
the road going west
from
Sheffield, then we turned around, which means we’re now
going east.
Towards
Sheffield.”

“
Where is this South Road then, and how to we get on
it?”

“
We went past it as we left Sheffield. I don’t think we’ve come
back to it yet, but we need to keep an eye out for it.”

“
How are we going to see it? I can barely see my feet in front
of me.”

“
I was thinking. Horses always know their way home. Shadow
belongs to the Earl of Derby, and he’s in Nottingham, so Shadow
will know how to get to Nottingham.”

“
Really?”

Marion dropped his voice even lower. “Maybe not. But I’ll
keep an eye out for milestones because eventually we’ll find one
that points to Nottingham.”

Milestones. Signposts. Another reminder that she couldn’t
read. But also, Robyn found herself feeling grateful that he hadn’t
been shouting the conversation from his seat on the
carriage.

Oh, the carriage.

“
Marion, who’s driving?”

“
Nobody, but you’re leading Shadow anyway, so it hardly
matters.”

“
In which case, can you lead Shadow for a bit? I’m
stuffed.”

Marion chuckled under his breath and let her go. Robyn
timed it so she could climb up onto the front of the carriage while
it was still moving. Her feet burned with relief as she lay
horizontal across the driver’s seat. Every muscle cried in protest
but she fell asleep almost before she’d closed her eyes.

***

Robyn woke but couldn’t move. Every limb felt like wood as
it slowly creaked to life. Rubbing the crust from her eyes, she
looked out to see they were in a glade in the middle of the forest.
The sun made fingers of light through the bare trees. Her head felt
cold and her neck had seven kinds of kinks in it, but she was
rested, and for that she was grateful.

“
Morning,” Marion said with a wink as he tented more branches
over a fire.

“
Morning.” With creaking bones and tight muscles, Robyn climbed
down from the driver’s seat and reached the ground. “Where are
we?”