Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall Read Free Book Online

my mother was young and beautiful and you’re …’
    She fell quiet, looking around her at the men-at-arms. She pouted. ‘What do you mean, “let her go”?’
    ‘What were you expecting?’ Mistress Bawg said. ‘Should I drag you back to the house, kicking and screaming, force you into a hot bath and clean clothes, bring a feast to your room while you insult me and call me names? Should we carry on that way until next you manage to escape, then start all over again? Well, no thank you, I’ve had enough of that. I won’t spend my life chasing after you, and these men have betterthings to do. So go on, get on your way, you’re free. I’ll bring you a basket from time to time, but that’s all. Until your father gets back, you’re on your own.’
    Marian stood there, scowling. She narrowed her eyes. She pointed at Robin. ‘What about him?’
    Mistress Bawg crossed her arms. ‘Yes, what to do about this one … what to do with Robin Loxley? Don’t look so surprised, child, of course I know who you are. That village isn’t so far away. Lucky for you I don’t believe the half of what I hear or else … well, suffice it to say we’re civilized people this side of the river.’ She moved close to Robin, dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘But you had best listen to me closely, Master Loxley, for the sake of your own hide. We each of us in this world, have a part to play, and a path to tread. All too soon, before we know it—’
    ‘Whatever she’s saying, it’s all lies,’ Marian said. ‘Don’t trust a word.’ She was circling closer, trying to get within earshot while maintaining a safe distance.
    ‘When Marian’s father returns …’ Mistress Bawg continued whispering to Robin, ‘whether that be in a month, or a year, or five, she will embark on a path where you cannot possibly follow. The wisest thing you can do is get over that wall, this instant, leave this place and … I see, I’m too late, aren’t I? You’re not even looking at me, you’re looking at her. I’m wasting my breath.’
    She rubbed at her face with her knuckles. ‘Well, in any case, at least it’s been said, and now you can’t say you weren’t warned. So then, Master Loxley, since you’re here and you’re clearly staying, you can make yourself useful. I mean what I say: I’m finished playing her games. But it’s more than our lives are worth if she doesn’t stay safe and well. And like it or not she’s my responsibility.’
    She glanced again at Marian creeping closer, before turningonce more to Robin. ‘So here’s what we’ll do: I’m going to pass that responsibility to you. That’s quite a thing to ask of a boy. I know plenty of grown men who wouldn’t be up to it. But I think you’re older than you look, in a manner of speaking, and I sleep better at night, in fact, knowing you’re by her side. So I want you to be brave, and guard her from harm. That means saving her from herself, more than anything – she can be her own worst enemy. Do you think you can do that for her? Can you promise to be Marian’s champion?’
    Robin looked at Marian. He nodded.
    ‘Fine. Go on then, the pair of you, disappear. Keep out of mischief, as much as you can manage, and stay this side of the river, I don’t want you getting mixed up with …’ Her words were becoming difficult to hear because the guards had loosened their grip and Robin and Marian were already bounding away through the snow.
     
    Mistress Bawg was as good as her word. Whole weeks passed, and then months, and Robin and Marian were left alone.
    ‘She’s admitted defeat,’ Marian said. ‘This is our home. Our enemies know we will defend it to the death.’
    This is our home.
    Marian said things like that often. Yet still there were times, as that first winter gave way to spring, when Robin was sure she would abandon the tower and go back to the comfort of her old life. There was the night she stumbled and burned her arm in their fire, and she swore and