Moonbeam - A Robin De Noir Story (The Secret of Moonacre)

CHAPTER 20

Happy New Year to all my wonderful readers! I hope that 2022 is filled with so much joy and happiness along with countless exciting opportunities!

Robin carefully pulled Constance up and hooked his left arm around her waist to carry most of her weight whilst his right hand held her forearm. The two original guards who had tugged her around prior wanted to take her again but Robin refused and said he would lead the way. Maria was sending the young De Noir daggers with her eyes and for a young teenage girl, he was actually feeling uneasy. She looked feral.

Before he could even escape the eyes of the banqueting hall his friends decided to join him. They kept stirring trouble and eventually were met with the sharp tongue of Maria Merryweather. "Oh, would you just shut up? The whole of England can hear your squawking and on behalf of all of those poor souls, keep your irrelevant opinions inside your small heads where they belong. It would be much appreciated. If we are to be tormented and tortured then all that needs to be done is listen to all of your annoying whiny voices." Robin heard his friends try to intervene but they stood no chance despite this being their home ground and he had to refrain from smirking.

"And I did not forget the brutish behaviour you displayed a few weeks ago in the forest. What kind of doltish thugs are you? If you ask me, you have clearly lacked a good upbringing and have brains the size of a pea which means you cannot comprehend between what is right and what is wrong. I am utterly outraged at your behaviour. In fact, Constance, I am quite glad we have Miss Heliotrope to continuously bother us as this is clearly what happens when you have no tutor and suffer from being illiterate." Constance nodded and Robin noticed a small smile on her face. "You know what Robin, we will catch you later. This walking textbook is crazy, have fun!" And with that he watched them run away.

Robin carefully looked to his left where the youngest Merryweather was and when he managed to get her to make eye contact, she was about to let her anger out on him but was surprised when she saw him sending her a genuine smile and nod. This puzzled her and allowed her frustration to begin to fizzle down. Not having his friends lurking behind him led him to quietly sigh in relief.

Robin took charge and led the way to the dungeons just like his father had ordered. The two guards who held Maria were closely behind the De Noir heir and were forcing the youngest girl along harshly. Robin tried to keep his eyes forward but was beginning to become concerned regarding the state Constance was in. Thankfully they were nearly there and he could get the guards to leave in order to give him some space.

The corridors were getting progressively darker and the walls were damp making the area cold . The two Merryweathers were beginning to feel a horrible sense of foreboding. Constance was struggling to keep her vision clear and, in a panic, looked up desperately to the boy beside her. "Robin..." The young bandit heard his name escape her lips and despite her voice being soft and delicate he still cautiously checked that the guards were not listening. She wanted to speak again but before she could he retracted his hand from her arm and brought a finger to his lips. He motioned with a quick head signal to the guards on their left.

Constance nodded in return and tried to maintain consciousness for a while longer. It was beginning to become a hard battle as each step she took began to feel more and more like a dream.

The group descended the stairs which were known as "traitors' stairway". No matter what you did, innocent or guilty, if his father believed that a person had offended him personally or his own clan then they were to be locked in the small confines of their dungeons unkept cells. Due to the social standing of the Merryweather family, as well as the link between himself and Constance, Robin was not going to allow them into the true depths of the De Noir castle. Even he knew the types of people who lurked down there and despite bars serving as a barricade, he feared for their safety.