troubled teachers

Chapter 10

Emma's heart clenched as she heard how Regina had lost her first love, how her boyfriend had been taken away from her, much like Neal had. Before their time and against their will. She knew how Regina felt. She knew how much loss hurt.

"We got married in under a year," Regina continued. "It was all very rushed but neither of us were really thinking clearly. Robin and his crew moved up to Cambridge where the pickings for his burglaries were far richer. They even managed to get into King's College once and made off with a portrait of an old alumnus. I know you're probably wondering why I was with him, why I was involved at all with a criminal and to be honest, I can't answer that for you. Daniel, he was a good man who got caught up with his friend's idea and dragged along. Robin however, he's the leader. He's the one who pushes the group forward and goes for bigger scores. One time, just before I completed my PhD, they overstretched themselves. They were caught by the police as they were leaving a huge manor house in Cambridgeshire. The owners had two security systems and they had failed to override the second correctly. Robin and his friends were in jail awaiting trial for months and I was worried sick. I didn't know what I would do. Regardless of what Robin was, is, we're married and I knew I had to stand by my husband."

Emma frowned at the way Regina spoke, as if her marriage was an obligation rather than anything borne out of love.

"They got let off on a technicality," Regina said. "One of the detectives however, Keith Nottingham, had it in for Robin and trailed him for months afterwards, convinced he would find something to put him away for. At the time I was working at a research centre in Cambridge but one day, Robin came home and announced we were moving. We packed that afternoon, the van came in the middle of the night and we left our house. I didn't even know where we were going. As soon as we turned onto the M5, I realised Robin wanted to get as far away from Cambridge as possible. We pulled up at Plymouth as the sun was rising and I have to admit, I was a little excited at the prospect of a new beginning. I hadn't been enjoying my work and had always known I wanted to teach. I joined a teacher training programme at once. Robin took my maiden name and I changed mine back, to throw Detective Nottingham off, and we bought our house."

"Robin took your name?" Emma said, surprised.

"I know," Regina nodded. "He doesn't seem the type but it served his purposes and he's been living as Robin Mills rather than Robin Locksley ever since."

Regina paused, her mind flashing back to the first few years in their house in Plymouth. It hadn't been perfect, far from it. But Regina had certainly been happy. Or happier.

"What went wrong?"

The prompt forced Regina to turn back to Emma, bright green eyes pleading for the truth.

"I don't know," Regina admitted. "It happened so slowly. He just began to be more controlling I guess. Not allowing me to go out, refusing to have my friends over, insisting I cook and clean for him whenever he required it. It was gradual though. I almost didn't notice, to be honest. And I feel so stupid now because it's become so obvious. I mean, you noticed straight away, right?"

"I knew something wasn't right, yes," Emma nodded.

"He's clever. He's manipulative. And we have a very long history together," Regina said. "I've known Robin since I was seventeen years old. We've been married for twelve years."

"Neal and I were married for twelve years but he never split my lip open," Emma remarked.

There was silence.