Robin was fuming.
"That girl will pay" he muttered as he jumped a fence.
He had trudged all over the valley looking for his beloved hat, knowing Maria was likely to put it somewhere ridiculous. He had looked on all the statues in the church, asked the village children, and even checked some sheep in case Maria has somehow managed to persuade one of those woolly twits to wear it. Eventually, he gave in and decided to look for it in the grounds of the manor.
He climbed a tree that partially hung over the garden wall of the manor. Robin always made a point of not going through the gate. He viewed it as a small act of defiance, proving that he could not be contained in the strange, rigid world Maria inhabited.
He searched all over the grounds; the orchard, the formal gardens, the stables, the well. Just as he was peering into the dovecot, he heard a very human-sounding cough. He leapt up, startled and spun around to face Loveday. She was wearing his hat.
"Hello little brother." She smirked. "Looking for something?"
"Give it back" he snarled.
"Oh come now Robin, where are your manners?" Maria called mockingly as she sauntered out from her hiding place. Robin grunted, he wasn't going to beg.
"You won't get it back if you don't say please."
Robin knew he could easily take his hat back with force, but he didn't want to hurt the Merryweather girl again. The things I do for you. He sighed dramatically, gritted his teeth and said "please."
Maria plucked the hat off Loveday's head and flung it at Robin. It hit him in the stomach but he managed to catch it before it bounced onto the courtyard. Loveday and Maria's laughs rang in his head long after they had returned indoors.
I'll make you pay. He muttered as he stormed off. Just you wait.
