Chapter Twenty: Robin

"I am with you," Peter said softly and he held his wife's hand as the carriage turned into Cranford. They had not spoken for the last half hour of the journey and she had taken to looking out of the window silently, her knuckles tense and white in her lap. Amelia's fingers flexed at his and she squeezed his hand anxiously but appreciatively.

"This is fine, stop here," Peter leant forwards and spoke through the window to the man who had been driving them for the last couple of hours. He nodded and brought his horses to a stop outside of Miss Matty's house.

"I don't want to get out," Amelia said quietly and Peter looked down at her sympathetically.

"You don't have to," he told her and he touched her face gently, she leant into his palm and raised her hands to his.

"But I don't want you to leave me here," she whispered and smiled nervously at his kind face, a small flicker of a smile before her look turned back to nerves.

"Then you must come with me," he offered the obvious solution and raised his eyebrows and smiled softly she nodded.

"Hold my hand," she said quietly and he nodded.

"Of course."

Peter opened the door of the carriage and stepped out a little awkwardly with Amelia holding his hand still. He helped her out and he spoke to their driver, "stay here a moment," he said quietly, "we may need you," he took an assortment of coins from his pocket and handed them to the man who nodded gratefully and sat steadfast in his high seat holding his horses' reigns.

"Peter!" Miss Matty had emerged from her house and was staring at her brother, grateful tears welled in her eyes. She had reconciled with her fiancé over the past half hour and now it was a miracle, she was to reconcile with her brother. All was to be well and right again. She moved down her garden path to him but she stopped before she reached him and looked down to Amelia, she could not help smiling in relief at seeing her safe too. "Miss Amelia," she said quietly and warmly and the girl shook her head.

"I- I am just Amelia now," she corrected with shaky breaths and she smiled and let go of her husband's hand to move forwards and embrace the older woman. Amelia put her arms around her and smiled in relief as her hug was returned and Miss Matty held her tightly.

"You silly girl," Matty said affectionately. "I can't believe you've been gone so long."

"I'm sorry," Amelia admitted quietly and she let go of Matty gently, reluctantly and took her hands instead.

"Oh, there it is," Matty said in quiet excitement as she looked down at her mother's ring on the girl's finger, "It suits you," she said quietly and she looked up at her brother who stood next to them both and she let go of Amelia and put her arms around him too. "Stupid man," she said angrily, but with no real malice behind it and she put her hands on his chest and then let go of him, "I was so worried, about both of you."

"Forgive us, Matilda," Peter said softly and he touched Amelia's arm softly, she took his hand again gratefully and he held it tightly.

Amelia felt her heart beating fast in her chest as her sister-in-law spoke to them as warmly and kindly as ever she had before. Peter had been right, things in Cranford were just as they should be, their friends were still their friends and all was well. She beamed in relief and felt her face flush as she looked at Miss Matty's teary face, smiling in her own relief, Amelia felt the colour at last return to her cheeks and she loosened her grip on her husband's hand feeling that she did not need to hold it so tightly any more.

"I think there's someone you need to apologise to, young lady," Mr Buxton appeared in the doorway raising an eyebrow and looking at Amelia. The sight of him made her jump a little but she remembered how he had helped them elope and she moved nearer to him and wanted to thank him for all the trouble he had gone to, all the trouble they had left him to deal with.

"I'm sorry, Mr Buxton," Amelia said automatically and she opened her mouth to continue but he raised a hand and moved towards her.

"I'm speaking about your mother," he stressed and he motioned again and Amelia looked around to see her mother standing at the open gate, she was alone, dressed in black and pale.

"Mother," Amelia spoke quietly and she looked at her from where she stood in the garden. She was as she had been. As she had been when she had first helped Amelia escape from her brother, as she had been when she seemed to see the truth, she looked solemn and she looked sorry. Amelia put her hands out and reached for her mother, her heart beating painfully she wanted to apologise and she wanted to burst into grateful tears realising that her mother had chosen to stay in Cranford and wait for her daughter's return rather than leave with her wicked son. She had chosen her. Her mother had chosen her.

"I- I'm so sorry," Amelia said quietly, "I never- never wanted to hurt you."

Her mother smiled up at her and Amelia breathed a huge sigh of relief and felt the corners of her mouth hurt as she smiled and cried while her mother put her arms around her. It was not something she had dared dream for while she had been away but now that it was happening, now that she was in her repentant mother's arms Amelia felt such happiness, such love for the woman who held her.

"Darling, we've been so worried," her mother spoke softly and Amelia nodded and then looked up and swallowed nervously, her mother looked up at her, her smile did not seem right somehow.

"You- you have been worried?" she glanced at the people around her, Miss Matty's face was still teary but she no longer smiled. Neither did Mr Buxton.

"Your brother and I," Mrs Walker said still softly and Amelia pulled away from her mother.

"He- he is still here?" She spoke in disbelief as she looked at her parent.

"Of course he is," Mrs Walker said a little harshly and she looked at her daughter and blushed a little as she saw the onlookers.

Amelia felt her heart break.

"Where- where is he?" Peter asked. He had been watching everything silently, letting the reconciliation happen without question for Amelia's sake but now he looked seriously at her mother.

"How dare you speak to me," Mrs Walker spat but Mr Buxton answered, he didn't want Mrs Walker's anger to ruin the plan he and Robin Walker had devised, it was an important part of the plan to be calm and have Amelia stay calm.

"He's at your mother's house, with Miss Erminia," Mr Buxton spoke kindly to Amelia and tried to calm her mother too, "I presume they met you on your walk, Mrs Walker?"

"I cannot abide walking," Mrs Walker said, "I came out when I heard the carriage."

"Your son said you walk on Mondays," Mr Buxton's brow furrowed now and he joined the Walkers at the gate but the older woman just raised an eyebrow and shook her head flippantly.

Amelia stared at her mother and breathed in painfully, her throat cracked and seemed to make a horrible sound the others looked at her as she found her voice again. "You- you let them walk alone?" Amelia said dangerously, this time she spoke to Mr Buxton.

"Well," Mr Buxton spoke, "never- never before today," he admitted with a shrug and Amelia moved quickly away from her mother and to the old man, "Where? Where does she walk?" She asked quickly, "Tell me," she stressed and she grabbed his hand, Mr Buxton looked down at her in shock, the girl was manic just as her brother had said she would be but somehow the fear in her eyes and in her strange voice made him blurt out the answer.

"Why, the tops, she walks on the tops," he said and Amelia let go of him and moved past the crowd, Peter tried to touch her arm and stop her but she pulled her arm out of his hand angrily, frantically and she moved to the gate and past her mother.

"That is rich coming from you, Amelia," her mother said angrily and quickly, "I have never seen you with a chaperone."

"How could you do this to her?" Amelia spat angrily and the tears were already falling from her face as she looked at her mother, "how- how could you?" she shook her head, "I- I have to find them," she said quietly, more to herself than to her audience, she moved past her mother and the carriage and she ran as she looked ahead of her at the road and gathered her skirts in her arms.

Mr Buxton stood transfixed watching the girl leave, he had planned to restrain her if she did anything wild. It had been going so well he'd thought it wouldn't be necessary, that they'd all have tea and wait for the doctor and then they could explain to Amelia indoors what was going to happen next. But she had snapped as Robin had said she might. Mr Buxton had been prepared for it, prepared for her to start screaming or become violent, not prepared for this strange concern though. She seemed to think Erminia was in danger, and that thought had upset her greatly.

"I- I don't understand," Miss Matty started to say and she looked up to her brother who had moved too and gone to the carriage and his bags, the driver handed them down to him and he searched frantically.

"I assume she has been like this since you stole her away from me?" Mrs Walker said angrily down to him as Peter pulled books and clothes from his bags and continued to search, he looked up angrily at her and then stood tall and looked down.

"Your daughter is remarkably brave considering what you have subjected her to."

"How dare you!" Mrs Walker said affronted and Matty spoke too.

"Peter!" she said in shock and embarrassment.

"What- what does she mean, Peter?" Mr Buxton spoke anxiously as he looked down at Peter's open bags and their contents all over the road. "Where has she gone?"

"She- she has gone to stop him, to stop him hurting your niece," Peter looked back into his bag and saw what he was looking for, he took out the handgun, "And now I must go too," he looked up at his friend briefly and then turned and broke into a run.

"She's a liar!" Mrs Walker called out after them and Matty watched as the other woman kicked Peter's belongings furiously and then started to cry, she tried to touch her gently but she shrugged her off aggressively. "Keep your hands off me!" she spat and she moved away from the Jenkyns' home still fuming and shaking her head as the tears fell from her eyes.

"Oh," Matty whispered in horror, "What- what are we to do, Jonathan?" but when she looked her fiancé was gone too, "Jonathan?" she asked nervously and she held her hands to her face as she felt faint.

"Don't!" Amelia could hear Erminia, she could hear the sweet girl's screams carrying over the hill, if it was happening it was still happening, she could still come between them, still give Erminia a little of the hope that she had never been given, that someone was trying to protect her. Save her, that was what she must do, that was her mission now, to stop it happening, to stop a life being ruined, if she could stop it then it would be fair, life would be fair again. She had been running for only eight minutes before she started to hear them, eight minutes without breathing, without thinking, without feeling anything. Only running to help her friend, to try and save her.

"Don't hurt him!" Erminia sobbed, "get off him," she pulled at Robin's hair and he let go of the stable boy briefly and pushed her away, he held the red-headed boy down with his knees and scrambled in the dirt for a weapon of some kind, as his hands gripped at a large rock Erminia launched herself again and knocked him off the boy. Robin surprised at being knocked about by the girl grinned, grabbed her and pinned her down on the floor.

"I told you to be nice," he said through gritted teeth and he put his hands around her neck, glanced over his shoulder at the boy who had staggered to his knees and was now trying to pull him off her.

Robin got to his feet and watched Harry Stephens, the boy in Mr Buxton's employment who had never let him out of his sight since his first visit to the Old Hall, move to Erminia and try to help her to her feet while she sobbed in terror, Robin laughed and kicked the boy's chest sending him crashing to the ground again.

The boy had come out of nowhere as soon as Erminia had started to panic, he hadn't managed anything but a few kisses as they'd sat waiting at the crossroads high on the tops for his hermit mother to come back from her fictitious walk. The weather had been so bad he knew no one would be mad enough to walk today, it was thanks to the cold weather he'd managed to get so close to Erminia too, she had wanted his arms around her.

"No," Erminia whimpered again, "No, please, don't do anymore," she moved to Harry and put her arms around him as he lay wheezing in the dirt. "No, I- I'll do what you say," she looked up at him as he grinned down at them out of breath from the thrill he got from beating and humiliating them.

Harry had made himself known as soon as Robin had started to hold onto her too tightly, as soon as she'd really started to panic. He'd been following them as they walked and Erminia had been so grateful to see him, so relieved and now she was so horrified at what was happening. She hadn't thought they'd fight. She'd thought the sight of someone else, a witness, would be enough to stop him from doing anything to her. No, he did not stop, he did not fear anyone and now Harry, her dear lost friend, his asthma destroying him, was not able to stop anything.

"I can't do that," he said and shook his head calmly though he still breathed raggedly between sentences, "No one will miss this peasant," he said and he tried to push Erminia away with his boot, she held on fast and did not move though his shoe scraped against her cheek. "Move out of my way, Minnie," He said dangerously, "or I shall have to hurt you."

"You will hurt me anyway," she spat and she breathed painfully and could not help crying.

"Very true," he agreed and he turned and looked on the ground again for the large rock he had found moments earlier, he pulled it with a little difficulty from the ground, Erminia looked down at her friend and touched his hair gently. He wasn't breathing right, he'd told her about his problems before, why her uncle had been his saviour, taking him from the mills which took away his breath and bringing him into the countryside to work with animals. She stood up shakily and with all her might she brought her fists down on the back of Robin Walker's neck, it shocked him a little but it was not even enough to send him down, he dropped the rock and turned and grabbed her wrists.

"Stupid girl," he said dangerously and he straightened a little and pulled her hands down painfully, "I might just take you up on your offer, before I dispose of our asthmatic witness," he grinned and looked at Harry on the ground behind her, "if we're lucky God might just do it for us."

"Robin!" Amelia screamed his name and he wheeled around and looked at her, a manic glint in his eye.

"My sister, come to save you, look!" he said to Erminia and she looked up in hope at Amelia who stood metres away from them and stared. Her hair was wild and she looked pale, but she was not the timid girl Erminia had remembered. She stood tall and brave. "I wonder how much better than the stable boy she will do, what do you think?"

"Get- get help!" Erminia managed to shout but Robin twisted her wrists painfully and she cried out and slid down to the ground.

"Robin, let her go," Amelia said angrily, "I- I will not let you hurt her."

"Is that right?" Robin smiled and he let go of Erminia and looked down at his captive, "You know you cannot out run me," he spoke softly, "don't bother trying."

"I will not leave him here for you to kill!" Erminia hissed back and she stayed still on the floor watching Amelia come closer.

"Amelia, get out of here," she cried out and Robin slapped her hard across the face.

"This is a family matter," he said down to her. "I can assume accurately," Robin spoke to his sister, "that you are on your own, that the mass of ancients who are attempting to follow you in their bath chairs and whatnot will be delayed long enough for me to persuade you both that it was this filthy Northern boy who tried to attack Miss Erminia." He looked at Erminia, "How would you like to be killed instead, Erminia? They shall all believe that it was your beloved stable boy here, they will believe me," he insisted dangerously.

"My uncle shall believe Amelia! Do you propose to kill your own sister?"

"Amelia's word is not to be trusted, hasn't your uncle told you that? He has it on good authority, medical authority. Do you hear that, sister?" he called out and smiled, "You are to be committed, and all your friends know that you are mad! How was your Honeymoon by the way, Amelia?" he grinned as she moved still closer to him. "Let him touch you, did you? In all the places you've been touched before, all the many places," he smiled.

Amelia stood in front of him, as tall and thin as him, not nearly as strong.

"You- you should have gone," Erminia looked up at her and this time Robin did nothing to silence her, he kept his eyes fixed on his sister.

Amelia didn't look at her, she lunged forwards and put her thumbs in her brother's eyes, he pulled her hands away from him with a little difficulty but he laughed at the insanity of it all, he swore loudly as Erminia suddenly bit his leg hard, he pushed his sister to the ground roughly and then pulled Erminia's hair with a jerk away from him and punched her face, "Little bitch," he said looking down at her and he grabbed Amelia's arm as she pulled the rock from the ground and heaved it at him, he moved out of its path and it landed with a thump on the ground again. "And another," he said angrily and he pulled his sister away from Erminia who was now unconscious on the ground. "Now I have you," he grinned and he pulled Amelia's arms behind her back, "what is this?" he laughed and pulled the wedding ring off her finger and flung it down into the mud, "you disgusting whore," he hissed, "fucking that old man for worthless trinkets."

Amelia pulled at his grasp but couldn't fight him off. "You think you are saving your bitch friend from me in this selfless little act?" he smiled and pushed her down onto the muddy ground, kicking the backs of her legs out from under her, "I have persuaded this village that you are mad, Amelia, I am the toast of the town, apparently I am to marry Erminia, so she is to be mine and I shall do with her what I see fit."

"She will never marry you," Amelia spat and she looked over her shoulder at him, "her uncle is not an idiot."

" You really think I'm going to marry her!" he laughed and shook his head, "Priceless! Anyway, I disagree," Robin said calmly, "Buxton was easily won over, it is he who has arranged the doctor to pick you up the moment you show your pretty little mad head." He laughed a little, "but do not worry, Amelia, I will come and visit you often, they might even let me take you on long walks in the country, just the two of us, won't that be nice?"

Amelia felt the movement in the ground, at first she thought it was her own heart beating, but it grew louder and louder and it felt like an earthquake.

"At last you are here," Robin said in relief and Amelia listened to him begin to act innocently, she looked up to see who had arrived, "I was about to bring her back to you but my sister arrived to cause so much trouble."

Amelia looked up in desperation at Mr Buxton who sat on horseback a few metres away from them was he really on Robin's side? Was he really to have her committed? She did not feel despair at the thought, not for herself, she did not matter, she realised as she glanced behind her, if they were all under her brother's spell there was at least one thing she could still do. "Ask her, ask Erminia!" Amelia cried out and Robin shook his head and smiled down at her.

"Your ward is not in a state to answer questions, she fainted away when this uneducated lout tried to attack us, see she lies still in the soft grass." Robin motioned to where Erminia lay but he looked in horror as the waif he had beaten to the ground sat and pointed to her attacker.

"He- it was him!" she cried and Robin looked from the girl to her guardian and then let go of Amelia and moved towards the old man on the horse.

"You forget, ladies," he spat, "I am not an old man, and I am not afraid of one."

Amelia got to her feet and ran after her brother but she was stopped by the shot. The loud crack went right through her and her brother, only feet in front of her, fell back and brought her down with him.

She heard the carriage-horse whinny as the ringing in her ears subsided and her brother clawed at her skirts, "Amelia?" he asked for her in a small voice and looked up at her face as she scrambled out from under his heavy body, pushing his hands away. "Sister, tell me I am forgiven," he said calmly as the blood seeped across his blue waistcoat. "You brother dies," he implored in a look up at her.

Amelia spat on him as she got to her feet, "My brother died ten years ago."

She moved quickly to Erminia and her guardian, wanting to be away from him, she watched the older man pick up the shivering girl, he lifted her to her feet and held onto her tightly. The girl cried painfully with relief in the arms of the man who loved her truly and she opened her eyes to look up at the friend who had saved her, "Amelia," she said her name and let go of her guardian and embraced her friend.

"He- he did not touch you?" Amelia asked anxiously and the girl shook her head.

"No, no he- Harry stopped him, and you- you stopped him," she added, "oh poor Harry," she said quickly and she moved and looked down and let go of her friend.

"My- my girl," Mr Buxton said painfully and he rubbed his brow with shaking fingers, "I- I cannot believe how close-" he stopped and looked away from where his ward tended to the stable boy, he instead looked at the young woman by his side, he handed her the gun. "It- it is your husband's," he told her. Amelia looked down at it but didn't take it, "He- he told me what a monster I have just killed, told me what he did to you."

Amelia looked up at him, "I'm glad you believed him," she said quietly and she moved away from him and down to Erminia's side, she put her hand to Harry's face gently, "he is breathing," she assured her friend, "he will need to be looked after."

Erminia nodded sadly still crying silently and she looked at Amelia's pale face and briefly up at her hair, "I- I believe I know the cause of this now," she said quietly and she reached and touched Amelia's hair, Amelia took her hand and held it in both of hers, she kissed it and smiled a little shakily, "It shall never happen to you," she whispered, "I promise."

"Amelia?"

She looked up from Erminia and she saw Peter Jenkyns standing on the path, he looked down at the body with distaste but stooped and picked something from the ground before looking at the party in concern. Amelia let go of Erminia's hand and stood up, she ran to her husband and put her arms around him, Peter held her tightly and looked down at her, he held up the green and gold band and she took it gratefully from him, and put it back on.

"I thought it was lost," she whispered in relief.

Peter brought his hands up to her face, "You- you are all right?" he asked nervously. "I- I cannot run like you can," he said painfully.

She smiled at him with tears in her eyes, her wonderful husband, she had not let herself think of him as she had run to Erminia's rescue, she did not like to think of what might have happened had she not succeeded, she would never have seen him again, looking up at his lovely handsome caring face she knew that that would have been the worst thing that could ever happen to her.

"I am all right, and so is Erminia," she said quietly, "thanks to you," she held onto him tightly, "Mr Buxton killed him," she whispered, "It- it is over now."

"My Darling," he whispered softly in his deep gravely voice pressing his face against her hair, "my Amelia, you are so brave, I love you."

"I love you, Peter," she moved her face from his chest and looked up at him.

He leant and kissed her, she kissed back gratefully in relief and put her arms up around his neck.