Part 20
A week later Robin and the gang walked through the town of Minchen, it displayed more life and trade than Nottingham did on a good day. Yet today was clearly not market day, and still, people were bustling here and there with wares to sell and wares bought. They did acquire a few strange and suspicious glances as they wove their way through the streets but no confrontation.
The Abbey was on the far side of town, the outskirts and on the whole was encircled by a high wall; they walked round as far as they could and then encountered a wood. Robin led the way and they pushed past the dead undergrowth to see if they could finally get sight of what they had come for. The wall this side of the Abbey was low, possibly as a river separated it from the wood, it gave the gang a good view of the gardens and grounds within, which at the moment were empty.
They sat and waited their persistence eventually rewarded when the Nuns appeared to take their daily constitutional around the grounds.
"No sign of Marian," muttered Will.
"Patience," answered John.
Indeed their patience was rewarded for after the nuns had retired back into the abbey another figure appeared clothed in a dark grey cloak, with the hood pulled over her head. She seemed to glide effortlessly across the frozen ground, the snow now passed but it wasn't until she drew close that they could really take stock of her appearance. They all had heard Robin's whisper of her name as she first emerged but none of them had really believed it was her. Of course it was, and the wall and the river separated them, that and the evergreen foliage they remained hidden behind.
"She looks well," commented Will.
"She has put on weight," added Much as the others gave him a pointed look. "Alright perhaps that was an obvious thing but she …is…blooming."
"She is with child, of course she has put on weight," Allan replied in an annoyed tone.
"Well that is good isn't it?" Much went on, "I mean something dire could have occurred in that department."
"Much," implored John in a whisper, inkling his head at Robin.
"What? Oh….yes. Master what are we going to do?" he said changing the subject, realising perhaps he had been less than tactful.
"Bring her home with us," he said his tone serious, his gaze never leaving his wife.
"How?" asked Allan. "Are we going to call her over? That river is fairly wide and I would guess deep not to mention cold."
"No," said Robin with a smile forming on his lips, "I have a plan".
He turned then and grinned at them, the first genuine smile any of them had seen on his face for weeks.