Page 44 of A Raven Reborn

“Oh, Daisy, I’m so sorry I woke you!”

“It’s fine, love. I’d be getting up soon anyway.” She gave a sleepy smile and stretched her arms above her head with a groan. She padded across the room and placed a hand on Rosalyn’s shoulder. “He’s not worth it,” she repeated.

Rosalyn wanted to ask who she was talking about, but that would just be insulting. Instead, she simply nodded.

Daisy patted her shoulder. “Let’s go eat some breakfast.” She tied a silk wrapper around herself and started for the door.

“In our nightclothes?” Rosalyn asked, shocked at the prospect of sitting around a table with other people, in her robe. Daisy’s feet were even bare.

“We’re all girls here. We’ve all seen each other in less than this.” She waved her hands down her body. “Come on.” She nodded toward the door and turned to leave.

Rosalyn pushed herself out of the chair, but the stinging in her eyes reminded her that she’d just been crying and must look a fright.

“But I…” she wiped her hands over her eyes, wetness still causing her lashes to cling together in clumps.

“We’ve all seen that, too, love. No one will think any less of you. Now stop dallying, or all the raisin scones will be gone, and they're my favorite.” She opened the door wide and gestured for Rosalyn to precede her through it. With a deep breath, she straightened her spine, and forced herself to move forward.

Rosalyn followed Daisy down the hall. They didn’t enter a dining room, but a large drawing room. A sideboard was filled with fresh fruits, eggs, toast, and the aforementioned scones. It all looked delicious. Women lounged about, plates on their laps or on side tables, their feet up on the furniture and tucked underneath them, all of them in various states of undress. She’d never seen anything like it. Each of them beamed at her as they were introduced, though, and they welcomed her into their group as if she were always a member. They were kind, funny, encouraging, and three of them even hugged her.

As she made her way back to Daisy’s bedroom, her stomach full and her cheeks tired from smiling, the fear she’d been drowning in finally seeped away. Everything was going to be well. She was going to be just fine.

* * *

That evening, as Patrick moved around the gaming floor at The Raven’s Den, stopping to talk with patrons here and there, his eyes continued to find their way to the Lady Ravens. He was relieved that Rosie was definitely not among them yet. But Ash was right, it wasn’t Patrick’s decision to make. Rosie needed to decide for herself what kind of life she wanted.

After locking up for the night, Patrick made his way through the semi dark streets. He hardly noticed anything around him until a man, smelling heavily of alcohol, stumbled and collided with his shoulder, shaking him out of his own thoughts. He shoved the man away and quickly checked that he wasn't missing anything from his pockets. It wasn't safe to be so distracted.

Luckily, he arrived home without further incident. Locking the door behind him, he made his way toward his office. No light spilled from under his bedroom door. He had lived in this flat without her for years, so why did it suddenly feel so empty? And why was it, that even though Finch had been the one to greet him upon his arrival every night for more than a dozen years, it was Rosie he caught himself listening for tonight?

He poured himself some brandy and took a swig before placing it on the desk. Carefully he removed his coat and hung it on the back of his chair before collapsing into it. His shoulder throbbed and the bandage could no doubt use changing, but he couldn't very well do it himself. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so quick to send Alfred and Mary home. Shame filled his belly as he remembered his actions. They could only be described as a temper tantrum. He seemed to be having a lot of those lately.

Brandy warmed a path down his throat but didn't wash away the disgust he felt for himself. Perhaps Rosie and Finch were better off without him. He let out a long sigh and scrubbed his hands roughly over his face. This was a dangerous path he was starting down, and feeling sorry for himself wasn't going to fix his problems.Heneeded to fix his problems. Trying hard to banish the dark thoughts that were threatening to overwhelm him, he downed the rest of his brandy and pushed himself out of the chair. There was nothing he could do at this hour but sleep.

Patrick's first stop in the morning was to see Alfred and Mary, where he apologized for his behavior and offered to increase their salaries by half if they would return to work for him. Mary immediately began talking about the sweets and toys she could buy, but Alfred, ever the professional, tried his best to hide his excitement. Only the briefest hint of a smile and a twinkle in his eyes betrayed the truth.

An hour later, Patrick crept into Finch's room. His eyes were actually open, and much of the swelling in his face had gone down.

"Aww, you brought me flowers," he exclaimed from the bed. "How thoughtful!"

Patrick chuckled and quietly pushed the door closed behind him. "They aren't for you, Finch. They're for Rosie."

"Well then, you're in the wrong room, aren't you?"

"I'm being a coward, if you must know." He placed the flowers on top of the bureau. "How are you holding up?" He asked as he came around to the side of the bed.

"Better than you, by the looks of it."

"Has no one shown you a mirror yet?"

"I could say the same to you. You missed a patch while shaving, and you look as if you've not slept in days."

Patrick smiled. He wasn't wrong about the sleeping part. And even though he was perfectly capable of shaving himself, he sorely missed having Finch around.

"Why don't you just talk to her, Patrick?" Finch shifted uncomfortably in the bed, so Patrick reached under his good arm and helped him to sit up a bit more.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, purposely ignoring the question. Finch shook his head and Patrick seated himself in the nearby chair. It wasn’t as simple as just talking to Rosie and smoothing things over.

"Perhaps it's time for me to come home."

---