Page 10 of A Raven Returns

Fogg nodded.

“You will be back, right? I haven’t scared you off?”

Amusement flickered in Fogg’s eyes. “You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that to scare me off. Have you forgotten I’m one of the many lost souls you’ve saved?”

Ash rolled his eyes, but then he looked at Fogg in earnest. “Thank you, Fogg.”

Ash steeled himself for the most difficult challenge of all of this, controlling his demons around Gwen. He checked his reflection one last time. “Wish me luck,” he said to Fogg as he turned for the door that led to her rooms.

ChapterFour

Gwen stared out the window. She could hardly fathom the vastness of this estate. Of Ash’s estate. Lord Ashdown, she corrected. It was such a contradiction to everything she knew of him. Sure, he’d always been powerful, but he’d also been kinder than anyone she’d ever known.

As if he’d been summoned by her thoughts, Ash appeared in the doorway that led from her dressing room. He leaned against the jamb, one foot crossed over the other with both hands resting on top of his cane, groomed and dressed to perfection. Warmth filled his eyes, and he smiled. He was still Ash, just as she’d remembered him, except that there was a weariness there that didn’t used to be.

“May I come in?” he asked.

“Of course, my lord.”

He nodded his approval. “Thank you, Mrs. Lawrence.” He leaned on his cane slightly as he made his way across the room. Another change. The cane used to simply swing at his side as he walked.

“Have a seat.” He waved the cane toward the chairs near the fireplace. She settled herself into one and he took the other.

“I realize you don’t owe me an explanation,” she said, “but I would appreciate one. I’ve never seen you treat anyone the way you treated those servants this morning, and I confess to being a bit startled by it.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you before we got here. Thank you for just going along with it.”

She waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. “That’s not exactly an explanation, Ash.”

He sighed and picked a piece of lint from the arm of the chair. “There are some things going on here that I need to get to the bottom of. I need my staff to be nervous because they are more likely to make mistakes so I can figure out which of them are involved. None of them knows what I’m really like, so I’m just acting as my father might have.”

“But, presumably, after this long, most of them won’t have known your father either.”

He chuckled cynically. “Oh, they will have heard stories.”

“Was your father so different from you?”

His head whipped around, his brows furrowed. “I can only hope I’m different than he was.” His voice was quiet, but she could still hear the anguish in it. Apparently, she’d touched a sore spot.

“I only meant that I’ve never known you to be anything other than kind. Was your father unkind?”

He barked a scornful laugh. “More than you could possibly imagine.” Sadness filled his eyes and he looked down at his lap.

“I’m sorry, Ash. I didn’t mean to bring up unpleasant memories.”

He raised his gaze to hers, his smile back in place but not quite reaching his eyes. “What have I said about apologizing to me?”

“Yes, my lord,” she said in as brattish of a tone as she could manage. A flash of amusement crossed his face and he chuckled.

“I need your help, Gwen, and so I have a proposition for you. I feel as if I should apologize for what I’m about to say before even uttering the words, but here they are anyway. How would you feel about pretending to be my mistress while we’re staying here?” He said the words in a nervous rush, as if he were terrified of her response.

“Ash, I’ve already offered to be your actual mistress. How can you possibly think to shock me by asking me to pretend?”

“I promise to remain a gentleman and not do anything untoward.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”

“In exchange for your acting skills, I will provide you with a new wardrobe and anything else required, as well as pay you for your time.”

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