Page 15 of A Raven Revived

Ash looked between the pair of them a few times before eventually nodding. “Tell me what happened, Daisy.”

Her heart sank as she started to list the infractions in her head trying to figure out where to start. In the end, she decided fewer details was probably better.

She shrugged, struggling to look into Ash’s disappointed face as she spoke. “I got drunk, snuck out, and went to find Fitz.” Her heart pounded inside her chest.

“Is that it?” Ash asked. “Is that all I’m going to get?”

“Don’t.” Fitz’s deep voice was laced with warning.

Ash leveled his gaze at him. “You do not need to be here, Fitz, so you can either sit quietly, or you can leave.”

Fitz got to his feet and leaned over the desk. “I will not sit quietly while you bully her.”

Ash simply raised a brow, looking bored. “I won’t repeat myself.”

This was ridiculous. Daisy stood, pushing herself between Fitz and the desk in order to look him in the eye. “Stop it. Ash is right. For three years, he’s made sure I was safe, clothed, fed, sheltered, and everything else. If he hadn’t taken me in, I likely would have died on the streets. The least he deserves is for me to be forthcoming. Now sit down.”

He looked down at her for a moment, but with a frustrated sigh, he lowered himself back into the chair and folded his arms across his chest.

“Bullheaded, the pair of you.” She huffed and resumed her seat. “You’re both on the same side, here. I’m the one causing all the problems.” She brushed her hands over her skirts as if the distraction might somehow help to stop her courage from slipping away. Both men simply watched her quietly.

“I was not in a very good place last night, and I made a handful of… atrocious decisions. I know that there will be consequences, and I will try to be as gracious as I can in accepting them. I am truly sorry, to both of you, for the worry I may have caused.”

Ash gave her a nod of approval. He steepled his fingers together in front of him and let out a long sigh.

“Thank you, Daisy. The most important thing is that you’re safe.” He moved his gaze to Fitz. “I am grateful to you for keeping her that way and for sending that note when you did.”

Fitz inclined his head. He still didn’t look very happy.

“Let me just make sure I have the gist of it.” Ash turned his gaze on Daisy, once more. “You stole a bottle of wine, drank the entire thing, snuck out of here, which I’ll get the details about later, and then thankfully made it to Blackmoor Inn without being accosted, so you could…”

Daisy’s cheeks burned and her stomach tightened. “So I could beg Fitz to do things he shouldn’t, which he gallantly refused to do.” She folded her arms across her chest.

Ash nodded slowly. “I understand you’ve had a difficult couple of days, Daisy, so I’ll take that into account when deciding on your consequences.”

“Surely she doesn’t need to be punished? As you’ve already said, she’s having a rough time. We all make mistakes.”

Ash speared Fitz with his gaze. “Mr. Fitzwilliam, after you have owned a gaming hell and had eighteen or twenty women cycling in and out of your care for more than a dozen years, then you can come and tell me how to do my job. Do you think I enjoy handing down punishments? Of course I don’t, but if I let guilt get in the way of my decisions, utter chaos would ensue here. If she isn’t punished, all of the other ladies will turn on her. After that, they’ll decide they don’t need to follow the rules because there are no consequences. When that happens, I can no longer keep them safe.”

It was a bit odd having them talk about her as if she wasn’t there, but it was fascinating to hear Ash’s perspective. She’d never even considered any of that before. Even his punishments were to keep them safe.

Fitz held up his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. I won’t interfere again. You obviously know what you’re doing.”

“Christ,” Ash muttered under his breath. “Now, Daisy, I will consult with Gwen and see what she thinks is fair, but for now, let’s start with a week’s suspension from work and confinement to Raven House, and if we need to, we will adjust it.”

She nodded, relief flooding through her. “Thank you, Ash.” That was a much lighter punishment than she’d expected and far less than she deserved. She’d been terrified she might be expelled completely.

“And you’ll need to pay me back for that bottle of wine.” A little twinkle of teasing appeared in his eyes with that last bit. He got up from his seat and held out an arm, offering her a hug, which she gladly accepted. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, and he leaned down and spoke softly into her ear. “You got lucky this time, Daisy. Next time you might not, and you certainly won’t get off this easily from me again. Please don’t put yourself, or me, in that position.”

She nodded again. “I won’t. Thank you, Ash. I’m sorry.”

“Now, if you’d like it, I’ll allow the pair of you one hug, since you won’t be seeing each other again for at least a week. After that, you’ll spend the rest of today in your room.”

Daisy wasn’t sure if Fitz would even want to share another hug with her after everything she’d done, but he didn't hesitate to get to his feet. He gripped her so tightly she could barely breathe, but it was exactly what she needed in that moment. He was giving her some of his strength, at least, that’s how it felt.

When he slowly let her go, she looked up into his amber eyes. “Thank you, Fitz, for everything.” Part of her was afraid this was the last time she would ever see him, that he’d disappear from her life again.

“Off you go, Daisy. You may leave your room for anything necessary, like food, of course, and you’ll still need to do your chores.”

---