Page 72 of A Raven Revived

“Me too.” His smile was tender and affectionate. “Are you ready to get out of the tub?”

She nodded. “Maybe tonight, we can try it with a bit of water in it.”

“If you decide you’re ready, I promise it will be warm.” He looked at her with such pride. It seemed like a silly thing, but somehow he understood just how afraid she was.

With a contented sigh, she pressed a kiss against his lips and then climbed out of the tub.

They didn’t have time for both in one day, so Daisy opted to forgo visiting Raven House in favor of calling on her mother, who had apparently already moved into the dowager house.

“Jane!” The smile she greeted her with was in stark contrast to the widow’s garb she wore. It was a bit jarring, in fact, and Daisy wasn’t entirely certain how to feel about it.

“Mother.” She kissed her cheek, and when she looked into her eyes, some of the shadows that had resided there the last time she’d seen her had gone. For some reason it hadn’t occurred to her that her mother might be happy about her father’s sudden death.

“I would say I’m sorry to hear about Father, but you don’t seem to be.”

She shrugged and let out a long sigh. “At least he can’t ever hurt you again.” A flash of something different, something strong, appeared in her mother’s eyes, just for a moment.

“Mr. Fitzwilliam,” she called over to him, “you don’t need to stand over there by the door. Come and sit with us.”

He gave her a slight bow and moved away from the door where he’d stationed himself. He’d refused to leave Daisy alone, even here with her mother. “Thank you, my lady.”

He settled onto the sofa beside Daisy, and her mother poured them all tea before sitting down in the chair.

“Have you met the new Lord Litchfield yet?” Daisy asked her.

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “He’s up at the house now. He’s been very kind and has assured me that I will be welcome here and will be provided everything I require. He even suggested I bring on a companion, and I think I will.”

“That’s wonderful. A companion will do you good.” She sipped her tea, still feeling a bit off balance. “Fitz wanted to talk to him, so I’m glad he can do that while we’re here as well.”

“I told him he’d probably be hearing from you soon, Mr. Fitzwilliam. And I also let him know that you have my blessing to marry my daughter.”

“That is very kind of you, my lady. Thank you.”

“Really?” Daisy asked. “We have your blessing?”

“Of course you do. It’s obvious the two of you are in love, and I have no doubt Mr. Fitzwilliam will take good care of you. If it weren’t for him, you’d still be… well, in truth I don’t really know where you were, but I know it wasn’t good.”

Her mother looked up from her tea and tears shone in her eyes. “At first, when that large man appeared at the door to my sitting room, I thought they had come for me too, but he assured me that no harm would come to me, and he was just there to make sure I was secure and safe until they left. He said they were going to do everything in their power to get you back.”

Daisy looked at Fitz. She hadn’t asked any questions about what had happened that night. They must have confronted her father. Those were questions for another time, though. She walked to her mother and bent down to embrace her. “We’re safe now, Mother.”

Her mother nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to stop him before he caused you so much pain.” She leaned back and placed her palm against Daisy’s cheek. “I hope you know I love you.”

Daisy nodded, unable to form words, as thoughts and emotions swirled through her. Her mother stood and squeezed her hands. “You’d better go up to the house and meet with Lord Litchfield.”

She hugged her mother one more time. “I love you, Mother.”

They left her and made their way up to the main house. Grayson allowed them entry without hesitation, but did not look either of them in the eye.

“I hope there won’t be any hard feelings between us, Grayson,” Daisy said after he led them into the drawing room.

He looked up at her then and slowly nodded. “Thank you, my lady.”

“Are you sure he deserves that?” Fitz asked quietly after they were seated.

“Of course he does. He was only following my father’s orders.”

“Good afternoon,” Lord Litchfield said as he entered the drawing room. He was younger than Daisy had expected, not much older than her, in fact.

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