Page 7 of A Raven Returns

An hour later, Gwen preceded Ash through the front door of his massive home. She had never seen such opulence. The thick carpet was soft beneath her bare feet. Huge portraits, presumably of his ancestors, adorned the walls and marble busts sat atop decorative column-like plinths between them. She wasn’t sure how to feel about such extravagance. It was so opposed to what she knew about Ash.

“Fetch Mrs. Archer,” Ash ordered as he handed his hat and coat to a waiting footman.

“Yes, my lord.” The man scurried to do his bidding.

A short, stout woman of middling years rushed into the hall a few minutes later, a large chatelain rattling against her dark skirts.

“My lord, how may I be of service?”

“Mrs. Lawrence and I are both in need of baths. She will also need a change of clothes and a room to stay in.”

Apparently Gwen was now Mrs. Lawrence. She tried not to allow her surprise at the announcement to show on her face.

“Yes, my lord. Where would you like me to put her?”

“In the room next to mine.”

Gwen again tamped down her desire to whip her head toward Ash. For a brief second, the housekeeper’s brow furrowed.

“Is that a problem, Mrs. Archer?”

“No, my lord. Of course not.”

“Then see that it’s done,” he demanded. “And I will not tolerate any disrespect or gossip. Is that clear?”

“Yes, my lord.” She dipped a curtsey and Ash strode away without a backward glance. Gwen had never seen him treat anyone so harshly before, and it shook her.

“This way, Mrs. Lawrence.” It took a moment for Gwen to realize the housekeeper was addressing her. She swallowed down her apprehension and followed in her wake. The housekeeper rattled off orders to a half dozen other servants before they eventually arrived at a large bedchamber. When they entered, maids were still scurrying about, uncovering the furniture and dusting.

The housekeeper turned to face her. “Apologies, Mrs. Lawrence. We weren’t prepared for a guest.”

Gwen gave her a kind smile. “It’s quite understandable, Mrs. Archer. I appreciate you making me welcome.”

She followed the woman into the dressing room where a bath was already being filled. Mrs. Archer looked her up and down. “What kind of clothing do you require, Mrs. Lawrence?”

“Just anything clean will do. Don’t make a fuss on my account.”

Sinking down into the hot water a short time later was absolute bliss. The tub was so large she could even stretch out. Surely, she would be spoiled for all other baths after this. Mary, the maid, who’d been assigned to help her, had even drizzled some rose scented oil into the water. She’d never had a maid wait on her before, and it felt a bit awkward, but this seemed important to Ash, so she needed to play her part.

“How do you like working for Lord Ashdown?”

She shrugged as she scrubbed Gwen’s hair. “I’ve never actually met him. In fact, most of us haven’t.”

That seemed strange. “Has he been gone so long?”

The girl nodded. “From what I understand, he never stayed a single night here after the late Lord Ashdown’s funeral.”

So why was he here now?

* * *

Fogg’s raised brow was the only sign that he even noticed Ash’s rumpled state as he strode into his father’s dressing room. He gritted his teeth, holding back the memories. So many horrors had happened within these walls. Once the bath was ready, Fogg ushered the other servants out before helping Ash to undress. He was even more aware of Ash’s wishes sometimes than he was himself. Fogg knew he wouldn’t want the other servants to see his scars.

“Rough night?” Fogg asked as Ash sank down into the steamy water. He handed Ash a cloth and a bar of soap.

“You have no idea.” He set to the task of removing the layers of dirt, wishing he could also scrub away the memories of this awful place. How could a house so large feel as if it were closing in around him?

“I heard you returned with a woman.”

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