Page 12 of A Raven Revived (The Raven’s Den #4)

Chapter Twelve

I t was strange being back in her old bed after all this time. Nothing had changed in this room since she’d left. Mostly white, and far too many frills for her liking. This room belonged to Jane, not Daisy. This whole life did, in fact.

Her parents had hardly spoken a word to her over dinner. It was her own fault, really, but things were so awkward between them. They couldn’t talk about Fitz or her betrothal, since her father was clearly not happy about it. She refused to discuss where she’d been or what she’d been doing, other than to say she’d been in London. She could only imagine how her father would feel if he knew she’d been dancing in a gaming hell all this time. It had made for a lot of uncomfortable silence. It was worth it to see her mother’s smile, though. Nearly every time Daisy looked up, her mother had been staring at her, her lips turned up just a bit and gratitude filling her eyes. It was hard not to be overcome with guilt for leaving her the way she had. She was sorry for hurting her mother, but she wasn’t sorry she’d left.

Now that she was finally alone, her thoughts turned to Fitz. She missed him already. If only she could have his strong arms around her, wrapping her in warmth and safety. The first thing she would do in the morning was hug him, even if her father would disapprove. She desperately needed to feel him against her. Her father’s approval, on the other hand, no longer mattered to her.

She’d spent a lifetime trying to be enough for him. Pretty enough, proper enough, obedient enough. Her sister had been all of those things. But Daisy had not. She breathed a long sigh. It didn’t matter now. Whether he approved or not, she was going to marry Fitz and spend the rest of her life with a man who loved her. A man who respected and cherished her. She just had to get through this one night without him first.

Would Fitz make her stay at Raven House until they were officially wed? Hopefully not. She wanted to share his bed again. To feel his skin against hers and to glory in his kisses and the pleasure he would undoubtedly bring her. She continued to lose herself in memories of Fitz and their time together until she eventually drifted off to sleep.

She was shocked awake by a burning pain in her arm. Her eyes flew open. Three men stood beside the bed. Terror rushed through her veins like a river of ice, but for some reason she couldn’t vocalize a scream. They threw back the blankets and pulled her upright. Whatever they’d injected her with, had taken away her ability to support herself without their assistance, and her head was spinning.

Her father, who had apparently been standing in the doorway, came to loom over her, a nasty sneer distorting his face.

“You didn’t really think you could run off and be a trollop, costing me that piece of land and embarrassing me in front of all my friends, and then return to my home without any consequences, did you?” He was so close that fine droplets of spittle landed on her face, but she was unable to even wipe them away. “You could have been married to an earl, countess of a grand estate, but that wasn’t good enough for you. You’ve been nothing but a disappointment. After all you’ve done, I will not simply sit back and allow you to run off and have your happily ever after. You brought this on yourself, Jane, with all your selfish antics.”

She didn’t lose consciousness right away, but she no longer possessed the means to speak, and gradually lost all sense of what was happening, as if she were somehow removed from her own body. Just an observer of the entire event. She understood that she should be afraid but felt nothing. How could a drug remove the ability to even feel? They carried her out of the house and laid her in some kind of carriage or wagon. The steady rumbling and shaking eventually lulled her into darkness, at least for a while.

She had no idea how long it had been when she eventually opened her eyes, but it was still mostly dark. They dragged her out of the conveyance and into a large red brick building. The long hallway was devoid of any kind of decoration, the walls bare and white. Her head was gradually clearing, and as her strength began to return, so too did her need to fight. She struggled against them, digging in her heels and flailing desperately.

“Let me go!” She tried to shout, but her throat was dry and her voice weak.

They stopped and a man in a white coat stepped in front of her. “I’ll give you one warning, Jane. Stop fighting, or you’ll be getting a cold bath.”

“No!” she screeched, resisting all the more. Fear suddenly gripped her chest. She had to get away from them. She yanked fruitlessly against her captors.

“You were warned.” He moved out of the way and they continued on, dragging her writhing body, making it clear that her efforts were pointless. But she didn’t stop fighting them. The hall opened into a large, brightly lit room and she squinted, struggling to see.

Without warning, they lifted her off the ground and plunged her into a tub full of ice cold water. Shock jolted through her body and she screamed at the sudden onslaught of sensation. The cold burned every inch of her, like hot needles on her skin. She kicked and clawed and flailed, trying desperately to get out, but the men were simply too strong.

Fatigue quickly set in and her body shook uncontrollably. “Please,” she sobbed, her teeth chattering. “Please let me out.”

“Are you going to cooperate?” It was the man in the white coat again. She wanted to scream and yell and rail against the unjustness of what was happening, but she was desperate to get out of the cold water.

“Yes.” She nodded fervently.

With an upward gesture of his hand, she was pulled out of the tub and placed on her feet. Her wet nightgown clung to her shivering body.

“Lift your arms,” he said, stepping in front of her once more.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

He gestured with his chin and she was immediately picked up and plunged back into the icy water. Once again, she screamed and fought against the hands holding her in place, but her efforts were futile. Remembering what had gotten her out of there the first time she stopped resisting and spoke quietly.

“Please take me out. I’ll cooperate.”

Gratitude washed over her as she was once again placed back on her feet.

“Lift your arms,” he said again.

Slowly, she did as she was instructed. Dread settled heavily on her, but she didn’t argue as her wet nightgown was pulled over her head, leaving her completely naked and surrounded by men. Men she didn’t know, and who quite clearly had no compunction about doing her harm. But they didn’t stare or leer as she would have expected, nor did they touch her. Instead, she was handed a towel.

“Dry off, and you can put on a fresh gown.”

She nodded jerkily. She wiped away the water from her skin and, true to his word, he gave her a gown to slip on. They led her away from the bath and down another long hallway. When they unlocked a door near the end, renewed panic flashed through her. They were going to lock her inside.

“No. No please. There’s been a misunderstanding. Please don’t do this. I’m not supposed to be here.” They stopped, but when the man in the white coat gestured the other way with his chin, she knew she’d made a mistake.

“I’m sorry,” she said immediately, but they were already dragging her back. “No! Please don’t do this!” Out of desperation, she tried to sit down on the floor, but they just continued hauling her back down the corridor toward the dreaded tub.

“Please not again,” she begged desperately. “I’ll cooperate.”

But it didn’t matter how much she pleaded with them or promised to obey, they didn’t stop, and she was once again plunged into the cold water. This time, she didn’t fight them once she was in the tub, she just wept as her entire body quaked and burned.

“Are you ready to try again?” he asked.

She nodded as she continued to cry. They lifted her out of the tub once more. Shame filled her belly as they stripped her naked again. Her muscles struggled with drying herself, but when she’d finished, they put another gown over her head and led her back into the long hallway. She didn’t fight them this time when they opened the door and told her to step inside. Other than shaking, she didn’t move at all as they closed the door behind her and darkness descended followed by the lock scraping into place.

After a moment, something touched her shoulder, and she flinched.

“It’s alright,” whispered a soft voice. “I’m Samantha. You just need to get under your blanket, and you’ll be warm again soon.” She took Daisy’s hand and led her over to a bed.

As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, the room started to take shape. The small bed was against the wall. Samantha pulled back the blanket for her.

“Go on. Get in.”

She did as she was bid, and Samantha tucked the blanket tightly around her. She looked up at the woman, still unable to make out her features.

“Th-thank you, Samantha.” It was hard to speak through her chattering teeth and gulping breaths. “I’m Daisy. Well, I guess here, I’m Jane.” Her whole body continued to shiver violently.

Samantha pressed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I think dawn isn’t far off now, and they’ll have us up again. So, try to sleep while you can.”

“What is this place?”

“Shhh. We’ll get in trouble if we’re caught talking at night. Sleep.” She moved away into the darkness. There was a rustling as she presumably climbed into her own bed.

Daisy already knew what this place was, though. She didn’t know where it was, or what it was called, but she knew what it was. It was an asylum.

* * *

Fitz barely slept. Thoughts of Daisy tumbled around in his head all night long. The sun was just peeking over the horizon when he finally threw back the blankets and climbed out of bed. He was excited to see her and didn’t want to wait any longer than he had to. He needed to know she wasn’t stuck in that house, miserable, with no way to leave.

He managed to allow an hour to pass, drinking coffee, and it was almost another hour’s drive to her family's estate. Still not an appropriate hour to be calling on someone, but to hell with society’s rules. He needed Daisy in his arms. With a thrill of anticipation, he knocked on the door.

He didn’t wait for the butler to greet him once the door was open. “I’m here for Daisy. Is she wanting to leave yet?”

“I believe she’s still abed, sir.”

“Well, I’ll come in and wait for her, then.” He pushed past the butler. He would not be denied entry again.

Her father sat at the head of the long dining table, a newspaper held up in front of him.

“Good morning, Lord Litchfield.”

He lowered the paper and scowled. “I don’t believe I invited you into my home.”

“I’ve come for Daisy.”

“Jane,” he said, drawing out the name to emphasize his correction, “is not here.”

Fitz’s brow dropped as dread trickled into his veins. “What do you mean she isn’t here?”

He shrugged, looking bored. “She must have run off again.”

Ice filled his stomach. “What did you do?” He began to tremble with rage as he moved toward Lord Litchfield.

“I didn’t do anything. As you know, she has a history of disappearing.”

“I don’t believe you.” He would throttle the man. “She wouldn’t just run away again.”

“Wouldn’t she?” He raised his brow with an uninterested sigh. “Check the house, if you’d like.”

Fitz strode from the dining room and took the stairs two at a time. Her bed had obviously been slept in, but she wasn’t there. The clothes she’d brought were in the armoire, and her robe hung from the bedpost. His heart clenched with fear. She wouldn’t be wandering around in only her nightgown.

He rushed through the house opening doors, desperately looking in every room. He found Lady Litchfield in one of the drawing rooms, sipping tea.

“Do you know where Daisy… Jane is?” he asked desperately.

Her brow furrowed. “I believe she’s still abed, Mr. Fitzwilliam.”

“She’s not in her room. She’s not in any room.”

The words slowly seemed to settle in her mind and with a swallow, she set her trembling dishes on the table. “No,” she said softly, one hand going to her mouth.

“Do you have any idea where she could be?”

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she looked up at him, but then she turned her gaze in the direction of the dining room. After a moment, she shook her head and closed her eyes.

“Does Lord Litchfield know where she is? Has he done something to her?”

She did not raise her eyes again and simply stared down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The shadow of a bruise marred her cheek. That hadn’t been there last night. She’d clearly paid a price for standing up to her husband. And now, she was too afraid to speak, which meant Daisy’s father had done something.

Fitz stormed back to the dining room. He’d give Litchfield a bruise to match his wife’s. He leaned over the man, his gaze boring into him. “Where is she, you son of a bitch?”

“I will not tolerate such disrespect in my home. Leave now, or I will have you removed.” He rang a bell that sat on top of the table.

Fitz grabbed the front of the man’s shirt and hauled him out of the chair, but two sets of hands quickly clamped onto his arms and dragged him away.

“Where is she?” he shouted as a third set of hands joined them. He was shoved out the front door and it was immediately locked behind him.

This could not be happening. He jogged around the house and grounds shouting her name. Her father had done something to send her fleeing. What if he’d hurt her? Fitz pounded on the front door to no avail.

Panic ripped through him. He gripped his fingers painfully into this hair, slowly turning in a circle. What was he going to do? What was he going to do?

She had to be here somewhere. Perhaps she’d gone to find him at his family’s estate. He hadn’t seen her on the road here, but he hadn’t been watching for her.

He sprinted to where his carriage was. His coachman was laughing with one of the grooms and was surprised by his sudden appearance.

“We need to go back.”

“Yes, sir.” He took a large gulp of his tea before handing the cup off to the groom and climbing up into his seat.

Fitz settled beside him, surprising the man once again. “I need to be able to watch the road,” he explained. “Daisy isn’t here, and I think she may be on foot somewhere along the way.”

There was no sign of her as they made the return journey to his family’s estate. He prayed she was inside waiting for him.

“Have you seen Daisy?” he asked the butler. “Lady Jane, I mean.”

He shook his head. “No, sir.”

His brother came trotting down the stairs then, dressed in riding attire. “I didn’t expect you to be up so early, Gerry. Care to join me for a ride?”

“Have you seen Daisy? Is she here?”

“I thought she was staying with her family.”

“She isn’t there now. Her father says she ran off.”

His brother raised his brow. “Oh dear.” He didn’t sound very concerned though.

“What does that mean?”

“Well,” he said with a shrug. “It would appear she’s jilted you too.”

It took every ounce of his control not to punch his brother in the face. “She hasn’t bloody jilted me!”

“Come now. We both know she’s capable of it.”

She couldn’t have. He looked desperately around the room as if she might just appear. Could she? He looked back into his brother’s eyes which had filled with pity.

“Why?” It was the only word he could manage.

His brother shrugged. “Perhaps her parents convinced her she shouldn’t marry you.”

Was it possible? But he knew the answer to that. Of course it was possible. She’d already run from him once before, when she’d gone up to Ash’s estate. But that was different. Wasn’t it? Had she really run away again? Pain lanced his heart. If she’d changed her mind about marrying him, why hadn’t she just told him?

“Where would she go?”

His brother shrugged again. “You’d know better than I. You’re the one who found her after the last time.”

Raven Row. That’s where she’d go, but it was such a long way from here. He turned to leave, and his brother grasped his shoulder.

“Where are you going?”

“To find her.”

“Why don’t you just let her go?”

“I love her, Geoffrey, and whether she wants me or not, I have to know she’s safe.”