Shadow of the Raven by Harris Tessa

Author:Harris, Tessa [Harris, Tessa]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780758293398
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2014-12-28T18:30:00+00:00

Later that afternoon Lady Lydia Farrell glided into the drawing room. Her back straight and her eyes bright and alert, she seemed to have regained the health that had deserted her in Bedlam. Her cheekbones, though remaining prominent, sat above the pale blush of a fair complexion, and she filled her new gown well. Indeed, the lace cap that she wore to disguise the fact that her hair was above shoulder length was the only outward sign of the terrible torment she had suffered.

“My dear, how well you look,” said Sir Montagu, walking toward her with his arms outstretched.

They exchanged a well-meaning, if stiff, embrace.

“I feel much restored, sir,” she replied with a nod.

Sir Montagu gestured to the sofa and rang the bell.

“And young Richard?” he inquired.

Lydia smiled. “He is enjoying the warmer weather and has been playing in the gardens.”

“That is good news, indeed,” said Sir Montagu, seating himself opposite her. “I shall pay him a visit in the nursery shortly, although I find that my time is most precious at the moment.”

Lydia nodded. “Running two estates cannot be an easy task, but you know you can rely on Mr. Lupton.”

At that moment, Sir Montagu’s butler and two maids entered carrying the tea service on trays.

“Would you do the honors, my dear?” asked the lawyer.

“Of course,” replied Lydia, and the maids set down their trays on a table at her side.

Waiting until they were alone once more, Lydia took the lid off the tea canister and spooned some leaves into the pot. She was acutely aware that Sir Montagu’s hawklike eyes were following her as she lifted the jug. Adding a little milk to the bowl, she poured in the tea and handed it to him as he sat on the opposite side of the small table.

“Thank you,” he said with a nod.

An air of polite civility pervaded the room. There was an unspoken acceptance between them; a scene of domestic quietude, if not bliss, that seemed to defy the events of the past few weeks. Yet, as Lydia sipped her tea, it was obvious that beneath her calm exterior, she remained troubled.

“You have heard nothing, sir?”

Sir Montagu shook his head. “I fear not, my dear. Your last letter was sent five days ago. If a reply was to be forthcoming, I am sure it would have reached you by now.”

Lydia’s shoulders sloped suddenly. This was the fourth letter she had written to Thomas and the fourth that had gone unanswered. Ever since Sir Montagu had rescued her from Bedlam, she had taken refuge in Draycott House, where she had been reunited with her son. The nightmare of her stay in the hospital remained with her, but it was receding. Her strength had grown daily and her confidence returned. What she could not forget, nor forgive, however, was Thomas’s role in her incarceration. She did not understand how someone she had loved so fiercely and so passionately could have abandoned her.

“I know you are right, but it has hit me hard, sir.

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