Signs of Love and Deliverance

by Tracy Kay

  Surprised, Brandon spoke softly so as not to frighten his timid sister. “Why is it your fault, Deirdre?”

  Deirdre swallowed hard and stared at the floor before answering. “I made them go riding with me.” She quickly took a peek at him under her long, sooty lashes before rushing on. “Jared wouldn’t go with me, and I didn’t want to go alone. You never said I couldn’t leave the house, so I begged Maddy and I, well, I . . . I blackmailed her into going so she couldn’t say no.”

  Brandon sighed and pushed himself away from the door jam, walked over to Deirdre, and with one finger, carefully lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “Deirdre, I thought you knew not to go out without one of your brothers as an escort.” He paused when he felt her tremble and softened his tone. “Puss, you know better than this, but it is not completely your fault.” He let her go and redirected his attention to Madeline who groaned. “Madeline, you know better than to disobey me regardless of what Deirdre blackmailed you with, correct?”

  Biting her lip, Madeline could only nod, still unable to meet his eyes.

  “Go to your room and I will deal with you shortly.” Madeline turned to leave, and when Joselyn began to follow her, Brandon caught her arm. “No, Lady Joselyn, you can’t go with her.”

  “But it is not her fault. You can’t punish her. Hasn’t she been hurt enough? Do you think a beating is going to change the fact that she made a mistake?” Joselyn challenged angrily, feeling a bit guilty that Madeline and Deirdre were taking the blame for her error. She was the one who had convinced Deirdre to beg her sister to go riding, and now, they were covering for her. She had no intention of disclosing that bit of information to Brandon, but at least she could voice her objection to his tendencies towards violence and perhaps save the two women a beating.

  “Did I say I was going to beat her?” Brandon calmly regarded her. He knew who deserved a beating and it wasn’t his Madeline.

  “Madeline told me that when she disobeys you, you . . .” She took an indignant breath before spitting out the rest as if it were a curse, “spank her.”

  Brandon chuckled at her melodrama and cocked his head to the side. “When Madeline needs a spanking, then I will give her one. Although she may deserve one, I do not intend on doing so. However, she needs some time to herself to think about the danger she faced today.”

  “But she hates being alone.” Although she wasn’t particularly fond of Madeline, Joselyn didn’t want her to suffer.

  “I am aware of that.” Ending the discussion, Brandon entered the parlor.

  Joselyn stared at him in shock. The man was hateful and domineering. In a huff, she turned to leave the house, but paused when she heard his stern voice.

  “Do not leave this house, Lady Joselyn.”

  “Unlike the rest of your family, I do not answer to you,” she snapped angrily.

  Returning to the hallway, Brandon replied harshly, “As long as you live in this house, and for as long as I deem it necessary, you will obey me, or you may find your own bottom becoming acquainted with my hand.” Having had enough of the haughty woman, he commanded, “Now, go to your room and stay there until dinner.” Brandon watched Joselyn stomp up the stairs in a fury before he re-entered the parlor, took a seat and sighed. “Deirdre, come here, please.”

  Deirdre jumped. She had hoped he had forgotten her, but to her dismay, he hadn’t. She meekly walked into the parlor to stand in front of him.

  “Let me see your arm,” Brandon ordered. When she offered her arm, he took it and gently examined the wrist, determining that it was only sprained. “It should be all right, sweet. Don’t use it for a few days and soak it in cool water.”

  She nodded and started to move away.

  “Oh, no, you don’t, puss,” he said, drawing her between his outstretched legs. “You and I have some things to talk about, don’t we?”

  Deirdre nodded her head and whispered, “Are you going to punish me?”

  “Do I need to?” Brandon inquired. He had never had cause to punish Deirdre. She had always obeyed him in the past and he was a bit surprised that she hadn’t now. Instinctively, he knew the outing was not her idea.

  “Maybe,” she muttered. Although she loved her brother, Deirdre was terribly afraid of Brandon’s anger and disappointment. She didn’t want him punishing her, but she knew she deserved some kind of reprimand.

  With a sigh, Brandon pulled her onto his lap and held her close. “I don’t think you need to be punished today, but do something like this again and I will.”

  She nodded in relief and leaned her head on his chest, tired from her ordeal.

  They were quiet as he deliberately moved his hands over her, noticing her indrawn breath his touch caused when he found the many bruises and scrapes that covered her body. “You fought him hard, didn’t you?”

  She nodded as she lifted her head to meet his gaze. “I kicked him in the shins.”

  “Did he let you go?”

  “Not without Maddy’s help,” she admitted, ashamed that she wasn’t able to defend herself as well as Madeline could. She was too little, barely five feet tall. She rested her head against his chest in defeat and exhaustion.

  “I know a woman about your size who knows how to defend herself against those much bigger and stronger than she. Would you like her to teach you?” Brandon ran a soothing hand through her soft, black hair. He hated the idea that the women in his life and under his care needed to defend themselves, but with danger always following him, it was for the best.

  In a small voice, she mumbled, “Yes.”

  “Good.” After a few minutes passed, he explained, “In the past, you were allowed to leave the house with only Jared or Stephen as your escort, but with this attack, it is not safe. Until I feel it is safe, you are not allowed to leave this house without Nicholas or myself for any reason. Understand?”

  She nodded.

  He put a finger under her chin and lifted her head up to meet his eyes. “And no more blackmailing anyone.”

  Again, she nodded.

  “And no more allowing others to cajole you into doing things you know are wrong.”

  Surprised that he knew it was not her idea to go riding, she could only nod again.

  Brandon sighed and guided her head down against his chest. “You are growing up, Deirdre, and we have a lot to talk about concerning your future, but for now, I am content with your promise of behaving yourself.”

  “I promise,” Deirdre agreed, grateful that she could put off the discussion of her coming out and finding a husband. She didn’t want either.

  “Go on up to your room, sweet. I will have your maid ready a bath for you. I want you to soak until the water turns cold. It will soothe some of these bruises you have.” When she nodded in agreement, he hugged her tight and let her go.

  Brandon leaned back into the chair and watched Deirdre leave the room. The thought of his shy sister being attacked and hurt made him angry, and the things that he knew could have happened to her if Cassandra hadn’t arrived, made him shudder. The reason he was strict with his siblings was because he loved them so much, and he had seen the awful things men could do to unprotected, defenseless women and young men. He knew his brothers and sisters didn’t always understand why he was firm with his rules, but he knew he was right. He had witnessed too many abused women and children, helped them escape, or found them dead. He couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to his siblings when he could have prevented it with only a little discipline. Sighing, he put aside his own fears, stood, and headed for the stairs.

  “Madeline, I am disappointed in you,” Brandon chastised as he walked into her room and shut the door behind him. “I expect you to stay in this room until dinner and think about your actions. I had explicitly prohibited you from leaving this house. I had thought I had made myself clear.”

  Turning from the window, she looked at him and nodded in accord. She had known there would be consequences for the excursion and she had known he would find out about it
, but she hadn’t anticipated the attack. “I am sorry, Brandon. I know better than to go out without an escort, but Deirdre and Joselyn wanted to go riding, and I couldn’t refuse them.”

  “You should have,” he said firmly as he sat on the edge of her bed, watching her closely.

  “I know,” she conceded in defeat. She hated disobeying him, but sometimes it was necessary. However, if she was truthful, today’s defiance wasn’t necessary. She shouldn’t have allowed Deirdre and Joselyn talk her into going riding, particularly without an escort. She had been able to bribe the stable hand to prepare the horses, but she had neglected to convince a footman to attend them on the outing. She had no one to blame but herself if Brandon punished her.

  “What did Deirdre blackmail you with?” Brandon was curious. If Deirdre could blackmail her that meant Madeline had done something else she wasn’t supposed to have done.

  Madeline shrugged and stared out the window, trying to avoid the question. “The usual.”

  “Madeline?” Brandon raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for her to give him an answer.

  Madeline winced before answering. “She saw me sneak out of the house alone a couple nights ago.” She braced herself for the explosion she knew would follow.

  “What?” The explosion arrived. Brandon stood up quickly in shock that she would blatantly defy him. He had expressly forbidden Madeline and Deirdre ever to go out after dark without an escort. He had to struggle to gain control of his temper. He needed to dig deep for his patience. He knew she wouldn’t have deliberately disobeyed him without a good reason. It had better be a good reason, he thought wryly.

  Sighing, she faced him and explained, hoping it would justify her actions. “I had to Brandon. Amy Brentwood was having a crisis and needed my help.”

  “I sincerely hope it wasn’t another party disaster you were required to fix?” Brandon said sarcastically. He was furious with her. He thought she had understood the dangers of going out alone, particularly at night.

  “No,” Madeline sighed again. “She was compromised and found herself pregnant. And you mustn’t tell a soul. I promised to keep it to myself.” Madeline beseeched him with desperate, green eyes. She had made a promise and she intended on keeping it.

  He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. How could he keep her safe when she did things like this? “You should have told me, Madeline.” He was disappointed in her for not coming to him, but he did understand her need to help her friends. He couldn’t blame her for doing the same things he would do in her situation. The only difference was that she was impulsive and not always aware of the dangers to herself and others.

  “She wants this kept a secret, Brandon. Please.”

  “It will come out quickly enough.”

  “No, it won’t.” She turned away to hide her expression.

  “Why not?” Brandon wondered how Amy was going to keep her pregnancy hidden.

  “We visited this old woman, and, well, Amy is no longer pregnant,” Madeline explained, keeping her back to him, unable to look at her brother.

  “Madeline!” Appalled that his innocent Madeline was part of such a thing and worried about the consequences to Amy, he placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t witness anything I shouldn’t have. I went with her for support. I waited in the carriage for her.” Wringing her hands in worry, Madeline cried. “Oh, Brandy, her appearance was awful when she came out of there. She could hardly walk. What did that old woman do to her? Amy wouldn’t tell me.”

  Brandon cupped her face tenderly. “I never want you to know, and I never want you to go there again,” he ordered. His sister should not be involved in such things. “If one of your friends becomes pregnant or you do, you come to me and only me. Do you understand?” With Madeline’s nod, he let go of her and frowned. “How is Amy doing now?” He inquired, concerned for the young woman’s welfare. His protective instincts overtaking his irritation. He couldn’t tolerate harm coming to innocents, particularly for those he felt responsible, and Madeline’s friends fell into that category.

  “I don’t know. She hasn’t answered my messages.” She searched his green eyes with hers, hoping he would understand why she had to help her friend.

  “I will check on her.”

  Madeline panicked and placed a hand on his arm. “You can’t. I promised I wouldn’t say a word to anyone. She will never trust me again.”

  “She may not trust you again, but she will be alive,” Brandon bit out harshly, displeased that Madeline hadn’t come to him. If she had, her friend could have avoided certain pain and trauma.

  “It can’t be that bad,” Madeline said hopefully.

  “It can.”

  “Oh, no,” she whispered, sitting on the edge of her bed.

  “But before I leave to check on Amy, there is a matter of your disobedience we need to settle,” Brandon reminded her. He felt he had to make her understand that she couldn’t continue her defiance. He wouldn’t stand for it.

  “I am sorry. What more can I say? I did something foolish,” she admitted distractedly, thinking about Amy and not her own precarious position with her brother.

  “Yes, you did.” Brandon sat beside her, lifted her chin with a finger so her gaze met his. “You could have been killed. You allowed others to influence your judgment, which you seem to be doing quite a bit of late.”

  “I know.” She suddenly felt tired and she didn’t want to argue with him anymore.

  “Why, sweet?” Noting her exhaustion, he began rubbing her back.

  “I can’t turn people down who need help, Brandon. You taught me that,” she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

  “Even if it hurts yourself?” When she nodded, he peered at her crossly. “Even if they are using you?”

  Madeline lifted her head up and looked at him blankly. Amy hadn’t used her, nor had she forced Madeline to go with her. Madeline insisted on going with her to see that old woman.

  Realizing Madeline misunderstood him, he clarified. “You do realize Lady Joselyn is using you?”

  Finally understanding, Madeline sighed. “Yes, I know. She has always used me.”

  “Then why be her friend?” He was curious to know.

  She snorted. “Because who else would put up with her. She believes no one sees how superficial she is, but she is wrong. I knew it the first day I met her, as did Gretchen and Corinna, but she was so pathetic that day, we decided to be her friend, even if she didn’t think of us as friends.”

  Brandon watched his sister with concern. “She scorns you and is jealous of you. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I know how she feels about me.” She stood and walked to her vanity to nervously play with the things there. “But unless she deliberately hurts me or my family, I will continue to be her friend. She is very lonely, Brandon,” Madeline stated frankly.

  “She is a cold woman, Maddy, with only concern for herself,” he explained, wanting his sister to fully understand Joselyn’s nature.

  Madeline stared at her brother and disagreed. “There you are wrong, Brandon. She cares very much for her family.”

  “She does not grieve for her brother,” Brandon pointed out. He needed her to see how vain Joselyn was. The woman had some serious issues, and she was only going to continue hurting people.

  “Yes, she does, in her own way,” Madeline countered.

  “She caused you to disobey me,” he argued. He stood up in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to make Madeline understand that Joselyn was a selfish woman who only had her own interests at heart.

  “She needed the distraction from her grief and the threats; hence, we went riding,” Madeline defended, exasperated with her brother and his need to protect her.

  “She let you and Deirdre take the brunt of this attack.” Brandon was alarmed with his sister’s support of Joselyn and her willingness to put herself in danger.

  “She was stunned and
didn’t know what to do.” Madeline tried to justify Joselyn’s actions.

  “She didn’t want to get her lily-white hands dirty,” he stated bluntly, forcing the truth on her.

  “That isn’t true,” Madeline disagreed, not wanting to believe that Joselyn was that shallow. She was her friend and Joselyn couldn’t possibly wish her harm.

  “Think about it, Madeline.” He was determined to make her understand.

  Not wanting to admit that he was right, she pointed to the door and shouted, “Get out!” For the first time in years, Madeline ordered her brother out of her room.

  Brandon regarded her with surprise and hurt in his eyes. He calmly turned away from her and left the room.

  “Brandon!” Madeline cried, realizing her mistake as he quietly shut the door behind him. “Damn!” She cursed and sank onto the bed. She hated it when she hurt him and she began to cry in earnest for the first time in a long time. With Joselyn living here and her life being turned upside down, she had a feeling she would be doing a lot of crying in the near future, and the thought only made her cry harder.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Joselyn paced the room working herself into a frenzy, feeling trapped and indignant. How dare that man send her to her room like a child? Why Madeline put up with that insufferable, dominating brother of hers, Joselyn would never understand. She would never have allowed Zachary to treat her this way, telling her what she could or could not do. Brandon Cathcart thought he could control everyone. Why should she have to obey him? He was nothing to her. She stopped pacing and huffed. No matter how infuriated she became, she couldn’t get past it. She was afraid of Brandon Cathcart. That was why she was standing in the middle of this over-decorated, yellow room instead of on her way home, leaving this crazy family to themselves.

  Moving over to the yellow upholstered, lounge chair, she sat down, weary of this whole affair. If it wasn’t for Farrington or whoever it was that was threatening her, she wouldn’t be here. Her brother would still be alive, and she would not be living in this household with these odd people. She sat there silently staring ahead of her, too overcome with grief and anger to think.