by Tracy Kay
“And?”
“She said I used her for her social status,” she stated irritably.
“You do,” he agreed matter-of-factly.
“She said I complained too much about her brothers,” Joselyn added.
“You do that too.” Jeremy stared at her pointedly.
“She told me I had to obey her brothers’ dictates or leave.” Joselyn was not going to leave, but neither was she going to obey Brandon or Nicholas. She would simply avoid them instead.
“I take it, then, that you have decided to leave,” Jeremy said, watching his sister closely.
“Why do you say that?” Joselyn questioned, squinting at him suspiciously.
“You are in here instead of where Brandon sent you. If you were planning on staying, you would be in your room following his orders,” Jeremy pointed out.
“I have no intention of leaving here.” She looked away from him, not able to meet his eyes. “That would be foolish.”
“But you do not intend on obeying Brandon or Nicholas,” Jeremy commented shrewdly. He knew his sister well. She followed her own desires and hated rules or discipline of any kind other than her own. Zachary had never gotten her to do as he wished, and when Jeremy ever tried to discipline her, she ignored him. He supposed he could understand. He was three years younger than her, and Zachary was never a very decisive man. Neither of them had been able to compel her to do anything, let alone force her to mind them.
“Why should I obey Lord Kenrik and Lord Kylington?” She added obstinately. She refused to call Lord Kenrik by his given name. It wasn’t proper, and besides, she did not want the familiarity with the Cathcart men her brother seemed so willing to embrace.
“Because they know what is best for you.” Jeremy was frustrated with his sister. He admired Brandon and Nicholas and believed that they were right in their actions.
“How could they possibly know what is best for me?” Joselyn huffed. She was not enjoying this conversation with her ridiculous brother, not one little bit.
“Joselyn, Brandon has dealt with people like Farrington in the past. He has raised and protected his brothers and sisters, along with others you know nothing about. Brandon knows what he is doing and I suggest that you start listening to him.” Jeremy knew a great deal about Brandon, his friends, and their businesses, things that they would not be happy that he knew. He had always found it lucrative to learn about the people around him. For him, it was an easy matter because most people ignored him or forgot he was in the room. It was his experience that being silent revealed more information than asking endless questions, and along with a little snooping, he usually was able to piece together the secrets people hid.
“What do you know?” She scoffed. Joselyn could not possibly believe that her useless brother would know anything of importance.
“You would be surprised at what I know,” he answered meaningfully.
“What is that supposed to mean?” She glared at him.
Jeremy shrugged noncommittally.
“You know nothing. How could you? You are just a child.” Joselyn was becoming worried. Apparently, Jeremy thought he knew something, and she wasn’t quite sure he did not know her secret.
Taking offense, Jeremy sat up and defended himself. “I may be young, Joselyn, but I am not stupid. You want the real reason why we never had enough money to live the life you wanted?”
“It was because the coal mine did not produce enough,” she replied, relieved that he knew nothing.
Jeremy leaned forward with his hands lightly clasped between his knees and explained plainly, “No, Joselyn, the mine produces plenty. We did not have the money because Zachary spent it gambling and making bad investments.”
Joselyn stared at him in shock. She could not believe Zachary would be so careless as to gamble away their measly wealth, but if he was a gambler that might mean Zachary owed money to the person threatening her. If that person was Farrington, maybe it was why he wanted to buy their land. Joselyn shook her head at the impossibility. No, she simply could not believe Zachary would be involved in something like that. He had adamantly forbidden her to marry John Stevens because of his gambling habit even though he was very wealthy and a suitable husband. He was the only man she had considered marrying because she could easily manipulate him, but since Zachary had disapproved of him, she had turned his many proposals down. Joselyn felt it necessary to remind Jeremy of John, proving that he was wrong about Zachary. “That is not true, Jeremy. Zachary disapproved of gambling; otherwise, he would have approved of my marrying John Stevens.”
“He approved of the match,” Jeremy blandly informed her. He casually leaned back in his chair and added, “I did not.”
“What?” Joselyn could not believe that Jeremy had any influence over their older brother. He was a child, after all.
“I told Zachary that if he approved of the match, I would expose him,” Jeremy clarified. “Zachary did not want you knowing about his debts or his gambling.”
“I cannot believe this.” She put a hand to her mouth, denying Jeremy’s words and the feeling in the pit of her stomach that he was right.
Jeremy ignored her denial and added bluntly, “Any more than you wanted him to know about your little indiscretions.”
“What are you talking about?” The knot in Joselyn’s stomach grew tighter with her panic.
“If Zachary hadn’t gambled away the family fortune, you, my dear sister, would not have had to prostitute yourself,” he spoke with sadness in his voice.
“I have never prostituted myself,” she disagreed indignantly, denying the truth. She stood up and began pacing the room, giving herself away. How could he know? She had been so careful and she never dreamed she had given herself away.
Jeremy watched her pace and sighed sadly. “The only one you are fooling is yourself, Joselyn. Your need for wealth and social status makes you do things you don’t want to do. You may have hidden your affairs from most people, but not from me. I know you too well.” He sat forward, watching her intently with love in his eyes for his sister.
“How do you know this?” Joselyn turned to face him. She was more than a little taken aback. Jeremy was not the boy she had thought him to be. Like Madeline, she had underestimated him. Somewhere along the line, Jeremy had become a man and she hadn’t noticed.
“Because I have watched you and Zachary all of my life. Mostly the two of you ignored me, and it was easy to find out your secrets. And Joselyn,” he informed her, wanting to tell her kindly and knowing of no other way but to say it plainly. “If it was easy for me to learn of your secrets, it will be easy for others, particularly a man such as Brandon Cathcart.”
Joselyn dropped to her knees in front of her brother, taking hold of his hands, and implored him. “Jeremy, you cannot tell anyone. I will be ruined. Please.”
He took hold of her shoulders before replying. “I won’t tell anyone unless I have to. I love you, Joselyn. You are my family. But I will tell you this, you are only hurting yourself with your actions, and there will come a time when you will be discovered.” He cupped her face lightly. “I want you to stop having these affairs, sell some of our land if you need to, and grow up a little.” He placed a finger to her lips when she was about to speak. “You need to stop using people, Joselyn, particularly your friends.”
Jeremy stood up, bringing her with him. “And one more thing,” he ordered. “I want you to go up to your room and stay there until dinner as Brandon told you to do, and think carefully about your next action because it could lead to your destruction or your redemption. If you let them, Brandon and Nicholas can help you and keep you safe, but if you don’t, I am afraid you may not survive.” With those words of wisdom from such a young man, Jeremy left her to contemplate her uncertain future.
Standing in the foyer of Amy Brentwood’s home, Brandon announced himself to the Brentwood’s butler. “I am Lord Kenrik, here to see Lady Amy.” After leaving Madeline, Brandon came to the Brentwood’s home to
check on Amy. He was worried about Madeline’s description of the events surrounding Amy’s situation and he felt it required his immediate attention. He had a very bad feeling about the whole thing.
“She is indisposed, my lord,” the haggard butler replied.
“Perhaps, but I insist on seeing her,” Brandon asserted.
“My lord, she is not taking visitors; however, I will inform her that you called,” the butler responded, trying to usher Brandon out the door.
Brandon pushed the man aside and took the stairs two at a time. He threw open each door until he found Amy curled in a tight ball on her bed. Brandon walked to her side and laid a hand to her forehead. It was hot to the touch. After washing his hands using the water from a pitcher on her dresser, Brandon gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. “Amy, I am Brandon Cathcart, Madeline’s brother.”
She groaned and tried to push him away. Brandon gradually drew the covers off her, pushed aside the light shift she wore, and began to examine her slight body. She was covered with fresh and old bruises and Brandon swore softly. As expected, she was bleeding from the abortion.
When he began to probe her to determine the damage, she cried. “Don’t, please, no more.”
Brandon ignored her pleas and continued his examination. There was no internal damage from the abortion that he observed; whoever did it knew what he was doing, but what Brandon did find, infuriated him. She had been raped several times since the abortion, which he determined was the real cause of the bleeding. “Amy, who did this?” He inquired, tenderly brushing the hair back from her face.
Mistaking him for someone else in her delirium, she begged. “Please, Father, no more. It hurts so.”
Repulsed that Amy’s father would do this, Brandon made a decision which would alter Amy’s life forever. He washed his hands again and searched the room, gathering up a few of her belongings, two changes of clothing, two shifts, a night gown, her comb, brush and mirror, and the few pieces of jewelry she had in her jewelry box. He stuffed them into the portmanteau he found, placed it on the bed, and took another quick look around. Brandon didn’t want to leave anything that might have some significance to her because she would never be returning to her father’s house. He would see to it that anything else she needed would be provided. He picked her up, then the bag, and left the house while a stunned butler watched in silence, secretly glad that the lady was rescued from such an existence. Brandon carefully placed her in the carriage and gave the driver directions.
It didn’t take long for them to reach his destination. He carried the girl to the entrance of the White Lily and banged on the door. A large, dark man with an Italian accent answered. “Bruno, get me Sandy and then send for Conrad.” Brandon strode into the house of ill repute and took the stairs to a back room. He laid Amy down on the bed, stripped her of the sweat dampened shift, and drew a blanket over her.
As he was pouring water from a pitcher into a basin on the dresser, Sandy Wilks, a plump, curvy woman with curly, honey blond hair, the Madame and owner of the White Lily, rushed into the room full of concern. “Bruno sent for Raven. He is around the block at the Snaggletooth Tavern and he should be here shortly,” Sandy informed him.
“Good,” Brandon said, not looking up from Amy.
Sandy frowned sadly at the girl on the bed. “What can I do for her, Cat?”
“Have someone fetch my medical bag from the carriage and bring more water.”
Sandy nodded her head again and quickly left the room to do his bidding.
Brandon was applying cool cloths on Amy’s forehead trying to bring the fever down, when Raven, a tall, imposing man, and Damon Spencer, a slightly shorter but more muscular man, entered the room.
“Where is Connie?” Brandon demanded.
“He had a trip up the coast. He should be back in a day or two,” Raven responded and nodded to the girl as he placed Brandon’s medical bag on the small table next to the bed. “Who is the little dove?”
“Amy, a friend of Maddy’s. She had a recent abortion and her father has been abusing her. I want her out of England as soon as her fever breaks.”
It was not necessary for Brandon to explain further. Raven was used to rescuing other women from similar situations, as was Damon and Conrad. Over the years, the four of them had helped countless women and children escape fates worse than death. However, it never ceased to surprise Raven at the abuse young girls and women received from their fathers, husbands, or other male family members. He would never understand how some men enjoyed delivering such mistreatment to others weaker than themselves, and take such pleasure and satisfaction from the abuse they delivered. Raven may find it necessary to discipline those under his care from time to time, but he never enjoyed it, and he knew Brandon, Damon, and Conrad didn’t like it either.
Damon Spencer knew what was going through his friends’ minds for it was going through his as well. Like his friends, he wanted to protect this girl and he would do whatever it took to do so. He hated seeing the slight girl suffering simply because she was unfortunate enough to have a louse for a father. “I can take her to Revendonne’s chateau in France, and when she is well enough to travel, we can relocate her elsewhere,” Damon suggested, taking the girl’s small hand in his large one.
Brandon regarded his friend with gratitude. “I would appreciate that Damon. I don’t want her father finding her. I am going to have to deal with him eventually, but I would as soon put it off.”
Damon nodded and brushed Amy’s soft, brown hair from her feverish brow. “I will send him on a merry chase.”
When the door opened, the three men turned and watched Sandy walk in and set down a pitcher of cool water. “Is there anything more I can do, Cat?” She asked Brandon.
“I will need you to set a guard on her door for the night. I can’t stay with her for much longer. I have to deal with my own crisis at home,” Brandon replied, too preoccupied with Amy to realize the effect his words would have on Raven.
“What do you mean, crisis?” Raven demanded, not pleased that Brandon hadn’t confided in him if there was trouble. Power and strength of will emanated off Raven, instilling awe and deference in those around him.
Regarding his friend of many years, Brandon still found it odd and a bit disturbing that he resembled Raven more than he did his own brothers. Like himself, Raven was tall, broad of shoulder and well-muscled. They both had black hair that fell to their shoulders, but had features that were put together in a slightly different way. They even had similar personalities, mannerisms, integrity, and intelligence. The only major difference between them were their eyes. His were green and Raven’s eyes were a piercing midnight blue that seemed almost black at times. Pushing the bizarre sense of kinship away, Brandon answered. “Joselyn Parker, a friend of Madeline’s, has been threatened, and earlier today, Madeline, Deirdre, and Joselyn were attacked. They are fine,” Brandon quickly reassured them. “But Farrington is our main suspect at this time.”
“Farrington is after your family?” Raven was not at all happy that this was kept from him.
“Perhaps, perhaps not. He wasn’t very forthcoming when I confronted him the other day. I suppose only time will reveal what he is up to,” Brandon answered, sensing Raven’s displeasure with him.
“Are the Malany’s affected by this?” Raven questioned. Considering how close the two families were, he was concerned for the welfare of both.
Brandon looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t considered that Madeline’s friend Gretchen and her family would be involved. “I don’t believe so, but with Farrington you never know,” he answered.
“I don’t like this, Cat,” Raven stated, dissatisfied that he was not informed earlier of this problem. “I will set some guards on your house and the Malany’s. I am quite fond of your family and the Malanys, and I wouldn’t want to see them harmed.” He scrutinized Brandon for a long moment, making his disapproval known. “And I wish you had told me of this sooner.”
Ignoring Raven’s
reprimand, Brandon responded. “No, I don’t think that it is necessary to set guards at this time; however, I would like to keep a close watch on Farrington’s whereabouts, not that I think it will do much good considering he always hires others to do his dirty work for him.”
“That is true enough,” Damon agreed. Like his friends, he wasn’t amused by the turn of events. He sensed Raven’s annoyance with Brandon and wisely choose to ignore it. A man simply didn’t tangle with Raven when he was displeased, and he was very displeased at the moment. “Cat, you and Raven deal with your family and Farrington, I will watch over Amy and take her to France in a day or two,” he suggested. “Jean Claude will watch after her, and I will return to help you with Farrington.”
“My thanks, Damon.” Brandon squeezed his friend’s shoulder in admiration.
Damon was not quite as tall as he or Raven, but he had a deep chest that attested to his strength, rugged good looks, and soft, dark brown hair with the most unusual amber eyes. Although Damon was born an American, he had spent so much of his life at sea, he didn’t associate himself with any nation; rather, he saw himself as simply a sea captain working with his friends, helping to make the world a better place.
Brandon loved and trusted Damon like a brother, as he did Raven and Conrad. He had shared many adventures and trials with these men, and at times, they seemed more his family than his own brothers. Conrad and Raven had been there to help pick up the pieces of his life after his mother died. They raised him into manhood and set the example of what a man should be, strong, reliable, and caring. They had taught him the meaning of family and gave him the strength to take on the responsibility of caring for his own brothers and sisters.
When Damon came into his life, he learned the meaning of friendship, loyalty and bravery. Damon may be younger than he, but Damon had learned at an early age how cruel the world could be. Despite its lure of temptations, Damon had refused to embrace it, choosing instead to follow the more difficult path of righteousness, helping those less fortunate. That had been years ago. Brandon still admired these men who considered him an equal and a member of their exclusive family. As these men were there for him, Brandon would always be there for them.