Signs of Love and Deliverance

by Tracy Kay

  Damon knew, as well as Brandon, there was no point in fighting Conrad Morgan when he was protecting them. It was best to agree and present solutions for him or Raven to consider. “Perhaps we should cancel Madeline’s party. She will be upset, but it may be for the best,” Damon suggested.

  “No, don’t do that, Damon. She needs something to focus on. Besides, we could all use a celebration, and if I am right, this party might be where our murderer makes his next move.” Raven was hoping his intuition was right. He wanted an end to the bastard who was threatening his family.

  “Then we can’t have the celebration. I won’t put my wife in danger,” Damon said adamantly.

  “We will all be there, watching and waiting. I have a feeling he will be there and he might give himself away. Don’t worry, Damon. We will make sure everyone is safe,” Raven reassured Damon with understanding. When a man like Damon loved a woman, he worried about her and her safety. He wanted to protect her.

  Conrad met Damon’s eyes with his and gave him an imperceptible nod, sending a silent message of support. Damon was getting used to the new role of husband and it would take time for him to settle into it. “I agree with Raven. If there is someone who wants to hurt Madeline and Gretchen, it is most likely someone they know, and this party will give us a chance to observe those people close to them.” He stood and walked to the door. “I am going to get those guards organized. Raven, you take care of the Malany’s home.”

  Raven nodded in agreement. “I will speak with Simon today and inform him of the guards. I will advise him to limit Gretchen’s activities and ensure he escorts her when she leaves home. I will have him limit his younger brothers’ activities as well. Gretchen and her brothers won’t like it, but for now, I feel it is necessary.

  “Good,” Conrad agreed. “Brandon, Damon, go home and be with your family,” Conrad dismissed them.

  “Lady Madeline.” The Cathcart’s butler, Avery, entered the parlor where Madeline was answering a letter from her friend Amy. “Lord Alfred Farrington is here to see you.”

  Startled, Madeline looked up from her task. “Oh, umm, send him in, Avery.” With deliberate calm, Madeline put away her letter and stood up, brushing at her gown. Hiding her trepidation, she greeted Lord Alfred when he came into the room with a stubborn lift of her chin. “Lord Alfred, what can I do for you today?”

  “Thank you for seeing me, Lady Madeline,” he said awkwardly. He hadn’t been certain she would receive him and he was nervous.

  “You do know I am married now?” Madeline hoped to put a stop to any overtures Lord Alfred might make. She did not wish a repeat of the conduct he exhibited at the Malany’s ball. If he attempted to touch her, she would have to send for Damon and allow her husband to deal with the presumptuous man.

  “I do know. I am not here to upset you, Lady Madeline. I feel I owe you an apology.” He raised a hand when she would have spoken. “Please, let me say this. I was led to believe you were available and I got carried away. I am not proud of my actions. You are beautiful and I am quite taken with you.” His faced reddened with embarrassment and he rushed on. “But my behavior was uncalled for and I wish to make amends.”

  Clearing his throat nervously, Alfred continued, “I am not like my father and I have no wish to harm you or your family. In fact, I am leaving my father’s home. I don’t want anything to do with him. Some of the things he has done, and is doing, are unacceptable and wrong.” Alfred held out the ledgers he had tucked under his arm. “I brought the ledgers of my father’s accounts, which I found in his office. Your husband, or perhaps your brother, might find them useful. I am not sure who else to give them to and I don’t know if they will be of use or importance. But if the ledgers can help put a stop to my father’s . . . illicit activities, then I guess that is something.”

  Madeline took the ledgers from his hands. “Thank you for the apology, Lord Alfred. That means a lot to me. I hadn’t expected it, considering all that had happened.” She had no intentions of apologizing for hitting him. The man had deserved it. “What are in the ledgers?” She inquired, placing the large books on the table.

  “My father has been buying orphanages and children. Those are his accounts and . . . other records. I didn’t read all of it, but I think he has been selling children and has even killed a few. I can’t deal with it. He is my father and . . .” Alfred trailed off, unable to meet her eyes.

  “I understand, Lord Alfred. I will give them to my brother, Lord Kenrik, and he can look into it,” she said carefully, not ready to trust the man. “What are you going to do now that you are leaving your father’s home?”

  “I am leaving England, maybe I will go to Italy or France. I am not sure, as long as it is away from my father. I do not wish to be here when he returns.”

  “I wish you luck, Lord Alfred, honestly, I do,” she stated sincerely.

  “Thank you, Lady Madeline, and I wish you happiness.” Alfred bowed to her and left.

  Madeline stared at the ledgers and frowned. She hoped Alfred was wrong about his father killing children. She shivered at the notion. She knew Aaron Farrington was an evil man, but she was only now beginning to realize how truly sinister that evil was.

  “I can’t believe Farrington’s son gave Madeline those ledgers,” Cassandra Bradford said to the men gathered in the Cathcart’s parlor. She was elegantly dressed in a deep blue gown. Her golden blond hair rested on her bare shoulders in soft waves. Brandon sat next to her with his arm around her creamy white shoulders, gently caressing her hand. Conrad Morgan stood at the fireplace with a drink in his hand, silently observing the people gathered in the room.

  “Believe it or not, luv, we have them,” Raven stated, seated in the chair across from Brandon and Cassandra. “And from what I have read so far, Farrington will have a lot of explaining to do when he returns to England. I don’t know if his actions will lose him his standing in Parliament, but it will put him in a precarious position. Some of the information in those records reveals his illegal activities and it may not go well for him.”

  “I am grateful that Lord Alfred was smart enough to leave his father and gave me those ledgers,” Madeline said as she and Damon entered the room together, making a beautiful couple. Madeline was wearing a cream colored gown made of silk with her hair flowing down her back in soft curls. Damon complimented her with his dark brown, waist coat and his dark brown hair fashionably clubbed in the back. Changing the subject, Madeline turned her attention to Brandon. “Where is Maxine and Chameleon, Brandon?”

  Cassandra snorted. “Maxine is trying to get Chameleon in a dress. We will be lucky if they don’t kill each other in the process.”

  “Chameleon knows that if she doesn’t put on that gown I bought her, I will go up those stairs and put it on her myself,” Conrad commented decisively. “We had the discussion earlier today,” he added humorlessly.

  Raven chuckled. “I would love to see that, Connie, truly I would.”

  Conrad sent Raven a smug grin. “She may be all grown up and sails around the world, but she wouldn’t dare defy me. I will have you beat her butt if she does,” he said with amusement.

  “Thanks, old man, appreciate you thinking of me,” Raven replied wryly, not relishing the thought of tangling with Chameleon’s hot temper.

  “Any time, puppy, any time,” Conrad answered with a wide grin.

  “What is this I hear of you beating my butt, Raven? I will deck you, I swear I will if you try,” Chameleon threatened from the doorway.

  Raven scrutinized her for a moment and grinned. “Don’t tempt me, luv. I am sure you deserve it for something.” She was a stunning sight. Her beautiful hair with multiple shades was swept up with ringlets framing her face. She wore a high-waisted gown with the sleeves off the shoulder. The soft blue of the gown brought out the blue in eyes that were so changeable. Chameleon had a beauty that was all her own. Raven held a special place for her in his heart and she meant a great deal to him.

  Chameleon laughed
good-naturedly. “I am sure I do, but I admit nothing.” She walked into the room with Maxine following behind her, who wore a pale green gown that complimented her gray eyes and her petite figure.

  Conrad Morgan looked around the room at his family and was pleased. It was rare for them all to be together in the same room. Fate had brought them together and had made them a family. “A toast,” he said, raising his glass in inspiration. “To deeds we won’t admit to and the family who loves us in spite of them.”

  “Here, here,” Raven replied as everyone chimed in.

  “Although I don’t know all of you that well, thank you for coming tonight and for making me a part of your family,” Madeline said as Damon put his arm around her.

  Conrad smiled at her. “You were always part of our family, puss, from the time I dragged Brandon onto my ship, his family became mine. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Onto business,” Raven shifted the topic. “I want everyone alert this evening. It is very possible that one of Madeline’s guests is a killer.”

  “Oh, Raven,” Madeline interrupted. “I can’t imagine any of my friends being a murderer. It can’t be possible.” She lowered her head and Damon took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

  “That may be, Madeline, but we can’t discount anyone.” Conrad sympathized with her, understanding how difficult it was for her to suspect friends of foul play.

  “We are going to pay attention to any odd behavior or unusual comments,” Brandon interjected.

  “Is there anything specific we need to be alert for?” Cassandra asked.

  Raven frowned. “I wish there was, luv. The only thing we know for certain is that he wants Madeline dead.”

  “Oh.” Put so bluntly, Madeline shivered and Damon hugged her tight.

  There was an eerie silence in the room when Avery entered. He cleared his throat to gain the room’s occupants attention. “Lord Damon, Lady Madeline, your guests are arriving,” he announced.

  Ignoring her apprehension, Madeline beamed at Damon. She was very happy to be married to him. They were perfect for one another. She was excited and couldn’t wait for the celebration to begin so she could show off her handsome, new husband. “It is going to be a wonderful night.” She tugged his arm and led him to go meet their guests.

  “This is a lovely party, Madeline,” Madeline’s mother interjected into the conversation she was having with Gretchen.

  Madeline was startled at her mother’s rare praise. “Thank you, Mother.”

  “Obviously, you married beneath you, but it is a relief that you married at all. I was about to give up on you ever marrying.” Elizabeth brushed away a non-existent bit of dirt from her gown.

  Madeline sighed. Her mother simply couldn’t give her a compliment without adding an insult. “I love Damon and he isn’t beneath me.”

  “Madeline,” Gretchen interrupted and gestured to the imposing man across the room. “What is Lord Ruxford doing here? I didn’t think you had invited him.”

  Madeline frowned and observed Lord Ruxford suspiciously. Could he be the one trying to kill her, she wondered with a shudder. “I didn’t.”

  “I invited him, dear,” Elizabeth said. “Along with Lord Henry.”

  “Whatever for, Mother? I only wanted close friends and family this evening.” Madeline was annoyed. Her mother knew she wanted her wedding celebration private.

  “For Deirdre and Gretchen, obviously.” Elizabeth smiled, satisfied that she had upset her daughter. It was a small consolation for the embarrassment Madeline caused her by marrying a commoner.

  “For Deirdre and Gretchen?” Madeline crinkled her brow at her mother with confusion.

  “Must I explain everything to you, Madeline? Really, you are daft at times,” Elizabeth said. “I invited Lord Henry because he is interested in Gretchen, and you had neglected to send him an invitation; an oversight, I am sure.” She turned to Gretchen, beaming a fake smile at her, and patted her arm. “No thanks are necessary, my dear. Being motherless and having all those brothers arguing over what to do with you, must be so trying for you. It is the least I could do to lend you a little motherly guidance and help you find a suitable husband.”

  Gretchen blinked at her in astonishment. “I . . . don’t know what to say, your grace. Um . . . ah . . . that was thoughtful of you.” She furrowed her brow in consternation and rolled her eyes at Madeline.

  Madeline met Gretchen’s eyes and crinkled her nose with annoyance. “That was unnecessary, Mother, I assure you.” She paused, glanced over at Lord Ruxford again and frowned with worry. “Mother, why is Lord Ruxford here?” She demanded of her mother.

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, lifted her head imperiously, and looked smugly at Madeline, pleased that she had irritated her daughter with her invitations. “I invited Lord Ruxford because he has shown interest in marrying Deirdre, and he would be quite the catch for her.” She was delighted with Lord Ruxford’s unexpected interest in Deirdre. He had contacted her the other day, requesting an introduction to Deirdre, and Madeline’s party was the perfect opportunity. Although Deirdre was young for marriage, Elizabeth was anxious to be rid of the tedious chore of marrying off her daughter, and Lord Ruxford’s interest provided a possible solution to her problem. She refused to allow another of her daughters to humiliate her by marrying beneath her station, and Lord Ruxford was certainly an acceptable choice for Deirdre.

  Madeline stared at her in shock. “Mother, he is too old for her, and besides, she is not ready for marriage.”

  “It is never too early, dear, and really, Deirdre being the last of my children, she may find it harder to acquire a husband than other girls. That dark hair of hers is not in fashion and she will be lucky to find a husband of good standing such as Lord Ruxford. I will go greet him. It will be quite fortuitous if he marries Deirdre.” Excited at the possibility, Elizabeth rushed off to speak with the man.

  “Deirdre can’t marry him, Madeline.” Gretchen gripped Madeline’s arm in alarm. “I feel he is a very bad man.”

  Madeline hoped she was wrong, but she was beginning to think the same. “Don’t worry, Gretchen, Brandon won’t let Elizabeth force her to marry Lord Ruxford, or any other man he disapproves. I will be sure to inform him of Mother’s plans.”

  “That is good. Now, if only I could get Warren to not consider the man for me. He is also convinced Lord Ruxford would make a good husband and Lord Henry as well,” Gretchen groaned. “Simon and Warren are giving me until my birthday to make my choice. I truly don’t want to marry, Madeline.”

  Madeline regarded her with sympathy, knowing how hard it was for Gretchen to be around people, particularly strangers. “I can have Brandon talk to Lord Simon about it if you want.”

  “That won’t be necessary, luv,” Raven said from behind them, having overheard the conversation. “I have already spoken to Simon, and unfortunately, he is not budging. Gretchen will have to make a choice soon.” Turning to Gretchen, he took her hand. “I tried, my little one.”

  Gretchen smiled shyly up at him. “Thank you for trying, Raven. It was only a matter of time. My brothers mean well and they only want me happy. But I don’t want to marry Lord Ruxford.” She glanced over at the man and caught him staring at her. “He gives me a headache,” she said oddly, gliding her hand out of Raven’s light grip and wrapping her arms around herself. “If you will excuse me, I need to go freshen up.”

  Raven watched her leave the room. “Has she had these headaches in the past, Madeline?”

  Madeline studied him a moment before answering. “When Damon and I were visiting, Lord Ruxford was there. He was asked to leave and he was not at all happy about it. Upon his leaving, Gretchen nearly collapsed. Deirdre and I had to escort her to her room.”

  Before Raven could ask her further questions, Deirdre joined them with two identical, young ladies following behind her. “Madeline, your husband is positively handsome,” said one of the young girls with a giggle.

  Madeline laughed at
her twin cousins. “He is that.” She grinned at her younger cousins, who closely resembled her sister with their rich, black hair, cobalt blue eyes, and porcelain skin. Madeline looked up at Raven and crinkled her brow. If she didn’t know better, she would swear Raven was a Cathcart. The similarity to her sister and cousins was uncanny, not to mention he could easily pass as Brandon’s twin. Dismissing her wayward and foolish thoughts, she introduced her cousins. “Raven,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “These are my cousins, Regina and Rowena.”

  Raven inclined his head to the girls and dazzled them with a smile. “Ladies, it is a pleasure to meet you.” The girls both blushed and giggled, bobbing their heads in shy greeting. A shiver ran down Raven’s spine as he watched the young ladies and a fierce feeling of protectiveness for the girls overcame him. Putting aside the strange feelings for the time being, Raven decided this was a good time to extricate himself from the girls and seek out Simon. His concern for Gretchen was mounting and he needed to know more about Lord Ruxford. “If you will excuse me, ladies, I need to have a few words with Lord Simon.” He smiled charmingly and left the young ladies to discuss whatever young ladies discussed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  “Lady Madeline, may I see you privately for a moment?” Henry Cummings asked her, having finally found the opportunity to get her alone.

  “Lord Henry, now isn’t the time,” Madeline replied, wanting to put off Henry. She was having a wonderful evening and didn’t want to leave the celebration. She was glowing and Damon was to rejoin her soon. Her brothers had whisked him off to the study for some manly bonding, but they had promised they wouldn’t be long. “Damon will be back any minute and the dancing will begin soon.”