Chapter 13
Charlotte had left her mother in Milly’s care after having a quick meeting with the remaining household staff. They knew her mother was ill but not how badly until Charlotte told them. All of them had, of course, said they would do what they could to take care of Victoria and not take it to heart if she had one of her mood swings.
If only Charlotte had been paying closer attention, this change in her life would still have happened, but maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad.
The car pulled into the parking lot, and she told the driver to go do whatever he liked. She’d call for him when he was needed. This meeting was going to take a few hours. She reached the doors and headed up to the third floor, then stood outside the doctor’s office, suddenly more nervous than she’d been in a long time. Her hand shook as she pushed open the door and told the secretary quietly that she had a meeting with Dr. Shannon.
“Ah, Charlotte, come in, please,” Dr. Shannon said as Charlotte poked her head inside the office.
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”
“Of course. Have a seat. I have all of your mother’s files here for you.”
“Exactly how bad is my mother’s condition? She’s had mood swings lately, but other than that, she hasn’t told me anything,” Charlotte said, skimming through the papers.
“The mood swings are a more recent development,” Dr. Shannon said as he folded his hands on his desk. “Before your father died, she suffered from bouts of depression. Nothing too serious. We were able to keep it under control with a strict drug regimen, and your father kept a good eye on her. When he died, I tried to convince her to have you help, but she said you were too young and dealing with too much grief.”
Charlotte remembered those months after her father died. They’d been hard. She’d hardly spoken a word, but her mother had been there every moment she needed her, and she’d been too blind to see that it was her mother who needed help.
“What’s wrong with her? Is she having memory problems, too? She forgot to tell me about quite a few things.”
Dr. Shannon nodded and leaned back in his chair. “I won’t lie to you, Charlotte. The road ahead for your mother will not be easy. Her depression has grown worse, and she is showing signs of being bi-polar along with dementia.”
Charlotte set the file down and frowned, trying to restrain the sadness that filled her. Her mother had been enduring this for years on her own. But no longer. Charlotte had to find a way to make sure her mother received the best care available.
“What do we do? What’s the next step for her?”
“I’ll go over the medications she needs to be taking. Also, weekly appointments with me and her therapist would be a good idea. Lately, she has been forgetting to keep them,” he said. “If we can start there, I think she will improve greatly.”
Charlotte took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, let’s start there.”
A few hours later, the car pulled around to pick Charlotte up. She was still reeling. With so many things to keep track of now, she wasn’t sure she could manage it all. For so long, she’d been floating through life, not worrying about money or where she might end up. But now, it wasn’t just about her. There were so many things she’d have to take into account. Dr. Shannon even told her that, at some point, her mother might have to be placed in a facility—a good one, but Charlotte would not be able to care for her forever. Slowly, the illnesses would worsen, and there’d be nothing they could do. She was going to watch her mother die slowly, and it tore her heart apart.
The drive back to the house seemed to take forever, but Charlotte was ready to deal with whatever her mother might throw at her about this new program. When they arrived, another car was parked in the drive. Milly rushed out the front door.
“Milly, what’s wrong?”
“Your mother and Meredith,” Milly gasped. “They’ve been yelling at each other for over an hour. I can’t get her to leave!”
“Did you call the cops?” Charlotte asked as she hurried up to the house, the driver right behind her as backup in case he needed to break up a fight. “She has no right to be here.”
Milly nodded. “Just called them. Should be here soon.”
The second Charlotte walked through the door, she heard Meredith’s shrill voice down the hall in her mother’s study. Charlotte raced back and slid into the room. Her mother’s face was red, and she had a paperweight in her hands, ready to throw it at Meredith’s head. The other woman was either too arrogant to believe Victoria would do it or too stupid to realize what was about to happen.
“Mother, please, put it down!” Charlotte yelled over them both.
Both women turned towards Charlotte, Milly, and the driver. Meredith’s eyes narrowed as Victoria’s suddenly widened. She glanced from Meredith to the paperweight in her hand and dropped it immediately.
Charlotte rushed to her mother’s side. “Are you all right? Sit down, Mom.”
“Your mother does not need to be coddled,” Meredith snapped. “She has a lot of explaining to do, as do you!”
“Keep your voice down in my home,” Victoria snapped around Charlotte.
“I will do no such thing! You can’t keep doing this to me.”
“Doing what, exactly?” Charlotte said as she blocked her mother from the other woman’s view. “You come into our home and start screaming at my mother, over what? What is wrong with you?”
Meredith barked a high-pitched laugh and stood inches from Charlotte. “Your mother and I made plans a long time ago for you to marry Quin, and here you are, cavorting with other men when you should be engaged to my son! That, and I received a phone call from our accountant. Your mother owes us money from an investment that has suddenly disappeared. I want it all back, and you will call my son and beg his forgiveness for your outlandish behavior!”
Charlotte laughed. It started as a chuckle but turned into full-blown hysterics that brought tears to her eyes. Milly glanced worriedly at her, as did the driver, but neither spoke. When she finally caught her breath, Charlotte turned her stormy glare on Meredith. “How dare you? Do you have any idea what my mother is going through right now?”
“She can’t keep playing the grief card. Her husband died ten years ago.”
“You bitch,” Charlotte said, and before she realized what she’d done, she raised her hand and slapped Meredith across the face. “My mother is sick, you heartless woman!”
Meredith held her face as she glared at Charlotte. “Sick, is she? From what, a broken heart?” She wasn’t prepared for the second hit as Charlotte smacked her again. “Why, you insolent little brat!”
Charlotte tried to lunge out of the way, but Meredith was fast for her age. She reached out and grabbed a handful of Charlotte’s hair and pulled. She yelped in pain, then turned to try and shove Meredith off, but her grip was too strong. So she kicked the woman’s legs, and they both tumbled to the floor of the study. The driver tried to jump between them as Victoria cheered her daughter on from the chair. No one except Milly heard the doorbell ring, and she rushed to answer, praying it was the cops.
Charlotte took an elbow to the face. She cursed, then aimed a punch at Meredith’s face, hitting her right in the eye just as the cops rushed in to break the two women up.
“What is going on here?” the short one with a buzzed head snapped. “Ladies! Knock it off!”
“This woman hit me first,” Meredith screeched.
“You are trespassing in my house!”
“You are trespassing,” the cop told Meredith
Meredith shook her head. “Victoria let me in. That is not trespassing.”
“Then I told you to leave, and you didn’t,” Charlotte snapped. “She insulted me and my mother.”
“So you hit her?”
Charlotte didn’t even look ashamed as she said yes which set Meredith off again.
“All right, both of you are going downtown until you cool off,” the cop said. He grabbed Charlotte’s arm to pull her out the door. The other cop was right behind them with Meredith screeching at the top of her lungs that she would sue them all for handling her this way. Charlotte told Milly to check over the papers she’d brought back from the doctor’s office and get her mother to the pharmacy to pick up her new meds.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I’ll get out eventually,” she said and let the officer put her in the back of his car—the first time ever she’d been in one. Prudence and Helen would love this story.
***
Braydon didn’t want to deal with anyone, but his phone wouldn’t stop ringing so he finally rolled over in bed and answered it. “This had better be life and death.”
“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Keagan,” a woman’s voice said, sounding a bit frantic. “But Prudence and Helen are not answering their phones, and Charlotte has been stuck in that cell for the last four hours, and I don’t want her there all night. Her mother has been asking for her, and the meds are making her extremely loopy—”
“Wait, slow down,” Braydon said as he sat up. “Who’s drugged? Did you say Charlotte was in jail?”
“Yes. Please, can you bail her out?”
“What the hell happened?”
“I think it best if she tells you herself. Thank you, sir, I appreciate it.”
“So her mother’s on drugs? Is this Milly? Can you at least tell me if her mother is all right?”
Milly sighed. “Yes and no, but it is not my place to explain.”
Braydon didn’t like not having answers, but he asked if she was at the Boston PD building downtown and assured her he’d rush over there right away and get her out. Liam was in the kitchen when he rushed by and asked where he was off to in such a hurry.
“Have to bail Charlotte out of jail,” he said.
Liam started to laugh until he saw the look on Braydon’s face. “Oh, good Lord, you’re serious?”
“I’m sure she’ll have an interesting story to tell,” he said as he rushed out the door.
***
Charlotte rubbed her throbbing head where Meredith had yanked her hair. She glanced around the large holding tank, then through the bars into the next one where Meredith sat. She had been glaring at Charlotte since they’d been tossed in, though she hadn’t said another word. That was just fine with Charlotte. The less that woman said, the better this whole situation would be.
She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, hoping her mother was okay. She’d asked one of the officers if she could make a quick call, but she’d already used her it to call the lawyer. A lot of good that had done.
He’d told her flat out he knew about their financial situation and that she could not afford to pay him. So she was stuck in jail until tomorrow morning. She tried not to panic, thinking about her mother in the house alone with only Milly and a few others to watch over her. She didn’t want to put that on them, but she didn’t have a choice.
“You could’ve just said yes,” Meredith snapped, and Charlotte’s eyes popped open. “None of this would have happened. You could’ve said yes, married Quin, and been done with the matter.”
“Why would I say yes to a man I don’t love?” she replied tightly. Several other women in the holding cell quieted to listen to their exchange through the bars. “He is my best friend, not the love of my life.”
“We made an agreement.”
“No, you and my parents made an agreement,” Charlotte argued. “That is not the same thing.”
“You knew what was expected of you, nonetheless.”
“Lady, you know what year it is, right?” another woman chipped in. “You’re trying to do an arranged marriage? What’s wrong with you?”
Meredith sat up straighter and glared at the woman. “This is none of your business.”
“It is when you sound like you’re trying to force your son on someone,” another woman said.
“Really, lady. No wonder you hit her,” a larger woman with a black eye of her own said with a wink at Charlotte. “I would’ve knocked her perfect teeth out.”
“Trust me,” Charlotte laughed, “I tried.”
Meredith jumped to her feet and grabbed the bars that separated their cells. “You little bitch!”
“What are you going to do?” All the women in Charlotte’s cell got to their feet as she watched in amusement.
“Making friends, Mother?” Meredith looked around.
Charlotte turned towards the door at the sound of the voice. “Braydon? What are you doing here?”
“He’s come to bail his mother out,” Meredith snapped as she headed towards the cell door and waved at the cop. “Come on then, hurry up. I’ve spent enough time amongst this filth.”
The burly cop tucked his hands on his belt, smirked, and walked over to the other cell. “Charlotte Finnegan? You’re allowed to leave. This man paid your bail.”
She turned to Meredith and grinned as the other women wished her good luck and she left the cell. “How did you know I was here?” she asked once she was out.
“Milly called me,” he said, his eyes shining with curiosity. “I take it there’s a great story behind this?”
“You will bail me out at once!” Meredith shouted.
Braydon’s face fell as he walked over to the other cell. “Why? Now you know what it feels like to watch someone you thought cared about you disappear. Goodbye, Mother. I’ll be sure to give your husband a call.”
“What? No, don’t tell Fredrick about this!”
“Too late. He’s on his way. Goodbye.” He put his arm around Charlotte’s shoulders, and they headed out of the station. Once they signed her out, he escorted her to his car and started laughing.
“What’s so funny? I didn’t think it was that amusing.”
Braydon shook his head, still laughing. “You got in a fistfight with my mother! How is that not amusing?”
“Not one of my best moments… Wait, do you have black eyes? And your lip,” she said, really staring at him for the first time. “What the hell happened to you? You were fine when I left you yesterday.”
“You’re not the only one who has fun now and again. Do you want a drink?”
“I have to check in with my mother first. And before you say anything,” she said, holding up a hand, “there are a few things I need to tell you about her. Mind taking me home?”
He waved at his car and said, “Your chariot awaits, love. Get in, I’ll get you home.”
***
Braydon had planned to wait in the car, but Charlotte insisted he come inside. He followed her in and heard her calling for Milly. The woman bustled around a corner and told Charlotte that Victoria was finally resting in the living room, almost asleep.
“Should I go in and see her?” Charlotte asked.
Milly shrugged. “She seems to be doing well. The drugs calmed her down like they were supposed to. I think the whole day has just worn her out.” She glanced past Charlotte and smiled at Braydon. “You must be Mr. Keagan. Thank you for getting her out of jail.”
“Words I bet you thought you’d never say.” Braydon laughed as he shook her hand.
“No, not exactly.” Milly laughed. “I think she’s all right, Charlotte. Why don’t you get yourself changed, and I’ll make some coffee?”
Charlotte nodded but went to the living room to peek in on her mother anyway. She returned a few seconds later and told Braydon she’d be right back down if he wanted to wait in the kitchen. He followed Milly towards the back of the house and sat down at the kitchen table.
“I hear it was a sight to see, her and my mother going at it,” he said.
Milly laughed. “Yes, with her mother cheering Charlotte on in the background. One of those times I wished I was without morals and had recorded it.”
“Me, too,” Braydon mused. “It’s about time someone put my mother in her place.”
“You don’t get on then?”
Braydon laughed bitterly. “Not since she walked out on me and Da for no reason other than we weren’t wealthy enough.” There were other reasons, but Milly had no need to hear them. No offense to her, but he didn’t like to broadcast his past too loudly. There were some things only meant for certain ears, and right now, those were Charlotte’s.
A few minutes later, Milly set a cup of coffee down in front of Braydon along with a pitcher of creamer and some sugar. He drank his coffee black and watched her prepare another cup for Charlotte. He watched the steam rise from the mug and disappear into the air as he ran his fingers absently over the rim. He had planned to wait to ask questions, but his curiosity got the better of him.
“What’s wrong with Victoria?”
Milly stopped her puttering around the kitchen and turned to stare sadly at him. “Has Charlotte not told you anything about her?”
“No, conversation never really turned to her mother. Well, except when she thought her mother had purposely frozen her accounts. Is she sick?”
“Mental illness,” Milly told him quietly. “I believe it runs in her family.”
Braydon frowned. His mother had known Victoria for a long time, and he couldn’t remember her mentioning it to him or anyone else in the family. Even Quin never said anything about it. He knew it was the practice of most social elites to hide such ailments, looking down on them instead of actually caring about the people they called friends. No wonder Charlotte had seemed so torn when he picked her up from the jail and why she’d gotten in a fistfight with his mother.
“Is she going to be all right?” he asked.
Milly sighed. “I don’t know. She’s on quite a bit of medication, and from what Charlotte told us, things are not looking too good.”
They fell silent, Braydon sipping his coffee and Milly glancing constantly out the door, listening for Victoria. But she stayed asleep. Braydon wished he’d known. He wasn’t sure what he could’ve done to help except perhaps kept his mother away. Maybe that would’ve been enough.
Footsteps sounded in the hall, and a moment later, Charlotte appeared in the doorway. “I could really use that coffee, Milly, thank you.”
Milly patted her hand and said she’d go peek in on Victoria. Braydon watched Charlotte drink her coffee, noted the bags under her eyes. It had been a long few days for both of them. He waited until she turned to him and asked him about that drink he’d promised.
“Are you sure you want to leave? We do have our date planned for tomorrow night. And plans to go over the presentation.”
“The presentation! I completely forgot about that,” she muttered, putting her head on the counter and shaking it. “Damn it. Now I could really use a drink. A few drinks. Hell, let’s go crazy and make it a bottle.”
Braydon was all for that idea. The last time they’d shared a bottle, they’d wound up tangled in his sheets. “Your wish is my command, my lady.”
“I don’t know if you want to deal with me right now,” she muttered, her voice muffled.
“I think I’m your best option.”
She looked up, and he grinned, nodding his head towards the door. Charlotte grinned and said she’d check in with Milly one last time before they headed out. Braydon knew the perfect place to go to help her relax. She needed a long weekend somewhere far, far away from all of this, where no worries could reach her, and maybe, he could figure out why she made him so crazy, wanting to be around her, just being there.
He couldn’t hold onto the excuse that it was because she’d been a virgin when he’d slept with her. No, it was much more than that. He tapped his fingers on the counter as he drained the rest of his coffee, trying to think, when he glanced around and saw a map of Europe. His eyes narrowed in on a tiny speck of green, and he knew exactly what he was going to do.
“Okay, Milly says she’s fine, and she’ll call me if anything happens,” Charlotte said, heading back in with her purse over her shoulder. “She’s got the doctor’s number, and she told me if you bring me back too soon she will just make you take me out again.”
“Good woman, that Milly,” Braydon said, holding out his arm. “Shall we depart?”
Charlotte placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, and he escorted her out of the house and to his car. He revved the engine a few times, then asked if she was ready for a night on the town with her dear sweet leprechaun.
“That depends,” she said. “Are you going to tell me about your face?”
“After a few drinks,” he said, “I might just tell you my whole life story.”