Blind Loyalty - M J Marlow (i am reading a book .txt) 📗

“Father…”
“I’ll be right here with you, child,” James told her. He nodded over to the couch. “The couch is really quite comfortable.” He looked at the other man. “Tell them to schedule the surgery, Doctor Matson.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Glenda. I’m in Room 1405 with my daughter for the rest of the day. Bring my work down here.”
“If you need to work, Father,” Joanna stated, “Rachel could stay with me.” She saw his frown. “You’re really going to fire her?” He nodded and she closed her eyes to fight back the tears. “Why you won’t let me have friends?” she asked as Matson gave her a painkiller and she drifted off.
She slept through the nurse bringing in the antibiotic. She woke up briefly and saw her father over on the couch going through a file. He was really going to stay with her, she thought. She drifted off again as the nurse gave her another sedative to prepare her for surgery. The surgery went off without a hitch and she woke up afterward with her throat feeling funny. Her hand moved up before her eyes opened and someone caught it. Her eyes shot open and her father was smiling down at her as he moved a stray curl off her forehead.
“Welcome back, darling,” he said. “The surgery went well. Your throat is going to hurt for a while and you might find it difficult to talk, but don’t be afraid. Once the swelling goes down, you’ll feel much better.” He stroked her cheek as he saw her eyelids drooping again. “Go back to sleep now. I’m here and you’re going to be fine.”
She woke up a bit later and saw a stranger in the corridor talking to Rachel. Joanna watched as the dark-haired man, who was standing so she could not see his face, lifted his hand to Rachel’s cheek and her friend smiled warmly up at him. She was in love! Joanna was happy for her. That meant she didn’t have to worry about her friend’s future. She had someone who loved her. Joanna felt tears pricking at her eyes and she laid back and fought her grief.
“Joey?” Rachel was at her side immediately as she heard the girl’s sob. “Don’t cry, darling.” She saw Joanna looking past her at the man who was leaving. “You’ll meet him later.” She stroked Joanna’s cheek. “Now tell me what has you upset.”
“I’m going to miss you, Rachel,” Joanna said softly. “I don’t want to go back to the way things were before you came to work for my father.” She looked down and picked at the edge of her blanket. “I finally had a friend!”
“I’m not going to stop being your friend, Joey,” Rachel held the girl as she burst into tears and let her cry. “Don’t you worry now, little one; things are going to get better for you.”
Things would soon be quite different for the child, but as long as her father was free Joanna would not be. Leighton had to go down. She looked over at the man standing where only she could see him and knew Adam agreed with her.
“Dry your eyes now, Joey,” Rachel said as she got a handkerchief. “Everything will be all right. I promise.” She saw the girl go white and stiffen and did not turn. “Hello, Doctor Leighton.”
“Rachel,” James nodded and came into the room. “Shouldn’t you be packing your things?”
“I already have,” Rachel told him. “I just stopped by to see how Joanna was feeling.” She kissed Joanna on the forehead. “Get better.”
Joanna nodded and watched her friend leave. She lay back and sighed. She was going to miss Rachel. For the first time in her life she actually felt like someone actually cared about her. She knew that was a disloyal thought, but she couldn’t help it. She felt her father touch her and she flinched.
“You’re going to be sixteen, Joanna,” James said as he sat down. “You’re not a child any longer; so quit pouting.” She opened her eyes and looked at him coldly. “I have decided it is time you knew about…” His phone beeped and he frowned. He looked at the display. “I have to go,” he said as he kissed her on the forehead and rose. “Try to think of this as a positive thing, darling. Now that you’re a young woman, I will begin letting you make some decisions for yourself; several of the restrictions I had placed on you before will be lifting.” He saw the surprise in her eyes and smiled. “We’ll discuss this later. Try to get some rest now.”
Rachel watched from the passenger seat in Adam’s jeep as Leighton left the hospital. They followed him and saw him getting on a jet at the airfield. Others would follow him from this point. Their task was to get to his daughter. When they returned to the hospital, however; they found Charles and two other men on the door. Rachel didn’t push it; she had no desire to get into an argument with the man. He was like the father Leighton should be, so Rachel knew he would look out for Joanna. So Adam took her out to dinner and they talked of other things.

When Joanna was released from the hospital two days later, she spent the next day hiding in her mother’s room. The conversation her father alluded to had never transpired; he had been out of town the two days she was recovering. Rachel was leaving today and she was going to be alone again with servants who did their jobs but did not become familiar with her. They knew, as she did, that was the surest way to lose their jobs. James arrived home and had her join him in the Study. He was looking tired, Joanna noted as she entered the room.
“You have to understand,” he said as he made her sit down, “that I am firing Rachel for your own good, child. She was teaching you things you are not ready to learn.” She opened her mouth to protest and he raised his hand. She quieted and lowered her head. It wouldn’t do any good to argue; it never did. “Show me how well you’ve been learning, Joanna,” James said as he raised her eyes to his and kissed her on the forehead. He nodded towards the bookcase then went to sit behind his desk. “Start with the Math.”
Two hours went by as Joanna went over her studies with her Father. He was quite impressed by his intelligent child; she had learned everything he had wanted her to learn and more besides. At fifteen, she was already studying at a college level in most of the subjects he had chosen for her to learn. She was going to make an excellent and highly accomplished wife. Not anytime soon, he thought to himself as he reached over to stroke her hair and saw a hesitant smile briefly warm her lovely face. He was not quite done training her yet.
There was a knock and Charles opened the door and stepped in at his call. “Yes, Charles?” James asked the man who acted as the head of security for the estate. “What is it?"
“Doctor Leighton,” he said simply. “Judge Winbourne is at the front gate. He wants to speak to you about your daughter.”
“Let him in then, Charles,” James nodded. Once the door closed, James cursed and Joanna looked up at him in confusion. “I’ve been keeping you from knowing about this too long, child,” he said as he turned to look at her. He held out his hand and she came to his side. He pulled her down onto his lap and held her a moment in silence. “Judge Winbourne is your grandfather, Joanna.”
“Mama’s father?” Joanna choked. He nodded and she looked at him as if he had just told her the world was ending. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“It was better for you not to know…”
“It was better for me?” Joanna broke in. “I had other family!” She got to her feet; so angry she missed the warning signs. “You had no right to keep this from me, Father. It was too cruel!” He slapped her across the face and she stared at him a moment. Then she burst into tears. “How could you?”
“Go to your room while I speak to the Judge,” he ordered her. “No side trips, and no dawdling. Is that clear, Joanna?”
Joanna nodded and left the Study just as the front door opened. She saw the tall silver-haired man stride in. His deep blue eyes met hers and she noted a brief expression of longing and regret before the man steeled himself and went into the Study. Two police officers and a woman followed him in. The man was not at all happy to be in their home and Joanna wondered what was going on.
She had the sudden feeling that she needed to be listening. So she fought the panic at the thought of the punishment she would get for disobeying her father, and went into the library. She cracked open the door between the rooms as quietly as she could and listened.
“You have no right to make such an move!” Her father was stating coldly. “Joanna is my daughter and I treat her well. These allegations of abuse are completely unwarranted.”
“We have enough to pursue the matter, Doctor,” the woman with the Judge replied stiffly. There was a pause. “Your daughter will remain in the care of Judge Winbourne and his family and you are to have only supervised contact with her until the hearing.”
“Hearing?” James sniffed. “It won’t come to that…”
“It will if I have anything to say about it,” Winbourne broke in harshly. “Where is my granddaughter, James? We will be taking her with us now.”
Joanna didn’t know whether to be terrified or excited. The Judge was her grandfather? He was here to take her away from this hateful place. It was what she had always wanted. Her father was a violent and angry man; and she wanted to be away from him, but she knew he would not let it happen. He’d find a way to hide her so that her grandfather couldn’t rescue her.
So Joanna ran up to her room to get her escape kit, using the servants back staircase and froze as she saw Rachel standing there. The woman had two suitcases packed and was waiting for her. Rachel wasn’t supposed to be here. Father had fired her.
“I couldn’t stand to see him hurting you anymore,” Rachel told her. “You’ll be much better off away from him.”
“You did this?” Joanna was stunned by the woman’s admission. “I thought you were my friend, Rachel! All you’re doing is force his hand.” She bit her lip as the tears threatened. How could she not see what this move would do? Rachel had been here