“My father was a brute of a man,” Hilda said darkly. “I was married by the time that he returned from the battlefield, and I did not realize what he was doing to Brodie until it was too late. Not that I could ‘ave done anything anyway. My father believed that women should be seen and not heard.”
Blinking, I stared at her. “What do you mean? What was he doing to Brodie?”
“Teaching him to be a man,” Hilda said bitterly. “With his fists. When a servant finally told me what was happening, I tried to talk to Brodie, but it was too late. The sweet brother that I used to have was gone. Instead, he told me that father was right. He needed to be stronger. To learn how to be a man.”
It was worse than I thought. I closed my eyes in despair and let the needle drop from my hands. Hilda didn’t even s
