Page 8 of A Spinster for the Rakish Duke
“What? No. No! Of course, you cannot do that,” her Aunt stated flat out.
“If Benjamin is missing, he could be in trouble. He could need help.” Emma insisted.
“And what if I am right? What if this is all some sort of scam or trick? Or Benjamin could be off gallivanting in his own interests?” Barbara asked.
“He wouldn’t do that. He isn’t the type of man to behave in such a manner. And he especially wouldn’t risk anything with Father on his way home from the pilgrimage. And even if it were true, then Benjamin still needs my help, just for different reasons. Either way, it's not an excuse to stay here and do nothing,” Emma said and turned to leave for the guest room to grab the few things she had on hand.
She felt her Aunt’s hand grip her arm firmly. “This isn’t, perchance, a way for you to avoid dealing with your betrothal, is it dear Emma?” her aunt asked, the firmness and terseness in her voice making Emma momentarily feel like a little girl again.
“Aunt Barbara, are you accusing me of exploiting danger that my brother may be in to avoid dealing with an embarrassing romantic issue?” Emma asked, making strong eye contact. “Because if that is what you are accusing me of, then you hold a very low opinion of the love I hold for this family.”
Aunt Barbara held fast a moment longer before loosening her grip, shaking her head gently. “No, of course not dear. I’m sorry. I was still in the moment of the discussion we were having earlier, and I didn’t get my head back on right.” Her tone reaffirmed itself, but it was still gentler than before. “I don’t think it's wise for you to go to London, but if you think it's important to go then I won’t stop you.”
“I think it is more important than anything else happening right now, Aunt Barbara. Even if Benjamin isn’t in serious trouble, it's not like him to just disappear. I want to... I need to make sure he is all right,” Emma added as an afterthought to assuage her aunt. “I’m sure Mr. Dole can understand the importance of that, don’t you agree?”
Her aunt nodded weakly. “Of course, dear. Mr. Dole just wants you to be happy and safe. That same desire extends to your family, I am sure.”
Chapter Seven
“So... where do we begin?” Emma said, partially to herself and partially as a question to Mr. Herst.
This was not Emma’s first trip to London, far from it, but it would be her first trip without her brother or her father to chaperone her. This made her nervous and excited all at the same time, and she bounced her foot lightly along with the rocking motion of the carriage. The part she felt was the most unfortunate was that there was no way she could possibly enjoy any part of this trip given the circumstances.
“I don’t know, Miss Bradford. That is why I came and got you. I figured his family might have a better idea of where to find Mr. Bradford,” Herst answered the rhetorical question all the same.
Mr. Herst seemed very new to riding in a carriage in general, let alone riding with a woman. He shifted to and fro on the seat across from her, either unable to be comfortable or unable to decide where it was appropriate to sit opposite from her.Emma’s mind was so focused on formulating a plan to find her brother that she probably wouldn’t have noticed except that it was so overt she couldn’t help it. She didn’t draw attention to it though; the poor lad had been more than helpful, and she knew enough about young men to know better.
Getting into London proper was a whole new mess, though. The closer one got to the hub of the city, where life wound and pulsed down every street, the harder it was to move by carriage. And for a young woman raised in the country, it was not safe for Emma to walk the street, despite her frustration with their pace. No, she had to wait out the eventual methodical creaking as they inched their way to her brother’s apartment.
Emma stood by when Herst unlocked the door to allow her entrance. The apartment was somewhere Emma had only been to a couple of times, but she was unsurprised to find it immaculately clean. Once she had finished settling into the guest room, she sat down with Herst at the small table that was used for dining.
“Mr. Herst, if you could put together a list of my brother's clients or acquaintances he saw frequently, I would appreciate that.” She saw him open his mouth but interrupted. “I’m aware that you spoke to them already but having an idea of where to begin will still be helpful.”
The young man nodded in agreement and left to put together what was asked of him, leaving Emma to her thoughts at the table.
She knew that if her brother were simply caught up with one of those people on that list that he would have been home by now, and she could see he wasn’t. Which meant, if he was gone voluntarily, then he did not want to be found and probably wouldn’t be. To Emma that was unlikely, but if something did happen to him, something dire or nefarious, that meant it could be someone on that list who would want to conceal it, or someone not on that list that Emma wouldn’t know how to locate.
Emma let out a sigh. Maybe her Aunt had been right; maybe it had been a bad idea to come out here; after all, she was clearly in over her head. She needed someone, an expert who could investigate on her behalf. Emma sat upright with such suddenness she startled Mr. Herst to the point that he almost dropped a stack of papers.
“Here is the list,” he said, sliding her a sheet of paper, “as well as your brother's address book.” He placed a small leather notebook on top of the list. “Anyone who he sees less often, so that I was unaware of them, would be listed in there.”
“I’m surprised that he didn’t have this on his person when he left,” Emma said, wondering if the book's abandonment could be a possible clue in and of itself. She abandoned that idea for another one though and started to leaf through the book.
“It wasn’t particularly odd,” the apprentice mused. “He confided in me that he memorized the book just in case he ever forgot it, and it got to the point that he didn't take it with him whatsoever.”
“It is in here. Excellent.” Emma pointed to a name in the book. “The Duke of Lowe, Mr. Herst. His brother is an investigator that I am friends with. I need you to deliver a message to the Duke’s brother, a Mr. Donovan Connor, and have him come visit me here as soon as possible,” Emma said as she grabbed some fresh paper from the stack and penned a note for Donovan. “I believe he will be willing and able to help us.”
“A real-life investigator? Well, isn’t that exactly what we need? Lucky day!” he said happily. Not a moment after the ink was dry on the note did Herst have it in his hand as he sped out the door.
Now Emma could only hope that Donovan would be willing to help her find her brother.
Donovan had been looking through some possible investments half-heartedly when he heard his brother's voice raised from the other side of the house.
“Either the note is for me, or it isn’t, you dolt. Are you looking for the brother of the Duke of Lowe or not?” His voice was growing louder as he shouted, by which Donovan knew he was headed this way. His brother could have a notoriously short fuse with employees from outside the house, and it had caused the estate more than its fair share of problems. So, Donovan was already quite cross when he met the incident halfway as it was coming to meet him.
His brother was escorting a very young man in what looked to be in a worn suit. He clutched a letter in his hand and wore a determined look on his face. Alistair wore his usual look of indignation and frustration.
“What is going on here?” Donovan asked.
