Page 35 of Because I Could Not Stop for Death

“I agree,” Emily said. “But it is the only explanation of what might have happened to young Henry Noble.”

Miss Gilbert nodded. “It does sound to me like your brother was in some kind of trouble. Did he find trouble often?”

I thought of the many times that my brother found trouble and the many times that I helped him out of it. Or, when it was even more complicated, when Matthew helped him out of it.

I could only guess what Matthew would think if he knew that Emily, Miss Gilbert, and I were looking at my brother’s death as a possible murder.

“He did have a way of finding trouble, miss, but I can assure you that he had a good heart,” I said.

Miss Gilbert seemed to consider this, and then she said, “What I think is the most interesting piece is the location where Henry died.”

“Why is that?” Emily asked.

“I have heard rumors about the town stables in relation to what Lavinia said at supper.”

“About the slave catcher?” Emily asked in surprise.

Miss Gilbert nodded. “There are stories that there is something happening at the stables. Mrs.Charles said that she saw a Black man there in shackles. He was held there until the slave catcher came and took him back to Virginia.”

“That’s horrible,” I blurted out. “I can’t believe something like this is happening right here in such a learned town as Amherst.”

“I heard this whispered at church,” Miss Gilbert said. “I don’t know if it’s true. Elmer Johnson is not well-liked in town, so any rumors about him tend to be harsh. You know how the church ladies like to gossip about anything and everything.”

“Another reason not to go to church,” Emily said.

“You have reasons enough,” Miss Gilbert said. “But it might be easier for your foray into society if you did attend. It would be easier for the family as well.”

Emily lifted her chin. “It is not my goal to make my movements in society easier. It was not what I was put on this earth to do.”

“And what were you put on earth to do?” Miss Gilbert asked, but she asked it in such a way that I think she already knew the answer.

“To write.” She held up her hand as if she were brandishing a pen.

Miss Gilbert nodded approval. “I wish that for you and for myself, my dear Emily. My journey will be more difficult when I have children and responsibilities at home.”

A strange look crossed Emily’s face, as if she didn’t completely approve of Miss Gilbert having a family with her brother.

“We need to find out if this rumor about the stables is true, and if it is, could it be related to Henry’s death,” Emily said.

“I don’t know how to begin,” I said.

“We will just have to find out by speaking to people. There are guests, stable hands, and people that board their horses there. It is impossible to believe that a slave catcher could move around the stables so often and go unnoticed. We need to question those people.”

“But won’t that draw attention?” I asked nervously.

Emily laughed. “We are women. They won’t think a thing about us asking questions. They will wonder why we are there, but they won’t see us as a threat.”

“Even though they should,” Miss Gilbert said.

“Precisely,” Emily agreed.

Chapter Thirteen

It was a few days before Emily and I could return to the stables to ask questions. There was much to do to prepare the family for their trip to Washington, and on the way home the Dickinson ladies would be visiting friends in Philadelphia. Emily would be away from Amherst a total of five weeks. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to our “investigation,” as she called it, when she was gone. Should I carry on alone?

There was a light dusting of snow on the ground over the gray piles of frozen slush along the streets. It was just enough to mask the ugliness of the late winter. Carlo trotted out ahead of us while we walked through town to the stables.

“You will have to keep a watchful eye on Carlo for me while I’m gone,” Emily said. “I have not been away from him for this long before. He will be lonely.”

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