Page 23 of A Botanist and A Betrothal (Gentleman Scholars #4)
L incoln had just convinced the medical doctor and the mapmaker at the scholarly institute to return with him to Mr. Caldwell’s property to assist in the research of the rare plants when a constable showed up. Roderick came out to Lincoln’s small building, accompanied by the constable.
“Doctor Welby,” Roderick began, his use of Lincoln’s formal title immediately putting Lincoln on alert. “This gentleman has arrived to claim you’ve stolen someone else’s research.”
Lincoln stared at them both as heat flooded his body. Grandfather Westbrook is going to have fits about this, he thought, even as he wondered at his own sanity for thinking something so utterly ridiculous in the moment.
“Who is making such a claim?” Lincoln asked, not approaching either of the men but keeping a large table between them as a precaution. It was rather foolish of him, considering there was no other exit from the small building, but he wasn’t going to allow himself to be caught off guard. This was obviously a trap of some sort, since Lincoln knew he hadn’t stolen anything.
“Is it Doctor Horace?” he asked the constable again.
“I don’t rightly know, sir,” the man replied. “All I know is I’m here to arrest you.”
“Arrest me?” Lincoln replied, a mix of shock and anger bubbling up. “That seems unnecessary.”
“Well, you need to explain matters to the magistrate. That’s all I know,” the constable replied in a threatening manner, as though sensing Lincoln’s desire to run.
The other two fellows showed up at the door just at that moment.
“What’s going on here?” the medical doctor asked with a frown.
“There’s some sort of misunderstanding about Lincoln’s research, it seems,” Roderick replied quietly. “I think this can probably all be handled quite easily, don’t you, Mr. Constable? I’m reasonably sure Doctor Welby will happily make an appointment with the magistrate to clear it all up. You needn’t collect him at this time, as he will require a solicitor to accompany him to argue his case.”
Lincoln felt equal parts anger and terror warring within him. A solicitor—he had just dismissed the thought that he needed one to defend his right to access Mr. Caldwell’s property, but now it would seem he truly needed to defend that right, especially if it was Horace bringing an accusation against him. How was he to know?
“I can assure you, I’m perfectly innocent,” Lincoln drawled to the constable.
Thankfully, both Roderick Northcutt’s High Society background and Lincoln’s own confidence in his tone of voice sufficiently intimidated the constable, who backed down and agreed that Lincoln could make an arrangement with the magistrate himself.
“But don’t you go running off, young man. I know where you live,” the constable warned.
Lincoln laughed as the man left, even though the situation was far from amusing. The man might know where Lincoln lived, but Lincoln had access to many other dwellings. If he wished, he could lead the constable on a merry chase, but he had no desire to do so.
He was a fine, upstanding citizen who did his duty. He was going beyond his duty at this time, trying to find a cure for an ailment that was becoming increasingly common. Speaking of which, he didn’t have time for this nonsense—he had to return to Mr. Caldwell’s property and ensure his plants were safe, and his fiancée as well.
“What am I to do, Roderick?” he asked his mentor.
“Leave it with me,” Roderick replied immediately. “I’ll have the solicitor accompany me to the magistrate and see what I can find out. If your presence is required, I know where you’ll be. I appreciate you not bringing the troubles you’re facing over there to this estate, considering we have a small child on the property now. But I can assure you, there are many Everleigh properties that could shelter you if need be.”
Lincoln laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Grandfather Westbrook would happily provide for me if I require it, and he has an even longer nose than your father to look down upon our poor constable, so I should be just fine. It’s just the matter of my career, as well as what this might do to my fiancée if word gets out that my integrity is in question.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Lincoln. For one, you have enough well-placed friends who will stand by you to ensure your integrity is protected, as well as your safety. Your Miss Lowell has no need to be concerned for her standing or her safety.”
“That might be true, but she didn’t even want to accept my suit before this added problem,” Lincoln grumbled.
The other scholars laughed at their friend in good natured fun.
“It’s good to know we’re not the only ones not so popular with the ladies,” the medical doctor jested. “But in all seriousness, you know we’ll stand beside you.”
“Of course,” Lincoln replied immediately. “Just look at you, lowering yourself to botany for the day.”
They all laughed, releasing some of the pressure of the stress Lincoln had been under. He had no idea what to do about any of it.
“Oh,” he said, remembering, “we’ve also discovered some clues—or at least a connection to Greta’s poem—at Caldwell’s place. I don’t know what the connection is exactly, but if you get bored of my plants, you can always chase after that. It turns out we might be in a race for time against others looking for the same treasure.”
“Really? Well, you left that till the end!” the mapmaker exclaimed, horrified. “How could you?”
“What can I say, Sidney? I’ve had other things on my mind. Curing heart disease seems a little bit more important than finding what I thought was going to be a bunch of old books. But if Mr. Caldwell is involved, Vesta is convinced it must be gems, as you were hoping.”
“Well, that’s what I like to hear. What are we doing still here?” Sidney added with a laugh.
Lincoln tried to be light-hearted as he left his troubles behind, but it felt to him as though he were going from the frying pan into the fire as he left the threat of arrest at the Scholarly Institute and headed toward the threat of possible violence at Mr. Caldwell’s property.
What was the rest of the day going to hold for him?