Page 6 of A Spinster for the Rakish Duke (Notorious Sisters of London #3)
Chapter Six
“ T hank you very much, Ma’am,” the man said as he was brought something to eat and drink while he filled them in on the situation.
“Now, I know you are very concerned and excited Mr…” Emma hesitated.
“Herst. Martin Herst is the name, Miss,” the young man said nervously. “You can call me Mr. Herst, iffen you like, Miss, but I’ve not even begun my apprenticeship officially yet, so technically you can call me Martin. Or Marty, that's what my mates call me.”
Emma half-smiled. She wished she had gotten to meet this young man in better times.
“All right, Mr. Herst. I know you are worried about Mr. Bradford, but why don’t you start from the very beginning and explain how you ended up coming here.
Just so that my aunt and I can understand exactly what has transpired,” she explained slowly and calmly to the excited young man.
He nodded and quickly began, slowing himself enough so he was intelligible, but he still spoke at an extremely excited pace.
“Well, I am Mr. Bradford’s apprentice, or I will be his apprentice very soon.
Right now, I am his delivery man, but he says I can be his apprentice just as soon as I finish reading this big, long list of books he gave me.
I think he thinks I’m gonna quit, being perfectly honest, but I am already halfway through the list. Getting to be, I think, all I do is read, eat and sleep. ”
Herst took a breath, “Anyways, so I’ve been living with Mr. Bradford in his apartment, so that I may do things he needs done and all that, and he says he needs to go out and get some things, papers and whatnot. And I said to him, why don’t you let me go and get them, but he was very insistent.”
“What sort of papers did he mean?” Emma asked, curious if she could possibly get an insight into the situation.
“He didn’t say, but that wasn’t that odd, truth be told, he is a very private man, Mr. Bradford. Thought his business was his own. But if he wanted to go himself, they must have been very important papers, at least that's what I figured.”
Emma nodded and encouraged Herst to continue.
“Well, that's the thing, isn’t it? He left in the evening, it would be two days ago today, and didn’t come back that night.
Next day was all a mess. Spent the first half of the day sending people away before I had the whip-smart idea to put up a sign.
Then I checked all in his usual places to see if anyone had seen him, and nobody had.
So, I came back and thought about it for a while until I saw this letter from an Aunt Barbara, and I figured if anyone would be able to help me find out where he has gone, it is his family.
So, I hired a carriage driver, and now I’m here.
” The young man finished with another deep breath and then slumped slightly as if he had been holding that story in all the way to the townhouse from London.
“Thank you, Mr. Herst. I think my Aunt and I will leave you to your meal while we sort out what we will do next,” Emma said, giving the young man a gentle nod that caused his cheeks to burn bright red.
Emma caught the stern look on her aunt’s face as they departed the room and knew that the normally suspicious Barbara was already mistrustful of this young man. When they entered the living room and shut the door, she was determined to confirm that suspicion.
“What do you make of the situation?” Emma asked.
“I don’t trust the young man; I can say that for sure,” Aunt Barbara was quick to reply.
“Really?” Emma pushed. “It seems like he is telling the truth to me.”
Barbara clucked and shook her head. “How come we have never heard of this apprentice before? He probably stole your brother's carriage and came up with this story to try and get money out of us.”
“Doesn’t that seem a bit elaborate? Surely Occam’s razor would apply here?” Emma asked.
“Who’s razor?” Her aunt asked quizzically.
“Occam. He was a monk. He said that the simplest answer to a question is most likely the correct one,” Emma explained. She thought about it for a moment then spoke again. “I will have to return with him to London.”
“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.”