Page 7 of A Spinster for the Rakish Duke (Notorious Sisters of London #3)
Chapter Seven
“ S o... 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.
Alistair gestured violently to the Duke and said, “Please, explain to him why you are here.”
The young man nodded and turned to Donovan. “I have a letter for the brother of the Duke of Lowe.”
Donovan nodded. “That would be him,” he said pointing to his brother, but then the young man shook his head.
“No, he said his name was Alistair Connor. The Duke’s brother’s name is Donovan,” he explained slowly as if the two aristocrats were the ones who were mistaken.
“You are looking for Donovan Connor?” Donovan asked, speaking very slowly himself, hoping maybe the delivery man would realize that he had erred.
“Yes, the brother of the Duke of Lowe,” the young man repeated, the voice on the edge of exasperation.
Suddenly, it all clicked into place for Donovan. “Ah, I see. Would that letter, perchance, be from a Miss Bradford?”
The young man’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that’s exactly who it's from!”
Donovan nodded. “That’s for me.” He held out his hand, and the delivery man hesitated only for a second before handing it over. Alistair balked at the ease in which his brother received the letter.
“Miss Bradford? As in Emma Bradford? That woman you’ve been pining over?” His brother jabbed at him as Donovan tried to read the letter.
“Yes, that Emma Bradford. It would appear she needs assistance in investigating the disappearance of her brother and asks that I come to his apartment as soon as I am able,” he informed Alistair while folding and pocketing the letter.
“Her brother disappeared? That's a run of bad luck, to be true. But why is she asking you for help?” Alistair asked.
“I told her that I am an investigator,” Donovan informed his brother, unable to fully mask the sheepishness that crept into his voice as he admitted the truth.
Alistair couldn’t help but laugh. “Wait. You mean to tell me that she thinks you aren’t the Duke of Lowe but an investigator?” Another moment passed before Alistair put it together. “Wait a minute, you told her I was the Duke? Why did you go and do a thing like that?” Alistair asked.
Donovan knew his brother was genuinely confused.
He and his brother saw eye to eye on almost nothing, but one thing that he knew his brother would never grasp was any reason why Donovan might not want to be Duke of Lowe.
He respected the lineage of the title too much to give it up for petty reasons, but Alistair could only ever see it as a boon.
He was very naive that way, and Donovan tried not to hold it against him.
All of that aside, he had only wanted Emma to know who he really was, not just know him for his title.
“It’s complicated; perhaps I’ll explain it to you when I get back,” Donovan said brusquely before asking one of his footmen to grab his coat. Donovan then turned his attention to the delivery man, who he was surprised to note was still there. “Will there be anything else?” he asked.
“Well, I was just going to ask if you had a response. Seeing as I am currently technically in Miss Bradford’s employ at the moment. Thought you might want to send a letter back and giving it to me seemed pretty convenient for you is all, sir.”
“Oh, I see; I had assumed she hired a third party temporarily. If you are headed back, you may wait and ride with me in my carriage.”
Alistair snorted indignantly. “What? You’re going? Why would you go and help her after she went and broke your heart?” Alistair asked, fully baffled now.
Donovan turned to him as he prepared himself for a long day. “Because it’s my job, Alistair,” he said flatly. Alistair was more baffled after his brother answered than he ever was before.