Page 26 of A Spinster for the Rakish Duke
Emma was quiet for a long moment, staring down at her hands as they lay folded on the table. “I suppose that means I will have to return to the country; my aunt will insist. I’ve probably been here too long as it is anyway,” she said those words but didn’t mean them. “Mr. Connor, I understand that I cannot pay you for a prolonged investigation, but will you keep looking for him? Can you, please? In my absence, I need to make sure someone is looking out for him.” Her voice choked as she held back tears.
Donovan leaned across the table and placed one of his hands over hers. “Emma, I will find your brother. No matter how long it takes, you can be assured that there is someone in London looking for him.”
She nodded and stood, and Donovan stood as well in response. For a moment it looked as if she might embrace him. “I... I suppose I should get a head start on packing my things. When Mr. Herst comes back, will you give him my thanks for his aid in all of this? I’m afraid I would like to be alone for some time while I process all this.” She turned to leave, and Donovan almost followed after her, but then she stopped. “Thank you, Donovan,for everything you’ve done,” and with those words, she rushed off to the bedroom.
When Herst did eventually return, he was in a sorry state. His lip was bloodied, and a lovely shade of purple adorned his right eye.
“Good lord,” Donovan stood and helped the man sit down, “what on earth happened to you?”
“Well, I may have still been a little heated with Lord Northgnell when I agreed to distract him. Perhaps even taken it a little far,” he said with a weak laugh.
“Heavens, you didn’t strike him, did you?” Donovan asked, concerned for the larger ramifications.
Mr. Herst shook his head and laughed again. “I tripped over him and made it look like I was in a big hurry to be somewhere. Got him all riled up, so he had completely forgotten about the two of you, especially when I ignored him when he demanded I stop. He was caught by several other solicitors giving me a good walloping.” Herst was laughing harder and harder. “We both got kicked out. Neither one of us can solicit in London.”
Donovan was divided. He clearly appreciated the enjoyment that Herst was getting out of what happened to Lord Northgnell, but he was horrified that Mr. Herst had lost his chance at practicing.
“Oh, Mr. Herst, I am deeply sorry, I never meant for you to suffer so greatly to assist me,” Donovan assured him, unsure of how to rectify the situation.
“Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Connor. It may put me in a bit of a position, seeing as how my room and board were tied up in my apprenticeship, but I thought of solicitation as an opportunity more than a calling, truth be told.” He let out a deep semi-contented sigh and clearly sought to change the subject. “What about yourself and Miss Bradford? Did you fair all right? I didn’t see where you ended up getting off to.”
Donovan was not glad for this particular subject change. “She is in her room. She is packing.”
“Packing?” Herst asked, his voice concerned.
“I told her what I genuinely believe. I don't think we'll see changes in this case for some time. I told her I would keep searching for her brother, but she has to head home.” He sat down opposite of Mr. Herst. “I admit, I didn’t expect good things from telling Miss Bradford that the investigation had come to a standstill, but for some reason her leaving... well, it was the obvious conclusion.”
Mr. Herst nodded. “You did the best you could, Mr. Connor, and I was glad to have your help in all this as I am sure Miss Bradford was too,” the younger man assured him.
Donovan nodded and stood. “I suppose I should head back.” Donovan looked almost longingly to the closed bedroom doorand hesitated for a moment. “I’ll be back to say goodbye before she departs.”
“I’ll make sure she knows, Mr. Connor.”
Donovan had held her and kissed her, and now that she wanted nothing else but to seek comfort in his arms, they had run out of reasons for her to stay. Everything seemed bleak now. Even the idea of ending her betrothal seemed like a far-off fancy now. If Donovan couldn’t find her brother, then the man with the next best chance was Mr. Dole with his connections as a solicitor. Souring her relationship with him now would be the worst thing she could do for Benjamin.
She didn’t often feel stupid, but right now she felt that way. More than she ever had in her entire life. And Donovan, sweet Donovan… In all this, why did he not assert what they both clearly felt? Was he just toying with her? Did his interpretation of the letter that Martha sent mean that he intended to have his fun and leave when Mr. Dole proved to be too much of a nuisance?
Shame, guilt, desire, and excitement all swirled around inside her. She wanted nothing more than for Donovan to touch her again. The consequences of it all be damned.
As she moved to the door, she heard Mr. Herst’s entrance and listened to their conversation. She did this purely to assure herself that Mr. Herst was safe. She couldn’t help but listen inon the next part. The last thing she wanted was for Donovan to leave, but she was frozen behind her bedroom door.
He would return for her; he said that. That eased her worry. She wanted to be sure that she would see Donovan one last time. But she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle it when that true last time would eventually come.
Chapter Nineteen
“Athird day in a row, brother? What drastically inappropriate local will you be taking Lady Cheek to this time? The docks? Perhaps to have dinner at the club, bring her around to meet the gents?” Alistair sat enjoying his breakfast and had noticed his brother heading for the door.
“Unfortunately, I will have to put those plans on hold,” Donovan answered dryly. “Miss Bradford departs to return home this morning. I am off to wish her safe travels.”
“She’s leaving? You haven’t found her brother, have you? I’m sure I wouldn’t have heard the end of it if you had,” Alistair pried.
“No, unfortunately, we are at a point in the investigation where we must wait and see what happens. And that also means we are at a point where Miss Bradford must return to where she belongs,” Donovan informed his brother.
“Such as it is. Are you going to mope around like you did the last time you two parted in an unfortunate circumstance?” Alistair asked while sounding quite bored with the whole of the events.
“I have not decided yet,” Donovan informed his brother tersely before he walked out the door.
A knock at the door roused Emma from watching the tree that sprouted spring leaves outside her brother's window.
