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She wrinkled her nose. “I’m afraid she doesn’t trust anyone outside of her own household. Well, Felicity doesn’t know, of course, but I’m sure the rest of her household are loyal accomplices.”
“Good God. Why the hell doesn’t she just hire an inquiry agent?”
“John suggested just that, but she refused. She’s afraid of Lord Beath, you see. If he found out, he would take Felicity away again.”
“If Beath finds out she’s roaming the stews exacting vigilante justice, he’ll probably try to lock her up,” Braden tartly replied.
“But you know what happens when one is seeking justice on behalf of a loved one. It’s hard to leave the matter to someone else—especially when everyone has failed you.”
“I cannot believe she doesn’t trust you and John.”
“Not enough to share her secrets. Besides, do you really think John wouldn’t try to stop her if he could? The stubborn girl simply ignores him.”
“But I take itI’mexpected to stop her,” Braden sardonically replied.
Bathsheba held both hands up, as if to say,of course.
“And how am I supposed to do this?”
“You’re a Kendrick. You’ll figure it out.”
“Naturally, I’m flattered by your confidence in me,” he retorted.
Frustrated, he stood and began to pace. Why thehellwere women so damn stubborn when it came to their own safety?
“Braden, she needs help,” Bathsheba quietly said after a minute or so.
“I’m aware.”
“So, what do you plan to do?”
“Frankly, I haven’t a bloody clue.”
He’d figure it out, though. The lass had saved his life, and now it looked like he might have to be the saving of hers.
CHAPTER11
Mrs. Culp leaned into Braden’s cramped little office. “I’ll just finish cleaning up for the day, sir. Unless ye have something else needs doing?”
Braden glanced at the clock, surprised to see how late it was.
It had been an extremely busy few days with his patients, both at the clinic and at the Royal Infirmary. He’d also spent a chunk of the last two nights lurking like a footpad outside Samantha’s townhouse. Though she was an intelligent woman and he didn’t think she’d venture into Old Town without Donny, he’d decided not to take the risk. Grief coupled with a desire for justice could often turn to vengeance. And a need for vengeance could override any sense of caution.
So far, Samantha’s caution had won the day.
“Whatever you have left,” Braden said, “you can leave it for tomorrow. You’ve had a long enough day as it is, Mrs. Culp.”
“It’ll take just a wee minute. And yer day’s been longer, I reckon.”
He flashed her a wry smile. “I don’t know what I would do without you. You are a treasure.”
She snorted. “You’ll nae be getting around me with yer pretty words, because I’ll be giving ye a lecture. Ye’ve been working too late these last few weeks, and I’ll not have it. Yer wearing yerself to the bone, Dr. Kendrick. It canna go on like this.”
Braden took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes, then stretched his arms out to the side. His cubbyhole office was so tight that his fingers brushed the bookshelf shoved up against his desk. He desperately needed a larger space for his growing roster of patients.
It would soon be time to hit up his brothers for additional funding, a chore he dreaded. Not because they begrudged him the money. Nick and Logan would build him a hospital, if he wanted it. But they’d already supported him in so many ways, Nick especially. He’d always given Braden everything he needed to achieve his dream even in those dark days when the family had staggered from one crisis to the next. More than anything, Braden wanted to give back to his family, to make them as proud of him as he was of them.
They would all protest at that, of course, and insist they couldn’t be prouder of him. But his brothers were all larger than life—successful in their work and with happy marriages and thriving families. While Kade wasn’t married, he was fast becoming the toast of the musical world, his light shining ever brighter in that sphere.
