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Braden’s professional life was a worthy one, and he was proud of it. But there was so much misery and want surrounding him, and he barely made a dent in it. He needed to do much more, so he’d again ask Nick and Logan for help because he couldn’t let his stupid pride get in the way of the work that had to be done.
“Dr. Kendrick, are ye listening?” Mrs. Culp asked with some asperity.
He slipped his spectacles into his pocket and stood. “I always listen to you. I’m afraid you’ll box my ears if I don’t.”
“As if I would ever do such a thing,” she huffed. “But Iwillsend a note around to yer sister-in-law, telling her that yer working too hard.”
He smiled. “Not to worry. I already received a scolding on the very same subject from my grandfather.”
Over breakfast, Angus had delivered a lecture about choosing work over family and neglectingthe kith and kin of his bosom, the nearest and dearest to his heart. Braden had thought it more than slightly redundant and had made the mistake of saying so. An Angus eruption had resulted, one that required Kade’s intervention to calm the old fellow down. Braden had finally managed to make his escape, but not before Kade had stopped him on the way out and made him promise to spend some time with their grandfather.
“He’s not getting any younger,” his brother had said. “Grandda won’t be with us forever, you know. And he does miss us.”
Braden had then spent the rest of the day feeling guilty about his family, piling yet another problem on his plate.
“Good for yer grandda,” Mrs. Culp said. “Ye have circles under yer eyes as big as coins. Not enough sleep, for certain.”
Well, holding surveillance on a woman’s house did cut into one’s sleeping time. Braden was now convinced, though, that Lady Samantha had the good sense not to venture out without Donny. So tonight he would finally get some much-needed rest.
“I’ll be on my way home soon,” he said with a reassuring smile, “and you should be off, too. I’ll lock up.”
Mrs. Culp snapped her fingers. “I’m that woolly in the head that I almost forgot. This note came earlier, while ye were with that last patient.”
When she pulled a cream-colored envelope from the pocket of her apron, Braden recognized the elegant scrawl as belonging to Bathsheba. He tore it open and scanned the note.
“Dammit to hell,” he muttered.
Mrs. Culp sighed. “I’m thinking ye’ll nae be getting that extra sleep now, after all.”
Braden slipped the note into his pocket. “Probably not.”
“Anything I can help with, sir?”
Why not tell her? After all, born and bred in Old Town, few knew it better than Mrs. Culp.
“It’s from Mrs. Blackmore. One of the girls who attends school at the Penwith Charitable Foundation has disappeared. When the staff followed up with her relatives, they claimed they hadn’t seen her in a week. Needless to say, Mrs. Blackmore is quite concerned, and since her husband is still out of town, she wants me to follow up.”
What she really wanted him to do was keep an eye on Samantha. With another disappearance, this time a girl, Bathsheba was no doubt afraid Samantha would take matters into her own hands. Without Donny to serve as guard, that could be disastrous.
“That would be Betsy McNair,” Mrs. Culp said.
Braden frowned. “Yes. How did you know?”
“One of my neighbors is friendly with Betsy’s aunt. She thinks her niece grew tired of classes and all that learning. Betsy was sweet on a local fella who was moving to Glasgow to find work, so Mrs. McNair thinks the lass up and went with him.”
“She thinks?” Braden skeptically replied. “Wouldn’t the girl tell her relatives?”
“Maybe not. Last year, Betsy’s folks sent her over from Ireland to stay with her aunt and uncle. They weren’t best pleased about the situation. They already have five of their own little ones to feed, after all. Mrs. McNair was more relieved than not to have the lass out of her hair.”
“How old is Betsy?”
“Fifteen, maybe sixteen.”
Braden stared at Mrs. Culp in disbelief. “Good God, she’s barely more than a child. And her family isn’t concerned about her running off with a man?”
Mrs. Culp grimaced. “It’s not so unusual in Old Town, sad to say. And the lass would ken that she was a burden to her kin. It wouldn’t be a wonder if she thought going to Glasgow with her fella would be better for everyone.”
“That’s an ugly choice for a such a young girl to have to make, and according to Mrs. Blackmore, not one that entirely makes sense. Betsy was an excellent pupil with good prospects. It seems much riskier to go off to Glasgow.”
