He slanted her a glance and refrained from making any snide remarks concerning said departure. She wouldn’t have had much say in his father’s decision, in any case. “His symptoms?”
Answering his questions seemed to put her on steadier ground. “The earl had a fit of apoplexy, with no prior warning. Thank goodness Jonathan was here. He saw to everything, calling in the doctor—”
“The same physician who treated me? My so-calledfamilydoctor?” That’s what they’d told Teddy at the time, and being in no position to know better, he’d believed them.
In retrospect, the physician had not been the experienced practitioner who’d taken care of Teddy and his family all his life, but a younger man whom he’d never laid eyes on prior to the war. “Dr. Shine?”
“Yes.”
With an impatient snap of his fingers, he directed her toward the antechamber. There, Teddy set about opening the drapes and folding back the shutters to allow fresh air into the space. “What did this Dr. Shine have to say? What’s the underlying cause for father’s illness?”
“He surmised the problem to be his heart.”
He faced her, splaying his hands on his hips. “And the treatment?”
“Rest, a peaceful environ, regular bleeding, naturally, and a specially prepared tisane.”
The last gave him pause. Without another word, he marched back to his father’s bedside, removed the lid to the teapot, and held the pot to his nose. Bloody hell. It was the same vile substance the doctor had forced on him.
He stalked from the room, teapot in hand, and issued a harsh, “Downstairs. Now.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Poison? I don’tunderstand how that can be. Dr Shine is a respected physician.” Felicity sat across from him in the den, perched on the armchair facing his father’s massive desk, looking thoroughly stunned.
Seated in his father’s desk chair, Teddy regarded her, searching for signs of duplicity. He saw none. Drumming his fingers on the leather blotter, he asked, “Says who?”
“Well, Jonathan. And your father, of course.”
“Where did this doctor come from to begin with? What happened to Doctor Pierce?”
“Your father asked Jonathan to bring in someone else.”
“Why?”
She flushed and looked away. “You know how private your father is. He wanted someone who wouldn’t be in a position to spread gossip.”
Ah. His father hadn’t wanted word of his son’s shameful condition getting out. His heir could not be seen to have any inherent defects. “Do you have this doctor’s direction?”
“Of course.”
“Send for him.”
“Now? At this time of the evening?”
He gave that some thought. He could practically hear Danvers advising him to wait until he’d strategized with a cool head. “Let’s set a meeting for first thing tomorrow morning. And, I think it’s best you make no mention of my having returned.”
“Very well.”
“By the by, am I correct in assuming Jonathan is residing here?”
“Yes. He began an accounting internship in London shortly after your departure and, the earl, as a favor to his younger brother, invited him to stay for the duration of his time here.”
Teddy wondered how much of the real man his cousin had gotten to see as a house guest for such an extended time. Typically, the earl kept his mask of banal imperturbability in place for all to see—for all save Teddy whom he viewed as little more than a reflection of himself.
“Excellent. I’d like to talk with him. When do you expect him home?”
She looked distinctly discomfited. “Tomorrow, midday. He’s currently enjoying a weekend away at a country house party.” She swallowed. “He and Lady Catherine.”
