Fellows grinned. “Name of Peaches.”
“Good lord! Why Peaches?”
“The goat often escaped into the orchard to eat the fruit, so they brought her into the stables to be with Onyx. Apparently, she and Onyx became inseparable.”
Dominic scrubbed his hands over his face. “See if the goat still lives. If so, bring her here. I confess to being skeptical. The horse will probably kick Peaches out of the stall.”
When Dominic entered the house after his ride, Jack stood in his place at the door. His usual upright stance had deserted him. He slumped against the wall.
“Not resting, Jack? I seem to remember giving you an order not to return to work for a few days.”
“Yes, milord, but I…” He closed his eyes and swayed on his feet.
Dominic took his arm and drew him away. “Return to your bed. I’ll send Michael for the doctor.”
Dr. Manners promptly drove up in a trap to treat the patient. The brindle-haired man, a few years past sixty, reassured Dominic that with rest, Jack would fully recover. “He’s a strong, young man, milord.”
“A glass of wine or brandy?” Dominic asked Manners sometime later when he joined him in the library.
“Tea, thank you. Your lordship’s brandy would be appreciated, but I have another call to make. I’d rather not arrive smelling of spirits. The doctor whose practice I took over was too fond of the bottle.”
“Another time, perhaps.” Dominic rang the bell.
Emily entered with the loaded tea tray and set it on a low table before them.
As they drank their tea, Dominic asked Manners if he’d ever treated his uncle.
“When he sought my opinion, milord. But he accepted his health was declining. He never fully recovered after the fall. Became most unlike himself. Reclusive.”
“What killed him? Was it his heart or an apoplexy?”
The doctor raised brindle eyebrows. “Why, neither. His faculties might have been weak, but he was physically as strong as an ox.”
“Then what…?”
“Took a tumble down the stairs and hit his head. Killed outright. Maisie, the old cook, found him and came for me. There was nothing I could do.”
“I’m told my uncle had taken to sleeping in the butler’s pantry.”
“That is so. His living standards became chaotic. Said he feared for his life.”
“Did he tell you why?”
“Suspected someone was after his money.”
“Did you believe he had reason for such a claim?”
The doctor shrugged. “To be honest, I found it hard to take him seriously. He was addlepated at times.”
“Could someone have struck him down?”
“Possible. But with such a head wound, it’s hard to say. One would expect some bruises from such a fall, but there were none. A dead man doesn’t bruise. But who would wish to kill him? The most likely scenario is that he lost his balance and fell headfirst down the stairs, killing himself instantly.” Manners took another scone from the plate and bit into it with an appreciative sigh. “You have an excellent cook.”
“Thank you. Where was my uncle found? On the grand staircase or the floor of the great hall?”
“No. The servants’ stairs. He appeared to be on his way down from the top floor. Goodness knows what drew him there.” He shrugged. “But as I say, he was not of sound mind at the end.”
Disturbed by the doctor’s words, Dominic walked into the garden after the doctor departed. He perched a foot on the stone rim of the recently cleaned fountain. Resting his arm on his knee, he watched the water spill onto waterlilies from a statue’s upturned urn, vaguely aware of the twitter of birds and the thud of the gardener’s spade. The breeze carried the smell of freshly turned soil.
