Page 72 of The Heir
“Now, none of that.” The princess reached out and tapped her once on the back of her hand. “You can say anything.”
Which in itself was an extraordinary idea. Jane lifted her gaze. “What if Mr. Rea was a part of it?”
“What do you mean?” asked the princess.
“Well, it’s only that if the late doctor wanted to steal from the household, he could do worse than having help from the man who keeps the ledgers.”
Victoria fell silent for a moment. “I had not thought of that. But that is all the more reason to speak with Mr. Rea.”
“But even if Mr. Rea was willing to talk to you, even if you are not accusing Father of paying bribes, he remains my father’s friend and confidant,” said Jane. “How could we trust him?”
And what if he decides to tell Father what’s been said?
“I don’t know,” the princess admitted. “But we would get his measure at least and perhaps find the chink in his armor.” The princess petted Dash restlessly. “We do not have many ways to pursue this. And we must pursue it.”
“There is something more, isn’t there?” asked Lehzen.
The princess’s face hardened. “Dr. Gerald says that his father may have been poisoned.”
“Poisoned!” cried Jane.
The princess nodded. “He says that the late doctor’s stomach complaint could have been poison. He said he had seen a case with similar symptoms where a daughter put arsenic in her father’s coffee.”
Jane’s breath hitched.
“Are you in earnest, ma’am?” Lehzen spoke so softly, she could barely be heard above the rattle of the carriage wheels on the cobbles.
“Dr. Gerald was,” said the princess. “Don’t tell me you can’t believe it, Lehzen?”
“I can,” Lehzen replied. “But I do not wish to. Especially as I have encouraged you to move forward with this . . . inquiry.” She shook her head. “Was he sure? Was your Dr. Gerald sure?”
“No,” admitted the princess. “He said there was no way to tell.” She stopped. “Wait. What if we asked Dr. Clarke?”
“Dr. Clarke?” echoed Lehzen.
Clarke, Jane recalled, was the new physician, the one who was willing to speak plainly with the duchess.
“Yes. He worked with Dr. Maton. Perhaps he could tell us something useful, either about the state of his health or about his actions before he died. He might even know who Dr. Maton’s close associates in the household were.”
“Aside from my father,” muttered Jane.
“Yes,” agreed the princess, apparently unbothered by her tone. “Dr. Maton may have had friends and colleagues who could tell us more.”
“How would you go about speaking with Dr. Clarke?” asked Lehzen. “You would never be permitted to see him with any kind of privacy.”
“But you could, Lehzen,” said the princess. “You could complain of a cold or some such and ask to see him. Will you?”
“If it is what you wish.”
The princess tilted her head, regarding her governess carefully. “You still do not think we should be doing this.”
The palace was in sight now. Saddler had turned them onto the carriage road. Gravel crunched beneath the wheels.
“I do not know anymore,” Lehzen said. “I cannot deny there are questions . . .”
The princess reached out and pressed Lehzen’s hand. “Speak with Dr. Clarke. It will be the easiest to arrange and can do no harm. And it will be something useful that can be done until we hear from Dr. Gerald again. He promised me he would go through his father’s papers and look for information, but that may take time. We do not wish this trail to grow cold.”
“Trail,” sniffed the governess.
