hand.’
‘If you have the letter in your possession, I insist on seeing it,’ Adair demanded.
‘You will all have that opportunity, I promise,’ said Frances. ‘May I take it, gentlemen, that you are now able to accept that whoever it is you are in dispute with over the letter from Sanitas, it is not each other?’
There was something of a pause and then, with a small measure of reluctance, they assented.
‘The editor of the Chronicle has told me that correspondence on the subject is now closed, so even if further letters should arrive at his office, he will not publish them,’ said Frances. ‘Before we continue, I would like an assurance from all of you that while I am engaged by yourselves to look into this matter, you will refrain from taking any legal action which might complicate my investigation?’
Adair looked disgruntled, but joined the other two men in granting that assurance.
‘One of the correspondents was Mr Whibley’s doctor, who declined to give his name,’ said Frances. ‘If any of you know his name, I should like to know it, as I would very much like to interview him.’
‘Well, I was not Whibley’s doctor, although there were many who suggested I was,’ said Adair. ‘I do not think I ever met the man, neither do I know who advised him.’
Mr Lathwal and Mr Rustrum similarly did not have the information and said that they had never met Mr Whibley.
Frances gave a clean sheet of paper and a pencil to each of the men. ‘Kindly write your names at the top of the sheet,’ she said. ‘When you have done so I will ask you to look at some correspondence and make a note of your conclusions.’
While her visitors were thus occupied, looking comically like a row of overgrown schoolboys at their lessons, Frances took a letter from the folder and laid it on the table in front of her, the salutation and signature concealed by pieces of card. It was a test, since the document was not a letter that the Chronicle had chosen to publish, probably because it was wholly innocuous in content. The writer stated only that the sad demise of Mr Whibley must serve as a warning that any course of weight reduction should be undertaken very gradually. Frances simply wanted to see how the three gentlemen reacted to an item of neutral import so that she might compare this to their later behaviour.
‘I am going to ask you to examine a number of letters. In each case, I wish you to come forward one by one and view but do not touch what is on the table. Say nothing, but if you recognise the writing or the notepaper, or anything that tells you who the author might be, please record the name of that person. If you do not know, then write down that fact.’
Each of the men came to look at the first letter, and as they did so, Frances studied their expressions. Only Mr Rustrum seemed to show any sign of recognition. There was no displeasure on his face, just a small tilt of the eyebrow.
The next letter Frances showed them was written by Mr Whibley’s medical man. She did not wish to give her visitors any clues by showing them text that had already appeared in the newspapers, but fortunately, the correspondence had been so extensive that the Chronicle had been obliged to edit some of the duller passages and Frances was able to select for viewing a few lines that had not been printed.
This time a brief change in Dr Adair’s expression told her that he had seen something with which he was familiar.
The next letter was by Bainiardus. Frances felt sure that none of the three men recognised the hand, although once they had returned to their seats, Mr Lathwal returned to the table for a second glance.
There followed another test, a letter written to Frances by her own doctor, Dr Collin, and finally there was the letter from Sanitas.
Frances closed the folder and addressed her visitors. ‘Please consider what you have seen and written, and if you wish to see any of these letters again, you need only ask,’ she
‘If you have the letter in your possession, I insist on seeing it,’ Adair demanded.
‘You will all have that opportunity, I promise,’ said Frances. ‘May I take it, gentlemen, that you are now able to accept that whoever it is you are in dispute with over the letter from Sanitas, it is not each other?’
There was something of a pause and then, with a small measure of reluctance, they assented.
‘The editor of the Chronicle has told me that correspondence on the subject is now closed, so even if further letters should arrive at his office, he will not publish them,’ said Frances. ‘Before we continue, I would like an assurance from all of you that while I am engaged by yourselves to look into this matter, you will refrain from taking any legal action which might complicate my investigation?’
Adair looked disgruntled, but joined the other two men in granting that assurance.
‘One of the correspondents was Mr Whibley’s doctor, who declined to give his name,’ said Frances. ‘If any of you know his name, I should like to know it, as I would very much like to interview him.’
‘Well, I was not Whibley’s doctor, although there were many who suggested I was,’ said Adair. ‘I do not think I ever met the man, neither do I know who advised him.’
Mr Lathwal and Mr Rustrum similarly did not have the information and said that they had never met Mr Whibley.
Frances gave a clean sheet of paper and a pencil to each of the men. ‘Kindly write your names at the top of the sheet,’ she said. ‘When you have done so I will ask you to look at some correspondence and make a note of your conclusions.’
While her visitors were thus occupied, looking comically like a row of overgrown schoolboys at their lessons, Frances took a letter from the folder and laid it on the table in front of her, the salutation and signature concealed by pieces of card. It was a test, since the document was not a letter that the Chronicle had chosen to publish, probably because it was wholly innocuous in content. The writer stated only that the sad demise of Mr Whibley must serve as a warning that any course of weight reduction should be undertaken very gradually. Frances simply wanted to see how the three gentlemen reacted to an item of neutral import so that she might compare this to their later behaviour.
‘I am going to ask you to examine a number of letters. In each case, I wish you to come forward one by one and view but do not touch what is on the table. Say nothing, but if you recognise the writing or the notepaper, or anything that tells you who the author might be, please record the name of that person. If you do not know, then write down that fact.’
Each of the men came to look at the first letter, and as they did so, Frances studied their expressions. Only Mr Rustrum seemed to show any sign of recognition. There was no displeasure on his face, just a small tilt of the eyebrow.
The next letter Frances showed them was written by Mr Whibley’s medical man. She did not wish to give her visitors any clues by showing them text that had already appeared in the newspapers, but fortunately, the correspondence had been so extensive that the Chronicle had been obliged to edit some of the duller passages and Frances was able to select for viewing a few lines that had not been printed.
This time a brief change in Dr Adair’s expression told her that he had seen something with which he was familiar.
The next letter was by Bainiardus. Frances felt sure that none of the three men recognised the hand, although once they had returned to their seats, Mr Lathwal returned to the table for a second glance.
There followed another test, a letter written to Frances by her own doctor, Dr Collin, and finally there was the letter from Sanitas.
Frances closed the folder and addressed her visitors. ‘Please consider what you have seen and written, and if you wish to see any of these letters again, you need only ask,’ she
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