opened and Dr Magorian strode in, his wife at his side. Dr Catchpole made a choking sound. He pushed past Dr Magorian and vanished into the fog.
‘There he is!’ Mrs Magorian pointed at Dr Bain. ‘The defiler!’
‘What?’ Dr Bain staggered to his feet. The handkerchief he was now holding to his brow was almost as bloodstained as his waistcoat. He put out a hand to steady himself and brought a jar of powdered senna pod crashing to the ground.
‘You and my daughter,’ said Dr Magorian. ‘Last night.’
Dr Bain shook his head, a look of pain and confusion on his face. ‘Dr Magorian, I—’
‘Don’t trouble to deny it. I have witnesses. My dear wife for one. Mr Jem Flockhart for another.’
‘I admit that I saw someone in the courtyard last night,’ I said. ‘But it was too dark to see precisely who it was.’ I might still be angry with Dr Bain, but I would not hand him over to his enemies.
‘Dr Catchpole appears to have meted out just punishment already,’ said Dr Magorian. He loomed over the bloodstained Dr Bain, swinging his stick in his hand. ‘Which saves me the trouble.’
‘Sir, I—’
‘You have despoiled her!’ cried Dr Magorian.
‘I’ve not touched her!’
Mrs Magorian wrung her hands together, and shook her head. ‘“
Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart
”,’ she whispered. ‘Matthew, chapter five , verse twenty-eight. Oh!’ She dabbed at her lips, as if overcome by nausea.
‘Quite so, my dear,’ said Dr Magorian. She looked up at him and nodded, as if giving her consent, before turning her head away. Dr Magorian took hold of one of Dr Bain’s lapels and leaned forward. ‘I don’t need the Bible to tell me what sort of a man you are. You may do as you please with other men’s wives and daughters, but you will not do as you please with mine.’ He pressed the head of his cane hard into Dr Bain’s crotch. ‘I think you understand me.’
‘Well, Jem, I deserved that, didn’t I? Who’d have thought old Catchpole had it in him.’
‘Why must you be so provoking?’
‘I don’t know.’ Dr Bain winced as I dabbed at his head with a cotton pad soaked in witch hazel. ‘Thank God they’ve all gone.’
After the excitement and violence of the morning, I too was glad to have some quietness. Dr and Mrs Magorian had swept out into the fog. Mrs Speedicut had gone off to the laundry room; Gabriel had gone to the cook house. My father had asked to be helped upstairs to his room ‘to get some peace from this infernal madhouse’. Only Will remained, poring over his plan of St Saviour’s while he waited for the kettle to boil. After his morning in the apothecary I wondered whether the excavations of the churchyard had taken on a more appealing aspect. At least the incumbents did not fight amongst themselves.
‘And now you’ve got Miss Magorian in trouble,’ I said.
‘Yes.’ Dr Bain sighed. ‘And I’m sorry for that. But it was her idea that we meet. She said she had something she wanted to speak to me about. But then when she came she didn’t say anything much. She seemed rather nervous, in fact.’ He grinned. ‘D’you think she’s in love with me?’
I exchanged the witch hazel for a wad of gauze soaked in alcohol and pressed it to the wound above Dr Bain’s eye. ‘Ow!’
‘Serves you right. But it’s a shallow cut. It could have been much worse.’ What game was Eliza playing? I resolved to find out, one way or another. ‘It’s just as well that her father blames you for the meeting.’ I wrapped a bandage about his head to hold the gauze in place. ‘Now, take a look at these, if that’s what you came for, and then go home. We’ve seen more than enough of you for one day.’
Before him, on the table top, I placed the six small coffins. Dr Bain looked at them in silence. He did not move, he did not touch them. ‘Where did you find them?’ he said at last.
‘In the old
‘There he is!’ Mrs Magorian pointed at Dr Bain. ‘The defiler!’
‘What?’ Dr Bain staggered to his feet. The handkerchief he was now holding to his brow was almost as bloodstained as his waistcoat. He put out a hand to steady himself and brought a jar of powdered senna pod crashing to the ground.
‘You and my daughter,’ said Dr Magorian. ‘Last night.’
Dr Bain shook his head, a look of pain and confusion on his face. ‘Dr Magorian, I—’
‘Don’t trouble to deny it. I have witnesses. My dear wife for one. Mr Jem Flockhart for another.’
‘I admit that I saw someone in the courtyard last night,’ I said. ‘But it was too dark to see precisely who it was.’ I might still be angry with Dr Bain, but I would not hand him over to his enemies.
‘Dr Catchpole appears to have meted out just punishment already,’ said Dr Magorian. He loomed over the bloodstained Dr Bain, swinging his stick in his hand. ‘Which saves me the trouble.’
‘Sir, I—’
‘You have despoiled her!’ cried Dr Magorian.
‘I’ve not touched her!’
Mrs Magorian wrung her hands together, and shook her head. ‘“
Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart
”,’ she whispered. ‘Matthew, chapter five , verse twenty-eight. Oh!’ She dabbed at her lips, as if overcome by nausea.
‘Quite so, my dear,’ said Dr Magorian. She looked up at him and nodded, as if giving her consent, before turning her head away. Dr Magorian took hold of one of Dr Bain’s lapels and leaned forward. ‘I don’t need the Bible to tell me what sort of a man you are. You may do as you please with other men’s wives and daughters, but you will not do as you please with mine.’ He pressed the head of his cane hard into Dr Bain’s crotch. ‘I think you understand me.’
‘Well, Jem, I deserved that, didn’t I? Who’d have thought old Catchpole had it in him.’
‘Why must you be so provoking?’
‘I don’t know.’ Dr Bain winced as I dabbed at his head with a cotton pad soaked in witch hazel. ‘Thank God they’ve all gone.’
After the excitement and violence of the morning, I too was glad to have some quietness. Dr and Mrs Magorian had swept out into the fog. Mrs Speedicut had gone off to the laundry room; Gabriel had gone to the cook house. My father had asked to be helped upstairs to his room ‘to get some peace from this infernal madhouse’. Only Will remained, poring over his plan of St Saviour’s while he waited for the kettle to boil. After his morning in the apothecary I wondered whether the excavations of the churchyard had taken on a more appealing aspect. At least the incumbents did not fight amongst themselves.
‘And now you’ve got Miss Magorian in trouble,’ I said.
‘Yes.’ Dr Bain sighed. ‘And I’m sorry for that. But it was her idea that we meet. She said she had something she wanted to speak to me about. But then when she came she didn’t say anything much. She seemed rather nervous, in fact.’ He grinned. ‘D’you think she’s in love with me?’
I exchanged the witch hazel for a wad of gauze soaked in alcohol and pressed it to the wound above Dr Bain’s eye. ‘Ow!’
‘Serves you right. But it’s a shallow cut. It could have been much worse.’ What game was Eliza playing? I resolved to find out, one way or another. ‘It’s just as well that her father blames you for the meeting.’ I wrapped a bandage about his head to hold the gauze in place. ‘Now, take a look at these, if that’s what you came for, and then go home. We’ve seen more than enough of you for one day.’
Before him, on the table top, I placed the six small coffins. Dr Bain looked at them in silence. He did not move, he did not touch them. ‘Where did you find them?’ he said at last.
‘In the old
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