Chapter 8

“And who might you be?” Dr. Sinclair asked.

“Investigator Matthias Strotham of Bow Street.”

Why would an investigator want the assistance of Dr. Sinclair?

“How might I be of service?” Dr. Sinclair asked.

The investigator shifted his eyes to Lady Olivia.

“It is a matter of amnesia, which I would prefer to keep private,” he offered.

Now she was even more intrigued.

Dr. Sinclair looked at Olivia as the corner of his mouth quirked. He then returned his attention to Mr. Strotham. “Lady Olivia was of assistance to me on a past matter. She may be helpful in this one as well.”

If he meant by assistance that they had argued over treatment, then yes, she had been. Yet, she was surprised that Dr. Sinclair would choose to include her in this matter and it had her wondering what he was truly about.

“Please come inside,” Olivia offered then showed the gentlemen to the parlor.

“We found a woman dressed in her nightclothes along the river this morning, but she cannot recall how she got there and has no memory after retiring to her chamber to prepare for sleep.”

“You hope that I might deduce the answer?” Dr. Sinclair asked.

“Perhaps she suffered a blow to the head,” Olivia offered.

“She suffered no injury to her head or anywhere else. A physician performed a thorough examination,” the investigator explained.

“You should tell us what you do know so that I can determine if I can be of assistance,” Dr. Sinclair said.

“She is Viscountess Clermont.”

Olivia’s stomach churned and she stared at Dr. Sinclair. “Clermont?” She had believed him when Dr. Sinclair claimed that the viscount was not dangerous.

“What I tell you cannot be shared further. Clermont would like to keep this matter quiet, nor does he want his wife gossiped about amongst the ton. In his opinion, she has suffered that enough.”

“I will say nothing,” Olivia assured him, though she wondered what hand her husband had played in removing the viscountess from the house.

He had retrieved his son yesterday and then his wife was found by the river this morning. The two must be connected. Was his wife not as willing to claim the child as her own even though Viscount Clermont claimed that she would? Had the prospect caused so much distress that she too suffered from amnesia, wishing to block the circumstances? Or were the events that caused her to be found by the river far more sinister?

“I never speak out of turn especially when it is in consultation with the patient, unless they explicitly give me permission to do so.”

The investigator nodded. “As I was saying, Viscountess Clermont was found this morning along the River Thames. She was awakened as the river rose and the water lapped around her body.”

“I was not aware that their estate was close to the river,” said Olivia.

“It is not,” Mr. Strotham answered. “Which is part of the dilemma of how she arrived there in her bed clothes.”

“How far away is her home from where she was found?” Dr. Sinclair asked.

“Her home is in Mayfair, but she was found near the Tower of London.”

“In her night clothing?” Olivia clarified.

“Yes. So, it is unlikely that she walked there on her own.”

“And she recalled nothing?” Dr. Sinclair asked.

“Not as of yet but it is important that she does.”

“Yes. I can see that such an incident would be disturbing,” Olivia said as she sank into the chair.

“The viscountess is missing several hours from her memory. However, she did know who she is, which is why we were able to return her to her home. The questioning of the household servants was another matter entirely. Some claim that she had been depressed of late and it was likely she intended to do herself harm. Others argued that she would not dare do so, especially since she had just given birth to twins and finally provided her husband with the heir that he needed after delivering three daughters previously. Then others insisted that she was quite happy and had been.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “As to the marriage, some claim the couple often argued while others insisted that they are in love and happy. With such conflicting opinions, and nobody admitting to knowing she was gone before morning, you can understand why it is important that Lady Clermont recover her memory.”

Olivia already knew that Clermont was going to make a claim of twins, however she would not say anything to the investigator yet. Not until she learned all the facts. Nor did she dare look at Dr. Sinclair for fear that she would betray her thoughts. If it became pertinent to the case, then she would tell Mr. Strotham what she knew, but as of now, she was not certain it was necessary even though she feared that Lord Clermont may have been responsible.

“And then there are others that claim that the viscount may have been trying to get rid of his wife now that he had a son. Those are the same ones who claim the two had not been getting along these past few years.”

“If the husband wished to get rid of the wife, he would have done so before he got her with child this last time,” Dr. Sinclair argued. “He could have easily divorced and married another in hopes of an heir.”

“Except for the scandal a divorce would invite,” the investigator offered.

“Perhaps he had been wanting to be rid of her but was delayed because she was with child. Now that he had his son, there was no reason he must keep her,” Olivia suggested.

Sinclair pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “I do not believe Lord Clermont tried to rid himself of his wife.”

“Those are my thoughts as well,” Mr. Strotham said. “The viscount was also very upset to learn what had happened to his wife. Rarely do I see a gentleman so distraught. However, I cannot rule out his possible guilt until we know exactly what happened to the viscountess.”

“And you would like me to meet with her to help with the return of her memories?” Dr. Sinclair asked.

“Yes. If it is at all possible.”

“This is a rather curious matter,” Dr. Sinclair said looking to Olivia. “Would you care to join me when I call on Lord and Lady Clermont?”

She was rather surprised that he would even ask after they had been at such odds previously.

“I was bullheaded and stubborn because she was my sister,” Dr. Sinclair said as if reading Olivia’s mind. “I would value your opinion on this matter.”

Olivia was thankful that she had been sitting down because she never thought she”d hear such from Dr. Sinclair. “It would be my pleasure to accompany you Dr. Sinclair.”

“Will you be joining us Mr. Strotham?” Dr. Sinclair asked.

“Only so much as to make introductions. I will give you my direction and ask that you seek me out after you have reached your conclusion.”

Once alone in Lady Olivia’s carriage and out of earshot of the investigator, all concern that Lady Olivia had shown earlier slipped away as she glared at him.

“I know what you are thinking,” Xavier said before she could voice her unhappiness.

“You said that he was not dangerous,” she accused.

“He is not,” Xavier insisted.

“Then explain how she ended up along the river so far from her home if he did not put her there?”

“I cannot.” Xavier shrugged. “Though I do intend to find out the truth once I help Lady Clermont recall her memory.”

Lady Olivia narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “How can you be so certain the viscount did not harm her?”

“What would be his purpose in doing so?” Xavier countered.

“Maybe his wife wasn’t willing to claim the child as her own.”

The thought had also crossed Xavier’s mind. “By not claiming the child, Lady Clermont puts her own future and that of her daughters at risk if there is no heir. She had already provided four daughters so it was unlikely she would give birth to a son in the future, which leaves everyone vulnerable if something were to happen to her husband as it would be an heir apparent who would take control.”

“Maybe he wished to be rid of her, but didn’t want to suffer a scandal and decided that now that there was a son, she was no longer needed.”

“If he wished to be rid of her, he would have done so long ago. Not after four daughters were born.” He shook his head. “It was not him. I would wager my reputation.”

Lady Olivia fell back against the squabs and crossed her arms over her chest. “Perhaps it was the heir apparent…except the son had already been born.”

“It is a most unusual and curious matter, is it not?”

“Yes,” Lady Olivia ground out. She still believed that it was the viscount who was the culprit.

“Why didn’t the person who took her just drown her. Toss her in the Thames from a bridge and be done with it if the intention was to kill her?”

“Maybe they thought she would not wake before the tide took her away.”

“Anyone who is suddenly surrounded by water will awaken in time to escape, just as the viscountess did.”

“Perhaps Clermont knew that. Maybe she was being taught a lesson that if she continued to be difficult next time she would die,” Lady Olivia offered.

Xavier was hard pressed not to laugh at her grasp for any possibility to prove the viscount was guilty.

“Do you really believe he would do such to teach her a lesson?”

Lady Olivia glanced out the window. “No.”

“There is an explanation, and we will determine what it is today,” Xavier said with confidence.

“She likely could not sleepwalk so far, could she?” Lady Olivia asked.

“Someone would have seen her long before she arrived at the Tower of London. A woman in bedclothes would have attracted attention.”

Lady Olivia blew out a sigh. “It is just that none of it makes sense. Why would anyone just leave her there? To what purpose?”

“That, I cannot answer,” Xavier admitted.

The carriage drew to a stop before the home of Lord and Lady Clermont.

Lady Olivia leaned forward. “Are you so certain that Lord Clermont did not try to harm his wife?”

“I would stake my reputation that he had nothing to do with what happened.”

Lady Olivia stared at Xavier a moment longer. “I hope that you are correct, or I will likely never trust your opinion on any matter again.”