Devil May Care (A Jonathan Harker Mystery) by Tony Evans Read Free Book Online Page B

obtain an interview with Dr Goodwin, as I felt sure his plea that I should prevent Flora’s marriage might provide some important information. Edith informed me that he held a Thursday morning surgery at eleven o’clock and so I set off – riding the faithful Willow – with the intention of arriving at ten. If the doctor was unable to see me then I could at any rate fix a time for a later appointment.
    I soon reached the large semi-detached villa on the outskirts of St Ives where Dr Goodwin shared a set of consulting rooms with Dr Theodore Leonard, the senior partner in their practice. I handed my card to his maid, saying that I wished to have a word concerning a confidential medical matter: it had occurred to me that if Dr Goodwin agreed to speak to me he might wish the reason for our meeting to remain a secret. Whether or not this subterfuge helped to reassure him I cannot say, but the upshot was that shortly afterwards I was led through a large consulting room and into his study.
    The personable young man who stood up to greet me was formally dressed in preparation for his morning surgery and seemed the model of the modern medical practitioner. There was however a certain nervousness in his manner which suggested that he had deduced my reason for visiting him unannounced. I decided that in the circumstances a direct approach would be best.
    ‘Dr Goodwin, we’ve already met briefly, as I’m sure you recall,’ I said. ‘I will be blunt. You must tell me what lay behind your comments to me on Tuesday morning. You begged me to prevent the forthcoming marriage between Flora Haywood and Sir Owen Velland. Why? What do you know about the baronet? Believe me when I say that what you have to tell me could be of vital importance. The outside world need know nothing of our conversation.’
    Dr Goodwin nodded slowly. ‘Very well, Mr Harker. I am prepared to speak openly to you and will tell you all that I know.
    ‘I joined Dr Leonard’s practice just over five years ago, in August 1890. It was my first professional appointment since completing my medical degree at Edinburgh and after four years Dr Leonard was kind enough to make me his junior partner, the position which I now hold. Dr Leonard is a very experienced medical man, but now close to retirement.
    ‘You will know that in September 1890 Sir Owen Velland succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father and returned to Carrick Manor that same month, together with his older cousin, Mr Arnold Paxton. The previous baronet – Sir Eustace Velland – had been Dr Leonard’s patient and so naturally my colleague took on responsibility for the new residents. Sir Owen has always been in excellent health, but Dr Leonard was very concerned about the baronet’s cousin when he first met him. Paxton was fifty one years old at that time – eleven years older than Sir Owen – and according to Dr Leonard he was suffering from severe congestion of the heart, together with dropsy and other associated symptoms. The doctor felt that the poor man could hardly be expected to survive for another year and had told Paxton as much. Then in March 1891, some six months later, Dr Leonard developed a severe chill – he had been to see a patient and had been caught in a cloudburst on the way home – and at my insistence was confined to bed for a week.
    ‘Two days later an urgent message was received from Carrick Manor: could Dr Leonard come immediately, as Arnold Paxton had been thrown from his horse and had received a dangerous blow to the head. Of course there was no question of my troubling the doctor and so I left myself at once.
    ‘When I arrived at the Manor I was shown straight upstairs by the butler to the room where Paxton had been put to bed. With him was Sir Owen Velland, whom I had met briefly on a number of occasions. Sir Owen’s reaction upon seeing me was strange. He became very angry and demanded to know why Dr Leonard had not been sent. When I explained the reason and