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shocked out of it by the loud ringing of bells. The distress that that supposed cure caused me was sufficient to make us abandon the idea very quickly. I was bled with leeches, purged, given some nasty acid to drink and galvanism applied to the nerves of my face. Yet another doctor was obsessed by the idea that he had discovered a disease new to medical science and made a great nuisance of himself, hoping to find fame through my suffering. Then, at long last, we found that I was not mad or deluded or pretending – or even alone; others, both men and women, had had this affliction before, but it was rare and known only to those who make a special study of the ear. Edwin promised that once he returned from Bristol he would change his will. But his mind was very occupied with business matters and it seems he failed to make an appointment to see his solicitor or send him a letter regarding his intentions.’
    ‘Who is your solicitor?’ asked Frances, hoping it would be her own advisor, Mr Rawsthorne.
    ‘Mr Marsden. I cannot say I like him a great deal but I have heard he knows his business.’
    Frances tried to conceal her disappointment. Mr Marsden regarded her with the kind of derisive contempt he afforded all women who aspired to professions he thought should be reserved for men. At their every meeting he lost no opportunity to belittle her undoubted achievements in the capture of criminals and mention her failure to secure a husband.
    ‘Do you still consult a medical man?’
    ‘No, I believe that medicine has done all it can do for me, which is nothing at all.’
    ‘What I propose to do, Mrs Antrobus,’ said Frances, examining the list of names once more, ‘is start by speaking to all those people who were your husband’s closest associates in the six months before he disappeared. He may have said something to them or they may have noticed something in his manner that could be a valuable clue. I will of course interview his partner, Mr Luckhurst, as well as his brother and Dr Collin. Are there any other names you could suggest? I see that you have not put the names of the other medical men on this list.’
    ‘Oh, I hadn’t thought to do so. I suppose I did not think of them either as my husband’s friends or associates. Some of them only visited once, and that was several years ago. Let me consult Charlotte and we might be able to recall their names. It was only Dr Goodwin who called more often. He was more kindly than the others.’
    ‘What of the doctor who was such a nuisance?’
    She made a tiny grimace. ‘Oh, Dr Dromgoole, yes, he caused a great deal of annoyance. He actually suggested that my condition was due to tobacco fumes I had inhaled from my husband’s clothing. Quite ridiculous. Edwin was furious with him – in fact I don’t believe I have ever seen him so exercised – and told him not to come here again. The man actually wrote to the newspapers proposing this idea but then Dr Goodwin, who is a great expert in these things, wrote to the papers to show what a foolish man Dr Dromgoole was. I saw that Dr Goodwin knew something of my affliction and wrote to him and he agreed to see me. It was he who told Edwin that it was my ears that were affected and not my mind. He was an honest man, and while he brought relief of a kind, he also told me that there was no cure.’
    ‘When did you last see Dr Dromgoole?’
    ‘It was … perhaps four years ago.’
    ‘And Dr Goodwin?’
    ‘I think he last made a professional call about a month before Edwin disappeared. After that I could no longer pay his fees, and in any case there was little more he could do for me. When he heard about Edwin he made a courtesy call, but I have not seen him since.’
    Frances added those names to the list. ‘What of the servants you employed just before your husband disappeared?’
    ‘We had a parlourmaid, Lizzie, and a cook, Mrs Dean, and Mrs Fisher who came in twice a week to clean. I doubt that they will know anything.