Rook’s ear.”
“Could it have caused his recent pain and distress?”
“Certainly.”
“And his original deafness?”
“No.
The injuries responsible for that are much older.”
Vane’s attorney rose.
“Doctor, are you suggesting someone placed the creature there intentionally?”
“I cannot prove the circumstances of its entry,” Miriam answered.
“But I can state that the recent illness has a physical explanation.
It is not evidence of insanity.”
I watched Vane.
For the first time, his composure slipped.
He whispered something to Dr.
Pryce.
Then his attorney produced a folded paper.
“Your Honor, there is another matter.”
The document was my marriage agreement.
Silas Ashford’s signature appeared beneath a paragraph acknowledging fifty dollars received from Gideon Rook.
The attorney held it high.
“Mrs.
Rook herself was transferred into this household under unusual circumstances.
We submit that the marriage may have been arranged to conceal Mr.
Rook’s deteriorating condition.”
I felt heat rise into my face.
The room was suddenly full of people examining me as though I were the object of the hearing.
The judge requested the paper.
Then he asked Gideon whether he had paid the money.
Gideon read the question.
He nodded.
I felt something break inside me.
Until that moment, I had clung to the hope that my father’s claim had been exaggerated.
That the money represented some other arrangement.
But Gideon did not deny paying it.
The judge asked whether he believed the marriage gave him authority over my decisions.
Gideon wrote his reply.
The clerk read it aloud.
“No man can purchase another person’s consent.
