Chapter 11 - The Doctor Who SignedThe first doctor denied everything.
Dr. Alistair Fenwick had treated the Whitmore family for twenty-five years and wore his reputation like armor.
He sat in Alexander’s study with a handkerchief folded in his pocket and said, “Lady Eleanor is an anxious grandmother. Nothing more.”
Alexander placed the lab report on the desk.
Fenwick did not touch it.
Nathan placed the altered medical summaries beside it.
Fenwick looked older suddenly.
Grace stood near the window, not because Alexander asked her to, but because Dr. Cole insisted she be present. Grace had observed Iris daily. Her notes mattered.
Fenwick’s eyes flicked toward her with disdain.
“Household staff often misunderstand medical nuance.”
Grace said nothing.
Alexander leaned forward. “Try that sentence again and I will end your career before dinner.”
Fenwick swallowed.
Then the lies began to crack.
He admitted Eleanor had pressured him to emphasize delays. He admitted he had signed reports he did not personally verify. He admitted the sedative was “mild” and “only intended for stressful episodes.”
Dr. Cole’s face went cold. “A toddler’s developmental assessment is not a stressful episode.”
Fenwick’s voice shook. “Lady Eleanor believed excessive hope would harm the child.”
Alexander stood.
“No. Hope threatened her control.”
Fenwick looked down.
Then Nathan asked the question that changed everything.
“Was Amelia Whitmore aware of your concerns before her death?”
Fenwick went still.
Alexander’s heartbeat slowed.
“What concerns?”
Fenwick closed his eyes.
“She asked me to document Iris’s progress privately. She feared Lady Eleanor would interfere.”
Alexander gripped the back of his chair.
“And did you?”
Fenwick whispered, “Yes.”
“Where are the records?”
No answer.
Nathan repeated, “Where?”
Fenwick looked toward the locked sitting room.
“Lady Eleanor took them after the funeral.”
From the hallway came a crash.
Everyone ran.
Grace reached the staircase first.
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At the bottom stood Eleanor, holding Amelia’s old medical folder over the fireplace.
The first page was already burning.
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