Richard opened his mouth to speak but Caleb interrupted. ‘We met at Shady Creek. Mr Barnwell took exception to being delayed by Bowen’s death. Apparently he had urgent business in Maiden’s Creek that could not be delayed by anything so irritating as the death of an old man.’

Richard’s jaw worked. ‘A misunderstanding. I was tired and the man was a drunken sot who inconvenienced a number of people.’

Caleb had not moved but Richard took a step back as the doctor said, ‘Have a care, Barnwell. Bowen was greatly loved in this town, and a friend of mine.’

‘He may well have been but he got onto the coach drunk and made the whole journey a nightmare and then to die on my shoulder …’ Richard shuddered.

‘How inconvenient of him to die,’ Caleb barked. ‘But rest assured, Mr Barnwell, his death was not caused by alcohol.’

‘Really?’ Richard drawled, stroking his moustache. ‘You could have fooled me.’

‘A brain aneurysm often does.’ Caleb turned to Adelaide. ‘My apologies for interrupting you, Mrs Greaves. I will leave you to your visitor.’

Caleb turned on his heel and pushed past Richard, his shoulder catching the shorter man, causing Richard to take a step to steady himself. He made a show of straightening his linen jacket as if Caleb had been an annoying insect that he had to brush away.

‘What an oaf. Is that uncouth American a friend of yours, Adelaide?’ he asked, turning to face her as the door slammed shut.

‘Yes,’ she said.

He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. ‘Then, my dear, all the more reason to take you away from this dreadful place.’

‘You can hardly claim to know him, Richard.’

‘I know his sort. I spent a good deal of time in the southern states of America before and during their wretched little war.’

‘And what is his type?’

‘One of those Southerners who lost everything and will take a chance on anything. Yesterday it was a game of poker, today it’s as the town doctor, tomorrow it will be something else.’ He paused. ‘And for heaven’s sake, how did a man like that or the drunken fool on the coach get to be the town doctor?’

‘He’s only the acting town doctor.’ Even as she said those words, a wave of guilt washed over her at her disloyalty. How could she enter into Richard’s world of belittling Caleb after everything Caleb had done for the town and for her? ‘But he is very good at what he does,’ she added, too late.