The truly relevant questions—What day is it? What is your name? Who sits upon the throne of the United Kingdom? What is the sum of 23 plus 42 plus 4?—had been dispensed within the first two minutes of Robert’s testimony.

“Not all of my memories from the years in Soames’s care were bad,” Robert said. “I formed fast friendships with the other residents, and I met my wife there.”

Weatherby sent a sly smile toward the jury. “Are you married, then, Your Grace?”

“As it happens, I am.”

The jury looked uncertain, while Weatherby appeared to have found a gold sovereign among his legal notes.

“Has the queen of the fairies accepted your proposal? Perhaps you married a madwoman while you were still a minor? Do favor us with the details, Your Grace.”

Sir Leviticus rose and aimed a disdainful look at Weatherby. “I ask the commission to instruct Mr. Weatherby regarding his duty of civility toward the witness. Mocking one alleged to be disabled should be beneath the dignity of any decent person, and mocking a witness worse yet.”

“Weatherby,” Drossman growled, “stop baiting the witness. The noon hour approaches.”

Weatherby merely smiled. “To whom are you married, Your Grace?”

“To the former Lady Constance Wentworth, who is present in the gallery. We met while I resided with Dr. Soames. Her ladyship briefly joined the domestic staff years ago. We renewed our acquaintance as our siblings courted, and her ladyship did me the great honor of accepting my proposal.”

Her ladyship wasn’t looking very honored at present, or rather, Her Grace wasn’t. She looked ready to murder Solomon Weatherby.

“How is it you come to be married when we’ve heard of no ceremony, Your Grace? You must admit an invisible wedding is hard to credit.”

Weatherby’s tediousness would drive Robert daft in truth. “Dr. Pietr Sorenson married us by special license when we had occasion to request a letter of introduction from him. We did not want to detract from the attention due our siblings, who were also planning to wed and who have now done so.”

Robert and Constance had also needed to travel to Fendle Bridge as a married couple, though the outing had made a poor wedding journey.

The gallery was abuzz, pointing at Constance, who bore that rudeness with enviable serenity.

“Well, congratulations on your nuptials, Your Grace.” Weatherby sounded jovial, but his gaze had narrowed, “and on distracting the commission from my original question: Why buy, then give away, a prosperous property where you had been hospitalized for half your life?”