“Then your unfortunate malady is inherited,” Weatherby said, his statement dripping with false pity, “and I’m sure Dr. Warner would tell us that what is inherited cannot be cured.”

“My condition is not inherited, but rather, the result of serious head injuries sustained one after the other at the age of eleven. My brother, Nathaniel, has no symptoms of the falling sickness, as he would doubtless testify. He would further testify that I myself had no symptoms until after my boyhood riding accidents.”

Robert offered this hearsay on behalf of his brother with an apologetic smile at the commission, who were at risk for missing their nooning, thanks to Weatherby’s ridiculousness.

Sir Leviticus was re-reading the note in his hand, and that, along with a quiet and growing sense of dread, kept Robert from claiming a premature victory. Weatherby was not acting defeated, and Neville Philpot wasn’t looking ashamed.

“Have you more questions, Mr. Weatherby?” Drossman asked.

“Yes, I have more questions. I am far from done with my interrogation. Have you a physician in residence at Rothhaven Hall, Your Grace?”

“I do not. I doubt any of the epileptic patients your friend Dr. Warner has treated have physicians in residence, and not one of those five people was declared mentally incompetent either.”

A snicker went through the gallery. Nathaniel was trying not to smile.

Weatherby grabbed his lapels and drew himself up. “I respectfully ask the commission to caution His Grace. He is under oath and bound to answer my questions, not expound upon whatever speculation seizes his considerable fancy.”

Drossman waved a hand. “No gratuitous speculation, please, Your Grace. Weatherby, are you almost finished? I vow I’ve yet to see anything approaching lunacy in these proceedings, unless it’s the lunacy of lawyers alleging mental illness where it doesn’t exist.”

The commission only oversaw the proceedings. The jury made the actual finding, and the jury appeared amused by Drossman’s observations.

“To the contrary, sir, this matter deserves our utmost consideration,” Weatherby said, raising his voice to be heard over the whispers flying around the gallery. “We see here a man afflicted since his youth with seizures, and we have the unrefuted testimony of Dr. Warner that seizures can and do diminish reason.”

Weatherby swept Robert with a pitying look. “His Grace was hospitalized for years, no matter the genteel fictions maintained to the contrary, and now we learn that despite these factors, a man of considerable means has no medical professional on hand to care for him. His family has provided no such medical professional, and some in attendance today regard this as a laughing matter.”