Page 103 of Claim Me

I followed the doctor in the hall. “Why do you need the pills?”

“I suppose there’s no harm in telling you that there are odd traces in your grandmother’s blood. It seems she may have been taking something she shouldn’t,” he said, shaking the bottle. “It would be useful to have her other medications.”

I nodded. “We’ll have them sent over. I’m not certain I understand, though. Was there a mistake? Was she taking the wrong medication? Did it cause the heart attack?”

This time he hesitated and the pause sent a shiver running up my spine. “It’s difficult to say. We don’t usually see this kind of thing in a simple heart attack.”

“What are you saying?” I demanded. “Was it a heart attack or not?”

“Yes,” he said firmly, “but it doesn’t appear to have happened naturally.”

“She was ninety,” I snapped before the meaning of his words sank in.

“And in optimal health during her physical six months ago,” he said.

“A lot can change in six months.”

“Yes,” he agreed, “but it’s our duty to look into this sort of thing—unless you ask us not to.”

He’d placed the decision on my table, waiting to see if I would take a bite. But there didn’t seem to be much of a choice. If there was a possibility that this wasn’t natural, then that meant foul play. It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened to my family, and more proof that the Crown had cause for concern would only help my case with Parliament.

“Of course, you should investigate. We’ll cooperate in any way.”

“In that case, we will need to speak to anyone who handled her medication.”

“That would mostly be Henry,” I said, struggling to remember if my grandmother had another attendant she trusted with such matters. “I’ll ask my uncle for any other household staff that might have had access.”

“I appreciate your cooperation,” the doctor said, “but I must warn you—this means we’ll need to speak with your wife. She handled your grandmother’s medication as well.”

The North Wing was dark when I reached it an hour later. The official press release could wait until tomorrow. My mobile had kept dropping my calls to Norris and Clara—an annoying quirk of old buildings that had survived the Blitz.

I went to our bedroom expecting to find Clara there lying awake. I knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until I returned with news. I wished I didn’t know that from experience. But I found our bed empty.

Turning to the nursery, I opened the door to find Penny asleep in the window seat and Elizabeth curled into a ball in her new bed.

I shut the door, opening another one to panic. I went to every room in the wing, to the office. I was on my way to the Belgian Suite when my mobile buzzed.

But it wasn’t Norris or Clara. It was a text sent from an anonymous number.

From within.

Chapter 31

Clara

Cold. Hard. Naked.

Red. Blue. Black.

Slowly the pieces formed into complete thoughts.

The room was cold.

The floor was hard.

I was naked.

I struggled up, wrapping my arms around my body and I listened. Teeth. Mine. I couldn’t control them. Then I felt it: the tremble as it rolled through me and took over my body.