Charles read it twice to make quite sure he was not mistaken and said to himself that fate had clearly punished Silver even more effectively than he was able to do.
He could just about guess at the disappointment of Wilfred Shaw, who was so obviously waiting to step into the title and the delight of the Duke’s other relatives.
The Duke was, in fact, a comparatively young man, being just on fifty.
Charles was extremely interested in his being cured by herbal medicine, as his mother had always been a great believer in iron.
He remembered that whilst in France he had learned that if a man was almost dying, iron would often revive him.
The French nurses would often put a rusty nail into a glass of water and then, once it had infused, make the patient drink the water.
It seemed so extraor
