Curse of Black Tor by Jane Toombs Page A

you want me to leave?” she asked quietly.
    “I don't want anything to happen to you. I may as well be honest with you now. Josephine's last nurse, Miss Eccles, had a bad fall here in the house. She tripped coming down the main staircase one night. She—refused to call it an accident.”
    Martha stared at him. His face was pale, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. Why was he so upset about the nurse?
    “Is she—has she recovered?”
    “She's still at St. Joseph's. It was a bad break—the femur shattered and she needed surgery. We hope she'll be able to walk eventually.”
    “Was she—pushed?” Martha asked.
    “I had myself convinced she was confused,” Jules said. “But now you....”
    “I don't really remember much,” Martha said. “I was lying at the cliff edge when Sarah roused me enough that I could crawl back to safety. I don't know how I got there. The last I recall is watching Josephine pick up her book to read and feeling sleepy.”
    “Josephine says she thought you were asleep at first, but when she couldn't wake you, she became frightened and ran to the house for help. Apparently Sarah had wandered off to pick berries?”
    “Yes. Sarah wasn't there when I fell asleep.” Jules shook his head. “I didn't want to think Josephine had anything to do with Miss Eccles's accident. And I don’t want to blame her now. But...”
    “Why do you?”
    He glanced at her sharply. “She's not—normal. I've fought against the idea that she's deranged, but now I'm not so sure.”
    “But why does it have to be Josephine who pushed the other nurse and drugged me?”
    “The alternative is to imagine some outsider creeping around Black Tor—”
    “With a grudge against nurses?” she interrupted tartly.
    “No one in the house could be responsible for such things,” Jules said. “All the servants except Simon have been with us for years. And he's with my father.”
    “Josephine's been involved in three accidents herself,” Martha reminded him. “Have you ever once considered them as anything other than suicide attempts?”
    Jules stared at her. “Miss Eccles mentioned something similar,” he said. “She wondered about the last drug over-dose, when Josephine broke a window. Miss Eccles wasn't sure Josephine had taken the drugs on purpose. But what else is possible? Dr. Marston thinks she changed her mind after she swallowed them.”
    “Do you know where Josephine was those two years she was away from Black Tor?” Martha asked. “I was amazed that any doctor would take on a case without full cooperation from the family.”
    “It's not necessary to discuss that,” Jules said. “I'd appreciate it if you'd stay on until we can make other arrangements for Josephine.” He frowned. “Perhaps we shouldn't try to keep her at home any longer. She might be happier in—”
    Martha clamped her lips together to prevent words of disagreement from pushing out. She must be careful with Jules. Was the money that Josephine could inherit any day now influencing him? Was he to blame, as Josephine thought?
    “I'm not afraid to stay on here,” she said hastily. “Unless, of course, you prefer to dismiss me. I believe you accused me of being involved in some conspiracy to take your whale away. Perhaps you don't trust me.”
    Jules waved his hand. “Oh, that. I'm sorry about flaring up. I talked to young Lowrey yesterday afternoon. He's on loan to our museum from the University of California at San Diego. He is interested in the whale, but only because of an article he's doing for a scientific journal on the orcas. I'm afraid I antagonized him with my suspicions. Seems a nice enough chap, but he didn't take to me at all.”
    “Then you have no objection to me continuing to be Josephine’s companion?”
    Martha leaned forward and touched Jules's arm. “Please don't make any hasty decisions about your sister. She seems to trust me, and I'd like to try to help her.”
    Jules stood up and drew her to her feet. “I don't