Page 28 of The Lady Who Left (The Flower Sisters #4)
“ T hank you again for your time, Dr. Brunner.” Archie extended his hand and shook that of the Austrian psychiatrist before sitting in the chair opposite him. His office was deep in the bowels of King’s College London and was, impossibly, more cluttered than Archie’s, but with medical journals, notebooks, and diagrams of the brain littering the surfaces and posted to the single wall not covered in bookshelves.
Claus Brunner was everything Archie had expected. Tufts of white hair sprung around his ears, matching eyebrows so thick that Archie wondered if they might cause his thick spectacles to fall off if he winked. He was dressed in a mismatch of layered plaids, and he was tall and slim in a way that, when he stood, he reminded Archie of an umbrella as he unfolded himself.
“This is an interesting case, and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Dr. Brunner said after he and Archie reviewed the particulars. “The impact of verbal cruelty is well documented and has been used in matrimonial hearings in the United States and continental Europe. England is lagging.”
He laid into the last bit like Archie was at fault for the errors of his countrymen. “But it’s been done before?”
“Yes. Abuse does not need to involve bruises to cause an impact. While we’re still determining how significant that impact may be, children of abusive households bear scars deeper than their skin.”
“I agree.” More than you know . “What I don’t know is if the court will find Lady Croydon’s situation serious enough to warrant a cause for divorce.”
“That I can’t help you with. I’ve never testified in a divorce case before.”
Archie attempted to hide his disappointment. “I was made to believe you have experience with legal proceedings.”
“I do,” Dr. Brunner said, “but those were cases challenging the Lunacy Act. While the marriage may have dissolved after my involvement, that was never the primary aim of my testimony. That act is an atrocity, and puts the burden on the wife to prove her sanity, not the other way around.”
A creeping sense of alarm began crawling over his skin. “Can you prove Lady Croydon is sane?”
His lips flattened. “She’s not my patient, and there isn’t time before the trial for me to evaluate her properly, so it would be unethical for me to advise the court one way or the other. All I can do is provide some legitimacy to your claim of abuse and perhaps offer you some advice. ”
Swirling panic simmered. Had he gone about arguing this case all wrong? “What is that?”
“I have noted that English courts tend to look more favorably on testimony like mine when a male child is the victim, not the wife.”
Archie bristled. “Why is that?”
He shrugged. “Many feel the woman is exaggerating her claims, accusing her husband so she can end the marriage without substantive evidence.”
His blood simmered. “So unless there is an unimpeachable witness…”
“The court is unlikely to believe her.” The doctor steepled his long fingers. “But she has children, no?” When Archie nodded, he continued. “Is there a son old enough to corroborate her testimony?”
“There is.” Archie shifted in his seat. “But he’s a boy of twelve. Her ladyship was clear that he’s not to testify. Her sons cannot be part of this.”
“Is he the heir to the marquess’ title?”
“He is.”
“He could make a good case for the abuse, and the court may be more inclined to take notice of a peer of the realm.”
A weight pressed against his lungs, and he rubbed his sternum to relieve it.
Could he convince Marigold to allow Reggie to take the stand if she knew it was in her best interest? What if he didn’t tell her, waited until he had an inkling of how the judge was leaning and then decide? The marquess may not even put up a defense, and the entire issue would be moot.
Dr. Brunner’s nostrils flared on his exhalation. “I assume Lady Croydon is testifying?”
“Yes,” he said, the tension building in his chest.
The man’s bushy brows knit together, but his spectacles stayed in place. “Are you concerned?”
Archie huffed a sigh. “To be frank, yes. I suspect her husband will make a case that she is not mentally fit and have her institutionalized.”
Dr. Brunner flattened his lips. “And you disagree with this assertion.”
“Completely. She is nervous by nature, and when agitated, her stutter is pronounced. I fear my opponent will attempt to provoke her and make her seem unreliable, or worse, insane.”
“He’d need doctors to corroborate his claim. Does he have those?”
“I don’t know.” I should know , he berated himself, wishing he’d been more assertive when he’d thought of this issue days ago.
“I hope you have a sympathetic judge, Mr. Grant. If her husband makes any argument for her mental instability, she can only do herself more harm than good by losing her composure.”
Archie pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and exhaled sharply. “What would you advise I do?”
“I’m not a barrister.” He propped his chin on his steepled fingers. “But I’ll tell you what I wouldn’t do. If you care for her at all, you won’t let Lady Croydon on the stand.”