The ledger key

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

At half past eight, Clara ruled the final line beneath the day’s accounts. Dr Morrow crossed the room more quickly than usual. For three years, Clara had trusted the steadiness of his hand; tonight, his thumb trembled on the open page and a black stain spread across the date. He closed the ledger beneath her hand and said the figures were complete.

“The pen leaks,” he said. His laugh was too small for the silent shop.

He carried the ledger to a cupboard that had stood open every evening Clara could remember. After locking it, he slipped the key into his waistcoat. Clara returned to the medicine labels, but wrote March where she meant April. Behind her, the key touched the coins in his pocket with a faint click.

Dr Morrow told her to put out the lamp. “At once, sir,” she replied, and trimmed the wick until the flame burned brighter. Its light caught a torn scrap of paper clinging to his cuff. Clara watched it rise and settle as his hand moved towards his pocket.

Analyse the writer’s use of language and structure in developing Clara’s doubts about Dr Morrow. Support your answer with references to the passage.