Dr. Rumsey's patient

the long version

The men of Awdry Court have a curse on their line: faced with an event of great violence or emotion, their memories will wipe it away, and they will slowly degenerate in mind and body into an early death. Robert Awdry seems to have avoided the curse until a misunderstanding about the affections of a village maid result in him killing another man in self defense. His memory of the event gone, he allows another man to be punished for the crime and begins to descend into a listless cloud. The famous Dr. Rumsey takes an interest in the case, but what will happen if Awdry regains his memory and has to face his crime?