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‘Did you tell her she could not return now?’
‘I didn’t see her. She approached Ebony. I don’t know exactly what transpired, except that Winifred is dead, and Ebony is alive. I don’t know if she ever intended to tell me, but things went badly wrong, and she ran away to escape the results of her actions. I did not know at the time, obviously. I was in danger, quite wrongly, of being hanged for having killed Ebony, who is clearly alive. I never actually saw Winifred, and I certainly did not kill her. From the evidence of Falthorne, who used to be my butler, you know more than I did until now.’
Beside Daniel, Kitteridge let out his breath. ‘The bastard!’ he said bitterly.
Grisewood gave a slight bow, very slight, but it was a gesture the jury would not miss. It was as if Grisewood were acknowledging Graves as a gentleman, an equal for whom he had been able to perform a service.
Kitteridge nudged Daniel. ‘Do you want me to do this?’
‘No!’ Daniel took a breath. ‘No, thank you.’
‘Then don’t make me wish I had,’ Kitteridge said with a smile. ‘Nail the swine!’
Daniel rose to his feet. ‘I don’t need to introduce myself to you, Mr Graves. We know each other quite well. Mr Kitteridge had the responsibility of mounting the appeal after you were convicted of murder, and we found the proof that you were, in fact, not guilty. I dare say you remember me?’
There was a rustle of movement, and definitely of interest, around the room. The jury stared at Daniel with renewed attention, and even respect.
‘Indeed.’ Graves knew enough to be polite, whatever his actual emotion.
‘As you say, you did not know what happened in that bedroom, or that the body was that of your first wife – in fact, your only actual wife. I believe you. What I find more op
en to question is that the “arrangement” you reached with Ebony Cumberford was with her agreement, even more than your own. She says otherwise. In fact, she has a certificate of marriage which she believed to be valid.’ Daniel turned to the judge. ‘I submit it into evidence, my lord.’
It was duly passed up, and the judge regarded it. ‘If it is not, then it is a remarkably good forgery,’ he said unhappily.
‘Mrs . . . I mean . . . Miss Cumberford will swear that she believed it to be real, my lord,’ Daniel told him. Then he turned back to Graves. ‘Have you seen this document before?’
‘No,’ Graves said vehemently. ‘I always told Ebony that I was married, and not free to marry her. She was perfectly happy to live “in sin”, as they say. Until Winifred turned up and threatened to resume her place at my side, and accept her share of the inheritance.’ His face was perfectly calm, as if he could see nothing more than unimportant pretence in the matter.
‘And what would have happened to Ebony, in that case?’
‘She would have been exposed as a kept woman, I imagine.’ Graves smiled very slightly. ‘She had a certain laxity in morals, but I think that would have caused her considerable discomfort. The loss of position in society, at least.’
‘And the loss of a roof over her head, food on her table?’ Daniel added.
‘Yes, I imagine so.’
‘And even more, the illegitimacy of the children, your children,’ Daniel went on. ‘Sarah would find herself a bastard, with little hope of making a fortunate marriage. But rather more than that, Arthur would be without a name, without the medical attention he needs, if he is to survive. That would have been devastating to all of them, would it not? You made no provision for them, did you?’ It was barely a question.
‘I would have!’ Graves said angrily, temper sharpening his voice.
‘But as of today, you have not!’ Daniel pointed out. ‘You have had plenty of time. You have given them no comfort or assurance at all.’ He glanced only momentarily at the jury, but he saw the anger and the pity in their faces, and something that looked like disgust. ‘As far as they are aware,’ he continued, ‘you are determined to put their mother in prison, and leave them illegitimate and abandoned. Perhaps that has not fully sunk into their consciousness – they are too hurt and sorry for their mother – but it will. Sarah, at least, is terrified that Arthur will die, and she will be unable to save him.’
Daniel looked at the jury and saw several of them in deep anger and distress at the situation.
Grisewood must have seen it too, because he rose to his feet. ‘My lord, I know Mr Pitt is young and inexperienced, but this is all an appeal to the emotions. It has nothing to do with the facts that Miss Cumberford coldly and deliberately murdered Mrs Winifred Graves. That is what we are here to try.’
‘Indeed, Mr Pitt,’ the judge said gravely. ‘Mr Grisewood is correct. You will please address the facts relevant to that. You have only succeeded so far in making Mr Grisewood’s case for him. Miss Cumberford had excellent motive for wishing Mrs Graves to disappear, as she almost succeeded in accomplishing that.’
‘Yes, my lord. I apologise to the court. I only wanted to establish Miss Cumberford’s character, and the honesty, or otherwise, of Mr Graves, the chief witness against her.’
‘Your point is taken, Mr Pitt. Have you any other questions for Mr Graves?’
‘Yes, my lord, a few.’
‘Then proceed, but see that they are relevant.’
‘Yes, my lord. Mr Graves, you have suggested that your butler, Mr Falthorne, is telling lies, rather than the truth, when he says you beat both your wife and your daughter regularly, causing them serious injury. Is he, in fact, lying? If we were to ask the lady’s maid the same questions, would she have different answers? And apparently Mrs Winifred Graves had several scars dating from the time she was married to you.’
