The Slaidburn Angel by M. Sheelagh Whittaker

Author:M. Sheelagh Whittaker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn Press Limited
Published: 2012-06-18T04:00:00+00:00

The Result Was Applauded in a Crowded Court

When the jury retired, it was nearly 6:00 p.m.

Back in their cell, Isabella was a bundle of nerves; every part of her anatomy was in some form of motion. Her seated body shook from the hips, radiating down to her feet and up to her head, and she flailed both hands at the wrists as if to shake the tension from her body out through her hands. For once she didn’t say much, just sat there, periodically shutting her eyes.

Grace was the same small, pale bundle of a person she had been throughout, eyes wide and terrified. John, still in the courtroom, was frightened too, but he felt it his responsibility to seem confident. He had put his faith and his fortune in the hands of Mr. Atkinson, and he would soon know if that faith had been misplaced.

For those still in the courtroom the waiting seemed interminable, punctuated as it was by moans emanating from Mrs. Gardner. No one blamed her, but the noise only added to the atmosphere of tension.

Mr. Atkinson had hurried from the courtroom and over to his chambers in Park Square, leaving Mr. Morley to monitor proceedings. As he walked briskly down the street, his thoughts on the outcome of the case veered from positive to anxious. He had become quite sympathetic to the plight of his clients, and certainly did not want them to hang for their crime. He had a suspicion that the judge had similar feelings, although he knew he was unlikely to be able ever to confirm that suspicion.

As the twelve jurors, city dwellers all, filed back into the courtroom, they worked at making their faces unreadable. They had been instructed that the audience in the court would be scanning them for clues of their verdict, and that they must leave that information to the foreman to read out.

A verdict of “not guilty” was delivered, first for Grace, then, to a hushed and crowded court, for Isabella. A collective sigh of relief was heard, followed by an instinct to celebrate, which the judge quickly curbed. The plight of Grace and Isabella — Grace’s obvious delicacy and Isabella’s girlish feistiness — had clearly aroused the protective instincts of those present.

On hearing the verdict, Grace and Isabella, both stunned, sank into their seats in the dock. Isabella had picked up her crumpled statement and was spindling it in her hands. A little dazed, she then looked about for the young lawyer to whom she believed she owed her life.

Grace focused on Justice Wills, her eyes filled with abject gratitude. She did not fully understand it all, but she felt certain that his lengthy and detailed summation of the case had moved things in their favour.

Grace didn’t shift her gaze from the judge until she was jolted into movement by the clerk of the court intoning “All rise,” and the judge left for his chambers. Only then did she turn to look for John.

Summoned by messenger, Edward

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