Darcy's Trial (23 page)

Lord Harbury glanced at his niece, as if looking for signs that she would confirm this story. Elizabeth hoped that Helena would say something in her support, but she remained silent, her eyes staring blankly ahead.

He turned back to Elizabeth, frowning. ‘And have you any evidence to back up these extraordinary assertions?’

‘I have brought two maids, Bertha and Agnes. Bertha is thirteen, a child really, and was the girl that Mr Darcy rescued. I suppose Mr Darcy could have called her as a witness, but he feared a servant might not be believed, and in any case did not wish to expose her to this further ordeal. Agnes was Helena’s ladies maid until a few days ago, when she was removed on Sir Arthur’s instructions, and imprisoned in the same cottage as myself. We would presumably be there still, had we not managed yesterday morning to engineer an escape. She can bear witness to the experiences of other maids who were once her friends. Among the families in Wistham, I have talked with one maid who was dismissed after becoming pregant with Sir Osborne’s child, and a woman named Mrs Clover whose daughter Lucy has disappeared in London.’

She looked across at Helena, hoping that she would add a few words about Lucy Clover, but was again met with silence.

Lord Harbury spread his hands, like a man striving to remain patient in the face of blatant unreason. ‘You must excuse me, Miss Bennet, but again I see no evidence, only hearsay. Yes, I grant you that my brother-in-law may have overstepped the mark with this maid—Bertha I think you said—when he was interrupted by Mr Darcy. These relationships across classes are an unfortunate fact of life, but they are complex, and sometimes it is unclear who is exploiting whom. Plainly this has upset you, and I’m sorry it has been brought to your attention. I would have expected better of Mr Darcy, or whoever is responsible for advising you. But these other stories are simply unsubstantiated. Who is to say, if a maid becomes pregnant, who was the father? How do we know under what circumstances the other maid, Lucy, disappeared in London? Perhaps she left of her own free will.’ He faced her very deliberately. ‘Do not imagine, Miss Bennet, that you can persuade me by evidence of this kind to intervene in my nephew’s prosecution of Mr Darcy.’

There was a long silence, and dejectedly Elizabeth realised she had failed. After all her efforts and sacrifices, her loss of Bridget’s friendship, her abuse by Arthur Kaye, her deceit of Helena, it had come to this: the evidence rested ultimately on the word of servants, and as such would be dismissed. Yes, there was her own testimony on what had transpired in the cottage, but this could also be dismissed as a fabrication motivated by bias, since she would be seen as Darcy’s confidant, willing to say anything to procure his release.

Desperately she returned to Sir Osborne’s assault on Bertha, the only point that Lord Harbury seemed disposed to concede. ‘Can you honestly claim that your brother-in-law was a decent and honourable man, sir? Consider that Bertha was just thirteen years old, a mere child. What kind of gentleman would mete out such treatment to a girl of such a tender age?’

He sighed, as if frustrated by her naivety. ‘These are not matters that a young lady such as yourself can possibly speak of, Miss Bennet. I know you mean well, but you must understand that people vary, and that a maid of thirteen years may have already reached maturity. We’re speaking here of a young woman of thirteen, not a child of ten. Sir Osborne was no saint, but to accuse him on this evidence of molesting children is outrageous.’

Elizabeth was on the point of disputing this when there was an almost inaudible whimper on her left, and Helena Kaye said, very softly and without expression: ‘
I
was ten, the year after mother died.’

Lord Harbury threw his niece a momentary glance, as if surprised that she was still in the room. ‘What has that to do with it?’

Helena’s voice dropped almost to a whisper. ‘I was ten, so I was only a child.’

A shiver passed through Elizabeth’s body. She turned to Helena and said very gently and matter-of-factly: ‘Only a child?’

‘Father, please, I don’t want to.’ Helena stared ahead with eyes half-closed, as if in a trance.

‘My dear, are you feeling unwell?’ Lord Harbury said.

Helena’s voice switched to a low growl. ‘It will be our secret and you must never tell anyone. Never, never, never, do you understand?’

Elizabeth and Lord Harbury regarded each other in horror, as Helena continued in a babyish voice: ‘No father, please, I don’t like it, No, No, No …’ Then she screamed. ‘No! Sorry father, I’m a bad girl, but I don’t want to!’

Elizabeth moved to her side and put an arm around her. ‘Helena dear, it’s all right, you’re safe, nobody will ever harm you again.’ She looked up at Lord Harbury. ‘Sir, you’re her family, please help me …’

Wheels were obviously spinning furiously in his mind, and Elizabeth instantly understood. If he admitted the truth of what Helena had revealed, he would have to accept that Sir Osborne was a monster—not merely a rake who enjoyed seducing servant girls, but a sick pervert who had violated his own child. Would he take this momentous step, despite its implications for the trial, or would he coldly betray Helena and reject her revelation as fantasy?

Elizabeth longed to appeal to him further, but by instinct held back. She watched, transfixed, until suddenly his expression softened, and with a cry of pain he kneeled beside his niece and enfolded her in his arms. ‘Oh my dear child, I’m so sorry. Forgive me. I had no idea.’

Elizabeth carefully stepped back and returned to her chair. Minutes passed, until eventually Lord Harbury struggled stiffly to his feet, and Helena, now calmer, took out a handkerchief to dry her eyes.

‘I’m sorry, uncle,’ she said quietly. ‘I shouldn’t have spoken. It was our secret. Father said I should tell no-one, not even my best friend, not even Arthur.’

He shook his head, obviously devastated. ‘Don’t worry about that, my dear. You’ve done nothing wrong. We will talk about it later if you wish. Meanwhile’—he rose to his feet—‘I need to talk in private with Miss Bennet.’ He turned to Elizabeth. ‘Can you please excuse me for a moment while I find someone who can stay with my niece?’

Elizabeth waited, still shaking with emotion, until Lord Harbury returned alone. He looked more composed, and addressed her quietly as he took his seat, the combative tone now gone from his voice.

‘Thank you for your patience. I returned to the courtroom to find an acquaintance of mine, Lady Carmichael, who has agreed to take Helena to the tea-room.’

‘Is Mr Darcy’s testimony still in progress?’

‘Our counsel has just begun cross-examination.’ He glanced at a clock on the mantelpiece. ‘They should adjourn for the day in half an hour.’

‘So the trial is set to continue tomorrow?’

‘Yes.’ He sighed deeply. ‘Miss Bennet, there are a number of things I need to say to you. But first, may I express my dismay that a member of my family has treated you so ill. I am no longer going to dispute the truth of what you have told me. I see it from your honest and brave countenance; I see it also in the warning signs I have noticed in the behaviour of my brother-in-law, and also on occasions my nephew. Do not misunderstand me. I’m not saying that I will own these facts in public. I am admitting them to you now, in private, because I am truly sorry and I trust your discretion.’

‘I thank you for your gracious words, sir. However, as regards my discretion, you will be aware that I’m very desirous of a favourable outcome to this trial.’

He studied her closely. ‘Let us speak plainly. You’re saying that unless the prosecution is dropped, you will make public everything that has been revealed today. The abuse to yourself, to the servants, even—to my niece. Do I understand correctly?’

‘I don’t want to blackmail you, Lord Harbury. I want you to take your nephew in hand, and instruct him to reach a settlement with Mr Darcy, not because you have been threatened, but because it is the right thing to do.’

‘And if I refuse?’ he demanded.

‘Then I will do my utmost to protect the people I care for,’ Elizabeth returned.

He stared at her. ‘You would never do that. You would not shame my niece by making public what we learned a few minutes ago. It would destroy her happiness for ever.’

She shrugged, with the hint of a smile. ‘Who knows what I am capable of? Mr Darcy once compared me to a tigress defending her cubs.’

‘You give me no assurance in that regard?’

‘I give you no assurance of anything, Lord Harbury, until I have your word that all charges against Mr Darcy are to be dropped.’

There was a long silence, before he raised his palms in resignation.

‘You are a remarkable woman, Miss Bennet.’

She laughed with a sudden release of tension. ‘An ambiguous compliment if ever I heard one, sir. Jezebel was a remarkable woman.’

‘You mentioned the word
settlement
. Assuming that my influence over my nephew is as effective as you seem to believe, what would be the terms?’

‘We should discuss that with Mr Darcy, but for my part, I would suggest full acceptance of Mr Darcy’s defence—namely, that he rescued Bertha from abuse at Sir Osborne’s hands, and could not bring himself to apologise for this when challenged.’

‘And what of your own mistreatment? I assume Mr Darcy is not yet aware of this?’

‘No. I dread to think what he will do when I tell him.’

‘Call my nephew out, I would imagine. Any gentleman would.’

Elizabeth raised her hands in a gesture of helplessness. ‘And so on until we are all dead! This has to stop.’

He studied her closely. ‘You are willing to forgo any public exposure of my nephew? To pardon him, in other words?’

‘Pardon him!’ Elizabeth failed to suppress a snort of laughter. ‘Sir, your nephew is a depraved halfwit, and I have no interest in him whatever except to prevent him from harming people I care for. Yes, I will tell Mr Darcy, and do all in my power to dissuade him from seeking redress from one so worthless. For the rest, I will keep silence—unless of course my hand is forced. I see no benefit in upsetting my family.’ She raised a forefinger. ‘But I am concerned also for Helena, and some families in Wistham, over whom Sir Osborne’s shadow still hangs. Indeed I fear for them at this moment, since Sir Arthur’s steward Mr Pritchett will have returned to Wistham Court and liberated the gamekeeper and his assistant.’

His eyes opened wide. ‘Whom you have imprisoned? How on earth …’

‘No matter. The point is that this regime must end, and Helena must be removed from Sir Arthur’s circle to a society where she will be cherished and allowed to heal.’

Lord Harbury regarded her sharply. ‘I believe that is my business, Miss Bennet, not yours.’

‘In which you have signally failed these past years,’ Elizabeth retorted.

He recoiled as if she had struck him, and Elizabeth froze in alarm at her outburst. There was a long silence, and she began to fear that she had lost his sympathy, and thus thrown away her last chance of securing a deal. If only she could learn to control her anger and keep her mouth shut! She leaned forward, and said softly:

‘I’m sorry, sir. I had no right to speak thus.’

He shook his head wearily. ‘You were certainly rude, Miss Bennet, but that is not what is upsetting me now. I am concerned that you might be right.’ He looked into the distance, as if retrieving a thought. ‘I was uneasy, from the start, over my sister Alice’s betrothal to Sir Osborne. Still, it was what she wanted, and others pronounced it a good match. She never complained of her treatment, although as the years passed she lost her sparkle and became more and more subdued, until unfortunately she died of consumption. I noticed that Helena too became introspective and fearful of society, but it never crossed my mind that she had been ill-treated. What could I do? The estate was my brother-in-law’s, to run as he pleased. I had no business interfering …’ He put his head in his hands.

‘You are right, sir,’ Elizabeth said. ‘In my anger over what has happened, I spoke without thinking.’

Slowly he uncoiled, and faced her again. ‘Very well. Perhaps I could have done more, perhaps not, but now my duty is plain, and I ask you to let me honour it. More than that, I ask your help …’

‘I can name some of the families,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Also I have two maids and a groom from Wistham outside, who can give further information.’

He held up a hand. ‘Miss Bennet, pray allow me to finish. I was referring to your friendship with Helena, which would appear to be genuine, whatever its original motivation.’

‘I have promised Helena that I will remain her friend. This promise was not made lightly, and I will keep it regardless of the outcome of our present discussion. But if I may insist, I’m concerned too for Agnes and Abel Harte, the groom, and also for a maid named Lucy Clover who is probably still in the clutches of some unspeakable bawd in town …’

‘Miss Bennet! May I again remind you that such reparations are my affair, not yours, and that I have vowed to do anything in my power to make good the harm that has been done. I mentioned Helena in particular because as someone who has earned her trust and affection, you are especially well-situated to help. For the maids and other servants, I will find out what I need to know from others.’

Realising that his pride had been hurt, Elizabeth managed to accept this slight rebuke, and with a deep breath rose from her seat. ‘Very well, sir. I believe we understand one another.’

He also rose, and offered his hand.

‘And not before time, Miss Bennet.’ He pointed towards the corridor, where there was a sudden commotion as spectators left the public gallery.

As Elizabeth turned to retrieve her bonnet, there was a tap on the door and she heard an all-too-familiar voice, high-pitched with nervous excitement. ‘You asked to see me, uncle? Don’t worry, it’s going well.’

She faced him, her head still uncovered, and he stared at her in disbelief. ‘What the devil …’

‘Arthur, this is Miss Bennet,’ Lord Harbury said matter-of-factly. ‘I believe you are already acquainted.’

He continued to stare open-mouthed, then said breathlessly to Lord Harbury: ‘Uncle, you should not believe a word this woman says …’