Trueman looked daggers at Marc, and said,“What if I was?”
“Tell the court, please, the nature of thatargument.”
“We argued about Horace Macy.”
“And her seeing him as well as you?”
“Yes.”
“How did the quarrel end?”
“She said she wasn’t ready to marry. And shewould see as many gentlemen as she wished.”
“And you left – very angry.”
“I was upset. I thought she would marryme.”
“And angry at her perfidy?”
The galleries were mesmerized by thistestimony. There was a hushed awe in the courtroom.
“So angry that you did not go home?”
“No, I went straight to the card party,though my evening was spoiled.”
“I submit, sir, that you were outraged, thatyou went home, less than five minutes away, brooded about what hadhappened, and forged a note as being from Marion Stokes, whom youknew to be a close friend of Mrs. Cardiff-Jones. You had itdelivered to Rosewood, and taking a vial of acid, you hid at theside of house until Mrs. Cardiff-Jones came out, whereupon youhurled the acid in her face – ”
“Milord, this is outrageous,” cried AustinMcBride.
“I agree,” said the judge sternly. “Mr.Edwards you must refrain from making wild accusations If you donot, I will hold you in contempt of court. Let the jury draw theirown inferences.”
“I have no more questions, Milord. Thedefense rests.”
McBride, ruffled and flushed, rose to askTrueman if he had indeed tossed acid at Mrs. Cardiff-Jones, and wassatisfied with his denial. But a lot of damage had been done. A manwith a clear motive had been placed at the scene fifteen or twentyminutes before the murder. Was he also the third party seenscuttling afterwards along the east wall of Rosewood? Marc was nowconvinced that the jury would acquit his client. Court wasadjourned. Closing arguments would be heard the next day.
“Why the long face?” Cobb said to Marc later thatday when they had come to Briar Cottage to mull over the events ofthe trial. “I think you got the jury on your side.”
“Yes,” said Beth, “you couldn’t have donemore, Marc.”
“”Well, I’ve certainly got enough to spin apowerful closing argument,” Marc admitted. “I’ve got five peoplewith much stronger motives than Gilles Gagnon, and I’ve shown theyhad the opportunity. I’ve placed a third party at the scene of thecrime. I’ve shown that Gilles couldn’t have forged that note, thatthe glove didn’t fit him, and did fit several of the others. But Idid not succeed in breaking down the real criminal on the stand.For sure as I’m sitting here, one of those five did the deed.”
“My money’s still on Macy, the chemist,” saidCobb. “He could get his hands on the acid anytime he pleased.”
“And Beth, you still favour the woman,Constance Brown?”
“This is definitely a woman’s crime ofvengeance,” Beth said. Then she added as if she had just thought ofit, “but there’s one woman we haven’t looked at.”
“So there is,” Marc said, smiling broadly.“So there is.”
***
Over Austin McBride’s strenuous objections, Marc gotpermission to call one more witness, a woman who was still in thecourtroom: Audrey Denfield.
The galleries were abuzz withanticipation.
“Mrs. Denfield,” Marc began. “How long haveyou been married?”
“Ten years,” said Audrey, biting her lip tocontrol her emotions. She looked like a trapped rabbit, staring atthe stoat.
“And your husband was always faithful toyou?”
She looked down. “Yes. Always.”
“So it must have come as a shock to hear youhusband admit in open court that he had committed adultery threetimes a week for three months.”
“Of course it did,” she snapped.
“I suggest, however, that you knew of thisaffair well before this trial. Is that not so?”
“No!” she cried. “I did not!”
“I submit that you discovered his affair, butthat your anger was directed not so much at your wayward husband asthe wayward woman who had seduced him.”
“No, that’s not true.”
“Is it not true that merely seeing him dancewith Mrs. Cardiff-Jones at the Charity Ball caused you to faintdead away?”
“I – I was feeling dizzy from all thesmoke.”
“You were outraged at the flirtatiousbehaviour of Mrs. Cardiff-Jones, weren’t you?”
“I just felt dizzy and fainted.”
“Bringing your husband to your sideimmediately, and out of the clutches of that awful woman. I submitthat even then you knew or greatly suspected he was having anaffair with her. And your husband’s excuses for being away untilmidnight three times a week must have grown thin andthreadbare.”
“No, I never suspected!”
“You did not dislike Mrs. Cardiff-Jones? Didnot disapprove of her dissolute behaviour?”
“Of course I did. Everybody did.”
“Did you not go out of the house at seveno’clock on the evening of the crime?”
“I went to my cousin’s on Simcoe Street.She’ll swear to it.”
“I submit that you took a vial of acid fromyour pantry, put on your husband’s coat and hat and gloves – eventhough it was a warm evening – and knowing that your husband wasill in bed and your maid was in her room, you forged a note fromMarion Stokes – whose handwriting you knew well from your worktogether on church committees – had it delivered to Rosewood, andthen waited for Mrs. Cardiff-Jones to come out, whereupon youtossed acid – ”
“Milord! I protest in the strongest possibleterms!” shouted McBride, leaping to his feet.
“Mr. Edwards, I gave you your last warning. Ifind you in contempt of – ”
The judge never finished his sentence, for hewas drowned out by a searing cry from the witness-stand.
“She deserved it!” cried Audrey Denfield.“She was a wicked woman. I never meant to kill her, just make sureshe would never seduce no-one’s husband, ever again. I’m not sorryI did it!”
The courtroom was stunned. Marc lookedrelieved, and not a little saddened.
In view of Audrey’s admission, the judgeadjourned the court, pending further investigation of the crime.Two hours later, after she had signed a full confession, GillesGagnon was released, a free man.
“Well, Major,” Cobb said at the celebration atBaldwin House later that evening, “you’ve done it again.”
“I couldn’t have done it without yourinvestigation,” Marc said. “I’m grateful that you were able to doit without much heartache from your superior.”
“He’s just happy the crime got solved,” Cobbsaid. “He was feelin’ the heat from Humphrey Cardiff.”
“And it was Beth here who was right allalong,” Marc said. “It was a crime of vengeance carried out by awoman.”
“And you came within a hair’s breadth ofbein’ called fer contempt of court,” Beth said.
“I had infinite faith in you,” Marc said,smiling.
“Now,” said Robert Baldwin, “we can all trulycelebrate Louis’ victory at the polls.”
“A victory for province and dominion,” Marcsaid.
“I’ll drink to that,” said LouisLaFontaine.
What they were drinking for was therealization of a long dream: responsible government. With Louis’victory at the polls the Reform-Rouge coalition would be a realityin the new Canadian Parliament. The outcome was assured. Thanks toMarc, Robert, Louis, Francis Hincks and ordinary people like Bethand the Cobbs, among countless others, cabinet government -- withit members being selected from the majority party in thelegislature and responsible to them – would be achieved. It mighttake some time but it was now inevitable. Canada would join themodern world as a self-governing nation.