“Who represents this man?”the judge asked.
The barrister stood.“I do, Your Honor.Edward Turner.”
“Would the prosecutor please explain the charges against the man?”Judge Surrey asked.
The prosecutor, a thin man with wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of his nose, stood.“A witness has come forth and accused Earl Longdale of fighting against the crown at the Battle of New Orleans.”
“And where is this witness?”the judge asked.
“In the hallway, sir.”The prosecutor motioned toward the doors.“He is waiting for a guard to bring him in.”
Elizabeth heard the door open, but that was the only sound as silence fell over the room.Her heart thrummed against her ribs, beating a hundred times faster than it should.She began to feel faint as the witness came down and stood on the platform opposite Jonathan.She could tell the man wore a naval uniform, which would be reasonable since he was at the battle, but she couldn’t quite see his face from this distance.
“State your name,” the prosecutor said.
“Captain Henry Lee of Her Majesty’s Navy,” Lee said in a raspy voice.
Elizabeth clutched her throat and grabbed the arm of her chair for support.No!This couldn’t be possible!Lee was dead!Jewel had told her that he’d drowned.Elizabeth shivered as cold ran through her body.
“The slimy bastard lives,” Jean muttered under his breath.
When Lee turned to look at Jonathan, Elizabeth saw the ugly scar.If she had held a gun at this very moment, they wouldn’t have to worry about the witness.He would have been dead as he was supposed to be, rather than standing there looking like the picture of health.
“Please state in your own words what you saw,” the prosecutor requested.
Lee cleared his throat, looked at Jonathan, then back to the judge.“When the battle took place in New Orleans, Jonathan Hird was on the American side, not his own country’s.I saw him myself.He is a traitor and deserves to hang.”
Before Elizabeth could stop herself, she jumped to her feet “That is a lie!”she shouted.
Suddenly, everyone’s gaze rested upon her, and scores of questions filled the air.Even the marquess tried to pull her back down.But she’d have none of it.She would not let Lee get away with this slander he spurted forth, especially when he’d been on a ship and not involved with the battle.
That was when he’d held her for ransom.He could not have seen who was on which side of the Battle of New Orleans.
Judge Surrey folded his arms, leaned on his desk, and glared down at Elizabeth.“I don’t hold with such outbursts in my courtroom.”
“But Captain Lee is lying,” Elizabeth persisted.“He was nowhere near the battle.He had deserted the British himself in search of treasure.”
The judge looked at the prosecutor and frowned.“This is very irregular, but I would like to hear what the lady has to say.Please remove Lee, and hold him.Young woman, step forward.”
Elizabeth wasn’t quite sure that she could move.Jean squeezed her hand and urged, “Go ahead,cherie.”
She managed to make her way to the stand, assisted by Edward Turner.
“State your name,” Judge Surrey said in a loud, forceful voice that made Elizabeth feel as if she were guilty.She would have to choose her words carefully to keep from revealing her own terrible secret.She would hate Jonathan to hear it this way.
“My name is Elizabeth Trent.My brother is Adam Trent the Duke of St Ives.”
The judge nodded as he recognized the name.“Tell us what you know.”
“My brother has property in New Orleans, which is the reason Jonathan was visiting.New Orleans had not been involved in the war at that time.Jonathan and my brother were discussing shipping business when the war broke out.”
Elizabeth swallowed hard.She was really stretching the truth, but she’d never let Lee get away with his lies.“My sister-in-law, Jewel, had a treasure map.Lee wanted it but he couldn’t get to Jewel.So, he waited until I rode off our land.Then his men kidnapped me and took me to Lee’s ship where I was held until he could exchange me for Jewel.”
The prosecutor spoke up.“That doesn’t mean Captain Lee deserted.”
Elizabeth looked at the judge.“If you’ll please let me finish.”
The judge nodded.
