The Twisted Root

voice.
    "I’ve told you, Sir Oliver, even if you knew, no one would believe you. I could tell you everything, and it would only do more harm. Don’t you think I would do anything on earth to save Cleo if I could? She is the dearest person in the world to me—except perhaps Lucius. And I know how much I owe her. You do not need to remind me as though I were unaware. If I could hang in her place I would! If you can bring that about I will be forever in your debt. I will confess to killing Treadwell—if it will help."
    Looking into her wide eyes and ashen face, he believed her. He had no doubt in his mind that she would die with dignity and a quiet heart if she could believe she had saved Cleo. That did not mean Cleo was innocent in fact, only that Miriam loved her, and perhaps that she believed the death sufficiently understandable in the light of Treadwell’s own crimes.
    "I will do what I can," he said quietly. "I am not sure if that is worth anything."
    She said nothing, but gave him a thin wraith of a smile.
    The trial resumed in a half-empty court.
    Rathbone was already in his seat when he saw Hester come in, push her way past the court usher with a swift word to which he was still replying as she left him, and come to Rathbone’s table.
    "What is it?" he asked, looking at her pale, tense face. "What’s happened?"
    "I went to Cleo this morning," she whispered, leaning close to him. "She knows Miriam will hang and there is nothing you can do unless the truth is told. She knows only a part of it, but she cannot bear to lose Miriam, whomever else it hurts—even if it is Lucius and Miriam never forgives her."
    "What part?" Rathbone demanded. "What truth does she know? For God’s sake, Hester, tell me! I’ve got nothing!"
    "Put Cleo on the witness stand. Ask her how she first met Miriam. She thinks it is something to do with that— something so terrible Miriam can’t or won’t remember it. But there’s nothing to lose now."
    "Thank you." Impulsively, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, not giving a damn that the judge and the entire court were watching him.
    Tobias gave a cough and a smile.
    The judge banged his gavel.
    Hester blushed fiercely, but with a smile returned to her seat.
    "Are you ready to proceed, Sir Oliver?" the judge asked courteously.
    "Yes, my lord, I am. I call Mrs. Cleo Anderson."
    There was a murmur of interest around the gallery, and several of the jurors shifted position, more from emotional discomfort than physical.
    Cleo was escorted from the dock to the witness stand. She stood upright, but it was obviously with difficulty, and she did not look across at Miriam even once. In a soft, unsteady voice she swore to her name and where she lived, then waited with palpable anxiety for Rathbone to begin.
    Rathbone hated what he was about to do, but it did not deter him.
    "Mrs. Anderson, how long have you lived in your present house on Green Man Hill?"
    Quite plainly, she understood the relevance of the question, even though Tobias evidently did not, and his impatience was clear as he allowed his face to express exasperation.
    "About thirty years," Cleo replied.
    "So you were living there when you first met Mrs. Gardiner?" Rathbone asked.
    "Yes." It was little more than a whisper.
    The judge leaned forward. "Please speak up, Mrs. Anderson. The jury needs to hear you."
    "I’m sorry, sir. Yes, I was living there."
    "How long ago was that?"
    Tobias rose to his feet. "This is old history, my lord. If it will be of any assistance to Sir Oliver, and to saving the court’s time and not prolonging what can only be painful, rather than merciful, the Crown concedes that Mrs. Anderson took in Mrs. Gardiner when she was little more than a child and looked after her with devotion from that day forward. We do not contest it, nor require any evidence to that effect."
    "Thank you," Rathbone said with elaborate graciousness. "That was not my point. If you are as eager as you suggest not to waste the court’s time, then perhaps you would consider not interrupting me until there is some good reason for it?"
    There was a titter of nervous laughter around the gallery, and distinct smiles adorned the faces of at least two of the jurors.
    A flush of temper lit Tobias’s face, but he masked it again almost immediately.
    Rathbone turned back to Cleo.
    "Mrs. Anderson, would you please tell us the circumstances of that meeting?"
    Cleo spoke with a great effort. It was painfully apparent that the