William Monk 04 - A Sudden Fearful Death

any of the other signs.” Her own expression set in anger and pain, and she stared at him defiantly.
    He sighed. “Possibly. But it does not alter the case. The law is very plain. There used to be a distinction between aborting a fetus before it had quickened and after, but that has now been done away with. It is all the same.” He sounded weary, as if he had said all this before. “And of course it used to be a hanging offense. Now it is merely a matter of ruin and imprisonment. But whatever the punishment, Miss Gillespie, it is a crime I am not prepared to commit, however tragic the circumstances. I am truly sorry.”
    Julia remained sitting. “We should naturally expect to pay—handsomely.”
    A small muscle flickered in Sir Herbert’s cheeks.
    “I had not assumed you were asking it as a gift. But the matter of payment is irrelevant. I have tried to explain to you why I cannot do it.” He looked from one to the other of them. “Please believe me, my decision is absolute. I am not unsympathetic, indeed I am not. I grieve for you. But I cannot help.”
    Marianne rose to her feet and put her hand on Julia’s shoulder.
    “Come. We shall achieve nothing further here. We shall have to seek help elsewhere.” She turned to Sir Herbert. “Thank you for your time. Good day.”
    Julia climbed to her feet very slowly, still half lingering, as if there were some hope.
    “Elsewhere?” Sir Herbert said with a frown. “I assure you, Miss Gillespie, no reputable surgeon will perform such an operation for you.” He drew in his breath sharply, and suddenly his face took on a curiously pinched look, quite different from the slight complacence before. This had a sharp note of reality. “And I beg you, please do not go to the back-street practitioners,” he urged. “They will assuredlydo it for you, and very possibly ruin you for life; at worst bungle it so badly you become infected and either bleed to death or die in agony of septicemia.”
    Both women froze, staring at him, eyes wide.
    He leaned forward, his hands white-knuckled on the desk.
    “Believe me, Miss Gillespie, I am not trying to distress you unnecessarily. I know what I am speaking about. My own daughter was the victim of such a man! She too was molested, as you were. She was only sixteen….” His voice caught for a moment, and he had to force himself to continue. Only his inner anger overcame his grief. “We never found who the man was. She told us nothing about it. She was too frightened, too shocked and ashamed. She went to a private abortionist who was so clumsy he cut her inside. Now she will never bear a child.”
    His eyes were narrowed slits in a face almost bloodless. “She will never even be able to have a normal union with a man. She will be single all her life, and in pain—in constant pain. For God’s sake don’t go to a back-street abortionist!” His voice dropped again, curiously husky. “Have your child, Miss Gillespie. Whatever you think now, it is the better part than what you face if you go to someone else for the help I cannot give you.”
    “I …” Marianne gulped. “I wasn’t thinking of anything so—I mean—I hadn’t …”
    “We hadn’t thought of going to such a person,” Julia said in a tight brittle voice. “Neither of us would know how to find one, or whom to approach. I had only thought of a reputable surgeon. I—I hadn’t realized it was against the law, not when the woman was a victim—of rape.”
    “I am afraid the law makes no distinction. The child’s life is the same.”
    “I am not concerned with the child’s life,” Julia said in little more than a whisper. “I am thinking of Marianne.”
    “She is a healthy young woman. She will probably be perfectly all right. And in time she will recover from the fear and the grief. There is nothing I can do. I am sorry.”
    “So you have said. I apologize for having taken up your time. Good day, Sir Herbert.”
    “Good day, Mrs. Penrose—Miss Gillespie.” As soon as they were gone, Sir Herbert closed the door and returned to his desk. He sat motionless for several seconds, then apparently dismissed the matter and reached for a pile of notes.
    Hester came out of the alcove, hesitated, then crossed the floor.
    Sir Herbert’s head jerked up, his eyes momentarily wide with surprise.
    “Oh—Miss Latterly.” Then he recollected himself. “Yes—the body’s away. Thank you. That’s all for the moment. Thank you.”
    It was dismissal.
    “Yes,