Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Hetty gazed steadily at the bishop, sitting in the middle of the three judges, trying to ignore Louis, who had already taken the same seat in the gallery that he had occupied the day before. She needed not to be distracted by his presence. She must focus on what she must do for both of their sakes, or else, they had no chance of ever forging a life together.

She was weary, so very weary. She had barely slept the night before, after formulating her plan, tossing and turning. Once, she had awoken with a start, after a particularly vivid dream of her wedding day.

She shuddered, thinking about it. She had been walking down the aisle of the church she had been married in, on her father's arm. She could clearly see the expectant faces of the congregation, smiling at her as she drifted past them. She could see the figure waiting for her at the altar, his back to her. Frank.

But something changed in the strangest of ways. A dark shadow fell over the church, almost blackening the happy faces of the people. And suddenly – sickeningly – she gazed down at herself, appalled to find that instead of wearing her beautiful, expensive wedding gown, she was, in fact, wearing nothing at all.

The happy faces of the congregation abruptly changed. As she tried frantically to cover herself, they started mocking and jeering her. And then, the figure at the altar slowly turned around to watch her. She screamed as she realised that he had no face at all …

The memory of that terrible dream lingered now like a bad smell around her. It had been haunting her all morning as she dressed and breakfasted and made her way with her parents, back to this building, to face the court, once again. She didn't know what to make of it. Was it a bad omen?

She took a deep breath, pushing it out of her mind. She mustn't think about it. It was just her worries and fears, roaming her mind, while she was asleep, emerging in her dreams. It was no bad omen, no premonition, of what was to come. She must believe that.

And now, the time was coming, when maybe – just maybe – she might be able to lay all of those worries and fears to rest.

She raised her hand. The bishop frowned slightly. "Yes, Mrs Blackmore. You wish to speak?"

She took another deep breath for courage. "Yes, my lord. There is something that has occurred to me that has not been put before this court," she said slowly. "Something that I believe could change the course of these proceedings entirely."

***

Mr Mitchell, Frank's solicitor, gazed at her curiously as she stood up. She knew that he had been hoping for a quick verdict this morning. She had already seen him glance impatiently at his fob watch, pulling it out of his pocket, and frowning. He had obviously been expecting that his client's letter, tended to the court the day before, would stitch up this case quickly, and was put out that it had not. Perhaps he had other pressing appointments to attend.

Her father and mother looked surprised as she stood. She had not informed them of what she was about to do or what she was going to say. The last thing that she needed was them trying to dissuade her from this course of action. Mama, in particular, might be horrified that she was about to share something so personal, and she couldn't imagine that Papa would be particularly thrilled to hear it, either.

But say it she must. There was no recourse now. Frank had pushed her into a corner, and she was about to fight her way out of it.

"My lords," she said, addressing all three of the clerics, her gaze slowly drifting from one to the other. "I gave you an account yesterday of my brief marriage. My wedding day, and the aftermath, where my husband and I returned to our new home, to start our married life together. But there was something significant, which I failed to mention, that happened in that space of time."

The bishop raised his eyebrows. "Well, what is it, Mrs Blackmore?"

Hetty took a deep, ragged breath. Her heart was racing so fast she could almost hear it, like the beat of a drum, filling the room.

"When the time came to retire for the evening," she continued slowly, "my husband took my hand and informed me that he intended to stay in the guest-chamber, that night. He said that it had been a long, wearying day and that I must be very tired." She paused. "He said that he would not be claiming his conjugal rights, that night, out of respect and concern for me. I was surprised but did not argue since I was , in fact, tired, and quite a bit anxious about my wedding night, and what would be required of me, as I am sure you will all understand …"

There was a shocked silence in the room. Hetty felt her face redden. Despite her resolve, it was still difficult to talk about such things in front of all these people. The judges, who were all high clerical figures, and her parents. Frank's solicitor, and the scribe, who was furiously writing all that was said. And Louis, who sat in the gallery, almost in shadow. She kept her gaze firmly on the judges.

The bishop leaned forward in his seat, gazing at her keenly, rather like a hawk.

"What exactly are you claiming, Mrs Blackmore?" he asked. "I need you to be rather explicit about it if you please."

Hetty took another deep breath. "I am claiming, my lord, that my husband did not take his conjugal rights with me that evening or in the morning before he fled the house, and the marriage," she said, her voice crisp. "I am still virgo intacta, my lords. I am a maiden still, and I am willing to undergo an examination to prove it."

She heard the strangled gasp of horror from her mother. The judges all shifted uneasily in their seats. She didn't dare turn her head to see the reaction that Louis was having to her declaration, nor did she want to see the face of her father, who surely would be suffering mightily, at hearing his daughter say such a thing.

"You claim that you are still a maiden?" repeated the bishop, his voice harsh. "There are penalties for lying to this court, madam. And do not think that I would not order an examination to make sure of the truth of what you say."

Hetty raised her chin, staring at him steadily. "I swear, before God Almighty, that I am as I came out of my mother's womb, untouched by man." She paused. "I would hardly claim such a thing if I could not prove it. Frank Blackmore never laid with me as a husband. He was never a husband to me, in that way, nor I a wife to him."

The bishop sighed heavily. "Well, this does change things, quite significantly …"

"Yes, I believe that it does, my lord," she said in a stronger voice. "The reason that I did not mention it yesterday, when recounting our brief marriage was my modesty, in that regard. No lady likes to talk about such intimate things." She paused. "Nor did I fully realise, at that moment, how significantly it does change things, but I have thought about it, now, and wish to change my petition to this court."

"How so, madam?" asked the bishop.

"I wish to seek an annulment," she said slowly. "Not a divorce. On the grounds that since the marriage was never consummated, it does not count as a marriage at all. Frank Blackmore was never my husband, and I was never his wife; therefore, the marriage is null and void."

The judges stared at her, gaping. They were obviously not used to a woman talking so confidently about marital law.

"I believe that this declaration, and my willingness to undergo an examination to prove it, also puts to rest what Frank Blackmore has asserted about my character," she continued. "I did not lay with any other gentleman while I was engaged to Mr Blackmore. I was a virgin on my wedding day, as I still am now."

Mr Mitchell, the solicitor, looked pained. "Even if what Mrs Blackmore says is true, my lords, she might still have done other … things with those gentlemen," he declared, rolling his eyes. "We all know that the actual act of intercourse is not the only act that can compromise a lady's reputation …"

"Enough, Mr Mitchell," said the bishop, quite sharply. "I think that we have heard quite enough on that count. Your client makes many claims about the lady but cannot prove any of them." His face was like thunder. "Your client also shows disrespect to this court by not making the effort to attend these proceedings …"

"My client did try, my lord," interjected the solicitor. "He was unable to book passage …"

"Fiddlesticks," said the bishop, his voice contemptuous. "He could have been here if he wanted to. He fled the country, with his mistress, and does not even have the decency to face the wife that he abandoned to account for his actions …"

The solicitor swallowed, quite visibly. He didn't look comfortable at all.

"We shall reconvene in an hour," said the bishop crisply. "I shall confer with my colleagues about these latest developments." He paused, pursing his lips. "We shall present our findings, then, on this whole sorry mess."

***

Louis pulled her aside as they waited in the foyer, while the judges convened. His green eyes were sparkling with joy. It took all of her willpower to stop herself from flinging her arms around him.

"You clever girl," he breathed, gazing at her with admiration. "I do believe that you have turned the tables quite nicely." He paused. "How did you think of it?"

She smiled slowly. "Well, it is the truth," she replied. "I am still a virgin, and I can prove it if they make me. But I never put two and two together, that it is grounds for an annulment, rather than a divorce until you mentioned Henry the Eighth, last evening."

His smile widened. "I was wondering why you looked so happy all of a sudden when you had been weeping in my arms, just seconds before…"

Her eyes glittered, with fierce triumph. "It was talking about the king's first marriage, to Catherine of Aragon, that it suddenly struck me," she said. "The king tried to claim that she had not been a virgin when he married her, as she had been previously married to his late brother. She asserted that she was, that her marriage to his brother was never valid, as they had not lain together, as he had been sickly. And that was when it came to me that I could argue for an annulment on the grounds that I was a virgin …"

He shook his head in wonder. "A brilliant tactic," he whispered. "And I must say, just as an aside, that it warmed my heart to hear that the rake of a husband of yours never lay with you." He lowered his voice. "That you will truly be mine, on our wedding night …"

She shivered at his words, her heart soaring with hope. Was it possible? Had she done enough to lay this to rest once and for all, and finally be free to get on with her life the way that she yearned to?

"We must not celebrate yet," she said quietly. "They are still convening. And I have learnt the hard way that we must assume nothing of life."

She gazed towards the closed door. A flurry of butterflies leapt to life in her belly. Every minute, every second, was agony now until it opened again, and they could walk back in and hear what the judges had decided.

***

The judges were grim-faced, as they walked back into the court. Hetty shivered in sudden fear. She couldn't read a thing from their expressions.

When they were settled, the bishop took a deep breath. He turned and addressed her.

"This has been a rather messy business," he declared. "As I said at the beginning of these proceedings, the Church values the sanctity of marriage, and extenuating circumstances must be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, for the holy vows between a man and a woman to be broken, in the eyes of God." He paused for a long time, gazing at her steadily. "My colleagues and I were rather divided after your revelations this morning, madam. I must inform you that before you spoke, we had made the decision that your marriage should be upheld …"

Hetty's heart flipped over in her chest.

"One of my colleagues argued that your reputation is still compromised by the allegations Mr Blackmore made against you," he continued. "That there is no smoke without fire, and that there is the strongest possibility that he did believe you were unchaste and acted accordingly. This court, as you know, takes a grim view of a woman's infidelity. In the matter of marriage, we must be scrupulous on this count. The question of paternity of offspring arises. A man must know that his children are his own, without a shadow of a doubt, or else it rips asunder the very fabric of civilised society."

Hetty's felt a flickering of anger. After all that she had said, they still doubted her chasteness?

"My colleague argued that we should compel you to undergo an examination, to prove that you are, indeed, still a maiden, as you claim," he said slowly. "He also argued that we should dig deeper, to investigate Mr Blackmore's assertions about you, and put before this court anyone who has witnessed you acting in the way that Mr Blackmore described in his letter."

Hetty's heart sank. This was not sounding good. If they did that, this could drag on for many more months. But then, she rallied. She had truth on her side. If they made her take an examination, it would prove that she was not lying. And there was no one who could claim she had acted inappropriately while she was engaged because she hadn't.

"But I have vetoed all of that," he continued in a firm voice. "As bishop, I have the final say, and it is my will, that you should not be subjected to an examination, madam." He paused. "I believe that you have endured enough and that your testimony is sufficient. I believe that you are telling the truth and that you are still a maiden. I also believe that there is sufficient evidence that your husband intended to desert you, to live with his mistress, and that what he wrote in his letter about your infidelities, and the fact that he was not involved with his mistress at the time of your engagement, are all lies."

Hetty's heart began to swell. She reeled, almost swooning. Her mother let out a little yelp of joy. Her father grasped her arm tightly.

The bishop took a deep breath. "It is the finding of this court that Miss Henrietta Arnold's marriage to Mr Frank Blackmore was never consummated, and therefore, is not valid," he declared. "The court declares that Mr Blackmore is required, by law, to return Miss Arnold's dowry to her father, so that she has proper funds in which to secure a new marriage if she so desires." He paused, gazing steadily at Hetty. "The marriage is declared annulled, as of today's date. Good luck, Miss Arnold. I rather think that you deserve it."

Hetty smiled at him, tremulously, her eyes filling with tears. The bishop smiled back. And then all three clerics stood, sweeping out of the room without another word.

She was free. The bishop had just declared it. He had called her Miss Arnold. She was no longer Mrs Frank Blackmore. The past had been erased as if it had never existed at all. As if it had been merely chalk scribblings on a slate, wiped clean by a rag.

She was on her feet now, being embraced by her mother and father. They squeezed her tightly. The tears started to flow as she sobbed in their arms. They had never given up on her. They had been the ones who had fought for this victory, alongside her. They had picked her up, when she had been at her lowest ebb, and protected her. She was the luckiest woman in the world to have such parents.

Through her tears, she saw Mr Mitchell, Frank's solicitor, walk out of the room, a grim look on his face. No doubt, he was not looking forward to writing to his client and informing him of what had happened here today. The man had been so very confident that his character assassination of her would work. He might have even suggested it to Frank, that it was the only way to win this case.

She took a deep breath. She no longer cared whether Frank hated her, or was indifferent to her, or what he thought about her at all. He could have his French mistress, and his child, and his new home in another country. It was no longer any of her business.

She was free. She was free!

Finally, her eyes found him. Louis. He was standing in the gallery. Just watching her. His face was resplendent with joy.

It was not the time to embrace him publicly. Not yet. But that time was coming very soon. And she simply could not wait for it.

He had saved her. He had brought her back to life. And she simply couldn't live without him now. She knew that, in the depths of her innermost heart.