Alis (26 page)

Thomas was smiling openly, and frightened though she was, Alis’s loathing of him enabled her to speak firmly.

“Master Thomas means to have my life, I know. He hates me. But my husband and I lay apart by mutual agreement. And I did not kill him.”

William regarded her coldly and then turned to Thomas. Had he finished with the witness? Thomas nodded. When William asked if she wanted to question Martha, Alis shook her head.

William stepped forward to address the people once more. Her terror rose. Was this the end? “People of Freeborne, we have heard the witnesses called by Master Thomas in this case. She who is accused has called none. If there is any here who knows anything that should be heard before judgment is considered, let him or her come forward now, lest there be error in this grave matter.”

Alis held herself stiff against the shaking of her body, clenching her fists and pressing her lips together. Her eyes blurred with tears of fright she was determined not to shed. She must not break down; she must have courage to the end so that Thomas’s triumph would not be complete. For a terrible moment she wished passionately that Edge had been caught. She did not look at the crowd crammed onto the benches. There was no one to speak for her.

But someone was moving down the aisle. Her vision still clouded, Alis could not at first make out the figure but as her sight cleared she saw that it was Mistress Elizabeth! Soberly dressed, upright as ever, her gray hair coiled neatly at the nape of the neck. She caught Alis’s eye and smiled briefly at her. The girl felt her heart lift. Surely all could not be ill, if Mistress Elizabeth was come.

William was evidently surprised. “Mistress Elizabeth of Two Rivers, is it not? Do you have something you wish to say?”

Elizabeth inclined her head and then smiled at William. “Master William, I crave the Judges’ indulgence. I have a young woman from my Community with me whose story should be heard before judgment is given.”

William looked at her in silence and she returned his gaze steadily. At length he said slowly, “You have an interest in the matter tried here, do you not? Your grandson Luke has been mentioned somewhat.”

Elizabeth’s calm expression did not alter. “That is not why I am come. I beg that you will give permission for this witness to testify.”

“If her testimony bears upon the death of the Minister Galin, we will do so.”

Elizabeth looked for the first time at Thomas, and then back at William. Her voice was even. “It is not evidence in that matter but it bears upon the trustworthiness of the accuser, and surely that is of moment in so grave a case.”

For a long moment William was still. Then he nodded. “Let the young woman take the oath.”

A
lis was trembling in every limb. Could it be Edge come to save her despite what Mistress Elizabeth had said? But it was not Edge who came swiftly down between the benches, clutching a tiny, wailing bundle. It was a girl with lank brown hair and a sallow, bitter face: Lilith. Alis heard Thomas’s sharp intake of breath, and then Lilith had reached the Elders’ table and was confronting the Judges. Her voice was high and angry.

“Let me take the oath.”

William said sharply, “Young woman, Mistress Elizabeth vouches for you but beware: a person is on trial for her life here. If you have something to say in the matter, you shall take the oath and say it. If not, get you gone. We do not deal in petty grievances. You must take those to your Elders.”

Lilith laughed shrilly and the baby, which had fallen silent, set up again its feeble cry. The girl crushed it to her fiercely, saying at the same time, “I cannot go to my Elders for it is one of them who has sinned against me and that one is here today.” She turned abruptly and flung out a hand toward Thomas.

He had recovered from his surprise and put on his blandest look. “Master William, I must beg pardon for this intrusion. This is a former servant of mine, whom I was forced to dismiss. No doubt she seeks—”

Furiously she interrupted him. “It is a wicked lie.” Turning to William, she said, “He bears witness against the Minister’s wife for the death of her husband, does he not?”

William nodded. “It is true. Do you have anything to tell us of the matter?”

She tossed her hair back out of her eyes and gave Alis a savage look. “I know nothing of that and I care nothing for her.”

“Then?”

“But I tell you
he
is a liar and worse. His word cannot be taken. I would not save her but I would bring him down, for he has set my life at naught. I can come by no work now through his doing, and yet he would have left me to beg rather than raise his hand to help me, though my trouble is all of his making.”

She was panting in her rage and Thomas stepped forward speaking calmly, though his face was pinched and pale suddenly. “Come, girl, this is no place for such displays. We have solemn business to conduct. Go and wait. When I am done here I will come to you, and if you are in need, I will relieve you.”

He went to take her by the arm but she hissed at him with such ferocity that he froze in the act. “Do not touch me. You would have left me to starve, me and my baby. I tell you that it is your child and you must support us both.”

At once a great babble broke out. Alis was forgotten briefly, for here was new wonder. When he could make himself heard at last, William said to her, “You shall speak no further until you have taken the oath. Come now.”

When it was done, he spoke again. “You say that Master Thomas is the father of your babe. It is easy to claim and hard to prove, the fathering of a child. Have you any tokens of his knowing you, or any witness to say that he showed you such favor as men do in these instances?”

Thomas broke in scornfully. “She is lying. I dismissed her because she was sluttish in her behavior and I would not have such a one in the house who—”

William’s voice cut in coldly. “Let the girl answer the question. You will have your chance to speak by and by.”

Thomas flushed and then the color receded, leaving him paler than before. Lilith was looking at him oddly. “I need no tokens and no witness. The child is his.”

William said patiently, “It is hard, I know, for a woman in such a case but there must be proof.”

To Alis’s amazement, Lilith smiled, saying to William, “You are the Judge. Will it serve for proof if his wife herself says the child is his?”

There were exclamations of surprise from the listeners. William looked at her with narrowed eyes. “What trick is this? No wife would do such a thing unless she meant to be free of her husband, and if such were the case her word would mean nothing. This will not do.”

Lilith was calm now, and she was not dismayed by the Judge’s answer. “Will you let me show her my baby and hear what she says? Then you will have proof to satisfy you, I promise.”

The hall was utterly silent, awaiting his answer. Finally he nodded. Thomas was on his feet at once. “Master William, I must protest. My wife is in poor health.”

The Judge looked at him a moment and he subsided. “Accusations must be put to the test surely, Master Thomas? That is why we are here today. Let your wife come up.”

Sarah was helped to her feet by the women beside her, and one of them took her arm to assist her onto the dais. At William’s command a chair was brought for her. Alis could see that she could barely stand unsupported. Her frightened eyes sought her husband’s: his look was murderous.

When she was seated, William said to Lilith, “Now show Mistress Sarah the child and let us have your proof, if such it be.”

Lilith knelt down by Sarah and placed the baby in her lap. Then she began to unwind the wrappings about the upper part of its body. Alis’s view of the child was blocked by Lilith’s kneeling figure. The people were so still they seemed scarcely to be breathing. Suddenly, Sarah gave a great cry and stood up. The child slid from her lap and Lilith hardly caught it before it fell. Sarah turned to face her husband, howling at him, “It
is
yours! It
is
yours! Liar! Adulterer! What have you done?”

Thomas started forward with his fist raised but William was there, blocking his path. Lilith was standing before the crowd holding up the child. Even those at the back could see the rough crescent of purple that marked the skin on the left side of the chest. Everyone was speaking at once and Sarah had collapsed; one of the women was bending over her. William struggled to silence the noise until once more the baby’s thin cry was audible. Then he spoke to Sarah and she looked up at him, her face already blotched with tears.

“Mistress Sarah, do you say that the child is your husband’s?” She did not answer. He repeated his question, adding gently, “I beg you, Mistress Sarah, to give us your answer. Your husband has laid a serious accusation against another person. If his honesty is in question, we must know of it.”

She made an effort to suppress her sobs and said clearly enough, “The child is his. He has such a mark also. It is just the same.” And she bowed her head once more and wept.

Then Thomas spoke. His voice was angry but he had himself under control again. “I admit that the child is mine. I was tempted and I fell. But that does not change anything. Have you forgotten the great matter that we came here to prove? The Minister of Freeborne was murdered, and his wife murdered him. She must hang for it.”

Lilith had swaddled the baby anew, and now she broke in, “I daresay she did murder her husband—she wanted Master Luke for her own and he wanted her. And I do not care if she hangs: I hate her. But if I was a great Judge, I would not trust the word of Master Thomas. He meant her harm because she went to Mistress Elizabeth’s house and took her side.”

At this, the third Judge, who had not yet spoken, moved abruptly in his seat. “Be mindful of what you say, girl. To mean harm is not to do it. We must have only facts here.”

Lilith’s expression grew darker. “He meant her harm, I say. I told him it was the mad woman, Iri—whose man was whipped and cast out—that fired our prayer house that night. I saw her at the doorway with her tinderbox. The girl Alis had gone in before. The next day Alis was missing, and Master Luke quarreled with me, saying that Master Thomas had accused her of the fire because of me. He hated me, he said, and would have no more to do with me.”

She rubbed her sleeve across her eyes and her voice was flat with despair. “I did not care what happened to me after that, so I let Master Thomas do what he wanted, which I had always refused before.” She broke off as if it were beyond bearing.

William was looking at her compassionately. “You say you let him. He did not force you then?”

She hesitated, and Alis saw Thomas clench his fists. Then Lilith said wearily, “I thought to please him. There was none else to care for me.”

William said quietly, “What did you do when you knew you were with child?”

Lilith shot a poisonous look at Thomas. “I was afraid to tell him, for I knew he would say it was not his. But soon I could not hide the swelling of my belly anymore and he turned me out, and I found that he had given me a bad name everywhere. I thought Mistress Elizabeth might aid me, though she and the Minister were gone from their house to Mistress Ellen’s farm. So I went there and Mistress Ellen said I could bide with the old dairy wife in her cottage. I was to have bed and board, and help with the child’s coming, too, if I would serve the old woman while I was able.”

William turned to Mistress Elizabeth, saying courteously, “You will confirm all this, Mistress Elizabeth.”

Before she could answer, Thomas interjected angrily, “Mistress Elizabeth is not under oath.”

William gave him a look of such scorn that he flinched for all his boldness. But Elizabeth got stiffly to her feet saying, “Let me take the oath, Master William, then there can be no doubt in the matter.”

She came up on the dais and it was soon done. William ordered that a chair be brought for her. Alis was comforted to have her so near.

When she was seated, William said to her, “Now Mistress Elizabeth, will you confirm that this girl, Lilith, has spoken the truth?”

She nodded. “Yes indeed. She came to the farm and was taken in, as she says.”

“And did she tell you all that she has told us here?”

Elizabeth glanced at Lilith. “Not at first, for she was very fearful, but when she knew we would listen with open hearts, then she spoke freely.”

“Did you believe her?”

Elizabeth met Thomas’s black look steadily. “I did.”

William’s face was thoughtful. “Why did you not raise this matter in your own Community? A sinning Elder is not above the rule of the Book.”

“We had no voice in Two Rivers anymore, my husband and I.

Soon afterward, we left there, for we were almost in fear for our lives. And even had it not been so, how could it be proven that the child in her belly was his? Or even that he had lain with her? Only later, when the babe was born with the mark upon it, could the truth be seen.”

William turned back to Lilith. “Did you have any further dealings with Master Thomas? Or do you know anything more that bears upon the matter tried here?”

The girl nodded reluctantly. “The Minister and Mistress Elizabeth were gone away, and Mistress Ellen went with them to care for the Minister on the journey because he was so sick. I stayed with the old woman, as I told you. But she did not need me all the time and the child was restless within me, so I would walk about the farm for ease of my pains. One day, I saw her—Alis. She was on the back porch of the farmhouse and I knew what she had come for.”

She stopped but Elizabeth said gently, “Remember Lilith, only the truth.”

The girl’s mouth twisted in a bitter line but she went on. “She thought I did not know her, but I knew her well enough and what she wanted, so I told her Master Luke had died and she went away again.”

The third Judge leaned forward as if he would intervene again, but William gestured to him to remain silent and Lilith continued.