Page 36 of Romancing the Scot
He’d made certain that Darby had been freed from the local bailiff’s custody. And yet, many Irish were sitting behind bars for no reason except tardiness in being granted a hearing.
Hugh knew he couldn’t change the justice system. Those wheels turned exceedingly slow. But the specter Grace had raised was how much injustice he himself had been responsible for.
Dawn was still far off when he went down to his study. In his law clerk’s office, he found the latest pretrial record and the prison registers on Kane Branson’s desk. The pages included cases on the docket for the lower courts. The name of each person was followed by the place of birth, occupation, age, height, and religion. Reading the alleged offences, he saw exactly what Grace was speaking of. The majority of the cases involved an Irishman, and many of these men should have been in and out with minimal reprimand. Even worse, many of the offences were a poor man’s crime, theft for food.
In most instances, these cases wouldn’t reach his court, but Hugh started taking notes, instructing Branson what needed to be done to either release the prisoners or expedite the hearings.
When he was through with the list, he stood and stretched. He knew he wasn’t done yet. The deaf-mute woman. The murder case would finally reach the High Court this autumn. He dug out the file that had been sent to him at Baronsford.
The woman, Jean Campbell of Dublin, accused of throwing her three-year-old child into the River Clyde from the Saltmarket Bridge on the nineteenth of November of last year. Witnesses had come forward reporting the crime, and she was arrested with strong evidence against her.
Hugh paged through all the material he had. There was very little here. No statement from the accused. Notes indicated that Mrs. Campbell couldn’t read or write. She couldn’t hear or speak. As far as he could see, no further attempt was made to communicate with her.
He recalled the issue causing the impasse. If she was not fit to stand trial, she’d be sentenced to an asylum for life. A fate worse than death, in Hugh’s opinion. But if Jean Campbell was fit to stand in court, she had no defense. She’d end up hanging. But keeping her locked away, month after month, because of legal squabbling was not advancing her case, either.
Hugh started a new list for his law clerk. Information he needed. Records of testimonies against her. A report that provided information about where she lived in Glasgow, names of her neighbors and family members. Where were her other children?
He thought about the key issue itself, her inability to communicate. How did her family and neighbors communicate with her? By the time he was done with his instructions, he had enough to keep Kane Branson busy in Edinburgh for a few days. The young man was training to be a barrister. Idealistic and eager, he shared Hugh’s passion for defending those who could not defend themselves. He’d do well on this.
Hugh finished by writing a message to Walter Truscott about the dam. He was to hire whomever he needed, including able-bodied Irish workers.
Putting down his pen, he leaned back in his chair and saw the candles had burned down to stumps. Without his help or notice, the sun had already risen and was shining outside. He felt good. The unsettling start of the night had turned to a productive one.
Done, he thought. But now he needed exercise. Something to get his pulse to match the speed of his thoughts. Leaving the instructions on Branson’s desk, he came back into his study to find Jo knocking and entering.
“This is early, even for you,” she said, glancing at the disheveled condition of his dinner clothes. “Oh, I see. Never went to bed last night.”
“I had to right a few wrongs first.”
“Well, I won’t harass you for working too hard if you agree to do me a favor. Though I hate to ask, considering you haven’t slept.”
“Don’t give it another thought.” Jo rarely asked favors. “What is it you need?”
“You and I were to take Grace out after breakfast riding in the deer park.”
Hugh said nothing. Grace had obviously not seen his sister this morning to tell her of his change of plans.
“You gave me the impression that youdidwant to go,” Jo said, reading his reluctance. “And I think this would be good for her. She appears much happier when she’s outside. Yesterday, I thought she improved tenfold by just taking a walk.”
Last night, he’d forgotten she’d been at death’s door so few days earlier. The image of her sprawled on the rug, books spread around her, flashed in his mind. Once he knew she wasn’t injured, he readily rushed headlong into an enjoyment of her charm, her beauty. Her dress was far from risqué in comparison to many women’s evening wear, but on Grace it became a standard for sensuality. Her bare arms, the deep neckline that gave him a generous view of her perfect breasts. He’d looked into her face and admired the perfect symmetry of it. As before, her eyes and lips fascinated him.
Hugh had enjoyed enough liaisons in the past to recognize when a woman was interested in him. Grace showed him all the signs. Except, he was the one in possession of his past. He knew what was right and wrong. Whatever temptation either was feeling, he needed to act responsibly.
And he’d done so, in spite of the fact that she appealed to him physically. But then he’d seen the strength of her mind. It was astonishing to realize anyone could glean so much from only one reading, and the blunt power of her argument enthralled him.
“Please tell me I don’t need to disappoint her and postpone the outing.”
Hugh brought his attention back to his sister. “What areyoudoing this morning?”
“A note just arrived from Lady Nithsdale. She’s planning on paying me a visit this morning.”
“Oh well, the world must change its orbit if LadyNithsdaleis coming to call.”
“You know it’s the truth,” Jo said, smiling. “She’s bringing her friend and houseguest, Mrs. Douglas, with her. Don’t you remember her telling us about it last week?”
Hugh didn’t remember. He paid no more attention to that woman’s endless chatter about social engagements than he paid to her husband’s rambling boasts about his prowess as a sportsman. He only tolerated the two of them because they were neighbors.
“If this were only a social call, I would not be troubled by it.”
