Page 89 of The Vagabond Viscount
Flynn turned, and he let out a small gasp.
Moving to settle into a seat at the front of the public gallery was Augusta. To the right of her was the Duke of Mowbray, to her left, her uncle, Ewan Radley, the Duke of Strathmore. She was wearing a gown which did nothing to hide her pregnant belly.
When he tore his gaze away, Flynn caught sight of the jurors. To a man, they were all staring at Augusta. She didn’t meet their enquiring looks, rather she sat, hands folded in her lap and stared at the floor. Her message was silent but powerful. She believed in her husband’s innocence, and she would stand by him.
The judge and jury only stirred when the prosecutor spoke again. “The prosecution rests its case, your honor.”
Sir James Pence rose to his feet. Flynn could sense he was eager to get on with the defense. To capitalize on Augusta’s arrival and the show of support from two of the most powerful men in London. “My lords. The evidence is indisputable. Earl Bramshaw killed his father. What is in dispute, however, is the sequence of events. If it pleases the court, I would like to call Baron Halford to the stand.”
Flynn’s brows knitted together. Baron Henry Halford was the private physician of both King George and the Prince Regent. What had he to do with a murder trial?
A hum of whispers and words rippled through the room as the baron took a seat in front of the jury.
Sir James bowed his head. “Thank you for coming today.”
The defense counsel picked up a piece of paper and handed it to the witness. Flynn caught a glimpse of one of the sketches Sir James had produced at the discussion they had held in his prison rooms.
“Could you please explain to the jury, in layman’s terms, what this drawing is and what it means?” said Sir James.
Lord Halford nodded. “This is a post-mortem sketch of the body of the late Earl Bramshaw. On it is marked where the mortal knife wound was received. That part of the body is the lung.”
Sir James nodded. “And what is the relevance of the lung in this matter?”
Flynn sat up in his chair and paid close attention. He hadn’t heard any of this evidence before, so he didn’t understand what it meant.
“The relevance of the lung is that once it is pierced, it collapses, and the victim struggles to breathe. From what the post-mortem tells us, the other lung of the late earl also collapsed at the same time. In layman’s terms, it means that death is almost immediate.”
Which was exactly how it happened. He was dying before he hit the floor.
Silence hung in the air. No one stirred. They were all on the edge of their seats, waiting to hear what came next.
Sir James turned to the jury. “So, Lord Halford, would that mean that the earl couldn’t have attacked or stabbed his son once he had been stabbed?”
“Correct.”
Flynn’s lips began to move. His brain was filling in the gaps.
“Which means, according to the medical evidence, Earl Bramshaw would’ve had to have been the aggressor in this situation. To have attacked first.”
Flynn shot a look at Augusta. Her eyes were closed, and she was sucking in deep breaths. Beside her, the Duke of Mowbray was slowly nodding.
“Yes. From the markings on the body and also the wounds on the current Earl Bramshaw, that is my considered opinion. The late earl attacked first, and then his son stabbed him. From my examination, I would suggest that it was an act of self-defense.”
He didn’t know where to look. He dared not chance another glance at Augusta. Flynn couldn’t stand to watch if her hopes, which he guessed were soaring as high as his now were, came crashing down with an unfavorable verdict.
They had to find him not guilty. Or at the very worst guilty of manslaughter. His life had to finally be his to live.
He readied himself to be called as a witness. The truth and nothing but the truth would come from his lips. And then he would wait for judgement.
“Thank you, Baron Halford. You may step down.” Sir James bowed to the judge. “The defense rests its case.”
And then he sat.
Wait, that’s it? That’s all he is going to say.
Flynn’s brows knitted together. Perhaps he had got it wrong, and there was another part of the trial where he would get to speak. Things were happening far too quickly.
Lord Talbot leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. “Well then, if that is all the evidence, and it is still early afternoon, I shall instruct the jury to retire and consider its verdict.”
