Mightier Than the Sword Read online

  “And what was the court’s decision on that occasion?”

  “The judge came down in favor of Mrs. Clifton.”

  “No, Lady Virginia, he did not. I have Mr. Justice Cameron’s judgement to hand. He ruled that the will was valid, and that Mrs. Clifton’s mother was of sound mind when she executed it. Which is particularly relevant, considering what she had to say about you at the time.”

  Sir Edward was quickly on his feet.

  “Mr. Trelford,” said the judge sharply, before Sir Edward could offer an opinion, “we have already traveled down that road and it came to a dead end. Do I make myself clear?”

  “I apologize, my lady. Would you have any objection to my asking Lady Virginia if I could read out—”

  “Yes, I would, Mr. Trelford. Move on,” she said sharply.

  Trelford glanced across at the jury. As it was clear from the looks on their faces they had ignored the judge’s instruction not to read any newspaper reports of the case and must have been well aware of what Mrs. Clifton’s mother thought of Lady Virginia, he was happy to obey the judge’s wishes and to move on.

  “Lady Virginia, are you aware that despite the learned judge’s ruling in favor of Mrs. Clifton and her sister, Dr. Grace Barrington, they both agreed that their brother could go on living at their family home in Gloucestershire, as well as at the London house in Smith Square, while Mrs. Clifton and her husband continued to reside at their more modest Manor House?”

  “I have no idea what Giles’s domestic arrangements were after I divorced him for adultery, let alone what Mrs. Clifton was up to.”

  “You had no idea what Mrs. Clifton was up to,” repeated Mr. Trelford. “In which case, Lady Virginia, you must have either a very short or a very selective memory, because only a few moments ago you told the jury how much you admired Mrs. Clifton. Allow me to remind you of your exact words.” He slowly turned back a page of his file. “‘Emma has many admirable qualities, and has unquestionably been an outstanding chairman of a public company, making her a role model for aspiring professional women.’ That wasn’t always your opinion, was it, Lady Virginia?”

  “My opinion of Mrs. Clifton has not changed, and I stand by what I said.”

  “Did you purchase seven and a half percent of Barrington’s stock?”

  “Major Fisher did on my behalf.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “As a long-term investment.”

  “And not because you wanted to take a seat on the board of the company?”

  “No. Major Fisher, as you well know, represented my interests on the board.”

  “Not in 1958 he didn’t, because in that year you turned up at an Extraordinary General Meeting of Barrington’s in Bristol, claiming your right to sit on the board and to vote on who should be the company’s next chairman. For the record, Lady Virginia, who did you vote for?”

  “I voted for Major Fisher.”

  “Or do you mean you voted against Mrs. Clifton?”

  “Certainly not. I listened to both their presentations most carefully and decided on balance in favor of Major Fisher, rather than Mrs. Clifton.”

  “Well then, clearly you have forgotten what you said on that occasion, but as it was recorded in the minutes of the meeting, allow me to remind you. I don’t believe that women were put on earth to chair boards, take on trade union leaders, build luxury liners, or have to raise vast sums of money from bankers in the City of London. Hardly a ringing endorsement for aspiring professional women.”

  “Perhaps you should read on, Mr. Trelford, and not be quite so selective in your quotations.”

  Trelford looked beyond the paragraph he’d underlined, and hesitated.

  Mrs. Justice Lane gave him a nudge. “I would like to hear what else Lady Virginia had to say on that occasion.”

  “And so would I,” said Sir Edward, loud enough for everyone in court to hear.

  Trelford reluctantly read out the next couple of lines. “I shall be supporting Major Fisher, and I only hope that Mrs. Clifton will accept the major’s generous offer to serve as his deputy.” Mr. Trelford looked up.

  “Please keep going, Mr. Trelford,” prompted Lady Virginia.

  “I came here with an open mind, willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but sadly she has not lived up to my expectations.”

  “I think you’ll find, Mr. Trelford,” said Virginia, “that it’s you who has either a very short or a very selective memory, not me.”

  Sir Edward applauded, although his hands didn’t actually touch.

  Mr. Trelford quickly changed the subject. “Shall we move on to Mrs. Clifton’s words which you claim were libelous and belittled you?”

  “I’m quite happy to do so.”

  “If it was your intention to bring the company down, Lady Virginia,” continued Trelford, as if he hadn’t been interrupted, “then … you have failed, and failed lamentably, because you were defeated by decent ordinary people who want this company to be a success. Now, Major Fisher admitted that he carried out his dealings in Barrington’s shares simply to make money, which in his case was illegal—”

  “In his case, but not in mine,” said Lady Virginia. “In my case he was simply acting on my behalf. For all I know, he was giving exactly the same advice to several other clients.”

  “So Major Fisher was not a close friend, who kept you in touch with what was happening on the board of Barrington’s, but simply a professional advisor?”

  “Even if we were friends, Mr. Trelford, when it came to business matters, everything he did on my behalf was conducted at arm’s length.”

  “I would suggest, Lady Virginia, that when it came to business matters, far from being conducted at arm’s length, it was very much hands-on, and, just as Mrs. Clifton suggested, the two of you planned on three separate occasions to try to bring the company down.”

  “Mr. Trelford, I think you are confusing me with Mr. Cedric Hardcastle, a director of the company, who sold all his stock over the weekend before the AGM. When I asked Mrs. Clifton a perfectly legitimate question about who that director was, she seemed to have conveniently forgotten his name. Someone else with either a very short or a very selective memory.”

  Sir Edward’s smile was growing broader by the minute, while Trelford was sounding less and less assured. He quickly turned another page.

  “We all regret the tragic death of Major Fisher…”

  “I certainly do,” said Virginia. “And as I said earlier, which I’m confident you will have recorded word for word, Mr. Trelford, I would never have considered issuing a writ in the first place if I had thought even for a moment that it could have resulted in the tragic and unnecessary death of my dear friend.”

  “I do indeed remember your words, Lady Virginia, but I wonder if you noticed that just before proceedings opened this morning, a policeman entered this court and handed me a letter?”

  Sir Edward edged forward in his seat, ready to pounce.

  “Would it surprise you to know it was addressed to me, and that it was from your dear friend, Major Fisher?”

  If Mr. Trelford had wanted to go on speaking, his words would have been drowned out by a cacophony of noise that came from all corners of the courtroom. Only the judge and the jury remained impassive. He waited for complete silence before he continued.

  “Lady Virginia, would you like me to read out to the court the last words your dear friend Major Fisher wrote, moments before he died?”

  Sir Edward leaped up. “My lady, I have not seen this letter in the bundle of evidence, and therefore have no idea if it’s admissible or even authentic.”

  “The blood stain on the envelope would suggest its authenticity, my lady,” said Trelford, waving the envelope in front of the jury.

  “I haven’t seen the letter either, Sir Edward,” said the judge, “so it certainly isn’t admissible as evidence until I say so.”

  Trelford was quite happy for them to go on discussing the legal niceties as to whether the le