"Yes. I have orders not to leave until Abel comes for me."
Her mother's eyes widened. "Right now," she said, nodding. "I'd be following those orders, if I were you."
Polly leaned forward. "I hope you're all right. Abel seemed as upset as Geoffrey was when we parted last night. But he said he's waiting for the sentencing before he knows what to do with me."
Cicely spoke softly. "Abel is in the middle of law books today, trying to gain wisdom about what to do with all of us. Apparently, there isn't a precedent for a ladies' brawl, only men's. And he can't sentence all of us to go to jail. There isn't room."
Polly sighed as her mother's voice was heard from downstairs.
Her father stared, when he saw her face. "Oh my, Ciss. Look at you."
"Yes, sir. Mrs. Baxter got me on both sides."
They paused to say grace over the food, before he continued, "Well, if it helps any, I'm making rounds today to get more extensive statements. Yesterday was too hurried. A woman hunted me up this morning at work, early. She saw the whole thing. One of the few eyewitnesses who did."
"A witness?" Polly paused with her fork halfway to her mouth.
Cicely set hers down. "What did she say?"
"I can't tell you. But it was enlightening. She will be there on Tuesday. Which reminds me," he looked down at his wife. "I may be late getting home this evening. I'm only about half finished interviewing the rest of the ladies. And there are a few other witnesses who saw things from other viewpoints. Ciss, where's the judge?"
"Buried in his law books. But I think he's home, if you need to speak to him."
"I do. I'll head over there after lunch. Don't leave this evening until I've spoken to you."
"Yes, sir."
"And now," he said, forking in one last bite and rising to his feet. "I must go." He leaned over to plant a kiss on his wife's mouth. "See you later. Behave. All of you."
And he was gone.
Abel was quiet most of the weekend. Sunday morning, they had gone to Mass. Cicely watched as Father Michael walked out from the back to face his parishioners and stood there. He looked from one to the other of the ladies in the church, seeing the bruised cheeks and black eyes sported by so many of them. When he saw Cinderella Andrews, he paused, then blinked.
Cicely knew what he must be thinking. Her mother, the little model parishioner of St. Mary's, looked no different than any of the other ladies in the room, with her bruised cheek and forehead.
Father Michael continued looking around the room and then stopped, took a deep breath, and began to speak. "My children, perhaps it is important on this day, of all days, to hear what the Lord says about forgiveness…"
The Sentencing
The courtroom was packed, Tuesday morning. As much of Strasburg as could stood in the aisles to see what would happen. Midway through bringing in the ladies due to be sentenced, Cicely's father announced that everyone not involved in the day's proceedings must move outside. They grumbled, but they went. He made no move to open the windows so people outside could hear. Instead, he crowded the rest of the ladies and their husbands in and closed the door.
Cicely observed Abel as he sat at the bench looking somber. When everyone was at last seated, he called court into session and had the sheriff call the witnesses first. He had been so quiet all weekend, and she'd worried that he had not found a way to deal with this situation. If he was lenient with her, people of Strasburg would think he was not being fair. But she knew he would not be harsher on her than anyone else for no reason. He was a fair man. She trusted him. This had put him in a horrible position.
"Cissy. Father just called Mrs. Morgan to stand before the bench." Polly's whisper caused her to turn and look up, alarmed. Everyone grew quiet.
Abel glanced briefly over at her when Millie began to give her story. Cicely listened. The story Mrs. Morgan told was, at least from Cicely's perspective, exactly the way it had happened. Then, another lady was called. She had not seen the beginning at all, only the end, and the third hadn't realized Cicely was involved at all because she couldn't see her.
Mrs. Baxter raised her hand and objected.
"Excuse me, Judge. But Mrs. Morgan's words shouldn't be allowed. She works for you and your wife."
"I object, too," said Mrs. Harper.
"So do I." Mrs. Martin waved a hand.
Abel leaned forward. Folding his hands into a steeple, he made strong eye contact with each one of them. When he spoke, his voice was low-pitched, but steady and serious. "The objection is sustained. It does appear to have a conflict of interest. The witness could possibly be prejudiced in favor of Mrs. Carter."
Mrs. Baxter heaved a sigh, looking smug.
But Abel was not finished. He stared at her for a long time. "However, ladies," he said. " I do have something to say to you. My wife knew there would be witnesses here today. But she had no knowledge of who they were or what they would say. Nor did I. I ask you, ladies, whether your objection to Mrs. Morgan's testimony is merely due to the fact that she works for me? Or is it because Cicely Carter is my wife and the sheriff's daughter, and because the testimony seems to exonerate her? Think about that."
Mrs. Baxter held her chin high. So did Mrs. Martin. Emma Harper looked away from him and chewed her lip thoughtfully.
"So be it." Abel said. "Mrs. Morgan's testimony shall be stricken from the record."
Cicely met the eyes of her sister and looked down. Polly leaned over to her, whispering softly, "I don't know what else he can do, Cissy."
Abel sat there a moment longer, his eyes roaming the courtroom. Finally, he spoke. "It has become obvious that everyone in this room became involved for a different reason. There was no main cause here. The origin of the fight was completely unknown to the majority of you who raised your fists to your neighbors of so many years. Therefore, the sentences of each of you will be carried out differently." He looked toward the sheriff. "We'll begin."
Then the ladies began being called, one by one. Charges were read. Abel looked sternly down at them as he read their sentences.
"Amelia Lane Martin, you are fined the amount of bail already paid, and you are to give two weeks of service to Emma Harper by taking care of her dog. You are to make friends with it. You are to pet it at least thirty minutes a day, while Mrs. Harper watches. You are to listen to her instruction, as is reasonable and prudent. And if any harm comes to her dog while it is in your care, and it is thought to be your doing, you will be brought back to court for further sentencing and a possible jail sentence. And if necessary, and Mrs. Harper is required to complete a jail sentence, you will share the cell with her. You may sit down."
Amelia was furious. Whatever she had expected, this was not it. She smacked her cane down on the wooden floor with each step.
"Mrs. Emma Harper."
Emma rose and moved to the front of the bench, looking smug. But only for a moment.
"Mrs. Emma Harper, the same applies to you. you are to spend two weeks caring diligently for Amelia's chickens. Mend their fences if needed. Make sure they are fed well. You are to do anything that needs to be done for them, as long as it is reasonable and prudent. If anything happens to any of the chickens during that time, and it is found to be related to your care, you will come back to court for a possible jail sentence. If, however, both of you require further sentencing, you will spend the term of your sentence in the same cell with Amelia. It would be in the best interests of both of you if you learned to get along. You may sit down."
Emma shuffled back and sat down by Amelia. Both of them glared at each other furiously.
And so it went. When it got to Mrs. Baxter, she was sentenced to pay Phebe Watkins the amount of rent Phebe had given her for the three months she had paid but was unable to stay. She was also to pay Phebe for the meals she had cooked. Phebe, on the other hand, was sentenced to clean house for Mrs. Baxter for two weeks without pay. If either of them failed to fulfil their obligations, they were to return for a possible jail sentence
and might also be locked in the same cell.
Cinderella had not had any particular vendetta; she had gotten into it because her daughters were involved. Every person she had socked in the mouth was to receive two hours-worth of service cleaning house or running errands, their choice. A fine of ten dollars accompanied the sentence.
Polly's fine was the same. She was also to provide two hours of service for those she had fought with, including Mrs. Baxter. However, someone was to accompany her, so that if Mrs. Baxter's requests were unreasonable, it would be recorded.
Then it came to Cicely. Abel stared down at her for a long time, before speaking. She stood, mute and obviously uncomfortable, before him. Her hands were wrapped tightly into her skirts, and she blinked, staring down at the floor.
"Cicely Allison Carter," Abel's voice spoke firmly, but at the same time, gently. Cicely could hear the gentleness, possibly only because she knew him so well. "Fighting in the street is against the law. While all evidence points to the fact that you tried to prevent the battle between Miss Watson and Mrs. Baxter, the end result became the same." He studied her a bit, before continuing, "Therefore, you are sentenced to one-quarter of an hour of service for each woman in this courtroom today, either by work, or by running errands. There are two exceptions. You do not have to make the trip out to Mrs. Harper's or Mrs. Martin's house. They will need to make an appointment with you in town, which will limit you to the possibility of helping them with their shopping or the running of errands here. As far as all the other ladies, the terms of your service are up to them, as long as it is reasonable and prudent. The fine is limited to the amount of bail already paid. You may sit down."
Cicely sat, but her eyes remained riveted to his face. She had believed him fair; how could he do this to her?
Abel turned to the courtroom and stared at the ladies. "There is one thing I wish to say to you—to each and every one of you. I have included the clause, 'as long as it is reasonable and prudent' for good cause. If any of you decide to extract more than is due you, as far as service of anyone else, I will take it personally as an affront to the law, and you will be held accountable. Forms will be given out to each of you. You may pick them up by tomorrow at the sheriff's office. You are to take them with you to pay your debt of service and have them signed when you're finished, along with a description of the service and the time spent. These forms will be returned to the sheriff's office when they are completed, and I will look them over. I want to hear from each one of you that you understand."
He waited as each woman spoke her affirmation. When it was Cicely's turn, her voice was so quiet, he barely heard it. He studied her a minute before pounding his gavel on the desk.
"Court is dismissed."
Abel waited until the courtroom was empty and remained there, watching Cicely's face. Finally, he rose, moving around the bench and came to sit down next to her.
She looked upward into his eyes reproachfully.
"I thought you would be fair," she whispered.
"You think I was not," he said, pulling her close.
She shook her head.
"To be honest, my darling. I felt it was not. But it was what the law required. I could not bring myself to order stocks, or floggings, or any of the things that might be still on the books for the ladies of Strasburg. Every woman's case was so different, I tried my best to sentence them according to what I thought would be appropriate."
He tipped her chin upward. "When it came to yours, sweetheart, I had a problem. When I was forced to strike Millie's testimony, that left no defense for you. But the sentence for fighting in public actually required something more severe. I limited your service to one-quarter of an hour, for several reasons; the main one was to limit the kinds of tasks they might demand of you. I also put no time constraints on you to accomplish them. You can take up to a year, if you need to, although I'll expect you to finish them sooner than that."
She blinked, searching his eyes. "You protected me from going out to Mrs. Harper's and Mrs. Martin's."
"Yes, and I intend to go to Mrs. Baxter's with you, to make sure she doesn't attempt to take advantage of you. And there's another reason. I want to make sure she replaced the carpet that was damaged with the money she received."
"Then," she said softly. "You actually were more than fair to me."
"I tried to be. I'm sorry if you think I wasn't."
Cicely threw her arms around him. "Oh, Abel. You worked until you found a way to protect me. Thank you. I know I can do this."
She could feel him smiling down into her hair. "I know you can, too, my darling. Now, shall we go home and get some lunch? Mrs. Morgan mentioned having something special fixed for us." He rose to his feet and gave her a brief squeeze before leading her down the aisle and outside.
Cicely was unprepared for the crowd that remained outside, waiting for them to come out. She took Abel's hand when he offered it and looked up at him, giving him her biggest and brightest smile, and walking beside him with a spring in her step.
And they left behind them a very bewildered crowd, watching.
Unexpected News
Cicely had already completed almost half of her service to the other ladies in Strasburg. She had stopped in front of the mirror long enough to glance at her face that morning, as she left, and saw that any trace of the bruises had completely faded away. She was grinning to herself as she kissed Abel and walked toward town. The cool morning air blew her hair back from her face, as she turned left.
The atmosphere of Strasburg seemed to her to have changed, since the hearings. Ladies who had become unused to speaking to each other, now were stopping on the streets to catch up on each other's children and families. Even Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Harper seemed much friendlier to each other. Her father had said recently that those two hadn't been in the sheriff's office in some time. Mrs. Baxter wasn't what Cicely would call friendly, exactly, but her hostility to others seemed to have faded away, at least some.
She walked the block toward her father's office and planted her face in the window, puffing out her cheeks and making a face at him when he looked up.
He laughed loudly and raised a brow at her.
"I thought you were nineteen, Ciss. Not two."
She giggled and waved goodbye to him. But when she turned, she gave a sharp gasp and halted abruptly.
"Speak of the devil and she doth appear," she whispered, staring.
Amelia Martin and Emma Harper were walking down the other side of the street. Together. Amelia had Emma's dog on a rope, walking it. When they stopped, she reached down to scratch the animal's ears.
"Can you believe that?" Polly's voice, beside her, spoke. "It's your brilliant husband's doing, you—"
"I know." Cicely looked at her twin. "Shall we go to the Tea Room?"
Polly grinned eagerly. "Let's."
It was an hour later when they came out.
"Want to walk down to the General Store with me, Cissy? I had an idea for some Christmas material for your bridesmaid's dress, since Jennifer hasn't started it yet. I can't wait to show you!"
Cicely grinned. "And I can't wait to see it."
The bell rang as they went through the door and looked over at the counter to see Mr. Greene. He was waiting patiently, his hands folded in front of him, while Phebe stood looking through the catalogues. She gasped, suddenly.
"Oh! I like this one. No, wait. I think—this one? No."
It was Polly who noticed the ring first.
"Phebe? An engagement ring?"
Phebe raised it in the sunlight that sparkled through the window and laughed with delight as it flashed prisms around the room. "Yes! Nick has asked me to marry him! Can you believe it?" Without warning, she threw her arms around each one of them and then looked back at Mr. Greene. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm too excited to concentrate right now. Can I come back later?"
Sam Greene took a piece of brown paper and tucked it into the catalogue. "I'll keep your place for you."
"Thank
you!" Phebe raised both hands and blew him a kiss. Moving toward the door, she opened it and waited until another customer came in. Then she left.
"And what brings you two young ladies into my shop?" He winked at them.
"You had some material in here the other day that I thought might go well for a bridesmaid's dress. I commented on it, remember? A deep red velvet?"
He turned and pulled a bolt down off the wall behind him, laying it down on the counter.
"This one?"
"Yes!" She turned to her sister. "Well? What do you think?"
"I think it's lovely. But—"
"Then we'll take four yards."
"No." Cicely shook her head. "Better make that five."
A look of incredulity was present on Polly's face. "Not unless you plan on gaining weight." A look of shock caused her eyes to widen. "Cissy! Are you telling me—"
"Yes!"
The twins began to squeal with excitement at the same time, and Mr. Greene leaned over the counter. "Excuse me, you two. I'm not following this conversation. Is it to be four or five yards? And who is who?"
Cicely grinned up, mischievously. "I am, and I always will be, Cicely Allison Carter. And this is my sister, the bride, Mary Polly Andrews, soon to be Wellington. And, Mr. Greene, we'll never try to change places on you again."
Sam Greene looked behind her. "I hope you're following this conversation better than I, Judge."
Cicely gasped, whirled around, and unexpectedly fell into her husband's arms. He lifted her off her feet and held her against his chest tightly.
"I believe I am, Sam," Abel said, staring down into her face. A wide smile played across his lips, and his blue eyes sparkled. "You're sure, my darling?"
She nodded, and he set her back down on her feet extremely carefully. "Then we must be careful with you. Here. Let me go get the carriage, and I'll take you home."
Judging Cicely Page 17
