by John Wilson
Pemberton’s fury was palpable. His face had become bright red and the veins in his forehead were visibly pulsing. He gripped and released the edge of the stand. When he looked across at Blytheway pure hatred blazed out of him.
– Do you want to answer this question?
– No!
Blytheway turned to the bench –
– No further questions, my Lord
and sat down. There was no re-examination from Tempest. Pemberton returned to his place and Sir Patrick Tempest KC called for Peter Preston KC to be brought into court. Preston looked dapper as he gave the oath although he eyed Blytheway with resentment and suspicion. He gave the mandatory details and explained how at the Middle Temple Ball of 1936 he had marked Julia’s card for the foxtrot and how, when the time came for the dance, he had looked everywhere but had been unable to find her. Alnwick rose to cross-examine.
– Would you accept that there are all sorts of reasons why a woman might miss a dance?
– There could have been, of course, I accept that.
– She could, for example, have gone to the Ladies’ room?
– She did not give me any explanation when I saw her later as to why she had missed the dance. She was always a lovely lady and I was surprised that there was not even an apology from her, let alone an explanation. That was most unlike her.
Alnwick, who had clearly not learned a thing from the morning session, let off his blunderbuss again and caught himself squarely in the foot.
– Were you aware that Mrs Pemberton had an aversion to you?
– I don’t know what on earth you are talking about!
– She had the view – I will try to put this delicately – that your hands had a tendency to wander.
– This is outrageous!
Blytheway turned round to Adam and then looked at the ceiling with an air of gloom. The judge interrupted the cross-examination.
– Mr Alnwick. Are you making a positive case that your client accepted a dance from Mr Preston and then chose not to honour that because of her views about Mr Preston’s proclivities? Is that the evidence she is going to be giving?
– No, my Lord.
– This is most improper!
Alnwick sat down and the judge looked at Blytheway.
– No questions, my Lord.
Tempest then called Jackson, the private detective. He explained how he had made enquiries about expensive hotels within an easy radius of Eaton Square and how he had discovered that Adam Falling had been frequenting the Stafford. He told how he followed him to Shepherd Market and witnessed him picking up a prostitute whom he took back to that hotel, and how he subsequently interviewed her. Alnwick asked him whether he had ever seen Falling with Mrs Pemberton, and he answered, as he had to, that he had not. Blytheway rose to cross-examine.
– Just one question, Mr Jackson. It is right that, in addition to speaking with the prostitute you also spoke to the man working on reception?
– Yes.
– Is it not right that in answer to your questions he confirmed that Mr Falling always brought the same lady to the hotel?
– That is what he told me.
– And that lady was the person he had picked up in Shepherd Market?
– Yes.
Blytheway turned to face the judge.
– No further questions, my Lord.
– Very well. It is almost 4 p.m. I think we will rise now and we can start afresh with the evidence, I think, of Mrs Pemberton tomorrow.
Sir Patrick Tempest rose to his feet.
– My Lord, before the court rises may I introduce one very brief witness?
– What is the nature of the evidence you wish to call?
– I wish to call Mr Arthur Kean. He is the senior clerk at Stirrup Chambers. His evidence goes to the issue of the letter that Mrs Pemberton says she sent to Mr Falling.
– Very well.
Arthur entered the witness box and took the oath. The suit he was wearing looked more expensive even than that worn by his Head of Chambers. He stated that all correspondence that came into chambers was sifted by him and the other clerks and then placed in the relevant tray. He confirmed that neither he nor any of his staff had any recollection of such a letter being received. When he had given this evidence, Mr Justice Wilkinson turned to Alnwick.
– Do you have any questions?
– No, my Lord.
Alnwick had apparently at last learnt his lesson.
– And you, Mr Blytheway?
– One or two, my Lord.
– Very well.
Blytheway turned to face Arthur Kean.
– In light of your answers to Mr Tempest’s questions would it be right to say that you have never seen any letters arriving for Mr Falling that came from Mrs Pemberton?
– No, I have not.
– Or taken any telephone calls from Mrs Pemberton in which she asked to speak with Mr Falling?
– No.
Roland Blytheway paused and looked over at the press box before returning his gaze to Arthur Kean.
– Mr Kean, when I use the expression “the black market”, do you know what I am talking about?
Adam looked across at Tempest, who was struggling with the temptation to rise to his feet again. He resisted.
– Everyone’s heard of the black market.
– Dealing on or with the black market is illegal, isn’t it?
This time the judge intervened.
– Mr Blytheway! This is not a trial about illegal trading. What is the relevance of this?
Roly was unperturbed.
– Mr Kean is giving evidence in support of his employer. If it be the case that he and Mr Pemberton have been engaged together in illicit activity that may have had some impact on the evidence he was prepared to give on behalf of his employer. I put it no higher than that.
– Carry on.
– Mr Kean, I should make it clear that before you answer my next question there is in our courts a privilege against self-incrimination. You do not therefore have to answer my next question. Do you understand?
– Yes.
– Were you and Mr Pemberton working together to exploit the black market using cigarettes and alcohol provided to you by Mr Pemberton and sharing the profits?
– I don’t want to answer that question.
Blytheway turned to the judge, said he had no further questions and slipped back into his seat. Tempest said he had no re-examination.
– Court rise!
– 10.30 tomorrow,
said the judge before striding out of court.
****
Adam and Blytheway parted company with Jones on the Strand and headed back to Lamb Building.
– You were brilliant, Roly! I think the afternoon went far better than the morning.
Blytheway remained gloomy.
– Unfortunately, I don’t think that black market stuff is going to make a shred of difference.
– Why introduce it then?
– I disapprove of the black market. And I wanted to tweak Pemberton’s tail. Listen, Adam, would you like to come and dine with me tonight? I think we need to try and lift Storman’s spirits.
– Thank you. I’d love to.
– On one condition however.
– Which is?
– I don’t want any talk of this case. It is the last thing Storman needs.
Chapter One Hundred
(Tuesday 6th May 1941)
– Court rise!
Sir Patrick Tempest formally closed his case. Alnwick stood up and called Julia. She was wearing a demure cream outfit. In order to get to the witness box she had to squeeze past Jones and then Adam. He stood to get out of her way. Her leg touched his as she passed and he smelt her perfume. She did not look at him.
Although the report in the Times had been an unsensational recitation of the events of the previous day, the tabloids had been more lurid: “The dance card mystery”, ran the Daily Sketch’s headline; “Unlocking the secret diary�
�� was the Daily Mirror’s title; “Barristers in alleged love triangle” was the Daily Mail’s take on it. None of the journalists had been complimentary about Alnwick’s contribution. Adam looked over at him as his client made her way up the steps to the witness box. He appeared subdued.
Julia was composed as she took the oath. Adam allowed himself to luxuriate in the sound of her voice. The last time he had heard it was in Hamley’s on the 20th December.
If you love … loved me … you’ll tell the world you hate me. If you love me you’ll understand why I must tell everyone that I have never cared for you. You will find a way to explain why all the bloody books on my shelves are the same as the ones you have in chambers … to explain why you were going to the Stafford on free afternoons. A way that doesn’t involve me. New Year’s Day is on a Wednesday. We’ll both receive the Petition on the Thursday. I can’t see you again.
Alnwick got her to introduce herself to the court and, the formalities out of the way, took her through her evidence. He took her through her early life, her meeting Pemberton, his problem with drink (dealt with euphemistically), their marriage and children and her relationship with Jenny. Then he dealt with the evacuation of Stephen, Sebastian and Agnes to the Cotswolds.
– Do you miss your children?
– Dreadfully.
– Did you ever considering joining your children away from London?
– Never.
– Why was that?
– My place was with my husband. He is a very brave and noble man. I believed that if he had the courage to stay here I had to be there at his side.
– Do you love your husband?
Julia gave Pemberton a long look of melting softness before she answered.
– I love Jeremy with all my heart. I have loved him since the day I met him.
– Have you ever loved anyone else?
– No. That would be impossible.
– Do you love Mr Adam Falling?
Julia looked affronted at the question and glanced dismissively in his direction. At least our eyes have met at last, he thought.
– No! Of course not! I hardly know the man!
– Did you ever love him?
– No!
– Much has been made of the fact that you had a dance with him at a ball in 1936.
– I had completely forgotten about that to be honest. Until my husband produced that dance card. I remembered that his first name was Adam but I hadn’t remembered his surname until Jeremy started mentioning him to me in the months before last Christmas. Until that card was produced I had forgotten all about the fact that we had shared one dance over four years ago. I left it in my room when I moved out.
– After that dance did you have any further contact with him?
– No.
– It has been said that you missed the next dance.
– I really can’t remember. But if Mr Preston says that he couldn’t find me for it I have no reason to doubt that. He is an honourable man.
– Did you offer him any explanation for your absence?
– I don’t believe I did. On the other hand I don’t believe he ever asked me. He is a very popular man and I doubt that the fact that he and I missed our dance mattered much to him.
– After that dance did you have any further contact with Adam Falling?
– No.
– Did you want to have anything more to do with him?
– No!
– Was there any reason for that?
She looked offended.
– Well. That is a very stupid question! – Adam tended to agree – I am a married woman. I love my husband and, besides, one dance was enough for me. He is a lesser man than my husband. I didn’t care for him at all!
– But you wrote him a letter?
– I did. Poor Jeremy had been going through a very difficult time. For some mad reason he clearly got it into his head that something was going on between me and Mr Falling. I don’t know why.
– What sort of things would he say?
– Jeremy has always talked to me about chambers and about the members of his chambers. He is a good and conscientious Head of Chambers and I am proud of him for that. But he hardly ever mentioned Adam Falling. And if he did, it was almost always in a disparaging way. Then in the last few months of 1940 Jeremy changed. He started talking about Mr Falling all the time. I was baffled by this to be honest. And he would give me such odd looks when he did so – as though he was getting at something and I was supposed to understand what it was.
– Carry on.
– I racked my brain. I thought Jeremy was behaving really strangely about this. But I put that down to the fact that everyone was finding life very difficult with all the bombing from the Germans. He had a lot of responsibilities: to Jenny, to me, to Stephen, Sebastian and Agnes. To our staff. But he also had to think of Stirrup Court and the members of his chambers. He would come home in the evening and tell me of another building in the Temple that had been destroyed. He worried terribly about what would happen if Stirrup Court was destroyed. He was under a great deal of strain and I put it all down to the war.
– Did there come a time when you realised that Mr Pemberton was in reality suggesting that you were having an affair with Mr Falling?
– It was such a ridiculous notion that it took a while to sink in. But about a week before our Christmas party Jeremy made a point of telling me over breakfast that he intended to invite Mr and Mrs Falling to come along.
– Did that surprise you?
– Well. Yes, really. He had never invited the man, or his wife, before, and suddenly, after making all these rather strange comments he went out of his way to tell me that they had been invited, and then went on to say that he was sure I would welcome the opportunity to speak with him and get to know him better! I had to put down my teacup. “Why would I want to get to know Mr Falling better? Or even speak to him?” I asked. And then he said something that really shocked me. He said, “Come on, my dear, you know what I’m talking about.” And then I realised. The silly man had got it into his head that I was having some sort of relationship with Mr Falling. I couldn’t believe it.
– What happened next?
– I told Jeremy that I didn’t know what he was talking about and he said that I knew perfectly well.
– When you realised that he was indeed suggesting to you that you were having an affair with Mr Falling, what did you do?
– Well. Obviously, I was shocked and embarrassed. I assumed Jeremy was inviting Mr and Mrs Falling to our party so that he could cause some sort of scene. I hardly knew the man and I felt it would be dreadfully unfair on him to do what Jeremy appeared to be intent on doing in front of Mr Falling’s wife. And so I wrote a polite letter to him, marked “private and confidential”, setting out what I understood was being alleged and apologising for it. Because it was completely wrong.
– Did you ask that Mr Falling destroy the letter?
– Yes, I did. I was frightfully embarrassed. It was humiliating.
Alnwick turned to the question of her books. She explained that this was nothing more than an unhappy coincidence. She may not have had as full an education as Jeremy but she wasn’t stupid and she didn’t have a job. The days were long, especially after her children were evacuated, and she didn’t need all day to read the paper so she started buying herself books to read.
Why had she decided to have all her clothing dry-cleaned?
– My life had changed since the war began and I had taken up voluntary work as part of the war effort.
– Can you tell the court the nature of that work?
– I do not know if I am liberty to do so.
She looked inquiringly at the Judge, who nodded for her to continue.
– Whilst I lived at Eaton Square I was able to help by going to Westminster and helping to chart the falling of the bombs so that we could ensure that the emergency services knew where they needed to go.
– I see.
�
�� Since I moved out I’ve been doing the same job for the Water Board, in Rosebery Avenue.
– What has this got to do with getting your clothing dry-cleaned?
– I don’t smoke. And neither does Jeremy. I agree with him that it is a filthy habit. I was not often around cigarette smoke before but everyone I was working with seemed to smoke. I agree that I did see Jeremy smelling my coat in the hall and I realised immediately what he was thinking. That my coat smelt of smoke. I had just got back from my work, after all. Jeremy is a very fastidious man who abhors dirt. I felt I had let him down and so I decided the proper thing to do was to get everything cleaned. I never dreamed that it would be suggested that this was in some way sinister.
Alnwick then turned to deal with Julia’s relationship with Jenny. She explained how Jenny had been very small when she first met Pemberton and she had always regarded her as a younger sister rather than a step-daughter. Although Jeremy would refer to Jenny as “our daughter” – and she thought it very considerate of him to do so – she always considered her as just “Jenny”. Agnes was their daughter.
– What were your feelings towards Jenny?
– I loved her. We were very close. I used to let her borrow my dresses.
– We heard Mr Pemberton say yesterday that you laughed hysterically when you realised that it had been Jenny who had been killed and not Agnes.
Julia paused in her evidence and looked around the court room. Her complexion was mottled. She put her hand to her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose between finger and thumb. She tried to speak but her voice cracked. A glass of water was passed up to her and she took a sip before continuing. She bowed her head.
