LONDON, JULY 1941
THE TRIAL
Worry had worn Lil down over the last few weeks. Unable to eat or sleep properly, she had lost weight, and tiredness dogged her. And now that the day had come, her anxiety increased as she wondered whether it would be Doomsday or a day of rejoicing. But, if nothing else, she would get to see Gillian at last.
Calling in at Ruby’s house increased the heavy feeling inside her. Ruby’s body now showed signs of being ravished by cancer. The burn marks that the radium treatment had left on her neck looked vivid and painful. Her face had sunk till her skin looked stretched over her cheeks. She looked as if she’d already lost the battle. And, Lil thought, if Ruby hadn’t got the sink to lean on, she’d fall over.
Lil stood by the table in the kitchen, wanting to go over to Ruby and hold her, but the lass looked as if a hug would break her in two. ‘Well, today is the day, Ruby. Are you up to coming to the trial?’
‘Yes, I’m ready. We have to face it. But I ’ope and pray that they’re going to do as that sergeant said should ’appen and throw out the case, or pass a verdict of self-defence.’
‘I think the last verdict is more likely, as they have to have a reason for the killings. They can’t simply act as if nothing happened, though I’m sure it’ll be all reet. How was Gillian when you saw her yesterday?’
‘The same. Like someone who isn’t ’ere. ’Er eyes just stare out into space and she ’ardly speaks. She goes through the motions of the routine of the place, but more like one of them toys that you wind up and set in motion. I ’ate to see ’er in that mental institution.’
‘I know, I can’t give a thought to it. And the worst thing is them not allowing me to see her, cos I’m the only witness. Ruby, I know I’ve told you before, but I – I tried. I did. I told her I would take the blame, but she wouldn’t let go of the knife, and she just screamed and screamed when the police came. I said that she’d taken the knife off me, but they weren’t having it.’
‘Lil, love, you can’t keep going on about it. Gillian doesn’t ’old you responsible – she never has.’
‘Aye, well, she’s done well to come to terms with it all.’
‘I don’t think she has, not really. And neither have you, if you told the truth. How you’ve kept going, I’ll never know, Lil, love.’
‘I had to. If you could see them lads I attend to every day, you’d know why. They need me. So there was no choice for me, once me physical wounds had healed. I told them all I’d been taken down with a bug. None of them questioned it – neither did the staff. Though Arthur looked a bit sheepish and has had his tail trimmed. I reckon he knows what went on.’
‘Aye, well, let’s see how he reacts to being arrested, cos they should take him in, once you tell them that bit. And you should tell on him, Lil; you’ve got to, love.’
‘I know, lass. And I intend to. He’s of the kind that would betray you for a few pounds. And them sort need locking up. It was about me this time, but it could have been a German that wanted info, and for the reet money Arthur would give them what he could.’
‘I’m glad you’ve come to see it that way. The coppers have said all along that they don’t understand how, even if the men knew you, they knew where to find you. And you should tell about your bleedin’ Alfie’s part in it as well.’
‘Naw, I . . .’
‘You ’ave to, Lil, please. Everything should come out. The story you gave of them louts fancying you, and seeking you out for a lark, doesn’t sound possible. Them prosecuting blokes will make a case that you’re a liar, and then none of your evidence will sound credible. You should tell that defence lawyer before you are called. Your man putting them blokes up to it all is vital evidence, and gives a reason for everything happening.’
‘Eeh, Ruby, you’re reet. I know that now, lass. By, I still could weep me heart out over it, but that would do no good. I emptied meself of tears when they took Gillian to that hospital and she couldn’t speak. And once that were done, I’ve never cried a tear since.’
‘I’ve cried every night over it all, and not just over that. Look at me boys, Lil. Bless their cotton socks, they’re to be left without a mum. I know me man will take good care of them, as will his mam – she’s a good person; and Joe’s pulled up his socks lately. I think I had it all wrong when I thought he were having a bit on the side. He’s been a good bloke to me, and they’ve given him a lot of time off – compassionate leave, they call it. But oh, Lil, I just don’t know ’ow to face it all.’
A lump came into Lil’s throat. She could see that Ruby’s inner light had gone out and she wondered if it would ever come back on. And she herself felt the burden of that. She feared for what would happen. Would the law really let Gillian off with a double killing? Mind, it was in self-defence and to save them both, so that should go a long way. And what of Ruby and her boys? At least she’d had them home with her for the last few weeks, that was something. ‘Oh, Ruby, love, I don’t know how you face it all. Are you thinking there’s no hope for you? Won’t the treatment make a difference?’
‘I’ve stopped having it. It were making things worse. I can’t eat, nor sleep, nor nuffin’.’ I reckon as they’re bleedin’ experimenting on me, that’s all. No, Lil, I have to face it and make me preparations.’ At this she slumped down on a chair.
‘Look, love, if you’re not up to it Gillian will understand.’
‘I’m coming, Lil. I ’ave to be there for me little skin-and-blister; she’d look for me, and not seeing me would undo her. She’d think me dead or summat. Oh God, Lil, she will get off, won’t she? I couldn’t bear it if they committed her to that place or, worse, took her to prison.’
She hadn’t expected this from Ruby. No matter what, Ruby had remained positive. ‘She won’t go to prison, I’m sure of it. But you must prepare yourself, love, just in case.’
‘I will. I’ll cope. I just . . . Well, look, if they say she’s free of all this later today, I’ll die happy. I want her with me, to help me through this. She can, you know. If she gets off I think it will make her better in her mind. I need her, Lil.’
Hearing Ruby say this made Lil’s worries about both Ruby and Gillian increase. What if Gillian wasn’t let off? It felt that, whatever happened, there wouldn’t be a happy ending and nothing could make things right for them. They still had a lot to face.
It was good to see some clearing up going on outside as, with Ruby leaning heavily on Lil, they walked to the police station, which doubled up as the local court. But Ruby’s words had made Lil think maybe they could never clear up the deep harm done to everyone. ‘It’s like everything’s broken, Lil. Our lives, the place we live, our families – everything.’
‘Aye, well it is, lass. Nothing will ever be the same again. But at least the bombing has stopped and we can sleep peaceful in our beds, eh?’
‘I suppose.’
The building in front of them was grey and forbidding, and one half of it was in ruins. Here and there men worked on shifting rubble and repairing walls. Huge steel supports had been fixed to strengthen the half that still stood proudly. A Police Station and Law Courts sign in stonework still resided above the main front doors, and there was a stone ribbon with something in Latin inscribed on it underneath.
Climbing the ten steps to the huge wooden door took the stuffing out of Ruby. Panting for breath, she held onto the ornate railing. ‘Take a mo, lass. We’re early. And don’t be afraid. It’ll be sorted. It has to be. Gillian’s not a criminal. She’s not . . .’ Lil wanted to apologize again for bringing all of this down on Ruby and Gillian, but she knew she’d made Ruby weary by taking the blame, when neither of them held her responsible.
The coldness of the desk clerk who signed them in and checked their particulars matched the chill of the reception area with its black-and-white tiled floor, dark-green half-tiled walls and stark wooden benches. Sitting on one of these, they stayed close to one another, but didn’t speak. Lil could feel Ruby’s sense of foreboding. It matched her own.
A man approached them, his robes flowing behind him. His wig sat on his huge, curly hair as though it was a topping on a blancmange. Lil wanted to giggle at the sight of him, but this desire was squashed as he asked, ‘Mrs Moisley?’
‘Aye, that’s me, sir.’
‘I am the defence lawyer assigned to the case of Gillian Smith versus the Crown. Will you come this way, so that I can run through a few things with you?’
The court hushed as Gillian appeared through a side door. Handcuffed to a policewoman, she looked a pitiful sight. Lil’s heart felt as though it was being torn from her. Oh God, it’s unbearable. Gillian, my precious. She didn’t take her eyes off the tiny frame. Gillian was so thin that she looked like an old woman, and it was hard to believe she had once been the robust, full-of-life young girl she’d known only a few months before. She willed Gillian to look over at her. When she did so, tears plopped onto Gillian’s cheek, from eyes that were red-raw and matted with green gunge. Her nose looked just as sore, and she had cracked and weeping scabs around her mouth. Lil had to suppress a gasp of horror. How could they have allowed this deterioration? Ruby had said that Gillian was well cared for! Looking at Ruby, she saw that nothing about Gillian’s appearance shocked her. Had she become immune to others’ suffering? Surely not that of her own sister?
There was no time to take this up with Ruby, as banging on a desk at the front of the room grabbed everyone’s attention. ‘All stand!’
The judge entered and signalled that they should sit, as he did. He had a kindly face, Lil thought, and this gave her hope.
Voices droned on for a while: the jury was sworn in and given instructions, the prosecution was invited to state its case and read the formal charge. This brought Lil up short. She hadn’t ever thought of Gillian being charged, but then, she realized, she must have been charged, to be here. What were the police thinking? God, the charges sounded so damning: ‘You are charged with the murder of Jimmy Gibbins and Brian Foxley on the fifth of April 1941. How do you plead?’
‘Not guilty.’
Gillian’s words sounded rasping, as if her throat was very dry.
Lil kept her eyes on her, hoping to convey that all was not lost. There was a moment when the big-haired lawyer stood up and said that Gillian would like to submit a plea of killing in self-defence. The judge said he would consider this when he had heard the case.
The case started with a doctor giving the cause of death. A little man, he had an air of being full of his own importance. He went on and on, as if he wanted to hold the stage for as long as he could. In the end what he said amounted to the men having been killed by stabbing. The word brought the scene vividly to life in Lil’s mind. She would never forget it.
After this the lawyer defending Gillian turned to Lil and gave her the signal that she must leave the courtroom for a time. He’d allowed her into the public gallery up to this point, but had made her promise that she would leave when he indicated to her, as his chief witness could not be allowed to listen to all the evidence being presented. As she rose, she looked at the jury. They sat on a wooden stage-like structure, with a high partition allowing only their heads to show. Many of them looked to be what she’d call ‘chapel-goers’: women who felt it their duty to preach their own moral goodness over others. They wore little pointed hats, with noses to match, and expressions that said they – and they alone – were fit to judge their fellow men. The menfolk had bushy moustaches, which looked as if the hair had been taken from their heads and had left them with bald, shining crowns. These men had crisp white collars on and she felt that they looked down on events with disdain.
Further along the gallery sat Brian and Jimmy’s mothers. When she caught her eye, Brian’s mam looked as though she would murder Lil, but Jimmy’s mam just nodded. Ruby must have seen this, and squeezed Lil’s hand.
The corridor where she had to sit held no comforts. The wooden bench squeaked and rocked its protest if she moved to ease her stiff bottom. The minutes seemed like hours. A cold draught chilled her. Then came a cry that froze her: ‘Mrs Moisley, please.’ She walked back through to the courtroom.
‘Take the stand, Mrs Moisley.’
All eyes were on her. Her footsteps sounded as if someone was hammering in the quietness.
The stand had to be reached by climbing four steps, and it elevated her to the same level as the jury. Looking across at them, she couldn’t see one friendly or encouraging face.
The prosecutor opened by asking her to recount the events leading up to the murders. Some of the jury, and the two women in the gallery, gasped when she told of her husband having plotted the incident and having paid to have her raped. Asked if she could prove this, she said she couldn’t, for it was only what the two dead men had told her. After this the prosecution ripped into her, suggesting that she and Gillian met the men by chance and then lured them to the cellar. ‘Both mothers of these men you lured and killed have made statements to the effect that their sons knew nothing about London and couldn’t find their way around outside their own county. So how come you say that they set out to find you?’
By the time the prosecutor had finished with her, Lil had been made to feel that nothing she said sounded plausible. Then he shredded her character as he mentioned the ‘Dear John’ letter, making a great deal of the kind of person she must be to write such a thing and leave her husband in the way she did.
It went on and on, and Lil felt her body folding as she lost any remaining pride. By the time the court adjourned for lunch she felt exhausted, and both Ruby and Gillian looked defeated.
When they left the court, Gillian’s defence lawyer came up to her. ‘Don’t worry about what the prosecution was saying. Nothing he has said will jeopardize our position.’ He pointed to a woman sitting on a bench.
‘Mildred! Eeh, Mildred, you came . . .’
‘No, don’t approach her. You mustn’t be seen together. Mrs Moisley senior has vital evidence.’
‘But why didn’t you tell me she was going to be a witness?’
‘I didn’t know. I had a note passed to me whilst I was in court. I will call her this afternoon, once you have finished giving evidence. Now I will work on this Arthur business. I wish you had told us about him before. I have the police fetching him, and they have agreed to make a deal with him. If he tells the truth – as I believe you are – about his part in all this, they will let him off with a caution. Not that they can really charge him with anything, as technically he can take payment for information. There is no law against it, and he wasn’t to know what would come of him telling the men about your comings and goings. But at heart the police believe your story – you just didn’t give them much to go on.’
Lil’s shame at this made her cower in on herself. Ruby did her best to support her, and Mildred made a move towards her, but the lawyer stopped her. ‘You go and get a cup of tea, Mrs Moisley. There is a canteen along there.’
Lil and Ruby entered the lawyer’s office, a poky, partitioned-off corner of the vestibule. ‘Sit down, both of you, you look at the end of your tether.’
‘Can I go and see me sister?’ Ruby asked.
‘No, I’m sorry. But everything is looking good. Now tell me, what sort of a chap is this Arthur?’
‘He ain’t a bad bloke; a bit cocky and . . . Oh God, why didn’t I say this at the time? I thought at first it didn’t matter, and I didn’t want Arthur or any of them knowing what had happened. I was so ashamed, partly because of my husband Alfie being the one to send Brian and Jimmy – and then about everything that happened after. Look where it landed Gillian . . . I’m so sorry.’
‘Here, take this.’ The lawyer handed her a huge hankie. It looked as though his mam had bleached and bleached it, for it was that white. ‘And I’ve ordered tea and sandwiches, a sort of “working lunch” for us. I need to know everything there is to know about this Arthur.’
Lil nodded and blew her nose. She’d hit her lowest point, and yet having lunch made her feel that in some small way she was going up in the world. Eeh, I’ve never had lunch afore – breakfast, dinner and tea is me lot. By, the way these posh lot live. But she didn’t allow herself even to smile at the idea, as she just needed to know what was going on. ‘And what about Mildred? What . . . ? I mean, how can she help?’
‘She has a letter that damns her son, as it tells of his plans. It is a nasty letter and threatens her, too. She didn’t want to be disloyal to Alfie at first, but then her conscience got the better of her. Besides, she said she’d rather you were saved than him.’
Poor Mildred, this must be so hard for her. Lil wouldn’t ask when Mildred had received the letter, because if it had been before it all happened and Mildred hadn’t warned her, it would taint the way she felt about her. She’d rather think it had come since. ‘So, if I am shown to be truthful in what I have said, will that help Gillian?’
‘It will. At the moment you are seen in a bad light, but your mother-in-law is prepared to speak for you. She will talk about the kind of life you had with your husband, and what he did to you. All of this will help the jury understand how he could come to arrange this, and why you came to leave him. They will know that you have been a good daughter-in-law, always writing to your mother-in-law and even sending her a parcel of things that you must have needed for yourself.’
Ruby hadn’t spoken much until now, but what she said went a little way to helping Lil cope. ‘Lil, love, it is as me and Gillian have always told you – you’re not to blame. Oh yes, you shielded the wrong ones, in not telling about that Arthur bloke and your man, but you had the right intentions. None of us knew how important it was to reveal that information.’
‘Ah, here are the sandwiches. Now, while we eat, tell me every little detail about Arthur – anything he has done or said that might help me ask the correct questions.’
When the court reconvened, Lil felt hope in her heart. She liked the lawyer, a down-to-earth type, and had every faith in his belief that all would go well. ‘I think the judge will rule in our favour and allow a plea of killing in self-defence, and will then instruct the jury to bring in that verdict. Then it will all be over.’
But would it? Gillian was still mentally unstable, and they were both facing the imminent loss of Ruby; not to mention the war and the possibility of Alfie coming home . . . How am I to cope with it all?