Game of Kings - Dorothy Dunnett [269]
His voice roughened suddenly. “Who will speak for her? The rest of my family, perhaps: will you believe them? Who makes it necessary to speak for her; for either of these young people? Are you so short of rods that you must despoil young trees: so short of stones that you need to walk the very graveyards for them … ?
“My lords, my Lord Advocate: I suggest that you have surely material enough before you now to suggest a verdict to you; that nothing more of value can come from this inquiry; and particularly nothing of value from the path Mr. Lauder would have you tread. I do beg you to remember that I, and I alone, am the person whose acts you are judging today.”
He sat down, leaving behind him the uneasy silence of those who have watched a keg of gunpowder explode without a sound. Tom Erskine said in a whisper, “God Almighty!” glanced once at Culter’s face, and wiped his own brow. Lauder rose.
“Are you withdrawing from further questioning, Mr. Crawford?”
“I am not. But—”
“But you would like us to close this inquiry for the sake of your health,” said the advocate comfortably, and watched out of the corner of his eye a note passing hurriedly to the top table. Buccleuch, crumpling it in his hand, said, “I don’t much fancy the line the questioning has been taking either, Lauder; but—by his Grace’s leave—I don’t think we should close the business without hearing Will again. I understand the damned limmer’s got stuck somewhere, but he ought to be here at any moment.”
Argyll consulted his immediate neighbours and leaned forward. “We are satisfied to leave our preliminary investigation at this point, Mr. Lauder. I cannot imagine, Sir Walter, that your son will have anything of great moment to add to what we know, but if he appears before these proceedings are finished we shall of course admit his evidence, although we cannot, I think, prolong this diet to wait for him. First, we should like you, my Lord Advocate, to gather together the facts which have been revealed so far and correlate them for us. Then, if he so wishes the prisoner may speak.”
Erskine sprang to his feet. “My lords, I beg you not to close without hearing Mr. Scott. There is evidence of the first importance involved.”
“What?” said Reid. His ear was cupped in his hand and his face hot and irritable. “It is irregular to speak now, Mr. Erskine. Sit down.”
Argyll was more patient. “You have knowledge of this evidence?”
“Only that it may be vital.”
“You have no idea what it is?” Erskine flushed. “No. But—”
The Justiciar’s voice was final. “In that case, I am afraid you must abide by my decision. If it arrives before this Assize ends, we shall admit it. Mr. Lauder—” He paused. “Mr. Erskine, you may sit down.”
Tom said briefly, “I was to give evidence in support of the prisoner’s actions at Hexham. May I do so now?”
Argyll’s tolerance this time was not so evident. He leaned forward. “We know what happened there, Mr. Erskine, and accept that you can confirm it. We don’t need to know any more at present, I believe. Now, Mr. Lauder?”
The Lord Advocate was amused and intrigued—intrigued to such an extent that he took a hand in the game. He said, “There is one further thing, my lord, which we might have clear. We have heard no comment from Lord Culter for or against his brother. Although we all realize the matter is painful to him, he might be able to throw some light on the unhappy affair at the convent.”
Argyll began, “I think we have heard enough—” and paused as the lawyer’s face became concerned.
Lauder said, “It was Lord Culter who spared himself least in the past year in running his brother to earth, and who in fact brought him back in the end. Should we not ask him to give us his reasons?”
It was a justifiable slip; and it happened so late that the Crown suffered less than it might have done. The Justiciar waved a cursory hand, and Lord Culter rose, purposeful and solid as Ebenezer. “It is true that I spent many weeks pursuing my brother,” he began, and Lauder, already warned by his voice, swore quietly under his breath. “I did so under a