Death at Balfefield Abbey

Chapter 26, Dublin, 1904

The trial of Miranda Darley began shortly after the Easter holiday in Dublin's Four Courts—a dome-covered, neoclassical courthouse on the banks of the River Liffey.

Public interest was enormous, fueled by extensive and unrestrained coverage from newspapers competing for readership, each adopting editorial stances that anticipated a verdict of guilt or innocence long before any evidence was presented in court.

Sullivan was keenly aware her own newspaper had shifted from a stance of balance and perspective to one that openly sided with the defendant. She expressed her unease to Edward on many occasions, but he was in charge of editorial policy and rationalized it was their moral obligation to provide an alternative voice to that of their competitive publication, The Monitor.

The morning was mild but cloudy and, to get to her seat in the public gallery, Sullivan had to push her way through a large group of spectators, who crowded the street and blocked traffic. The Suffragettes were particularly vociferous and carried placards alternating between demands for Votes for Women! and those declaring Miranda Darley as only being Guilty of Womanhood, Not Murder!

When Miranda Darley took her place in the dock, flanked by two prison guards, conversation in the public gallery fell to hushed whispers. Dressed in mourning for her brother, she wore a simple black silk gown, her dark hair neatly tied back with a matching ribbon. Her demeanor calm and composed.

As Sullivan caught her eye, Miranda gave a slight, inscrutable nod before turning her gaze to the well of the courtroom, where barristers and clerks in white wigs and black gowns gathered among their legal books and ledgers.

All were ordered to rise when Judge Ernest Bransfield entered. A tall, thin man in his late sixties with a sharp nose and eager eyes. He immediately set about the tedious work of empaneling the all-male jury and it was the afternoon before the case was properly underway.

"Miranda Alice Darley," the clerk of the court began, "you are indicted and also charged, on the coroner's inquisition, with the willful murder of Arabella Darley on or about the 9th of July last. Are you guilty or not guilty?"

Darley's voice was clear and steady, "Not guilty."

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The following day, Robert Morton KC began his opening statement for the crown. An orator of repute, his words found their way to every corner of the courtroom. He took up a position at the end of the jury box, as if to acknowledge their importance but not place any individual juror under the uncomfortable glare of his attention.

"Gentlemen of the jury, you have been ordered by Judge Bransfield to come to your decision solely based on the evidence to be presented at this trial and you must ignore the gossip, rumor, and biased, partisan rhetoric that already circles this case outside these hallowed walls. I implore you to heed those wise words very carefully, for the prosecution has no need for external influences to prove our case. In the course of this trial, we will present the most irrefutable and damning evidence against the defendant, along with witnesses of the highest character, and set before you, in all its sordid detail, the story of how this most brutal of crimes came to be.

"I must warn you to be stout in your resolve, for it is a terrifying narrative, one that tells of the merciless, scheming greed of a brother and his sister, who stopped at nothing, not even the vicious murder of a young, beautiful woman, and her unborn child, to satisfy their ungodly greed.

"Matthew Darley was a murderer and, by right, should be in the dock beside the defendant, but he chose what many consider to be the coward's way out. By taking his own life, he avoided the judgment and condemnation of his peers in this court of law.