The Gentleman & The Rake

Day Two Continued

Mr. B's Testimony Corresponding to Pamela's Abduction

Week 4

Williams is not an intelligent financial manager. He's a good man who does his duties (usually) faithfully (usually). But he'd borrowed money from me nearly a year before and never repaid it. It was a good enough reason to throw him in gaol, an excellent way to bring him to heel.

I should have done it and let the issue drop, but I wanted to know how far Pamela had confided in him. I could not believe Pamela would be attracted to his bland personality or labored conversation or lack of wit. What I did next was beneath me, but I did it: I sent a letter to Williams offering him a living plus Pamela's hand in marriage.

Mrs. Jewkes confirmed my suspicions. Upon receiving my offer, Williams confessed to her that he and Pamela already planned to marry. They'd been secreting notes to each other for several weeks.

I've never been so angry. All those phony protestations about needing her parents' approval "and yet," I wrote Pamela, "you could enter into an intrigue with a man you barely know," especially when the ridiculous man's livelihood depended on me.

I would visit Lincolnshire without waiting for Pamela's permission. I knew better than to leave immediately at least; I needed time to work off my displeasure. A bad temper runs in our family. My sister's is worse, believe it or not.

But I sent instructions to Mr. Shorter to have Williams arrested for his debt.

Cross-Examination

Judge Hardcastle was now upset with Mr. Shorter. "You had Mr. Williams arrested?"

Mr. Shorter shrugged. "The debt was owed."

"And you just do what you're told," Gary said derisively.

"Yes."

"Servitude creates mindlessness."

Mr. Shorter blinked at that. "Hey!"

Mr. B said, "Mr. Shorter is a diligent attorney."

"Meaning, he does what you want."

"Meaning, he carries out his duties." Mr. B paused, then said, "A servant or retainer should admonish his employer if he thinks that employer has behaved wrongly. Williams, you understand, never came to me, never verified Pamela's story, never used his position to resolve the issue directly."

"Would you have listened?"

"I don't know, but he sabotaged the chance."

Mr. Hatch said curiously, "Are you even friends with your, uh, employees?"

Mr. Shorter and Mr. B looked blankly at each other. Mr. Shorter shrugged as if to say: Ignore them.

The judge thought the conversation was getting off course. "Jailed for debt?" he said.

Leslie Quinn started to say something about "debtor's prison" and "no such thing as overdraft protection," but the judge threw up his hands and nodded to Mr. B.

Mr. B's Testimony Corresponding to Pamela's Abduction

Week 5

To cool my temper, I arranged to visit the Hargraves in Hertfordshire before proceeding to Lincolnshire. On my way to the Hargraves, I visited my daughter. Little Sally was in good health and as lively as ever. She's an intelligent child who takes after her papa. Of course, she doesn't know me by that title.

My visit to the Hargraves did more than cool my temper. That Wednesday, I went hunting with Charles, the son of the family. We were fording a stream on the estate when the damned horse shied. I felt myself falling and swore; my right foot was still caught in the stirrup. I shook it loose and went into the water. The horse fell towards me, and I rolled sideways. The horse didn't strike me, but its collapse sent up a wave. I was tossed over, my face scrapping the gravel bed. I gasped like a fool and water flowed into my lungs. I pushed desperately upwards with my hands, met another wave of water, and everything went dark.