bride's parents." Lambert looked at him with raised eyebrows. He had a very broad, blunt face. "That is customary!"
"I know it is," Rathbone conceded. "I am only trying to establish that Mr. Melville took no part in it. It could have been conducted without his awareness of just how seriously his relationship with Miss Lambert was being viewed."
"Only if he was a complete fool!" Lambert snorted.
"Perhaps he was." Rathbone smiled. "He would not be the first young man to behave like a fool where a young lady is concerned."
There was a burst of laughter in the gallery, and even the judge had a smile on his face.
"Is my learned friend saying that his client is a fool, my lord?" Sacheverall enquired.
"I rather think I am," Rathbone acknowledged. "But not a knave, my lord."
The judge's bright blue eyes were very wide, very innocent. The light shone on the bald crown of his head, making a halo of his white hair.
"An unusual defense, Sir Oliver, but not unique. I hope your client will thank you for it, should you succeed."
Rathbone smiled ruefully. He was thinking the same thing. He turned to Lambert again.
"You say, sir, that the breaking of the betrothal came without any warning at all. Was that to you, Mr. Lambert, or to everyone?"
"I beg your pardon?" Lambert looked confused.
"Is it not possible that Mr. Melville, when he realized how far arrangements had progressed, spoke to Miss Lambert and tried to tell her that matters had proceeded further than he was happy with, but that she did not tell you that? Perhaps she did not believe he was serious, or thought he was only suffering a nervousness which would pass with time?"
"Well..."
"It is possible, is it not?"
"Possible," Lambert conceded. "But I don't believe it."
"Naturally." Rathbone nodded. "Thank you. I don't think I have anything more to ask you."
Sacheverall declined to pursue the subject. He was in a strong position, and he was thoroughly aware of it.
Rathbone wondered why he had not asked Lambert about the damage done to his daughter's reputation, and why indeed he was pursuing this case instead of allowing the matter to remain at least somewhat more private. The omission was not one he would have made himself.
The answer came immediately.
Sacheverall, looking extremely pleased with himself, called Delphine Lambert to the stand.
She came in looking harassed and distressed, but with a supreme dignity. She was a small woman, but carried herself so superbly she gave the impression of regality. She was dressed in deep blue, which flattered her complexion, and the huge skirts with their crinoline hoops emphasized her still-tiny waist. She mounted the witness-box with difficulty, because of the narrowness of the steps, and turned to face the clerk who swore her in.
Sacheverall apologized for the distress he would cause her in having to speak to her on so delicate a matter, with the implication that this too was Melville's fault, then proceeded with his first question.
"Mrs. Lambert, were you present during most of the growing relationship between Mr. Melville and your daughter?"
"Naturally!" Her eyes widened. "It is usual for a mother to chaperone her daughter at such times. I have only the one daughter, so it was easy for me."
"So you observed everything that took place?" Sachev-erall asked.
"Yes." She nodded. "And I assure you there was never anything in the least out of order. I thought myself a good judge of character, but I was completely duped." She looked lost, and innocent, as if she still did not fully understand what had happened.
Rathbone wondered if Sacheverall had schooled her brilliantly or if he had simply been given the perfect witness.
Sacheverall was too astute to belabor the point. The jurors had seen her. He even forbore from glancing at Rathbone.
"Mrs. Lambert," he continued, "would you be good enough to describe for us a typical encounter between Miss Lambert and Mr. Melville, one as like many others as you may be able to recall."
"Certainly, if you wish." She straightened her shoulders even more, but without the slightest exaggeration. She was not doing it for effect. This truly was an ordeal for her. Her bearing and her voice were full of fear, and she understood the darkness this cast over her daughter's future.
Again Rathbone felt himself cold with anger that Melville had allowed this to happen. He was not merely a fool, he was irresponsible. Rathbone had been instinctively sorry for him in the beginning, but now he was annoyed that Melville had not somehow managed to make