she had. But it was for her-not for both of us!" He turned to face Rathbone again. "I would have spoken the same way to anyone. Yes, of course we laughed together-we were friends..." His eyes were full of distress. Rathbone could have sworn he held that friendship dear and the loss of it hurt him.
Delphine Lambert was still talking, describing other occasions when Melville and Zillah Lambert had been together, their easy companionship, their quick understanding of each other's thoughts, their shared laughter at a score of little things.
Rathbone looked across at the jurors' faces. Their sympathy was unmistakable. To change their minds it would take a revelation about Zillah Lambert so powerful and so shocking it would shatter any emotion they felt now so that they would be left angry and betrayed. And Melville had sworn there was no such secret. Was it conceivable he knew something of her which made it impossible to marry her, yet he still cared for her too deeply to expose it-even to save himself?
It would have to be something her parents did not know, or they would never have risked his revealing it. They could not rely on Melville's self-sacrifice.
And Zillah herself would not dare to tell them, even to save Melville, and thus this whole tragic farce.
Rathbone would have to press Melville harder, until he at last spoke of whatever it was he was still hiding. And Rathbone had felt certain from the first that there was something.
He turned his attention back to the court.
Delphine was describing some grand social event, a ball or a dinner party. Her face was alight with remembered excitement.
"All the girls were simply lovely," she said, her voice soft, her slender hands on the rail in front of her, lightly touching it, not gripping. She might have held a dancing partner so. "The gowns were exquisite." She smiled as she spoke. "Like so many flowers blown in the wind as they swirled around the floor. The chandeliers blazed and were reflected on jewels and hair. The young men were all so dashing. Perhaps it was happiness which made everything seem so glamorous, but I don't think so. I believe it was real. And Killian danced the whole evening with Zillah. He barely spoke with anyone else at all. He sat a few dances out, but I swear I did not see him pay the slightest heed to any other lady, no matter how beautiful or how charming." She gave a little shrug of her shoulders. "And there were many titled ladies there, and heiresses to considerable fortunes. On that particular occasion Lady-"
Sacheverall held up his hand. "I am sure a great many people of note were there, Mrs. Lambert. What is important is that Mr. Melville paid very obvious court to your daughter, for everyone to see, and his intent could hardly be mistaken or misinterpreted. Now, madam, I must bring you to a far more painful area, for which I apologize. I most truly wish I could avoid it, but there is no way in which it is possible."
"I understand." Delphine nodded, the light going from her face, her body seeming almost to shrink as she dismissed past happiness and faced the present icy disillusion. "Do what is necessary, Mr. Sacheverall."
"You have just told me how publicly and how obviously Mr. Melville courted your daughter. It must have been common knowledge among all your acquaintances, indeed in all society, that they were to be married?"
"Of course." She raised her beautiful eyebrows. "She did not hide her joy. What young girl does?"
"Exactly." Sacheverall took several paces to one side, then to the other. He moved elegantly, and he was aware of it. He stopped and faced her again. "When Mr. Melville suddenly, and for no reason that we may observe, broke off the engagement and refused to go through with the ceremony, what effect did this have upon Miss Lambert's reputation, the way in which she is regarded by society, and her hopes for any future marriage?"
"Of course it will ruin her!" The panic rose in Delphine's voice, "How could it possibly do anything else? People will ask why, and when there is no answer, they will assume the worst. Everyone does, don't they?"
"Yes, Mrs. Lambert, I am afraid it is one of the less attractive characteristics of human nature," Sacheverall said with ardent sympathy. "Even when it is unjustified." He smiled ruefully. "And beauty has its disadvantages in that it increases envy among those less