Page 133 of The King's Man
‘I refuse to submit to the jurisdiction of this court,’ he declared, his beard jutting imperiously at the bench of judges.
‘And I.’ Vowells rose beside him. ‘We are innocent of the charges laid before you and we demand the right to a fair trial by a jury of our peers.’
The senior judge’s eye moved to Fox and Kit. ‘And you?’
Kit rose slowly to his feet. ‘Sir, you have before you, no doubt, a full confession signed by me, admitting my complicity in a plot against the Lord Protector. I see no point in disputing the jurisdiction of this court when such evidence would secure a conviction before any court.’
There was a general nodding of heads and the eyes moved to Fox.
Fox, less sure of himself, rose to his feet. His hands shook as he nodded. ‘I too have signed a confession,’ he said. ‘What Captain Lovell has said answers my case as well.’
‘Be seated. Lord Gerard, let us hear your argument as to why this court is improperly constituted.’
Gerard argued long, loudly, and to no avail. At the end of the day his arguments were dismissed and the trials commenced.
Through the haze of self-despair, Kit heard his name. He looked up.
‘I call as witness Captain Christopher Lovell,’ the prosecutor said.
Kit rose to his feet. ‘No. I will not give testimony against these men.’
‘It’s not a matter you have a choice about, Captain Lovell.’
‘I refuse to answer any questions,’ Kit said. ‘You have my confession, you need no more.’
‘You will answer the questions,’ the senior judge glared at him, ‘or it will be the worse for you.’
‘How much worse can it be?’
‘The difference between life and death.’
‘I will not bear testimony against these men.’ Kit looked across at Gerard and Vowells. ‘I have done enough.’
He sat down and they called Fox. Unlike Kit, he proved happy to talk, digging deeper graves for his conspirators with every word. Kit lowered his head and closed his eyes, willing himself away from this place, in Thamsine’s arms, in the world they had planned where they were safe and free of England.
The guilty verdict was delivered without consultation, and any deliberation on the severity of the sentence seemed to be arbitrary.
The senior judge cleared his throat and read from a paper before him.
‘As to the accused Lord John Gerard, this court finds him guilty and sentences him to death by beheading. As to the accused Phillip Vowells, this court finds him guilty and sentences him to death by hanging. As to the accused Somerset Fox, the court finds him guilty, and in view of his admission of guilt and cooperation, sentences him to banishment to the island of Barbados. As to the accused, Christopher Lovell, the court finds him guilty and takes note of his admission of guilt, but given his close complicity in this heinous design, sentences him to death by hanging. These sentences are to be carried out as soon as is practicable.’
Kit hardly heard the words. Just for a moment, after the sentence on Fox was pronounced, he had hoped that some influence external to the court would prevail. He raised his head, scanning the room for John Thurloe, but he was not present.
He fought back the impotent rage that rose in his chest. He had trusted Thurloe, taken his advice, co-operated, and yet he would still die.
***
Thamsine set her mask and hat down on the table and pushed back the stray tendril of hair that clung to her damp forehead.
‘Thurloe won’t see me,’ she said.
‘I didn’t think he would.’ Kit set down his beloved copy of Francis Bacon and rose to his feet. In the two months of his incarceration, his beautiful Thamsine had changed. The fear had gone from her eyes and she carried herself with the confidence of her station in life. He took her in his arms and kissed her chestnut hair, smelling the faint scent of rosemary and chamomile.
Thamsine gave a faint half-smile. ‘You must know every word in that book by heart.’
Kit picked it up again, flicking through the well-read pages. He held out the book to her.
‘Take it, Thamsine.’ His mouth curled in a rueful smile. ‘It’s all I have to give you.’
