The Accused (Modern Plays) by Jeffrey Archer Read Free Book Online Page A

Sherwood’s instructions, why didn’t you report your misgivings to anyone in authority?
    Mitchell Because by then I’d fallen in love with him.
    Kersley And did he ever give any hint that he might have fallen in love with you?
    Mitchell Oh, yes. Patrick regularly told me he was sick of his wife, and he couldn’t wait to be rid of her so he could spend the rest of his life with me. He hated the way she constantly belittled him in front of the staff. He even talked about moving out of Arcadia Mansions, finding a larger apartment and starting a family. I didn’t take it too seriously to begin with. But then one night he proposed.
    Kersley He asked you to marry him?
    Mitchell Yes, he did.
    Kersley While his wife was still alive?
    Mitchell Yes, it was after we’d made love - I’ll never forget it, because he left a few minutes later.
    Kersley So would that have been around three in the morning?
    Mitchell No, just after ten.
    Kersley But you told the court that he usually left around three in the morning, so that no one would realise you were having an affair.
    Mitchell Yes, but that night he told me he had to visit a patient in Westminster and he would come back later, which puzzled me.
    Kersley Why did it puzzle you, Ms Mitchell?
    Mitchell Because he didn’t have his doctor’s bag with him.
    Kersley And did he come back later?
    Mitchell Yes, a few minutes after eleven.
    Kersley And did you notice any change in him when he returned?
    Mitchell Yes, he seemed very nervous. And when I asked if there was a problem, he told me that the patient had died.
    Kersley He told you that the patient had died?
    Mitchell Yes, I tried to calm him, but he just paced around the room mumbling to himself and then suddenly left without warning.
    Kersley And did he ever raise the subject of marriage again?
    Mitchell No. Once his wife had died, Patrick refused even to speak to me.
    Kersley But this was the man who had regularly shared your bed and even asked you to be his wife.
    Mitchell Yes. (
Near to tears
.) Which is why it came as such a terrible shock when he dropped me without any warning. Of course, relationships can come to an end, but that doesn’t mean you can’t remain on good terms.
    Kersley But you did attend Mrs Sherwood’s funeral?
    Mitchell Yes, but Patrick ignored me and didn’t even invite me back to his flat to join the other guests.
    Kersley Was there anything else you can remember about the funeral?
    Mitchell Yes, I was surprised that Mrs Sherwood was cremated and it made me anxious for the first time.
    Kersley What were you anxious about?
    Mitchell Well, I began to wonder if Patrick was making sure that no one could ever check what had caused the bruising on her arm.
    Sherwood
half rises, catches
Judge ’s
eye and sits back down
.
    Barrington My Lord, this is a disgraceful slur on my client. There is absolutely no proof that…
    Judge I agree, Sir James. The jury will disregard Ms Mitchell’s last statement. Ms Mitchell, this court is not interested in your opinions, only in facts. And Mr Kersley, you are as much to blame. You must have known only too well where that question was leading.
    Kersley I did, My Lord, but then I considered Mrs Sherwood’s cremation to be a fact, and one the jury might even find relevant.
    Judge Mr Kersley, you are bordering on impertinence. Stick to facts in future.
    Kersley Ms Mitchell, is it a fact that while you continued working at St George’s Mr Sherwood began to threaten you?
    Mitchell Yes, he did. When I raised the subject of the prescriptions he flew into a rage, warning me that if I mentioned them to anyone, not only would I lose my job at St George’s but he would personally make sure that no other hospital would ever employ me again.
    Kersley So you decided to leave St George’s.
    Mitchell I didn’t have a lot of choice, as he’d made it abundantly clear that I had no hope of promotion while he remained the head of department.
    Kersley So what did you do next?
    Mitchell