Alis

26
Alis was trembling in every limb. Could it be Edge come to save her despite what Mistress Elizabeth had said? But it was not Edge who came swiftly down between the benches, clutching a tiny, wailing bundle. It was a girl with lank brown hair and a sallow, bitter face: Lilith. Alis heard Thomas’s sharp intake of breath, and then Lilith had reached the Elders’ table and was confronting the Judges. Her voice was high and angry.
“Let me take the oath.”
William said sharply, “Young woman, Mistress Elizabeth vouches for you but beware: a person is on trial for her life here. If you have something to say in the matter, you shall take the oath and say it. If not, get you gone. We do not deal in petty grievances. You must take those to your Elders.”
Lilith laughed shrilly and the baby, which had fallen silent, set up again its feeble cry. The girl crushed it to her fiercely, saying at the same time, “I cannot go to my Elders for it is one of them who has sinned against me and that one is here today.” She turned abruptly and flung out a hand toward Thomas.
He had recovered from his surprise and put on his blandest look. “Master William, I must beg pardon for this intrusion. This is a former servant of mine, whom I was forced to dismiss. No doubt she seeks—”
Furiously she interrupted him. “It is a wicked lie.” Turning to William, she said, “He bears witness against the Minister’s wife for the death of her husband, does he not?”
William nodded. “It is true. Do you have anything to tell us of the matter?”
She tossed her hair back out of her eyes and gave Alis a savage look. “I know nothing of that and I care nothing for her.”
“Then?”
“But I tell you he is a liar and worse. His word cannot be taken. I would not save her but I would bring him down, for he has set my life at naught. I can come by no work now through his doing, and yet he would have left me to beg rather than raise his hand to help me, though my trouble is all of his making.”
She was panting in her rage and Thomas stepped forward speaking calmly, though his face was pinched and pale suddenly. “Come, girl, this is no place for such displays. We have solemn business to conduct. Go and wait. When I am done here I will come to you, and if you are in need, I will relieve you.”
He went to take her by the arm but she hissed at him with such ferocity that he froze in the act. “Do not touch me. You would have left me to starve, me and my baby. I tell you that it is your child and you must support us both.”
At once a great babble broke out. Alis was forgotten briefly, for here was new wonder. When he could make himself heard at last, William said to her, “You shall speak no further until you have taken the oath. Come now.”
When it was done, he spoke again. “You say that Master Thomas is the father of your babe. It is easy to claim and hard to prove, the fathering of a child. Have you any tokens of his knowing you, or any witness to say that he showed you such favor as men do in these instances?”
Thomas broke in scornfully. “She is lying. I dismissed her because she was sluttish in her behavior and I would not have such a one in the house who—”
William’s voice cut in coldly. “Let the girl answer the question. You will have your chance to speak by and by.”
Thomas flushed and then the color receded, leaving him paler than before. Lilith was looking at him oddly. “I need no tokens and no witness. The child is his.”
William said patiently, “It is hard, I know, for a woman in such a case but there must be proof.”
To Alis’s amazement, Lilith smiled, saying to William, “You are the Judge. Will it serve for proof if his wife herself says the child is his?”
There were exclamations of surprise from the listeners. William looked at her with narrowed eyes. “What trick is this? No wife would do such a thing unless she meant to be free of her husband, and if such were the case her word would mean nothing. This will not do.”
Lilith was calm now, and she was not dismayed by the Judge’s answer. “Will you let me show her my baby and hear what she says? Then you will have proof to satisfy you, I promise.”
The hall was utterly silent, awaiting his answer. Finally he nodded. Thomas was on his feet at once. “Master William, I must protest. My wife is in poor health.”
The Judge looked at him a moment and he subsided. “Accusations must be put to the test surely, Master Thomas? That is why we are here today. Let your wife come up.”
Sarah was helped to her feet by the women beside her, and one of them took her arm to assist her onto the dais. At William’s command a chair was brought for her. Alis could see that she could barely stand unsupported. Her frightened eyes sought her husband’s: his look was murderous.
When she was seated, William said to Lilith, “Now show Mistress Sarah the child and let us have your proof, if such it be.”
Lilith knelt down by Sarah and placed the baby in her lap. Then she began to unwind the wrappings about the upper part of its body. Alis’s view of the child was blocked by Lilith’s kneeling figure. The people were so still they seemed scarcely to be breathing. Suddenly, Sarah gave a great cry and stood up. The child slid from her lap and Lilith hardly caught it before it fell. Sarah turned to face her husband, howling at him, “It is yours! It is yours! Liar! Adulterer! What have you done?”
Thomas started forward with his fist raised but William was there, blocking his path. Lilith was standing before the crowd holding up the child. Even those at the back could see the rough crescent of purple that marked the skin on the left side of the chest. Everyone was speaking at once and Sarah had collapsed; one of the women was bending over her. William struggled to silence the noise until once more the baby’s thin cry was audible. Then he spoke to Sarah and she looked up at him, her face already blotched with tears.
“Mistress Sarah, do you say that the child is your husband’s?” She did not answer. He repeated his question, adding gently, “I beg you, Mistress Sarah, to give us your answer. Your husband has laid a serious accusation against another person. If his honesty is in question, we must know of it.”
She made an effort to suppress her sobs and said clearly enough, “The child is his. He has such a mark also. It is just the same.” And she bowed her head once more and wept.
Then Thomas spoke. His voice was angry but he had himself under control again. “I admit that the child is mine. I was tempted and I fell. But that does not change anything. Have you forgotten the great matter that we came here to prove? The Minister of Freeborne was murdered, and his wife murdered him. She must hang for it.”
Lilith had swaddled the baby anew, and now she broke in, “I daresay she did murder her husband—she wanted Master Luke for her own and he wanted her. And I do not care if she hangs: I hate her. But if I was a great Judge, I would not trust the word of Master Thomas. He meant her harm because she went to Mistress Elizabeth’s house and took her side.”
At this, the third Judge, who had not yet spoken, moved abruptly in his seat. “Be mindful of what you say, girl. To mean harm is not to do it. We must have only facts here.”
Lilith’s expression grew darker. “He meant her harm, I say. I told him it was the mad woman, Iri—whose man was whipped and cast out—that fired our prayer house that night. I saw her at the doorway with her tinderbox. The girl Alis had gone in before. The next day Alis was missing, and Master Luke quarreled with me, saying that Master Thomas had accused her of the fire because of me. He hated me, he said, and would have no more to do with me.”
She rubbed her sleeve across her eyes and her voice was flat with despair. “I did not care what happened to me after that, so I let Master Thomas do what he wanted, which I had always refused before.” She broke off as if it were beyond bearing.
William was looking at her compassionately. “You say you let him. He did not force you then?”
She hesitated, and Alis saw Thomas clench his fists. Then Lilith said wearily, “I thought to please him. There was none else to care for me.”
William said quietly, “What did you do when you knew you were with child?”
Lilith shot a poisonous look at Thomas. “I was afraid to tell him, for I knew he would say it was not his. But soon I could not hide the swelling of my belly anymore and he turned me out, and I found that he had given me a bad name everywhere. I thought Mistress Elizabeth might aid me, though she and the Minister were gone from their house to Mistress Ellen’s farm. So I went there and Mistress Ellen said I could bide with the old dairy wife in her cottage. I was to have bed and board, and help with the child’s coming, too, if I would serve the old woman while I was able.”
William turned to Mistress Elizabeth, saying courteously, “You will confirm all this, Mistress Elizabeth.”
Before she could answer, Thomas interjected angrily, “Mistress Elizabeth is not under oath.”
William gave him a look of such scorn that he flinched for all his boldness. But Elizabeth got stiffly to her feet saying, “Let me take the oath, Master William, then there can be no doubt in the matter.”
She came up on the dais and it was soon done. William ordered that a chair be brought for her. Alis was comforted to have her so near.
When she was seated, William said to her, “Now Mistress Elizabeth, will you confirm that this girl, Lilith, has spoken the truth?”
She nodded. “Yes indeed. She came to the farm and was taken in, as she says.”
“And did she tell you all that she has told us here?”
Elizabeth glanced at Lilith. “Not at first, for she was very fearful, but when she knew we would listen with open hearts, then she spoke freely.”
“Did you believe her?”
Elizabeth met Thomas’s black look steadily. “I did.”
William’s face was thoughtful. “Why did you not raise this matter in your own Community? A sinning Elder is not above the rule of the Book.”
“We had no voice in Two Rivers anymore, my husband and I.
Soon afterward, we left there, for we were almost in fear for our lives. And even had it not been so, how could it be proven that the child in her belly was his? Or even that he had lain with her? Only later, when the babe was born with the mark upon it, could the truth be seen.”
William turned back to Lilith. “Did you have any further dealings with Master Thomas? Or do you know anything more that bears upon the matter tried here?”
The girl nodded reluctantly. “The Minister and Mistress Elizabeth were gone away, and Mistress Ellen went with them to care for the Minister on the journey because he was so sick. I stayed with the old woman, as I told you. But she did not need me all the time and the child was restless within me, so I would walk about the farm for ease of my pains. One day, I saw her—Alis. She was on the back porch of the farmhouse and I knew what she had come for.”
She stopped but Elizabeth said gently, “Remember Lilith, only the truth.”
The girl’s mouth twisted in a bitter line but she went on. “She thought I did not know her, but I knew her well enough and what she wanted, so I told her Master Luke had died and she went away again.”
The third Judge leaned forward as if he would intervene again, but William gestured to him to remain silent and Lilith continued.
“Later, when I was near my time, Master Luke came back, saying he had been to Freeborne. His Alis”—she spat out the words venomously—“had married the Minister there because of my lie, and now they would never be together, him and her. He was so angry, I was afraid of him. I told Master Thomas about it, for I thought to win his favor again.”
“You returned to Master Thomas?” William’s voice was sharp with disbelief.
Lilith nodded. “He hated her. I knew he would be glad to hear ill of her. And so I thought he might take me back, and my child would not be fatherless.”
There was a murmur from the crowd, and William said, “Yet he did not take you back. How was it then?”
Once more, Lilith gave Thomas a savage look. “He seemed pleased at what I told him. He walked up and down, and bid me be silent that he might think. Then he said he would go to Freeborne. I begged him to take me also, and our child when it should come, but he grew angry and turned me away as he had before, saying he would have me whipped and driven out. He did not care if we starved.”
There was silence for a moment. Then a voice from the crowd, a woman’s voice, shouted, “Hang him,” and the cry was taken up by others. But William was ready for them, threatening that he would send away those who called out, and they were quiet again.
William was looking coldly at Thomas. “Well, Master Thomas. Will you deny any of this?”
Thomas gave no answer and William went on. “It seems you are an adulterer and a liar. You would deny the child that you have fathered and let its mother beg for bread. You accused Mistress Alis of setting fire to the prayer house in Two Rivers, though this young woman had told you of the mad wife with the tinderbox. What else have you done, I wonder, in your desire to bring Mistress Alis down?”
There was a sullen ferocity in Thomas’s expression that was fearful to see; the dark handsome face was ugly with hate. When he spoke it was with no pretense at politeness. His voice was low and savage.
“Whatever I have done, the case against Mistress Alis stands. No one knows how far it had gone between her and the boy Luke, but she withheld from Minister Galin his rights as a husband. She admits she threatened to kill him with a knife, and he was attacked with a knife. She delayed in sending for the Healers, and the delay helped him to his death. Try me for my sins if you will, but let her hang first.”
Alis held her breath. He would not give up even now. He meant for her to die. And he was right, too, that the case against her was unaltered by what had been revealed. She looked at Mistress Elizabeth, but she was watching William with an anxious face.
He looked sternly at Thomas. “Master Thomas, you will hold yourself at our disposal. This matter of the girl and her child must be attended to, and there is the accusation of fire-setting to be gone into also.” He turned to Alis. “Mistress Alis, is there anything else you wish to say? If there is something you have forgotten, something that you might add to your testimony, you must speak now, before it is too late. Bethink you. We will give you time.”
She stared at him. It was as if he willed her to speak. But there was nothing she could say without betraying Edge, and that she would not do. She shook her head.
He frowned, and when he spoke it was clear he was both troubled and angry. “The Judges will consult together before judgment is given. But I tell you, I do not like the way this matter has gone. I would have the truth, and I do not think we have heard it.”
Perhaps he spoke of Thomas when he said this, but he looked at Alis and she quailed before his look.
The Judges withdrew and Alis was taken to a room behind the hall where she must wait until they were ready to give judgment. She could not control her trembling. It was some comfort to know that Mistress Elizabeth was nearby, and Lilith’s story had shown Thomas for a sinner and a liar. But surely he had defeated her all the same and she would hang.
The woman from the inn was on guard outside the door, and Master Aaron sat with her. Sick with terror, she asked him if Elzbet might come and be with her, and her parents. He said he would fetch them and went out, locking the door behind him.
They all came together. Her mother was stiff and white-faced; her father looked at Alis so sorrowfully that her courage failed her, and she wept. She did not want to die, and she was afraid. Why could they not save her? They soothed her as best they could, and though they could not take away the fear of death, their love comforted her. She thought her mother struggled to conceal her horror, and feared Hannah thought her guilty after all, though she spoke comfort to her daughter, telling her that all was not lost. She must trust the Maker. They would all pray for His help.
Time passed. Food and drink was brought. Elzbet went away to tend to the baby and came back again. The Judges were still deliberating. Her parents sat, one on each side of her. Alis rested her head on her father’s shoulder, and her mother held her hand, stroking it gently from time to time. They did not speak much. Once she said, “I did not kill him, I promise you.”
And her father replied, “Of course not. Your mother and I know that well.”
He sounded faintly surprised that she should feel the need to say it, and her mother nodded. Alis was comforted a little.
The sky outside darkened and still there was no word. Then suddenly the door opened and she jumped. Was the time come? But it was Master William. His expression was dark, though he spoke courteously enough, asking her parents and Elzbet to leave so that he might have a few words alone with Alis.
When they were gone, William gestured to her to be seated. He did not speak at once but went over to the window and stood there with his back to her. Heart beating and mouth dry, Alis waited.
At last, he turned and looked at her. His face was in shadow and his voice somber. “Mistress Alis, your time runs short. Do you still say that you are innocent?”
She could not speak, but she nodded her head.
He went on as if she had not responded. “If you must hang, it would be better to confess yourself first, rather than be cast into darkness. The Maker is merciful.”
She understood him: he wanted to be sure. It made her angry, and that gave her strength to speak. “Master William, I know that you would have my word, that you might hang me with a clear conscience, but I tell you, I did not attack my husband nor did I do anything to bring him to his death. And if the Maker is merciful He will not cast me into darkness, for He must know the truth even if you do not.”
His lips tightened. “If I do not, it is because you will not tell me.” Was it not enough that she must be condemned in a few hours? Why was he tormenting her? Angrily she said, “Would you have me lie? I have told you that I did not kill my husband.”
For a moment he was silent, then he said very softly, “But you know who did.”
She gasped in shock.
“Mistress Alis . . .”
Her head was spinning. He knew! Edge’s name was on her lips. She could save herself. She heard her voice cry out to him, “Go! Go! I will tell you nothing.”
Giddiness overcame her and she slid from her chair.


When she came round he was gone, and she was lying on the floor. The woman who guarded her was kneeling over her, splashing her face with water from a bucket. Alis sat up wearily. She felt empty—tired to her bones.


It was dark now and someone came to light a lamp. Then they sent for her.


The people were talking softly among themselves when Alis was brought back in but they ceased at once and a terrible silence fell. Then the door behind the Elders’ table opened and the three Judges entered to take their places. William did not sit down. He was not a tall man, but to Alis he seemed immense as he stood there, not looking at her but directing his gaze at the people massed on the benches. He began to speak.
“People of the Community of Freeborne, we have considered all that had been said and it is clear to us that the evidence is heavy against the accused. Her own account is in all respects unsatisfactory and there is nothing to support it. We have no choice therefore but to pass sentence of death upon her.”
There was a gasp from the crowd. Alis felt herself go dizzy. She gripped the edge of the table. Master William was still speaking.
“Nevertheless, I am not satisfied with these proceedings. Her accuser is her enemy and not one whose word is to be trusted. And though it is true that the accused herself has confirmed much that points to her guilt, she continues to declare her innocence. So this much I will do. I will have the hanging delayed and we will institute further searches for the man who is supposed to have committed the crime. If at the end of two months he is not found—the sentence will be carried out.”