The Scandal at 23 Mount Street (An Angela Marchmont Mystery Book 9) by Clara Benson Page A

main concern is to put a doubt in the minds of the jury as to whether you did it. As a matter of fact, I intend to speak to Mr. Travers on this subject as soon as possible. He may be of the opinion that it is better not to search too hard for this man, for if it turns out that he did not kill your husband, then we are back where we started.’
    ‘Yes, I see what you mean,’ said Angela. Of course, she could not tell Mr. Addison what she was really thinking, for she had the most dreadful suspicion that the man seen with Davie outside Burkett’s was in fact Edgar Valencourt. It would be quite astonishing if it were so, but according to this Jos, the altercation had taken place at around four o’clock, not long after she had met Valencourt in Hyde Park, and she could not help but remember the furious look on Valencourt’s face when he had seen the bruises on her arms, although he had said little at the time. What if he had taken it upon himself to go and warn Davie off? She would never have supposed him to be the type to threaten people, for he had always said that he preferred to avoid all that sort of unpleasantness. However, she knew from her own encounters with him that he disliked violence against women, and perhaps he had enough feelings for her—or at least was angry enough on her behalf—to go and speak to her husband when he found out that she had been hurt.
    But what an idiotic thing for him to do, if he had indeed done it! Why, he might easily have aroused Davie’s suspicions against them even further—although, on second thoughts, perhaps he believed it did not matter, since he was intending to leave the country the next day. Angela did not know whether to be appalled or pleased at the thought of what Valencourt might have done. Her dealings with her husband were none of his business, and it was sheer arrogance on his part that he felt he had the right to threaten Davie, for of course he had no right at all. Still, though, she could not suppress a flutter at the thought of his caring enough about her to do it. But surely he could not possibly have meant what he said about shooting Davie. What a terrible coincidence that he should have said such a thing, given what had happened only a few hours later!
    She spent several hours after Mr. Addison had left turning the matter over in her mind, and became more and more convinced that Edgar Valencourt was the man who had been seen on the steps with Davie. Of course he would never be found, for he was far away now and had probably taken good care to hide his traces, but perhaps Jos’s story would be enough to convince a jury that Angela was not the only possible suspect in the case, and would be sufficient to induce them to acquit her. The thought gave her some comfort—of which she had felt little up to now. If Valencourt could not be there in person to give her an alibi, then he might at least be able to save her this way. It was only a very slight possibility, but at present it was the only hope she had.

TEN
    ‘Now, Mrs. Marchmont,’ said Mr. Travers. ‘If we are to secure an acquittal, it is of the utmost importance that you tell me everything you can about your relations with your late husband. You understand that you must not hide anything, however damaging you believe it might be to your case—in fact, the more damaging you believe it to be, the more important it is that you tell me of it, for if the prosecution were to catch us by surprise, then that could easily ruin things completely. Let me be quite clear; I do not want to hear vital information for the first time in court. If you know anything, then you must tell me now.’
    The poisoning case was finished, and Mr. Travers had won yet another victory (although privately he was certain that his client was guilty), and he was now ready to devote his full attention to Mrs. Marchmont’s case. Percival Travers, K.C, was one of the finest legal minds in the country, and had made a great reputation in his