1969 - Ch. 02

Pauline.

I've delayed going home, but as I walk up the road I can see my stepfather's car parked outside the house. I rush in the door thinking something has happened to Barry. My mum and stepfather are sat on the couch. Gloria is leaning against a wall filing her nails and chewing gum.

"What's going on?"

They just stare at me. Finally Gloria says, "You've been on the news, the telly. Mum and dad are fucking livid."

"Gloria, mind your language, please."

"Well don't pussy foot around, you give me hell if I come home drunk, at least I sleep with guys my own age, and oh yes, and I'm not cheating on my husband!"

Gloria reels back from a slap to her face by her father. She runs sobbing from the room, and my mum chases after her.

"Ted that's a little off, she didn't deserve a slap across her face."

"Barry she's my daughter and at 19 she's at an impressionable age. I took the belt to both their asses in the past. Hopefully her spankings won't be wasted like they were on her sister. As for you young lady, to have the details over the news has brought disgrace to everyone. If you were not married you'd be over my knee right now."

"Yeah you'd like that wouldn't you," I blurt out.

"Oh do stop crying Pauline. Your mother is beside herself, and thank God your real father died and doesn't have to go through all this."

I can feel my legs going weak; it is as if the roof of the house is pushing down on me.

"I'm sorry I didn't expect things to go like this."

"No I bet you didn't," he spits.

"Ted. I think we all need to calm down a bit. I've forgiven Pauline."

I feel my husband's hand slip into mine. I'm shocked by this, but I squeeze his hand, returning his squeeze.

"I love Pauline, and it can't be easy for her making ends meet. There was no insurance from my accident at work, and she has looked after me and worked nights to keep us afloat. Having, sex with someone else isn't nice, but for months I've been unable to perform my duties, as a husband. Now if your not here to support us, I'd ask you to leave my house."

Barry has never talked to anyone like that, least of all my stepfather.

"Fine, if that's the way you want it, have them both."

My stepfather leaves with my mother, and there stands my stepsister rubbing her reddened face.

"What's happening?" I ask bemused.

"Gloria is living with us now."

"No she can't, I mean, we have to talk about it."

"Pauline, Gloria will be looking after me if you have to go back to work. Even when the plasters come off I'll need months of physiotherapy. She wants to be a nurse so this will be a chance for her to see if she'll enjoy it."

My sister stifles a giggle.

Day Four.

Harrington-Brown.

"Sir...Sir, did you see the crowd outside?"

"Yes my dear boy."

I watch Tom as he sits down next to me. Tom does everything quickly, his movements, his work, and even his excited chatter. He's 23, I think. He wears suits that are a little flamboyant for my tastes. Today he's wearing a deep green colour with a bright yellow kipper tie, matching his immaculate groomed yellow hair. Some might consider him gay by the way he minces about, but I don't think he has ever had sex with either man or woman. I'd really like to see him without his perfect pretty boy image. I don't even think he needs to shave, in fact I've never seen a hint of stubble.

He lives with his mother, and fuck knows how many aunts, who have probably knocked anything resembling macho out of him years ago. Maybe he is gay, but doesn't yet know it, either way he is a good worker, and sticks to a boring god awful routine. Every Friday night is fish and chip night for him, mother, and his aunts. He needs a damn good kick in the bollocks, that's if he has any.

Ah here we go, the judge in all his fucking glory. I do wonder if he wears anything underneath his robe.

As my next witness is called, Mrs Pauline "Cinderella" Stone can't stop the frightened rabbit look. A 50 year old, but looking much older, man walks to the witness box, with his round brown rimmed glasses, and in what looks like a new suit, and a hideous kipper tie, pink of all colours. He's no more than 5"5' tall, and has quite an old fashioned short back and sides. His brown hair, out of a bottle I'm sure, is combed to perfection. How the fuck did Cinderella end up in bed with him the whole world might ask, well it is up to me to enlighten the packed courtroom, and with my opening line I'm going to fuck Cinderella, big time!

"Mr Albert Cox, you have had sex with Pauline Stone numerous times, and went away on a dirty weekend with her, is that correct?"

Even before I finish the judge is banging his gavel. Jimmy though I noted, was talking to his number two and wasn't really listening, and that's why I went in hard and fast. I cast my eyes round the court room; I can see everyone is looking at the quaking Mrs Stone.

"Your Worship to answer your question it is indeed relevant to the case," I begin, "it is in everyone's interest to know the reason Mrs Stone, has sex with Mr Cox, and it happens on a regular basis."

"Tread carefully Mr Harrington-Brown."

"Mr Cox, sex was offered to you wasn't it?"

"Oh yes, most definitely."

"And for what reason did Mrs Pauline Stone offer you sex?"

"I am the Stone's rent collector. They live in one of my houses. Due to Mr Stone's injuries they couldn't afford to pay. Each week that passed they got further and further behind. I felt sorry for them, but there was little I could do to help at the time."

"Who was it who suggested sex, in exchange for paying off the overdue back rent?"

Jimmy is on his feet jumping up and down, "My client would do no such thing."

I wait and watch. I watch Mrs Stone talking to Jimmy's number two. I can wait all day for this, but I know the judge will not. Jimmy has joined the whispering couple now, plainly ignoring the judge's calls to allow proceedings to continue. Finally Jimmy sits down rather heavily.

"Please continue Mr Harrington-Brown."

"As I was asking before Mr Spratt jumped in, Mr Cox, who suggested paying off the areas with sexual favours?"

Albert looks round the courtroom. The fucking shit loves this, "Mrs Pauline Stone."

The court is uproar again, and the judge has broken the head off his gavel.

"Albert, tell me how this came about?"

"Well I went to their house to collect the rent, and said I was going to start eviction proceedings. Mrs Stone came on to me."

"That's a lie!"

Poor Cinderella, she couldn't help but jump in like that. As I said this is my star witness, and Cinderella is sat there shitting herself. I watch her flump back in her chair. She must know what's coming.

"She asked if there was anything she could do to pay off the rent arrears. She asked me to come back later, after she had the chance to talk to her husband. I went about my business and when I came back, she let me in and took me up to her marital bed. She was wearing a pink short dressing gown with a matching baby doll nightdress underneath. Your Worship, I couldn't resist, Mrs...Pauline, she is a very sexy young woman."

"You made me do it!"

"Mrs Stone, another outburst like that and I'll have you escorted from the courtroom."

"Your Worship, I really don't see why we have to listen to all of this. It really isn't relevant."

The judge turns to me, "Mr Harrington-Brown, is this relevant?"

"Oh yes, if I can be allowed to continue Your Worship?"

"Very well, but please get to a point, and in the near future."

"Albert, you say Mrs Stone offered sex to you instead of the rent arrears, and was Mr Stone privy to this?"

God look at the smug grin on his face.

"Oh yes, I went past him and up the stairs with his wife. He didn't look to happy about it. A few weeks later, after I had been with the lovely Pauline a few times, it was Mr Stone who asked if there was a way in which all the arrears could be paid in full. He suggested a weekend away with his wife."

"Mr Cox, are you quite sure it was Mr Stone who suggested a weekend away?"

"Oh yes, I was there the day he put it to her. He told me what was going to happen, right in front of his wife."

"And how did Mrs Stone take the news?"

Look at him looking round the courtroom, dear old Albert is just as big a showman as I am.

"Pauline had started looking forward to my visits, I could tell. Although she wasn't too enamoured on the outside, I'm sure deep down she was excited by going away with me," he turns to the jury like I told him to, "Because she couldn't get over how big I am down there."

The judge is banging his broken gavel head again, and Cinderella is shaking her head in disbelief, with a quivering bottom lip.

"What happened on the day you came to pick her up?"

"Well, I stopped outside her door about to knock, and I heard Mr Stone telling his wife, that all she had to do was go with me, and all their money problems would be over."

"So Mr Stone, was more worried about money than you having sex with his wife?"

"Oh Yes, from the sound it, it wasn't so much husband and wife talking, but more like pimp and whore."

I sit down, waiting for the judge to restore order. Mrs Stone is sat mortified. Jimmy is grizzling on about how I've turned the court into the circus the judge didn't want, but like I said this is my theatre, and I'm in agreement when the judge wants to adjourn for lunch.

"Sir, lunch will give Mr Spratt time to investigate. We could have done with going on for a while."

"Tom, my lad, it doesn't matter. We have things that Mrs Stone wouldn't believe. We'll let Jimmy have his go after lunch, and then we'll blow the courtroom out of the water."

We come back after lunch and Jimmy starts his questioning of Mr Cox.

"Mr Cox, you said my client came on to you?"

"Oh yes, she did alright."

"Wasn't it you who suggested payment with sex for the rent arrears? Didn't you slip your hand on her leg, and then suggest she talk to her husband, about you and Mrs Stone going to bed together, or the next knock on the door would be from two men with a van, to turn Mr and Mrs Stone out on the street with their belongings?"

"I'm afraid she is lying if that's her story."

"How many properties do you own Mr Cox?"

"28, I bought a few pieces of land that was nothing more than rubble heaps after the war, and built houses on them."

"I see, Mr Cox. So you have 28 houses in all, paying rent to you. Can you tell me why you put the rent up on Mr Stone's house, twice since Mr Stone's accident, and not any of the other houses you own?"

"I have increased the rent on every house I own."

"Yes you have Mr Cox, by 20%, but Mr Stone's rent has gone up 60% since his accident. You obviously decided that was a good way of getting his wife into bed, didn't you Mr Cox?"

I'm on my feet now, and reminding the court that Mr Spratt has no evidence that this is the case. But I don't tell them in all likelihood Jimmy is right.

"Mr Cox, do you honestly think a woman who you describe as lovely, and sexy, and let's not forget, who is much younger than you, actually wanted you, because of what you have between your legs?"

"That's what she told me in bed on our second time together, and let's face it; I'm not the first older gentlemen she has slept with."

The gallery is mumbling again, as Cinderella shakes her head again.

"My client has had cause to shout out in court that you are twisting everything, and to be honest Mr Cox, there isn't a person in this room, apart from yourself, who would not think that. You sir, are a twisted little man, who saw his opportunity to get a fragile woman, who didn't know how to make ends meet, into bed. You Mr Cox have lumped misery on Mrs Stone when she already has enough on her plate."

I've been on my feet, the judge is close to having a fit, and Jimmy still battled on with his impassioned speech, credit to him for that of course. Albert though isn't the type to get put off, god bless him. He stands resolute.

Finally the court settles down. The judge asks if Jimmy has any actual questions, and if not, to stop besmirching the witness.

"Just a couple more Your Worship. Mr Cox, you don't seem the least bit ashamed of having sex with Mr Stone instead of receiving the rent money?"

"Not in the slightest, when a woman as young and sexy as Pauline offers a man of my age, sex, anyone would take her up on the offer."

Jimmy is shaking his head, it is obvious he can't stand the horrid little man, but Jimmy persists.

"Mr Cox is there one tiny part of you which regrets coming between a husband and wife, and forcing them into one of the most unsavoury decisions of their lives, which could ruin their marriage?"

"I'm sure it makes no difference, with their divorce on the horizon."

I'm on my feet. Well done Albert, for that little gem. The judge has raised his hand stopping Jimmy from saying anything. Jimmy slumps back in his chair shaking his head, having opened up something which he'll now regret, big time.

"Mr Cox, as far as I'm aware, Mr Stone is standing by his wife, do you know that to be untrue?"

"Oh yes, Your Worship, I heard Mr Stone shouting at his wife a few days before this case started. He said if Pauline didn't get the money, he would instruct a solicitor to start divorce proceedings."

She has her head buried in her hands, and Jimmy, poor Jimmy, is going on at his number two who shakes his head, vigorously. Poor Cinderella, it seems she'll end up with no money, and no husband. Okay she might have enough on her plate, but it is time I kicked her when she is down. Don't blame me, it's the system, and besides the ugly sisters want their pound of flesh.

"Mr Harrington-Brown, what are you waving that piece of paper for?"

"Your Worship, a new piece of evidence has just been brought to my attention. If I may, I have a few more questions for Mr Cox before he is dismissed?"

The judge looks at his watch, no doubt wanting to get away to that bimbo who he has lured back to his chambers.

"Very well, but let's get this done as quickly as possible."

I stand up and move towards Jimmy's number two, offering him an envelope which has been sealed with a good coat of strong glue, to delay the opening just long enough for me to take everyone by surprise.

"Mr Cox, when you had sex with Mrs Stone, did you wear contraception?"

He hides, or rather tries to hide a little smile, "No I have a rubber allergy."

"I see," I say, as Jimmy's number two still struggles with the envelope, "Your Worship, I have here a copy of a test, a positive pregnancy test, belonging to Mrs Stone, which in due course I which to question Mrs Stone about."

Jimmy is shouting, the court is aghast, and Cinderella has gone very pale.

Finally the judge regains order.

"Please Mr Harrington-Brown, Mr Spratt is right to want to know how you came by this piece of paper, which has obviously been ripped up, and then stuck back together sometime later?"

"Your Worship, Mr Cox himself presented it to me only this morning."

"Why would Mr Cox, be in possession of this letter?" Jimmy shouts angrily.

The judge nods at me to explain.

"He saw it when he made an inspection of his property, as he tends to do like any respectable landlord. He happened to notice the heading on the paper from the local hospital, lying next to the Stone's bin"

"Your Worship, I don't believe for one minute that is the case. Mr Harrington-Brown, who is well known for his, dubious methods, has had someone digging around the Stone's bins!"

I'm laughing, and the judge is getting quite worked up.

"Mr Harrington-Brown, I don't find this funny."

"Sorry Your Worship, I'm only laughing out of the pure stupidity of Mr Spratt's accusations."

The judge looks stern, but I'm sure like everyone else, he, is waiting for another big reveal."

"If I may, Your Worship, I was aware of this letter only this morning, and something of such significance I did not want to bring to the court's attention, until I had verification."

"I still don't see the significance of whether Mrs Stone is pregnant or not to this case."

Thank you judge, it gives me a chance to explain, but you knew that didn't you. So here we go.

"Mrs Stone is two months pregnant, and carrying Mr Cox's baby, that is unless she has had unprotected sex with someone else?"

Once again there is uproar, the reports are scribbling, and the judge although wanting to meet his strumpet, is as hooked as everyone. Jimmy and I have a little spat while poor Cinderella is sobbing, and mumbling to herself in disbelief, but I still haven't finished!

"Your Worship if I may, Mr Cox has a statement he would like to read?"

The judge nods and Mr Cox pulls from his jacket a piece of paper.

"Despite what people would think of me, the offer I make to Pauline on this day is a genuine one. If Pauline's husband divorces her, I would gladly marry her, and put up with the stigma of marrying a divorced woman who is with child...my child I believe. I draw your attention to a law made in 1698, which Mr Harrington-Brown can explain further."

I stand up about to knock this court into orbit, and I hope, make it in the international news agencies, alongside the moon landing.

"Your Worship may I draw your attention to the passing of the 1698 law, on unmarried mother's and the duty of the father to unmarried or single pregnant women, which still stands in this county and three others to this day. For the sake of the child, and the unmarried mother, a judge can rule that a mother enters into marriage with the child's father, if the father, the biological father is agreeable. Your Worship the law was past in 1698, because of high number of fatherless children, and the unsupported mothers at that time was becoming a huge drain on society financially. It left many children starving to death. As I say the law is still in force in this county, and Mr Cox has the means, and obvious love for Pauline, which a husband should have."

"Your Worship this is laughable, the law is outdated and totally irrelevant in these modern times."

"Thank you Mr Spratt, I'll be looking into this further."

"For god sake, you can't expect Mrs Stone to marry that loser. With the greatest respect, your retirement can't come quickly enough."

You see Jimmy has taken this all a little too seriously. No matter how absurd and outdated the law is, while it has not been revoked, I doubt it will happen. On the other hand, it is still law.

The judge has ordered a penalty fine for poor Jimmy, but he is still going on at the judge.

"Mr Spratt!" the judge yells a little too loudly, "I shall look into the law, and should Mr Stone wish to divorce his wife, then I will make a judgement on Mr Cox's proposal. While the law is a little dated there are far too many single mothers around even in this day and age. Mrs Stone will marry Mr Cox, if I decide it is best for the unborn child?"

Fuck me that went even better than I expected. Poor Cinderella rose slowly to her feet and then fainted. The reports are running for the telephone, and my old mate is heading outside to break his exclusive on the 6pm news tonight on the telly.

Of course you might ask what has all this got to do with the case we are here for. I suppose it has gone off track, but that is by my design. You might well ask in this modern age of 1969 and sending men to the moon, can a woman be forced to marry a man she does not love. Well let me give you something to think about, in some countries arranged marriages take place, and probably will do long after the turn of the century!

"She's come round sir, no harm done. I have to agree with Mr Spratt, the judge really has lost his mind if he thinks he can make Mrs Stone marry Mr Cox."

I smile at Tom, "Tom, off his mind maybe, but it is still law, okay the last time it happened was in 1881 but it is still law. Not only that my lad, did you know the judge is dead against unmarried mothers?"