Cotton on Trial

"Look after it, sir." He just barely prevented himself from adding 'of course' to that statement. Saying something like that with all these officers around would not be a good idea.

Now that was just unfair! Making him out to look like a scrub. "Of course he was worried! Gabe always looks out for me," Maggie said aloud. Her eyes met Cotton's and she felt morose.

He had trusted her, and he knew he'd been right to do so. It was only because Annie Lawson had poked her nose in where it wasn't wanted that he was here now. That woman never did know when to keep her mouth shut.

He tried to send Maggie a reassuring look, but wasn't sure how reassured she would be. He'd give almost anything to be able to hold her and soothe that worried, upset look away from her face.

"You say that the watch was at the top of the bag, and was not one of Captain Vickery's possessions. At the time, when you first found the watch, how did you think it had come from?"

"There be a bit of a long story to explain why, but I thought I'd bin set up, sir."

Maggie was looking at Williams and Sharpe, trying to gauge their reactions to the proceedings so far. They would have a better idea of how hopeful Gabe's situation might be. She had already lost hope for herself, her mind quickly deciding her own fate, but there was still Gabe. She peered at the men's faces anxiously, but they were almost as difficult to read as Colonel Edrington's.

She suddenly felt exhausted and dizzy, wishing she could fall asleep on the ground immediately under her feet. They should have been eating now and setting up their blankets by the fire. Like last night. She wished she had Cotton's shoulder to lean on.

Waldegrave pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Well, if that is your defence," he said with deliberate incredulity in his voice, "no doubt Captain Vickery will allow you to mention it when I have finished questioning you. But in essence you did not believe it to have been placed there by Captain Vickery, but by someone who had unauthorized access to the baggage. Someone Evans describe as a thief. What steps did you take to ensure that nothing else had been put in the bag, or, more importantly, taken out? Did you check that Captain Vickery's possessions had not been stolen?"

"I din't have the time right then, sir. Like I said, I had to run as it was. I was plannin' on checkin' once I'd spoken to the Captain, only," he shrugged apologetically, "I never got the chance, sir. Though it di'n't look like anythin' else had bin interfered with - his boat cloak was on top just like I'd left it."

Waldegrave mentally checked the points that Cotton - or Evans - had conceded. Only Cotton had seen the watch in the bag, and despite his claim to have believed that the bag had been opened in the night he had neither raised a general alarm, nor even checked to see if anything had been stolen. He had not mentioned the watch to Vickery, nor kept it with him, but had passed it to the woman Evans.

He looked across at Edrington, who was watching him with a slight frown, and then back to Vickery. "Thank you, Captain," he said. "I have nothing more to ask the accused."

Was that it? The Lieutenant was looking pleased with himself, at least to Cotton's eyes, and that made his heart sink a little. He looked towards Edrington, wondering what was going to happen now.

Edrington looked from Waldegrave, looking rather too pleased with himself, to the Rifleman, and then on to his officer. "Captain Vickery, you may now either ask Cotton more questions, or not, as you choose. And if you wish to give evidence yourself, you may take the oath and make a statement, after which Mr Waldegrave will no doubt wish to ask you some questions. Or you may call other witnesses. Whatever you need to defend your Rifleman."

"Thank you, my lord," Vickery said. He turned to the Rifleman.

"Cotton, did it occur to you to check whether my bag had been interfered with further?"

A nod. "Yes, sir."

"So why didn't you check?"

"No time, sir. And I thought you might want to check it over with me, in case."

"A moment ago, you mentioned that you thought you had 'been set up'. Would you please explain this further?"

Cotton gave him a slightly confused look.

"I mean, tell us why you thought that."

"Oh. Right." He took a breath. "It happened a bit ago. I was with a mate in a tavern, where his girl worked, and another soldier come in and started on her, like she was... like she was a whore, sir, beggin' y'r pardon. So me mate got a bit upset, like, and asked him to leave her alone, an' I backed him up. An' a while later, this other soldier sets me mate up for attackin' an officer."

He kept his eyes on Vickery's face, aware that both Williams and Sharpe, the two concerned with this episode, were present.

"An' I was part of the guard come up to put him under arrest, and that's when this other soldier threatened me as well, like."

He looked at Edrington then. "I ain't sayin' he did do it, 'cause I can't accuse him of it, sir. He's a Sergeant, y'see. I just thought at the time that he had done it." He still thought that, but wasn't going to say that.

Edrington was still frowning. The attack on Padstowe lurked behind all this, but might be only peripheral. Vickery had mentioned the suspicion that Cotton had been, or feared that he would be, made to appear guilty of an offence. A Sergeant Hakeswill, known to Captain Padstowe as well, apparently. "Rifleman Cotton. Were you aware, at the time you learned whose watch it was, that Captain Padstowe had been robbed on the last night you were in Lisbon? The night before we all left," he amended.

He shook his head, looking horrified. "No, sir," he said, finding his voice. "I didn't know. I... I hope he's all right, sir."

Maggie had forgotten that Cotton didn't know that. Well, it would be all right. He could have had nothing to do with the attack because he'd been with her - at least, in the evening. She would tell them he had been with her all night if necessary - though they might not believe her, now.

"We all do," Edrington said, and added: "It is not my intention to turn this trial into an investigation into the attack on Captain Padstowe, although it seems likely that his watch was taken then. That matter is being investigated in Lisbon, and I shall write to the appropriate people there. But if you do know anything, I would advise you to tell us now." He paused for a response, watching Cotton. If the man had done it, it was unlikely that he would confess - the story of being 'set up' would serve as well if not better for the more serious charge.

Now Maggie was confused. She whispered to Williams beside her, frowning uneasily. "What does he mean? Why arrest Gabe at all if he doesn't care about Captain Padstowe's theft? That's when the watch got stolen."

"I was waiting table - he come to dinner with Captain Vick'ry that evenin', and then I went out to a tavern, an' met up wi' Maggie afore we went to another tavern, quieter, to talk. An' Mister Sharpe was at the next table, there. I don't know nothin' else about that night that I c'n say, sir."

He felt knocked for six. That Captain Padstowe had been attacked, even badly hurt maybe, hadn't occurred to him. And after the officer had gone out of his way to warn Vickery about Hakeswill... for that was the only reason Cotton could think of for his visit earlier that same evening.

Nor, thought Edrington, do I. He looked across at Sharpe, wondering if Dr Maturin had told him any more, but ... It was time to move on. [And stop confusing everyone.] "As I said, we are not concerned with the events of that night, but with those earlier today, when the watch was removed fom Captain Vickery's bag. Captain Vickery please continue."

"Thank you, my lord." He turned back to Cotton.

"Why did you agree to let Maggie take the watch?"

Cotton blinked at him. "Acause, I thought I'd been set up. And if'n I took it, and the Sergeant came up and flat accused me of stealin' - or if anyone else did - then I'd look like I had. And I wanted to talk to you about it, sir, but didn't know when I'd be able to, 'cause of bein' on the march."

Vickery nodded, and turned back to the Colonel. "I have no more questions for Rifleman Cotton, sir," he said, hoping it had been enough. "I am willing to give evidence myself."

"Carry on, Captain."

"Thank you, sir." He took the Bible and repeated the oath.

Now, where to start?

"It was raining this afternoon, and I did not have my boat-cloak with me. So, during a ten-minute rest, I sent Cotton to fetch it from my baggage, at the rear of the column. He returned a little late, running and looked as though he wanted to say something. I was in a discussion with Sergeant Fischer at the time and merely told him to fall in, knowing that whatever he needed to say he could say later, during another rest or once we had reached our next bivouac. I knew nothing of the affair until Lieutenant Waldegrave approached escorting Maggie Evans and another woman, claiming Evans had stolen a pocket watch from my baggage."

Is that what Waldegrave had told him? That she had stolen the watch from his baggage? All this time, she had been thinking of the crime against Captain Padstowe, the obvious owner of the watch. How could she - or Cotton - have stolen something from Captain Vickery when it wasn't even his? Was this all about stealing from Vickery, then?

"I was not even aware it was there to be stolen in the first place, until Lieutenant Waldegrave made his accusation, sir."

And hopefully, that should be enough. He had to answer the Lieutenant's questions, of course, but it was nearly over. He hoped for Cotton's sake that he had done enough.

"I assume that you had no idea that Captain Padstowe's watch was in your baggage? He had not entrusted it to you, nor left it behind when he visited you?" There was no reason to wait for an answer, Waldegrave thought, but it was as well to state the obvious sometimes. "And it was not there when you last accessed it? When was that?"