Disclaimer: I did zero research for this chapter. No idea if this is how executions would go down in 19th century Britain or not. Sorry, but there it is.
There was some cruel joke in the fact that Charles now stood as close to her as he ever had, but on a gallows in full view of most of the townspeople. He was so close that he could feel her tremble as a cold wind worked its way between them and through the too thin fabric of her dress. Shifting slightly, he shielded her from the wind with his back but still she trembled. Pretending to check the bindings on her wrists, he took her hand in his. When she returned his gentle squeeze, he felt her trembling cease.
He leaned forward so that only her ears would catch his words, "I love you. I am here. I will protect you."
Her eyes met his for the briefest of moments, just long enough for him to catch the glint of appreciation and love in their blue depths.
Then, their attention was drawn to the judge as he climbed the steps to the platform so that he could address the crowd. Charles let his gaze drift out over that crowd. He had never seen them behave anything like this on any of his previous jobs. He'd seen them jeering at the prisoner. He'd seen them cheering as a man hanged. On one memorable occasion, he'd even seen a lad spit in the face of the prisoner as Charles dragged him to the gallows. Glancing at Thomas from the corner of his eye, he still wondered what the lad's father had done to him.
This crowd, though, was silent. Glaring at the gallows, at him, at Thomas, but especially at Judge Crawley who was preparing to read out her sentence once more.
"Mrs. Elspeth Hughes, for your crime…" the judge began but was cut off by a snarl from the crowd.
"What crime?" Charles eyes snapped up and scanned the group of men gathered at the base of the gallows. It was Mr. Mason. Bless him. "Protecting her life? Is that a crime?"
The judge scowled and spoke louder, "for your crime of willfully murdering Mr. Samuel Hughes…"
"Murder? Of that scoundrel? Did us all a service I'd say." Charles didn't have to look up to know that was Thomas' friend, James was it?
Judge Crawley now curled the paper tight in his fist and said, "Does anyone else wish to speak? You certainly kept quiet at the trial."
Sullen glares met his gaze but no one spoke. Charles was surprised. He knew opinions were changing, but he hadn't expected this.
When no one spoke, the judge nodded in satisfaction and lifted his paper to begin again.
Charles felt his heart thudding in his chest. His throat tightened. If he didn't speak now and anything happened to his Elsie…
"Your honor." He felt like squirming as all eyes shifted to him. The silent giant. The man of shadows. The man these people likely used to scare their children at night. For her, though, he stepped fully into the light.
"Your honor, no one spoke because no one knew," he said, he could feel her eyes on him now, warming his back, but kept his own attention focused on the judge. "Some crimes are hidden in the shadows."
Judge Crawley fixed his glare upon Charles. "No crime could justify a woman stabbing her husband."
Stepping forward so that his body more fully shielded Elsie from the judge, he asked, "Not even to protect her unborn child? Doesn't every woman have that right?"
"You Carson?" he asked incredulously, "You are questioning me? It's not your place to judge. Do your duty."
He stood still for a moment staring at the judge and then back to the crowd. Slowly, he turned to Elsie. Whispering once more for her ears only he said, "I'm sorry, love. I know we planned, but I cannot…"
He lifted the rope from her neck and turned back to the judge, "My duty is to bring justice and there's no justice here." He threw the rope to the ground.
Glaring out at the crowd, he said, "If anyone believes this woman should hang, come now and do it. I will not."
The judge turned his gaze on Thomas who just crossed his arms over his chest.
No one in the crowd moved.
Charles withdrew his clasp knife from his pocket and cut the bindings on her wrists. Silently, he took her arm in his hand and guided her from the gallows. The crowd parted before them and then closed behind them, blocking the judge as he tried to follow.
He didn't speak until they were through the door of the vicar's house. Then he turned to her.
"I'm sorry. I just couldn't. I couldn't…"
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. "Charles, don't apologize for not hanging me. Don't ever apologize for that."
"But we had a plan," he said, "I don't know what we'll do now. We'll have to run. Maybe the crowd will give us time." He drew her closer in his arms to calm his thoughts and started to plan. Grace would go with them, of course. Elsie would never leave her behind and in truth, neither would he. He needed to get to his rooms, gather a few belongings and the money he had hidden there. Perhaps Mrs. Bates would give them some food, just for a few days and then…
The door opened behind them. It was the vicar. He was not alone. Judge Crawley stood staring at the executioner with his arms around the woman he refused to hang.
