"I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Lowering her hand, Ruth took a deep, steadying breath and watched as the usher stepped back.

"For the record, please state your full name."

"Ruth Evershed."

Stepping from behind the table, the wigged solicitor for the Prosecution nodded once. Black robe billowing, hands crossed behind back; the man crossed the court and stood in front of her.

"We've called you here for you to give evidence against the defendant. I'm going to ask you some questions. Please answer them honestly and to the best of your ability. Do you understand?"

"I do."

Hands still behind his back, the prosecutor met her eyes. "Ms. Evershed do you know the defendant?"

For the first time in almost three months Ruth saw Peter. His time in prison had not been difficult for him if his appearance was anything to go by. Black hair loose, it fell across his wide forehead, resting just above his green eyes. Dressed in a charcoal suit, his broad shoulders were pulled back and straight.

Meeting his eyes, she suppressed the wave of bitterness that filled her at his smirk. Taking a brief moment to settle her emotions, she swallowed the saliva that had pooled in her mouth and nodded.

"Please answer with an affirmative or denial."

"Yes I do." she answered softly.

"And how did you meet Mr. Morgan?"

Thinking back on that fateful night, she tried not to let the images of Harry and Juliet sit too long in her mind. They'd gotten past that. She'd told him to forget it; that the past was the past. And it was true. It was the past. Something that happened before they were a them. Moments were missed by both of them. Mistakes were made by both too.

"Ms. Evershed?"

Shaking her head, she looked around briefly. It was time to put it all in the past and move on.

"Peter approached me one night in an Internet Cafe I frequented. I'd had a terrible day, found out some rather unpleasant news, and I was a bit distraught. Looking back I can say I wasn't in the right frame of mind but..."

"Objection."

Confused the prosecutor turned at the voice. "On what grounds?"

"It doesn't matter Mr. Lansing, I'm agreeing. Ms. Evershed, please refrain from discussing what you believe in hindsight and stick to the facts at hand."

Startled, she looked at the defense table and felt her stomach sink. Peter was smiling. He looked pleased about something.

"Of course." she said slowly, her eyes traveling back to the prosecutor's. "Umm...where...uh...where was I?"

"The night you met Mr. Morgan."

"Right. As I was...uh saying, we met one night in an Internet Cafe. I'd had a not so good day and he approached me to ask if I was alright. When I said yes, he introduced himself and asked my name. From that night on, I would run into him any time I was at the Internet cafe."

"And when did you eventually agree to seeing him?"

"About two weeks after we met. He asked me to dinner and I said yes. We left from the cafe. After dinner, we started seeing each other a few nights a week. Did things like dinner, plays, lunch on the weekend. Just generally got to know one another."

"When did the trouble start?"

"We'd been seeing each other for two months when things started to change. I work for the Government and my hours can be a bit crazy at times. I'm supposed to work until 5 at night but most nights I'm there till 7 at the earliest. When Peter and I started seeing each other, I tried to get out on time but there were instances that I just couldn't leave. Which meant I had to cancel some dates with him. The last night we were together, he was upset. I was late. Not due to work this time but because of an accident in Central London. We argued when I finally reached the restaurant."

"Was that all you argued about?"

"No, Peter was also upset at the state of our relationship."

"Were you seeing someone else? Was he?"

"No, nothing like that." Nervous, she took a calming breath. She'd been warned she'd have to talk about this but she was a private person. Having to talk about her sex life; or lack of; in front of the court was a daunting prospect. "Peter was mad that we hadn't had sex yet."

Pausing at the murmurs through the court, the prosecutor continued. "Was this the reason you stopped seeing Mr. Morgan?"

"No." Glancing at him, she watched a moment before continuing. "To me, it was something that would come in time. I know he was angry about it but it is not something I can rush into. I thought he'd steam a little and we'd discuss it on the weekend. But when I got out to my car, I found my tires slashed. At the time I thought it was a random violent act but I found out later from CCTV that Peter had gone outside and slashed all four tires when I thought he was in the loo."

"Objection - hearsay."

"Granted. The jury will disregard the last comment from Ms. Evershed's testimony. Continue."

"I uh...my tires were slashed. As I was preparing to call a taxi, Peter came up. He was angry and insisting I allow him to take me home but I didn't feel comfortable. When I insisted I'd get a taxi, he grabbed my arm and started to drag me across the parking lot."

"How did you get away from Mr. Morgan?"

"Adam; a man I work with; and his wife were having dinner at the same restaurant. They happened to leave at the same time and came to my assistance." She left out the part where they were following her. That was something the court didn't need to know.

"What happened after that?"

"I told Peter it was over; that I didn't want to see him again. He was angry; which was understandable. The next night a friend offered to stop by my house with me to pick up a few things. When we arrived, we found the place had been broken into, personal items were destroyed."

"Was this all?"

"No, we also found a wrapped gift on the table. The driver of my friend opened the box. Inside we found two dead birds with a note from Peter."

"Did anything else happen before the incident on December 11th?"

"I received numerous phone calls referencing the fact that Peter was watching me as I stayed at the home of a friend. That he was in fact outside at the times of the calls watching me in the kitchen. And I two days before he grabbed me, I received a vase of flowers. I thought they were from someone else. When I picked them up, glass cut into my hand and I dropped the vase. Inside was filled with blood."

"I see. What happened after that?"

"I uh, was distressed. Upset. A colleague sent me home with the driver of the friend I was staying with. As we were traveling home, we stopped at my previous residence to get the mail. Mark; the driver; looked around before letting me out of the car. As we were walking up the walk, Mark fell to the ground. When I turned around, I saw Peter, a gun in his hand. I think he hit me over the head with it."

"You think or you know?"

"I'm not entirely sure what he hit me with but it was the only thing in his hand. I blacked out and remember waking in a room on a boat. Everything from that point is a bit hazy. The doctors said I was suffering from a concussion and hypothermia from falling into the frigid Thames. I remember Peter and I talking. Him saying something about traveling to the Bahamas to get married and us arguing. The last thing I remember is Peter wrapping his hands round my throat and squeezing. After that, I was on the dock wrapped in a coat being treated by medical personnel."

"Thank you. One last question. Have you any contact with the defendant since that night?"

"No."

"The prosecution rests Your Honour."

Stepping back to the table, Lansing sat down and watched as the defense attorney stood.

Straightening his wig, Jonathan Lindsey stepped into the center of the court. He had but a few questions for this witness.

"Good afternoon Ruth. May I call you Ruth?"

"O..of course."

"Right. Ruth. Thank you for taking the time to be here with us today. I've just a few questions for you; some clarification I need to the statements you've given to Mr. Lansing."

"Okay."

"You say you met Mr. Morgan in an Internet Cafe, is this correct?"

"Yes."

"The night you met, you'd had a harrowing day at work?"

"That's correct."

"So the fact that you'd just found your boss having sex with an ex-mistress of his had nothing to do with your distress?"

"Objection - relevance?"

"I have a point Your Honour. If you'll allow me to continue."

"Granted."

Please answer the question Ruth. And remember, you are under oath."

Swallowing, she nodded her head in the affirmative.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"Yes, I was distressed at that."

"Why should that have bothered you? He was your boss after all. A grown man. Surely he could have relations with whomever he should choose."

"It just did."

"I'm failing to understand this. Were you in a relationship with your boss at the time?"

"No."

"Then why should it bother you that he was having sex with an ex? Did you want more from your relationship with him?"

"I fail to see how that matters."

"Answer the question."

"It bothered me because he'd just asked me to coffee earlier in the day!"

"So you thought it should be you having sex with him and not his ex-mistress?"

"Of course not."

"And yet you were bothered."

"Yes."

"I see. Moving on from this for now. The dinner you had with Mr. Morgan that last night, why were you late?"

"I believe I already answered that. There was an accident in Central London and traffic was miserable. It took longer than expected to reach the restaurant."

"Your lateness had nothing what-so-ever to do with your work or your boss?"

"No it did not."

"It had nothing to do with the fact that before you left, this ex-mistress had in fact gone to see your boss and you were watching them?"

Shock covered her features as she looked at the man. How had he known that Juliet was there that afternoon? It wasn't common knowledge that she worked for MI5 and those who knew were sworn to secrecy.

"Answer the question Ruth."

"How do you know she was there."

"My source wishes to remain anonymous at this time. Please, answer the question. And remember, you are under oath."

"No, I was not late because of work or my boss. I was honestly stuck in traffic."

"And you didn't think to call Mr. Morgan to let him know of your delay?"

"The thought never came to me. I was so focused on getting to the restaurant and the meal that we were having together that I didn't think to let him know I was running late."

Stepping back a moment, Lindsay looked towards the jury and noted their interest. Smiling slightly, he turned back to the woman in the box.

"Why did you refrain from having a sexual relationship with Mr. Morgan?"

"It was too soon. We'd only been seeing each other for a few months."

"Surely a few months is more than enough time to wait. Most people engage in an intimate relationship early on. Usually after a date or two."

"I'm not most people. Being intimate with someone is big to me. It's not something that one can rush into. There's trust that needs to be established and a comfort level. Besides that, I was brought up to believe that sex is something sacred, to be shared between two people who love each other. Not something to engage in casually."

"I see. How many sexual partners have you had Ms. Evershed?"

"Objection! Your Honour this line of questioning is ridiculous. What does any of this have to do with what Mr. Morgan did?"

"Accused of doing. And I'm getting there."

"Overruled. Continue Mr. Lindsay."

"Thank you Your Honour. Ms. Evershed, how many people have you been intimate with?"

"Six."

"I see, so you've had sexual relations with six different men."

"No."

"But you just said six."

"Yes, you asked how many men I've been intimate with. That number is six. There is a difference between intimacy and full out sex."

"Alright, let me rephrase. How many people have you been intimate with in a sexual nature?"

Face turning the color of beetroot, she looked down at the floor. "Two." she answered quietly.

"I'm sorry, you were too quiet. How many Ms. Evershed?"

"Two."

"And both of these relationships occurred before Mr. Morgan?"

"No."

"I see. How long have you been sleeping with your boss?"

Shock on her face, she lifted her eyes from the floor and met those of the man in front of her. "Excuse me?" she managed in a squeak.

"I asked how long you've been sleeping with your boss."

"How does that matter?"

"Were you having sex with your boss when you were still seeing my client?"

"How dare you."

"I'll take that as you were."

"I was not having sex with Harry when I was seeing Peter. I'm insulted you'd even ask that question."

"Were you or were you not living with your boss?"

"I was but only because I was afraid of Peter and what he'd do if I was alone."

"Really? There was no one else you could stay with? A female friend? A nice married couple? You had to stay with your single boss with whom you were interested in?"

"He offered the use of his spare room. That's all. Nothing happened between Harry and I."

"There was no sexual contact in any way while you were dating Mr. Morgan?"

"No!"

"So you were not found in a compromising position in your boss's bedroom one afternoon by those you work with?"

Blushing she shook her head no. Yes the others had been there that afternoon she'd been tied to his bed. But no one had come upstairs. No one had found her.

"Were you or were you not tied to the bed of your boss? You are under oath Ms. Evershed."

"I was but..."

"Thank you. Now please, answer my original question, when did you and Mr. Pearce become engaged in a sexual relationship?"

"It doesn't matter!"

"I feel it does. When Ms. Evershed?"

"January." Mortified, she stared at the floor.

"January of this year?"

"Yes."

"So less than one month after officially breaking up with my client, you were engaged in a sexual relationship with another man?"

"Y...yes."

"The same man you were distraught over the night you first met Mr. Morgan?"

"Yes."

"Did you create this idea of being stalked to play on the emotions of Mr. Pearce? To make him want you?"

"No!"

"Ms. Evershed did you slash your own tires?"

"No!"

"Did you destroy your home?"

"No!"

"Did you send yourself that vase of flowers?"

"Of course not! How could you even think that?"

"Ms. Evershed I think this idea of Mr. Morgan stalking you was something you came up with to gain the attention of your boss. One you came up with after seeing him engaged in a sexual act with a previous partner."

"That's outrageous! Peter stalked me. He tormented me and made my life miserable. He kidnapped me and tried to kill me."

"No further questions Your Honour."

Stepping back to the table, Jonathan Lindsay sat down; fighting the urge to smile.

"Thank you Ms. Evershed for your testimony. You may step down."

"But that's a lie! I didn't make this up."

"That's enough! Step down before I have you removed. The jury will disregard Ms. Evershed's last statement."

Stepping out of the box, Ruth crossed the room. She was mortified. There was no other word to describe it. Somehow Peter's attorney had figured out about her and Harry. Had used it to twist things round until she looked like a nutter. Sitting next to Danny, she shook as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. How would she ever be able to look at him again?

"Has the jury come to a decision?"

"We have Your Honour."

"What be it?"

"On the charges of abduction in the second degree, we find the defendant not guilty."