So, today we are meeting the other plaintiffs. Enjoy, and please, leave a review! ;))
It proved complicated for the two attorneys to organize a meeting with the five plaintiffs, since three of them lived in London, and one in Inverness. More than a month passed before a date was finally settled. But the day finally came, in mid-July, just before the family was scheduled to move to London for the Season. The solicitors had asked Anna to come without her husband at the meeting, so that the other women would not feel ashamed to tell their story in front of a man. She was the only one of them being married. But John had insisted on coming with her even if he had to wait outside during the meeting, and she had not had the heart to say no to him. To be honest she was glad not to be alone on the train journey to York and back.
When they were all settled in a cosy meeting room in the attorneys' offices, Anna looked around the large table, and noticed that all the other women looked younger than herself, and at least as nervous, if not more. The two solicitors looked at them with warm smiles, and Mrs Halimi opened the meeting:
- Good afternoon to all of you. We have arranged this meeting today so that you can meet one another, and so that each of you can tell the others when and how you came across Mr Green. I know you are all nervous about it, and I guess this is not a story you are happy to dwell on. Just know that no one here will be judging anyone. The only person who is to blame in all your stories, is Mr Green. Afterwards, Mrs Bader-Ginsburg and I will explain to you how the trial will unfold, and answer all your questions.
There was a few whispers and nods around the table, and Mrs Bader-Ginsburg went on:
- Now, Mrs Bates, being his most recent victim, would you like to start?
Anna's heart leapt into her mouth as her eyes met the attorney's. She had not meant to speak first. A few months might have passed since that night, but the memory was still very raw. She felt tears starting to well up in her eyes, before she even started to speak. The attorney gave her a look of encouragement, and said softly:
- We know how hard this is on you Mrs Bates. Take all the time you need.
Anna folded her hands together in front of her, then briefly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to steady her racing heart.
- My name is Anna Bates. I'm a lady's maid to Lady Mary Crawley, at Downton Abbey. A few months ago, the family held a party at the big house. They had invited an opera singer for a private concert. One of the guests was Lord Gillingham. Mr Green came to stay at Downton, as his valet. He was very friendly and outgoing at first, and I responded to him in a friendly way, as I would have done with anyone. My husband however, disliked him right away. At that time I thought he was only being jealous, and that annoyed me a little. Anyway, we were friendly for the first two days of his stay. We shared a card game. My husband tried to warn me about him, but I didn't listen. I told him off. Thought he was being silly…
A tear ran down Anna's cheek at that moment, and her voice wavered a bit.
- How I wish now I had listened to him… Anyway, the night of the concert, everyone was gathered in the House's Great Hall to listen, including all the servants. The House was empty but for the Great Hall. I had a headache, so at the end of a song, I slipped out and went down to the kitchen to get myself a powder. When I turned around, there he was. He talked nicely at first, and I didn't take offence. But then he started to suggest we might "have some real fun for once", those were his words. I told him I wanted to go back upstairs, and when I started to walk my way he blocked me. That's when I started to feel unsafe. He said he didn't believe my husband could keep me happy. You see, my husband is quite older than me, and he has a limp. So I guess he concluded I could not be happy with him, I don't know. But I was, I am, I love him very much. Anyway, when I told him off, he forced a kiss on me. I was quite shocked, and before I could get back to my senses, he punched me in the face…
At that moment, Anna hid her face into her hands, as a quiet sob shook her body. The following words came out quite disorderly, in between sobs.
- He… grabbed at my hair… and dragged me… into the boot room… Slammed my head on the floor. After that, I was so dizzy, I didn't… have the strength to fight him off. I screamed… but with the music and all… no one heard…
She sniffed as she came to the end of her story, and searched her purse for her handkerchief. She found she could not look up to the others, even though she knew the same had happened to them. When she had wiped her face, Mrs Halimi said gently:
- Thank you Mrs Bates. We all know how hard it is for you to share this.
The young woman sitting across Anna, who was dark-haired and plump, asked her:
- Your man, he stuck by you after that?
Anna looked at her, puzzled:
- Yes, he did, why?
- Well, then you're luckier than I was. My fiancé left me when he heard.
Mrs Bader-Ginsburg asked the young woman:
- Ms Foster, would you like to tell us now?
Her brown eyes had a dark and cold light in them. She looked angry at the world.
- Alright. My name is Sybil Foster. I am twenty-three years old. I am a primary school teacher in Wimbledon. Last year, I attended my cousin's wedding in London. I was having a hell of a time, having fun with my siblings and cousins. One of my cousins introduced us to his friend, this Mr Alex Green. I don't know if he had really been invited or if he had managed to crash himself on the party, but there he was, all honey-tongued and smileys. We talked a bit, I didn't pay too much attention to him at first. At one time during the evening, I went to the ladies' room. When I got out, he was waiting for me in the hallway, and started hitting on me, quite like he did to Mrs Bates… I told him I wasn't interested, that I was engaged, but well… as we just heard, the man doesn't hear no as an answer. Next thing I knew he had me closed up in a storage room and… there you go. You know how it ends.
She kept clenching and unclenching her fists as she spoke. There was no trace of tears in her eyes.
- Obviously I was shocked after that. I had never been with a man before.
Anna winced at the thought that this had been that poor girl's first intercourse with a man. How was she supposed to ever trust any man after that, she thought to herself.
- I started acting distant and weird with my fiancé, and when he asked me questions… At first I tried to hide it, but then I didn't manage to hold it secret any longer, and I told him. He became very cold, and walked away from me. A few days later, he told me he couldn't marry a woman who had already been with another man. He didn't believe me when I said Green had forced me. He called me a whore.
She pursed her lips and an angry flame danced in her eyes.
- I loved that man, she concluded coldly. And he turned me away. That's why I said you have been luckier, Mrs Bates.
Anna gave her a small smile.
- I do know that I am lucky to have my husband, Ms Foster. I'm so sorry for how it went for you.
Ms Foster nodded curtly.
During the heavy silence that unfolded next, a light whisper made itself heard. Looking around, Anna noticed that it came from the youngest-looking of the women, and the one who looked the most afraid. She was small and thin, with auburn hair and light green eyes. Her brow was furrowed, and her hands played nervously in front of her, as if she was mustering her every strength to speak without falling apart:
- My name is Laura Nielson, I am twenty-two years old. It happened three years ago. I was a housemaid in a London house. He came in as visiting valet, just like Mrs Bates. He was also nice at first, kept flirting with me, flattering me. He even offered me flowers once. Then one day he came to me while I was alone cleaning the laundry room. Usually we would always work by twos, but that day the other housemaid was sick, so I was working alone.
Tears started running down her face.
- He got me pregnant…
Anna gasped at the girl's words. The thing she had feared the most, had happened to that poor girl, who was not much more than a child at the time. She felt her heart constrict in her chest, as well as anger at Green's deeds.
- When the Housekeeper found out I was pregnant, I got dismissed. When I came back to my parents' house, and told them the story, they wouldn't take me back. Didn't believe me neither. I found some day work this way and that, hiding that I was pregnant. Then I had to give my baby up to adoption.
She nervously wiped her tears.
- I miss her so much, she cried. But at least I know she has a good family.
- What about you now? asked Anna softly. How do you live?
- I have found a place in a factory. It's hard, but I have enough to eat.
Anna sadly shook her head. That man had destroyed that poor girl's life. He was a real devil. Determination was steadily growing inside her, to make him pay. To demand justice.
x x x x
- And then, there was Ms Suzy Jackson, she's the daughter of the gardener at Lord Gillingham's estate in Inverness, continued Anna, holding her steaming cup of tea while narrating the meeting to John.
They had stopped at a tea shop to debrief while they waited for their return train.
- At least, he took the trouble to take her out on a date, and he assaulted her in the woods as they were walking back to her house. And the last one was Ms Angela Black. She worked in a grocery shop in London near Green's last employer before Lord Gillingham. He came to her shop almost every day, until he caught her alone in the backyard while she was sorting out some orders. She also lost her job after that. The more I listened to them, the more I realized, in my misery, how lucky I had been. I mean, I still have my job, I have my employer's support. And I have not lost you either.
John brought his hand to hers.
- Anna, I pledged myself to you for better or worse, until death do us part. You know the only way you could lose me is if I died.
Anna smiled sadly.
- I know. And I love you for that. You could have divorced me, said I was an adulterous woman.
Hearing the other women's tales had toughened Anna, it had strengthened her resolution to stand up to him. She felt she owed it to those younger women, whose lives had been wrecked up so badly. She put her cup back on the table, clenched her fist and looked at John with a determined gleam in her eyes.
- I'm going to do this John. We, all together, are going to do this. He enjoys forcing his power onto women, not caring a bit about ruining their lives. Well now I want to see him powerless. We are going to bring him down, she said fiercely.
- I have no doubt you will my darling. I have already witnessed how strong-headed you can be when you set your mind to something. At least twice, he added with a twinkle in his eyes.
- Mrs Halimi told us we needed to turn all the pain and shame we were holding inside us into righteous anger. And she's right. Right now I feel righteously angry. I want to see him bite the dust for what he did to us all.
- I understand, replied John. I myself would have liked nothing more that to have him literally bite the dust that night.
So, here we go, fighting spirit up and about!
The names of the co-plaintiffs have not been chosen by chance. Let me know if you recognize them! ;)