The MGC returns? C15+6
The conference room at the Palace felt uncomfortably full.
Davinia Bellamy sat, head bowed and handcuffed, in the centre of the room, flanked by a guarding Assassin on one side and a Watchwoman on the other. On the urgent recommendation of Joan Sanderson-Reeves, she had previously been strip-searched and checked for possible weapons, in the form of sachets of pollen or other plant-derived poisons, before being allowed to tidy herself up, dress and face the hearing. While Joan and the watchwoman Precious Jolson had tried to make it as easy and unembarrassing for her as possible, her face was still red with shame and humiliation.
In front of her, Vetinari took centre-place at the table, with Commander Vimes on one side and Lord Downey on the other. Others with an interest in giving evidence, principally Alice Band, Joan, Emmanuelle, André, Cheery Littlebottom, a recovered but groggy-looking Angua and several student assassins, sat or stood to one side.
"I won't waste time." Vetinari said. "You are Doctor Davinia Bellamy, of 14 Spa Lane, Ankh-Morpork "
" I am" she agreed.
"You are accused of the murders of a total of twelve men and one woman. Thirteen, if the earlier mysterious death of a college professor in Brindisi is taken into account. Do you wish to register a plea?"
There was a brief pause. The she said, in a loud clear voice:
"Guilty."
There was a collective sigh, as if the world had righted itself after a stumble.
Vetinari nodded.
"The evidence will be collated by my clerks, who will before the session is declared closed, take formal written statements from all present here, and from others who may be called to these proceedings. "
He steepled his fingers and regarded Davinia with interest.
"May I ask – why did you do it, Doctor Bellamy? You have your own business, you have a happy marriage, you have a loving husband and three sons who do you credit. This is not the normal hobby of a wife and mother."
"I wanted to make the world a better place. A cleaner place. A safer place for women and children everywhere. And everywhere I looked there seemed to be battered wives, abused children and men who were allowed to get on with it and do as they damn well pleased."
Joan nodded. Those had been her motives too, in the old days. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic. She felt Vetinari's gaze fall upon her, he very carefully obscuring what he might be thinking or feeling. She met his eyes. Eventually he looked away and back to Davinia.
"It is possible to sympathise with you. It is possible to understand your point of view. People have killed for less exalted motives and with less altruistic reasons. But nevertheless it is still murder. As Patrician of his city I cannot overlook it and I have no alternative but to impose the death penalty. The situation calls for nothing less."
He watched her head droop for a moment, the her eyes lifted and met his again.
"Which will be hard on your husband and worst for your sons."
Vetinari paused to let it sink in, and went on.
"In normal circumstances I would have you remanded to the Tanty for three days and you would be executed on the third day. But there are complicating factors here. As it would cause distress to your husband for you to be incarcerated in his place of work, an alternative place of remand must be found for you. Secondly, I am persuaded that the Assassins' Guild has a legitimate interest in this case, as you may not be aware that three of the men you inhumed were subject to Guild contract. Therefore, your actions deprived the Guild of revenue, and not unreasonably, they object to gifted freelancers taking over their job. You also accepted money for informal contracts to kill people. This is unlicenced assassination, and the Guild has an interest in punishing such activity.
"It would therefore spare your husband additional grief and sorrow if I handed you over to the Guild to punish as they see fit. The sentence, I need not say, is invariably death. "
Vetinari paused.
"As both the City and the Guild have an interest in your punishment, the fair thing for me to do is to leave it up to you to choose. I will give you thirty minutes to decide."
"No need, my lord. I choose the Guild."
Vetinari nodded.
"A good choice, doctor. By the way, do you believe in angels?"
"My Lord?"
"Now you have clearly chosen the Guild to decide your future, I believe Lord Downey has one to offer to you. Listen carefully to what he has to say."
"Doctor Bellamy, we have over the past two months been watching your career with some interest. I have a certain proposition to put to you…."
To Joan and Alice and Emmanuelle, the next ten minutes were agonisingly familiar, as all three had been called upon to make a similar choice some years beforehand.
"Should you accept, you will be called upon to commence a year of accelerated training that will make you a full licenced Assassin. I must warn you there are no guarantees in life, and should you make a wrong move due to carelessness, poor preparation or over-confidence, it is possible you could die during training or during your final examination But be assured that nobody will be actively out to kill you. After successful completion of the course, we have a career to offer you at the Guild school. You will of course be allowed to maintain your business interests outside the Guild, and you will be given time and space to nominate suitable people to look after your business for you while you are training full-time with us
"However, Doctor Bellamy, as a condition of what you should look upon as a suspended sentence, there are to be no more inhumations until you qualify as a Licenced Assassin, and any annulments – I believe you call them deadheadings? - are to be carried out strictly under Guild rules and protocols. This is important, as you will not be offered a second chance. Any breach of this condition and the death sentence will be activated without mercy or plea. You will also be remanded into the custody of the Guild of Assassins. Suitable rooms will be prepared for you, and you will have full freedom of movement within the Guild premises. You may only leave the premises under he supervision of a full licenced Assassin or for legitimate training purposes. This condition will be reviewed during your year of training. Just sign here… good! I believe the Guild's groundsman keeps greenhouses and a hothouse. There may well be things to do there to occupy your time, and of course your husband and sons will have visiting rights.
"Welcome to the Guild family, Doctor Bellamy. I will be watching your career with interest, but I believe I see the makings of a fine Assassin in you. One little word of advice, though: do endeavour to stay away from Madame Deux-Épées until her pride has healed!"
There was general laughter.
Emmanuelle, rubbing her sore arms where bandages had been applied, said, drily: "I will be very careful, my Lords, before I ever again call a pupil overconfident! The good lady doctor has given me more trouble today than ANY of the men I inhumed. I am very much looking forward to being a part of her training!"
"Indeed so." Vetinari said. "Doctor Bellamy, your husband and sons are waiting in an adjacent room. Perhaps you might care to join them and explain your decision to them? Constable Jolson? Please escort her. Thank you."
She left the room, looking relieved and happy.
Vetinari leant to his left.
"A fair decision, Commander Vimes?"
"We've been here before, sir. And it seemed to work out alright." He said, diplomatically. His eyes met and held Joan's.
"At least my Watch were in at the kill. Even if the Assassins got her, right at the last gasp."
But a harmonic in his voice said just wait till next time, you black-clad S.O.B.'s, The "S.O". part being optional, ladies.
"It was a good productive exercise in co-operation, sir." said André, diplomatically . "I appreciated the help and general positive support of the Guild, and speaking for myself, I hope there are others like it."
"Except that we get the guilty party, Inspector!" Vimes corrected him.
Vetinari nodded.
"And on that productive note, may we move onto mrs Damietta Langworthy-Eccles, and the case of attempted murder raised against her."
André raised a hand, diffidently. "According to the two young ladies from the Guild who were with her, when they prevented her from taking charge of the flowers to be used as a murder weapon, she just crumpled up and all the life seemed to go out of her. She's now in the Bedlam wing of the Lady Sybil with acute catatonia, and Doctor Lawn's considered opinion is that she is unfit to plead on the grounds of insanity. Her husband has initiated proceedings for divorce."
Perhaps only Vetinari and Alice Band noticed Joan's face take on a dark disapproving set, and the way she nodded once as if she had just made a decision.
"We can safely leave this case to rest on the file, then." He said. "I'm pleased. The unhappy woman certainly endured severe and persistent provocation"
Vetinari looked around the room.
"I should just like to thank everyone for their diligence and unstinting application to solving this case. I would also like the record to show my personal appreciation of the exceptionally high calibre of student currently attending the Assassins' Guild school, and that in my opinion their input to solving this case was impeccable. Their teachers are to be congratulated as indeed are they. Now just one thing remains to us. I consider Mr Peter Bellamy has had long enough with his wife to accustom himself to the fact he is now married to an Assassin. Bring him in, please, Drumknott."
Peter Bellamy, in uniform, carried himself like a younger version of Vimes. Helmet under his arm, he marched to the desk and threw up a parade-ground salute.
"You asked to see me, sir?"
"Yes, I think I did. I did indeed."
He remained silent for a long time, watching Bellamy for a reaction. Inside, Peter was quaking, aware that his resolve to aid his wife by covering up murder evidence had been discovered. Was he due a stay in the Tanty himself?
"No blame attaches to you for your wife's actions. That goes without saying. And it is possible to have secrets within a marriage where a husband goes in blissful ignorance of his wife's extra-marital activities until the very last minute. I'm sure today must have come as a shock to you."
"It certainly did, sir. But at least she's still alive and has a future."
"As do you. I have given thought to the new direction of the Prison Service and I must advise you that Sir Martin is standing down as governor of the Tanty for health reasons."
"When does he leave, sir?"
"Oh, I've yet to tell him. But no great rush. I have decided hat his successor as Governor will be a person with a natural flair for the job and the correct attitude towards the welfare of prisoners. As it carries with it the rank of Knight, I will in due course be investing Dame Amorine Maccalariat with the warrant and seal of office. You wil be promoted to serve as her Deputy Governor. A modest increase in stipend will follow. You are of course free to break this news to Miss… Dame Maccalariat as soon as I inform Sir Martin he is resigning. Thank you, you are dismissed. And the best of luck in your new appointment."
Bellamy left, inwardly thanking several Gods for the capricious nature of Fate. Vinnie under lifelong probation, but still alive, and he promoted. Things could have been so much worse…