Chapter 22

"That was the night…that he and I…" Alice scrunched her eyes up, pausing for a moment. Now there was no use trying to get around the subject, it would help no one. Jack had given his agreement, it was only herself standing in her own way.

"That was the night I laid with him." Alice sighed, a mixture of emotions churning inside her, on one hand she was relieved that she had finally said it and that it was now out in the open, no-longer a secret and the on the other hand she now had to face what she had been dreading: her Great Uncle's wrath.

A ripple of gasps ran through the courtroom and Alice hung her head. It was not ashamed, she saw nothing wrong with what she and Jack had done; her only concern was that she didn't want to see her Uncle's mortified face. That would have been too much to bear. She kept her face down and refused to look at anyone of the crowd. They had no right to be judging her, that wasn't what this trial was about.

Alice heard the Judge bang his gravel on the desk. The room had become particularly noisy considering the new wave of news.

"SILENCE!" bellowed the Judge.

The noise ceased and the Judge eyed the room carefully to make sure he had everyone's absolute attention. When satisfied, he bade the defendant to continue his questioning.

"Thank-you, your Honour. Now Miss Twist, if there was a chance somebody knew about this rendezvous, someone who could perhaps verify that this is what was arranged and that happened, then maybe we would have a full story with evidence…"

Alice could feel her heart sinking, why did he have to ask for that! Only two people fitted the defendant's description. Alice glanced at Jack, she knew he must have thought of the same people. He mouthed the words 'not Charlie' whilst shaking his head vigorously. Charlie wouldn't be seen dead in a courtroom, the mere mention of the word court left him trembling. Something buried deep into his past caused him to be greatly troubled by the thought. Even if they did somehow get him in here, he wouldn't be much use.

If not Charlie, then Oliver? Alice looked at her little brother in the seat next to Mr Brownlow. He looked so small, so innocent and so fragile in amongst the crowd, she just didn't have the heart to pull him up in front of a court again, knowing how scared he had been the first time. Although it was not him in the wrong, Alice knew that Oliver would be rendered just as speechless as he had been the last time.

So not Oliver. And not Charlie. She was running out of options. There was only one thing she could see that would enhance her story, some evidence that would perhaps convince the Judge and the jury that what she had just said was the truth and see that Jack was in fact innocent of the whole ridiculous accusation.

"Sir, I am with child, exactly three months with child. Is that enough evidence?" Alice said this directly to the defendant who had asked her the question. She didn't need or want to see the shocked faces of those prejudging her on what she had said. She may not be married, she may have a higher status then her lover and yes it hadn't exactly gone to plan but it still gave them no right to judge their situation, not until they experienced it themselves.

"Thank-you Miss Twist. I have no further questions, your Honour." The defendant sat down in his seat and the Judge regained official authority over his court.

"The court will adjourn until a further date, considering the new light of evidence the court will reach its decision on this new date, although the former punishment remains the same. If found guilty the punishment is death by hanging." The Judge banged his gravel indicating he had both finished speaking and finished the court session.

Alice gripped the edge of the wooden structure in front of her. She felt sick. The word 'hanging' thumped through her head. Briefly she doted on how hangings had been a brilliant event to gain that little extra they needed on their pickpocketing duties. Thinking upon those scenes her mind had replaced the convicted criminal with the noose around his neck with her own dead Jack and it was all too much.

She felt her knees give way first, the rest of her body slumped noisily onto the floor, her arms hitting the wooden structure on her way downwards.

"Alice!" Jack shouted seeing her falling. With his determination focused on helping Alice he somehow wriggled free from the clutches of the two policemen that were haphazardly guarding him. The policemen had failed to notice what their prisoner had and were temporarily confused as there prisoner escaped their hold and ran in the direction of the witness stand.

Several people attempted to apprehend the fleeing prisoner but Jack slipped by each one in turn with such an ease that he was accustomed to. After all he was nicknamed the Artful Dodger!

Jack was quickly at Alice's side gently helping her up to a sitting position.

"Alice?" he queried whispering in her ear. He felt her hand grasp his arm.

"Jack." Alice said feeling the relief that she could say that name to the person whom it belonged to.

"I don't want you to die." Alice stated, the comment seeming pathetic and childish as tears rolled down her pale face. Pulling her into an embrace, he whispered to her:

"I don't want to die, I want to be with you." He felt her wet warm tears soaking his shirt; he had never seen Alice cry. Not properly, not like this. It strangely made him feel both proud and guilty at the same time. He was proud that Alice had only ever shed pure unforced tears for him and him only and guilty that he was the cause of her crying.

A rough muscled arm tightened around Jack's waist. This moment was fading rapidly. He wanted so much to stay in this position holding Alice, Alice holding him. Tightening his own grip on Alice he squeezed her close savouring what precious little seconds they had together. It could very well be their last moments with each other. Abruptly Jack was dragged away from Alice; he was immediately handcuffed and heaved out of the courtroom towards the cell that would be his resting place for the night.

Alice tried her utmost to cling on to her beloved, her hands were wrench away from his body as the policeman hauled him up. She could only watch wide-eyed in fear and grief as Jack disappeared from her sight carelessly forced by their enemies. When he was well and truly out of view Alice covered her face with her hands and let the tears fall. She didn't notice her uncle step up behind her, only feeling his arm around her shoulders as she let him guide her away from the court building.

Sorry this is late coming, I thought summer would give me more time but turns out it did the opposite! Well I hope it was worth the wait, let me know of course!