Brother and Sister

January 1922 arrived with a blast of cold artic air that blew through the streets of London and made the normally wet dreary winter days even colder. The yuletide season was over. Lord Grantham had had to admit it was the most alive the house had been in years. Sybil's ideas on friends and life in general were modern in the extreme, but Mary had been the happiest he had seen her in a long time at the party. The young people in attendance had all been polite and well mannered. Not one had whispered behind their hands about the Pamuk scandal and his daughters had been the perfect hostesses he had always envisioned.

James Lewis had two additional witnesses to call in Bates' defense. Lord Grantham was looking forward to the end of the trial regardless of the outcome. Anna had looked exhausted and drawn during the court proceeding before Christmas. Over the last two weeks someone had escorted her at every chance to the court prison where John was being held. Her outlook was better but she was still on edge and dreading the start of court in the New Year.

On the first day back in court, Mrs. Jane O'Connor, Frank Wilson's sister was called for the defense. When the counsel for the prosecution had seen her name on the list of defense witnesses, they had groaned.

"What is that bastard Lewis up to now?" they had asked themselves.

Mrs. Jane O'Conner was a tall woman, with brown hair pulled back into a bun. She wore mourning cloths and a small black hat with feathers on the side. Before she took the stand, she was instructed to remove the veil from her face so the jury could see her clearly.

"Mrs. O'Connor," said James Lewis. "How did you meet the deceased Vera Bates?"

"She lived with my brother, Frank as man and wife. Our family didn't know she was married to someone else until my brother went to prison."

"What did your brother do for employment during the time he lived with Mrs. Bates?"

"Objection, relevance."

"My Lord, the prosecution has painted Mrs. Vera Bates as a woman wronged by a philandering husband. It is my intention to create a clear picture of Mrs. Bates life while she was not residing with Mr. Bates."

"Sustained."

"Mrs. O'Connor why did your brother go to prison?"

"He went to prison for theft. A theft he didn't commit."

A rumble of voices went through the courtroom. The judged called for silence. When the court settled Mr. Lewis continued.

"Could you elaborate on your statement, Mrs. O'Connor?"

"Frank claimed Vera had stolen some coins and jewelry from the shop where he worked. She put part of the stolen jewelry into his satchel so that he would look guilty when the police searched their home."

"Did he tell the police his story?"

"Yes, but they didn't believe him because he had been in trouble for brawling before."

"Did you continue to have contact with Mrs. Bates after your brother was incarcerated for theft?"

"I wrote to her asking her to do the right thing," said Jane O'Connor.

"Let the record show defense exhibit C and defense exhibit D the entry of copies of two letters to Vera Bates from Jane O'Connor. Original copies are held in police evidence."

"Did Vera Bates write back to you?"

"Yes she did."

"What happened to your brother when he was released from custody?"

"He went to see Vera. He was very angry with her for what she had done. She wasn't there when he arrived so he took some valuable items from her house. He was caught with them and sent back to prison."

"Is your brother there now?"

"No, he died two weeks ago."

"What did he die from?"

"He had the French disease," Jane O'Connor dropped her gaze and wiped her eyes with her hanky.

There was an audible gasp in the court. Even the court clerks and the counsel for the prosecution looked shocked.

"My Lord, the defense requests a brief recess to allow the witness to regain her composure," said Mr. Lewis. He could see no point in pressuring the woman when she was so clearly effected by the testimony she had just given.

"Granted," said the judge. "Court will recess for fifteen minutes."

"My word," said Mary to Lord Grantham, Isobel Crawley and Anna Bates once they were in the corridor.

"There is so much of this trial that is shocking," said Lord Grantham. "I don't like you ladies to be exposed to this."

"It can't be helped," said Isobel. "It certainly is different than the last trial. Lets hope it makes a difference."

"Vera Bates was a nasty woman," said Anna. "This only proves it beyond any doubt."

"You know Tom is the one who found the connection between Vera Bates and this O'Connor woman," said Mary. "I don't think any of the rest of us would have ever realized it."

"I am so grateful for his help," said Anna.

"Yes, yes quite so," said Lord Grantham. "We had best head back in." Lord Grantham had to admit that Tom Branson had proven to be a great help with the whole Bates situation. Without his help they would never have gotten as far as they had today. For all his reservations in the early stages of Sybil's marriage and the bitter words between himself and Tom Branson, the man had proven to be a good husband and father and an asset to their family, even if his methods were unorthodox.

"Mrs. O'Connor," James Lewis said as he resumed questioning the witness. "Why did you give the letter you received from Vera Bates saying her husband John Bates was angry with her to the police?"

"When I heard Vera had died I thought the police might blame my brother. I didn't want that to happen."

"Had you ever met John Bates?"

"No."

"Did Vera ever mention John Bates previously?"

"The only time she ever mentioned him was when my brother was in prison the first time. She said she had heard he had gotten some money and a house from his mother's estate and she wanted her share."

"That was the only time?"

"Yes."

"No further questions."

"No questions for this witness," the counsel for the prosecution said.

"How was court today?" asked Lady Cora when they returned to Crawley House. Mary's pregnancy was starting to show and she went to sit by the fire to warm herself.

"It was quite shocking," said Isobel. "Could we ring for some tea? Everyone is so chilled from this frightful weather. Then we can tell you all about it."

Once everyone was warmed up, they told Lady Cora all about what had happened throughout the day's proceedings.

"What a dreadful woman," said Lady Cora.

"It all certainly paints Vera Bates in a bad light," said Lord Grantham. "It makes everything John said look like the truth."

"Lets hope so," said Isobel.

"I'm going to go up and read to the boys for a while. Won't you join me Robert?" said Lady Cora as she headed out of the room.

Lord Grantham rose to join his wife. He wondered if he would miss all this family togetherness when they headed back to Downton. It would be nice to have his own library back without his son-in-law's books and papers to contend with. "Back to hosting your mother for dinner whenever she takes a mind," he thought to himself. "There had to be some disadvantage to running a house like Downton Abbey. Why did I have to remind myself of that one?"