It is contempt of court punishable by a fine or imprisonment for a juror to disclose to any person any particulars of statements made, opinions expressed, arguments advanced or votes cast by members of the jury in the course of their deliberations.

Everyone took their seat, in the same order as earlier today, with herself, now she was foreperson, given the one chair with arms at the head of the table.

‘Are we going to be long? Shall we get refreshments?’ Gwen asked in her affected accent. ‘Or is there someone who will bring drinks?’

Harold Trout – Meg remembered his name – said, ‘I’m afraid it’s self-service. I’ll put the kettle on.’

The woman frowned, as if never before in her life had she had to stoop so low as to make a drink herself. ‘Well,’ she said. ‘I hope we can get rid of this beastly business before Royal Ascot. Can anyone imagine the disappointment of missing it – especially Ladies Day – because of some horrid little drug dealer?’ She looked around, her face a mask of contempt.

From the blank expressions around the table, it didn’t seem to Meg that anyone else could imagine it.

‘I mean to say, the man is obviously guilty,’ she went on. ‘I think we’ve already heard quite enough to reach a verdict, don’t you all?’

‘Well,’ Trout said, standing up and pottering over to the kettle, ‘I don’t think I can agree with that.’

Meg looked at the woman. ‘Mrs Smythson—’

‘Oh, Gwen, please, Meg,’ she simpered then added, ‘As we are all becoming such good friends here.’

‘Very well, Gwen,’ Meg said. ‘I really don’t see how you can have formed a verdict when we have only heard the opening statement by the prosecution counsel and the first witness. And we’ve barely heard anything yet from the defence.’

‘Really?’ Gwen retorted. ‘Well, I think I’ve heard quite enough, and we could all save a lot of time and unnecessary expense by agreeing to an early verdict, don’t you think?’

‘No,’ Meg said, firmly. ‘I don’t.’

To her relief, from the expressions and nods of her fellow jurors, they did not either.

‘I think it would be extremely inappropriate not to hear out the full trial,’ said Maisy Waller.

‘And unbalanced,’ Meg said, emphatically. ‘It would be a complete dereliction of our duty.’

Mike Roberts chipped in. ‘Gwen, we might have our private opinions of the defendant at this stage – and as a former detective who has dealt with plenty of Terence Gready characters in my time, I do understand where you are coming from – but as the judge has reminded us, persons on trial under English law are innocent until proved guilty. I agree with our foreperson and Maisy, we need to hear all the evidence from both sides.’