‘When they find Massa and bring him up to the Great House, him covered in blood. Lawd of mercy. Was a terrible sight! Him look very poorly,’ Sydney say, shaking her head, looking like she bout to cry. ‘Poor Massa. Him don’t deserve such a wicked end.’

I don’t believe it. I know she don’t feel sorry for Massa. Not after Massa got Winston to whip her. Put scars on her back for visiting her daughters. Cause many fights between them and even though they still married, them live in different huts after that. No, I don’t believe she sorry at all.

‘Then what happened?’ Mister Jackson ask.

‘Mistress Margaret call for brandy. Call out to Stella. Nobody can find her. The next morning, me hear her say to Melon, “If Massa use you the way him use me, you would not be in such a hurry to find brandy. Let him die and go to hell.”’

The murmuring in the crowd start to sound like bees when them swarming.

‘Sydney, please tell the court what happened as the funeral party was going up the hill.’

‘Is a long procession, you know. And the casket look very pretty with all kinds of flowers laid on it. All the slaves crying. And Mistress Margaret, she very poorly. Keep resting on me. Me have to hold her up. Support her as she walking.’

‘Yes, yes, Sydney,’ Mister Jackson say, trying to push her along. ‘And where was Stella? Was she in the procession?’

‘Yes, she was there, and me hear her say, “You blood of a devil, did I not tell you that you going pay for all the bad things you done.”’

‘Objection, Your Honour. Hearsay! All of this testimony is hearsay!’ Mister Grignon shout out. But nobody listening, because the crowd jump up on them feet with everybody shouting. ‘Guilty! Murderers! Give them the rope!’

The judge bang on him box hard and him keep on banging till the crowd quiet down.

‘You may proceed, Mister Jackson,’ the judge say, after the crowd stop whispering and shuffling.

‘Sydney, you say Stella said she would make the master pay. Pay for what?’

‘One night … it happen one night,’ Sydney say.

‘What happened?’ Mister Jackson ask.

Sitting in that courtroom, listening to Sydney tell everybody how Massa try to have him way with him own daughter, but she screamed loud so everybody hear. How him make Winston whip her in front of Stella, in front of all the house slave them. It make me feel deep shame for my little family, but a deeper anger, for not doing one blessed thing bout it. What cowards we turn into, before the face of power. The power slavery have over us.

I look to Stella, wanting to give comfort, but she looking straight ahead, her face set like stone.