Trelford looked beyond the paragraph he’d underlined, and hesitated.

Mrs. Justice Lane gave him a nudge. “I would like to hear what else Lady Virginia had to say on that occasion.”

“And so would I,” said Sir Edward, loud enough for everyone in court to hear.

Trelford reluctantly read out the next couple of lines. “I shall be supporting Major Fisher, and I only hope that Mrs. Clifton will accept the major’s generous offer to serve as his deputy.” Mr. Trelford looked up.

“Please keep going, Mr. Trelford,” prompted Lady Virginia.

“I came here with an open mind, willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but sadly she has not lived up to my expectations.”

“I think you’ll find, Mr. Trelford,” said Virginia, “that it’s you who has either a very short or a very selective memory, not me.”

Sir Edward applauded, although his hands didn’t actually touch.

Mr. Trelford quickly changed the subject. “Shall we move on to Mrs. Clifton’s words which you claim were libelous and belittled you?”

“I’m quite happy to do so.”

“If it was your intention to bring the company down, Lady Virginia,” continued Trelford, as if he hadn’t been interrupted, “then … you have failed, and failed lamentably, because you were defeated by decent ordinary people who want this company to be a success. Now, Major Fisher admitted that he carried out his dealings in Barrington’s shares simply to make money, which in his case was illegal—”

“In his case, but not in mine,” said Lady Virginia. “In my case he was simply acting on my behalf. For all I know, he was giving exactly the same advice to several other clients.”

“So Major Fisher was not a close friend, who kept you in touch with what was happening on the board of Barrington’s, but simply a professional advisor?”

“Even if we were friends, Mr. Trelford, when it came to business matters, everything he did on my behalf was conducted at arm’s length.”

“I would suggest, Lady Virginia, that when it came to business matters, far from being conducted at arm’s length, it was very much hands-on, and, just as Mrs. Clifton suggested, the two of you planned on three separate occasions to try to bring the company down.”

“Mr. Trelford, I think you are confusing me with Mr. Cedric Hardcastle, a director of the company, who sold all his stock over the weekend before the AGM. When I asked Mrs. Clifton a perfectly legitimate question about who that director was, she seemed to have conveniently forgotten his name. Someone else with either a very short or a very selective memory.”

Sir Edward’s smile was growing broader by the minute, while Trelford was sounding less and less assured. He quickly turned another page.

“We all regret the tragic death of Major Fisher…”