Climewater stood in the unoccupied room when de Voore was escorted in. “I’d like to talk to the good reverend for a bit, if you don’t mind,” de Voore said to Vetterman.
“Alright.”
The door closed and the two men faced each other. “This is not working out well,” de Voore said. “What did you say? I was taking care of Sarah Miller when I was interrupted and brought here!”
“I haven’t said anything!” Climewater nearly hissed. “Those sailors I hired threw me off the back of their ship after I had them do the same to Sarah. She’s turning into quite the problematic whore.”
“Fine, I don’t really care anymore about that. I have two outstanding issues in my mind right now. The first is why those men broke open my door this morning and nearly dragged me out. I was in the middle of putting Sarah out of her misery.”
“And the second?”
“Do you have the gems you stole?”
“Of course! They haven’t left my person since I got them.”
“Show them to me!”
“Here?”
“You’re paying me with them, aren’t you? Show me the treasure.”
Glancing at the door, Climewater dug into his vestments and pulled out a small satchel, which he opened and poured a handful of gems onto the table. They shined and glistened in the morning sunlight. de Voore scooped them up and peered at them closely before growling something in unintelligible Dutch. His eyes flared so hard Climewater took a step back.
“You are a fool! You are a colossal idiot of the first order! I cannot believe we share the same paternity! Your mother must have been dumb as a cow. These gems are not worth three thousand pounds! They might be worth one hundred!”
Climewater’s face went pale. He reached for the gems in de Voore’s hands, but the Dutchman clenched his fist and put the stones in their satchel into his own pocket. “As this is the only payment I’m likely to get now, I’m keeping all of them!”
At that exact moment, the door opened and the town officers entered. Sinclair and Goodeman were there, as well as the councilmen. Parshoot and Kleinmann were escorted in, along with two other men. Climewater knew neither of them.
“It appears some introductions are in order,” Sinclair said. Mr. de Voore, Parshoot, and Kleinmann of the International Gem and Jewelers’ Guild, these gentlemen are Mr. Axelrod and de Jong of the International Gem and Jewelers’ Guild, arrived just today to investigate the insurance claims on the theft of some gem stones.
Goodeman and his constables looked surprised, and Climewater was still fuming. de Voore glanced at the newcomers. “Hello Reginald, hello Willem. I didn’t expect to see you gentlemen here.”
“These are the imposters?” Axelrod asked, turning to Sinclair. “They are my colleagues. And Pieter de Voore is actually my superior. What is this about imposters in the town causing trouble?”
“They, well, their presence has been disruptive. And there is the matter of the timing,” Sinclair stammered. He turned. “Bring the other one in!”
Soon they were joined by another stranger. The guildmen glanced at him briefly. “This is, I believe, Henry Schott, of the Boston office,” de Voore said.
“Yes, sir,” the newcomer said. “Well, I was asked to ask a few questions about some timelines not adding up, you see.”
“Speak sensibly, man,” de Voore said. “What is on your mind?”
“Well, sir, you told Richard Whitman Benally, our master in Boston, than you received word in New York and came to investigate, but Mr. Benally didn’t see how that was possible. Even this time of year with the most passable roads, you can’t get from New York to Boston so quickly. And when these two gentlemen came through on their way to Piedmoore Point, well, it seemed suspicious.”
“I happened across the courier en route to New York!” de Voore snapped. “I never said I was there at the time. And as time matters in these investigations, I re-routed myself and my team here. The courier must have neglected to report that. Or he simply didn’t understand. The man was not a sharp nail, I assure you all of that!”
“But Mr. Benally said you were in New York.”
“I’m afraid I woke him. He heard me wrong. But as I clearly am not an imposter, perhaps we can let this absurd line of inquiry drop.”
“Yes, indeed,” Axelrod said. “Colonial communications are always so troublesome.”
“What we need, now, is a new trial to commence immediately!” de Voore said. “I have the authority under the Royal Governor’s Office of Massachusetts to make such a demand.”
“A trial for whom? On what charges?” Goodeman asked.
“Sarah Miller. Chastity Wilson. Anna Wilson. Samuel Wilson. Prudence Fairfield. On various charges related to the burglary and to fraud. I will serve as the lead prosecutor. Reverend Climewater, I appoint you to serve as defense for all of the accused in a single trial. Mr. Sinclair, I assume a trial venue can be readied by noon?”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
“Then we shall get to it, gentlemen. Now if you will excuse me, I will brush up on Massachusetts ordinances.” He quickly left the room, his two associates following.
“Well, at least we’ll be done with all of this soon,” Sinclair said to Climewater. “Now you get to defend Sarah Miller. How’s that for a turnabout?”
“Yes, most amusing,” Climewater said through gritted teeth. As he left the room, it occurred to him that at least he probably wasn’t being set up to be convicted himself. If he knew his half-brother at all, the brunt of the law would fall on the four women. Samuel Wilson’s role still seemed unclear to him.
At noon, the largest crowds ever were assembled in the town square. Besides virtually every resident, word had gotten to the Sarrenassetts village, and several dozen stood silently watching. All the sailors of the various ships in the harbor also gathered to watch. Finally, folks from the neighboring towns, having caught word of the scandals in Piedmoore Point, had filtered in just in time to be treated to the public trial.
Standing to one side, under guard, the five defendants awaited their ordeal. All of the women had been kept naked on de Voore’s orders, lest they need to be searched or examined once again. Sarah stood at the end of the line. Her hands were chained behind her back, the only defendant so restrained, after she panicked that morning while being removed from de Voore’s room. Tears flowed from her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. But it was.
“All come to attention for the court!” Joshua Glendon shouted, serving as bailiff again. “The honorable magistrate Thomas Sinclair shall now begin procedings!”
“The court is in session,” Sinclair said, taking his seat again at the outdoor bench. “Prosecution, please summarize the cases.”
“Gladly, your honor. Pieter de Voore, speaking for the prosecution. The cases are very simple. Against Samuel Wilson and his wife Anna Wilson, the charges are that they engaged in multiple cases of fraud, passing off inferior gems as higher quality items and selling them as such. Our audit of their books shows this has been going on for some time, probably for years. Anyone who has purchased gems or jewelry from the Wilsons has probably been cheated!”
He paused for murmurs of shock and anger to run through the crowds. “Against their daughter and son, no fraud charges are filed as no proof is present, but against their daughter Chastity Wilson stands the charge of attempted bribery, attempted fornication, lascivious behavior, and assault. For on the orders of her father, she attempted to bribe my associates with full nudity and sex to distract them from their duties and to soften their attitudes. Upon being rejected, she physically assaulted them both, failing of course.”
He paused again to let the town mentally pass judgement on Chastity. She stood, weeping, but then burst out in anger. “You’re wrong!” she screamed. “It was never father! It was my mother! She led the fraud as she secretly ran the business. My father married into the gem and jewelry business but never mastered it. My mother browbeat him into going along in his limited capacity as she swindled our town blind! And it was her,” she paused, breaking down crying, “It was she that made me debase myself and act whorishly towards the investigators. I knew of her activities and I knew what would happen if we were found out. So I went along with it! But the men raped me when I tried to stop myself!”
“That’s enough. You’ll have a chance to testify,” de Voore said. “Be silent or your voice will be silenced with the scold’s bridle!”
Chastity continued to cry, but said no further words. Anna Wilson stood shaking in humiliation and rage. Samuel just looked beaten down.
“And finally, the action that inadvertently brought everything to life, there is the matter of the theft of these inferior gem stones. I charge that Sarah Miller, who has confessed to the burglary, is at least a willing participant. But on the matter of her accomplice, she has flagrantly attempted to besmirch the name of your very own Reverend Osborne Climewater! Sarah Miller condemns the very man who is now attempting to defend her actions, if you can believe that!”
Sarah listened in growing horror as the crowds roared their hatred. By the time she spoke, it would no longer matter what she said. They already hated her. She had no chance.
“The truth, gentlemen, I submit to you is far more lurid, tawdry, and revolting than anyone had dared to believe, because the people of Piedmoore Point are too good and wholesome to notice the foulness before them. Sarah Miller’s accomplice in crime and her sexual partner in fornication is none other than her supposed roommate Prudence Fairfield!”
Prudence’s cry of horror was utterly drowned out by the roar and catcalls of the gathered hundreds of spectators. Sarah just mentally sank right there. Even the dream of salvation was gone now. This de Voore person had spun a tale she could never repudiate. And she guessed the part about the gems was accurate, too. She’d been doomed right from the start.
The first witness was the defendant Samuel Wilson. Under de Voore’s revised examination, he fully and totally admitted to his own and his wife’s crimes, throwing himself on the mercy of the court.
Anna Wilson’s examination was more colorful, as the older woman swore and shook her fists, jiggling her ample naked womanly flesh with her animated antics until the scold’s bridle was produce and placed on her head. Chastity mere repeated what she said until the point where she accused the men Parshoot and Kleinmann of rape and beatings.
“I plead guilty to everything,” she sobbed, shaking uncontrollably. “The men did not assault me, and I retract my accusation and beg the court to show me mercy as much as Christian charity dictates.”
Prudence was next on the stand, but said nothing. She was just weeping and muttering isolated words, punctuated with various ‘please’, ‘no’, and ‘mercy’s. de Voore was not done with her, though.
“I insist that this defendant be examined for her virginity,” he said. “While she has had damnable relations with another woman, we cannot rule out that this unmarried woman has had relations with men as well. I have read that the precedent exists in this jurisdiction for the entire town to wisely examine her body for signs of past fornication. I demand that this be done as well now!”
“Agreed,” Sinclair said. “Bailiff, lash the defendant’s hands above her head to the tree branch and spread her legs with stakes in the ground. I don’t want any struggling.”
“Please, oh god, no! Don’t!” Prudence wailed as she was tied, arms overhead and legs spread. One by one, all of the adult males present at the trial filed past the young woman and pushed their fingers as far into her pussy as they could manage, all confirming that she was indeed not a virgin. And thus, she was found to be a whore and a fornicator.
Sarah was last. She was trembling badly as de Voore began. “Theft, perjury, fornication with both men and women, making false accusations! There seems to be no limit to what this young woman has been up to. I contend that it was Sarah Miller who masterminded the theft of what she honestly believed to be three thousand pounds worth of gemstones. It was Sarah Miller who convinced her roommate, with little effort albeit, to carry out the burglary. It was Prudence Fairfield who was with Sarah about to fornicate when they were discovered, and who ran off with the gems, probably to bury them somewhere in the woods. Even now, it is likely that a hundred pounds worth of gems sits under some tree stump, to be found someday, perhaps in future generations, and perhaps never. But Sarah Miller operated the entire scheme! Sarah Miller, after attempting to escape justice, tried to accuse your town’s finest citizen the Reverent Osborne Climewater of noxious crimes such as rape and theft in order to distract from her own overwhelming guilt. I repeat, her guilt is overwhelming! There can be no defense of this vile woman! Not this time!
“And at this time, I contend that Sarah’s virginity is in fact gone, and that she is a fornicator with unknown men as well as women, and that the town shall conduct a public vaginal exam on her just as it did on Prudence Fairfield.”
Sarah shook and wept as they took her over to the tree and bound her. One by one, all the people she knew in her entire life walked by and once again shoved their fingers into her cunt. She couldn’t even make eye contact with them, so badly was she shamed. They dove deep up into her, finding no barrier, finding her a woman, and a fallen one at that. Nor were they gentle. Running their fingers over her blistered and cut labia, they used many fingernails to further scratch up her insides and pinch her tender flesh painfully, even as the constables watched and saw nothing.
It was hours later when both girls had undergone the test, and after Climewater protested the differential treatment of the two of them versus Chastity Wilson, leading to Chastity also undergoing the line.
“Your honor, the case is as clear as it can be. I urge you to show justice to these five wretched souls.”
“Your honor,” Climewater said. “These are indeed wretched souls, but mercy is godly and to forgive divine. I urge you to consider that when you render your decision.”
Sarah stood, bound again, fuming at him. At least Goodeman had given her an impassioned defense. Climewater had said and done little. Now she was doomed to listen as their sentences were read out. How much of her life was truly over would now be revealed.
“Samuel Wilson, you are guilty on all counts except that you masterminded the fraud. Your possessions are forfeit. Your citizenship is forfeit. You shall receive one hundred lashes and then be banished forever from Piedmoore Point. Take him away.”
Sinclair waited until he was gone before continuing. The assembled audience hardly cared. They focused their attention on the women.
“Anna Wilson, you are also guilty on all counts. Your punishment is to be whipped with one thousand lashes, delivered once a year for the next ten years. During those ten years, you will be rented out to the highest bidding town in Massachusetts for menial, hard labor, performed in the nude. For your own safety, said towns each year must be located at least fifty miles from Piedmoore Point, so you will not be killed by those you defrauded.”
The older woman burst into tears as her sentence was read aloud, and she was dragged away, cutting her tongue on the scold’s bridle as she tried to beg for mercy.
“Chastity Wilson, you are guilty on all counts, though your testimony against your mother has been noted in identifying her as the true mastermind of fraud. You shall be sentenced to serve one year of hard labor servitude. And because you slandered the names of two investigators on this case, that year will be spent at a brothel on the Boston docks. There you will perform labor in cleaning and maintaining facilities while also servicing at least one thousand men during your sentence.”
The girl was dragged off screaming. Sarah could barely notice. They were saving her for last, but she still had to listen and watch as Prudence, utterly innocent of every single charge, received her fate.
“Prudence Fairfield, you are guilty on all counts. The court believes that you were led astray by your friend and roommate and unnatural lover Sarah Miller. Nonetheless, your behavior cannot be condoned, so you are sentenced to ten years imprisonment, nude, in the very first royal penal colony of the newly established crown colony in Australia, followed by banishment from North America.”
As Prudence was dragged screaming from the court, Sarah was all that remained. She felt the eyes of a thousand angry people boring into her. She stood, still naked, still handcuffed, and totally alone. She was weeping openly before Sinclair even began.
“Sarah Miller, you are guilty on every count, and probably more. Despite the fact that your activities led to the uncovering of fraud, you had no idea this would be an outcome, and it does not alleviate your guilt. You are sentenced to spend the rest of your life in a term of penal servitude including hard labor and public penance. You will conduct your sentence right here in Piedmoore Point so that everyone you see will be the face of someone you once knew before your fall. You will conduct hard labor in the farm fields, in the public latrines, on the docks, and wherever leaders of commerce and industry bid for your services. You will spend every night in a pillory constructed to allow you to lie down, and protected from the elements but fully open to the public. You will conduct this sentence naked, regardless of inclement weather. As you are a confirmed fornicator, you have presumed to have already given permission for men to engage in carnal relations with you without themselves running afoul of either law or church. I assume there is no ecclesiastical objection?”
“No, your honor. The church can accept this reasoning.”
“This may well be the first such sentence ever carried out in the colonies or in His majesty’s realms at any point in history,” Sinclair said, leaning forward to angrily lecture her. “But the court considers it worth it on account of the trouble you have caused and the reputations you attempted to besmirch. If I am wrong, and my superiors see fit to free you after your case has wound through the courts and parliamentary debate in probably twenty or thirty years, so be it. But here and now, and for your immediate future, Sarah Miller, that is your sentence and that is your final fate. So says this court!”
He banged his gavel in time for Sarah to realize what she’d just heard. It was worse than she ever feared. It was unimaginable, inhumane, and utterly unbearable. But as they pulled her away and a thousand leering sets of eyes glared at her body, she knew she had no possibility of escape whatsoever. Her entire life was doomed to pain, shame, and ruination. The tears she burst loudly into were but the first of many thousands to come.
Fin
