He Said/She Said(40)

‘We come now to the mechanics of sex,’ said Miss Price. ‘Could you please clear up my learned friend’s confusion about Miss Taylor’s trousers, and how they were removed?’

‘She loosened them rather than removed them,’ said Jamie. ‘They came open along one side; I wouldn’t have known how to start. And she tilted her hips up towards me . . .’ he put his head briefly in his hands, to show what an ordeal this was for him. His dad nodded his encouragement. ‘And I pulled her knickers to one side, and that was it. It wasn’t rough, I wasn’t hurting her, it was – I’m so sorry, Antonia.’ Jamie took a few seconds to gather himself. ‘It was just . . . exciting sex. I’ve never done anything like it before or since. And then this couple, or that girl, came blundering in and the next thing I knew, I was being told I was a rapist.’ His voice rose up here, and Price shot him a warning look.

‘The witnesses, Miss Langrishe and Mr McCall.’ All eyes swivelled towards us. All eyes except Antonia’s. The diamond on her finger flashed with each rotation. ‘And how did you respond?’

‘Well, I was more trying to get Beth to say what had really happened. But she just went mute. I mean, I know it was awkward, I wasn’t exactly pleased about being caught in the act either. You’ve got to understand how belligerent they were. They, she, just decided what I’d done.’ He looked at me and I hoped the sweat that broke out on my face wasn’t visible to the jury. ‘It was surreal, it was like a farce. I even thought they were joking for a second, and then when they said they were going to the police I realised this was really happening, and they were serious. I never thought for a second that I’d come to court. It’s a bad dream.’

‘Thank you, thank you.’ Price squared off a sheaf of papers for punctuation. ‘Now we come to another moment. After the initial accusation was levelled at you, you left the scene. Why, if you were innocent?’

Jamie Balcombe sighed deeply. ‘I had a bit of cannabis in my pocket. I’d got someone to roll me a joint and bought it.’

This was news to me, and evidently to the prosecution too; Polglase passed a note to Carol Kent and a little flare of hope rose in my chest.

‘And you didn’t think to tell the others this?’ said Fiona Price. ‘After all, you were hardly at a church fete, were you?’

Jamie spread his palms wide. ‘I had some woman I’d never even seen before accusing me of rape! It was hardly a relaxed atmosphere! My thought process was, I’ll just get to a point where I could dump the drugs, because I don’t want to be charged with possession. If I’d just raped someone, do you really think I’d be worried about a little joint in my pocket? But that witness, he was right behind me.’ He nodded towards Kit, who sat up straight in his seat. ‘He’d have been able to see anything I threw out. So when I saw this big crowd all going back to the main stage, I let myself get swept up in them, and then I thought, I know, there’s that little police station set up near the entrance. I’ll go there, and say there’s this woman accusing me of something awful, and then this’ll all be sorted out. I was sure she would’ve calmed down by then anyway.’

‘How long did it take you after the alleged incident to hand yourself into the police?’

‘About an hour, I think. Well, after I’d thrown the joint away, I had a bit of time to think about a bigger issue,’ said Jamie. ‘I mean, I did not rape the complainant. I didn’t, I couldn’t. But that doesn’t mean I hadn’t done anything wrong. I’d cheated on my girlfriend, my fiancée. It was a moment of madness but not in the way he’s making out.’ He nodded at Polglase. ‘I wavered a bit because I thought, if this becomes official, even if all I do is get ruled out, the chances of Antonia finding out what I’ve done go up massively. So I went back to my tent for about half an hour and thought it through, but then I realised I had to do the right thing, and put an end to the misunderstanding. I never in a million years thought I’d be charged with rape.’

‘What reason might the complainant have to accuse you of doing so?’

Jamie swallowed hard. ‘I can only think it’s embarrassment. After all, it wasn’t the most dignified thing.’ He shuddered, like it pained him to be so unchivalrous. God, he was good. ‘But I think it’s clear from her performance in the witness box that she has convinced herself she’s telling the truth. That’s the worst part of it; she’s a victim, but not of me. I had hoped that by now she would have got the help she so obviously needs.’





Chapter 20





KIT

18 March 2015

The Princess Celeste’s ballroom has all the atmosphere of a striplit shopping centre. At the opening health-and-safety talk, a rep from the tour company has a passenger list, ticking off each name when the corresponding badge is collected. By the time Richard and I get there, all but a handful of the badges have been given out.

The first lecturer takes the stage, and I identify the source of the disembodied voice I’d heard over the tannoy. Professor Jeff Drake lectured me for three years at Oxford. He will film and narrate the eclipse as it happens, and perform what he calls a ‘post-mortem’ on the return journey. I’ve got one ear on him as I creep to the back of the ballroom, where the passenger list is left unattended on the welcome table; it takes me seconds to scroll down and eliminate Beth. Then, mindful of Laura’s new identity theory, I find a vantage point halfway down the ballroom and methodically scan every female – not as time-consuming as it sounds; men outnumber women by about two to one here, and young women are scarcer still – until I can be sure that they aren’t her. I have been as thorough as I can.