What my father did, when he went bust, Lewrie enjoyed recalling; after he crimped me into the Navy, and Granny Lewrie refused to die and leave me ev'rything. He took a second to look back at the spectators' benches and espied Sir Hugo, who was hovering rather droolishy and leeringly wolf-like over some "chickabiddy" woman in her late thirties.

"I do so look forward to seeing the expression on Sir George's face when that shoe drops, 'deed I do, Captain Lewrie," Mr. MacDougall whinnied like a panting pony.

"If they've decamped, this could just be dismissed, then… just like that?" Lewrie asked with a snap of his fingers.

"Well, not quite, sorry t'say." MacDougall sobered, leading him back towards the Defence table. "Our first outing last year was an evidentiary hearing, with Lord Justice Oglethorpe ruling that he would review both the trial transcript, and our affidavits. Even with those Beaumans gone… and Sir George left without a leg to stand on, with all previous testimony against you declared 'colourable,' there still remains the fact that, with your own witnesses giving the lie to the evidence in the trial transcript, you do lay yourself open to the charge of Illegal Conversion of another's property… assuming the jury will be of a mind to consider your Black sailors property. Once I learned of the Beaumans' departure, I did consider requesting an en bane proceeding, with Lord Justice Oglethorpe to rule upon your guilt or innocence, yet… 'tis not the irrefutable facts of your defence t'will prevail today, but the irrational emotions of your Black sailors' testimony that will carry the day. Logic bedamned. 'Tis the heartstrings of the jurymen… the notoriety your cause has created among them beforehand… the sympathy for your Blacks, and for you, particularly, that the jurymen's wives have expressed over the last year, that will… hopefully… find you acquitted." MacDougall all but promised in a sly, cagy way. "Be of sanguine takings, Captain Lewrie. You stand very good odds of walking out of court a competely free man. Aha!"