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“Raise your head and smile at him,” the advocate ordered. She obeyed his request and noted that her genuine smile seemed to unsettle the nobleman. Matthias quickly looked away, avoiding Madlen. She had just won her first small victory.
    “Did you see that?” von Balge asked conspiratorially. “You scared him. He didn’t know where to look.”
    Madlen gave her advocate an amused grin. “You’re right. It will be my pleasure to smile through the entire trial if need be.”
    “Not the entire trial.” Andreas von Balge raised his hand defensively. “Never smile when it comes to Adelhaid’s suffering. This could be interpreted as arrogance or even a sign of derision. Instead, you must radiate genuine concern.”
    “That won’t be hard to do.”
    “Very good,” he replied crisply.
    More and more people pushed into the courtroom.
    “It won’t be long before the sheriff and members of the jury enter the courtroom. We’ll stand up to show our homage to them.”
    “All right,” Madlen answered softly. “Were you able to use the information that my brother brought you and find out something about the members of the jury?”
    “Yes, indeed,” he said with a broad grin. “Especially one of them.”
    “Who?”
    “Does the name Ewald Oberdinger mean anything to you?”
    Madlen wrinkled her forehead. “No, although I’ve heard his name once or twice.”
    “What about the name Agnes Oberdinger?”
    “I’m not sure.”
    “Four years ago, Agnes had a baby. It was a tough birth.”
    “Agnes. Of course. Now I remember.”
    “Well, Agnes thinks very highly of your abilities.”
    A warm feeling flooded through Madlen. “I remember it well. The baby hadn’t rotated.”
    “And you saved her.”
    “No, Clara did.”
    “The midwife that passed away recently?”
    Madlen suddenly got a lump in her throat. “That’s right. That was Clara.”
    Suddenly, the back door opened and the sheriff entered the courtroom, followed by six men. Their demeanor was serious as they went to their seats.
    Andreas signaled Madlen to stand and look at the men with a respectful and open demeanor. He nodded deferentially as the men reached their seats.
    “You may sit,” said the sheriff loud and clear. Chairs squeaked here, scratched there. Finally, it was quiet in the room. The sheriff waited a moment, letting his gaze fall upon all present.
    “Good citizens of Heidelberg,” he began with a loud voice. “We are here today to decide the guilt or innocence of this young woman, daughter of Jerg, the carpenter.”
    Madlen happily noticed that he said “guilt” softly but said “innocence” loud and clear. He was on her side, of that she was quite sure.
    “First, I would like to say,” he went on, “that both sides have declared their acceptance of the judgment of the court, which under my chairmanship, includes six members of the council.” The sheriff looked at Matthias Trauenstein first, who nodded, and at Andreas von Balge, who followed suit.
    “Let’s do everything in our power to ensure justice is served in alignment with the views of our Heavenly Father, our Creator.” He inhaled deeply and turned to the defendant. “Madlen. You are accused by Matthias Trauenstein of poisoning his unborn child before removing it from its mother’s womb. What do you say?”
    Andreas von Balge signaled Madlen to speak for herself. She rose slowly. Immediately, the sheriff made a movement with his hand.
    “Thank you for your respect, but please, keep your seat.” He smiled politely, and Madlen sat down again. “Thank you.”
    She cleared her throat. “I have not committed the crime of which I am accused.”
    The sheriff waited for her to continue, but she only looked on in anticipation of his next question.
    “Do you want me to tell you what really happened?”
    The sheriff nodded, but Andreas von Balge held up his hand.
    “First, I would ask the accuser to present his testimony.”
    “Why?” Matthias Trauenstein replied.