Spouse defends Archer at trial

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JUNE 30. The real drama in town is not at the West End where a decent ticket even in the most decrepit of theatres costs upwards of £ 30, but at the Old Bailey where admission is free. The piece de resistance, now in its third week, is the trial of the novelist-turned-politician, Lord Jeffrey Archer, who is accused of telling lies to win a £ -500,000 libel suit which he brought against a tabloid 14 years ago for alleging that he had had a one-night stand with a prostitute.

Since the trial opened early this month, it has been the most riveting media event holding on to the front page despite competition from weightier matters of state and politics. Lord Archer's private life has been turned inside out by his own confidants who have told the court about his extra-marital affairs, the generous gifts he bought for his ladies, the games he played to ``cheat'' on his wife, the ``completely separate'' lives the couple led, and the diaries he allegedly got his secretary, Ms. Angela Peppiatt, to ``forge'' to support his alibi.

He has been even accused of keeping much of the £ 500,000 damages instead of donating them to the charities as he had promised when he won the suit against Daily Star in 1987.

If style was ever the man, Lord Archer showed he had it in abundance. And when, after over two weeks of merciless expose of the most intimate details of his life, it was his turn to take the stand, he declined on the ground that it would turn the focus away from evidence. This, despite the risk that his silence might be construed as an admission of guilt. The judge in fact warned his counsel that in the circumstances the jury could draw ``any inference they see proper'' from Lord Archer's decision to remain silent.

This was on June 27, and with no more revelations expected, the interest in the trial looked like starting to flag. But with an Archer script you can never be too sure, surprises being always a part of the deal. And, so, two days later, the trial was back on its feet, crackling with life. For, none other than Lady (Mary) Archer was in the stand replaying a role which, 14 years ago, had earned her the reputation of the lady with a ``fragrance''. In a bravura performance, which made her the toast of every newsroom in town with The Times this morning leading with the story, this Cambridge academic better known as Dr. Mary Archer, confounded the audience with her demonstration of loyalty to a man who in recent weeks was so publicly shown to have betrayed her - not once, but repeatedly.

She stood by her husband, as she had all those years ago when she testified for him in the libel case. ``It's complete and utter nonsense'', was her contemptuous retort, when asked if it was true as alleged by Lord Archer's secretary that they led ``completely separate lives''. And what about his former mistress Ms Andrina Colquhoun? Did she know about their affair? ``I did.'' And did she confront him with it? ``Yes.'' Not satisfied, the counsel asked: ``When you say you confronted him about it, was it in the form of an ultimatum?'' Lady Archer, with what one newspaper described as ``icy grammatical precision'', said: ``I tend not to issue ultimata. Let's say that it was a full and frank discussion.''

For a woman who is seen to have been at the wrong end of her husband's alleged misdemeanours, Lady Archer was astonishingly loyal as she contradicted all that had been said against him by previous witnesses. And when it came to the jewellery he was alleged to have bought for his women friends, she brought it all out of a pouch and said they were meant for her - except for one item which he had given to a ``lady who did indeed loomed large in his life.'' And the lady, she said after a dramatic pause, was ``Margaret Thatcher on the tenth anniversary of her premiership.''

``Steely'', ``imperious'', ``haughty, `` controlled'' were some of the adjectives employed by newspapers today to describe Dr. Archer who, when asked about her husband's peccadilloes, wondered what all the fuss was about. ``He's hardly the first aspiring politician to have had the odd fling'', she said.

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