‘Better than we could have desired.’
Nicholas described his visit to the mayor and told Firethorn about the place in which they would perform. The fact that they would have two days to prepare made the actor sigh with relief. Clicking his fingers, he reached an immediate decision.
‘We’ll give them A Trick To Catch A Chaste Lady,’ he announced.
‘That would be my choice.’
‘It’s a pity that Lucius Kindell is not here to see his play take wing again.’
‘After the riot at the Queen’s Head, he may not be too eager to view it. Lucius was there when the affray broke out,’ said Nicholas, ‘and he still thinks that his play provoked it in some measure. It grieved him.’
‘We’ll offer it to the good people of Maidstone instead, and play it through to the end even if an invading army tries to stop us.’ He slapped Nicholas on the shoulder. ‘We have two reasons to celebrate now. The town wants us here and,’ he added, indicating the broken wheelbarrow, ‘you have found a chariot in which to drive Barnaby.’
‘I’m not sure that George will relish his office but someone must take it on.’
‘George will do as I tell him,’ said Firethorn grimly ‘But what kept you, Nick? You’ve been gone above an hour and I thought we’d lost you.’
‘No,’ said Nicholas. ‘When I left the town hall, I had to honour a promise to Anne. She has a relative here, one Pieter Hendrik, a cousin of her husband’s. I delivered a letter on her behalf and am glad that I did so.’
‘Why?’
‘Pieter is one of many Walloons who settled here when they were driven out of their country. He’s a weaver by trade and has already made his mark here. He was happy in his work until he had dealings with Tobias Fitzgeoffrey.’
‘That scourge of our profession!’ cried Firethorn. ‘He’s a disgrace to the name of actor. Tobias should be driven from the stage with whips of steel.’
‘Pieter Hendrik would be ready to wield one of those whips.’
‘Why? Did he have to endure one of the man’s fearful performances?’
‘No,’ said Nicholas. ‘He enjoyed the play that Conway’s Men offered. That was not his complaint. Tobias Fitzgeoffrey had bought a large amount of cloth from him and promised to pay him the next day. Instead of that, he and his company left at dawn and Pieter was left out of pocket.’
‘Nothing surprises me in that. Conway’s Men would stoop to anything.’
‘Including murder?’
Firethorn hesitated. ‘Even they might draw back from that.’
‘I wonder,’ said Nicholas. ‘According to Giddy, they are a law unto themselves. He has tales that accord with what Pieter Hendrik told me. They take what they can get wherever they can. Fortunatus Hope once consorted with their patron. Could it be that the two men parted in anger?’
‘Lord Conway is a spiteful old devil. He’d not have been pleased to see a close friend sitting beside our patron instead. He hates us almost as much as Tobias.’
‘Do either of them hate us enough to cause that affray at the Queen’s Head?’
‘I think so.’
‘Would they also hire an assassin to kill Master Hope?’
‘Who knows, Nick?’
‘Only time will tell,’ said Nicholas. ‘If they are touring Kent ahead of us, we may well cross paths with them at some stage. I promised Pieter Hendrik that I’d ask them why they failed to pay him.’
‘And I’ll ask Tobias Fitzgeoffrey why he dares to strut a stage when he has no skill as an actor. No wonder London has kept Conway’s Men at bay.’
‘That’s their main cause of resentment. Giddy told me that it rankles with them.’
‘He did well to shun the company.’
‘How has he fared this afternoon?’ asked Nicholas.
Firethorn grimaced. ‘We had a desperate start, Nick.’
‘Why?’
‘Did you know that the fellow is unable to read?’
‘I saw that he cannot write when he tried to sign that contract for us. If reading is beyond him as well, he must have found ways around the disability.’
‘He has,’ said Firethorn. ‘His mind is like a bird that picks up every crumb. Teach him a couplet and he knows it at once. Speak a line and he repeats it like an echo. Giddy is yours now, Nick. Take him through A Trick To Catch A Chaste Lady.’
‘I will,’ agreed Nicholas, ‘and I’ll make sure that he does not catch any other kind while I am at it.’
‘My decree has been impressed upon him. No drink, no whoring, no fighting. Giddy is a changed man,’ said Firethorn confidently. ‘He’ll not disobey me.’
Bess Roundel was a jovial, red-headed woman in her thirties with a bosom and buttocks of generous proportions. She lay on the bed with her skirt up, giggling with joy as a half-naked man thrust away energetically between her thighs, pausing from time to time to take a swig of ale from a flagon. Giddy Mussett was starting to enjoy his visit to Maidstone.
‘There you are, Bess,’ he said, swallowing another mouthful of ale. ‘I promised to come back to you one day. And here I am!’
Barnaby Gill was beginning to regret his decision to travel with Westfield’s Men. His broken leg was both a huge impediment and a source of continual pain, and his forced retirement from performance made him the outsider in the company. What irked him most was the way in which Giddy Mussett had been accepted so readily by the others. While they ate their supper in the taproom on their first evening, the actors shook with laughter at Mussett’s endless supply of anecdotes. Owen Elias, in particular, seemed to have a real affinity with the new clown. Watching it all from the other side of the room, Gill became increasingly jealous of his rival. He took out his anger on George Dart.
‘George!’ he snapped.
‘Yes, Master Gill?’ said Dart, scurrying across to him.
‘You are supposed to look after me.’
‘I wanted to listen to Giddy’s story about-’
‘Forget him,’ snarled Gill, interrupting him, ‘and attend to my needs instead.’
‘But the tale was so merry.’
‘I’ve no stomach for merriment and no wish to hear anything that that interloper has to say. Now, get me up off this seat,’ he ordered, reaching for his crutch. ‘I’ve had enough of this jollity. Take me to my bed, George.’
Dart helped him up and supported him across the room. As they passed the table where the others sat, Elias grinned and warned Dart to be careful when he was alone in a room with Gill. More teasing followed but Mussett took care not to get involved in it.
‘Good night, Barnaby!’ he said. ‘Sleep well.’
‘How can I do that when I’m under the same roof as you?’ retorted Gill.
He struggled out and made his way towards the little storeroom that had been cleared for his use. A mattress had been brought in along with a stool, a jug of water and a bowl. The considerate landlord had even provided a chamber pot. After helping him into the room, Dart was dismissed and ran swiftly back to the others. Gill began the laborious process of getting ready for bed and lowering himself by degrees onto the mattress. He slept fitfully, unable to get comfortable and wondering how many days it would take before the pain in his leg began to ease. At cockcrow, he was already awake. Abandoning any hope of sleep, he hauled himself up on his crutch to see what sort of day it was, opening shutters that had been locked throughout the night to ensure his privacy.
The weather was fine, the temperature warm. Gill was about to turn away when he saw a figure emerging from a door nearby to stroll across the yard. Nicholas Bracewell disappeared into the stables, leaving Gill to speculate on what made the book holder get up at that hour and why he had been carrying so much timber in his arms.
Lawrence Firethorn wanted to make full use of the day for a rehearsal and he insisted that everyone rose early for breakfast. Seated at the head of the table, he explained to the company what lay ahead of them.
‘Today we will rehearse A Trick To Catch A Chaste Lady with particular attention to the scenes in which the clown appears so that Giddy can take full measure of the part.’ He looked down the table. ‘Where is the fellow?’