‘It is more than possible.’
‘By heavens, Nick,’ said Firehorn. ‘We’ve enough to hang the pair of them.’
‘More proof is needed yet.’
‘We’ll cudgel it out of Tobias Fitzgeoffrey.’
‘We have to find him first,’ said Nicholas. ‘Giddy and I searched for him all morning but he was nowhere to be found in Canterbury. One of the actors we met said that he had gone to see Lord Conway.’
‘To plot another crime!’
‘We cannot be certain of that.’
‘It is as plain as the nose on my face.’
Nicholas was cautious. ‘We suppose much more than we know.’
‘What more proof do we need?’ asked Firethorn. ‘On the very day that a play was halted at the Queen’s Head and a man stabbed to death, Tobias Fitzgeoffrey is there to enjoy it all. Who else but he was behind that ambush on the road? Who else would try to drown Barnaby in the creek? Do you not see, Nick? He’s bent on destroying us.’
‘We need to be on guard. That much I agree.’
‘I spy their purpose. They mean to replace us in London.’
‘That will never be.’
‘Not while I have breath in my body,’ vowed Firethorn.
‘Conway’s Men stay in the city for a few days. I’ll go to Canterbury again soon to see if Master Fitzgeoffrey has returned. He holds the key to the mystery.’
‘Will you take Giddy with you?’
‘Yes,’ said Nicholas. ‘I must. Without him, I would be lost.’
Giddy Mussett unbuckled the girth and removed the saddle from the second of the two horses. Having put Lawrence Firethorn’s stallion into a stall, he turned his attention to the bay mare that he had borrowed. The animal had been ridden hard and deserved his gratitude. Patting her as he worked, he talked quietly to the mare. When he had put the saddle away, he led the animal into a stall then started to take off the bridle. Freed of her tackle, the mare whinnied then shook her mane to dislodge some of the moisture.
‘Hold still!’ said Mussett with a laugh. ‘I’m wet enough, as it is.’
He collected some hay from the corner and stuffed it into the manger. The mare moved eagerly across to it. Both horses were soon eating contentedly. Mussett went in search of a wooden bucket so that he could give them some water. The farther he went into the stables, the gloomier it got. All he could pick out at first were the outlines of other horses as they shifted their feet in the straw. When he thought he saw an upturned bucket in a corner, he bent down to retrieve it.
The man moved in quickly. Clapping one hand over his victim’s mouth, he pushed the dagger between his ribs and into his heart. It was over as simply as that.
Chapter Eleven
Owen Elias was still standing beside the window of the upstairs room, gazing down idly at the yard below. The rain had stopped now and a burst of afternoon sunshine was making the cobbles glisten. His interest quickened when an attractive young woman came out of a door and he leant out to catch her attention. His cheerful wave was not returned. After giving him a blank look, she crossed the yard and went into a storeroom. Elias’s first instinct was to follow her but he knew that the rehearsal would soon begin again. He felt thwarted. Nicholas Bracewell joined his friend at the window.
‘Is there no sign of Giddy yet?’ he asked.
‘Not unless he is wearing a green dress and a white bonnet.’
‘He should be here by now. It does not take this long to unsaddle two horses.’ Nicholas was about to move away. ‘I’ll see what keeps him.’
‘No,’ said Elias, detaining him with a hand. ‘That’s my office. You’ve travelled enough for one day. Let me fetch Giddy.’
‘Scold him for keeping us waiting.’
‘I hope that the wretch has not sneaked away,’ said Lawrence Firethorn, coming across to them. ‘We have to stop him hearing that call of nature.’
‘He’s still in the stables,’ Elias assured him. ‘I’d have seen him leave.’
‘Is there no back way out?’
‘None,’ said Nicholas. ‘I checked that before I left him alone.’
‘Then where is he?’
‘I’ll chase him out, Lawrence,’ said Elias, heading for the door. ‘The ride has tired him, I daresay. Giddy is probably asleep in the straw.’
Eager to make amends for his earlier failure, the Welshman clattered down the winding oak staircase and went along a stone-flagged passageway. As he came out into the yard, the young woman he had seen earlier was retracing her steps with a small sack in her arms. He gave her a respectful bow this time and collected a half-smile. It was progress. Since she worked at the Blue Anchor, it would be possible to make her acquaintance in time. It gave Elias something to build on. Mussett’s intimacy with a kitchen maid was now common knowledge. Elias wanted his own conquest.
‘What have you got there?’ he wondered.
‘Vegetables, sir.’
‘Will you save some for me?’
‘If you wish.’
‘When shall I come to collect them?’
He gave her a frank grin and she coloured slightly, but she looked back over her shoulder when she reached the door. Elias was encouraged. He blew her a kiss.
When he got to the stables, he paused at the door and peered into the gloom.
‘Giddy!’ he called. ‘What are you doing in there?’
There was no reply. He took a few steps inside and called again.
‘Where are you, man? Lawrence wants you for the rehearsal.’
All that he got by way of response was a neigh from one of the horses and a rustling in the straw. There was no sign of Mussett. Elias became mildly alarmed, worried that the clown had somehow slipped past him once more. Yet he had never taken his eyes off the yard. Nobody could leave the stables without being seen. Elias decided that Mussett was playing a game, hiding in one of the stalls to fool him. The Welshman began a thorough search, walking along the line of stalls and expecting Mussett to jump out at any moment. But the clown did not appear. If he had found a hiding place, it was a good one. Elias glanced up, wondering if the agile Mussett had climbed up into the roof by way of a jest.
He was still gazing along the beams when a noise from the rear of the stables alerted him. Something fell to the ground with a small thud that was not muffled by straw. Elias became circumspect. Narrowing his eyelids to stare into the shadows, he moved slowly forward.
‘Is that you, Giddy?’ he said. ‘What trick are you up to this time?’
Only the movement of horses could be heard. Elias walked on, heading for the corner from which the noise had seemed to come. A shape was gradually conjured out of the gloom, a large, round lump on the floor against the back wall. Elias swallowed hard.
‘Giddy?’ he cried, hurrying forward. ‘What happened?’
Mussett was in no position to tell him. As soon as he touched his friend, Elias knew that he was dead. His hand brushed against the dagger that was sticking out from Mussett’s back.
‘Iesu Mawr!’ he exclaimed. ‘Who did this to you?’
By way of an answer, a cudgel struck him hard on the back of his head. Unable to stop himself, Elias plunged forward, landing on Mussett and forcing the dagger even deeper into his unprotected back.
While appreciating the value of the visit to Canterbury, Firethorn was concerned that valuable rehearsal time had been lost. The Loyal Subject was a complex drama that dealt with a number of themes. Everyone else in the company knew the play well and had mastered their roles. The newcomer who most needed to rehearse was the one actor who had not been there. Firethorn consulted his book holder.
‘Can he learn yet another part in such a short time, Nick?’
‘I am sure that he can.’
‘You will have to feed the lines to him on a spoon.’
‘I’ll be happy to do so,’ said Nicholas. ‘I’ve already told Giddy the plot of the play and talked about his role. He’s not entirely unprepared.’
‘If only we had not brought Barnaby with us!’ sighed Firethorn.