The Princess of Denmark by Edward Marston Page B

circle?’
    ‘Far from it,’ said Nicholas.
    ‘Why so?’
    ‘Because he would look out of place among the other hangers-on. Our patron likes the company of flamboyant young men and powdered young ladies. Rolfe Harling is too sober and diffident a man in every way,’ said Nicholas. ‘He’s quiet, watchful, intelligent. I take him to be a scholar of some sort.’
    ‘Perchance he is tutoring Lord Westfield in Danish.’
    ‘Our patron relies heavily on him, I know that.’
    ‘And we rely heavily on you, Nick.’
    ‘I would never trust myself to pick out a bride for another man.’
    ‘When are you going to marry the one you have picked out for yourself?’ asked Margery bluntly. ‘Anne clearly adores you.’
    ‘And I, her,’ confessed Nicholas. ‘But she prefers to remain a widow for the time being and I respect her wish. A lady should not be rushed into marriage.’
    ‘I was – and happy to be so.’
    ‘And what about this Sigbrit Olsen?’ said Firethorn. ‘It seems that she is being taken to the altar at a mad gallop. Lord Westfield has not even met the lady yet he wants to move post-haste to the marriage bed.’
    ‘It would appear that she is agreeable to the plan.’
    ‘Then we must abide by it ourselves and perform
The Princess of Denmark
by way of celebration. How does Edmund fare?’
    ‘Four acts are completed. Even now, he works on the last one.’
    ‘Changing an old play is swifter work than writing a new one.’
    ‘Trust him – the piece will be ready in time.’
    ‘I hope that the same is true of everyone else,’ said Firethorn sternly, ‘for the
Cormorant
will not tarry. It leaves on the morning tide. I know that the others will want to take a fond farewell from their wives and lovers tonight, but we do not want them still sleeping between the thighs of a woman while we sail down the Thames. Did you make that clear to them, Nick?’
    ‘Crystal clear. The whole company will be there tomorrow.’
    ‘What of you, Nick? Will you roister with them tonight?’
    ‘No, I’ll spend a quiet evening in Bankside with Anne. We will have to be up early to get to the quayside.’
    ‘So will we,’ said Margery. ‘I have a husband, twochildren and four apprentices to roust out of bed. I’ll manage it somehow.’
    Firethorn chortled. ‘You’ll have us up, washed, dressed and fed long before dawn, my love. If only everyone had someone like you to haul them from their slumbers.’ His brow furrowed. ‘Owen Elias is my real concern.’
    ‘He’s as eager as any of us to go to Denmark,’ said Nicholas.
    ‘I do not question his eagerness, Nick. What troubles me is the way that he’ll spend the night. Owen is a Welsh mountain goat. The rest of us – except Barnaby, that is – are content to lie in the arms of one woman. Owen will seek out three or four and swear undying love to each. Do you see why I worry?’ he asked. ‘What state will he be in in the morning?’
     
    Owen Elias was determined to enjoy his last night in London. In the company of James Ingram and Frank Quilter, two other actors who would be going to Denmark, he spent a couple of riotous hours in the Black Horse, drinking his fill. Aware of the passage of time, he then peeled off from his friends and strutted off towards the first house he intended to visit that night. A buxom young woman was awaiting him, her appetite whetted by the fact that she might not see him again for some time. Elias planned to spend an hour or so with her before rolling on to his second port of call. He was so elated at the thought of what lay ahead that he did not hear the footsteps behind him or sense any danger.
    The attack came when he turned down an alleyway.Seizing their moment, the two men who had been trailing him ran forward and started to belabour him with cudgels. Taken unawares, Elias was beaten hard around the head and shoulders. He put up his arms to protect himself and spun round to face his attackers. Two brawny men were flailing away