It was much easier in daylight. Being able to see an inn more clearly enabled them to decide whether or not it would be suitable for two visitors from the country with a taste for comfortable accommodation. Nicholas Bracewell and Leonard were able to move more quickly and go into more hostelries. The longer they searched, the further away they were taken from the Queen’s Head. Nicholas became aware of the time.
‘Let’s turn back,’ he said, reluctantly.
‘Perhaps the others have had more fortune.’
‘I hope so, Leonard. It may be that these people have friends in the city and stay at their house. If that’s the case, we’ll never find them.’
‘Will they harm Dick Honeydew?’ asked Leonard.
‘I think not. There is no need.’
‘There was no need to poison Hal Bridger.’
‘That was done to bring a performance to an end,’ said Nicholas. ‘As long as they hold Dick, they know the play will not be staged. His role is too long and difficult for any of the other apprentices to learn in a day. Besides, we would not risk another performance or it might bring down their wrath on Dick Honeydew.’
‘They’ll have to endure my wrath when we catch up with them.’
‘And mine, Leonard.’
They walked on and turned into Gracechurch Street, picking their way through the morning crowds. Nicholas was a big man but he seemed almost short beside the massive Leonard. He could see why he had not been ambushed in his friend’s company the previous night. Leonard’s sheer bulk would frighten most people away. But it also made him ponderous. While Nicholas strode, the other man sauntered. They were thirty yards from the Queen’s Head when Leonard came to a halt and pointed a finger.
‘That’s him, Nick!’ he said. ‘I believe that’s him!’
‘Are you sure, Leonard?’
‘I’m almost sure.’
Nicholas looked at the man ahead of them. He was tall, lean and wore the kind of decorous apparel that made him stand out from the market traders and their customers. Fair-haired and with a beard, he had the unmistakable air of a gentleman. When the man went into the Queen’s Head, it was conclusive proof to Leonard. He wanted to charge in after him.
‘No,’ said Nicholas, holding him back, ‘let’s move with care. If it is the man, and he sees you rushing at him, he’ll take to his heels at once. Let me go after him because he knows you by sight. If a mistake has been made, there’s no harm done. If, however, he is the villain we seek,’ said Nicholas, ‘I’ll drag him out. Guard the back door of the taproom in case he breaks away from me.’
‘As you wish,’ said Leonard, ‘but I’d like to lay hands on him.’
‘We all would.’
Obeying his instructions, Leonard went and stood by the back door. Nicholas, meanwhile, entered through the front. The taproom was busy, filled with spectators coming to the play that afternoon. The fair-haired man had found a table in the corner. He looked round to beckon a servingman. Nicholas closed in on him.
‘Might I have a word with you, sir?’ he asked, politely.
‘Do I have any choice in the matter?’
‘No.’
‘Then speak on, my friend,’ said the man with a bland smile, ‘for I can see that nothing will stop you.’
‘My name is Nicholas Bracewell.’
‘I know that. You are the book holder for Westfield’s Men and have been a mainstay of theirs for years. What would you have with me?’
‘First,’ said Nicholas, ‘I’d like to know where you hail from. Those vowels of yours were not nurtured here in London. They have a country sound to them.’
‘I was born and brought up near Lincoln. Is that a crime?’
‘It might be. Could I ask your business in coming here?’
‘What else but to see a play?’ returned the man, easily. ‘And I hope to catch sight of Saul Hibbert, for I know he stays here.’
‘You also know why his comedy has been cancelled today.’
‘Do I?’
‘You are playing games with me, sir,’ said Nicholas, annoyed by the man’s arch tone. ‘Let’s step outside and talk more freely there.’
‘I mean to dine here first.’
‘I think you’ll come with me.’
‘Take your hands off,’ said the other, resisting as Nicholas lifted him from his seat. ‘Is this the kind of hospitality you offer to your audience?’
Nicholas released him. ‘We’ll leave by the back door,’ he said.
‘I’d rather go on my own,’ decided the man.
Without warning, he pushed Nicholas away and bolted for the back door, buffeting a few shoulders on the way. Nicholas went after him. When the man flung open the door, he ran straight into Leonard who enfolded him in a bear hug. Nicholas came out to join them.
‘Let me go, you oaf,’ cried the man, ‘or I’ll have the law on you.’
‘Have no fear,’ said Nicholas, ‘officers will be called.’
‘Get this man off me!’
‘First, tell us your name.’
‘It is Cyrus Hame and I’m a playwright with Banbury’s Men. I’d certainly not work for your company if this is how I’d be treated.’
‘Cyrus Hame?’ said Nicholas. ‘The co-author of Lamberto?’
‘The very same.’
‘Let go of him, Leonard.’
Leonard released him and looked at his face properly for the first time. Seen from a distance, there had been a strong resemblance to the man who had once questioned him in the yard. On closer inspection, doubts began to crowd in. Leonard’s face fell.
‘It’s not him, Nick,’ he said.
Edmund Hoode got there early so that there was no chance of missing her. The designated spot was close to St Paul’s Cathedral. Before he reached it, however, he saw that she was already there, impelled by the same impatience that he felt. The servant girl beside her was sent away as he approached, retreating several yards to allow them privacy. Hoode’s excitement robbed him of his voice. Ursula spoke first.
‘You may be surprised to see me here, Master Hoode,’ she said.
‘The surprise is equalled only by the delight.’
‘Delight?’
‘It’s a kind of ecstasy,’ he said.
‘I came to tell you that this is improper,’ she said, briskly. ‘It was foolish of Bernice to give you such an invitation but wrong of you to send her that poem in the first place. She is young and headstrong. When she wrote to you, Bernice did not know what she was doing.’
Hoode was despondent. ‘Bernice?’ he said.
‘I came here ahead of her in the hope that I could speak to you first. Please, Master Hoode, I take you for a gentleman with high principles. I do not believe that you would lead a young lady astray.’
‘No, no. I would not dream of it.’
‘Then tell that to my sister.’
‘Gladly.’
‘And be kind to her as you do so,’ said Ursula. ‘I knew that I could count on your understanding.’
‘You can count on anything I have,’ he murmured.
‘It is better to hurt her now than cause her deeper pain later on.’
‘You show consideration to your sister,’ said Hoode, realising that his sonnet had fallen into the wrong hands. ‘I’ll do the same I promise you. I can see now that I behaved impetuously and I regret it.’
‘Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.’
He was tentative. ‘Bernice told you of the poem, then?’
‘She even showed it to me. It was well written, Master Hoode,’ she said, ‘but I would expect that of you. I admired its form while frowning at its sentiments. Had such a sonnet been sent to me, I would have blushed to receive it. It had a maudlin note.’
‘I see.’
‘Bernice was deeply affected. She has conceived a fondness for you that she mistakes for something else. I felt it my duty to save her from any humiliation that might come.’
‘That’s very honourable of you.’
‘I’m glad that we are in agreement, sir.’ She offered her hand and he shook it. At her touch, Hoode felt a thrill throughout his whole body. ‘Thank you.’