have gone down to the pigging dockyard taverns and ships to see what I can buy from the homecoming mariners to sell at a great profit at St Paul’s .
‘I do believe you will soon be the wealthiest member of this household,’ he said. More importantly to both of them, she no longer had to steal for a living. Her days of vagabondage were, he hoped, at an end. He was about to walk on when she stayed him.
‘It seems you have a visitor, Mr Shakespeare.’
‘Garrick Loake?’
‘I don’t think so. I have no idea who or what Garrick Loake is, but, I promise you, it’s better than that.’
‘Indeed?’
‘A beautiful lady, looks like a princess. A very goddess to steal away your heart.’
‘Thank you, Ursula. I am too busy for this.’
‘But you do have a pigging visitor. Jane put her in your solar and took her sweetmeats and wine, not half an hour since. And there’s another one, too, out by the horses. A dismal pigging cow that one, won’t say a word.’
Shakespeare strode on and found Jane in the kitchen with baby John. ‘Is Boltfoot back yet?’
‘He is, master. But I have put him to bed. It seems he had no sleep last night.’
‘Let him sleep a while longer. Ursula tells me I have visitors.’
‘A lady named Trevail. I told her I did not know when you would return, but she said she was happy to wait.’
‘Thank you, Jane. Please inform her that I will be with her presently.’
So, Lucia Trevail was here. Why, he wondered, did that seem to brighten this grey day?
‘And there was another young lady with her, but she has stayed at the stables with their horses. And good luck to her with her sullen way and her sotweed smoke.’
He bowed to Lucia Trevail. ‘My lady, this is a most delightful surprise. You are well served with refreshment, I hope?’
‘Your servant has treated me most hospitably. And I must say that the pleasure is all mine, Mr Shakespeare. We were all most intrigued by your visit to Susan’s house. None of us could quite understand why the whereabouts of poor Thomasyn Jade should suddenly be of such interest to an esteemed government officer.’
‘I can understand your puzzlement and I would tell you more. But I am not at liberty—’
She put up a hand, encased in a delicate white-kid glove. ‘Please,’ she said, ‘I am not here to question you on the matter. Rather, it occurred to me that I might be of some little assistance to you. You asked what Thomasyn looked like. Well, I now recall that she had a distinguishing mark – a faint red blemish above her right eyebrow, in the shape of a crescent moon. I found it quite intriguing and beautiful.’
‘Thank you. That may well be of use to me.’
‘It is not much, I know. But I wish to help. We all feel some guilt in the matter. Perhaps we were too beguiled by her story, which made us seem a little unkind, though that was not our intent. We peppered her with all manner of questions . . .’
Shakespeare nodded. Thomasyn had been an object of wonder during the exorcisms. She must have wished for a quiet life and, instead, found herself stared at all the more.
He found himself wondering why Lucia Trevail was here. She could as easily have told him of the crescent mark in a letter. He wondered, too, why she was not at court, for the Queen did not like her ladies-in-waiting to take leave of absence, especially not a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber.
She answered his unspoken question. ‘Mr Shakespeare, I have been given time away from court to attend my properties in Cornwall, where I must go to deal with some legal matters. On my return, I would dearly like to help you in your quest to find Thomasyn, if you have not already discovered her fate.’
She had a crisp tongue that did justice to her sharp mind. He could well understand why Elizabeth valued her company. Her attire was well cut from the finest cloths, neither modest nor brazen in the manner of most court ladies. Nor did she wear powder or paint on her
‘I do believe you will soon be the wealthiest member of this household,’ he said. More importantly to both of them, she no longer had to steal for a living. Her days of vagabondage were, he hoped, at an end. He was about to walk on when she stayed him.
‘It seems you have a visitor, Mr Shakespeare.’
‘Garrick Loake?’
‘I don’t think so. I have no idea who or what Garrick Loake is, but, I promise you, it’s better than that.’
‘Indeed?’
‘A beautiful lady, looks like a princess. A very goddess to steal away your heart.’
‘Thank you, Ursula. I am too busy for this.’
‘But you do have a pigging visitor. Jane put her in your solar and took her sweetmeats and wine, not half an hour since. And there’s another one, too, out by the horses. A dismal pigging cow that one, won’t say a word.’
Shakespeare strode on and found Jane in the kitchen with baby John. ‘Is Boltfoot back yet?’
‘He is, master. But I have put him to bed. It seems he had no sleep last night.’
‘Let him sleep a while longer. Ursula tells me I have visitors.’
‘A lady named Trevail. I told her I did not know when you would return, but she said she was happy to wait.’
‘Thank you, Jane. Please inform her that I will be with her presently.’
So, Lucia Trevail was here. Why, he wondered, did that seem to brighten this grey day?
‘And there was another young lady with her, but she has stayed at the stables with their horses. And good luck to her with her sullen way and her sotweed smoke.’
He bowed to Lucia Trevail. ‘My lady, this is a most delightful surprise. You are well served with refreshment, I hope?’
‘Your servant has treated me most hospitably. And I must say that the pleasure is all mine, Mr Shakespeare. We were all most intrigued by your visit to Susan’s house. None of us could quite understand why the whereabouts of poor Thomasyn Jade should suddenly be of such interest to an esteemed government officer.’
‘I can understand your puzzlement and I would tell you more. But I am not at liberty—’
She put up a hand, encased in a delicate white-kid glove. ‘Please,’ she said, ‘I am not here to question you on the matter. Rather, it occurred to me that I might be of some little assistance to you. You asked what Thomasyn looked like. Well, I now recall that she had a distinguishing mark – a faint red blemish above her right eyebrow, in the shape of a crescent moon. I found it quite intriguing and beautiful.’
‘Thank you. That may well be of use to me.’
‘It is not much, I know. But I wish to help. We all feel some guilt in the matter. Perhaps we were too beguiled by her story, which made us seem a little unkind, though that was not our intent. We peppered her with all manner of questions . . .’
Shakespeare nodded. Thomasyn had been an object of wonder during the exorcisms. She must have wished for a quiet life and, instead, found herself stared at all the more.
He found himself wondering why Lucia Trevail was here. She could as easily have told him of the crescent mark in a letter. He wondered, too, why she was not at court, for the Queen did not like her ladies-in-waiting to take leave of absence, especially not a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber.
She answered his unspoken question. ‘Mr Shakespeare, I have been given time away from court to attend my properties in Cornwall, where I must go to deal with some legal matters. On my return, I would dearly like to help you in your quest to find Thomasyn, if you have not already discovered her fate.’
She had a crisp tongue that did justice to her sharp mind. He could well understand why Elizabeth valued her company. Her attire was well cut from the finest cloths, neither modest nor brazen in the manner of most court ladies. Nor did she wear powder or paint on her
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