Player's Wench

by Marina Oliver

Honey looked up, startled, and bit back an exclamation of joy. He was safe, unhurt, and back in London. Now, she thought, he would be able to answer Robert's accusation, and the truth would be told.

  He gave her a swift glance, and then looked across at Robert, who had risen to his feet holding a folded paper in his hand.

  'To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?' Gervase asked quietly, in a silky tone that did not disguise the anger behind the words.

  Robert was smiling.

  'So you are returned? Did your Dutch friends send you secretly from their ships? Are you hoping to gain more information to sell to them? Not this time, I think, Gervase Dunstone!'

  Gervase was staring at him through suddenly narrowed eyes.

  'Is that your game?' he asked quietly. 'You seek to throw onto me the blame for betraying secrets to the Dutch?' He suddenly turned to Honey. 'Was that what you meant, when you were so troubled, the night I had to leave? Did you imagine I was a spy for the Dutch?'

  Before she could answer Robert had stepped forward, holding out the paper he had in his hand so that Honey could read it.

  'There is proof,' he said triumphantly.

  'A letter from Holland, saying the last consignment was most helpful, and more from the Admiralty would be bought if it were available, and further that the payment due could be collected from a certain goldsmith in the city! Addressed to Mr Dunstone! What could be clearer proof than this?'

  Honey did not glance at the paper, she was staring intently at Gervase.

  'Is it true?' she whispered.

  'This proves it!' Robert insisted, but neither she nor Gervase seemed to hear him.

  'Do you believe it of me?' Gervase asked quietly. 'Do you think I could spy against my country? That I could betray my King, who is a friend of mine?'

  Quickly Honey shook her head.

  'I do not want to believe it,' she said brokenly. 'What of this letter?'

  'I found it here, amongst his papers,' Robert explained. 'He cannot deny it, and when I hand it over to the authorities, he will have no further opportunity to betray his country.'

  Gervase, after a long look at Honey, turned slowly to him.

  'You may have found it where you say,' he said in a smooth voice, 'but you must have placed it there yourself! It would have been far more convincing, Mr Reade, if you could have contrived to leave it there for someone else to discover! But you knew I should soon be here, and there would not be time for such trickery! Give me that paper!'

  'So that you may destroy the evidence I have? I am no fool!' Robert retorted, stepping back and folding the paper, than placing it in a pocket of his elegant brocade coat.

  'You will not leave this room with it on you,' Gervase warned, and slowly drew his sword. Robert, who knew himself to be an excellent swordsman, smiled and seized the hilt of his own sword, dragging it raspingly from the scabbard. Honey rose from the chair where she had remained sitting all this time, and stepped forward as if to come between them.

  'Get out of the way,' Robert shouted to her, and Gervase, taking guard, spoke quietly.

  'We must settle it, Honey. Stand back, or you might be hurt.'

  *

  She paused, and they both, ignoring her, began to fight with grim determination heightened by the silence, broken only by the occasional clash of the blades. Honey drew back to stand beside the table, out of reach of the swords which were snaking wickedly as they fenced for an opening. She watched breathlessly, unable to take her eyes from the combatants, and desperately afraid Gervase would be hurt.

  The discovery that Robert's attentions had only been aiming at marriage if she were to inherit her father's wealth had effectively destroyed all the feeling Honey had ever had for him, and without realising why, she prayed with all her heart Gervase would prove the victor in this encounter.

  They were both fencing cautiously, for the light was not good, and the room was too small to allow for elaborate manoeuvres, but to Honey's alarm, Robert seemed to be making the running, for he had several times made passes which Gervase seemed to be parrying only at the last moment.

  Gervase seemed to be giving ground slightly, but as Robert lunged forward with a triumphant grunt, he slipped sideways and turned to face Robert, who was now, Honey perceived, at a disadvantage because he was facing the window, and Gervase was to some extent shadowed against it. Robert tried to retrieve the position, but Gervase remained where he was, and Robert could not move him. He feinted, was parried, feinted again in tierce, and lunged, but at what seemed the last moment Gervase deflected the swordpoint and riposted, so that Robert was able to evade it only by a frantic parry and a wild leap backwards that almost caused him to lose his balance.

  Gervase now began to attack strongly, and Robert was hard put to it to avoid the flickering point. He was beginning to breathe heavily, while Gervase remained cool and untiring. Then, with a movement so fast Honey was unable to follow it, Gervase feinted, lunged, and as Robert moved his blade across to meet it, slipped past his guard and with a twist of the blade, sent Robert's sword clattering onto the floor. For a second Robert stared after it disbelievingly, but recovering rapidly, he leapt to one side, seized a stool from beside the fire, and hurled it at Gervase's head, then, as Gervase swerved to avoid the missile, he sprang towards the large curtained bed and dragged the curtains from the tester, flinging them onto Gervase's sword as the latter turned to face him.

  As Gervase drew back and attempted to disentangle the sword from the heavy material, Robert moved again, this time to pick up a heavy poker that lay beside the fire. He raised it above his head, and Honey screamed as he brought it down viciously, aiming at Gervase's head.

  Gervase had been ready for him, and he stepped swiftly aside, twisting round to grasp Robert's wrist as the poker swept past his shoulder with an inch to spare. Exerting all his strength, he forced Robert to release his grasp on the poker, and it fell to the floor, where Gervase kicked it out of reach. Then, releasing Robert's wrist, he swung round and with a straight blow to the side of the head, sent Robert staggering backwards. Gervase followed up his advantage and delivered another telling blow, and Robert collapsed soundlessly to the floor, to lie inert, his head resting on the pile of papers that still lay beside the chest.

  *

  Swiftly Gervase tied his feet together, and then heaved him into a sitting position, propped against the bed, and tied his hands behind his back. By the time he had finished Robert was beginning to groan, and Honey's fear that he had been killed was set to rest. She sighed, and sat down again, finding her legs were trembling too much to support her. Gervase went to a cupboard and brought out some wine and glasses. Without speaking he poured her a glass, and thankfully she took it and drank. He moved back to Robert and withdrew the paper Robert had placed in his pocket, glanced at it briefly, and then put it on the table while he poured some wine and held it to Robert's lips.

  'You do not deserve it, rogue that you are,' he commented.

  'This will avail you nought,' Robert blustered. 'Even if you destroy the letter, there is other proof!'

  'I wonder what you can have arranged now?' Gervase asked drily. 'Forged letters are easily come by, but what else have you planned?'

  'That I would be foolish to reveal!'

  'Nonetheless, reveal it you shall, and your own part in this business!'

  Gervase's tone had suddenly changed from amusement to anger, and Honey saw with dismay that he held a wicked-looking dagger in his hand. Calmly he walked across to Robert and brandished the dagger in front of him.

  'I shall have no compunction in using this if you do not tell the truth,' he said calmly. 'You would have sent me to the block, if you could have persuaded anyone to accept your spurious evidence, and the sooner you realise it and tell me what I wish to know, the more of you there will be left. Now! What do you know of my business?'

  For a moment it seemed as though Robert would defy him, but a faint pressure from the point of the knife into the flesh at the base of h
is neck suddenly convinced him Gervase was not making idle threats, and he collapsed, making no further resistance.

  'I know you are a spy,' he said sulkily.

  'But you would have it I spy for Holland. As I think you persuaded Honey to believe. Is that not so? Instead I have been trying to obtain information for the English, while you have been paid by the Dutch to betray our secrets to them. Is that not so?'

  'I have betrayed nothing!' Robert said with a brief attempt at defiance.

  'Little enough, it is true, but that is due to your incompetence rather than your loyalty!'

  Honey was listening with amazement. Vastly relieved Gervase was not the spy she had feared, she was deeply shocked Robert should prove to be a traitor. Gervase was still talking.

  'Why did you follow me several times to Holland? Was it to kill me, or did you think you might learn useful information from me?'

  'Neither. I was suspicious, I wondered what you were up to. It is scarce surprising I became suspicious! With your uncle at the Admiralty, it seemed likely you would know secrets!'

  'And you did your best to ingratiate yourself with me, and tried to obtain introductions to my uncle, and entree to Court through me, did you not? You used Honey to obtain my acquaintance.'

  'No! That was pure fortune, it seemed too good to ignore,' Robert burst out. 'I am no spy for the Dutch, but tried to see only whether you were.'

  'You are tedious! I happen to know you were taken a prisoner from one of the Dutch ships, and had been fighting for them.'

  'Robert, is that true?' Honey asked, shocked.

  'No, of course it is not!' he replied. 'Yes, I was a prisoner, it is true, for my boat was captured by them as I tried to return to England, and they took me prisoner!'

  'You did not have to fight for them, even if that tale is true!'

  'It is true, and although it appeared I was fighting with them, it was not so. Had I not pretended to agree they would have kept me in irons, and then, had the ship been sunk, I would have drowned for a certainty!'

  'So you wished to save your skin? A cowardly, but natural emotion for you, I suppose!'

  'You have it wrong! I calculated that if I were free, I might have some opportunity of hindering the Dutch! That is what I tried to do! I contrived to wet some of the powder, and various other small matters that helped us somewhat.'

  'Pray spare me the heroic details! I might believe you if you had not evaded the escort when you were landed on shore. And if I had not spoken to some of the captured Dutch officers who told us of your perfidy!'

  'They lie! It is mere spite and mischief making on their part!'

  'Odd then, that they should bother about an insignificant prisoner, picked up but a few days before, and whose name they could hardly be expected to know! Unfortunately for you, there were also papers, and unlike this forgery of yours, the men who signed them are in our hands and prepared to vouch for them. You will not find it easy to explain that away!'

  'Why did you do it?' Honey asked.

  'So you believe him? I might have expected it, for he has always meant more to you than I have, has he not, Honey?'

  'I thought I loved you, until I knew how you regarded me,' Honey said steadily. 'That has nought to do with whether you are a traitor or no.'

  'I love you very much, my dear, and would it might have been otherwise,' Robert said quietly. 'Even now I would marry you if you wanted it. I was mad to think you would accept aught else, whatever Dunstone is to you. You know he will not marry you, while I might be brought to it!'

  Honey flushed at his words. 'You are insulting!' she cried. 'Why must you believe the worst of everyone?'

  'There is no need for you to be concerned about his insults any longer, Honey. I will take him and hand him over to the authorities now, and you will have done with him.'

  At that Robert began to plead with Gervase, and appealed to Honey in a way that nauseated her. How could she ever have admired this man who was so weak, and so frightened in defeat that he almost grovelled before his captor? She turned away, and did not speak to him again as, realising his attempts at cajolery and bribery were useless, he switched to reviling them both and uttering threats which they all knew full well he was incapable of carrying out.

  'Honey, even though he is trussed, I dare not leave him. Can you go and ask Mistress Betsy to hire me a hackney? I will take him to my uncle's house, where there are many strong men able to guard him until he is taken before the authorities.'

  'No, not a hackney!' Robert said in horror. 'They may have carried the plague victims! I will walk, I will give no trouble!'

  'Now you are being foolish! You must know the hackneys which have carried one stricken with the plague must be aired for a week before being allowed to ply for hire again.'

  'They cannot all know they have carried a sick man! I beg of you, not that! I am afeared of the plague!'

  'A poltroon! Your life is of little value once these charges are proved against you! The plague might be an easier death than the one you face.'

  *

  Honey did not stay for more. She ran from the room, trying to blot from her mind the vision of Robert, the man she had once thought she loved, swinging at the end of a rope, a proven traitor. When Mistress Betsy sent out the maidservant to fetch a hackney, Honey remained in the warm comfort of the kitchen, and having seen the look of shock and anguish on her face, Mistress Betsy forbore to question her on what was happening, even though she had heard the sounds of the fight that had taken place.

  The hackney arrived, and Gervase, who had loosened the bonds about Robert's ankles sufficiently for him to walk but not escape, forced him down the stairs and into the vehicle. Honey could not look, and when she heard Robert calling out to her she turned blindly to Mistress Betsy, who folded the girl into her ample embrace, and stroked her hair until she was calmer.

  'There, there, dearie, you mustn't fret. Mr Dunstone will be back soon, and he'll take care of you. He'll know what to do! Let's hope he takes you into the country, for the sickness spreads, and London's no fit place these days for any decent body!'

  Recalled to the present, Honey began to panic, wondering what she had best do. She recalled with heightened colour the accusations Robert had made of her relationship with Gervase, and suddenly the thought of Gervase imagining she herself might be expecting him to provide for her made her desperately anxious to escape before she would have to face him again.

  'Thank you, I have been overwrought,' she said quietly to Mistress Betsy. 'I will go to my room now, for I would like to be quiet for a while.'

  *

  She went quickly up the stairs, trying to think what she could do in order to avoid Gervase. He would return soon, and would insist on speaking with her, and asking what Robert had said to her. That she could not bear, to have to repeat all the false charges Robert had made, and explain how she had been in his room, and how the locket came to be on the table. The locket! Suddenly it reminded her of the love poems, and she thought Gervase would be angry to think she had read even the few lines she had of them. They were, she knew instinctively, very private, and not for other eyes than his.

  She had to get away from the house! Desperately she cast about for somewhere to go, but all the actors, some of whom might have given her shelter, had left London. Briefly she thought of appealing to Temperance, so desperate was she, but that notion was soon seen to be foolish, for not only was Temperance exceedingly angry with her, she would refuse to have anyone who might have been in contact with the plague, if only by walking through the streets, to stay in her house. She had made it plain enough she thought Honey had been rash merely to visit her.

  Thinking of the plague made Honey think of her parents, and she gasped as the idea came to her. The house was empty, apart from one of the maids who was dead, and whose body would be taken that night by the dead cart. No one would dream of going into the house where there was a cross on the door, but she could climb in through the window at the back, and remain
hidden there until after the body – and at the thought she shuddered – had been removed. Gervase would never think of looking for her there, and if she could but escape him for one night, she would be able to plan what to do, and where she ought to go in order to begin life afresh by earning her living in some other way than on the stage.

  She packed up a few belongings and then, curiously unwilling to leave without a final word, sat down to pen a brief letter, saying hurriedly that she had decided to go to her parents who were safe in the country, and thanking him for all he had done for her. She added Ben had gone to Bristol but would return when the theatre reopened, thinking that otherwise Ben might suffer through being connected with her own disappearance, and then, although the letter seemed stark and abrupt, she sanded it and twisted it into a screw, then seized her bundle and crept cautiously down the stairs.

  The house was quiet, apart from the sounds of Mistress Betsy hustling her maid about the kitchen. She would be preparing a meal fit to celebrate the return of her favourite, Honey thought, choking back a sob, and she went swiftly into Gervase's room and laid the paper on his table. For a second her eyes rested on the locket, and she wondered what name the unknown person for whom it was intended should bear. Strange it should begin with an 'H' like her own.

  Firmly repressing her desire to linger, she turned and went swiftly but silently down the rest of the stairs, and out into the street. It was mid-summer, and the days were long, but by now the sun had set, and it would soon be dark. Afraid to be abroad in the deserted streets when night had fallen, Honey set off at a rapid walk, and was soon approaching Cheapside.

  *

  Chapter 10

  The watchman was still there, in exactly the same position, and it did not seem to Honey as if he had moved since her last sight of him. She did not need to go past the house, for which she was thankful, for he might have remembered her and been suspicious at seeing her return with her bundle. It was still light enough for her to see what she was doing, but would soon darken sufficiently to hide her from any casual glance as she climbed up to the window.