Edward Marston - The Vagabond Clown

Lord Westfield was aghast. ‘What’s this? Has he disappeared, then?’

Nicholas was succinct. He gave enough detail to show how serious the situation was but did nothing to impede the action that was necessary. Their patron was horrified at what he heard but could not see how he could help.

‘This ship has set sail, you say?’

‘Yes,’ said Nicholas. ‘Sebastian Frant is certainly aboard. It may even be that Master Firethorn is there as well. We need to overhaul them, my lord.’

‘Even you cannot swim that fast,’ said the other with a feeble smile.

‘A faster vessel must be dispatched. Only my Lord Cobham could sanction that.’

‘Then it shall be done!’

‘Will you speak with him on our behalf?’

‘No, Nicholas,’ said the patron, ‘you’ll do it much better yourself. Acquaint him with the villainy that’s taken place and the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports will be only too willing to oblige you. Lawrence Firethorn kidnapped? Mercy on us! The future of my theatre company is at stake. You shall have your ship from my dear friend.’

‘There’s another favour I must beg of him, my lord.’

‘What’s that?’

‘I wish to sail in the vessel,’ said Nicholas.

Sebastian Frant was not capable of expressing the deep anger that he felt. Instead of being furious with his bearded companion, he sounded merely petulant.

‘There was no need to belabour him like that,’ he complained.

‘He had the gall to spit at me.’

‘Then you must have provoked him.’

‘No,’ said the man. ‘I offered him cheese and he spat it in my face. Nobody does that to me with impunity.’

‘You might have caused him serious injury.’

‘If only I had the chance!’

‘Robert!’ said Frant reproachfully.

‘You are too soft, Sebastian. It’s not a fault shared by our enemies.’

‘Lawrence Firethorn is not an enemy.’

‘You wanted to bring Westfield’s Men to a halt, did you not?’

‘I did. But not by killing their manager.’

‘It would have been the deftest way.’

‘Only to someone as bloodthirsty as you, Robert. There’s been enough killing.’

‘There can never be enough of that!’

Frant was standing on the deck of the Mermaid with Robert Armiger, the bearded assassin who had stabbed two men to death and arranged the kidnap of a third. Because they were sailing into a head wind, the ship was obliged to tack and that slowed them down. Frant peered over the bulwark for the first sign of the French mainland but he could see nothing on the horizon.

‘We’ll be late,’ he decided.

‘We should use a bigger vessel,’ said Armiger. ‘The Mermaid has seen better days. She needs to have her hull repaired.’

‘She’s served us well enough in the past, Robert. Who else would do the kind of work we require and ask no questions? We’ll just have to suffer her tardiness.’

‘It’s more than tardiness. The ship is a disgrace. I was a sailor once and it offends me to use the Mermaid . She’s not fit for the work.’

‘We’ve crossed without trouble so far.’

‘Except from Master Firethorn,’ sneered Armiger.

‘You keep away from him.’

‘He has to be beaten into submission.’

‘No, Robert,’ said Frant. ‘I forbid it. When we get to France, he’s to be taken ashore, a long way from the coast, then released. By the time he’s found his way back to Dover, it will be too late. The danger will be over.’

‘Kill Master Firethorn and there would be no danger.’

‘You do not know Westfield’s Men.’

‘I know them well enough to want to destroy them.’

‘That’s not as easy as we imagined,’ said Frant. ‘I hoped that Giddy Mussett’s death would bring them to their knees but they simply pressed on. They should never have been allowed to stage The Loyal Subject here. It was agony to sit through it.’

‘Our religion was mocked again.’

‘Mocked and vilified.’

‘And the chief culprit was the man tied up in the hold.’

‘He’s paid for it, Robert. He’s suffered.’

‘Then let me put him out of his misery,’ said Armiger, fingering his dagger.

‘No! Leave him alone!’

‘You may live to regret your weakness, Sebastian.’

‘It’s not weakness,’ said Frant, ‘but a debt that has to be paid.’

Armiger scowled and moved away. Frant continued to scan the horizon until a member of the crew walked past. He turned to speak to him.

‘How long before we sight land, John?’

‘Not long now, Master Frant.’

‘This delay irks me.’

‘The Mermaid was not built for speed,’ said Strood with a shrug. ‘If you want a fast crossing, choose another vessel. I reckon she’ll reach Boulogne ahead of us.’

‘Who will?’

‘The other ship.’

‘Where?’

‘Look behind you, sir. We’ve company.’

Frant crossed the deck to stare over the other bulwark. Half a mile behind them was a small, sleek three-masted galleon under full sail. When he saw the sun glinting off the cannon, Frant became slightly worried.

‘Do you recognise her, John?’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Strood. ‘She’s the Mercury and well-named for her speed. The main and foremast are square-rigged, with topsails, spritsails and top-gallants. When she straightens her line, you’ll be able to see the lateen sail on her mizzen. All in all, she must have three times as much canvas as we do.’

‘She’s carrying guns.’

‘The Mercury is well-armed with seven cannon on each side as well as smaller ordnance. She’s one of the ships kept at Dover to ward off any attacks from Spain.’

‘What makes you think that she’s heading for Boulogne?’

‘She’s holding the same course as the Mermaid . That means one of two things,’ argued Strood. ‘She’s either bound for the same port as we are.’

‘Or?’

‘The Mercury is following us.’

Owen Elias was an indifferent sailor. From the moment they left the shelter of Dover, his stomach began to feel queasy and his legs unsteady Yet he did not wish to miss out on the action. Instead of going below, he forced himself to stay on deck with Nicholas, who was savouring the exhilaration of a voyage once again. Crossing the Channel might not compare with some of the nautical experiences he had been through with Drake but it could still set his blood racing. Nicholas had been the first to pick out a ship on the horizon and he was thrilled when the tiny dot grew bigger and bigger until it was eventually identified as the Mermaid .

‘Are we going to catch her in time?’ asked Elias.

‘No question but that we will.’

‘I think that we should blow them out of the water.’

‘There’s no reason to do that,’ said Nicholas. ‘We know that Sebastian is aboard and he may even have Lawrence with him. Would you want the pair of them to drown?’

‘No, Nick. I spoke in haste.’

‘We need to seize the ship while we can. If the Mermaid is carrying illegal cargo, as I suspect she is, her captain will be called to account. Sink the vessel and we’d have no idea what was in her hold.’

‘I’m just anxious to strike back at Sebastian.’

‘We’ll not do it with cannon, unless we put a shot across her bows. With luck, nobody will be harmed. Remember that I’ve a friend in the crew.’

‘He may not be too pleased to see you.’

‘I doubt that he will,’ said Nicholas, feeling a pang of regret. ‘If his ship is being used for smuggling, John Strood will not thank me for setting off in pursuit of it. His days at sea may be cut short for a while.’