Edward Marston - The Devil's Apprentice

‘And give yourself a treat in the bargain,’ said Stratton.

‘I’ll think about it,’ promised the vicar.

‘No prevarication,’ said Sir Michael. ‘I want a firm commitment now. My wife was deeply upset that you refused our invitation, albeit because you were indisposed. Do you intend to disappoint her again, Anthony?’

‘No, no, of course not.’

‘Good. Which play would you like to see.’

‘Come tomorrow to see The Insatiate Duke ,’ said Stratton, touching his arm. ‘It’s a swirling tragedy that will make your blood run cold.’

‘Tragedy is not to my taste.’

‘What about history? They play Henry the Fifth on Saturday.’

‘I have to take another burial service then.’

‘In that case,’ decided Sir Michael, ‘you’ll have to see The Happy Malcontent . It’s another boisterous comedy, I hear, and it will be certain to brighten up your day. It’s settled, Anthony. I’ll expect you here to sit beside me and watch the piece.’

‘When will it be performed, Sir Michael?’

‘On Sunday.’

Dyment’s legs almost melted beneath him.

Meals were served to the company in the main kitchen at Silvermere. The actors were encouraged to eat heartily and drink as much ale as they wished. Most of them rolled off to bed that night in a contented frame of mind. The rehearsal had been successful, the new play was taking shape and Lord Malady had survived intact. Pleased to have gone through the whole day without mishap, Lawrence Firethorn was nevertheless unhappy. As he sat with Nicholas Bracewell and Edmund Hoode over the vestiges of his meal, he had a different source of complaint.

‘We should have left Davy Stratton in Shoreditch,’ he said rancorously.

‘Margery wouldn’t have thanked you for that,’ said Hoode. ‘The lad caused enough trouble for ten apprentices when he was there.’

‘But look what he’s done since he’s been here, Edmund.’

‘Boyish high spirits,’ suggested Nicholas.

‘That’s not what I’d call them,’ growled Firethorn. ‘That jest with the bramble was only one of many. Did you know that he put damp straw in Martin’s bed last night and a handful of salt in Stephen’s drink this morning? Dick Honeydew is the only one who’s escaped his villainy. The boy needs to be soundly beaten.’

‘I shook him until his teeth rattled and warned him that we’d send him back to London if we have the slightest trouble out of him again. I don’t know what got into Davy today,’ confessed Nicholas. ‘That piece of bramble must have been agonising.’

‘We should have stripped the lad naked and thrown him into a bramble bush.’

‘That would’ve been too cruel, Lawrence,’ said Hoode. ‘Nick did the right thing. He chastised Davy, made him apologise to Martin then watched him like a hawk for the rest of the day. Sending him off to bed early was a just punishment.’

‘Not in my eyes. Do you know what I think?’

‘What?’

‘I may have been wrong about The Witch of Colchester . Perhaps it’s not the play that’s bringing all this misery down on me.’

‘I’m certain that it isn’t,’ said Hoode.

‘Coincidence can’t be ignored, Edmund.’

‘But that’s all it is — pure coincidence.’

‘No, it isn’t. When did our problems start?’

‘When you sent Master Pye on his way,’ said Nicholas.

‘No, Nick,’ argued Firethorn. ‘They started the moment we took Davy Stratton into the company. He caused problems in my house, ran away from you in the forest, tried to escape again when you spent the night at Silvermere and is now up to his old tricks again. It’s not the play I should fear, it’s that little rascal.’

‘Make allowances for his age.’

‘Yes,’ said Hoode. ‘Davy is still finding his feet.’

Firethorn was bitter. ‘I’ll cut them from beneath him if we have any more of these antics. Davy Stratton is the reason that I’ve been struck down three times in a row. He’s been sent to torment me,’ he went on, pursuing the logic of his argument. ‘There’s malevolence in that boy, I sense it. I thought that he might be an asset to the company but he’s already indentured elsewhere.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Nicholas.

‘He’s the Devil’s apprentice.’

Firethorn emptied his cup of ale and rose to his feet. Nicholas did not try to contradict him. Though he took a less critical view of Davy Stratton, he was troubled by the boy’s behaviour. Even after he had been expressly told not to tease Martin Yeo, the newcomer had played a nasty trick on him. Nicholas would brook no disobedience. He had given Davy such a severe reprimand that the boy had burst into tears, fearing that he would lose the friendship of the one person in Westfield’s Men he respected above all others. A partial reconciliation had been achieved between them but Nicholas still felt hurt and let down. He wondered why someone who had been so well-behaved a guest at Anne Hendrik’s house was now so obstreperous.

The three men left the main house and strolled across to the cottages in the darkness, guided by the candles that burnt in the windows ahead of them. After an exchange of farewells, Firethorn and Hoode went into the cottage they shared with Elias and Ingram. In the adjacent lodging, Nicholas had elected to look after two of the apprentices, Davy Stratton and Richard Honeydew, as well as George Dart. Rowland Carr and Walter Fenby, both sharers, were also under the same roof. The first thing that Nicholas did was to take a candle to make sure that the boys were safely asleep. Opening the door of their room, he was pleased to see both Davy and Honeydew slumbering quietly in the same bed. At their feet, talking to himself in his sleep, was the exhausted Dart. A sense of peace hung over the room. Looking down at his young companions, Nicholas gave a paternal smile.

Weary himself, he did not undress completely to get into the empty bed under the window. He feared reprisals. Martin Yeo would seek revenge on his own behalf as well as on that of his friend, John Tallis, and the best time to strike back at Davy was at night when the apprentice was off guard. Even the presence of Nicholas in the chamber would not stop someone with enough determination and Yeo certainly had that. When he went to bed, therefore, Nicholas remained half-dressed, leaving the shutters slightly ajar so that he could catch any sounds of entry below. If anyone tried to sneak into the room, he would be ready for them. An hour passed before he went off to sleep, another before anything disturbed him. The creaking of a door then brought him awake. It came from the direction of the stables. When he heard the frightened neighing of a horse, he was out of his bed at once.

Grasping his sword, Nicholas crept downstairs in the dark, moving as silently as he could so that he did not disturb anyone. When he let himself out of the cottage, he heard further noises from the stables. The open door suggested an intruder. At first, he thought it might be Yeo, gathering up an armful of filthy straw to scatter over Davy by way of retaliation but several horses were now disturbed enough to neigh their protest. Nicholas decided that the intruder was there for a more serious purpose than merely getting revenge on a wayward apprentice. If he was trying to steal a horse, he had to be apprehended. Sword held in front of him, he slipped in through the open door and peered into the gloom. The spark gave the man away. As he set light to a pile of fresh straw, he revealed his hiding place in a corner.

‘Stop!’ yelled Nicholas, darting across at him.

‘Who are you?’ grunted a voice.

The intruder was surprised but not easily overpowered. Before Nicholas could reach him, he took an armful of straw and hurled it into his face, using the momentary confusion to buffet his way to the door. Fire was taking hold now and frenzy was starting to spread among the horses. Nicholas grabbed a pail of water to douse most of the flames then stamped out the rest with his feet. As soon as that was done, he sprinted through the door in pursuit of the footsteps he could hear on the drive. Anger lent wings to his heels. His quarry moved fast but he had left his horse some distance from the stables and was soon panting madly. Pausing to rest against a tree, he stayed there until he realised that someone was after him. The man set off again, blundering through the undergrowth until he found the clearing where he had tethered his mount. Before the rider could even get his foot in the stirrup, however, Nicholas came charging at him.