'Because of the way things are between him and his wife.'
'But they don't even live together.'
'Exactly, Mr Bale,' said the other with a faint flicker of lechery. 'How would you feel if a lady like that turned you out of her bed?'
'I'd never have got into it in the first place, I promise you!'
'Then you've never seen Mrs Gow. She's more than beautiful, I can tell you. It's a pleasure to be anywhere near a woman of her type. Mr Gow can't do that any more. He's been deprived. The last time he came to the house, she refused even to see him.'
'Oh?'
'He was very persistent. I had to move him on his way.'
'Is that one of the things you're paid to do, Mr Trigg?'
'Sometimes.'
'Moving her husband on his way?'
'Getting rid of undesirables,' said the coachman with a smirk. 'They buzz around her like flies. Swatting them is my job. But Mr Gow is the main problem. He's sworn to get even with her.'
'Was it a serious threat?'
'Mary Hibbert thought so.'
'What about his wife?'
'I think she'd gone past listening to him.'
'Why did Mr Gow bother her?'
'Ask him.'
'What was he after?'
'His wife.'
'But she turned him away and that made him angry.'
'Vicious, more like.'
'Wasn't she worried by his threats?'
'Not really, Mr Bale.'
'Why not?'
'I told you,' said the other complacently. 'She's got me.'
'Yes,' agreed Jonathan, annoyed by his manner. 'I'm sure that you protected her well - until you drove down that lane towards the Strand. Even your strong arm was not enough then, was it? They were waiting.' He leaned forward. 'Now who could possibly have known that you'd be taking that exact route?'
'I'm a very busy man, Mr Redmayne. I can only give you a little time.'
'Yes, Sir William.'
'I leave for the theatre within the hour.'
'Then I'll not beat about the bush,' said Christopher. 'I just wondered what you could tell me about Miss Abigail Saunders.'
'Abigail?'
'I understand that she was once a member of your company.'
'Briefly.'
'Why did she leave?'
'By common consent.'
'Miss Saunders is with The King's Men now.'
'That's of no concern to me,' said the other smoothly.
After studying the list provided by his brother, Christopher Redmayne elected to begin with the name at the bottom. Sir William D'Avenant was an eminent man with a lifetime of literary achievement behind him. Yet his career had been even more chequered than that of his rival, Thomas Killigrew. The godson of William Shakespeare, he was rumoured to be the playwright's illegitimate offspring and there were those who had hailed him as Shakespeare's natural heir. Civil war interrupted his promising work as a dramatist. A committed Royalist, he was captured twice but escaped both times. When the Queen sent him to Virginia, his ship was intercepted and D'Avenant was arrested once more. Held in the Tower, he was at least allowed to write and publish poetry. It enabled him to keep his talent in good repair.
Christopher called on him at Rutland House, his sumptuous home in Aldersgate, a place where he could not only enjoy the fruits of his success but where, on occasion, he had staged some of his theatrical events. D'Avenant was in his early sixties but looked at least a decade older. The vestigial nose, unfit to support spectacles, bore testimony to the goatish instincts of younger days and there were other indications in the gaunt face with its ugly blotches on leathery skin of an acquaintance with syphilis. Christopher found it hard to believe that such an elderly lecher could enjoy the favours of an attractive young woman.
'What is your estimate of Miss Saunders?' he asked.
'As an actress or as a person?'
'Both.'
'Abigail can decorate a stage nicely,' said the other, flicking a speck of dust from his sleeve, 'but she will never be more than a diverting piece of scenery.'
'Mr Killigrew disagrees with you, Sir William.'
'That goes without saying.'
'He's chosen Miss Saunders to take over a role vacated by Mrs Harriet Gow.' D'Avenant sat up with interest. 'She'll be seen this afternoon as Aspatia in
'Indeed?'
'Mr Killigrew has the highest hopes of her.'
'More fool him!'
'His judgement is usually sound.'
'Abigail has been promoted beyond her mean abilities.'
'That's not what my brother says,' said Christopher. 'He was at the theatre this morning and saw Miss Saunders in rehearsal. She left a profound impression on Henry. He could talk of nothing else when we met at a coffee-house a little while ago.'
'And you say that Harriet Gow vacated the role?'
'She is indisposed.'
'Do you know why, Mr Redmayne?'
'Sickness was mentioned.'
'Then it can be ruled out immediately,' said the other sagely. 'No actress would yield up as telling a role as Aspatia unless she were on the point of expiry. There's more behind this. Harriet Gow would never let an ambitious creature like Abigail supplant her, even for one afternoon, if it could possibly be avoided.'
'I take it that you admire the lady's work, Sir William?'
'Harriet? She is to Abigail as gold is to base metal. Let me be quite candid. Harriet Gow is the one member of Killigrew's company I'd happily lure away to join The Duke's Men.'
'Not Michael Mohun or Charles Hart?'
'I have their equal in Better ton and Harris.'
'What about Miss Saunders?'
'Tom Killigrew is welcome to the lady. She causes more trouble than she's worth. In short, her aspirations greatly outrun her talents and that cruel fact never improves the temperament of an actress.'
'You sound bitter, Sir William.'
'Wise after the event, Mr Redmayne, that's all.'
The visit had established one thing to Christopher's satisfaction. Sir William D'Avenant was so patently surprised at the news about Harriet Gow that he could not in any way be involved in her abduction. Nor was he working with Abigail Saunders to further the career of a young woman who had, according to Henry Redmayne, been the old man's mistress. Whatever their true relationship had been in the past, it had left the theatre manager with harsh memories.
D'Avenant scratched at the remnants of his nose and regarded his visitor with growing suspicion. He flung
