The Princess of Denmark (14 page)

‘Look at that, Nick,’ he said in amazement. ‘Sheets of copper.’

‘They have severe winters here, Lawrence. Copper will keep out the snow and rain though it will cost far more than tiles, of course.’

‘Denmark must be awash with money.’

‘There’s the reason why,’ said Nicholas, pointing at the three ships sailing towards the harbour. ‘Each vessel has to pay Sound Dues before she is allowed through. That’s why this castle was built. It’s less of a royal residence than a sumptuous toll-house. It’s also a symbol of Danish power.’

‘So are all those cannon on the ramparts. It would be a bold enemy who dared to attack this place. It’s astounding, Nick. I thought it would be made of a dull, grey stone. It has so much colour.’

‘The red brick and sandstone dressings were chosen for that purpose. So were the other materials. But it’s the clever decoration that interests me most. Stonemasons have been busy
everywhere
.’ He let his gaze travel slowly around the courtyard. ‘No wonder Anne likes being here so much.’

‘It’s a far cry from her house in Bankside.’

‘She’s very fond of Dutch architecture,’ said Nicholas, ‘and this is the image of it in many ways. Anne says that it reminds her of a square she knows in Amsterdam. However,’ he went on, striking a businesslike note, ‘I did not bring you up here simply to admire the finer aspects of the castle.’

‘No,’ said Firethorn, nudging him, ‘you wanted to see if I could manage the long climb after all that drink.’

‘This is where the trumpeters play. Their fanfares ring
out across the castle for all to hear. I think we should use the tower for
The Princess of Denmark
. Martin Yeo can signal the start of the play.’

‘Dressed as a woman?’

‘He’ll need to be in costume for the performance.’

‘No trumpeter has ever worn a skirt up here before.’

‘Martin will be heard but not seen,’ said Nicholas. ‘Everyone will be sitting in the audience. And the beauty of it is that we are directly above the ballroom. When he has discharged his duty up here, Martin will be able to come down the spiral staircase into the ballroom and make his entrance as a lady-in-waiting.’

‘You have decided on the ballroom, then?’

‘I think so. Let me show you why.’

They descended the staircase. Feeling slightly giddy, Firethorn made sure that Nicholas went first so that the book holder could break his fall if he lost his footing. As it was, the actor managed to get down the steps with relative safety, although his shoulders bounced off the walls many times as he did so. They came into the ballroom and stood side by side to take its measure. It was vast. Well over sixty yards in length, it was more than a dozen yards wide and had a row of high windows running down one side of it.

‘You see how much natural light is admitted?’ said Nicholas with a gesture. ‘We’ll not have to use candles or torches in here.’

Firethorn studied the floor. ‘I love all this marble,’ he said. ‘It will be perfect for us to dance upon for we must have a galliard to end the play. What is a wedding without a lively dance at its conclusion?’

Above them was a beamed ceiling and along the wall was a continuous narrow frieze with a succession of battle scenes painted on it. Below those was a selection of finely woven tapestries and gilt-framed paintings. At one end of the ballroom was a decorated wooden screen with a gallery above it for the musicians. Nicholas led the way purposefully towards it.

‘They have designed the scenery for us,’ he pointed out. ‘We’ll make use of the gallery and build a low stage in front of the screen.’

‘I agree,’ said Firethorn, looking around. ‘This place answers all our demands. The hall would be more compact but less imposing. Besides, the ballroom has an attribute that no other room in the castle could possibly match.’

‘What’s that, Lawrence?’

‘It will carry my voice.’

He opened his mouth and emitted a long, loud, rising roar of anger that filled the entire ballroom like the report of a cannon. Firethorn chortled with satisfaction but the noise caused disturbance elsewhere. A door opened and Bror Langberg swept into the ballroom with Rolfe Harling at his heels. When they saw the two men there, they went over to them.

‘We wondered what that sound was,’ said Langberg.

Firethorn gave a bow. ‘I was just exercising my lungs.’

‘They must have heard you in the town,’ said Harling with frank disapproval, ‘if not in Copenhagen itself.’

‘I wanted to see how my voice sounded in here.’

‘Like a veritable siege gun, Master Firethorn,’ complimented Langberg, rubbing his hands together. ‘I
acted when I was a student but I had none of your skills.’

‘Few people do,’ said Nicholas.

‘I’ve yet to meet one of them,’ added Firethorn proudly before bringing Nicholas forward. ‘This, by the way, is our ever-reliable book holder, Nicholas Bracewell.’ He indicated the Dane. ‘Our host, Master Langberg.’

‘It’s an honour to meet you, sir,’ said Nicholas.

‘And I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. I’ve been hearing about your exploits aboard the ship from Rolfe. Is it true that you put paid to some pirates?’

‘That was all my doing,’ asserted Firethorn. ‘Once I had been taught how to fire a cannon, I brought their mast down.’

‘It was frightful,’ recalled Harling.

‘We beat the curs!’

‘Then changed course and missed our visit to Flushing. That was most inconvenient for some of us, Master Firethorn. That rash decision has created a lot of problems.’

‘None that cannot be overcome,’ said Langberg quietly.

‘If you say so.’

‘I do, Rolfe. I do.’ His smile broadened. ‘While you are here, Master Firethorn, exercising those powerful lungs of yours, perhaps I might have a word with you?’

‘Of course,’ said the actor.

‘It concerns the town,’ said Langberg, taking him by the arm to lead him away. ‘As soon as I knew that we would be graced by your presence, I passed on the tidings. It is not only here that we long to see your company perform.’

They moved down the ballroom out of earshot, leaving Nicholas to initiate a conversation with Rolfe Harling. On the
Cormorant
, the latter had been patently ill at ease. In
the castle, he was much more at home, clearly used to being in the company of statesmen.

‘You do not care for the playhouse, I fancy,’ said Nicholas.

‘I never have time to visit it.’

‘So you know nothing of our work at the Queen’s Head?’

‘Only by report,’ said Harling.

‘Good report or bad?’

‘It came from your patron.’

‘Ah,’ said Nicholas, ‘then you heard from our dearest friend.’

‘He loves the company this side of idolatry, and wears it around his neck like a chain of office.’

‘We pray that his new wife will look kindly on us as well.’

‘I’m sure that the lady will.’

‘Lord Westfield must have the highest opinion of you to entrust such an important mission to you,’ said Nicholas, studying him.

‘I believe that I’ve earned that high opinion.’

‘I do not doubt it. Have you done this work before?’

Harling stiffened. ‘That question borders on impertinence.’

‘Then I withdraw it at once. It’s simply that you seem so adroit as a matchmaker that I assumed you were well versed in the art.’

‘My life has been dedicated to rather more serious business than finding wives for eligible widowers,’ said Harling sharply. ‘I’ve written learned books and travelled around the universities of Europe. All that I have done in this instance is to assist a friend.’

‘For a fee?’

‘You are being impertinent again, Master Bracewell.’

‘Will you be staying for the wedding?’

‘That’s what brought me here and I’ll see it through to the end. Immediately afterwards, however, I’ll take the first ship to Flushing.’

‘The
Cormorant
sets sail on Sunday.’

‘I would never put myself into Captain Skrine’s hands again.’

‘He’s a fine seaman.’

‘Then why did he change course unnecessarily?’ said Harling.

‘He explained that.’

‘Not to my satisfaction.’

‘With respect, Master Harling, it was more important to get an entire company to Elsinore than to oblige the sole passenger who had business in Flushing.’

Harling glared at him. ‘You may regret that remark one day.’

Before Nicholas could reply, he saw Lord Westfield enter the ballroom, waddling along in his finery and waving a hand to them.

‘There you are, Rolfe!’ he said.

‘Did you want me, my lord?’

‘I thought you were going to play chess with me.’

‘I was,’ said Harling, ‘but, when I came to your room after dinner, I found you fast asleep. I thought it best to leave you.’

‘I dozed off for an hour,’ said the other, ‘that is all. I am ready to do battle now.’ He looked at Nicholas. ‘Do
not meet him over a chess board,’ he cautioned, ‘for it is impossible to win. Rolfe plays the game as if he invented it.’

‘Concentration is the secret,’ said Harling.

Nicholas smiled. ‘You have an unlimited supply of that.’

There was a momentary silence. It was broken by the sound of the door opening at the far end of the ballroom. For a second, a woman’s face appeared and they were rooted to the spot, struck by the sheer force of her beauty. Embarrassed to have stumbled upon them, the woman withdrew at once and left her memory hanging in the air. Lord Westfield had seen those sculptured features before. Snatching the portrait from his pocket, he compared it to the vision that had just appeared before him. He was ecstatic.

‘It was
her
,’ he cried. ‘That was my lovely bride.’

In defiance of all their fears, Westfield’s Men slept relatively well in the casement, the combination of fatigue and drunkenness making most of them oblivious to everything around them. The cold did not trouble them and the nocturnal banter of the soldiers in a nearby casemate did not wake them. It was their first night on dry land and they took full advantage of it. Heartened by a good breakfast on the following morning, they were further bolstered by the news that a request had come for them to perform in the town. Nicholas Bracewell was duly dispatched to call on the mayor, to show him their licence and to see where they could best stage a play. Owen Elias went with him for company and – since she had expressed an interest in Elsinore – he also took Anne Hendrik. Blown along by a
stiff breeze, all three of them marched out of the castle.

With over nine thousand inhabitants, Elsinore was the second largest town in Denmark and also one of the prettiest. Neat stone-built houses with tiled roofs flanked every street and there was an abundance of shops. Elsinore had retained its simple basic pattern for centuries though it had now pushed out well beyond its original boundaries. Because foreign immigrants had settled there over the years, many languages could be heard. Yet there was no sign of any tension between the differing nationalities.

‘I see no libels against strangers here,’ said Elias.

‘That bodes well,’ said Anne. ‘The tavern we just passed was run by a Dutchman. And I’ve seen German and French names on signboards as well. They all seem to live happily cheek by jowl.’

‘If only that were true of London,’ Nicholas commented.

When he reached the town hall, he went inside to introduce himself and left his friends to explore the immediate vicinity. Nicholas spent a productive time with the mayor, a rotund, bearded, jovial man with a positive love of theatre. He could not have been more helpful and, though his English was halting and his conversation punctuated by a series of loud guffaws, he told Nicholas all that he needed to know, including, importantly, the amount of money they intended to pay Westfield’s Men. Taking him outside, the mayor showed him what he felt would be the ideal place to set up a stage.

By the time he left, Nicholas was in good spirits. He found the others in a nearby tavern that was called the White Hart. Its English landlord served Danish beer and Elias was
sampling it while Anne tasted an imported German wine. Nicholas took a stool at their table.

‘Well?’ asked Elias.

‘We’ve been invited to give two performances, Owen.’

‘Before the wedding?’

‘Yes,’ said Nicholas. ‘It will give you a chance to get yourselves in good voice before we play
The Princess of Denmark
.’

‘Where will you perform, Nick?’ said Anne.

‘In the main square.’

She was surprised. ‘In this weather?’

‘The square is well-protected from the wind. As long as it remains dry, we will have no difficulties. The Danes are a hardy people. To survive their winters, they have to be.’

‘So the landlord told us,’ said Elias. ‘During his first Christmas here, he almost froze to death.’

‘What brought him here in the first place?’

The same thing that brought all the foreigners here, Nick.’

‘The Sound Dues?’

‘Yes,’ replied the Welshmen. ‘Since they had to anchor here, all vessels needed the services of pilots, ferrymen, sail makers, rope makers, ships’ chandlers and so on. That’s how the population grew.’

‘As a payment was made,’ said Anne, taking up the story, ‘the name and nationality of every ship had to be recorded. When they came into the town to collect supplies, captains preferred to deal with someone who spoke their own language. According to the landlord, English sailors often come first to the White Hart.’

‘As it happens, our friend, Captain Skrine, was here yesterday, asking about carpenters and smiths he needed to work aboard the
Cormorant
.’

‘We must invite him to one of our performances,’ said Nicholas. ‘They asked for rustic comedies. I think he’d enjoy either of the plays we’ll stage in the square.’

Elias was practical. ‘What about money, Nick?’

‘We are to have a generous grant from the town council and we can make a modest charge for our spectators.’

‘Gatherers?’

‘The mayor has undertaken to provide those. They’ll collect the entrance fee and pay it directly to me afterwards.’

‘This gets better and better.’