‘Then whoever picked it up would have assumed it was one of the drawings you always left around the place. I only discovered where you were when we received Master Shakespeare’s letter.’ She threw a log on the fire. ‘Go and see Susan, then go to your bedroom. There is water there. Wash yourself and put on fresh clothes.’
‘Yes, Mother.’
‘Then come down and help with the cleaning. Spiders and mice have moved in while we’ve been away, and I want neither in this house.’
‘Yes, Mother.’
My sister was fast asleep with a strange curly-haired girl beside her.
‘Who are you?’ I asked.
‘Nelly,’ she said. ‘Your mother’s new maid. You’re Billy.’
I stared at her. ‘I know.’
‘I got to keep an eye on you,’ she said, making both pale eyes round and staring.
I decided she was daft, and turned to Susan. She looked much better than when I saw her last. I stroked her cheek. Her little hand touched mine.
‘Billy,’ she said, and I thought she smiled a little.
When I was clean, I went downstairs. The rest of the day passed in a flurry of brooms and wet cloths and anger in the air.
Finally we stopped for a bowl of stew and fresh bread. It was delicious. When I was full, I tried to start a conversation.
‘How was your journey home, Mother?’
She had calmed, but I could see she was still angry.
‘I will talk to you in the morning,’ she said. ‘Go to bed.’
As I turned towards the stairs I found Nelly sitting on the third step, staring at me.
‘What are you doing?’ I asked.
‘Keeping an eye on you,’ she replied, and followed me to the door of my room.
‘I hope you can see through wood,’ I said, slamming the door in her face.
Her footsteps faded, then I heard my mother’s footsteps coming closer.
A key turned.
I was locked in!
‘Mother!’ I called. ‘Why have you locked me in?’
‘You ran away,’ she said. ‘You must be punished.’
‘But you’ll let me out in the morning?’ I asked.
There was no reply.
‘Mother!’ I said frantically. ‘The play 1s tomorrow!’
She’d gone. I sat on the bed with my head in my hands.
The next thing I heard was scuffling at the door, then Nelly’s spiteful voice whispered, ‘No plays for you.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I slept in fits and starts. It was so unfair. I was only trying to do what my father and Will Shakespeare did – to follow my heart. But always something stopped me.
I understood, I truly did, why Mother didn’t want me to mix with players. She thought they were bad people. Well, some of them do drink too much, and sometimes they are unkind to their lady friends, but they all love poetry and plays. There would be no plays without people like Will Shakespeare and Richard Burbage. They are from good, hard-working families and Master Shakespeare could not write such beautiful words if he was a bad man.
They cannot be so terrible if a queen and a king have had them play in their palaces.
I couldn’t let my chance slip by again, even if it meant severe punishment afterwards. I would follow my heart, and my heart was leading me to the Globe.
I decided to escape by jumping from my window. The bushes below had grown wild and straggly while we were away. They would cushion my fall. I opened the window to see the drop.
The bushes were there, but so was an enormous brown and black dog, tethered to a post. I knew that dog. Its name was Gruff, and it belonged to the silversmith around the corner. He used it to keep thieves away.
Mother must have guessed what I might try to do, and borrowed the dog to stop me. It looked up.
‘Grrrr.’
How lucky, I thought, that I am good with dogs.
‘Gruff!’ I called. ‘Gruffy!’
I reckoned if the dog jumped up, I could reach down and pat his head.
I leaned out as far as I dared. He jumped up and I stretched my hand out.
‘Grrrrarrghh!’
He nearly took my hand off! No one could make friends with that great brute.
I sank back on my bed, just as the key turned. The door opened slightly. A plate of bread and cold beef was pushed through the gap, together with a cup of small beer. A pale eye peered at me.
‘Hee hee, I’m keeping an eye on you,’ said Nelly.
She backed out and locked the door.
There was a dead spider on the beef, with strings of fly-specked web attached. Nelly must have put it there, the spiteful, lump-headed baggage.
I took the meat to the window. Why hadn’t I realized, you have to get a fierce dog to like you before you can be friends? What better way than to feed it?
‘Here, Gruffy!’ I called.
The dog turned its glittering black eyes on me as I held out the beef. He sniffed and jumped up.
I dropped the meat into his open, slobbery mouth.
With one gulp, it was gone.
I tried to pat his head again. ‘Here, Gruff!’
‘Grrrrarrghh!’
Ungrateful animal. I’d lost my breakfast for nothing. Now what?
It was bad enough being forbidden to act in the play but, I realized, what was just as awful was that Masters Shakespeare and Burbage might think I didn’t care enough to turn up and play my part.
A gentle voice floated through my open window. ‘Hello, Gruff. Why are you here?’
I knew that voice. I flew to the window.
It was Dippity, who does the important needlework for the Globe. She was stroking Gruff!
‘Mistress Dippity,’ I called.
She looked up, smiling. The dog growled, but she rubbed his ears and said, ‘Silly Gruff.’
He quietened.
‘Good day, Billy-Odd-Job,’ she said. ‘I hear you are to play a part today, and Hoppy, too. I am glad for you.’
‘Mistress Dippity,’ I said, ‘Are you going to the Globe?’
Nodding, she lifted the cloth covering her basket. Inside was a bundle of lace.
‘Would you give a message to Master Shakespeare or Master Burbage?’ I asked.
She looked troubled. ‘I do not remember things easily, Billy-Odd-Job.’
‘Can you carry a letter?’ I asked.
‘Oh yes,’ she said.
I took some charcoal and paper and wrote.
Dear Mstr Shakespeare & Mstr Burbage, my mother has locked me in for running away and will not let me out to play my part. I am sorry. It has broken my heart. Please don’t think badly of me. From Billy.
‘Here,’ I said, throwing it down and praying Gruff wouldn’t eat it. ‘You won’t lose it, will you?’ I was slightly worried. I know she finds many simple tasks difficult.
‘I won’t,’ she said. ‘See? It is in my hand.’
‘Thank you, Mistress Dippity.’
When she had gone, I lay down on my bed. At least the players would know the truth.
I felt tearful again. Then I must have slept.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Gruff’s furious barking woke me. I heard footsteps outside, and a man’s voice yelling firmly, ‘Down!’
I seemed to recognize the voice, but I dozed off again.
The next thing I knew was the key turning in the lock, and my mother saying, ‘Billy, come downstairs. Now.’
I sat up. She looked hot and flustered.
‘What is it?’
‘Come now!’
I followed her downstairs.
Who should be sitting beside the fire, stroking Hoppy, but William Shakespeare!
‘Good evening, sir,’ I said, for I could tell by the light that it was getting late.
While Mother lit some candles, I whispered to Master Shakespeare, ‘Did Dippity—’
He put a finger to his lips and nodded, then said aloud, ‘When you did not turn up today, I wondered if you were il
l, Billy. I am glad you are not.’
‘No I—’
‘I have persuaded your mother to forgive you for running away to join the company. She knows that I was minded to do the same thing once.’
I looked from one to the other. I swear my mother blushed.
‘Will and I knew each other when we were young,’ she said softly. ‘He married another, then disappeared for a while, and I – I married his closest friend.’
My eyes nearly popped from my head. Was my mother once in love with William Shakespeare?
As he accepted a cup of wine from her, Master Shakespeare said, ‘I remember what it was like to want to go on the stage so badly that I would do anything to achieve it – even leave home.’
Mother cleared her throat. ‘Will tells me that you, Billy, are a promising young actor, and the keenest he has known for years. But I cannot have you hanging around the Globe waiting for parts between sweeping and fetching and carrying for people.’
To my dismay, Master Shakespeare said, ‘I agree.’
‘Oh,’ said I, feeling sick and hopeless.
‘So,’ he continued, ‘with your mother’s blessing, you will be apprenticed to one of the finest players in the company. You will learn to—’
He talked on, but I barely heard a word, I was so full of joy. I hugged my mother. ‘Oh, thank you!’ I hugged my dog. I only just stopped myself from hugging Master Shakespeare!
I saw Nelly’s eyes as big as frying eggs, peering through the stairway, but I cared not a jot for her. I was to be a player!
But what was Master Shakespeare saying?
‘…there is one condition. If you do not agree to it, the King’s Men cannot accept you.’
My stomach turned over. ‘What is the condition, sir?’
‘Hoppy must join the company, too. We have not seen so comical and clever an animal since Will Kempe and his dog left, years ago. There is a part for Hoppy as Launce’s dog, Crab, in Two Gentlemen of Verona. Can you teach your signals to the man who plays Launce?’
I laughed. ‘I can indeed, sir!’
I had heard of Will Kempe and his dog. When Master Kempe left the Chamberlain’s Men, he danced all the way to Norwich – more than a hundred miles – and called his dance the ‘Nine Days’ Wonder!’ He didn’t dance it all in one go, of course, but rested between each of the dance days.
While Will Shakespeare and Mother talked awhile of things past, I stared into the fire, thinking of the wonderful future before me.
Eventually, Master Shakespeare stood. He looked down at me. ‘Well, Billy-Odd-Job, we must call you by your proper name now. William Watkins, apprentice player!’
That sounded so good! But it wasn’t exactly what I wanted.
‘If you please, sir,’ I said. ‘I would like to be known as Will. Will Watkins.’
He laughed and clapped me on the back. ‘It is a fine name – Will!’
*
Mother was the guest of William Shakespeare at my first performance. She had an honoured seat in the lords’ room, and old John Merry was to sit beside her, so that no one should bother her.
She told me there would be a surprise for me after the performance, but I was too excited to take much notice. I was to be in the first scene of Act Three as well as in Act One, and I would be on stage again at the end when the audience would cheer us. And so it happened. The only thing that concerned me was that when I glanced up at my mother, old John Merry was not beside her – I could not see his white beard gleaming in the shadows. I could barely make out my mother’s features at all, but she seemed composed.
When the play was over and it had been as wonderful as I had dreamt, Master Shakespeare came to me in the tiring house.
‘I wish you a long and successful career, Will Watkins,’ he said. ‘And by the way, I noticed that the letter you sent with Mistress Dippity was written with charcoal. I would like you to have this, to bring you luck.’
He took from his little table his ink jar and a quill.
I caught my breath. ‘Thank you, sir. Is this your own quill?’
He nodded. ‘It is my second best. It writes well. And now, your mother is outside, waiting to congratulate you. She has a surprise for you.’
I had thought that the ink and quill were my surprise. I went outside and ran down the steps to hug Mother. But she was not alone. There was a man with her, a sun-browned man with long curling dark hair and an untidy beard.
I could not believe my eyes. ‘Father!’ I cried. ‘Oh, Father!’
He held out his arms.
‘When did you get home?’ I asked, my voice shaking.
‘This morning,’ he replied, hugging me close.
I clung to him, smelling the sea on him. Then my tears began to fall. ‘Father, I did it,’ I sobbed. ‘I followed my heart!’
I have never been so happy.
EPILOGUE
Will Watkins joined the right acting company! The Globe became hugely successful, with packed audiences including visitors from the country and foreign travellers. For a great afternoon’s entertainment you only needed a penny for the doorman’s box. (Ever wondered why today’s theatres have ‘box’ offices?)
Nine years later, disaster struck when the company’s cannon was fired during a performance, setting light to the thatched roof. But the Globe was rebuilt – with a tiled roof – and reopened a year later.
Then, in 1642, Parliament closed the playhouses. The Globe was pulled down to make way for new housing. However, that wasn’t the end. Visit London today and you, too, can experience Shakespeare in the reconstructed Globe Theatre.
Shakespeare's Globe Page 5