‘They did mention that you were living in Oxford, so why do you go to Minster Draymore?’
‘Simon Caldwell, my brother-in-law, and his children are staying there and will be expecting me. I have no need of an escort, so if you wish to hurry back to the feast, then please do so. I know the way and it is unlikely that I will be set upon. Cutpurses and such ruffians will find better pickings in Witney this evening.’
‘Well, I’m not going to allow you to wander the countryside all alone when it’ll soon be dark, however unwilling you are for my company,’ said Phillip crisply. ‘And please, do not call me Master Hurst. It reminds me of your father.’
‘But that is your name,’ she protested.
‘I would not deny it, but I would prefer it if you called me Phillip.’
‘Phillip!’ She moistened her lips. ‘It would not feel right calling you Phillip. After all, your father was my father’s employer.’
He swore under his breath. ‘Becky, we are old friends and have no need of such formality—please call me Phillip.’
‘Then you are an unusual man, because in my experience most men prefer to keep a woman under their heel,’ she said roundly.
‘I thought you had realised by now that I am not your usual man. I do not wish to squash you. Tell me, was that how your husband behaved?’
She took a deep breath. ‘My husband, Giles Clifton, was a kind man, a good companion; we were happy for the short time we had together. It is just that men view the world differently from women, so why should I have deemed you would be any different?’
‘I confess I find it difficult to get into the head of a woman,’ he said ruefully. ‘You don’t reason like us and are moved too much by your emotions.’
‘Men have emotions, too! They just pretend that they don’t,’ protested Rebecca.
‘Damn it, of course they do and I make no pretence about it,’ he said.
Her lips twitched. ‘Actors are always pretending.’
He protested, ‘That is not true! I think we should change the subject. So, where is your sister-in-law?’
‘She stays in Oxford because she is expecting another child and is needful of a rest from the children. Knowing that the Witney feast was taking place today, it was considered an excellent notion that the children and I visit and stay with their father for a short time,’ said Rebecca. ‘We have been here two nights so far and I am sure he is already wearying of the children’s company. They are boisterous and proving a distraction, I fear.’
‘What kind of man is he?’ asked Phillip.
She eyed him carefully. ‘A decent man, one to be trusted. A stonemason, like my husband, and he has a commission to make repairs to the vacant Draymore manor house. And what of yourself, Mas—Phillip? Do you have a wife?’
‘I have no room for a wife in my life,’ he said shortly. ‘The travelling life is not one that most women find to their taste.’
Why did such news cause her relief? wondered Rebecca. ‘So such a life does have its drawbacks,’ she murmured.
He slanted her a long estimating look, thinking that meeting her was causing him to consider how a wife would mean changing his way of life in so many ways. ‘I am well aware that I would need to provide a wife with a certain standard of living and a covered wagon would deter most, if not all.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘But surely you don’t sleep in a covered wagon during the winter? And what of your entertaining the king? Does he not provide you with lodgings? My brother, who is now employed at Princess Mary’s court, has living quarters at Ludlow Castle. Lady Salisbury is her governess and has ensured it.’
‘I know of Lady Salisbury—she is a great friend of the Queen. It is true that the Master of the King’s Revels provides such quarters for me and my troupe, but only when we are performing at court. Last year was a particularly bad year for all of us, with the plague raging in London and its environs, and we have had to spend more time on the road this year.’
‘Tell me, how did you cope with such a setback?’ she asked, her expression concerned.
Her interest was obviously genuine, so Phillip told her. ‘I worked in my brother’s shipyard for a while and I also went abroad. It was not so for the troupe. We had hoped for occupation during the Christmas festivities, but the king and his lords did not make merry during that period for fear of the plague. They retreated to the countryside and did not allow anyone in or out. No doubt Davy escaped the worst of the plague at Ludlow?’
She nodded. ‘Although I’ve not had news of him for some time. I wish I could visit him.’
‘Then why don’t you?’
Rebecca hesitated. ‘If you must know, I do not have the means. Giles was only a young man and had yet to make his way in the world.’
Phillip frowned. ‘I see. Did you love him?’
She flushed. ‘My feelings for my husband are none of your business, Master Hurst! Now, if you don’t mind, I must make haste. Goodnight!’
She was not to get away from Phillip so easily and he kept pace with her. ‘Couldn’t Davy send you the money?’
Her head shot up. ‘I would not ask him! If the king was to decide on a change in his daughter’s situation, then it is possible my brother would need to look for another position, so he needs to salt away all the money he can. He was kind enough to provide me with a dowry, for my father did not!’
‘That was remiss of your father and must have caused you pain. But surely your brother would help you again now you are a widow? I have heard that he is an excellent musician, so it is unlikely that he would be long without a position,’ said Phillip, reassuringly.
‘That is as may be, but I do not wish to be a burden on him,’ she said, agitated by such talk. ‘I must make haste. Simon gave me leave to linger in Witney to watch the play, but young James will be missing my putting him to bed.’
Lucky James, thought Phillip. ‘Then let us quicken our pace,’ he murmured.
Why could he not leave her alone? She did not want him asking her any more questions about Giles. Phillip had roused memories of her marriage that filled her with guilt. Although she had not been in love with her husband, they’d had a warm and friendly relationship. She missed him and it grieved her that no child had resulted from their marriage.
As it was, she did not need to fear Phillip’s questioning. They walked on in silence until they arrived at Minster Draymore. Phillip noted aloud that some of the houses were in a bad state of repair, being constructed of wattle and daub and roofed with thatch.
‘Simon has commented that they need to be pulled down and replaced with houses of stone and slate,’ said Rebecca, pointing to one of them. ‘Apparently the man who now owns them and the manor house has been out of the country for years and has only just returned.’
‘At least it explains their neglect,’ said Phillip.
‘Come winter, I am certain Simon will return to Oxford, for the damp will play havoc with his rheumatics and he has a commission in the town to complete that means he can work indoors during the worst of the weather,’ said Rebecca, not loath to talk about the Caldwells’ business.
‘Is he much older than your sister-in-law?’ asked Phillip.
‘Aye. The girls are from his first marriage, but James is his and Jane’s son. The difficulty is that there is little to occupy the children here. Simon came to visit Jane a few days ago and escorted us here, but he cannot spare