"What sort of requests?" asked Locke with a frown.
"For the first, I should like merely to ask if the bonds of the accused could be removed," said Shakespeare. "Surely, they must chafe and pain him, and it does not seem to me as if he poses any threat to anyone given his present circumstances."
Locke made a casual waving motion with his hand. "Granted.
Remove the bonds," he said.
Someone stepped forward and cut the ropes binding Mayhew's wrists.
"Thank. you, sir, whoever you may be," said Mayhew, rubbing his sore wrists and staring at him curiously. "I do not know why you are trying to help me, but I am much obliged to you."
"Do not thank me yet," Shakespeare replied to him, in a low voice, "for you may yet find yourself ungrateful."
"And your second request?" asked Locke.
"I should like for my companion to be released," said Shakepeare.
"Will? What are you doing?" Smythe asked, shaking his head, but Shakespeare turned and held up a hand to him, admonishing him to be silent.
"In order to conduct a proper defense for the accused," Shakespeare continued, turning back to the dais, "'twill be necessary for me to call some witnesses on his behalf. And at present, there are none in this chamber I can call. I should like to have permission to summon several to appear before us."
Once again, this brought on an excited murmuring among the audience. Without resorting to his hammer this time, Locke waited for it to die down of its own. His face bore a sour expression, while Moll Cutpurse and the two other masters of the guild clearly looked amused.
"I see," said Locke, after a few moments. "So you expect me to release your friend Smythe so that he can go and gather witnesses for the defense, or so you say, while in fact he may go and gather sheriff's men to come back here with him? Do you take me for an utter fool?"
"Nothing was further from my mind," said Shakespeare. "Why, the very last thing that I would wish to do is incur any enmity among this company. I think all here would understand how that could be unwise for a man in my position."
This brought on general laughter . Smythe was not laughing, however. He thought his friend had lost his senses, acting as if this were a play and the people all around him merely groundlings. Damn it, Will, he thought, all the world is not a stage!
"What I propose," Shakespeare continued, "is that my friend be released in the company of several members of this court, so that they may accompany him upon his errand. In that way, they would ensure he does it properly and returns, and at the same time they could function to persuade said witnesses to come and testify before this court, for it strikes me that such witnesses just might require some slight persuasion."
Again, this brought on laughter and more shouts of encouragement. Smythe saw Moll Cutpu
rse lean over toward Locke and say something in his ear. Locke listened for a moment, then nodded and banged his hammer several times to bid the audience be quiet.
"Very well, Master Shakespeare," he said. "The court has decided, in all fairness, to grant you your request. Your friend shall be allowed to leave to summon whatever witnesses you choose. You may confer with him in this regard and instruct him how so e'er you wish. But mark you, he shall be accompanied, as you propose, by several members of this court, and if he should so much as attempt to give someone a signal or a message, or else attempt to break away from those we send to escort him, then things shall not go well with either him or you… for we know well who you are and where you may be found and what company you keep, and there shall be no hiding from the thieves Guild, you may rest assured."
Shakespeare bowed. "I quite understand," he said. "And I do humbly thank this court for fairly granting my request."
"In the meantime," Locke continued, "we shall stand in recess for one hour, and then this court shall go forward with the prosecution. And when your witnesses are brought back to this court, if any are brought back to this court, then you may call them and state your case. You shall be given until midnight. If by then your witnesses have not appeared, then we shall conclude without them. You may now instruct your friend as to which witnesses you wish for him to summon to this court. Our esteemed colleague Moll Cutpurse will escort him, together with some members of her company, to make certain that things proceed accordingly."
"I thank the court," said Shakespeare, and hurried back to Smythe.
"You have completely lost your mind," said Smytbe. "'What in God's name do you think you are doing?"
'Trying to determine the truth," Shakespeare replied. "I had hoped to be done with this entire sad affair, but it seems that the fates have bound us up in it inextricably, and now the only thing to do is see it through. We must act quickly now, and think more quickly still, for time is of the essence. We have only until midnight…"
Elizabeth was becoming exasperated. She had tried her best to explain to Portia about the danger she was in, but despite all of her efforts, Portia still refused to leave. Her eyes looked dark and sunken, she appeared gaunt from eating poorly, if she ate at all, and there was a haunted quality about her gaze that reminded Elizabeth of some frightened little animal. But for all that, she was stubborn and kept sitting in her chair and shaking her head that she did not wish to go.
"You try to reason with her," Elizabeth said to Winifred in frustration. "I am reaching the end of my rope. Another shake of that head and so help me, I shall scream!"
"You must calm yourself, Elizabeth, please," Winifred replied. "In her grief, perhaps she does not truly understand."
"Then make her understand, for goodness sake!" Elizabeth replied, throwing up her hands. "This is taking us entirely too much time! We do not have all night! You try to talk some sense into her while I go and pack her things!"
"Portia," Winifred said, crouching down before her and taking both her hands, "Portia, dear, please… listen to me. Elizabeth only has your best interests at heart, you know. We understand that you came here to be with her because you felt safe here. However, 'tis no longer safe for you here, can you understand that? Some terrible men came and took away your father, took him away I know not where, and I very much fear for his safety."
Portia simply looked away from her without saying a word.