The Princess of Denmark Read Online Free

scampering across to him. ‘Are you sure that it’s him?’
    ‘Who else can it be?’ Taking a firm grasp, they moved the first heavy oak beam between them. ‘The fire started in his bedchamber and that would have been directly above this spot.’
    ‘Poor Will! He had no chance.’
    ‘The landlord blames you for leaving a lighted candle there.’
    Elias was roused. ‘Then he needs to be told the truth,’ he said indignantly. ‘I made a point of snuffing out the candle before we left. You can ask James. He’ll bear witness.’
    ‘I take your word for it, Owen,’ said Nicholas, ‘but that raises a question. If a candle did not cause the fire, then what did?’
    ‘Who knows?’
    Taking hold of the next beam, they heaved it aside to expose the upper half of the corpse. It was a grisly sight. Scorched and distorted, Will Dunmow’s handsome face was a grotesque mask. His hair had burnt down to the skull, his eyebrows had been singed and both nose and jaw had been broken by the impact of the falling timber. Every shred of clothing had been burnt off his body, leaving his flesh black and mutilated. Nicholas felt a surge of compassion.
    ‘His own mother would not be able to recognise him,’ he said. ‘I thank heaven that she did not see him in this condition.’ He turned to Elias who was staring in horror at the corpse. The Welshman was visibly shaken. ‘What ails you, Owen?’
    ‘It was true, Nick – hideously true.’
    ‘True?’
    ‘What I said to James as we lay him on his bed last night. I said that Will would sleep until doomsday.’ Elias bit his lip. ‘I did not realise that doomsday would come so soon for him.’
    ‘How could you?’
    ‘I feel so
guilty
.’
    ‘You were not to blame.’
    ‘It was almost as if I prophesied his death.’
    ‘That’s a foolish thought. This was none of your doing.’ He became aware of the small crowd that had gathered to look at the body with morbid curiosity. Nicholas wavedthem away. ‘Back to your work, lads. Will Dunmow was kind to us. Do not stare so as if he were a species of monstrosity. Grant him some dignity.’ The others began to drift away. ‘I can manage here, Owen,’ he went on. ‘Fetch something to cover him from prying eyes.’
    ‘Yes, Nick.’
    The Welshman went off and left Nicholas to remove the rest of the debris that covered the dead man. He did so with great care, averting his eyes from the crushed legs that came into view. Pity welled up in him once more. In the course of his life, Nicholas had seen death in many guises but none so shocking and repulsive as the one that now confronted him. Will Dunmow had not merely been killed. He had been deformed and degraded. By the time the book holder had liberated the body completely, Elias returned with a large white sheet that he had taken from the room where they kept their wardrobe. It was laid over the corpse with reverence then the two of them lifted Will Dunmow up and carried him to a cart that stood nearby. They lowered him gently into it.
    ‘There’ll have to be an inquest,’ said Nicholas.
    ‘I’ll see the body delivered to the coroner.’
    ‘Thank you, Owen.’
    ‘Then I’ll do what I can to track down the house where Will was staying while he was in London. He told me that it was in Silver Street,’ explained Elias, ‘and belonged to a friend. I’ll find him if I have to knock on every door.’
    ‘Save yourself the trouble. I think this friend will come to us. He must have known that Will was at the play yesterday afternoon. Since his lodger did not return last night, thefriend will want to know why. In time, he’ll turn up at the Queen’s Head.’
    ‘Then he’ll be met with dreadful news.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Nicholas. ‘And the worst part of it is that we cannot even tell him how the fire started.’
    ‘I could hazard a guess.’
    ‘Could you?’
    ‘I’ve been thinking about what he said,’ remembered Elias. ‘When we carried him to his chamber, he kept calling for