"Twilight for Anonymous…"
Disclaimer: Not mine but thine...O, Joss!
Archived at the Cicelyverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse, or direct to story at www...
General audience level...
Summary: In a past life of Buffy and William, a certain story- and scene-stealing vampire gets his much-deserved desserts…
Part VII…
A slightly less direct route to Essex House…But one with a certain advantage…
"Here, dearie…Come along now…Oh, don't be such a friggin' prick, you…Alice is hot for you, love. Come along, now…" insistent tone…Hungry look…
"Jesu, preserve me…" Will sighed. "Lass, husband of the Slayer…" he eyed the vampiress/prostitute eyeing him from her doorstoop as he passed.
Blink, careful look…Oh, God…So, tis…
"Right, sir…Honest trade, strictly voluntary, non-fatal drawin'…My best to your lady…Take care, sir…" she gave him a nervous smile. "Husband of the Slayer, there!" she called down the street.
"Evenin' sir. We run a voluntary shop here, sir." "How be the missus, sir?" "Mind how you go there, sir…" various calls from different dark doorways…
Who'd've of thought this vampire lane would be the safest street, more or less, in London…For me, at least…Will smiled to himself. Annie certainly having put the fear of Slayer, if not God, in them during her last visit to town…Any such den of humans and I'd be sure to have had my life threatened and likely my fool throat cut an hour ago…
He frowned and pulled a cross as a burly figure stepped out to cross his path…
Nope, not susceptible…Either an atheist, demon, or…
"Coin, you! Or I slit gizzard!" the burly, utterly human, figure pulled knife…
"Henry!" a cry…A buxom blonde racing out from a lighted doorway, a rather disreputable tavern, averting her eyes from Will's cross.
"Human, sir…Me husband, sir, no offense, sir…Henry, this be the Slayer's husband. Come along!"
"Slayer or no, coin!" Henry replied, waving knife…Wobbling in his stance…
"A bit too much drink and drain…Voluntary…" the woman noted apologetically. "Come along, Henry, I told you to eat something. He's just tryin' to cover the month's rent, sir. Trade's a bit slow this year…"
Will staring…Dear God…
"It's fine…Just take him in…"
"Thankee, sir…Best to your wife, sir. Please come by anytime for a drink on the house, sir…" she smiled at him.
"Wait…" he called to her. She urging Henry inside as he made futile swipes of the knife and muttered inarticulately…Staggering…
She turned back to him…Holding Henry…
"You and him…Together, still?"
"I've our stillborn babe in me, sir…Died when I did. Soul's holding me nature down…Your missus' Council's got me case in their records, they've been watchin' me. And I was a very lovin' wife to him…"
"Don't you hurt her!" Henry suddenly took up a wavering defensive stance, breaking free of his wife…
"I won't, lad…" Will nodded. Smiling at the woman…
Lord, the extraordinary things Anne has brought to me…If only I could write about half of them…
"God bless you, girl…My wife does know of you?"
"I believe so, sir…Agnes Schofield, sir…I think she'll know the name. Her people have been very kind to me…" she smiled back, carefully forcing the knife out of her husband's wavering hand. "Come along, Henry, lad. It's fine. The gentleman is Mr. Shakespeare, the Slayer's man…He won't harm me."
"She's a good…hic…Woman…Still…Don't say she's not…!" Henry waving arms.
"An angel…" Will nodded…Henry eyeing him.
"Here's it, lad…" Will pulled out a coin and tossed it over. "A loan, till your trade picks up…"
"Thankee, sir…" Agnes beamed as Henry carefully staggered over and picked up the coin…
"And we will be in for that drink, thanks, lass. I've got to hurry now…"
"Lookin' forward to seein' you, sir." Agnes nodded…Henry?...She urged…
"Evenin' sir…" Henry croaked. She gently tugging him along, back inside…
"Sir! Mr. Shakespeare, is it?" a call…He turned to see the first vampiress prostitute hurrying after him, leading a rather startled-looking Ben Jonson…
"Gentleman says he's a friend of yours? No offense, he seemed to be followin' you, sir…"
"Ben? It's quite all right, lass…Thanks…"
"Glad to oblige you, sir…" the vampiress smiled at the coin Will carefully offered her, a light toss at the end… "Very kind of you, sir. Best to the Missus…"
"Aye… Ben?...What the devil?"
"Anne asked me to keep you from harm, Will. Just keepin' me pledge to the lady of me best mate and fellow wordsmith…" Jonson, slight gasp at recovering from near-death experience…
Quite a death that, at that lassie's hands…Almost worthwhile, to think on it…
…..
"And we curtsy…No, no…Like this…" Frances made a careful, sweeping curtsy. Anne stiffly attempting to follow in her borrowed gown… "Better…"
"And then… 'Your Grace…' head down till he acknowledges you…Then back to me…Good…"
"Right…" Anne sighed.
Frances eyeing her…Well? The 'girl', frowning slightly, awaiting…
"My lady…" Anne, frowning.
She/It had better not be enjoying this too much…
"If you want to pass for a maid, this froward expression has to go, girl. Er, Slayer…" hasty correction…
"Right…My lady…" Anne pasted a smile… "Are we ready? It's dark now…"
"As we'll ever be, I suppose…" Frances' delicate features wrinkling at a caught scent. "Pity no time for a bath…"
"What?"
"Nothing…Just put some of this civet on…" Frances sighed, handing a small jar. "And let me give word that we're going out to the evening guard. I'm off duty but he'll cover for me if the Queen should request me suddenly. I'm one of her favorites, you know…" proud beam.
"Can't say as I love the idea of you attending the Queen, lass…" Anne eyed her. Frances frowning in her turn, back…
"I've been a loyal and dutiful lady-in-waiting for four years…You've no call to accuse me of disloyalty. Never once have I done Her Majesty harm or betrayed her trust…And I'm better behaved than most of those sluts in gowns. Now, I'm willin' to help you at risk of my job, but there's no call for insulting me…"
"Fine…" Anne shrugged. "Just keep up the good work and we'll have no trouble between us. Go and see your boyfriend…"
"James is not my boyfriend…He's fifty and happily married. Though, I could tell you a tale or two about some of the other guards and my coworkers. I tole you I love Willie…I'm no Court strumpet, you know…"
"You're a paragon, for sure…The Queen should have more demon-possessed ladies. Get on with it, now…" Anne waved her off.
"This is not the attitude to show with the Earls…" Frances noted firmly but turned and headed out of the room. Pausing by the door… "And I'm possessing no one…I told you, miss, the poor girl died just before I took her, of illness. And I paid her father very well, in recompense. He was desperate enough to do a resurrection, with likely awful results, when he met me. The family would've lost everything without me…Her…As heiress to her uncle. And he appreciated what I did for mother…Ummn, her mother…" she continued out. "Close the door after me, girl…" sudden tone change, smile to a passing guard…
"Eh…" Anne growled, sauntering…Damn this stupid gown, how can one walk in this?...With forced exaggerated steps to the door, and slamming…
"…Yes, my lady…" sarcastic tone…
Things I do for that man of mine…
Though, when one doesn't have to walk in it… She eyed herself in the long looking glass of the wall near…Not too bad a dress for style, really…She turned.
And lady of the Court or no…I do rather carry it off…
Am gettin' a trifle big round the girth, though…Better lay off the ale a bit when I get back home…
…...
"Who?" Essex eyed his maid who'd brought word of another guest arriving…
"Master Shakespeare, my lord…"
"What, at my front door? The impudence…Tell him to go round the back with his people, those actors…"
"He requested an audience my lord, says he has an important item to deliver to you, personally…"
"Item? Oh, yes…Well…Very well…Though remind him next time to use the servants' entrance. Show him into me…" The maid curtsying and heading off…
Damned uppity fellow…Thinks a little writing for mooning idiots makes him my equal?
DeVere stood in the opposite entranceway, the obsequious Bella behind… "Robert? How goes it?...Anything wrong?..." he eyed the sullen expression.
"Our playwriter is here, Edward. And would like us to wait his pleasure…" Essex, irritated.
"I swear when I come to power, fellows like this will learn their…"
"Master Shakespeare, my lord…" the maid had returned.
"Will Shakespeare…" DeVere stepping forward hastily to cut off Essex's annoyed stride/tirade…
"Very good of you to come so quickly…" he offered a hand. Shakespeare bowing…
Jonson, beside him, fuming slightly…
What am I taken for his manservant?
"My lord…And my lord Essex…" Shakespeare offered a bow Essexward. Essex eyeing him coldly…Curtest of nods…
"May I present my colleague, Mr. Jonson. Of great fame in the theater these days…"
"Of course…The great Ben Jonson…" Oxford smiled.
The deep pocketed, but still douche-bag of a poet, Oxford…Jonson noted inwardly, bowing. Still, even if he's of one of the persuasion…And judging from the looks of these two…He eyed Essex, then DeVere…They're of that other persuasion, if not the Undead sort…He is a patron to keep on one's best side. "My gracious lord…"
"I wanted to thank you personally for your generous patronage and support of my older work. Here it is, with the revisions you requested…" Will offered a packet, securely tied with twine…
"Excellent…" DeVere beamed, taking the packet. "Isn't it, Robert? You have our thanks, Shakespeare for such quick work…Bella?" he passed the packet to Bella who quietly took it…
"So 'Richard II' hits the boards again…A marvelous work, really, Robert." Edward smiled at Essex, still sullenly regarding the upstart peasant…Balding fellow, too…Before him…
"My Lord Oxford is too kind…" Will replied, eyeing Essex…
Yep, pretty much as the boys described him to me…
Not that I generally risk a plunge on anything but produce futures, but I wouldn't give his chances much worth…
"Yes…" Essex nodded, coolly. "My Lord Oxford is quite taken with you, Shakespeare. Tells me you're a genius with the quill…"
Hallo…Ben Jonson here…Greatest dramatist of the English stage…Jonson thought, regarding Essex coolly…
"Only a humble scrivener of words, my Lord Essex…" Will bowed again.
"Well, Oxford is a major poetic type so he should know. Very well, we'll see if this merits our support…"
"Thankee, my lord…Lord Oxford, if I might be granted leave to see the players? I'd like to review the revisions with them, particularly Mr. Burbage. See they all understand the new passages…"
"Certainly…Bella…Take Masters Shakespeare and Jonson to the players…" DeVere waved them on with smile…
Hmmn…Will pondered. If I were to place money on one of them being of my wife's chosen prey…
Though, it's a pity…DeVere truly sucks as a poet but he does appreciate the fine arts and his patronage has benefitted many of us…
Interesting scene this…The young aristocrat of rather artistic bearing whatever his lack of talent dispatching revisions to his actors. An additional few lines to heighten the impact of a scene for a target audience…His fate hinging on the reception…
One could make use of this in another context, perhaps a bit nobler one…And a little thank you to the fellow for his generous support over the years, should Anne have to kill him…
"Master…Shakespeare…" Bella spoke softly to him, urging.
"Yes, coming, lass…Thanks, again, my lords…Ben, shall we?"
Hmmn…He eyed the wan Bella awaiting him…
Jonson looking as well…Nice piece, that…Though a bit less ruddy and red-cheeked than I like 'em…
Definitely been fed on…I'm afraid it's not looking good for one of the English art world's most generous patrons… "Please, miss…" Will kindly bowed to the girl.
