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PROLOGUE

London,

14 May 1602

THE STREETS of Southere dark and deserted The air se, and dead fish He instinctively held her handthe riverside Anyone could easily get lost in this tangle of alleyways,” he whispered

“Yes, and there’s a thief or aaround every corner” She sounded pleased “Wonderful, right? Much,in that stuffy roo homework!” She picked up the heavy skirts of her dress and hurried on

He couldn’t suppress a grin Lucy had a real gift for seeing the bright side of any situation in any historical period Even Shakespeare’s England, which was supposed to be a Golden Age but looked distinctly sinister just now, held no terrors for Lucy The opposite, if anything

“A pity we never get ht up with her “I’d have enjoyed Hamlet more if I hadn’t had to see it in installments” She neatly avoided a squelchy puddle of mud At least, he fervently hoped it was only mud Then she performed a few dance steps and twirled around “Thus conscience doth reat?”

He nodded, and had to rinned too often when he ith Lucy If he didn’t watch out, he’d end up looking like soe idiot

They were on the way to London Bridge It was a shae, which would have been a much more convenient place for them to cross the river, wasn’t yet built But they’d have to hurry if they didn’t want anyone at home to notice that they’d taken this secret trip to the early seventeenth century

How thankful he would be to take off this stiff white ruff again! It felt like the big plastic collars that dogs have to wear after an operation

Lucy turned the corner,about Shakespeare “How ive that man to let us into the Globe Theatre, Paul?”

“Four of those heavy coins—don’t ask hed “To hies”

“Anyway, it worked The seats were super”

Walking fast, they reached London Bridge Lucy stopped, as she had on their way to the theater, to look at the houses built right over the bridge But he led her on “You knohat Mr George said: if you stand under atoo long, so to empty a chamber pot on your head,” he reminded her “And you’ll draw attention to yourself”

“You’d never know you were standing on a bridge, would you? It looks like a perfectly normal street Oh, look, a traffic jaes”