Olivia’s household, it appeared, was very strange. The first person Viola saw was quite clearly drunk, even though it was only morning.
‘What are you, sir?’ he said to Viola, frowning and swaying slightly.
‘What am I? Er … a gentleman, sir. Here to see…’
‘Are you? Are you really a gentleman? Well in that case, she certainly won’t see you!’
‘Please tell the Lady Olivia that I must speak with her,’ said Viola firmly.
‘Oh, very well. But you’re wasting your time, young man, you mark my words…’
The man tottered off and, minutes later, someone new appeared at the door. This person looked extremely sober. In fact, he looked as if he’d never touched a drink in his life. He stood as stiff as a poker and looked all the way down his extremely long nose at her.
‘I am Malvolio, the Lady Olivia’s steward,’ he said.
‘And I am Cesario, in the service of Duke Orsino, and I must speak with your lady.’
He sniffed disapprovingly. ‘She is sick.’
‘Then I will make her better.’
‘She is weary.’
‘She won’t be once she hears what I have to say.’
He glared at her. ‘Are you deaf? Listen very carefully – SHE WILL NOT SEE YOU!’
Viola folded her arms, looked him straight in the eye, and said calmly, ‘Well, here’s something for you to think about. I’M NOT MOVING UNTIL SHE DOES!’
Malvolio withdrew, slamming the door shut in her face. But in a few minutes he was back. ‘My lady says she will see you,’ he announced with obvious disapproval. ‘Just for a moment. Follow me.’
‘Ha!’ thought Viola triumphantly. ‘So far, so good!’
Now that she’d made it into the household, she was very curious to see what was so special about Olivia. ‘She’d better be beautiful,’ she thought to herself. ‘And she’d better be good enough for him.’
But Olivia’s face was hidden by a veil. It was impossible to have any idea what she looked like, or what kind of person she was.
Viola cleared her throat and swept a deep and very graceful bow.
‘Most radiant, exquisite and unmatchable beauty…’ She paused. ‘Actually, before I carry on, I’d better check – you definitely are the Lady Olivia, aren’t you? I mean, this is a good speech. I don’t want to waste it on the wrong person.’
‘Are you trying to be funny?’ demanded Olivia.
‘Oh no, not at all. I wouldn’t dream of it. Well … I’ll just get on with the speech, shall I? I’ve spent ages on it. It’s really very good…’
‘Forget the speech,’ snapped Olivia. ‘Just say what you’ve come to say and let’s get it over with.’
Viola glanced round at Olivia’s attendants and leaned forward confidentially. ‘It’s private,’ she said, her voice soft as a caress, her dark eyelashes fluttering. ‘Not for the ears of others. You’ll love it, I promise.’
Olivia was still for a moment. ‘Very well,’ she said, her voice a little husky. She dismissed her attendants, and then turned to Viola. ‘There now. We are alone. You may begin.’
‘Most sweet lady…’
‘A good start. Now … who have you come from?’
Viola hesitated. She knew this wouldn’t go down well. ‘I come from Orsino, madam,’ she said.
‘Oh,’ said Olivia flatly.
‘Yes. Madam, I’m sorry, but I must ask you again – please let me see your face. It’s very difficult talking to someone when you can’t see what they’re thinking!’
‘Did your master ask you to say that? It won’t do him much good – he’s not even here to see it. Oh, very well, I’ll draw the curtain for you.’ With a graceful gesture, she pushed back her veil. ‘There,’ she said. ‘What do you think of the picture?’
Viola looked. Attractive enough, she thought to herself, if you like that sort of thing. Aloud, she said, ‘It’s excellently done, if God did all.’
Olivia looked a little put out. ‘Well, of course he did. This is me, just as nature intended. What are you implying?’
‘Nothing, nothing,’ said Viola hastily, remembering why she was there. ‘But how sad it would be, if you were to die and leave no child behind to carry on your beauty! Surely you wouldn’t be that cruel to the world?’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll make a list, for the benefit of all those I leave behind. Two lips, indifferent grey, two grey eyes with lids to them, one chin, small, one neck, long…’ Her fingers moved slowly downwards. ‘And so forth…’
‘Quite,’ said Viola hastily. ‘My lady, you are too cruel. But beautiful, undoubtedly. I must tell you, though, that my lord’s love for you is so great that only the most beautiful woman in the whole world – which would be you, of course – could be worthy of it.’
‘Go on,’ purred Olivia. ‘Tell me more!’
‘He adores you,’ floundered Viola. ‘All he does is sigh and groan and weep, for love of you.’
‘But you see – I’m not interested in your master. I’ve told him that. Can’t he take no for an answer?’
Viola was beginning to get cross. Who did Olivia think she was?
‘If I loved you as my master does,’ she said passionately, ‘I wouldn’t find any sense in your attitude, either.’
‘Oh?’ Olivia lifted an elegantly arched eyebrow. ‘And what would you do?’
Viola was silent for a moment. She thought how she felt about Orsino, and what she would do to make him love her. ‘I’d weave a shelter from willow at your gate,’ she said slowly. ‘And I’d write beautiful songs to tell you how I feel. I’d sing them all through the night and all through the day. The hills and the sky would ring with your name, and you would hear nothing but that sweet sound. Then you’d understand – you’d soften, and in the end you’d surely take pity on me.’
Olivia was enchanted by his words. ‘Who are you?’ she whispered.
‘Just a gentleman,’ said Viola firmly.
Olivia collected herself. ‘Well, you can go back to your lord and tell him that I can’t love him, and there’s no point in him sending any more messages. Only…’ She hesitated. ‘Only … you might come back again, just to tell me how he takes it. Oh … and here’s a little something for your pains.’
Viola stared at the gold coin. ‘You don’t need to pay me,’ she said coldly. ‘Keep your money. It’s my master who deserves a reward, not me.’ She stood up, and looked down at Olivia. ‘One day, I hope you’ll know what it’s like to love and not be loved in return. Farewell, fair cruelty.’
She stalked out, leaving Olivia to gaze after her in astonishment. ‘Hm…’ she thought to herself. ‘Now if only you were pleading for yourself, you might get an altogether different answer.’
Malvolio came in, and she sat up and pulled a ring from her finger. ‘Malvolio,’ she said carelessly, ‘that young man who was here just now – he gave me this ring, from his master, the duke. Tell him I’m not going to keep it. He must tell Orsino I’m not for him, and if he wants to know the reasons why, he must come back tomorrow. The young man, not the duke,’ she added, just to be clear.
‘Madam, I will,’ said Malvolio with a bow.
After he’d gone, Olivia put her hands on her hot cheeks. ‘What am I doing?’ she whispered. ‘I don’t know anything about him. But … it’s fate. I can’t do anything about it. What must be, will be.’
Only a few miles up the coast, on the very same morning that Viola had become a boy and first set eyes on Orsino, her brother Sebastian had also wept for the loss of a twin. His rescuer was a man named Antonio, who had seen the shipwreck from where he lived further up the coast, and searched the shore for survivors. He found Sebastian, battered by waves and injured by rocks, and nursed him in his cottage by the seashore. Sebastian was very weak, and his recovery was slow. But as he grew stronger, he began to think about finding his way home.
‘I will go into the city,’ he said. ‘Antonio, you have been kindness itself – will you do one more thing for me, and show me the way?’
Antonio shook his head. ‘I dare not be seen in Illyria,’ he said.
Puzzled, Sebastian asked why.
‘I was a sea captain and my ship was wrecked,’ explained Antonio. ‘I recently fought against Orsino, the Duke of Illyria. I sank two of his ships, but my own was damaged in the battle. Naturally, Orsino sees me as an enemy.’
‘Did you kill many of his people?’
‘No, but after the battle, when peace was made, the others on my side returned their plunder as part of the agreement. I refused.’
‘I see,’ said Sebastian. He was thoughtful for a while. ‘Well then, I can never repay you for what you’ve done, but now I must say goodbye.’
Antonio frowned. ‘I wish I could help you,’ he said. ‘But I cannot – it’s as much as my life’s worth.’
‘Of course not,’ said Sebastian warmly. ‘You’ve done more than enough to help me already. I’d feel terrible if you came to harm because of me. No, my friend, I’ll go alone. Don’t worry – I’ll be all right.’
They said goodbye, and Sebastian set off towards the town. Antonio hesitated. Sebastian was only a boy. What if he ran into robbers on the road? Not that he had any money – but they wouldn’t know that. No, it was no good. He would only worry about him. Antonio put on a cloak with a hood and went after Sebastian.
‘I’ll keep my eyes open, and my hood up,’ Antonio told him firmly. ‘I won’t risk going into the centre. But you’ve not been back on your feet for long – I can’t let you go alone, and that’s all there is to it.’
Sebastian smiled. ‘Well … if you’re sure. I must say, I’ll be glad to have you along!’
When they reached the town, Antonio said he would keep to the outskirts, as they’d agreed. ‘But here,’ he said, ‘take my purse, in case you see something you want to buy. I’ll meet you later, at the Elephant – it’s a good inn, to the south of the city. Anyone will tell you where to find it.’
Malvolio clutched his side. He had a terrible stitch. He shouldn’t have to go running after people at his age. It was undignified, not to mention exhausting. He’d probably have a seizure, and then Olivia would be sorry.
At last, he caught up with Cesario. The insolent young puppy stared at him curiously.
Malvolio held out the ring. ‘The Lady Olivia bids me return this ring to you. She says…’ He paused and mopped his forehead with his handkerchief. ‘She says to assure your master that she is not – and never will be – interested in him as a suitor, and that he needn’t bother sending you again – unless it’s just to tell her what he says. Tomorrow.’
Then he bowed stiffly, and turned to limp back to the house.
Viola stared at the ring, puzzled. She’d never seen it before. What was going on? An unwelcome thought struck her. ‘Oh no! Don’t say she’s fallen for me! She did stare at me a lot. Oh dear. Oh very dear. He loves her, I love him, she loves me, and I’m really a girl. This is too hard a knot for me to untie!’
And, shaking her head in confusion, she set off back to the duke.