‘That’s mighty noble of you,’ said Rose, before bopping him on the nose with her shield.

As Sir Edmund howled in pain and Sir Toby grappled with Jack, Yori became trapped in the middle of the fray, not knowing which way to turn. Sir Henry bustled over, pushing through the throng of guests, who were all clamouring to watch the altercation. ‘Stop this at once! This is a ball, not a bearpit!’ he yelled, putting a swift end to the fight.

With a look of outraged indignation, Sir Toby spluttered, ‘Did you invite this ruffian and his foreign scum?’

‘They were last-minute guests,’ explained Sir Henry. ‘What offence has Jack caused you, Sir Toby?’

‘This upstart is a wanted criminal!’ Sir Toby proclaimed, stabbing an accusatory finger at Jack. ‘He escaped the hangman’s noose little more than two weeks ago, after being convicted of trying to rob me and my fellow gentlemen at sword-point. He’s just pushed me over – and, to cap it all, he’s accused me of kidnapping his sister!’

‘Have you, Sir Toby? Have you kidnapped Jack’s sister?’ enquired Sir Henry.

Sir Toby stared at his host in perplexed astonishment. ‘Of course not! It’s an outrageous claim.’

‘I saw you with Jess in Stratford!’ said Jack fiercely. ‘And I never tried to rob you. You are a barefaced liar, Sir Toby!’

Gasps of horror burst from the gathered guests and once more Sir Toby’s face turned as red as his hair with rage. ‘Once again you have given me the lie, sirrah!’ he snapped. ‘I won’t have my name so publicly besmirched!’

All of a sudden Sir Toby pulled a dagger from the folds of his toga and lunged at Jack.

‘Not so fast!’ said Signor Horatio, drawing his rapier with such speed that its tip was at Sir Toby’s throat before the man had barely taken half a step.

‘Signor Horatio Palavicino!’ sneered Sir Toby. ‘Why am I not surprised to find you among such lowly company?’

The sword master pressed the rapier tip harder beneath Sir Toby’s jaw, threatening to draw blood. ‘Still the sore loser, aren’t you?’ he said.

Sir Toby narrowed his eyes. ‘I didn’t lose. You cheated!’

‘You shot me!’

A tense stand-off occurred as the two parties venomously eyed one another.

‘Gentlemen, gentlemen, perhaps we can settle this disagreement with a gentlemanly duel?’ Sir Henry suggested, lightly resting his hand upon the rapier’s blade and encouraging Signor Horatio to lower it. ‘That way we can avoid too much bloodshed at my ball.’

At the merest suggestion of an arranged fight, a chant of ‘DUEL! DUEL! DUEL!’ went up from the eager guests.

‘I have no interest in challenging Signor Horatio again,’ declared Sir Toby, lifting his nose snootily into the air.

‘Scared of losing again, are you?’ Signor Horatio taunted.

‘No, of course not. My beef is with Jack Fletcher,’ Sir Toby replied haughtily, ‘and Jack Fletcher alone.’