Caprice and Rondo - Dorothy Dunnett [312]
‘It is possible,’ Diniz said. He shut his lips. Diniz would not care if Jordan de Ribérac died. Perhaps no one would. But, oh God, de Ribérac was not the only possible victim, in that war camp at Nancy, facing David de Salmeton. They were none of them fools, these former companions and friends of Nicholas de Fleury; but de Salmeton was vain, and vindictive, and clever. And in war, accidents occurred very easily.
Nicholas saw that Gelis was studying him. Her eyes, immense with fatigue, were empty of appeal, but not of love. Her hand had left his, freeing him. She understood; he did not need to explain; but, nevertheless, his eyes sought her forgiveness.
One night. They had had only one night. He could not even hope to see Jodi. After three years, he could not return to Jodi and leave him on the same day.
Nicholas turned to Diniz. ‘When are you leaving?’
‘Today,’ the other man said. He was not a child any more. He was thirty, and watching Nicholas with curiosity now, aware of the complexities of what was happening.
‘Will you take me with you?’ Nicholas said. Julius stiffened. Nicholas looked at him.
Julius said, ‘What about Anna?’
‘What about her?’ Nicholas said. ‘She will be brought to justice. She will be better off if I am not there.’
‘If she is who you say, she’s your family,’ Julius said. ‘She married me because of you. Everything happened because of you. And now you are leaving me with this mess?’ The petulant, self-centred Julius of old, beginning to return through the anger and anguish.
Nicholas said, ‘I expect to come back. No one has said you need stay.’
‘Where would I go? To Moscow? To Caffa? To face Anna’s noble kinsmen in Cologne?’
‘You could come to Nancy,’ Nicholas said. ‘Astorre would welcome it. It would give you someone to fight, apart from Anna, and me, and yourself.’
‘I went to Bruges to challenge you,’ Julius said. He rose slowly. Some of his colour had returned.
‘So perhaps we should be seen to have a match,’ Nicholas said. ‘Decently supervised. On the way to Nancy, if you like. The fault was Anna’s, not mine, but I wouldn’t have you lose face for it in public. Will you come?’
Julius agreed.
Diniz took Julius off to his lodging. There was not much time, if they were to leave the same day. Then, and only then did Nicholas shut the door and turn back to where Gelis stood.
There was no recrimination in her face: only sadness. ‘You are good with Julius,’ she said.
‘I know him. Can you forgive me?’ he said.
‘I know you, too. I told you,’ she said. ‘A sensible woman would say, These are grown men, down there with the Duke. They can defend themselves against David de Salmeton. He will come back. You can deal with him in the spring.’
He said, ‘You haven’t married a sensible man. I should have had to join Astorre anyway, sooner or later. Robin and Tobie are with him because of me. And now de Salmeton is there because of me, and because of—’ He broke off, too late.
‘Because of Jordan de Ribérac?’ Gelis said.
He lost his breath. Then he said, ‘What do you know?’
Her smile was one-sided, and wry. ‘What Tilde told me. That when I was working against you, I was working for Diniz’s grandfather. I didn’t know. I never knew who the head of the Vatachino was. That doesn’t excuse it.’
‘I have done worse,’ he said. He had come close, and was looking down at her, painfully. ‘I wanted to tell you myself, at the right time.’
‘This is the right time,’ Gelis said.
‘I know,’ he said. ‘I know, I know.’ His eyes were blurred, for the sake of all the words that had reduced themselves to the five she had spoken. He said blankly, ‘I have to go.’
She had tied her robe in haste. He untied it, and drew the soft pads of his fingers slowly over her skin, down and down. He said, in sudden anguish, ‘Perhaps last night was wrong. It was wrong. I should have been patient.’
She took his hand where it rested. ‘Is that what your fingertips tell you? Would you rather have waited? Would you rather have something to remember, or nothing?