Caprice and Rondo - Dorothy Dunnett [329]
‘Did you know?’ Anna was amused. ‘A vigorous man, my dear Julius, but insanely jealous. His men gave Nicholas a hard time at Soldaia before I contrived to contain and then reverse the damage. Are you glad, Nicholas?’
‘Because you wanted to preserve me for the gold? Well, naturally, I was glad,’ Nicholas said. ‘The gold was my carefully planned life insurance. You believed in it. I was lucky I wasn’t dealing with Julius.’
The pendant dropped from her fingers. ‘Julius!’ Adelina said. ‘You think my poor cuckolded Julius is intelligent?’
Nicholas gazed at her. ‘He’s here and free, and you’re not.’
On the surface, she had calmed. ‘That is true. But then, what has he achieved, compared with me? His objective was to become wealthy, and he is poor. Mine was to remind you of the sins of your childhood, and to compel you to regret them.’
‘You did quite well,’ Nicholas acknowledged politely. He kept his voice steady.
‘I think so too. But the coup de grâce is still to come. You are very sad, I hear, that your captain and half the Charetty company are dead? This proud little army confided to you by your first wife? How extraordinary,’ said Adelina. ‘You wouldn’t have me, but you forced yourself to take an old woman, provided it brought you her business.’
‘No,’ said Nicholas, and got up. She raised her voice, and went on. She was smiling.
‘And what was she like, when put to her business?’ said Adelina. ‘A little stiff, and prone to wheeze, but — I am sure — most eagerly grateful. And she knew that to keep such a splendid young stallion, she must spare him more ridicule, if she could. She had the sense, at least, not to complain when, using her in your virile way famed among kitchenmaids, you generously got her with child.’
‘She’s lying,’ said Tobie. ‘Come.’
‘Are you lying?’ Julius said. ‘How do you know?’
‘Anyone going to Dijon can find out,’ said Adelina. ‘If they know whom to ask, and are sufficiently convincing, and will swear themselves humbly to secrecy. You have a daughter, Nicholas. Are you not pleased? Her name is Bonne.’
The room had become very cold. Nicholas sat. Tobie put his hand on his shoulder. Julius said loudly, ‘Bonne is too young.’
Adelina’s voice said, ‘Bonne is two years older than I told you she was.’
‘But she is yours,’ Julius said. ‘Yours and the Graf’s.’
‘He adopted her,’ Adelina said. ‘He was extremely anxious to marry me. He did not care who I was, or what story was told. And he knew I couldn’t sully his line, because I was barren.’ Her gaze rested on Nicholas, although she spoke to her husband. ‘You don’t know what Jaak de Fleury did to me. Nicholas could tell you. What Jaak did to me was to ensure that I could never carry a child.’ She smiled, still looking at Nicholas. ‘Bonne is Marian de Charetty’s daughter, by you.’
He steadied then, finding his voice, and causing Tobie’s hand to move aside. Nicholas said, ‘Can you prove it?’
‘I don’t need to,’ Adelina said. ‘You have to prove it untrue.’
Her eyes were glowing, her shoulders straight under the fall of glorious hair. Nicholas stood, and met her gaze, and said, ‘I think that is enough. The rest is for Julius.’
‘You are running away?’ Adelina said. ‘She died in a foreign land, for your sake. An old woman, she set out on a journey knowing that she would give birth alone, and that you need never know what had happened — even if she died, as she did.’
Nicholas walked to the door and turned. Tobie had already opened it. Nicholas said, ‘If it is true, I ought to know, and I am glad you have told me. If it is false, I shall find out soon enough. I don’t think, in leaving you, I am running away. I see nothing in you that I can harm or help any more.’
She did not answer, but he could feel her gaze on the door as he closed it, while the voice of Julius battered at her attention. ‘You promised me children