Caprice and Rondo - Dorothy Dunnett [89]
‘I know,’ Anna said. ‘And Julius would like that, of course. If only Gelis were here!’
Kathi gave a wry smile. ‘You think she could control either of them?’
‘The household could,’ Anna said. ‘Remember the poem? That was the smoke of self-sacrifice, not the indifference it might seem. Your conscienceless friend is passionate about at least one person, his son. With that small boy to rear, Nicholas would do nothing rash. From what I have seen of his nurse, Mistress Clémence is wise with adults as well as children. And perhaps even Dr Tobias would come. Robin says that he and Nicholas have fallen out and become reconciled in the past.’
‘Perhaps he would, but Gelis wouldn’t,’ Kathi said. ‘And without her consent, he could never see Jodi. In any case, he isn’t ready for Jodi, and Jodi shouldn’t have to act as his crutch. Nor should anyone else. Perhaps, if he hadn’t alienated them all, they would come and restrain him for a while, but it never seems to last long: he breaks away and does something unforgivable yet again. He has to learn on his own.’ She broke off, hearing the bleakness in her own voice. ‘Which isn’t much help to you. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you are going to separate Julius and Nicholas that way.’ She wondered, as she spoke, why they were talking of a difficulty that might never materialise; and realised that this, of course, was why they were talking. It was unthinkable that Julius was going to die.
Anna said, ‘If Nicholas were legitimate, would Gelis feel differently?’
The hum of the market came through the closed windows. Women’s voices spoke outside the door, and a clatter of pewter as something was carried upstairs on a tray. Kathi said, ‘What do you mean? If there were a superior title for Jodi, would Gelis feel bound to repair the marriage? I don’t think so. I think that her personal association with Nicholas matters more than anything else ever could. But does the question even arise? I thought his bastardy was proved by default.’
‘But if someone were to show otherwise?’ Anna said. ‘You once mentioned a vicomte de Fleury. There was a man of that name in a monastery on the Montello, in the March of Treviso, north of Venice. Julius heard of him. He said your uncle had a brother buried there.’
This was true. She looked at Anna in astonishment. Jacques Adorne had spent two years with the Carthusians, and died there, a monk. On his way home from Venice three years ago, her uncle Anselm had taken his eldest son Jan to the grave, leaving Kathi in the nearest town to await them. Neither had spoken of this. She took a moment to think. Then she said, ‘Was the vicomte a very old man?’
‘I don’t know. He may have been. He had no powers of speech and was quite helpless, Julius was told. He may even be dead. But Gelis could find out,’ Anna said. ‘As you go home, you could send and tell her.’ From sleeplessness, her eyes were large and strained: she talked as if she were discussing the most important thing in the world. And then Kathi remembered that, if Jodi and Bonne were to marry, it might well be just that, for Anna. Her lover and husband might never recover, but she would secure a future for the fatherless Bonne.
Kathi crossed the room and, sitting, put her arm round Anna’s shoulders. ‘He’ll get better,’ she said. ‘And we’ll keep these two villains apart, whether we have Gelis to help us or not. But don’t underrate what Nicholas offers. He can help you: he has a genius for business. And you might even come to help him. He needs a regulator. And Robin and I shan’t be here.’
‘You are fond of him,’ Anna said gently.
‘I used to be,’ Kathi said. ‘Half of me, I suppose, hasn’t stopped. The rest has suspended judgement: that’s Flemish caution for you. But he has taken this accident badly, and that’s a good sign, I suppose. Force him to stop and think, and not to escape sideways any more. I confide him to you.’ She halted and said, ‘Yes, I’m fond of him.’
‘I wish you were staying,’ Anna said.
• • •
THE DAY WENT ON, and Julius lived. In the house of