Disorderly Knights - Dorothy Dunnett [166]
Then Gabriel, his guinea-gold hair blazing in the firelight, looked smiling at Lymond, and Francis Crawford said pleasantly, ‘Who’s holding the wagers? Fergie? Then note, Fergie, that we are to be joined presently here at St Mary’s by that well-known servant of Christ’s poor, Sir Graham Malett. As the saying has it, if the Gods have woolly feet, they also have arms of iron. Sir Graham is one of the most ironic. I am delighted that he is coming and I wish only to point out that the Order is not taking over this army, nor is this army taking over the Order. It is merely, as always, following my command.’
There was a small silence.
‘There is, I think,’ said Gabriel, in his rich, gentle voice, ‘nothing that any of us would ask better to do.’
*
‘Why?’ said Adam Blacklock later, when for the first time he and Guthrie were thrown together alone. ‘Why the hell did he do it?’
‘Do what?’ said the philosopher without excitement. ‘Throw down the gauntlet to the St John’s men? He had to make his position clear, or they’d feel in conscience bound to convert or crusade or otherwise reserve their armchair in heaven. Why take Gabriel at all? He had to, my minikin fiddler with chalks; he had to, or he would have lost all his best men including Jerott Blyth who one day is going to be nearly as good as himself. Don’t worry,’ said Alec Guthrie comfortably. ‘Don’t worry. Of all men Graham Malett knows how to exercise patience and tact.’
‘Of c-course,’ said Adam Blacklock gloomily. ‘But does Lymond?’
*
The last comment was made by Lord Culter when, riding to St Mary’s in the first winter frost, he haled his brother swearing from the tiltground to entertain him before the fire. Sitting down, ‘I don’t care a damn,’ said Richard Crawford calmly, ‘if it’s three o’clock and you’ve only got another bloody hour of daylight. You don’t need the practice and the ground’s like iron. You can lower their dignity some other way. What’s the rush anyway? You can’t fight anywhere till the spring.’
‘We shan’t be ready till the spring,’ said Lymond grimly. He picked up the helmet he had hurled down on entering and gave it to his steward, who unasked had brought in mulled wine; then sat opposite his brother and running a metal-blackened hand through his hair said in a different tone, ‘What a hell of a welcome. I’m sorry. But there’s so much still to do outside before the weather closes, and we have to tackle all the dreary minutiæ on weapons and theory where all your knightly warriors start losing their tempers and you have to go through a deadly routine of light relief with competitions and war jokes and community singing, and long, long stories of rape and battle and Generals I have Known.’
‘You’re lying in your teeth,’ said Richard cheerfully. ‘You’ve hand-picked that little band of sophisticates, and you know it. Gabriel alone is pretty well worth paying to hear. Has he been back?’
‘Twice. He had Joleta to see, and Sandilands has got him a house in Edinburgh, in one of the Order’s tenements. He’ll soon be able to spend most of his time at St Mary’s.’
‘I’m glad.’ After a moment, as Lymond said nothing, Richard added, ‘So is your doting mother. You certainly won’t have noticed, but he is what you have always needed: your perfect complement at last. You may match up to this man, Francis, but you’ll have to stretch yourself for the first time to do it.’
‘Too late. You find me on the recoil,’ said Lymond briefly. ‘How’s Mariotta?’
‘Don’t be a fool.’ Richard wasn’t to be put off. ‘For God’s sake, Francis, don’t throw this chance away. Meet him halfway at least. He had Joleta in tears over having quarrelled with you, and he worships her and she him.… Incidentally, my friend, what was that disagreement about? Lady Jenny said the furniture was matchwood, and Joleta wouldn’t explain.’
‘She needed a lesson,’ said Lymond shortly. ‘So do you. I changed the subject a moment ago because if one more person thrusts the Archangel Graham Malett down my throat I shall vomit.’
‘I daresay,’ said Richard Crawford in the mildest tone he possessed.