Niccolo Rising - Dorothy Dunnett [184]
She had thought to put one matter behind her, and had asked Messer Gregorio to find and send Tilde and Catherine to her bedroom. She had rehearsed well beforehand how she was going to tell them, and gave them, simplified, the account Adorne knew, and the others. Because Claes was clever and they all liked him so much, she had asked him to help her run the company, so that he would stay with them always. But men and women who stayed together had to marry. Now Claes, whom they must learn to call Nicholas, was her new husband. But of course he would never replace their father. They must think of him as she did. As a friend.
Catherine had been put out. Now Claes would bring presents for her mother from Italy, and not for Catherine. She was reassured. Everything would be as it was before. If there were presents, of course everyone would have one. Simply, Claes would work in the house and not in the yard. And was to be called Nicholas. Catherine was satisfied.
Tilde, her face white, was different. She said, “None of our friends have mothers who married servants.”
Before Marian could speak, her younger daughter had interrupted with indignation. “Claes isn’t a servant! Nicholas.”
“What is he then?” said Tilde. “Have you told Felix?”
“As soon as he comes in,” said Marian. “Tilde, both you and Catherine are right. Nicholas is a servant, because he was born into that class. But has anyone you know married someone as clever as he is? You know he is very different from anyone else in the yard. Even Henninc.”
“Did you think of marrying Henninc?” said Tilde shrilly. “Why not marry Oudenin de Ville? He’s nearer your age. Are you going to have a baby?”
Horrified, Marian looked at her daughter. She didn’t know what she had expected. She hadn’t expected this. She heard Catherine say indignantly, “She’s our mother. She’s had all her babies.”
“Has she?” said Tilde, “Well, maybe our new father will supply all the babies, although I suppose we’ll never know whether they belong to him or to Felix.”
She stared her mother down. A sweet, quiet girl of thirteen. Marian said steadily, “What do you mean?”
Tilde said, “You are cut off from what’s happening. Don’t you know that they sell their mistresses to one another? Claes took Mabelie from Simon of Kilmirren. John Bonkle got her from Claes. And Felix bought her from John. That’s why he wanted the eight shillings parisis.”
That was when Nicholas opened the door. Marian stood up slowly. Tilde, already standing, turned her back on her mother and walked straight up to where he stood. Then she spat on his clothes and walked out.
Catherine’s face began to crumple. “Oh dear, temper,” said Nicholas, rubbing carefully with his kerchief. “Do you think that will stain?” He sat down, still rubbing. He said, “I don’t know. What do you think, Catherine? Will she get used to it? It’s very hard, skating with someone one minute and finding out the next that they’re going to skate with you every winter.”
Catherine hung on to her mother, but her face brightened. She said reprovingly, “She said you sold Mabelie to Felix.”
“I’m sure she didn’t,” said Nicholas, grinning. “I was disappointed in Mabelie. Do you know she preferred John Bonkle to me? And then one night Felix drank too much, and thought he could buy her from John. But you don’t buy nice girls like Mabelie. She’s still John’s particular friend. Do you have a particular friend?”
“I like you,” said Catherine.
“Well, that’s good,” said Nicholas. “But you’ve got to share me with Tilde and your mother. And you know Tilde’s upset. So we just have to keep very quiet, and be gentle with her until she gets used to it all. Now you stay with your mother. My lady?”
She took Catherine on her knee, their smiling cheeks together. I mustn’t forget.