Niccolo Rising - Dorothy Dunnett [187]
Claes said, “If this hadn’t happened, your mother would have sold, or would have married Oudenin.”
“Either would have been better than this,” Felix said. “As it is, we’ll make the best of it. You’ll leave tonight. You can take one of the horses. I’ll give you enough money to get you as far as Geneva. Jaak de Fleury will take you in, I’m sure. You’re his niece’s bastard. If he doesn’t, you’ll have to find work on your own. I’m sure that’ll be easy. You can find someone’s business and run it. Or, now you’ve been taught how to fight, you might find some work with a condottiere. But keep clear of Astorre and our company. You’re not a member of this company any longer. We don’t hire you and we’ve nothing to do with you. Is that clear?”
“Yes, it’s clear,” said Claes. “You would have to discuss it with your mother. But what if she disagreed? She holds the purse-strings.”
Felix stared at him. “Are you threatening me?” he said.
“No,” said Claes. “At least, I expect you’d get a job somewhere. You see, for her, you come before me in everything, and always will. But if you ask her to choose between us at this moment, sheer pride will force her to choose me. It would make better sense to try later.”
“My father’s friends … the city will run you out of town,” said Felix.
“Maybe,” said Claes.
“Henninc will walk out.”
“You could get him back, after I’ve been run out of town,” said Claes. “Look. The first mistake, and I’m out, you know that – long before I’ve had a chance to ruin the business. You don’t need to be seen to help or approve. Gregorio can go to meetings with me. I only suggested it because you could keep an eye on me that way. Although I could do with your advice as well. The dismissing of Olivier was the best thing that’s happened in Louvain.”
He always had the answers. Whatever passage of thought you turned into, he was there, already waiting. He would have worked out everything. An unshakeable marriage contract. His mother so manoeuvred that she was convinced that this was best, and he would have the rotten job of distressing her. Unless he could show her …
Claes said, “We have to tell the yard and the household before they stop for the night. Your mother will do it. You needn’t be there. But why don’t you go to her now, and make sure that this is really what she wants? If it isn’t, I won’t hold out against you both. You can’t break the marriage, but I’ll leave. Then Gregorio can go and collect people together, and we’ll tell them the final decision. Is that fair?”
“Not very,” said Felix. “You’ve had a night and a day to get her to make up her mind. And weeks beforehand, I’m sure, preparing her for it. I’ve got a few minutes.”
“But you’re her son,” said Claes.
He would go to his mother. He couldn’t think how to get Claes out of his room. He finally just walked and opened the door and said to Claes, “Go and wait in your quarters.” And Claes went, without fuss, as if he weren’t his mother’s husband at all. Felix felt his throat harden again. He waited until he had collected himself. Then he went and tapped on his mother’s door.
To be alone for the first time at seventeen is a frightening thing.
A handful of times, Felix had stood like this outside his father’s cabinet, gathering courage to knock, and go in, and face Cornelis’ anger at some piece of misconduct unbecoming to Cornelis’ only son and adored heir.
Cornelis had never really known what Felix was like. His mother knew, and had cuffed him often harder than Cornelis, but had always been there, in the background, grimly understanding. Even while he rebelled against her, he felt safe. Not any longer. He was so empty that his hand didn’t even shake as he lifted it, at length, to knock on his mother’s door. He just felt cold.
When she didn’t answer he knocked again, not very loud. Then he realised that the sound he had heard before was her voice responding, and that she was telling him, for the second time,