Niccolo Rising - Dorothy Dunnett [98]
“Then I’ll have to hurry, won’t I, and dig up some secrets to defend myself with?” said Claes. His gaze was profoundly amiable. He said, “If you don’t want to make the decision at once, I needn’t say whether you are withdrawing or not. The friends of Phocoea don’t expect my report till the spring.”
Which was shrewd. It was an offer Tobie liked. And there was no need, either, to make a specific reply. Ignoring the alum question as if it had never existed, Tobie said, “I want them told now that I have nothing to do with your courier service.”
Claes said, “I understand. That’s easily done.”
“So now you can keep all the profits,” said Tobie. “What will you do with the money?”
“Force the people of Bruges to bow to me instead of beating me,” said Claes. “Invest some of it.”
“Oh?” said Tobie. He rose from the bed and smoothed his crumpled gown. “A little property somewhere? A share in a wine tavern?”
“Both those things. What do you think of handguns?” said Claes.
Tobie stopped picking feathers from his skirts. He said, “You’re going into business?”
“Well, I’m in it already,” said Claes. “The money belongs to the Charetty company. Captain Astorre ought to have handguns. And there are a few other things a credit would be useful for, apart from buying property. Louvain needs more capital.”
“The Widow?” said Tobie. “You’re doing all this for … She’s willing to take money from this sort of source?”
“There’s nothing wrong with a contract for a courier service,” Claes said blandly.
“And she doesn’t know about the alum scheme either? Only the Greek and Anselm Adorne,” Tobie said. “You know, I’m surprised about Adorne. A man with a family church protecting a Turkish monopoly. You won’t deny that’s what it is, even if the Venetians are working it?”
A further thought struck him. “Christ. And if what you’re saying is true, protecting it at the expense of the Pope?”
He hoped he looked horrified. He was afraid he looked the way Claes was looking. Claes said, “I didn’t say Adorne knew any details. Anyway, trade and high thinking usually manage to put up with each other somehow. That was a knock on the door.”
Tobie had heard it. He said, “You didn’t arrange …”
Claes got up. Large, smooth-skinned, sunny, he looked capable of every athletic feat Tobie had ever heard of. He could imagine Claes exerting himself happily for hours and hours, with one girl or several. There were two beds. Vistas of endless embarrassment opened before him.
Claes said, “Don’t be worried. No one will ever mention alum to you again, unless you open the subject first. And as far as you know, I am running a perfectly respectable courier service. I’m going back to the inn. Stay if you want to.”
Status had to be maintained in some fashion. “That depends,” said Tobie unhurriedly. He strolled to the door, and opened it on a small, charming person with a coral necklace and one exposed breast. He said, “Cateruzza!”
“Second column from the left, third down,” said Claes. “They said you used to come from Pavia to see her. I thought you’d like to know she was still mixing trade and high thinking. I’ll leave you the lantern.”
Tobie stood at the door to the shop, and watched Claes find his way past the herbs and the pestle, and leave.
Tobie sneezed.
“May God bless you,” said Cateruzza musically from beside him. The sneeze, he saw, seemed to have unveiled her other breast.
He shut the door. He felt surprised. He felt tricked. He felt like investing all his recent blessings at once – quicker than at once – in the revealed and trim lap of Cateruzza.
That was when Tobie began to enjoy Milan. He saw Claes a few times after that, discussing practical things. Girls, alum and spying were never mentioned.
Julius was annoyed about the courier service. Even when it was explained to him how much money it would put into the company’s coffers, he was resentful. He had expected Claes to go with them to Naples. He didn’t see how Claes, having been appointed to Astorre’s army, could suddenly