Race of Scorpions - Dorothy Dunnett [204]
‘Weren’t there. I gather,’ Nicholas said, ‘that they and Episkopi are having some difference of opinion over water rights.’
‘Fancy,’ said John le Grant. He rubbed his nose, leaving it shining. He said, ‘Well, they got the right impression then; but for God’s sake, let’s keep friendly with Zacco. What did you decide about the new pounding mill?’
‘To do it,’ Nicholas said. ‘Or with a crop yield like this, we’ll be burning our surplus, unless the Martini burn it first.’
Loppe said, in his velvet voice, ‘We know we’ll get a bottleneck at the refinery stage, but expansion there will have to come later.’
‘Running out of money?’ said John.
‘No,’ said Nicholas. ‘But fuel, vats, skilled sugar boilers and, of course, time. We’ll have to farm out some of the refining or start throwing out juice. It can be done. We’ve found two places that will process the next lot. Next year, it’ll all be in tune. Are you coming to Stavros? In an hour I’m going to look at the madder crop for the dyeyards, and then see a man about wine for the army. How is the army?’
‘I’m glad you asked,’ said John le Grant. ‘You’d better go and look at your madder and leave Loppe to look after the wine. King James wants you back.’
‘And when he decreeth a matter, he doth but say unto it “Be!” and it is. Why?’ said Nicholas. ‘I sent Crackbene up. The siege ought to be biting.’
‘Well, they’ve run out of cod roe and pork titbits and the best sorts of sausage,’ le Grant said, ‘but they’re not eating the cats yet, despite what one hears. The castle’s well stocked. I’ve cast the gun, thanks to Crackbene and your timber. Zacco wants to use it.’
‘I can imagine. He’s bored, he wants a quick end, and he wants to get on to Famagusta. What did you tell him?’
‘The truth,’ said John le Grant. ‘It’s a nice big gun. If you rolled it up under the walls, it’d blow a hole through, and you could send Astorre through yelling murder. But the castle isn’t St Hilarion. It’s got a lot of food, and hundreds of highly trained soldiers, a lot of them Knights of the Order. There’s no way he can get that gun near enough to shoot through a wall. It has to be out of reach and constantly battering while the rations get low. Nothing dramatic. Just misery. Then they surrender. You hope.’
Nicholas said, ‘How did he take it?’
‘Zacco? He has to hear it from you. He won’t believe the blockade was so bad through the winter, and he won’t believe it is absolute now. But it is. You haven’t seen a town being starved?’ John le Grant said.
‘For Carlotta? I’ll be most impressed if they do,’ Nicholas said. ‘That’s what your gun is for. Saving the face. Kyrenia’ll give in. The nasty one is going to be Famagusta. The Genoese won’t die for Carlotta, but they’ll let themselves be blown to bits before they’ll give up their port and their property. I reckon we’ll be investing Famagusta just about the time the next cane harvest comes in, so the sugar plans had better be perfect. And the dyeworks. Did you call at Nicosia? How is jasmine-breasted Diniz?’
‘I’ve brought you a report from Bartolomeo,’ said le Grant. ‘And another from Venice. Why don’t you let that little fool go? Zorzi says you’ve bought and paid for him.’
‘I’m waiting until I get over my temper,’ Nicholas said. ‘A report from Venice? How?’
‘From Gregorio. I’ve opened it. It was coming by galley, and one of Crackbene’s boats intercepted it. You know Crackbene’s been hired by Zacco? He’s running two royal galleys as well as our round ship.’
Unfolding the paper, Nicholas nodded and ran his eye down. It was addressed to the company, so contained nothing personal, naturally. News of the Bank, which looked promising, and which he would read in detail later. News of movements of loans dictated by national happenings. Venice was at war with the Ottomans: a short analysis warning him what that meant. Scotland was sheltering the English Lancastrian King and Queen; the Flemish Queen Mother was less powerful; the Bishop Kennedy more so. In Brussels, Duke Philip was better though aged, and Michael Alighieri of Trebizond, miraculously, was there as his chamberlain.