Race of Scorpions - Dorothy Dunnett [323]
‘Well, the what,’ said Astorre. ‘I know it’s not likely to happen. Louis keeps saying he’ll pour in money for warships, but he’s really milking the clergy to pay for the Somme towns, not a war. The Pope’s made a pact with the Duke of Burgundy and Venice, so they say, but the Duke of Burgundy’s old and ailing, and needs all his wits to watch France. Of course the Pope’s got all this money.’
‘From the alum mines,’ Nicholas said. ‘You reckon you ought to join the Pope?’
Astorre’s beard assumed several angles, and his sewn eye adopted a frown. He said, ‘I won’t say it’s not tempting. Direct war, and no sieges. You’d quite like it.’
Nicholas sat. He said, ‘We’re looking for something that suits you, not me.’
Astorre went red. He said, ‘It’s your money. But out of a poor lot, I’d take the Crusade.’
‘All right,’ said Nicholas, standing up. ‘Let’s go and put it to the others. But don’t let’s take too long. De Ribérac will be busy. And Zacco’s expecting me, I am told, at the Palace.’
He said that in self-defence but, when he and Astorre joined Tobie, Loppe and John le Grant at table, the next exchange was not as trying as he’d feared. From Loppe, by his wish, they already knew the truth about Primaflora as well as the course of the confrontation with Jordan de Ribérac. As a result, they greeted him with unnatural silence. Loppe rose when he entered and busied himself finding something bland he could swallow. John le Grant looked up, scrutinised him, and then went back to eating. Only Tobie spoke in a growl. ‘You need those bandages changed, or they’ll pull. I thought you knew all about medicine?’ His withering glare at Astorre was more in his usual manner.
Nicholas sat and said, ‘I have to see the King. I don’t know what mischief de Ribérac may be preparing, but perhaps we ought to clear our minds about what we want to do first. Should Diniz be here?’
John le Grant said, ‘He didn’t sleep in the villa. I hope he hasn’t gone to slaughter the Zorzi. Bartolomeo didn’t come to the yard as usual this morning.’
Remembering yesterday, Nicholas thought it unlikely that Diniz had gone off to quarrel with anyone, and could perfectly understand why the last person Diniz wanted to meet was himself. In his shoes, he would have spent the night drinking, and probably whoring. Whoring, very publicly, with a girl. He withdrew his mind from that particular happening and returned to what mattered to all of them. He said, ‘Well, Mick Crackbene? Could someone fetch him with Umfrid this afternoon? Or is he at the Palace?’
‘In his own lodgings, so far as I know,’ Tobie said. ‘You really think we have to give up the villa?’
‘I really think I want to give up the villa,’ said Nicholas. ‘And I think I can dispense with the delights of the capital. I don’t know what you want to do. So far as I know, we have Kouklia still, or at least the royal licence to run it. There are sugar estates in other places, and these we could run on our own. One is linked with Sigouri, and that might mean keeping the army there. One is Palekythro, about eight miles to the north-east of this place. There are vineyards in the fiefs I’ve been given. But Astorre’s inclination is to look for a war somewhere else. That rather rules out Sigouri, but means we could settle for other estates, and I could run them, or put in a manager, or any or all of you could help me. On the other hand, Astorre will need a proper complement if he’s to go off again on his own. Cook, doctor, accountant, company priest.’
‘Engineer?’ said John le Grant.
‘If you want,’ said Astorre. He looked pleased. ‘You might waste yourself. It earns big money, the kind of work you do.’
John le Grant said, ‘Nobody wants to stay and defend Cyprus? Or Nicholas is giving up war for his shop-keeping?’
‘Something like that,’ Nicholas said. ‘Luckily, Astorre isn’t giving up war. The Bank will support him. He’s hankering at present after a full-scale seaborne attack against the Sultan Mehmet. On the other hand, there’s work here for engineers and for shipmasters. Famagusta has to be repaired,