Race of Scorpions - Dorothy Dunnett [73]
‘Nicholai Giorgio de’ Acciajuoli. I have heard of him. There is a third brother in Cyprus. Jacopo Zorzi owns vineyards. We all know one another. It is a century and a half since a forebear of mine sent the first shipment of sugar to England. Another Loredano was Bailie for Venice in Cyprus. Through us, Venice knows all that is happening in Constantinople: how the Emperor David fares in exile with his Empress and children; how his Great Chancellor Amiroutzes is amusing himself far from Trebizond. You know Trebizond. You are not still, as we are, in touch with it. Of course, we hear it all, Marco and I, through … through our families.’ He snatched a handkerchief from his sleeve and touched his lips with it.
‘Through the ladies Valenza and Fiorenza, your wives. I envy you both,’ Nicholas said. ‘It is not every man who marries a princess of Trebizond. You and Messer Marco never bring your ladies to Cyprus?’
‘When the children are older, perhaps.’ Loredano created a pause; then tucked the kerchief neatly back in his cuff. He looked up, smiling. ‘I forget. Of course, you know one of their sisters.’
‘In passing,’ Nicholas said. ‘There are so many daughters of Naxos. But if you are writing to the madonna Violante, greet her for me. In everything, she has shown herself a perfect Byzantine. I extend to her two sisters’ husbands all the respect that she commanded from me at our last unforgettable meeting. Tell her that, if you please.’
He neither knew nor cared whether Loredano could interpret the message. He saw from his eyes that he did, and that he had sobered. Loredano said slowly, ‘You foolish man. After all that has happened, you are treating this as a game?’
‘Of course. You invite me,’ Nicholas said. ‘Now I examine the board and the pieces. Then we make up the rules. And lastly, I decide whether to play, and what side I want.’
Being under no illusions, it had seemed quite likely to Nicholas that he would suffer a regrettable accident before leaving the Venetians’ residence. He thought that if Marco Corner had been there, he probably would not have left with his life. It was important to Venice, for a great many reasons, that he and Astorre should not enrol with Queen Carlotta. It was clearly known that he had Genoese involvements. Anselm Adorne, guide of Tilde de Charetty was, after all, a kinsman of the Doges of Genoa. And although, at Trebizond, Pagano Doria had been his enemy, Nicholas himself had not returned to Venice in any amenable mood. If they knew that my lord Simon was working with kinsmen in Portugal, it might seem feasible, even, that Nicholas might wish to join or compete with him. Finally, Astorre had not made for King Zacco’s harbours in Cyprus: he had landed on Rhodes, where the Knights were Carlotta’s supporters. Which could mean that Astorre knew his master’s mind better than anyone.
All that, of course, Zacco had also identified. Zacco meant what he said when he promised to attack and to kill any company belonging to Nicholas that attempted to sail to Kyrenia. It seemed to Nicholas that it would be remarkably difficult to tell whether a ship sailing southwards from Rhodes intended to put into Kyrenia or, for example, King Zacco’s saltflats at St Lazarus called Salines. It might be that Zacco had reached the same conclusion and, despite his promise, was prepared to sink Astorre wherever he went unless he turned straight for Italy, ten sailing days to the west. So that, whatever happened, Astorre had to be warned not to leave Rhodes until Nicholas managed to find his way there. And the safest way to get word to Astorre was through the Order. And the representatives of the Order stayed at Kolassi Castle, where Primaflora had been put, passing as an innocent member of Carlotta’s household. Primaflora, to whom Nicholas knew he had given too little thought in the aftermath of what had happened to him—and that partly because, perhaps, of what