The Spring of the Ram - Dorothy Dunnett [14]
“Earrings,” she said; and fell asleep smiling.
Chapter 3
BY THAT TIME, Nicholas vander Poele, juvenile leader of the Charetty company, had been in Florence for two or three days. With him were his notary and the company doctor. Other officers were expected, but not his wife, who was of course at home in Bruges with her older girl Tilde. The younger daughter Catherine had been sent off to Brussels before her stepfather had even left home. It had caused some talk.
By the time another three days had gone by, all the merchants in Florence knew that the Charetty company were here on the chance that they might get a great galley and set up a branch, fools that they were, in the East. No doubt they hoped the House of Medici would help them.
Since they could expect (everyone knew) a long wait, they had taken rooms in the Red Lion quarter. That they were not always to be found there had something to do with their preoccupations as merchants, and something to do with the temperament of their landlady. The day of 14 December was, however, an exception. Master Julius the company notary and Tobias Beventini the company physician were both in the parlour, for the purpose of improving their appearance.
Since not a great deal could be done for Tobie, their attention was centred on Julius, who possessed a certain kind of athletic good looks. With difficulty, Tobie was wielding the scissors. Julius was complaining.
“He’s got a new plaything,” Julius said. “Holy Virgin, that was my ear!”
“So I supposed,” Tobie said. “If you don’t want your hair cut, I’ll be happy to get on with something else, and you can find a barber to look after your ear. Who has a new plaything?”
“Nicholas, who do you think?” Julius said. “He came back with shavings in his shoes and his doublet all covered with sawdust, and this ridiculous toy.”
“Toy?” said Tobie. His mood lightened.
“Toy. Nicholas saw it at the Franciscans’ and they let him make one for himself. He plays with it. He’ll carry it to the Palazzo Medici unless we prevent him, and the lord Cosimo will give us alms for our halfwit and send us all back to Bruges. That was my ear again.”
“Do it yourself then,” said Tobie briskly. He tossed down his comb and the scissors, and went to pick up his cup of warmed wine from the windowsill. In a moment, as they both knew, he would go back and finish the job. Crossing the Alps interfered, as Tobie had observed, with a gentleman’s grooming. Crammed into the modest house of their hostess with their servants sleeping in cart sheds, they hadn’t expected the summons from God quite so soon. The appointment with the lord Cosimo de’ Medici was for that afternoon, and Nicholas didn’t know of it. Nicholas, oblivious, had gone out somewhere again. Perhaps to play with his toy.
“So what’s normal about Nicholas?” Tobie said. “He likes to look like a halfwit. He has a genius for figures. The Medici bank, how amazing, have discovered it. They won’t forget, will they? More. He is the kind of halfwit who seemed to like being a dyeshop apprentice. He married the Widow who promptly let him manage the business. He is managing the business. The fact that he killed five people in the process and ruined a sixth has made the Widow a little wary: one doesn’t blame her. But the Widow still trusts in Nicholas her juvenile husband, and hopes that if he strays from the path of good Flemish practices we will correct him. Nicholas is bizarre. If he weren’t, you and I wouldn’t be here. We have discussed this before.”
“Before Nicholas acquired a toy. I remember discussing it. I feel the need of talking it over again,” Julius said.
Tobie was actually quite pleased. Although roughly the same age as Julius, he was older than Julius would ever be: his short acquaintance with Julius had confirmed it. He said, “Julius, everyone’s got a toy. I like mine on my pillow. Captain Astorre likes to cook his and eat it. Godscalc hangs his on his girdle and counts it. The Widow prefers to accept hers in matrimony. When Nicholas gives up being weaned, I’ll become anxious.”
Julius