The Spring of the Ram - Dorothy Dunnett [218]
“Detailed by whom?” Tobie said. His head, bald as an old man’s, at this moment looked bald as a baby’s.
“By Uzum Hasan of the White Sheep. He owns Erzerum. He wanted to know how we stood with the Emperor. He wanted us to know how he stood with the Emperor and the Sultan. He had sent his mother to talk to us.”
“Arranged by his niece the lady Violante?” said Tobie. “That explains…” He broke off. “The bitch!”
“What?” said Nicholas.
Tobie said, “She came to see us. Eight days ago.”
There was a pause. Then Nicholas said, “Yes. She would have known by then that we were safe. If she didn’t tell you, she wanted to find something out.”
Godscalc said, “I imagine she did find it out.”
“Do you regret it?” said Nicholas. “What else did she say?”
Tobie said, “Quite a lot. She warned us against Doria. She wanted to hire the Ciaretti to take the Empress to Batum. To tell us that the Venetians were buying their goods in Erzerum and sending them to Kerasous, instead of Trebizond. She advised us to do the same. Do we trust her?”
“Think what her interests must be, and then trust her,” Nicholas said. “It was Diadochos who arranged to split up the caravan.”
“So that the Turk in Bursa gets everything.”
“So that Doria in Trebizond finds there is nothing to buy. Don’t believe all you hear. The Genoese consignment, yes, has gone by land to Bursa and good luck to it. Even if it gets past the fighting, the taxes will kill any profit.”
“And Venice?” Tobie said.
“What she told you was true. The local agent bought for Violante and Venice. Four hundred camels have taken their goods to Kerasous, to go into storage until they can be embarked to sail west. Another four hundred camels have gone with them for me.”
Godscalc said, “You will have to explain. Whatever credit you have, no money you could possibly raise would pay for merchandise of that order on top of the mule-loads to Trebizond.”
John le Grant, entering quietly, took his place by the wall.
Nicholas said, “The mules brought nothing, father. The bales they unloaded were padded. They were merely to mislead Doria, so that he would never suspect our interest in Kerasous. All our cargo is now lying at Kerasous except for your manuscripts, and what we have been paid by the Palace, and a few other dues. I hope we can save these as well, but even if we don’t, we have our profit. The Turks can do what they like to the rest of the Empire. As soon as the seas become clear, the Kerasous merchandise can be embarked and make its way home to Venice and Bruges.”
“Taken by whom?” John le Grant said.
Nicholas looked at him. “By Julius,” he said. “Julius left Erzerum when I did, and then took the west road with eight hundred camels. When he gets to Kerasous, he will send word. Then he will stay there.”
Tobie said, “How in God’s name…How in God’s name did you get Julius to go to Kerasous, and let you come and join us in Trebizond?”
“It was easy,” said Nicholas. He let a breath pass, and then said, “Tell me what you know about the Empress.”
Tobie said, “Just that she’s going to Georgia in our galley. The Emperor doesn’t know.”
“He does now,” Nicholas said. “But no one else. Or people will panic, and leave.”
“You’ve seen the Emperor?” Godscalc said.
“When I took the mules to the new house. It’s a good one: what we needed. Of course I saw him; or your gates would never have opened. He wanted to send her today, but I said we’d goods to embark. The manuscripts and the dyes.”
“You haven’t bought any dyes,” Tobie said.
Nicholas said, “No, but our clients did. The ones we sold our silk to. They sold wine to Caffa for furs, and bartered the furs to the Tabriz caravan merchants for kermes and indigo, and will pay me in kermes and indigo for what they owe me for silks. That’s why there was nothing left for Doria to buy.”
“It puzzles me,” Godscalc said. “He was wounded. But why didn’t he go to Erzerum and make his purchases there?”
“I can’t imagine,” said Nicholas. “Unless someone stole all his money.”
Tobie said slowly, “He tried to kill you. Doria