The Spring of the Ram - Dorothy Dunnett [295]
“And ruin the company?” Nicholas said again. “That’s not doing anything for your mother, is it? You’re the head, Tilde. And Catherine is your partner. You have to work with her, or sell out.”
Tilde’s grasp slackened, and her hand fell. Nicholas let her go. Catherine put both hands to her scalp. She said, “I’d buy your share.” Gregorio moved; and stopped when Nicholas looked at him.
Tilde said, “What with? You owe money.”
Catherine said, “I don’t. Nicholas said so. Nicholas would help me. Nicholas and I could run the business.”
Simon said, “Ah!”
Gregorio said, “Nicholas.”
It was too late. Tilde said furiously, “When I am dead. You and Nicholas, when I am dead.”
“Then you have to work with your sister,” Nicholas said. “And I have something to tell you. She is a businesswoman. She is better then Doria was.”
The pity of it overwhelmed Gregorio. But he was a lawyer; and he couldn’t let it go on. He said, “Nicholas: it doesn’t arise. The demoiselle changed her deposition.”
Everyone looked at him. Astorre, with his sewn eye and his frown. Simon, with a continuing and growing delight. The sisters, side by side, mourning their dead mother in anger. And Nicholas, his face grey with what seemed to be weariness. Gregorio said, “When the demoiselle became very ill, she realised that she was going to leave Nicholas without provision, and two very young daughters controlling the company between them. She distrusted Pagano Doria, but hadn’t yet proved his marriage invalid. She therefore withdrew Catherine’s share of the Bruges business, leaving Catherine’s welfare to Nicholas.”
Simon was no longer smiling. “Ah. What a pity,” he said. “Nicholas owns the Charetty company.”
“No!” said Tilde. “It was my mother’s.”
“Yes,” said Gregorio. “And now, Tilde, it is yours.”
The girl stared. The younger one said, “She gets it all! What about me?”
Nicholas said nothing.
Tilde said slowly, “Catherine should have an inheritance. It isn’t right.”
“I’m willing to pay for her,” Nicholas said.
Tilde said, “Out of what? The business is mine.”
Gregorio cleared his throat. “The Bruges business is yours. What lies in Venice belongs to Nicholas. The eastern venture is wholly his. The demoiselle stipulated that this should remain so. In recognition, however, of her original financial support, she suggested that Nicholas, if in profit, might see his way to paying a sum of not less than three per cent of his gains back into the Charetty at Bruges. This referred only to the first voyage. Any subsequent profit would be his alone.”
He addressed it all to Nicholas and ended smiling a little, reflecting what he saw, thankfully, in the other man’s face. “Three per cent!” Nicholas said.
“Is it so much, considering what she did for you?” Simon said.
Nicholas and Gregorio continued to look at one another. Nicholas said, “I will fight it, of course, in the courts.”
Tilde was silent. It was Catherine who said, “You wouldn’t dare. Do you know what she’s done? She’s left you a fortune. Everything you came home with.”
“Including you,” Nicholas said. “You spend too much. We’ll have to see about that. And of course, Tilde can’t manage the Charetty business on her own. I suppose I’ll have to lend her one of my managers.”
Tilde said, “It is my business. I will manage it.” Her voice was low, and shook only a little.
“You couldn’t,” said Catherine. “He’ll run it.” The girls stared at one another.
Tilde said, “What did you do it for? If you hadn’t run after that man…”
Gregorio cleared his throat again. He said, “You could still take Catherine as your partner. Pay her a wage, or a share of the business. If times were hard, Nicholas would still be bound to support her. But he wouldn’t have to have anything to do with the day-to-day running. You have men there who are doing it already. I would help.”
“You’re on his side,” Tilde said.
“I should avoid,” said my lord Simon, “employing anyone with affiliations to Nicholas. You would find your assets soon diminished. Your ships appropriated; your silver squandered; your goods mysteriously