The Unicorn Hunt - Dorothy Dunnett [174]
‘Yes,’ said Gregorio. ‘In private. She was already packed. I believe she has gone.’
‘She didn’t say goodbye to anybody?’
‘She was fond of Godscalc,’ the lawyer said.
John said nothing, for it seemed to be true. He had seen her ride out. She was red-eyed and pale. She was the same physical type as Primaflora, which was presumably why Nicholas had married her. He always seemed to get entangled with young women who didn’t like him particularly, but could supply, in excess, what he wanted. Come to think of it, there was nothing much wrong with that.
Tobie said, ‘About the meeting. Don’t worry. I’ll find him a pill for his temper.’
‘What happened?’ said John. ‘I saw you come in last night.’
‘And you told Nicholas?’ said Tobie. He stopped drinking.
‘No.’
Gregorio said, ‘I expect you followed him, and he saw you. I was worried as well. He’ll get over it. Tobie, he’s not returning to Scotland. He’s going to Egypt with John.’
‘God’s bonnet,’ said Tobie. He stared at the lawyer.
‘I know. He should have done it before. He should have gone to the Levant before he committed us so deeply up north. But he can return to Scotland, he says, in two years, and put all his remaining schemes back in action and collect what’s due on the rest. Adorne isn’t there any more; Sersanders is only an agent; there’s no one else as close to the King as Nicholas was in the end.’
‘And in Egypt?’ Tobie said. ‘He’ll get the Levantine trade going to the limit at last?’
‘And the missing gold,’ said Gregorio. ‘What do you know about parrots?’
*
It was an axiom long apparent to Gelis, that one attacked when one’s opponent was weakest. She assumed that her husband obeyed it as well. She expected him to turn the death of Godscalc to his advantage, and took steps, naturally, to counter him. It was by chance that she discovered, seeking to avoid Nicholas through the night, that he had left the house early and that Tobie had followed. She knew when Tobie returned, for she was waiting at Godscalc’s bedside to confront him. And Tobie was not a good actor.
She had wondered who would bring her word that Godscalc had died; and was not surprised when it was Nicholas who knocked and came in. Attack when your opponent is weakest. But if she had been sleepless all night, so had he. Or so she assumed.
On the other hand, he was a brilliant actor. He stood before her, subdued and chastened in manner, his words a model of what was considerate. His shirt was fresh, and so was the loose tunic over it. Once, she had known every garment he had. Every garment. She spoke from the window-seat where she had been sitting longer, she realised, than she knew. ‘I’m glad you came back in time. Where did Tobie really find you? Some brothel?’
He smiled, but the glance that it grew from was distant. He hadn’t known, she saw, that the doctor had followed him. He took a seat. ‘Didn’t he tell you? If you want the address, you can have it. Or did Father Godscalc exact solemn promises? What have you agreed to give up for Lent?’
‘You were there,’ she said. ‘He didn’t ask me to promise anything more.’
‘The blackguard,’ said Nicholas. ‘Not that you would have kept your word anyway. I take it that you are not proposing to take Henry under your roof any more than I am. I’ve made some financial provision. If he kills anybody, it will pay for the defence. Otherwise I propose to have him watched, as Godscalc suggested, from a distance. I shall send you half the account.’
‘Half the – He’s your son.’
‘He’s your sister’s son. I’m sure you remember.’
He had learned so quickly. Or no. He had always known how to retaliate. She changed her position a little, folding her hands. She said, ‘I fear that Henry is only a pretext. You are actually proposing, in your sweet way, to induce me to foot half the bill for spying on Simon.’
‘You mean that wouldn’t amuse you?’ he said. He settled his elbows and furled his fingers, full of interest. ‘Certainly, I don’t think you’d uncover any tremendous surprises. No, you’re right. In fact, the situation