The Unicorn Hunt - Dorothy Dunnett [175]
‘Where you will be waiting for them.’
‘No, no,’ Nicholas said. ‘Fields and fields of corn-marigolds, but not me. You haven’t been listening. Scotland is what I have agreed to give up for Lent. For two Lents.’
She let a silence develop. Far away, the life of the house could be heard: soft footsteps passing up and down; grieving voices. A soul dear to them all – she thought – had left the earth, and Nicholas had knelt for its blessing. She could feel those craftsman’s hands resting on hers, and hear Godscalc speaking. Nicholas had been performing. It had meant nothing to him. Nothing, nothing. So, determined, alone, one worked with what did have some meaning.
She said, ‘Gregorio told me what a Decreet Arbitral was, and what you thought of it. And of your interest in Boyd land in Scotland. You want it to encircle Kilmirren.’
He produced an expression, briefly, of theatrical slyness. He didn’t deny it. He looked, indeed, as if he were thinking of something quite different.
She said, ‘All those schemes? All that consolidated goodwill? Of course you’re going back.’
‘Of course you would think so,’ said Nicholas de Fleury. ‘But since I’m not, let’s move to the next point at issue: your future. We reached an agreement.’
‘I remember,’ she said. Remarkably, she had kept her voice even. The next point at issue. The next item before you all, gentlemen. She was in the presence of the padrone. He had agreed that her child would be safe, and she had agreed to bear him what children he wanted. Fields and fields of corn-marigolds. Her skin contracted. She added impersonally, ‘And you have overcome your repugnance.’
He pulled his fingers apart in a generous gesture. ‘With great regret, I have to postpone our reunion. That is, I have to leave in a few weeks for Florence, and I may have to winter in Egypt. But I shall be back in Venice next year, and able to send for you and your son. Will Venice suit you, next spring? A happy nesting, like that of the birds?’
She must have moved. He looked up, his expression quite benign. ‘I don’t ask if you wish this; only if you understand it. If there is any difficulty, my attendants will find you and resolve it.’
She took her time, because she wanted to tremble. She was being given nine months. She was being given nine months because he had been telling the truth in one respect, if only one. He was keeping his promise to Godscalc. And since he had to reshape his whole future, he had released her from his immediate plans.
Also, by next year, he would think, the age of her child could no longer be judged with precision. He could introduce wife and offspring in Venice, a legitimate family. And on that basis, he would expect to beget his next child. Which was, of course, all he wanted. His reward and her punishment.
I have to postpone our reunion. She studied him. He was not a man for whom abstention was normal. Despite Tobie’s vagueness, she believed that last night he had bought his own partners. He had had women in Scotland. It was a weakness, and therefore a lever. Nicholas was expert with levers. He used his knowledge of her for his own ends. He had expected to get what he wanted from Godscalc, but hadn’t. And suddenly she realised why.
She sat up. The chair, which was a new one, creaked slightly. Everything in the chamber was new; all the furnishings of the wedding night had been swept away, and even the bed stood in a different place. There had been a niche, once, full of objects fashioned by children. She said blankly, ‘You told him. You told Father Godscalc about Simon.’
‘Well, I showed him diagrams,’ Nicholas said. His tunic was lightly embroidered and his buttons were carved from blue stones. With her, he didn’t bother with dimples. He added, ‘He guessed.’
‘Hence the oath about Scotland and Henry.’
‘Sadly, yes.’
‘And none about the duties of parenthood.’
‘Sadly, no. Although he did try to send for the boy. If there is a boy. Is there a boy?’
‘I told you. So why did you pledge your word