To Lie with Lions - Dorothy Dunnett [274]
The King said, ‘What did the vicomte de Ribérac promise Burgundy, in exchange for the return of his grandson from Beauvais?’
‘What did he tell you?’ Nicholas said.
‘What you might expect. That he gave orders to kidnap your child, and his men seized the wrong boy.’
‘My son is in Antwerp,’ Nicholas said. ‘The vicomte’s grandson was with the Burgundian army, under threat of arraignment for attempted murder. Certainly, he would have an imperative need to extract him.’
‘And the price?’ Louis said.
‘Perhaps M. de Commynes can tell you,’ Nicholas said. ‘The bargain was not made with me. Or perhaps it is enough to say that the vicomte has sent his son back to Scotland after keeping him for almost four years in exile. Perhaps the vicomte himself means to follow. It could harm monseigneur’s prospects in that kingdom.’
‘He plans to go there. He has told us,’ said Louis.
‘Monseigneur could forbid it,’ said Nicholas. ‘And ask him to bring back Simon his son.’
‘Or we might let him go, and send you to counter him,’ Louis said. ‘We have spoken of the vicomte’s position at Court, and we know you are willing to fill it. You have seen the rewards we can offer, which would include your own vicomte of Fleury. We have said that we should welcome your army. All this will happen next year, when you openly leave your Burgundian master. But this winter, we wish you to serve us in Scotland. If our suspicions are confirmed, de Ribérac’s position in France will be yours.’
‘And the future of the vicomte de Ribérac?’ said Nicholas.
‘There are precedents. You yourself mentioned Jacques de Coeur,’ said the King.
The audience ended soon after. They did not speak of Bessarion, but Nicholas already knew that the Cardinal’s mission was over. In the long term, it had failed. In the short term, paradoxically, it had succeeded. Brittany was ceasing to fight because her most powerful counsellor had been bought. Burgundy, unsupported, badly led, was soon, surely, to fall into truce. But that was just this year. When spring came again, all the forces would realign and reassemble. When the spring fleets set out for the East, Burgundy, Brittany, and France would not be represented.
Leaving Les Ponts-de-Cé, he was offered an escort, but chose to travel insignificantly and apparently unarmed, in a worn tunic with a hat on the back of his head and a packmule of the kind a travelling craftsman might have. He hired a boy to accompany him. He was given anything that he wanted, and carried inside his shirt a pouch of jewels, two of which had a name. Louis had been generous.
He elected to journey back along the Loire valley, with the intention of striking north some way between Tours and Blois. He had been out of touch with the Bank for five weeks, but knew from de Commynes that Astorre’s company at least was intact, and little in action. His pendulum told him daily what else he needed to know. He planned to travel quickly, once he had paid a visit to Chouzy.
A prince should spend a third of his revenue, someone said, on his spies. You could say much the same of a merchant. He had no reason to doubt the record of Clémence de Coulanges and of Pasque, loyal for nearly four years to Gelis and to himself, if you excepted what had happened at Veere. Even so, he commissioned agents to check it. Reports suggested that they had spoken the truth: both had been found through the Abbey of Notre Dame de La Guiche. Pasque belonged to one of the many peasant families who supplied their daily servants. Mistress Clémence had been reared there, a dependant of the seigneur Bernard de Chouzy and his wife. They still took an interest in her, it appeared. They had come, in his absence, to visit Clémence and Pasque at Dijon.
It seemed natural;