To Lie with Lions - Dorothy Dunnett [296]
Her heart bumped, and then bumped again. All the bonhomie left Sersanders’s face. ‘Where?’
Off La Rochelle, I believe, in the very shadow of Oléron. On its way back from Bordeaux with twenty-seven tuns of Gascon wine and a book on the Laws, but Crackbene’s friends never could read. I’m sorry.’
Sersanders said, ‘Burgundian sinking Burgundian? Duke Charles wouldn’t like that.’
Nicholas said, ‘Anselm, three-quarters of that ship is Vatachino. I have to protect myself. And although we are friends, or I hope we are, we are each fighting for our share of the trading in Scotland, and your uncle is my rival in that. He proved it in Danzig. Benecke is still very cross with you all. I am perhaps trying to show your uncle and you that association with the Vatachino can bring trouble.’
He was good with Sersanders. Kathi watched them both. A man of Martin’s had been leaving as he arrived; she supposed Nicholas had seen him. She didn’t like Martin, nor did her brother. For Sersanders, nevertheless, business was business. He said, ‘We shall sue.’
‘You can try,’ Nicholas said. ‘You won’t find any connection between the pirate and Crackbene, or me. And of course, this conversation never happened. I just wanted to say that in one way I regretted the necessity. I shall never forget Iceland.’
Kathi said, ‘You risked something, telling us.’
The dimples appeared. He said, ‘Not a lot. I am a very good liar. Anselm, you know that Martin is concentrating on the towns? On deals for the burgesses?’
‘I suppose,’ Sersanders said, ‘that he felt that you had the Court already in your purse. What do they owe you now?’
‘Not as much as everyone owes your uncle’s dear Tommaso in Bruges,’ Nicholas said. ‘I’ve decided to model myself on the Portinari. How many children does he have now? And getting his portrait painted again?’
Sersanders said, ‘I heard you were encouraging the King to have his done. And John’s rich father Bonkle would pay for it.’
‘Hugo will make a very nice job of them both,’ Kathi said. ‘Altar-pieces pay very well, and Maria’s already managed two children by the age of sixteen: they’ll need an extra panel if the paint takes long to dry. You’ve heard the joke about Henne’s Last Judgement?’ In fact, everyone had a joke about Henne’s latest. It showed the Saved and the Damned, most of them identifiable drinking companions or debtors of Henne.
‘I sent him a few tips about Hell,’ Nicholas said. ‘What’s happened? Tani can’t pay for it?’
Angelo Tani, formerly of the Medici in Bruges, had commissioned the painting for the Medici managers’ chapel in Florence. His likeness appeared on the back. Tommaso loathed him: Tommaso had been left out of the picture. Kathi said, ‘How did you guess? But it’s going to be all right after all. Tommaso is underwriting the painting and sending it to Florence for free; it’s going on the Burgundian galleys next spring. In return for which –’
‘– Memling has painted him into the picture. Naked? All the Risen were nude as a needle when I saw the piece last,’ Nicholas said, his expression distant. ‘This huge triptych. I haven’t seen Tommaso naked since –’
‘Neither has anyone except maybe Maria. No. That is, Henne painted Tommaso’s head on a piece of lead foil, and stuck the foil on someone else’s nude body. There could be an industry in that,’ Kathi said.
‘There is already. Statues, even. Ask Tobie, if he’ll condescend to mention Volterra. This triptych will be wasted on the Medici managers. You should get Jan to view it in situ, and report on Tommaso from the neck down. How is Jan? Still in Rome?’
‘And that’s another thing,’ said Sersanders. He was still flushed from the blow over the Unicorn. Kathi saw that Nicholas had come perversely determined to have all his sins forgiven at once.
Her brother said, ‘You bastard, what about poor Patrick Graham?