To Lie with Lions - Dorothy Dunnett [342]
‘He’s a bloody fool, isn’t he? Look at the unicorns,’ Julius said, nudging his padrone. There were three of them, cast in pure gold, and worth a middle-sized duchy.
Then he said, ‘Ah. Pardon me for interrupting. You’ve noticed Gelis.’
At the end of the four hours, when he had got rid of the others, Nicholas made his way under the hanging lanterns to the two great inner courtyards, still full of subdued conversation as guests sought the fresh air. He had thought Wolfaert van Borselen might be with her; she had been seated beside him. But in the event, it was Tobie who peered down to see who was knocking, and Mistress Clémence who opened the door.
The nurse smiled, which was altogether unusual. ‘My lord. The Lady will be happy to see you. I am afraid Master Jodi is asleep.’
‘I should hope so,’ he said, smiling back. ‘And I shouldn’t dream of disturbing him.’ He had learned to be patient. It was nearly six weeks since they had met; but Jodi was nearly five now, and knew about absences. Then she went off, and Tobie came, with a curious mixture of alarm and relief on his face, and offered to take him to Gelis.
He clearly knew, or thought he knew, what was happening. Nicholas said, suddenly ruffled, ‘Well, for God’s sake get some wine and come with me. Introduce me. You’ve taken long enough to get here.’
‘It’s all right, Tobie. He’s in a bad temper. It was a tedious supper,’ Gelis said. She had come out of her chamber. She looked the way she had at the van Borselen table, with the light on the jewels in her hair. She looked like a fine drawing, whereas Julius’s wife reminded him of a painting on gesso.
She said, ‘Aren’t you coming in? Both of you?’ And when he moved forward she added, ‘Ah. You haven’t been drinking water.’
‘I was nearly driven to it,’ he said, ‘once or twice. But I wanted to stay mellow for you.’ He couldn’t remember what day or week he had stopped drinking water. He was sober, he thought. Sitting down, he observed that she was extraordinarily at ease. But then she knew, as it were, that she had come.
Tobie handed him a cup and said, ‘I’ve watered it. Presumably you don’t want to be too mellow for the Emperor. So tell us the gossip. Everything.’
He told them a few things that he thought were especially funny, and Tobie talked about Augsburg and their journey. Gelis contributed, but mostly inspected him as if looking for rust. After a while Tobie got up to go to bed. ‘When shall we see you? Are we allowed into the city?’
‘Astorre will be extremely annoyed,’ Nicholas said, ‘if you don’t come to the jousting. But normally, it’s probably easier for us to come here than for you to come to the Archbishop’s Palace. It depends how long it’s all going to go on.’
‘What is your guess?’ said Gelis.
‘Too long,’ he said.
Then Tobie had gone, and Gelis said, ‘Are you as drunk as you look?’
He realised he was standing, and sat down. He said, ‘I sent you a message.’
‘Is that all you can say?’ Gelis said. ‘No convincing arguments? Seductive persuasion?’
He said, ‘I assumed you would have made up your mind. You usually have.’
‘And you despair of changing it?’
‘I may not need to. You are here.’
‘You think I don’t have the courage to refuse you to your face?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I have a more flattering reason. I think you are clever enough to have shortened your campaign to suit. I think you have done all you want to do, and that you are prepared for a settlement now.’
‘Now?’
‘When the Duke’s business is done, and we are both free. Free to hold our accounting. Free to go where the winner chooses to go.’
‘I meant to ask,’ Gelis said. ‘Who decides who has won? Should we not have an outside adjudicator? Nicholas?’
He shook his head. ‘If you wish. I don’t mind.’
‘Good. But I shan’t ask you to select one tonight. I doubt if you could. Let me send you home safely to bed.’
He found he was standing again. He said, ‘You haven’t answered me yet.’
‘I thought you did it for me,’ Gelis said. ‘Of course I am ready. Come to me when the congress is over, and we