To Lie with Lions - Dorothy Dunnett [39]
‘Do I look dead?’ said Nicholas.
Astorre grinned. ‘And the boy? You’ll turn him into a banker?’
‘If he’s good enough,’ Nicholas said. ‘If he isn’t, I may just have to pay some poor troop of soldiers to keep him out of my way. He’s got hands.’
‘I’ve made him a sword,’ Astorre said. Above the dyed beard, a touch of pink coloured his cheek-bone. He said, ‘Body of God, I don’t know who taught you. No fighting because of some truce? The Duke wants the Somme valley cleared, and he’s hoping for a great English army to help him.’
‘Will they?’ said Nicholas.
‘Boyd says yes, but who knows. He’s with us in camp, waiting to kiss you. Tom Boyd, Earl of Arran. The lad you helped get out of Scotland with his wife the King’s sister. They’ve landed on Adorne.’
‘I know. I arranged it. So now York is back on the throne, are the Boyds going to settle in England?’
‘Earl Tom’s not so sure, but his father wouldn’t risk anywhere else. I’m told Adorne isn’t so keen.’
‘Why not? He must be desperate to get rid of them all. Unless, of course, he thinks the English will plot with the family, and Scotland will blame him. So what else? Tell me more. What about Guelders? Paris? Anjou? Brittany …?’
Astorre talked, and he listened. Outside Hesdin they parted, and Nicholas rode on thoughtfully to his meeting. In Ham, he had been greeted by Jordan de Ribérac. Here, he would be delivered first to the Chancellor and his lawyers and clerks. Nicholas knew Guillaume de Hugonet from several meetings in Brussels. He could guess his present agenda, and knew how he wanted to adjust it to his own. After that, Hugonet would report to the Duke, and Nicholas would have his audience. Hugonet was pedantic and humourless, but he was the third member of his family to serve Burgundy, and had been with Charles since he was young, as had his brother. He generally knew what the Duke would accept, and how to present it.
It happened much as he expected. Nicholas had been in Hesdin before. It was one of the three houses in Flanders large enough to contain both the Duke and the Duchess. Margaret of York was at present away, supervising the victory feast acclaiming her brother. Nicholas was therefore spared the need to mention his wife and his son, although Hugonet, greeting him, asked out of courtesy. The Duke had forgotten Gelis had ever served as a lady of honour.
There were two sets of talks, and might have been more had other business not been so pressing. The English success of King Edward had led, as at Ham, to urgent consultations behind guarded doors. The meetings moved politely through the areas of desire and contention; the quicker because he had brought no lawyers or clerks of his own, which was new and surprised them at first. It was noted that the mercenary troop of Captain Astorre had eighteen months of its contract to run, and was prepared to complete it. An advance payment was discussed for the cannon presently being made in the Tyrol, and for the gunners who would accompany it. It was noted that, from the following summer, the Bank’s own master gunner would be available for hire, at a price.
They proceeded to loans. He proposed changes; they were opposed; there were some expected concessions. He was reasonably satisfied.
They mentioned Scotland. He agreed that he had interests there, and might expand them without interfering with the influence of Anselm Adorne, now Baron Cortachy. He might persuade the Scottish King to withdraw his pretensions to the duchy of Guelders, as he had encouraged Sigismond of the Tyrol to take Duke Charles’s part with the Emperor. Frederick, Emperor of the Germanies, was overlord of Charles’s eastern possessions and no longer so young; soon he would have to turn his mind to his own successor. Nicholas mentioned nothing of that. It was enough to refer to the Bank’s metallurgic successes in the Tyrol, and Duke Sigismond’s consequent gratitude. Sigismond was the Emperor’s cousin.
They mentioned his own valued status as banker