‘It might be possible,’ he said at last. ‘But I am not convinced it would be worth the money.’
‘Well, it is a rich land, but fractious – though perhaps given your lordship’s present folderol with the English barons, it might seem restful. It is a long way from England. What does King Henry think?’
‘I have not told my brother,’ said Richard. ‘Not that he would mind, if it was the will of the Holy Father. No, I have been thinking about something else. Black Dog, we have come to the meat of the matter, and my words shall not leave this room, do you understand?’ I nodded silently. ‘Good. Well then. What, sir, are your loyalties to Venice?’
‘None, my lord.’ This time I could not hide my surprise.
‘None?’
‘I am not a subject of the Republic. I live there – when I do live there – because I inherited a …’ I was going to say house, but modesty was not to my advantage in this company. ‘A palace. Most of my business these days is in Florence, with some in Paris and more, lately, in Lyon. Why do you ask?’
‘Spices. You do not deal in spices, do you, Black Dog?’
‘A little. You know that the Republic is the entrepoˆt for most of the pepper and other goods coming from the East. Pisa takes a large bite, Genoa is hopeful but not a threat – so far, that is. I have an interest in a few cargoes a year – likewise with silks. But I speculate, nothing more. I have no wish to buy a warehouse or ships. Too much worry, my lord: floods, storms … rats.’
‘But it is lucrative, this trade.’ Richard knew all this. I could not for the life of me tell what he was getting at.
‘Of course.’
‘And it comes from where?’ He had set down the ducat and folded his hands in front of him.
‘Egypt,’ I said patiently. ‘The Mongols have pinched off the overland routes through Anatolia, so the trade comes from India and China across the Arabian Sea, up the coast of Africa to ports in Nubia and then up the Nile to Cairo.’
‘Exactly. What will happen when my cousin Louis lands in Egypt?’
‘He will control the flow of goods – if he is wise, that is. The Nubians are Mussulmen, and might take their trade elsewhere. I doubt Louis has plans to conquer Nubia.’
‘What do you know of Louis’s plans?’ said Richard, sharply. It took me a moment to understand that this was a question and not a rebuke.
‘I know what the world knows,’ I answered, frowning.
‘I don’t believe that. You are deep in Louis’s counsels.’
‘No again, my lord. The king … The king owes me money. We speak about matters of gold and silver, nothing else. Not even relics, now that he has found crusading to be his new passion.’
‘So you do not think that Louis intends to conquer Egypt for France?’
‘It is easy to guess his hope: that if he captures Damietta, the sultan will offer him Jerusalem in exchange. But who knows if that will change once he is there? He has a good chance of taking Damietta, and if Damietta falls, then Cairo … I do not know what your cousin intends, my lord, but if he takes enough land and the sultan does not give up Jerusalem, why should Louis not set up a Frankish Kingdom of Egypt? It is a rich country even without spices. Corn, for instance. You would have corn in Sicily too, of course.’
‘What if I could have both?’
‘Your meaning, my lord?’
‘Leaving my cousin aside for a moment, could the flow of spices be diverted to another entrepoˆt?’
‘Ah.’ Everything fell into place. ‘Such as Syracuse, or Messina, or Palermo, perhaps?’
‘How quick you are. And?’
‘You would need very powerful financiers,’ I said, wearily, feeling the trap closing around me. I had known there was a trap waiting for me, but not one this grandiose, this overblown. ‘You would also need a strong fleet, because you would be fighting Venice from the very moment you showed your hand, and Venice … Do you know how fast they can build a war galley, my lord? It is quite a spectacle.’
‘So I have heard. But ships can be bought, and sailors as well. If they were—’
‘If, my lord, if ! If you succeeded in fighting off the Republic, and Pisa – and doubtless upstart Genoa as well – you would fill your warehouses. Then you would need to find buyers, many of whom would be loyal customers of Venice. All of those would be feeling the full heat of the Republic’s charm, so to speak, and you would find your spices rotting in their sacks. But no. You have fought off Venetian and Pisan navies. You have out-bribed the Serene Republic and won back the buyers. You have orders to fill. How are you going to satisfy your clients? The roads of Italy are watched by Venice, courtesy of her greatest friend, the Holy Father. The seas, likewise – a battle for every cargo ship crossing from Palermo to Marseille or Barcelona. Restive Mamluks in Egypt, requiring bribes, bribes, bribes. You will be throwing out silver as a man throws out grain to geese. And to outbid Venice, silver will not do. You will need gold.’ I picked up the ducat and held it between us, a dull little sun.
‘Christ, I have gold! But perhaps I have something else.’ He raised his cup and chinked it against the coin. ‘The blessing of Pope Innocent? What say you to that?’
‘Innocent will take the trade in spices from Venice and give it to you? Why?’ I was incredulous.
‘The Holy Father wants to destroy the Hohenstaufens completely. His rage is not aimed simply at Frederick: Innocent will not be stopped until the entire family is wiped out and their name forgotten in Italy. To do that, yes, he would risk the good will of Venice. It is a good plan, though, don’t you agree? Our pope thinks like an emperor himself: carving up the world according to his whim. And he is waving this particularly succulent morsel under my nose. It is hard to know what to do.’
‘With the greatest respect, my lord, might I guess that you have a notion, though, and that is why we are talking? I cannot believe you require my advice, lord, though I am immensely flattered …’
‘Not your advice, Black Dog. Your assistance.’
‘Again, I am flattered, but in what way—’
‘I am giving you a job,’ snapped Richard.
‘That is your right, my lord,’ I sniffed.
‘Curb yourself. And listen: I said just now that his terms were exorbitant, but Innocent will sell me the crown of Sicily for terms I can well afford, and make Venice behave, if I do something for him in return.’
‘Something? That would be a very big thing,’ I said. ‘He would risk war with Venice. What would be worth it?’
‘Of course: a big something. Enormous. I agreed. This is the business of kings. And – you ought to be flattered – I have volunteered your services.’
‘For what?’ I asked. My heart gave a small knock. The air in the room seemed, suddenly, to be crackling with power, and it wasn’t mine.
‘I fancy a man like yourself, a warrior who has also beheld the holiest things in this world, would like to go on crusade. Happily you have the opportunity. Cousin Louis is waiting in Cyprus for the weather to change so that he can attack Egypt. My brother would like to have been with him, but, alas, too many wayward subjects have kept him at home. We sent a party of knights, though, two hundred of them under William Longspée. Do you know him? The Earl of Salisbury’s bastard. A lovely man. It is not too late for one more English knight to join the holy cause, is it? Think of your immortal soul, man.’
‘I do. Frequently,’ I lied, bitterly. ‘And if I should be blessed enough to reach Egypt, what then?’
‘You will slip away up the Nile to Cairo, and deliver this to Sultan Ayub.’ He reached down and opened a small chest that lay under the table. When he straightened, he held a roll of creamy new vellum.
‘Deliver a letter?’ I asked, incredulous. ‘You are jesting, my lord. I have no intention of going on crusade. And I would never deign to be your errand boy – with the greatest of respect,’ I added, icily.
‘I expected you to insult me,’ said Richard, grinning nastily. ‘But your pope? Have a care, sir.�
� He laid the letter on the table and rolled it back and forth with a jewelled forefinger.
‘The pope and I are not …’ I looked Richard in the eyes. ‘As a banker I must be above the fray,’ I went on. ‘That means treading a middle way between Innocent and Frederick. It is a knife’s edge, to be frank. One slip either way and a man in my position is finished. If I do the pope’s business, Frederick will destroy me. No need to say what would happen if I were caught carrying Frederick’s letters.’
‘I understand,’ said Richard. ‘The supple reed, and all that. To be supple, to be adaptable, is to conquer. I have always followed that course myself.’
‘Exactly, my lord,’ I said, somewhat relieved. ‘I was at Taillebourg when you went and spoke to King Louis …’
‘Nevertheless, what is desirable in the master is detestable in the servant. Do as you are bid, or Innocent will crush you, and your wife, everyone and everything you have touched. The orders are written already. If you doubt me, then I have plainly misjudged you.’
‘Then this is treason?’
‘The Church does not – cannot – commit treason. Heresy, Petroc?’
‘Are you calling me a heretic? So far you have mentioned treason and heresy, my lord, and yet you call me names?’
‘It does not matter what I call you. Refuse me, and the dogs will be fighting over your corpse outside the Lateran. And Innocent has, of course, agreed to hand me a goodly portion of your estates – as is my right as your earthly lord.’
‘May I at least read the letter?’ I said, hoping to buy some time for myself. Richard had finally got me off balance and I felt, as if Michael Scotus were there to conjure it for me, the razor on which I teetered.
Richard grinned, a rictus of triumph. He leaned over and passed the letter to me. I drew in my breath silently through clenched teeth, took the roll of vellum, and opened it. Innocent’s scribe had impeccable handwriting. The words fairly yelled off the page. Christ, even an illiterate would be able to read this!
‘Could they not even have managed Arabic?’ I enquired icily. Richard just gazed at me, a big tomcat with cream all over its whiskers. ‘Or code?’
‘You’re a clever fellow, Black Dog: just make sure it stays with you. You’ll be amongst soldiers, man: the written word is code.’
True enough. I bit off my words and dropped my eyes to the page.
The honorifics and diplomatic verbiage were as dense as might be expected, considering the parties involved. The bitterest enemies, both in the realms of earth and spirit, must needs woo each other with a continent of lily-scented nonsense. Or perhaps the florid words were to mask the stench of a ripe corpse. I let my eye rove over the page like a circling carrion bird.
Let it be known and understood that,
Whereas Our son in Christ, Louis Capet, King of France, has chosen to mount a Crusade against your lands and person, said Crusade pleases the Holy See of Saint Peter only so far as it removes the person and might of the French king from the soil of Christendom, where through ill-counsel or threat it could be induced to form an alliance with Our great opposer, Frederick von Hohenstaufen
And whereas the said Frederick von Hohenstaufen is a mighty apostate and betrayer
And whereas it has come to Our knowledge that the aforesaid Louis Capet is intending to make an attempt on Your Majesty’s kingdom of Egypt
Therefore, be it understood between us as two most powerful rulers of men upon this earth, that it is Our wish and desire that Louis Capet be allowed to land his armies in Egypt, and that Your Majesty’s own armies be not swift to engage him, but lead him into such circumstances that he might be delayed in Egypt for an indefinite length of time
In this matter, Let His Majesty know that he shall have every support and succour that is within the remit of the Holy See to supply. Also Our undying friendship, and that of Our allies in His Majesty’s undertakings in those lands and territories deemed by tradition and usage to be his by right is hereby promised and affirmed. Further, that in matters of trade and free passage of goods and persons in the lower portions of Our common sea, the Holy See and Our allies shall give way to Your Majesty’s interests. Likewise in the matter of the Holy Places, the Holy See and Our allies shall render such assistance as We are able in the event of attack from the Mongol Emperor in the east …
There were sums of money, quite ridiculous in size, and further demands and promises. Reading it, it was easy to imagine that this was a letter from one friendly Christian ruler to another, and not two men bitterly divided both by religion and territory. I was, I confess, shocked – not by the calumny of man, for that I knew very well indeed, but by the brazenness of the thing. I dropped the letter onto the table as if it were a pus-soaked bandage.
‘So the pope is betraying the most pious man in all of Christendom.’ I sighed, and drained my wine cup. Richard filled it again, smiling his tomcat’s smile. ‘So that Louis won’t be able to take Frederick’s side if … when Innocent moves against the emperor. So Innocent hates Antichrist more than he loves Christ. Or so it seems to me, a mere errand boy.’
‘No joking matter, Petroc.’
‘And this is not some trick? Some elaborate scheme to part me from my money?’
‘Neither jest nor trick. It is exactly as it seems. Signed and sealed by His Holiness. Now all it requires is delivery.’
The temptation to sink my head into my hands was overwhelming, but with a huge effort I resisted. Meanwhile, my fingernail had gouged a pale groove into the table.
‘So if I refuse …’
‘You won’t. You have read the letter. You are a party to this folderol, like it or not. Innocent knows of this meeting. How long do you think he’ll let you live, my dear man, if you give the wrong answer?’
‘If I refuse,’ I went on, doggedly, ‘I condemn my wife to death. And myself, of course. What, just out of interest, do I get if I play along with you and your friends in Rome?’
‘The rewards for this adventure would be choice, and I would not be grudging. Well – your life, of course. And that of your wife – Iselda, isn’t it? But if that isn’t enough … Do you love banking, man? Are you one of those pale and pinched creatures with heads empty of anything save numbers? I do not think so. How would you like to be Lord Chancellor of Sicily? Or Constable, eh? Something befitting your unique talents. I could make you a prince. Royal blood in perpetuity: not bad for a Cornish merchant’s son – that is what you said you were, isn’t it?’
I had Thorn hanging from my belt. It would be simplicity itself to stick her into Richard’s complacent belly. And perhaps I’d get away, and reach Iselda before … No, I wouldn’t, and then the pope would unleash his wolves on the one thing I loved in this world.
‘My lord …’ I stood up, for my stomach had turned sour with the effort of listening quietly to the terms of my entrapment, and paced out a step, two steps, until the length of the table was between us. ‘My lord, I should like to be free.’
‘Free?’
‘It isn’t a blasphemy, Earl Richard. I am talking about the oath you made me swear in Saintes. I’m not a greedy man: I have more of everything than I could possibly need, including power. More, in fact, than I ever wanted. A chancellor’s chain of office? I already wear a chain, and though I do not feel it often, when I do, it is as if I were shackled to the living rock of this world. I’m richer than most kings, and it means nothing. I feel my servitude now, and so I ask you: if I try to do this thing, will you set me free?’
‘Is it so onerous, your service to me? When have I called upon you …’
I ignored his stupendous nerve. ‘You asked me to bring you Sanchia of Provence to be your wife, even though she was promised to the Count of Toulouse. And you seem happy with the outcome.’
‘True, you brought me my wife. But I could have made you pay homage to me at my whim. There is a great deal you could have been doing for me, my man. And why should I release you? This is not business! This is not some banker’s game! It is
how the world is held together!’
‘Of course it is. But that is my condition – my only condition.’
‘Foolishness. I will not.’
‘Very well, then.’ I began to walk towards the door. ‘I regret, my lord, that I cannot be of service to you this time.’
‘Sit down, my man, and do not bluster so much. I do not want you dead. And I have found you out. There is something that you lack, and which I can give you.’
‘And what is that?’ I snapped, not bothering to hide my impatience. But Richard, it seemed, had understood that I was serious. He did not wish me dead: he wanted me alive, and at his service.
‘A home.’
‘Thank you! But I have one of those, in Venice.’
‘Your Ca’ Kanzir.’ He shot me a look, and caught my surprise. He had been investigating me, then. ‘Your damp old palace, in Venice to which you have no loyalty. About to become the property of the Church, if you leave this room. No, no, that is not what I am talking about. You are an interesting man, Petrus Zennorius. I have had some time in which to find out about you. You are no merchant’s son from Cornwall. No, you appear to have sprung, fully formed, into the company of Jean de Sol. And your name is Petroc, not Petrus or Peter. A fine Cornish name, true – or a Devon one, maybe?’ He had become positively merry, and it was not pleasant.
‘Very well, my lord. I am found out. Zennor is in Devon, in your Dartmoor. Petroc is my name. Petrocus does not sound very pleasing in Latin, so I shortened it.’ Close enough to the truth, as are all good lies.
‘And are there merchants in Zennor?’ He knew very well that there were not.
‘Zennor, my lord, is a moorland hamlet of sheep farmers and peat cutters.’ I was concocting my lie even as I told it. ‘My father might have been either – I was an orphan, lucky enough to be taken in by the brothers of Tavistock Abbey. They taught me my letters, and when I was old enough I was apprenticed as a clerk to a Plymouth merchant. He owed a sum of money to Jean de Sol and I ended up being given to his company in part-payment. Not very salubrious, any of it. You can perhaps see why I have chosen to smooth over some of the less attractive details.’
The Fools’ Crusade Page 12