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nothing. It came to Gregorio that, with Cristoffels there, there were matters they hadn’t discussed, and that he had taken too much, it now seemed, for granted. He said slowly, ‘You do mean to stay? You have come back to stay with the Bank?’
    Like a ghost from the past, one dimple appeared, and then vanished. ‘After what happened today?’ Nicholas replied. ‘I don’t know. I’ll tell you when I do. In a month’s time, perhaps. I want you to take me to Murano tomorrow. Will Julius have arrived?’
    ‘Julius?’ Gregorio said. He recovered. ‘You heard about that as well.’
    ‘Didn’t you want me to? Someone came on board who said there was a Bruges party on its way south. He remembered Julius from years ago. Why is he coming?’
    When in doubt, tell the truth. Gregorio said, ‘To see you, very likely. And, of course, business. I don’t suppose he’ll be here all that soon.’
    Julius was the notary of the Charetty company of Bruges, which had once employed all of them. Julius would have few qualms about relating the gossip of Bruges to his former companions whom – even yet – he could hardly bring himself to take seriously. Julius could be a curse, or a blessing.
    Gregorio hesitated. He said, ‘You don’t – you really don’t know your ultimate plans?’
    ‘My ultimate plans!’ Nicholas said. ‘Of course I know my ultimate plans. To become the richest man in the world; and fart in the face of the devil. Be sure to tell Julius, if you happen to see him before I do.’
    Later, sitting alone with Gregorio, Cristoffels said, ‘He is not the same as his letters. As clever, but not the same.’
    ‘He has been travelling,’ Gregorio said. ‘You are remembering him as he was. He is older.’
    He saw Cristoffels glance at him, and then smile. He had to smile back. Age was relative. Nicholas was twenty-three.

Chapter 2
    J ULIUS OF B RUGES , thumping into the Ca’ Niccolò next day, pounded up the stairs to the private office and banged Gregorio on the back. Gregorio’s quill split, and he got up. He said, ‘You came. I didn’t expect you so … Good.’
    ‘You think I had any choice?’ Julius said. He often envied Gregorio, getting his own way for two and a half years. But, of course, that had come to an end. He looked about. ‘And very nice too. So what’s going on? Where is he?’
    ‘Nicholas went out early this morning,’ Gregorio said. ‘But Lopez is about; I’ll get someone to call him. You look very fresh. Did you have a good journey? Who came with you?’ Noticeably, he didn’t say what was going on. He looked, Julius thought, a little distraught. Julius was amused but of course, didn’t show it. He felt playful.
    He said, ‘I brought along Tilde de Charetty. She’s sitting upstairs in your grand room with Margot. Your mistress and mine.’ It was a joke. Mathilde de Charetty, having inherited the Charetty company from her mother, was the employer of Julius. She was seventeen years old and no one’s mistress, as yet, in the other sense.
    ‘So how does she feel about Nicholas?’ Gregorio said, getting up and putting his doublet on. He called to someone as he opened the door. He looked really unhealthy. With Nicholas around, Julius wasn’t surprised. It had been Gregorio’s choice to leave the Charetty company and join Nicholas. The last time Nicholas had been in Bruges, Tilde and her sister had had him arrested.
    Julius said, ‘I told her she damned well had to be polite, but you’ll never get her to trust him. All right, you came to Bruges and convinced her you could set up a branch without harming her. But now here’s Nicholas back, with a reputation that would sicken a weasel. Can we rely on him to respect an agreement?’
    ‘Yes,’ said Gregorio.
    ‘Well, that’s reassuring,’ said Julius tartly. He’d expected some help from Gregorio. They were of an age, and both lawyers. They had both been working for Tilde’s mother’s dyeworks in Bruges when Tilde’s