Order Of Darkness - Fools' Gold Part 6

'A full n.o.ble is 108 grains,' Ishraq said scowling at the ma.n.u.script, trying to understand the symbols. 'It says that density is equal to ma.s.s divided by volume.'

'Hang on a minute,' Luca said. 'Say that again.'

'Density is equal to ma.s.s divided by volume,' she repeated. 'The test is to weigh pure gold and then weigh the test gold to find the ma.s.s. Then the second test is to put it in water and see how much the water level rises. That gives the volume.'

'Ma.s.s,' Luca repeated. 'Volume.' Ishraq thought that he looked for a moment like a troubadour when he sings a particularly beautiful song. The words, which made no sense to her, were like poetry to him. 'Density.'

'It says here that we are to take a piece of pure gold and then put it in a measured jug of water and see how much the water rises. Then we do the same with the same weight of our test gold. Gold which has been mixed with other lighter metals will move more water. Gold that is pure is more dense it will displace less water.' She broke off. 'You know, I'm reading the words but I feel like a fool. I don't understand what we are to do. Do you understand what is meant?'

Luca looked transported. 'Density is equal to ma.s.s divided by volume,' he said quietly. 'I do see. I do see.'

He did not bother to shout for Freize but ran up to the kitchen himself and came back down with a clear gla.s.s of water. 'We'll have to go out to a goldsmith and buy some pure gold,' he muttered.

'What for?'

'So that I know how dense pure gold is. So that I know how much the water rises. So that I can compare it with the coins.'

'Oh! I see,' Ishraq exclaimed, suddenly understanding. 'I have a gold ring, that I know is pure gold.'

'It's hollow, it's in the shape of a ring,' Luca said, thinking furiously aloud. 'Doesn't matter. The central hole has no weight. We are weighing the gold of the ring not measuring the area. Get it.'

'It's Isolde's mother's ring,' Ishraq explained. 'I have carried it and her family jewels for her ever since we left home.'

'Are you sure it is pure gold?'

She nodded. 'The Lord of Lucretili would have given his lady nothing less,' she said.

He did not even hear her, he was looking from the gold n.o.bles to the water in the gla.s.s. Ishraq ran from the room up the stairs to the girls' rooms and lifted her gown, to rip at the hem of her linen s.h.i.+ft.

'What on earth are you doing?' Isolde asked. She was standing on a wooden chair, a dressmaker kneeling before her, hemming a gown. On one side a tirewoman was making a magnificent headdress and there were carnival masks all around the room, silks, satins and velvets thrown everywhere in a jumble of richness and colour.

'Getting your mother's gold ring,' Ishraq said tersely, tearing at the delicate hem st.i.tches. 'For Luca to weigh against the gold n.o.bles.'

'Still?' Isolde said irritably. 'You've been locked in all morning. And I heard you drop a plate.'

'Smashed it,' Ishraq said cheerfully, retrieving the ring and pulling down her dress again.

'Make sure he doesn't damage it,' Isolde said disagreeably. 'That ring is valuable.'

Ishraq said nothing but raced back to Luca. He was pacing up and down, scowling in thought, he hardly noticed her come in until she put the ring into his hand.

At once he turned and put it on the delicate spice scales that Freize had brought them from the kitchen. He added the tiny weights the smallest was half a grain of wheat. Isolde's mother's ring was just over 121 grains.

'Write it down,' Luca ordered Ishraq. 'The ring is pure gold, 121 and a half grains. Now. How much water does it move?'

Luca lifted it from the scale and put it into the water gla.s.s. At once the water rose within the gla.s.s. With a sharp piece of chalk Luca marked where the water level rose, and then hooked the ring out with a fork and held it over the water so that every drop fell back into the gla.s.s and the water level was the same as before.

'You are certain this is pure gold?' he asked quietly.

Ishraq was impressed with his concentration. 'Certain,' she whispered.

'Well, the n.o.ble should be 108 grains,' Luca said. 'And the n.o.ble plus half of one of the quarter n.o.bles should be exactly 121 and a half grains. So the ma.s.s is the same. If it is less dense, then it has been mixed with tin or something lighter than gold, and the water will rise higher.' Gently, without making a splash, he dropped the full coin into the gla.s.s of water, and then dropped the sawn half of the quarter n.o.ble on top of it.

They both held their breath as the water level rose, sticking to the side of the gla.s.s, but definitely rising up and up until it reached the mark set by the ring.

'The coins are pure gold,' Luca said in quiet triumph. 'Someone, somewhere is either stealing English n.o.bles fresh from the mint in Calais, or else they are mining the purest gold, and forging their own.'

The five of them were elated, as if they had found the gold mine itself.

'So what next?' Isolde asked. 'How will we find the mint? How will we find the forgers?'

'Could we buy so much gold that the money changer cannot serve us from his own store?' Luca suggested. 'Then we'll ask him where we can go to collect it. If he won't say, we'll have to watch him, see where he goes to get a chest of gold.'

'We can take it in turns to watch . . .' Ishraq started.

Luca shook his head. 'No, not you,' he said. He glanced at Isolde and saw her nod in agreement. 'I am sorry, Ishraq, but you can't. If we want to pa.s.s as a wealthy family then you two have to behave like ladies. You can't come to the Rialto and spy on the gold merchants.'

'Really, we can't,' Isolde told her.

'I could go dressed as a common girl. Or dressed as a boy! Isolde has bought a room-full of costumes and masks! It is carnival time, almost everyone is disguised.'

'It's not worth the risk,' Brother Peter ruled. 'And besides, you should not be wandering the streets exposed to danger. It happens that we are here in the only time of year that women are allowed out of their homes at all. All the women in Venice will dress up in disguise, wear masks, and go out on the streets for the twenty days before Lent, the city is never more unruly than now. They are a most extreme people. This is an exception, a time of utter licence, the rest of the year they only go out to visit privately in each other's houses or to church.'

'But as it's carnival, surely we can go out masked and disguised?' Ishraq insisted. 'Even if it is only for these weeks?'

'Only if you want to be mistaken for the wh.o.r.es of the city,' Brother Peter said crossly. 'You would be advised not to go out at all. It is a time of great sin and debauchery. I would advise you to stay indoors. Indeed, I have to request that you stay indoors.' He glanced at Luca for his agreement. 'Since you are travelling with us and have agreed to enact the pretence that we are your guardians, I think it is right that you should give us the power to decide your comings and goings.'

'n.o.body has that power over me,' Ishraq said quickly. 'I don't give it to you, I don't give it to anyone. I didn't leave home and then run away from the nunnery to be ordered about by you and Luca.'

Luca flushed. 'n.o.body is ordering you,' he said. 'But if we are to keep up the pretence that we are here as a n.o.ble family you will have to behave like the companion of a n.o.blewoman. That's simply what you agreed to do, Ishraq.'

'I'll go out masked,' she promised herself.

'As long as someone goes with you,' Luca compromised. 'Apparently the whole city goes quite mad for the days of carnival. But if Freize goes with you, or the housekeeper, you should be all right.'

'So can I come with you to the Rialto this afternoon?' she asked. 'To see Father Pietro? If I am masked?'

Luca shook his head. 'This is my quest,' he said. 'I go alone.

Freize beamed. 'I go alone too,' he said. 'I'll go alone with you.'

The two young men left the house together; Ishraq and Isolde, at the upper-floor window, watched the black gondola nose into the middle of the Grand Ca.n.a.l and swiftly cut through the busy waterway.

'I'm going out,' Ishraq said. 'I'm going to get us boys' clothes so that we can walk around as we please.'

Isolde brightened. 'Do we dare?'

'Yes,' Ishraq said firmly. 'Of course we dare. We've come all the way across Italy. We're hardly going to be stuck indoors now because a couple of priests think that Venice is too sinful for us to see.'

'I've ordered us both gowns from the sempstress.'

'Yes, but I don't want gowns, I want costumes. I want disguises. I want boys' clothes so that we can go where we like. So no one knows who we are.'

'Go then,' Isolde said excitedly. She put her hand into the pocket of her modest grey gown and pulled out a purse. 'Here. Brother Peter gave me this, for alms for the poor and for candles at church, and for other things who knows what that he thought we might need: trinkets that ladies of a n.o.ble family might have. Go and get us breeches and capes and big masks!'

Ishraq laughed, pocketed the money and went from the room.

'And get me a big hat.' Isolde slipped from the room and leaned over the marble staircase to call to her friend. 'One that will hide my hair.'

'And I'll trade with some of your mother's jewels!' Ishraq called softly up the stairs.

Isolde hesitated. 'My mother's jewels? Which ones?'

'The rubies,' Ishraq insisted. 'This is our chance to make a fortune. We'll trade in the jewels and buy English gold n.o.bles and watch them rise in price. When they've doubled in value we'll buy the rubies back and you'll still have them plus a fortune to hire your army to march on your brother.'

'We could make so much money just by trading in the n.o.bles?' Isolde asked, tempted at the thought.

'We might,' Ishraq said. 'Shall I do it? Shall I go to the money changer and buy gold n.o.bles with your rubies?'

'Yes,' Isolde said, taking a chance, tempted by the thought of a fortune easily made which might win her back her inheritance. 'Yes, take them.'

At the Rialto the two young men found Father Pietro in his usual place, the bustle of the crowd all around him, someone juggling with daggers nearby, and a performing dog circling slowly and mournfully, a small ball balanced on his nose, his clown-faced owner pa.s.sing the hat. They did not notice Ishraq, dressed as a boy, hat pulled low over her pinned-up hair, a black mask over her eyes, transacting her business with Israel, the money changer. They did not see her get into a hired gondola and quietly go away.

'This is my master,' Freize introduced him, elbowing his way through the crowd to get to the priest. 'This is Luca Vero'

'You are seeking your father,' the Friar said gently. 'And I am glad to tell you that I have news of him.' He looked at Luca's sudden pallor. 'Ah, my son. Are you ready to hear it?'

Luca bent his head and said a swift prayer. 'Yes,' he said. 'Tell me at once.'

'A slave that I ransomed from Bayeed last year told me that Gwilliam Vero was serving on his s.h.i.+p then,' Father Pietro said quietly. 'He was alive and strong then, only last year. It may be that he is still slaving on the s.h.i.+p now.'

'He might be alive?' Luca repeated as if he could not believe the news. 'Now? This very day?'

'He might. I can send a message to Bayeed, and ask if your father is alive and if Bayeed would accept a ransom for him.'

Luca shook his head, to clear his whirling thoughts. 'I can't think! I can't believe it!'

Freize put a gentle hand on his back. 'Steady now,' he said as if he were soothing a horse. 'Steady.'

'Yes. Of course,' Luca said to the priest. 'Please. Do it at once. When would we hear back?'

'If Bayeed were at Constantinople-' The priest corrected himself. 'Istanbul as they call it now, G.o.d forgive them for taking our city, the Rome of the East, the home of G.o.d well, if Bayeed was there it would take about two weeks to get a message to him. But you might be lucky. I heard he had come into Trieste. If that's true, then we might get a message to him within a few days. He may even be coming to Venice.'

'Days?' Luca repeated. 'He might be coming here?'

The priest put his hand gently over Luca's clenched fist. 'Yes, my son. You might have an answer in days. If he is in port at Trieste, and my messenger can find him, and get a s.h.i.+p back to us with Bayeed's price.'

Luca and Freize exchanged one amazed glance.

'Days,' Luca repeated. 'I might see my father within the week?'

'Usually Bayeed will reply at once. But it won't be cheap. He will ask around a lira di grosso for a working slave that's ten ducats.' He paused. 'That's about five n.o.bles.'

Luca nodded. He had mentally converted the currency in a moment, even while Father Pietro was speaking. He could not help but think of the fortune that he was carrying on this mission, but did not own: the wealth that Milord had entrusted to him, to pretend to be a trader in Venice, the gold coins that he had tested, the suspect coins made with real gold that he was ordered to buy, the share of the cargo of the s.h.i.+p which was even now, sails spread, coming across the seas from the east to bring a small fortune to him, the money he had been given to lay around to make the illusion of wealth. 'I have that,' he said quietly. 'I have a fortune. I can pay. For the freedom of my father, I would pay that willingly.'

Freize leaned towards his ear. 'It's not really yours,' he reminded his friend. 'How will it be when Milord wants you to account for it?'

'I have to use it!' Luca said fiercely. 'For my father's freedom, I would steal it outright! But this is just borrowing. I will explain to Milord. I will make it up to him with the profit I will make trading in the English n.o.bles.'

The priest nodded. 'I will write tonight then, and send Bayeed an offer to pay. I expect that they will want it in English gold n.o.bles. That is the currency they prefer, both for ransom and tribute this year. It will be five English n.o.bles, they may settle for four and a half, the value of the English n.o.ble is rising. It would be better for us to fix the price at once. Everyone seems to think that the value of the n.o.ble is going to reach the sky.'

'I can get the coins,' Luca a.s.sured him. 'I can pay them in English n.o.bles.'

'And I have some other news for you as well.'

Luca waited.

'The man who had served with your father said that your father had learned where his wife had been taken. He knew that your mother was enslaved as a house servant, to a family that served the emperor. Your father had seen them buy her at the auction before Bayeed bought him. It may be that she lives, that she is working for them still. If they have moved with the court then they will be in Istanbul now, G.o.d forgive them for stealing our city.'

Luca almost staggered under the news. Freize took his arm. 'Steady,' he said. 'Steady now.' Carefully, he put Luca on his feet, patted his back. 'You all right, Sparrow?'

Luca brushed his hand away. 'My mother?'

'This is old news,' the friar cautioned. 'Your father said that he saw her sold to a man who looked like he might be a good master, years ago; but of course she might not still be with them now.'

'But you said that she was sold to a family who were connected to the sultan's court?'

'Yes. And that is a good service, easy work. I could write to one of the court officials and inquire for her,' the priest said quietly. He lifted his pen. 'What is her name?'

'Clara,' Luca said. 'Clara Vero. I can hardly believe this. I cannot believe this. I was told they were dead when I was no more than a boy of fourteen. They were taken from our farm, just a little place. n.o.body even witnessed the raid. For four years I have given up all hope of ever seeing them again. I have grieved for them ever since. I have feared that I was an orphan without parents.'

'G.o.d is merciful,' the old priest said gently. 'Praise Him.'

'It's quite a miracle,' Freize confirmed. 'Amen. Bear up, Sparrow.'

Luca bowed his head and whispered a prayer. 'When shall I come to you again, Father?' he asked.

'I will send to you as soon as I have news, any news at all,' the priest said gently. 'It will be a few days before we know of your father, months before we can trace your mother. You will have to learn patience. Your servant tells me you are living in the palazzo of the de Longhi family?'

'Yes,' Luca nodded. 'Yes. Send to me there.'

'You have come a long way from a little village, from your farm,' the priest remarked. 'Clearly, you have enjoyed much worldly success.'

Luca, shaken by the news of his parents, was quite at a loss. He could not find a ready lie.

'My master has been lucky in trade,' Freize interrupted swiftly. 'We have come to Venice to trade in gold, for it is his speciality. And we have a share in a cargo which is coming in from Russia. But he was determined to see you and ask you if you could find his father. He's a most devoted son.'

The priest smiled. 'Perhaps you will give some of your wealth to the Church,' he said to Luca. 'There are many Christians who could be ransomed back to their family, just like your father and mother, if we only had the money for their ransom.'