Fools' Gold by Philippa Gregory

‘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.’
    ‘I will,’ Luca promised, shaken with emotion. Freize saw that he hardly knew what he was saying. ‘I will. I would want to be generous. I would want others to come home too. God knows, if I had my way, there would be no men and women in slavery and no fatherless children waiting for them.’
    ‘God be with you then, my son.’ The priest drew the sign of the cross in the air. ‘And may He guide your way as you trade in gold and sell your cargo. For that is a very worldly business and you will need to guard yourself against criminals.’
    ‘And no need to tell all of Venice our business,’ Freize said quietly. ‘The little farm then – the great fortune now: my master doesn’t like it talked about.’
    ‘I don’t gossip,’ the priest said gently. ‘My trade is in information about poor lambs lost from the flock. My work depends upon my discretion.’
    ‘Fair enough,’ Freize nodded and turned to follow Luca. ‘Much gold around here, is there?’ Freize asked nonchalantly.
    ‘I have never seen so many English gold nobles in my life before,’ the priest said. ‘Truly God is good. For the Ottomans are demanding to be paid in gold nobles and many people have given me gold nobles for my work, and their price rises every day so I can buy more souls with the lucky coins. I have traded all my savings into the gold nobles so that I can do my work, praise Him.’

    Back at the house Ishraq dashed in the side door to the street just as the gondola carrying Freize and Luca nosed into the watergate that opened into the front of the house. She ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, to the girls’ floor as the men were walking together up from the water level to the main floor. She bundled capes and breeches and sturdy shoes under her bed, and showed Isolde the purse of gold coins.
    ‘How much did you get for the rubies?’ Isolde asked quickly in a whisper.
    ‘Ten and a half gold nobles,’ Ishraq replied. ‘It was the best I could do.’
    Isolde gulped at the thought of speculating with her mother’s jewels. ‘I hope they gain value,’ she said nervously. ‘They were my mother’s greatest treasure.’
    ‘Me too,’ said Ishraq. ‘But everyone says that the nobles will be worth more, even tomorrow. People are gambling on good prices tomorrow even now, as the market is closing. We could sell them at a profit tomorrow, and get the rubies back.’
    Isolde crossed her fingers and tapped them against Ishraq’s forehead in an old silly game from their childhood.
    ‘Lucky luck,’ Ishraq replied. ‘You go on down to him, I’ll put this purse under the mattress.’

    As Isolde entered the room Luca’s face lit up and he took her hands, as he told her that he thought he might be able to ransom his parents. ‘This is wonderful news,’ she said. ‘This is the greatest thing that could happen for you.’
    For a moment they stood hand-clasped, and he realised that he had been hurrying home just so that he could tell her this news, that as soon as he had heard it, he had wanted her to know too.
    ‘You understand,’ he said wonderingly. ‘You understand what this means to me.’
    ‘Because I lost my father too,’ she said gently. ‘Only mine has gone from me forever, into death. So I do understand how you can long for him, how his absence has been a grief for all of your life. But if your father can return to you, if your mother can come home, what a miracle that would be!’
    ‘I would leave the Church,’ Luca said almost to himself. ‘If they were to come home I would leave the Church to live with them at our farm once again. I would be so proud to be their son and work in their fields. I would want nothing more.’
    ‘But your work – the Order of Darkness? They say