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while working at Barret’s, and had purchased beans for grinding when he first came to live in the house.
He studied the baby. The tiny figure lay in her mother’s arms, her hands moving in random directions, her tiny eyes opening and closing. From time to time she would look in his direction, and he would wonder what was going on behind those slate-blue orbs. “I’ve never seen eyes that color,” he said.
Karli laughed. “Most babies have eyes like this.
They’ll turn brown or blue when she’s older.”
“Oh” was all he said.
“You had a good journey?” she asked.
“Very,” he answered. “I came across some information.” He fell silent for a few moments, then blurted, “I’m forming a trading syndicate.”
Karli said, “Father was always cautious in tying up his future with others.”
Roo was in no mood to be compared to his dead father-in-law, whom Karli almost worshipped, but he took the comment as if it were merely an observation. “That discounts risk,” he agreed. “But I have ambitions beyond your father’s, Karli, and if I’m to realize a rich future for you and the child, I must take some risks.”
“Is this venture risky?” she asked. She didn’t seem overly concerned but rather interested.
Roo couldn’t convincingly shrug it off, so he just said, “Yes.”
Roo nodded. “I think we’re going to be richer than you can imagine in a few months.”
She managed a small smile. “I always thought we were rich; I know the house isn’t much to look at, but Father always liked to keep a modest appearance, lest it attract undue notice. But we always had good food, prince.qxd 9/4/02 10:38 AM Page 338
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wine, new clothing. If I wanted anything, I only had to ask.”
Roo’s fatigue and nerves made this conversation irritating. He finished his coffee and stood. “I have to get to the shop.” He again kissed her dutifully on the cheek and glanced down at the now sleeping baby. It appeared so alien to Roo he wondered if he would ever feel anything for the child.
“Will you be home for supper?” Karli asked.
“Certainly,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He didn’t wait for a reply as he hurried out the door.
Duncan hailed Roo as he walked into the shop.
“Where have you been?”
Roo looked irritated. “Sleeping. You know, when you close your eyes and don’t move for a long time?”
Duncan grinned and said, “Oh, you mean dead.
Look, your new business partners would like you to come to Barret’s at once.”
“Jason!” Roo yelled as he turned away from his cousin. “Where are you?”
Jason and Dash came out of the small office and Jason said, “Yes?”
“Where’s our gold? In the strongbox?”
“Yes.”
“How much do we have?”
“We have accounts due in later this week, but right now you have twenty-one thousand, six hundred, and forty-seven gold pieces, and a few silver coins.”
Roo told Dash and Duncan, “Put the box in a wagon and bring it to the coffee house. I’m leaving now.”
He hurried out through the front of the shop and prince.qxd 9/4/02 10:38 AM Page 339
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down the street. Moving through the crowd was as trying an ordeal as Roo had ever known, so impatient was he to get this business done.
He reached the coffee house and walked straight past the door waiter, who blinked as Roo admitted himself to the main floor. McKeller, the headwaiter, was moving toward him, and as Roo moved toward the stairs to the second floor, he said, “Welcome, Mr.
Avery.”
Roo couldn’t help but grin. He was a member! He mounted the stairs two at a time and reached the top landing, where before he had always come carrying a large serving tray. He glanced around and saw Masterson’s table, and his three new partners and Lender sitting there.
“Glad you could join us,” said Masterson dryly.
“I hope you gentlemen haven’t been waiting too long,” said Roo as he sat. “I have a new baby in the house and things are a bit confused. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
All four men made understanding noises and brief comments about their own children, then Masterson said, “Here we have it, gentlemen: the document forming our new trading syndicate.” He handed copies around and Roo looked at the neatly executed script.
Roo read it twice, and he thought he understood it, but he wasn’t sure. He pointed to a paragraph and said, “Mr. Lender, would you explain this to me, please?”
Lender looked at the indicated paragraph. “That simply pledges your goods and other chattels against any losses beyond those secured by whatever gold you bring to this accounting.”
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Roo blinked. “How could we go into debt beyond what we agree to?”
Masterson said, “We usually don’t, but there are instances when circumstances require a decision on the basis of the partnership, and sometimes we must establish lines of credit. If we need cash and don’t have it, a moneylender or admitting new partners are the only alternatives. If we take loans, we often must pledge our personal businesses, even our homes and family heirlooms as security. It’s normal.”
Roo frowned but said nothing. Then he asked,
“But no one can do this without our agreement?”
Masterson smiled. “There are four of us. It would take a three-to-one majority to do so.”
Roo was uncertain, but he nodded. Lender said,
“If each of you will sign the document before him and pass it to your right, then sign again, we’ll have all these copies executed.”
A waiter appeared and Roo ordered coffee without looking up. He signed his name four times, and when he was done, he held his admission to the high-risk financial community of the city.
“Now,” said Crowley, “to the sums.”
Hume said, “I am comfortable with a position of fifteen thousand sovereigns.”
Crowley said, “Fifteen is fine with me.”
Masterson said, “Mr. Avery?”
“Twenty-one thousand. But I may have more by the end of the week.”
Masterson raised an eyebrow. “Very well. So far that means fifty-one thousand.” He drummed his fingers on the table a moment. “I have heard this morning of some cautious inquiries about grain shipments to the Free Cities, so I’m beginning to think our prince.qxd 9/4/02 10:38 AM Page 341
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young friend is on to something. I will occupy a position that will take the syndicate to one hundred thousand golden sovereigns.” He looked at his three partners. “If any of you would care to underwrite more, I will surrender up to a third of my position for a premium, depending on the price of wheat at the time.”
Lender said, “Gentlemen, your letters of credit?”
The three men reached into their coats and withdrew letters. Roo looked confused. “I’m having the gold brought here. It will arrive in a few minutes.”
The three men laughed. “Mr. Avery,” said Lender,
“it is usual to keep one’s gold in an account at one of the countinghouses in the city, and to draw upon the funds with letters of credit.” He lowered his voice.
“You’ll discover that here at Barret’s we deal in sums that would require several wagons of gold to carry if we were to require the gold actually to be present.”
Roo looked unsure but said, “I have no such account.”
Lender said, “I will help you establish one at one of the more reputable moneylending firms in the city. I will note that you intend to participate to the amount of twenty-one thousand golden sovereigns.”
Roo nodded. �
��Though if more arrives later this week, I may wish to purchase some of Mr.
Masterson’s . . . position.”
Lender nodded and noted that.
“Then we are ready?” said Masterson.
Roo sat back. He had witnessed what was to come next on several occasions as he waited tables, not quite certain about the details of what was occurring, but never before had he had such a keen interest in what was happening.
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Lender stood and walked to the rail overlooking the center floor and raised his voice. “Gentlemen, we have a request for an option on wheat. A new syndicate has formed, the Krondor Grain Traders Association. We close our books at the end of the week, best price position to a sum of one hundred thousand sovereigns, subject to revision.”
There was a slight buzz at the price, but then the noise in the room returned to normal. The five men sat, and after a half hour passed, a waiter arrived bearing a note. He handed it to Lender, who handed it to Masterson, who read it. He said, “We have an offer of fifty thousand bushels at two silvers per bushel delivered to the docks of Krondor in sixty days.”
Roo did the calculations in his head. That was ten thousand gold pieces. Hume asked, “What position?”
“Fifteen percent.”
Crowley laughed. “Let me guess. That was from Amested.”
Masterson laughed in return. “Yes.”
“He’s fishing,” said Crowley. “He thinks we’re onto something and wants to know what it is.”
He took the paper from Masterson and scribbled a note on it. “I’m telling him we’ll pay three percent for fifty thousand at four coppers per bushel, with a five-percent-per-week penalty for late delivery after sixty days.”
Masterson almost snorted his coffee. He laughed.
“You’re going to make him very curious.”
“Let him wonder.”
Hume looked at Roo. “You’ll meet Amested and the others below in time. He’s always trying to find prince.qxd 9/4/02 10:38 AM Page 343
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out who is doing what, without taking risks himself.
If he thinks there’s a killing, he’ll try to buy the wheat now, at what we call future prices, and then hold it for us at an inflated price, after we’ve exhausted our options. He offered us a price he knew we’d say no to, and we just made a counteroffer that we know he’ll say no to.”
Roo said, “But why not offer him a price he’ll say yes to?”
Masterson said, “Your meaning?”
“I mean his coins are gold, as much as any man’s, and we don’t care if he makes or loses money in this as long as we make ours. If we can use this man to set a price and he comments upon it, and the word gets out . . .” Roo shrugged.
Crowley’ s leathery old face split in a wide grin.
“You’re a shrewd young one, aren’t you, Avery?”
Masterson held out his hand, and Crowley handed back the note. Masterson balled it up and threw it away and indicated the young waiter should bring him new parchment and pen. When that was delivered, he wrote a note. “I’m telling him what we’ll pay, straight out. Ten percent against a price of one silver per bushel delivered at the docks in sixty days.
We guarantee up to one million gold sovereigns with a security of one hundred thousand.”
Old Hume was now almost splitting his sides trying to control his laughter. “This is priceless. It’s exactly what we’re doing, but now old Amested will be certain we’re lying to him and be trying to figure out what it is we’re really up to.”
The waiter was given the note and instructed to carry it back to the sender of the earlier note. A few minutes later, Duncan and Dash appeared, carrying prince.qxd 9/4/02 10:38 AM Page 344
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the chest of gold. They required the help of two waiters and Lender stood up at once, saying, “We’d better get that treasure to a countinghouse before raiders come looking for us.”
The gold was deposited and accounted, and a letter of credit in the amount of twenty-one thousand golden sovereigns was provided to Roo, who turned it over to Lender. Then they returned to the coffee house.
Over the course of the day, notes would appear and Masterson would read them, comment on them, and occasionally write a reply. Once in a while he would simply say, “No,” and hand the note back to the waiter.
At the end of the day, he stood and said, “This has been a good start, gentlemen. I shall see you tomorrow.”
Roo rose and discovered that Dash and Duncan had spent the entire day downstairs, waiting for him.
He cursed himself for a fool. His own anxiety over this investment had completely occupied his mind and made him forget he had a freight business to conduct.
“Head back to the office and tell Jason I’m on my way,” he said to Dash. When the young nobleman was gone, Roo said to Duncan, “Why don’t you go looking for a nice pair of rooms for you and Luis.
Our accounts are settled and I can pay to get you into more comfortable quarters at once.”
Duncan grinned. “About time.” Then he said, “If we’re to be spending time with people of quality, cousin, we need to do something about our wardrobes.”
Suddenly Roo felt shabby for the first time in his prince.qxd 9/4/02 10:38 AM Page 345
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life. He said, “In the morning.”
As Duncan ran off, Roo looked around Barret’s, drinking in the fact that he was now an investor. As he made to leave, a voice sounded out of the shadows of a table back under the overhang. “Mr. Avery, a word with you, sir.”
Avery recognized the voice of Jacob Estherbrook and moved toward the table. At the table he saw two figures, and his pulse began to race as he recognized the other man as Tim Jacoby.
Jacoby looked at Roo and said nothing as Estherbrook said, “I believe you know my business associate, Mr. Jacoby?”
Roo said, “We’ve met.”
Estherbrook said, “I hope that in the future you gentlemen will put aside your differences.” He made no pretense of not knowing there was bad blond between Roo and Tim. “It would be my most sincere wish to see such differences vanish in the future.”
Jacoby stood and looked at Roo, saying nothing to him. To Estherbrook he said, “I’ll pay my respects tomorrow, Jacob.”
After he left, Estherbrook said, “Sit down, please.”
Roo did, and after signaling for some more coffee, Estherbrook said, “Mr. Jacoby’s father and I are old business associates, and more, friends. Frederick and I started out together, here in Krondor. We began as teamsters.”
Roo said, “My father was a teamster.”
For the first time since Roo met the man, Jacob Estherbrook looked at him with genuine interest. He asked, “Is that so?”
Roo nodded.
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“Can you drive a team, Mr. Avery?”
Roo smiled and said, “I can drive a team, Mr.
Estherbrook. Six horses without breaking a sweat, eight if I keep my mind on things.”
The man laughed, a genuine sound of amusement and perhaps even with a hint of affection. “A teamster. Imagine that.” He sighed. “Perhaps that’s why my daughter finds you so interesting.”
At mention of Estherbrook’s daughter, Roo found his heart pounding. He forced himself to remain as calm as possible. “Oh?” he said, trying to sound only mildly interested.
“Sylvia is a . . . difficult child,” said Estherbrook.
“A young woman with a mind of her own. I have little understanding of what captures her fancy. Which brings me to my reason for asking you to join me.
She requests you join us for supper at the end of this week. Will you?”
Roo didn’t hesitate. “Certa
inly.”
“Good,” said Estherbrook, sipping his coffee.
“Then we can discuss what we shall do if you find you must kill Mr. Jacoby.”
Roo felt as if a cold bucket of water had been thrown on him. Calmly he said, “Oh, I shall someday kill him, have no doubt. He murdered my partner.”
Estherbrook shrugged, as if that were of little importance. “Well, if we can find a way to avoid that, my lot in life would be easier.” He put down the cup.
“And be warned, while you are presently well connected at the palace, you are not the only one. My friend Frederick Jacoby also counts powerful men as friends.” Leaning over, he whispered, “if you must kill his sons, be discrete about it, will you, now? And if you can manage, some advance warning so I may prince.qxd 9/4/02 10:38 AM Page 347
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distance myself from the Jacobys would be appreciated also.” Patting Roo on the shoulder, he made his way around the table. “My coach is now outside. I will see you for supper on Fifthday.”
Roo sat alone for a minute, wondering at this new world of intrigue he found himself in. The polite manner in which Estherbrook discussed murder bothered him as much as anything he had witnessed during the war.
Then he thought of seeing Sylvia on Fifthday and his heart almost beat out of his chest. Forcing himself to calmness, he realized he must do as Duncan suggested and improve his wardrobe.
He stood up and left, and until he reached his shop and Jason brought matters of trade to his attention, he couldn’t stop thinking about Sylvia Estherbrook.
During the week, Roo fell into a routine. He left home at first light, stopped by the shop and went over the day’s shipments with Luis, Duncan, Jason, and Dash, then went on to Barret’ s. Sometimes Duncan or Dash would accompany him, depending on what else needed to be done at the shop. Other times he went alone.
Duncan had found a small house to rent not too far from the office, with two bedrooms. Roo told him to hire a cook. Jason and Dash spruced up their own quarters at the shop and seemed to be becoming fast friends. While Jason was a few years older than Dash, it was clear from his manner and comments that Dash was old beyond his years and far more worldly than Jason.
Roo followed Duncan’s suggestion and visited a prince.qxd 9/4/02 10:38 AM Page 348
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