Fostering Faust 2, page 33
part #2 of Fostering Faust Series
“If he really is going bankrupt and won’t take money for me, that means he’s either truly afraid of letting me go, believes he has a way to beat the duchess, or is going to get money from elsewhere,” Alex said. “All of that is… not very good. The latter two are worse, though.
“I’m going to work at destabilizing things here. But to do that, I need money, which I don’t have.”
Charles was looking to Alex again, his eyes shining, that smile back on his face.
“I need your help, Dad,” Alex said. “I’m going to turn their whole family on one another.”
The smile on Charles face grew even wider at that.
“Annie really did find herself a very scary man to wed,” Charles said. “How can I help, son?”
“I need letters of credit. On your name, to act as a bank of sorts. I’m sure you’re well aware of how much coinage I have. Add to that the Terk treasury and I should be fairly well off,” Alex said. “To that end, I want to be able to write promissory notes for money, backed by you and exchanged for the amount listed to whoever bears them.”
The master merchant hadn’t moved or said a word. He’d grown still, however, which was almost as telling.
“If it would be better for you, you could charge me a fee for each one and add it to what I’ll owe you,” Alex said. “Though I would really recommend you list the fee appropriately in your books. Probably in owner’s equity. Then again, the credit I’d be putting you up against would be in liabilities.”
Charles eyes were scrunched up at this point, looking confused.
“I can agree to the letters of credit for you, acting as your bank so to speak,” Charles said, nodding his head. “I’d never considered being a money lender. A usurer is almost always a target.”
Huh… I never stopped and thought about it, but… what’s the banking system like here?
Now that I think hard, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a bank. I just keep all my coin in the treasury.
“Ah… Mas—Dad. How does one access their wealth if they’re not with it?” Alex asked.
“They don’t,” Charles said. “It would have to be with them, of course.”
Ah… in other words… there is no banking system, really.
“Though… your letter of credit idea could be used to create a system of vaults separate from the temples.
“It’d have to be very studious in its usage and really hand-pick the clientele. Not to mention having a large number of guards to protect against robbery,” Charles said, looking to the ground. Then his eyes snapped back to Alex’s. “What were you saying about liabilities?”
“Liabilities? The second part of double-entry bookkeeping? Assets must be equal to liabilities plus equity,” Alex said, wondering if double-entry bookkeeping wasn’t a thing here either. “It’s to promote accuracy and make it so all items can be accounted for. You can have more accounts, but the general idea remains the same. They all have to be equal to one another. If you use that in tandem with privatized client banking, you can end up running things pretty close.”
Licking his lips, Charles looked nervous and excited. Alex could see where Anna got her singlemindedness from. “Let’s talk more about this… double-entry bookkeeping.”
A strange, evil thought bubbled up from the depths of Alex’s mind.
“Sure, sure, but before that, do you happen to know a family by the name of Breft?” Alex asked.
“Yes. They’re a particularly unsavory lot. I’m all for getting the best deal, and I’m willing to break a few laws here and there for it,” Charles said with a see-sawing hand motion, “but I won’t go to the lengths they will.”
“They charged me twenty thousand gold coins in a fraudulent clause. I was attempting to pay off the debt of a woman who saved my life, and employ her,” Alex said.
Charles’s eyes instantly went cold, his chin coming up a fraction.
“Did they now?” said the merchant. “Tell me more about this.”
***
The conversation with Master Ulles had eventually turned fully toward banking and accounting after he’d learned all of what Breft had done.
Then it was time for him to go. Apparently he’d overspent his meeting time by a considerable margin. Though he made no complaints and waved off the issue as if it were nothing.
Originally, he’d only come to make sure Alex was alright, relay information, and generally check in with him.
Alex was unable to put into words how grateful he’d been for the checkup. It took a load off his shoulders he hadn’t realized was there. There’d been an unknown strain building in him.
One of tedium, stress, and worry. It was no wonder he’d been turning to Rebekah over and over. She really had become a drug for him. It was a pleasant release that let him get away from where he was.
That he was a prisoner with no ability to escape.
Giving his head a shake, Alex decided to make a move. One that could and would shake up the other factions in the Gaelis household.
Getting up out of his seat, Alex walked over to the door of his cell and knocked on it twice.
“Yes?” called a voice from the other side.
“I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind relaying a request for me,” Alex said. “I’d appreciate a chance to speak with the duchess.”
“Ah… what should I tell her you wish to speak to her about?” asked a second voice.
“Tutoring her son,” Alex said with a smirk. It was benign enough to get a response from her but direct enough for everyone else to wonder what in the world was going on.
This could also turn into a very plausible excuse for her to ask him about the attempt on his life.
“I’ll relay your request, sir,” said the voice.
This would put Clark junior into a more unpleasant position as well. So far he hadn’t actually asked Alex for anything and seemed happy to wait.
Which was the last position Alex wanted him in. He needed Clark junior trying to make moves. To shift things and get his needs in order.
So Alex knew what to break.
“You’re pushing buttons,” Rebekah said as Alex strolled back to the table.
She was wearing a button-up blouse and a tight pair of pants. Alex had a hard time believing the shirt was intended for her.
It barely fit around her torso, and the buttons looked like they were going to lose the fight to keep the material closed.
“Do you like it?” she asked, pointing to herself. “I decided to experiment a little bit today. I do have to work to keep you coming back for more now that it seems Six has woken to the wide world of sex. I’d been trying to downplay the fact that you work to get us off rather than just yourself.”
Eleanor had kept Alex busy all night long. What he hadn’t expected was that the volume control on the knight-errant would be broken. By the third go ’round, she’d been practically screaming in bed.
“I do. Looks like those buttons are going to explode,” Alex said.
“I could make them do that. Would you like it?” she asked, easing her shoulders back a bit. The buttons looked about ready to go.
“Maybe later when you can just buy a new blouse. The idea of finding all the buttons and sewing them back on sounds terrible,” Alex said, sitting down next to her. “And don’t worry about it, Seven. You’ll always be my sex kitten. I can’t get enough of you, if you haven’t noticed.”
Rebekah smiled at that and then moved her chair closer to his.
“I’m glad you understand, Master. Just… keep letting me explore who I am, and I’ll keep you happy,” said Rebekah.
Then she laid her head down on his shoulder. “Play with me? The pretty sex kitten could use some attention,” Rebekah said, giving him a very warm smile. “Meow?”
“Would that I could. Either Clark junior will come running to have a discussion with me, or the duchess will show up. Should be interesting either way,” Alex said, reaching around and laying his arm about her.
“Hm? Why’s that?” Rebekah murmured, her left hand pressing to Alex’s chest.
“If the duchess shows up, the guards are at least willing to relay messages correctly and Clark isn’t interceding with her,” Alex explained, watching Rebekah’s hand idly drift lower. “If Clark shows up, that means the guards are his completely and he’s more than willing to step in on the business of the duchess.”
“Oh,” Rebekah said, her fingers moving down past Alex’s navel. “Politics is boring. And I honestly don’t understand it.
“Life has always been about doing what’s best for me, as best as I could. Lifting purses and wallets—being a thief, as you’d call it—let me do what I wanted with the least amount of effort.”
“That makes sense,” Alex said, easing himself back in his chair, giving Rebekah more room to work. Despite his words, he was suddenly wishing he had the time to play with her. “I’d think in your case, though, it’s not so much that you don’t understand it as that you don’t care to. You’re a smart woman, Seven. You’re just… enamored with what you call your luxuries and not working for them.”
“Such a flatterer. That tongue of yours does such a great job for you,” Rebekah said, her hand slipping into Alex’s pants. “Tell me more about me.”
Alex looked to the door, wondering how much time he had now.
As if answering him, there was a sharp single knock on the door. Rebekah sighed and got up out of her chair.
“We’ll continue this later,” she promised.
Then she gave him a kiss and a pat on the cheek before vanishing into his bedroom.
“Enter,” Alex called at the same time.
The door swung inward, and the duchess stepped lightly through the doorway. Then she wrinkled her nose and looked around with a frown.
“Goodness me. Would you care for a walk? Or to have this chat out in the gardens? I don’t think I could stay in here for a single second longer than I had to,” said the duchess.
“I’d be delighted,” Alex said, getting up immediately.
“Would you like to summon your escort?” the duchess asked, her eyes moving back to Alex.
Thinking on the situation, Alex filtered through the possible responses. He could always defer to her and claim he trusted her.
But in the same breath, that would put him at her mercy. Except it wasn’t as if he believed Eleanor, without her armor, could hold out against a determined squad of enemies.
The whole thing was mostly a charade to give the appearance of him not being completely alone.
“No. I trust the duchess has already taken care of all the precautions,” Alex said, taking the opportunity to add another layer to the politics of the situation. There was no single possibility that someone wouldn’t notice he was without his bodyguard.
That information would get back to Clark junior, and he’d have to wonder even further about the situation.
The duchess raised her eyebrows, clearly not expecting Alex’s decision.
“Would you prefer a walk or the gardens, Duchess? I’ll defer to you in either case,” Alex said, coming to stand in front of the older woman with a polite bow.
“Hm… the gardens. Marcos will enjoy being there. He’ll have a chance to play if he gets bored,” said the duchess.
Play? I wonder if the child is already spoiled beyond practicality. Or if he’s had an education at all.
This world is so strange.
“As you will it, Duchess. I’ll be happy to go there and discuss the young master’s tutoring,” Alex said.
And now… we set our trap.
Chapter 30
Seating himself with a smile, Alex looked around.
It was a rather pleasant garden, though very normal. Filled with flowers, shrubs, trees, and open sky above, it was lovely.
But just a garden.
Except to Alex, it felt like the best garden he’d ever come to in his life. As if he were a man trekking the desert and dying of dehydration. And this garden was an oasis to him.
Goodness, I’m getting sentimental at just being outside.
I wonder what kind of deals I’d make myself to get some liberties and luxuries. I’ll need to remember this when it comes time for more deals when I get home.
Forcing himself into the right frame of mind, Alex had to work at getting himself to where he needed to be. This was lovely, but it was nothing but a distraction. Something that would make him more pliable for whatever it was the duchess wanted from him.
Checking the surroundings for what he could see, Alex got an eyeful of guards manning the entire perimeter.
There wasn’t a single approach that wasn’t manned by at least three guards.
On top of that, they seemed to be dressed differently than the ones Alex normally saw running around the keep.
Which means she hires her own, or they’re some type of marriage stipulation. Either way, it’s something I can use.
Were they dressed differently last time and I missed it? Very possible. I might not have been paying as close of attention as I should have.
Frowning, Alex threw his mind back to the walk into town to try and figure out if he could remember what they’d wore then. If the duchess really was employing her own people, that meant she was paying them separately from her own funds.
Assuming all that was true, it turned her into a pry bar he could use. She wasn’t just a faction within Gaelis, but a separate faction entirely with her own people.
His job was getting easier by the moment.
Not far off, Marcos was moving some very expensive wooden toys around the grass. He seemed engrossed in whatever little fantasy world he was playing in.
As far as Alex could tell, the child seemed like any other. Though he didn’t speak much to anyone.
The duchess was fussing over something with one of her liveried servants.
Trying to roll a wooden wagon on the grass, Marcos made a face. Apparently he was nonplussed at the fact that it wouldn’t roll in the grass as well as in dirt.
“Goes better on glass than grass,” Alex said, tapping the table in front of himself.
The child looked up at him, confused.
“The wagon. It’ll roll better on the glass. The friction is considerably less,” Alex said.
“Friction?” asked the child.
“The… resistance of the grass is greater than that of the glass. The wheel will keep moving. Ice would be quite similar—that’s why people slip on it,” Alex said. “Or a more relevant example, hobnailed boots on knights.”
“Oh,” mumbled the child. Coming over to stand next to Alex, he began to wheel the wagon around on the glass. “Friction. I understand.”
Mm. Either he’s very sheltered, or very stupid.
Considering the duchess said the rest of his family was murdered, I’m betting the former.
The duchess sat down across from Alex, eying her playing child.
“Marcos, come stand next to mama,” said the woman. Picking up his toy, the boy walked over to the duchess and stood there. “Do forgive him, he’s only five years as of a few months ago.”
Five? He’s going to be a monster. That or I really am out of touch with how big a five-year-old should look.
“I heard the most interesting news about you,” the duchess said, watching Alex. “Apparently someone tried to have you killed.”
“So it would seem,” Alex said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’d assume someone isn’t very happy with me. I must admit, I probably have a number of enemies amongst the loyal of Gaelis.”
“And your father-in-law came to visit you as well,” the duchess added.
“Yes. Charles Ulles. Frequently known as Master Ulles, the merchant,” Alex said. “We had a discussion about my situation, and that the duke seems determined to keep me imprisoned. Despite Duchess Tanulf agreeing to the ransom price.”
There was no response from the duchess. Either she didn’t know about it, knew but schooled herself wonderfully, or didn’t care.
“Yes. My husband isn’t the brightest at times. One would think he’d have noticed his children dropping dead in order of succession,” said the woman after a pregnant silence.
“If you don’t mind, Duchess, I had a question for you. Your guards are dressed differently than the others I’ve seen around here. Would they happen to be on loan from someone?” Alex asked.
The duchess laughed softly and shook her head.
“Heavens, no. They’re mine. Part of my dowry, when the duke purchased the rights to marry me, was that he allow me to have my own ducal guard, or a version of it,” she said. “I’m second in line for my father’s titles, so I must protect myself should I inherit them. They report to me directly.”
“And you pay for them?” Alex asked, not taking the question further as a young woman with a tray came up to him.
She began to quietly unload everything that looked to be a typical nobleman’s lunch.
It was pleasantly diverse, though he had no say in what he was given anymore.
After putting together his setting, the young woman left quickly. The duchess had being given an equal setting.
Yet none was given for Marcos. He stood quietly next to his mother, his eyes downcast.
There’s my in, I suppose. Provide him with attention, make him feel worthwhile, like an equal.
That’s if I ever need him. Or become his tutor.
Can plant a seed there and let it take all on its own.
“Indeed. I have my own account at the temple and keep my treasury there. They’re far more likely to not steal from me, whereas I couldn’t trust my husband to not do so,” said the duchess, maneuvering her fork to her mouth. “Though it is only ever enough to man my current guard for a year at a time. It wouldn’t do for me to be able to leverage power, after all.”
Alex took that into his plans and decided on a course of action.
“I hear the duchy is suffering from a lack of liquid assets right now,” Alex said, picking at his meal. He wasn’t that hungry at the moment. His typical reaction to stress was to lose his appetite. “I was wondering how bad it’s getting for Clark junior to manage his guards. Especially since an assassin apparently got as close as they did to me.”
