The Line of Illeniel

Chapter 12

We split up after that. Rose went to see her family, Marc to see his, while Penny and I went to see King Edward. I hoped we wouldn’t have to wait long. Even a count has to request an audience. I tried to make it clear to the head servant that our news was quite urgent.

Adam replied with his typical noncommittal tone, “I will make sure his majesty knows you are waiting.” The implication being that we would be waiting, no matter how important we thought we were.

Half an hour later I was pacing the floor in the small receiving room he had left us in. “We should have just sent a note. We’re wasting valuable time here.”

“Calm down,” Penny tried to soothe me. “We still have months; an extra hour or two won’t change anything.”

Irritated I started to snap at her but Adam returned and I quickly closed my mouth. “His majesty will see you now.” I had to admit, half an hour wasn’t that long.

“Thank you Adam,” I replied smugly. I had already switched gears, going from irritated to the picture of grace and nobility. Penny and I followed him into the small reception room that Edward used for informal meetings.

After a few formalities I was able to get to the point of my visit, “Your majesty I have learned some things you should hear.”

“Feel free to speak, we are all ears,” he answered.

I had decided to leave Penny’s gift out of the discussion, so I jumped straight to what Marc had told me, “Marcus Lancaster visited me today with a message from Millicenth.” Edward’s eyebrows went up at that. “He told me that Gododdin prepares for war and will march on Lothion in the spring.”

The king held up his hand, “We have received reports that they were preparing for something militarily, training exercises and such. We had not thought they would try something like this however. Gododdin cannot hope to win such a war.”

“They do not follow the dictates of reason your majesty, but the insane motives of their god instead,” I answered. “There are also shiggreth loose in Arundel and within my lands as well. The goddess believes they were created by Mal’goroth to sow confusion before the war commences.” I wasn’t sure if he had heard of the shiggreth but I was prepared to explain if he asked.

Edward leaned forward, surprise on his face, “Shiggreth! They are creatures of legend only. Surely you are mistaken. According to the tales they were wiped out after Balinthor’s defeat.”

“I would find the tale hard to credit your majesty, even coming from a god, but for my own experience before traveling to Albamarl,” I spent a few minutes describing the creature Penny and I had slain, as well as the disappearances that had preceded the encounter. Edward was quick to ask questions but his wits were still sharp and he soon had a full grasp of what I could tell him.

“How many men can you muster in Cameron?” he asked.

“I have only begun to restore my mother’s estates sire, at present I have no men at arms at all,” I responded honestly.

“Then your town is lost. Arundel cannot hope to face so many, and his lands will be the first they cross. Even with Lancaster’s aid you could do no more than delay them, and perhaps not even that.”

“Surely you will meet them at the border?” I was shocked, even though Rose had warned me this would be his likely response.

“The border itself is indefensible. It would be folly to meet them there. We will consult with Lord Hightower of course, and the marshals, but it is likely that we will face them at the river Trent where the crossing will leave them vulnerable. Unless they plan to turn north and cross the mountains they will overrun your lands and Lancaster as well.” Edward was matter of fact, though he spoke of the loss of lives and livelihood for many people.

“Where does that leave my people your majesty?”

“My advice is to abandon your land. Evacuate everyone that can move at the first of spring. Once the war is won you can rebuild.” Edward’s tone was hard.

“Your majesty, begging your pardon, they will starve. With nowhere to go I cannot hope to find homes and food to feed them while they are dispossessed. Those that survive will return to find their homes gone and their livestock butchered to feed the invader, if we ever get to return,” the volume of my voice was perhaps a bit strident.

“Don’t presume to teach us our part young lord! We are well aware of the sufferings our subjects will bear if war comes to our lands. Our task is to ensure there is a kingdom left to recover once the war is won. We have more to consider than just Cameron! As it stands we could have you fined for not being able to answer the levy call!” the king was red-faced now. The levy he referred to was the call to arms, in which all the nobles would be asked to provide knights and men-at-arms to fill the ranks of his army. Having none of my own yet I would stand in breach of my oath by failing to respond. “So what will it be?” he asked.

“I cannot abandon my land or the people there that depend upon me,” I answered.

“Be wary, you stand close to crossing the line into treason young Illeniel.”

“I am the last wizard and the only defense those people have. If no one else will guard them then I shall. The enemy will pay dearly for every step they take into Cameron lands. You may judge for yourself whether that be treason or not!” As I spoke I felt my blood rising and my temper grew hot. For a moment it seemed I could feel the very earth throbbing underneath me, as if some giant heart beat far beneath the ground. Grinding out the last words I brought my foot down heavily and it felt like the earth moved. The sensation startled me and I wondered if it was a product of my imagination. My thoughts were far from clear.

King Edward’s face had gone white and a fine trickle of stone dust filtered down from the ceiling above. He gripped the arms of his chair as if he were afraid he might fall out of it. Perhaps I hadn’t imagined it. “Very well, we are sympathetic to your plight. If that is your wish so be it, you have our leave to do so.” His tone made it clear that the audience was over, but my magesight could detect the fear he carefully concealed.

I bowed and rose to leave but as we reached the door he called out to me, “Mordecai!”

“Yes your majesty?”

“The trainer, Cyhan is his name, is here. Adam will show you to him when you leave. He will remain with you and Penelope until the training and bond are complete. Do you understand?”

“Of course your majesty,” I bowed again and left, quietly gritting my teeth. Of course I understand, you want a muzzle on the dog before it goes rabid and bites you, I thought.

I left the room with an angry stride while Penny hurried to keep up with me. “You knew this was going to happen… Rose said as much,” she reminded me. “Did you make the earth shake back there?” she added.

“I don’t know exactly. I felt it, but it didn’t feel like I did it… I think. The man just told me he was abandoning our people! It’s not expedient to help them. What sort of king is that?” My tone was full of anger.

Penny looked around, “Keep your voice down!” she hissed. “We’re still inside the royal palace.”

She was right of course, but I was too mad to care. Adam stepped up from beside the doors, “If you’ll follow me my lord I’ll take you to meet the trainer.” He was as quiet as a ghost, were it not for my extra senses he’d have startled me half to death.

“Lead the way,” I replied without turning to look at him.

We followed him down several long corridors and a flight of stairs, till we reached another waiting room. A man waited there. He was big, I’ll give him that. He stood slightly over six foot tall, which meant he was looking me eye to eye, but where I was slender he was… not. He carried muscle on him the way a pig wears mud, meaning there was a lot more than anyone should find necessary. He had dark brown hair and brown skin that went well beyond a casual tan.

“So you’re my handler,” I stated. I was in no mood to mince words. Even as angry as I was I could not help but notice how he carried himself. He gave the impression of a coiled spring, ready to break loose into deadly violence without warning. I couldn’t help but wonder how he would match up against Dorian.

He shrugged, “At least we’re starting out with no illusions. My name is Cyhan.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Just Cyhan?”

“Any other name I had is long dead. If you’d rather call me something else that’s fine,” the man’s face gave away little in expression.

“Cyhan will do. Anything else we need to get out of the way before we get moving? I have a lot to take care of today,” I was impatient to get moving.

“Just one,” he replied. “Before we start you need to understand how things work between us. I’m not your bodyguard. I’m not your man-servant. I’m not your friend. I’m here to do a job, and that job is all I care about. If it looks like something is getting in the way of that job I’ll make sure it doesn’t get in the way for long. You cooperate and we get along fine. You don’t and this will be a short job.” Even as he essentially threatened me, his expression never changed. The effect was altogether chilling, but I’d be damned before I let him see that.

“Is that what you told my father?” I asked.

“Pardon?”

“You heard me. I know you trained my mother, so you must have had a similar conversation with him at some point. I’m curious how he responded to it.”

“He was younger than you are now, but he already knew the necessity, so we never had a conversation such as this one. Besides, we had already begun training the candidates. He merely had to choose,” he answered simply.

Curious, so he had chosen my mother from a set of candidates. “You trained more than one?”

“Back then there were still a number of wizards alive, we kept a small school going so there were always several ready when needed.” He stated it as a simple fact.

My curiosity got the better of me, “What happened to those not chosen?”

“Some became knights, some trained the next generation.”

“Like yourself?”

“Yeah, ‘cept after your father died we didn’t think there would be anymore.”

Something in his eyes made me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t put my finger on it so I pushed the feeling aside, “Alright, let’s go. Daylight’s burning.”

Cyhan picked up a heavy looking pack and we headed outside. As we went I caught Penny giving him an appraising look and a surge of jealousy went through me. Thinking back to the other day I guess I could understand her feelings about me looking at Rose a little better. I still didn’t like it though. The heavyset warrior spoke up, “Where are we headed?”

“The royal bank,” Penny put in.

Cyhan looked her over as if he had just noticed her. His gaze swept slowly up from her feet, taking her in carefully. I didn’t care for it. He looked at her in much the same way a butcher does when he’s sizing up a side of beef. “Pardon my manners, we haven’t been introduced…” he said.

“Penelope Cooper,” she answered quickly, “I’m to be his bond-bearer.” She pointed at me with her thumb.

Cyhan grinned, a big white toothed smile. It was the most expressive I had seen him be so far and it thoroughly unnerved me, “Pleased to meet you Miss Cooper. We’ll have a lot of time to get to know each other after this, but I doubt you’ll be glad of it.”

“What do you mean?” she asked uncertainly.

The big bastard laughed, “Oh you’ll see. No sense spoiling it now.” He clammed up after that and refused to answer her questions although she peppered him with them incessantly as we walked.

I decided to change the subject, “Cyhan, I have a question.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know the way to the royal bank?” I asked.

As a matter of fact he did know the way. Several turns and a half hour’s walk got us there. A large building with a large stone facade in the front greeted us. “That’s it there,” Cyhan said.

“Ever been in there before?”

“Do I look like I have money?” he asked. I had to admit he had a point.

“How about me, do I look like I have money?” I turned the question around.

“Not really. We’ll see if they let you inside,” he replied.

“They turn people away?” It hadn’t occurred to me that the bank might be hard to get into.

“Banks are for the rich. If you’re not a member of the club they’ll have you locked up faster than you can blink. Why are you here anyway? Not that it’s any of my business,” Cyhan asked.

“I’ve got a war to fight. For that I’ll need all the money I can lay my hands on.”

“We’ll see,” he replied.

I had no plans to go away empty handed. I stepped up to the doors and a uniformed fellow held one open for me. I looked back at Penny and our new ‘friend’, “Come on.” They followed me in. The interior was richly appointed. Vaulted ceilings and dark wood greeted my eyes in every direction. Unsure where to go I walked up to the man at the nearest desk, he seemed very busy with something he was writing, “Excuse me…”

After a long moment he looked up, “Can I help you?” He had the look of someone supremely disinterested in the world around him. Or maybe it was just me.

“Yes, my name is Mordecai Illeniel. I’m here to check into my accounts,” I tried to give the impression of honesty and sincerity as I spoke, not that it mattered.

The fellow looked up at me; his spectacles made his eyes seem twice as large as normal. “I don’t recall seeing you before. Did you bring your account book?”

I was already uncertain, “I don’t have one. I only just arrived in Albamarl and I didn’t even know about my inheritance until yesterday, surely someone can help me here?”

“You’ll need to talk to Mister Easley, the account manager. He can help you,” he responded.

“Excellent. Where can I find him?”

“Check in over at the desk there,” he pointed to a desk in one corner where another man was working. I might have said they were twins, but this unfortunate fellow was also bald. I walked over to him.

I addressed him politely, “Excuse me, I’m told I need to see a Mister Easley to discuss the accounts I’ve inherited.”

He glanced at me, “Certainly. Name please…” He held a pen over a blank form.

“Mordecai Illeniel, son of Tyndal Illeniel and current Count di’Cameron. I think I may have more than one account.” I tried to look important and patient at the same time. I probably failed at both.

“Very good sir, how does next Tuesday sound, say around one in the afternoon?” He didn’t bother to look at me as he asked; clearly the assumption was that any time they could fit me in would be good for me.

“No, I’m sorry. I won’t be in the capital then. I need to see someone today.”

“Mister Easley isn’t in today. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait regardless,” he answered. His face gave away nothing but his aura flashed with something I might have called ‘smug self-importance’. Needless to say it didn’t sit well with me.

“Is the bank closed today?” I asked mildly.

“No sir, I think you can see that,” he replied bemused.

“Then people can withdraw money, deposit money, or conduct other business here today?” It was a question but I was really just setting the stage for my next remark. My temper was rising rapidly.

“Of course.” I could almost see his thoughts as he pondered whether I might be unstable. He wasn’t far from the truth there.

“As best as I can ascertain; I have money here, quite likely in more than one account. I need access to it now. Since you are currently open for business I suggest you find someone who can help me,” I tried to keep a calm tone but my tension was seeping out.

“I’ve already told you sir, you’ll have to make an appointment with Mister Easley, and he’s not here today,” the look of indifference on his face was calculated to increase my aggravation.

I leaned over the desk until our faces were barely a foot apart, “Then I suggest you fetch your manager or someone who can handle my business… today.” I kept my tone level but with my mind I carefully applied pressure to the back leg of his chair. Doing magic without using words is more difficult but I had energy to spare and nothing better to do with it today. As the last word passed my lips the leg snapped and he fell unceremoniously to the floor. I looked down on him as he sprawled on the floor, “I think you need to replace your cheap furniture.”

He got up quickly and brushed himself off. Without a word he left, presumably to find someone with more seniority to ‘deal’ with me. I glanced at Penny and I could see worry on her face. Most likely she didn’t approve of my methods. Cyhan’s expression gave away nothing of his thoughts; he might as well have been a statue.

A moment later the weaselly little clerk returned, “If you’ll follow me, Mister Aston has kindly agreed to talk to you today.” He said it as if they were doing me a favor. I became even more determined to knock a few people down a notch. I had a feeling Penny would be very unhappy with me by the time we left today.

He led us past a row of desks and through a door. From there we went up a large staircase until we reached the third floor, the bank was impressively large. By the looks of things the offices of the higher-ups in the bank were on this floor. A gold plate on the outside of the door proclaimed it to be the office of ‘Mister Eagin Aston, Vice-President’. I wasn’t sure what the word ‘president’ meant, but it sounded important, especially if it had a ‘vice’. He opened the door for us and let us in.

Inside a red faced and rather corpulent man sat behind the biggest desk I had ever encountered. It was built of some dark red wood and polished until is shone like glass. He looked up at me, “If you would kindly leave your servants outside perhaps I can help educate you better about your financial situation here at the bank.” Translation, Cyhan scared the crap out of him. I couldn’t blame him for that.

Cyhan walked out without being asked but I could see Penny fuming inside. I might have corrected the man’s misapprehension about her, but I had a feeling I might not want her to see our negotiations. “Please step outside if you will Miss Cooper,” I commanded solemnly. The look in her eyes warned me there would be dire repercussions later, but she went anyway. It was almost funny but I was too irritated with the bankers already to find it humorous. After they left and shut the door I took a seat across the desk from Mister Aston.

“I am told you claim to be the heir of both Tyndal Illeniel and Miles di’Cameron. Is that correct?” his voice held a hint of doubt.

“I am,” I took off both of the signet rings I wore, one of Illeniel and one of the Camerons and placed them on the desk in front of him.

He looked them over carefully then spoke, “These appear genuine, though they do not serve to validate your claim.”

I could tell he was going to be difficult but I held my temper, “As I’m sure you know I gave fealty to King Edward just yesterday. Surely you do not take our sovereign for a fool?”

“No of course not, but I still have to properly verify your credentials. If I simply handed money out to anyone that walked in claiming to be this person or that the bank would hardly be a safe place to keep such things. For example, I will need to know your lineage… so I can be sure there are no other heirs with a better claim to the accounts you wish to access.” He projected an aura of calm assurance.

I took a moment to explain my line of descent from both since I figured he did have at least one valid argument there. It took me a few minutes but eventually I had told him all the pertinent details. He nodded at me sympathetically, “A very interesting tale and I do believe you… honestly I do. However, I will require a personal statement from the Duke of Lancaster regarding your right to inherit Miles di’Cameron’s account. Regarding Tyndal Illeniel’s account I’ll need an affidavit from your adoptive parents corroborating your story and a waiver from the King himself to release those funds. I’m sure you understand all of this will take some time.” He spread his hands as if to show me he was unable to do more.

I leaned back in the chair and put my feet on his desk. I was done being polite. “You understand that my father was a wizard, don’t you?” I asked him.

“Of course, though I’m not sure how that applies…,” he gave me an irritated look and stared pointedly at my boots. “I’d appreciate it if you took your footwear off of my desk; it is a rather expensive piece of furniture.”

I ignored his request, “How many wizards are left in Lothion do you think, Mister Aston?”

“None, besides yourself, and if you leave your dirty boots on my desk any longer you may find yourself waiting considerably longer to access those accounts,” his face had colored and his eyes were narrowed as he looked at me.

“I would think the fact that I am a wizard should be the strongest proof you could have of my line of descent. I would also think you might be a bit more accommodating in light of that fact, rather than making obvious threats concerning my property.” I had my hands together and made a steeple of my fingers while I stared at him, giving the appearance of a man deep in thought. “I have no intention of leaving here today without a full accounting of my wealth, a proper account book, and a sizable withdrawal.”

The fat bastard was almost shaking with rage now, “Lord Cameron, or Illeniel, or whoever the hell you think you are… you really don’t think you’re the first person to come into this place and threaten the bank do you? Do you think a few magic tricks are enough to frighten me? Right now your guard and your Anath’Meridum are outside surrounded by a rather numerous group of bank guards. If you even think of damaging this facility or harming me you’ll be dead before your pact-bearer’s head can hit the floor.”

That surprised me, I’ll admit it. It never even occurred to me that they might be prepared for a situation like this, or that they would so quickly resort to violence. Worse, while I cared nothing for the giant of a man who had come with me I wasn’t sure if I could protect Penny. A moment’s concentration and I could feel the presence of a large number of men drawing closer from several directions. There would be no easy escape for Penny and Cyhan. I doubted I could get a shield over Penny from the other side of a closed door. He had me dead to rights. But he didn’t have to know it; he’d already made one rather large assumption that was incorrect.

I laughed. I tried to emulate the laugh James Lancaster had used long ago to break the tension after I had beaten Devon Tremont at chess. I laughed long and loud, forcing the sound up from my belly. Finally I stopped, “You’ve made one rather large mistake here my friend. I don’t have an Anath’Meridum yet. I am still unbound and while it would probably annoy me even more if you harm my servants, it won’t do a damn thing to stop me from bringing this bank down around your ears. I wonder how well you could do business sitting in a pile of rubble?”

Let us shake it down!

Great the voice was back again, I thought to myself.

“Now you’re just boasting! What a farce! This building is solid stone and it has stood here for well over four hundred years. You might scorch some of the wood work or damage the furnishings but you don’t really think you could bring it down?” Flecks of spittle flew out of his mouth as he shouted. Clearly Mister Aston didn’t handle stress well.

Even as he was speaking I could feel a giant heart beating in the earth beneath me. I had planned to use my power to do something mildly showy… like breaking his lovely desk, or tossing some papers around, but the voice and that deep rhythmic beat gave me another idea. I let my mind expand; feeling the heartbeat below as if it were my own… then I directed my thoughts outward. Go ahead and shake, I thought at it.

A rumble shook the building, sending a vibration through the floor. It was deep, like a sound too low to hear, and everything began to move. Mister Aston tried to stand as astonishment flickered across his face. He promptly fell as the building gave a shudder and the floor moved underneath him. I was growing concerned myself, dust and plaster were sifting down from the ceiling and my stomach was full of butterflies as the entire building moved again. Stop! Enough! I screamed mentally, to who I’m not sure. The rumbling died down and the building grew still, but I could still feel that gigantic heartbeat pulsing far away… below the earth.

I looked at the banker; he was on all fours clutching at the carpet beneath his desk as if to anchor himself. I wasn’t sure what had happened but there was no need to let him know that, “You were saying something about how solid the bank is Mister Aston? I don’t think I caught all of it. Perhaps you’d like to repeat yourself?”

His face was blank, “Uhh…” He seemed to have lost the power of speech.

“Perhaps you’d better go get those account books so we can get down to business?” I suggested amiably.

“But I can’t…” he started.

“Can’t is an ugly word Mister Aston. Let’s keep a positive outlook. Go fetch the books so I can get out of your hair. I’m sure you have a lot of other work to do,” I gave him a reassuring smile.

The blood had drained out of his face. My smile sometimes has that effect. He got up and started to leave the room, “I think perhaps you’re right Lord Cameron. Let me get my assistant and we’ll sort things out as quickly as we can.”

“Please tell my bodyguard and maidservant to come back in on your way out.” I had to stifle a giggle at the thought of calling Penny a maidservant, but I managed to keep it in.

Penny and Cyhan came back in immediately after he left. As soon as the door shut she gave me a questioning glance, “What did you do?” She seemed to have forgotten her anger at being called a servant. Meanwhile Cyhan was glaring at me. I got the feeling I had made my situation with him worse, but I couldn’t be sure.

I tried to calm her down, “Nothing. It wasn’t me! I just heard the voice again and this time I told it to go ahead and shake things up. I had no idea that things would actually shake!”

“You’re hearing voices already?” Cyhan interrupted. He said it as if he had expected something of the sort.

“Just every now and then, but I’m not crazy. Honestly… I know the voices aren’t my own,” the more I talked the crazier I sounded. It couldn’t be helping my case with him. I wondered what would happen if he thought I had truly lost my mind. Would he try to hurry up the bonding, or just murder me in my sleep? Before we could finish our conversation Mister Aston returned with two assistants and several heavy looking ledgers. I was grateful for the interruption.

The next hour was a confusing mess of numbers and accounting. Having decided to cooperate; Mister Aston had become the very soul of courtesy and helpfulness. My father’s company had closed a few years back but they had continued operating for over ten years after he died, while paying in his share of the profits to the bank. The Count di’Cameron had also been a dutiful saver when it came to preparing for the future. Once Aston had finally summed everything up I was stunned at the total. I immediately understood why the bank had been reluctant to let me have the funds.

“Wait, could you repeat that for me?” I asked.

“Twenty six thousand four hundred and twenty three gold marks in liquid assets, plus a six percent interest in the Royal Bank of Lothion,” Aston repeated dutifully. “Then you also have to consider your land assets, the mining operations in the southern Elentir copper mines and the wool factorage in Gododdin…”

“Wool factorage?”

“A trading concern there, buying and selling wool, presumably your father invested in it due to the high prices of wool here in Lothion. A good portion of the shipping his other company handled was wool. After the government in Gododdin collapsed the factorage stopped shipping to Lothion, which caused Trigard Export to fall into a slow decline. Although the two nations are no longer trading actively his interests in the wool factorage are still there. I don’t have up to date numbers but the Bank of Gododdin should still be keeping records of his profits there, whatever they may be.”

In spite of the chaos of a civil war and rebellion the bank was still operating normally? I guess banks could care less about matters of government and religion… business goes on. My mind was still reeling from the shock of what he had told me. “What exactly does six percent interest in the Bank of Lothion mean exactly? Is that interest paid on my cash assets here?”

“Oh no! That’s six percent ownership in the bank. Your accounts receive a small dividend on all bank profits each quarter. Now if you’d like to sell off your shares in the bank we could probably find a buyer rather quickly…” Aston’s eyes lit up with greed.

“No that’s quite alright,” I stopped him. “I think I’ll leave the hard assets alone for now. The numbers you’ve been quoting me are a lot more than I expected. Are all the nobility so rich?” I felt foolish for asking but the shock had given my self-control a blow.

Mister Aston snorted, “Hardly! Quite a few are in debt to the bank. You’re probably the fourth or fifth richest man in Lothion at present. The king has considerably more, and the duchies of Tremont and Lancaster are doing very well of course. Most of your monies come from your father’s accounts. The Cameron accounts were respectable but the Illeniels have been building wealth since the nation was founded.”

A thought occurred to me, if I had let… whatever that was… destroy the bank I would have been destroying my own property. I almost chuckled. “I’ll need to withdraw some money for my return home, about five thousand marks should do.”

The banker blanched at the figure but kept his thoughts to himself, “Very good.”

“I also would like a letter of credit written out for Lady Rose Hightower, so that she may draw upon the rest,” I continued.

“Excuse me?” he choked.

“Which part was unclear?”

“How much credit do you wish for her to be permitted to draw upon?” he asked carefully. It looked as though he had swallowed a bone.

“The ‘rest’ would imply all of it, except the hard assets of course,” I replied sarcastically.

“But… she could bankrupt you!” he was almost shouting. He might have made me angry but for the fact he was now trying to protect my interests. I thought harder then… he must be protecting his own interests as well. I didn’t know much about finances, but at a guess the bank might not have that much in available coin. He might be worried Rose would render the bank insolvent by withdrawing more than their available cash reserves. It would also partly explain his original efforts to slow down my access to my accounts.

“Mister Aston, I understand your fears. I trust Lady Rose implicitly, the bank however I am still not so sure of. I realize that were she to use the entirety of that money it might place the bank in an awkward situation. I do not think she will need to do so, at least not immediately. In the meantime I think it would be best for the bank if it were to spend the next month making sure it has sufficient cash reserves that it is not relying upon the balance in my accounts to remain solvent.”

He flushed, “Are you implying…”

I interrupted, “I’m not implying anything Mister Aston. You know your bank far better than I do. Make sure she has access to those funds. If she has any problems drawing on my accounts I will have to return to Albamarl, and I won’t be happy.” I gave him a hard stare.

“Very well my lord, I think we understand each other,” Aston wasn’t happy but he could tell when his back was against the wall.

After that he drew up the letter of credit and had it signed and notarized. Getting the five thousand marks out of the bank turned out to be a much larger chore than I had realized. That much coinage weighed nearly four hundred pounds. In the end we had to leave and purchase a couple of mules and some sturdy leather packs to load the money into. For some reason the task put me in a good mood. Something about the feeling of having several hundred pounds of gold, in my ‘pocket’ as it were, gave me a lighthearted feeling. Told you I’m a fool. Any sane man would have realized how dangerous having that much money around would be.