Chapter Fifteen A

We were woken by Emi kissing us, while lightly pinching our nipples. She is such a pervert.

"Wake up you two, we have company and more on the way. Helen you get to your room before you are seen, shoo." She had my clothes laid out on the foot of the bed already. I attended to my toilet, then dressed in my new undies and a long skirt and blouse combination, anklets and slippers.

As I get my hair brushed , I reviewed what needs to be done today. Sophia needed her things brought from the ship. Kalvin could do that. Aden and I would be talking to the merchants most of the morning. The merchants are be invited to supper so Tilly will be busy all day. I wonder if Sophia would like to go swimming with us some time, she will need a swimsuit if she does. Helen could make a suit for her today if she did. Will I be able to get to the inlet today, the ponds need to be lined soon or we will miss prime salt making weather. The four of us could go there after dinner to do that. Oh, I need to talk to the captain about the trial which needs to be got over with. What else?

"Is Sophia awake, Emi?"

"Yes, your majesty. I saw her before I woke you."

"Shall we invite her to T'ai Chi?"

"If she is going to be a part of the household we should."

We collect Helen then go in search of Sophia, who we find in the kitchen drinking tea with Tilly. "Good morning Sophia, Tilly. Did you sleep well?"

"I did indeed sleep well, Rufina." Sophia replies. Tilly just nods.

"Would you like to join us in T'ai Chi this morning." Instead of answering with words, they both stood.

As we're in route to the garden Aden enters and joins us. Reaching the patio, the ones that have done T'ai Chi before sit and remove their footwear. I explain that it can be done wearing shoes but there are advantages to not wearing them. They soon have theirs off. I have Emi lead the other two while I show Sophia and Tilly the beginner forms. When the others finish their forms I show everyone a couple of new ones, which we practice several times. I lead everyone in the basic forms then the two new one. I end with everyone in vertical centering which we hold for a minute. Then it's back in our footwear.

"I like those stockings, Rufina." Sophia comments.

"I'll order you some then." As we go to the dinning room I ask her, "How much baggage do you have on broad the ship?"

"Two large baskets worth."

As we are seating ourselves at the table, Kalvin comes down the stairs.

"Kalvin, will you assist Sophia in retrieving her clothes from the ship later?" I get a nod in return.

"Sophia, do you swim?"

"I do, but there was no swimwear to purchase in Calvi."

"Helen, would you make a Sophia a swimsuit and some under garments?"

"Of course, your majesty. I will need to check my supply of cloth first. What style swimsuit do you think would look the best?"

Looking at Sophia, "She would look good in a halter top and shorts style suit."

"What is that?" Helen asks, Sophia looks confused also.

I reach across the table taking Sophia's hand while an image of a model in that style suit forms in my mind. Sophia gets a glazed look for a second. Sophia releases my hand then touches Helen's arm. Helen closes her eyes for a few seconds before nodding.

"If you are short on cloth go buy a few measures. Aden, please supply Helen with a few coins to that end, please."

"Will the merchants be coming here to speak to you or somewhere else?"

"They should start arriving shortly. Are we still going to auction the grain to the highest bidder?"

"No reason not to, is there?"

"When will the auction be held?"

"It's hard to sell some thing when you don't know the quantity you have so after the grain is threshed and cleaned."

"Is the cleaner going to be ready soon?"

"I have the plans done, but need to test the rubbing wheels."

"What do you need for that?"

"Some soft leather and some sea sponge."

"Alright, I can get you those."

While these conversations are going on, Emi is sets the table followed by Tilly serving breakfast. We eat as we talk. Soon we run out of things to discuss and along with breakfast. The table is cleared and the dishes washed. I suggest to Kalvin to take the panniers. Helen goes up to my rooms to measure out the cloth we had on hand. When she returns she says we were short on large pieces of fabric, she would need a few measures of that. Aden gives her a couple gold worth of silver coin. Then the three of them leave, Helen to town and Kalvin and Sophia to the ship, I had Kalvin deliver a message to the captain of the ship.

While we wait for the merchants to start arriving I work on sketches, I finish all the parts for the cleaner and am beginning on a spinning wheel when the first merchant arrives. Aden answers the door and escorts him to the domain office, then comes to fetch me.

"Your majesty, the first of the merchants are here." We return to his office. "Your majesty this is Jackson, a merchant out of Calvi, trading in wines and luxury goods."

Rufina of old would have been interested in his goods but I do not. "Can you acquire metals, seeds or high quality animals?" I ask.

"I am sorry but I have no connections for those items. Are you sure you don't need any wines? I have several very good vintages."

"I am sorry but I have developed an aversion to wine of late." When I saw his face fall, "Though we did need a few bottles for guests." I ended up buying a couple of cases of wine from him.

While we have been talking to the merchant a second one has arrived. Emi has answered the door and had him seated in the parlor. When we finish our talk with Jackson, Aden shows him to the door while inviting him to supper tonight. Emi brings the second man to the office in the meantime.

"Greeting, good sir. I am Rufina, Queen of Haven and this is Minister Aden. Welcome to Haven."

"Good Morning, your majesty, minister. I am Henderson of Chittur, I deal in metals and metal goods. I was hoping to speak with minister Lian, when will he be available?"

"Minister Lian is indisposed and will be for some time. What have you to offer us today?"

"I have bars and ingots of metals, forged and casted item made of the those metals including a few fine knives and swords."

"Would you have a shaving razor?"

"I do, just not with me at the moment. They are stored away amongst my goods aboard ship. I can bring them for you to view at your convenience."

"Come see me in three days then, if you would. Now I let minister Aden tell you of our metal needs. Excuse me." I walk out to the parlor where Emi has shown the third merchant to a seat.

"Your majesty, this is Mark of the Harding Company out of Calvi. Mark is Queen Rufina." Emi is acting strangely when introducing us, she would stare at him then shake her head but would soon be staring again. For his part he was attentive to me but I would catch him glancing at Emi. This man was different, at first I couldn't tell what it was. When he finally looked me in the eyes I figured it out, he is the same species as Emi.

"You may go Emi."but she seems reluctant to go. When she still lingered I walked up to her and escorted her out, whispering in her ear, "You can speak with him later." Her cheeks redden but she nods.

After returning to my seat, "Sorry about that, Mark. Now what do you have to offer us?"

It took him a moment to get regain his bearings. He soon replies, "My company can acquire almost anything you require, though due to your location it will take a minimum of four weeks to deliver most things."

"Can you procure prized livestock, rare seed stocks or tree seedlings?"

"If an order can not be filled," he said, "all moneys will be returned with ten percent added for the inconvenience."

I notice Aden is showing the second merchant to the door, "Excuse me a moment, Mark. I wish to speak with minister Aden." As I approach him I notice Emi, standing on the the balcony, staring at the parlor where the catkin merchant is sitting. Smiling to myself, "Aden, did it go well?"

"Very well, I was able to obtain several hundred weight of assorted metals for a good price."

"Very good. Come meet the third merchant." Leading him to the parlor, "Minister Aden this is Mark of the Harding Company of Calvi. Mark this is Minister Aden."

We sit down together. Mark explains the way his company works, how orders are placed, expected delivery times and some of the goods that are available.

"How can you deliver goods so quickly?" Aden asks. Normally it takes a minimum of six weeks to receive ordered goods.

"We have a way to pass the orders on quickly over land or sea."

"If I were to order, says a small bag of sugarcane seed, when could I expect them to arrive?" I inquire.

"How large a bag?"

"Enough to plant an acre."

"That size bag could be here in seven days."

Seven days? "If you can have that delivered by sunset in seven days we would have many things to order."

"If you make that within a couple hours after sunset, I can do it."

"How much does this speedy delivery cost us?"

"An additional Five percent."

Five percent verses four weeks. I stand.

"Aden, come with me please," I lead him into the office. "Should we test their delivery system or just do business with them?"

"I would like to test their system, it seems to good to be true."

So would I. What can we order that we need that is small and would be useful right now. Rubber, is it available? "Aden, you ever heard of rubber?"

"No, I haven't. What is it?" Instead of answering him I lead him back to the parlor and Mark.

"Mark, have you heard of rubber, it's the sap of a tropical tree, white when fresh but possibly light brown from the wood smoke used to cure or dry it. In it's dried state it is flexible and water proof."

He thinks for a while before saying, "It sounds familiar but I am not positive I can get any."

I fall back to the sugarcane seed, "In that case how much would a bag of sugarcane seed cost? Delivered in by midnight of the seventh day from now."

"We should be able to deliver that for two gold."

"Why so much?"

"Sugarcane is from a far country where the export of sugarcane seed is prohibited. The only reason we have some available is someone smuggled some out a few years ago and established a farm growing it. He sells it for a high price, but so far he is the only one to able to grow it successfully."

"Very well then, I will order enough to plant one acre." It is one of the crops I would like to try.

"To place the order, I will need the money up front as the company will need to buy the seeds. It is also policy."

Aden handed him two gold coins. A receipt is written stating that he has promised the goods to be delivered before 1999 on the tenth day after the summer solstice. When I saw that it surprised me, the first day of summer was three days ago. When he and Aden had signed the receipt he handed it to me.

"Have you heard of vegetables, in the same plant family as nightshade, one with a juicy red fruit, the other with spicy yellow, green or red fruits? Or of another that has varied colored tubers with white to yellow flesh? Or a large leaf vine with green, blue green or orange skinned fruit having yellow to orange flesh?"

"I believe some plants that fit that description were discovered early last year. Some explores had traveled across the sea to the west discovering a new land populated by different peoples. They traded with those peoples, obtaining some of the strange plants they ate. The Harding Company has obtained some of those seeds and has grown some of the plants. There doesn't appear to be a ready market though, most people a leary of them because their relation to nightshade. There were many varieties of beans discovered also."

'Bingo.' "I would like to order a hand full of each of the different seeds, please. If the company has the spicy fruits differentiated, I would like a small hand full of each of those. Concerning the beans I would like double hand fulls of each different type. The large fruited vines a single hand full of seeds is plenty. And two large baskets of the tubers. With a delivery date of four weeks before the first of spring."

He has been writing as I say all this. "I will need half the payment now, the balance on delivery."

"That is fine."

He writes a receipt, this one stating that the listed items are to be delivered by such and such a date and the balance of two gold be due then. Aden hands him two gold then Aden and he sign the receipt which is then handed to me.

As I walk him to the door, "You are invited to supper tonight, Mark. Will you come?"

"I would be happy to your majesty. At 1500?"

"That is correct. You may come a few minutes early if you wish." We are standing near the the vestibule so I can see Emi loitering on the balcony near the stairway. I wave her down. She is soon by my side. "Mark, have you met my companion/maid Emi, a free woman?"

"I have meet her but hadn't gotten her name. I am delighted to meet you, Miss Emi." He takes her hand then leans over to kiss it which causes her to blush. I nudge her to escort him out but she is being slow on the up take.

"Emi, will you see Mark out?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"I will see you tonight, Mark. Enjoy the rest of your day."

"Thank you, your majesty. I will."

As Emi and Mark walked up to the door, Sophia, Helen and Kalvin entered. "Lady Sophia, good morning."

"Good morning, Mark. May I present Mistress Helen, a weaver and tailor and Guardsmen Kalvin. Helen, Kalvin this is Mark, a merchant out of Calvi. We became acquainted aboard ship on the way here."

Mark kissed Helen's hand and shook Kalvin's. Then Emi escorted him out, closing the door after.

"Sophia, did you get your clothing?"

"Yes, it is in the panniers outside." We all go out to help carry them in. Kalvin and Aden lifted the panniers down, Helen and Sophia taking one and Aden and I the other, as Kalvin takes the horses to the stables. Emi and Mark are talking a short distance away. We carry the panniers up to Sophia's rooms, leaving them for her to empty. Aden and I go back down to the office, where we file the receipts away.

"Only the three merchants?"

"Just the three."

"Alright. Back to sketching then. See you at dinner."