Five
Choices are made
I took a slow stroll up to Rash's suite, she was home but in her bedroom, she was getting dressed when I knocked. Miri let me in and I sat and waited while Miri let herself in to Rash's room to tell her. I rehearsed some of my arguments in my head, trying to anticipate his.
Rash looked radiant when she appeared, the dress she was wearing cut low enough that her padded breasts looked a size bigger. Hung around her neck was a necklace of glittering reds and greens with smaller stones as ear drops, the whole effect making her more pleasing on the eye.
Miri handed her a cloak which she wrapped around herself then looked at me.
"Ready."
I stood and nodded.
"Master Svelt is not home," the liveried servant said as he opened the door.
"I'm seeing Svelt senior, he's expecting me." Rash replied.
The servant opened the door wider and stepped back, letting us walk in.
"If you'll follow me, Sir, my Lady," he said solemnly.
He led us into a library and bade us sit while he informed the master we were here.
Looking around I undid two scrying spells and a listening one and saw that he had a spellbound book on one of the higher shelves.
"Oh do sit down," ordered Rash.
I turned and took the chair next to her.
"I don't care what he advises, I want access to my money, I'll take it all out if he refuses.
"Yes. Don't worry, if you need to pay for the furnishings and things he's got to let you pay for them."
"But he was going on about investments and managing my money."
"That was probably just to confuse you, make it sound complicated."
She gave a nervous laugh. "Well he can't quibble with my choice of advisor, though you might not look the part."
The door opened.
"The master will see you now. He's down in the study, if you'll follow me."
He led us deeper into the house and up some stairs and down to the end of a passage. At the bottom she knocked the door and opened it to let us through.
"Ah, Princess Rasyondi, welcome. And who's this you have with you," he greeted us. "I'm Svelt, pleased to meet you sir."
"This is Davor of Pike, he's my advisor."
"Ah, I fear you have misunderstood me, you need someone who is familiar with how finance works here."
"Greetings master Svelt, I am not as inexperienced as you think, for two years now I have been managing the accounts of our estate."
"Ah but this is high finance my boy, no offense but you have to know the market."
"Sir, it is a simple matter of paying bills, she needs money for living expenses."
"That we can solve by granting her a loan, she can leave her investments untouched...."
"What are these investments?" I interrupted him. "She is banking her money here."
"Yes, and we use that money to loan to others, merchants, builders, landlords and the like, the interest they pay is the profit. The princess's money is tied up, there will be fee's to pay if we are to untangle some of it."
"Rash, did you agree to this?"
"I don't think so; I told him I just wanted to keep my money safe. I left most of my jewellery here for safekeeping as well."
"She agreed when I told her an investment account would earn her money." Svelt put in.
"Did you tell her that she couldn't use it herself or explain any of the details to her?" I asked as I turned back to Rash.
"No he didn't, he was too eager to send me off with his servants to collect it." Exclaimed Rash.
I turned back to Svelt. "Tell me, what interest do you charge on these loans you make?"
"It varies," he said, weighing his hands up and down. "We negotiate different terms and conditions with individual customers."
"Yes, but you must have a top and bottom. Can you give me an average?"
"That's difficult," he said with a little shrug of his shoulders. "I don't have the figures at hand."
"Oh, come now sir. My land makes a good profit, I have the opportunity to buy a neighbours land but don't have the cash on hand to pay upfront. I will come harvest time and I come to you for a bridging loan. What would you offer me?"
"Mortgaged on your land?"
"No, on the land I am buying. I can pay part of the price but I need your loan as a top up."
"And your character?"
"I am a creditor to a few but a debtor to none."
"I would have to check out the land but I'd start at seven percent on six months repayment."
I took a moment to work it out, taking the ten thousand in cash she had deposited along with the jewels. He stood to make seven hundred wheels, on top of that he was charging a fee to manage the money and guaranteeing a three percent return. There was also the matter of the fee for changing our coins into theirs.
"Sir, let's just call the whole thing a misunderstanding, we can settle matters by you just giving her her money back. I can guarantee the safety of her money from it leaving your hands."
"You'll have to pay her fee's." he demanded.
I could see no way around it, he had control of the money and I had little leverage.
"Agreed, but I want none of the exchange business, you'll give her back her own coin in full."
"If you please," he replied his voice edged with reluctance.
"I'll arrange for collection in the morning then, if that's not an inconvenience."
"As you wish, it will be ready at a quarter of the sun."
I bid him good day civilly though inside I was getting more annoyed with the arrogance of power rather that the representative of it in front of me. In my own county I'd be charged more like the three percent return that Rash was given.
As we left his grounds I turned to Rash.
"What do you know of other bankers, are there many of them?"
"I think there are two others, most that I know are the children of merchants."
"Can you find out where they do business?"
"Yes probably, but why? My money stays with me from now on."
"I'd still like to know what terms they'd offer."
"Well I'm not going anywhere near a banker again, I can't believe he's charging me two hundred and thirty for keeping my money for only three days." She exclaimed, the annoyance colouring her voice.
"I'm sorry," I said. "He held the cards, be thankful we got back what we did, if I thought it might do any good I'd have another go in the morning."
"Oh I'm not blaming you, I should have taken more heed but I was anxious to prepare for the concert that night." She said with a sigh. "But he was just so smug and superior about it, like he was enjoying it."
