21.
Vlad Tepes was given the use
of the chamber at the palace of Corvinus, where he was bathed and refreshed
with the ointment and massage to his weary body. He was given new clothes, and
when he looked at the mirror, he saw a different frame of himself.
Stephen III visited him
there and explained the condition for his release.
“Vlad Tepes, I hope you
understand the condition of our release. You will need to rest and rebuild your
strength. Wealth will be given to you in name for the recruitment of men under
the Wallachian army. You will reclaim Wallachia, and all that is there in the
treasury will be delivered to the king as compensation for the war.”
Stephen III then took out
the scrolls that named the lenders and their amounts, with the conditions of
their loans to be paid in land and ducats.
“And any royal jewels are to
be sent directly to the King.”
“There is a reason why all
things are as they are.” (Bram Stoker, Dracula). Stephen looked at the released
Voivode. “Their demands are reasonable.”
“Let me rest first.” Vlad
Tepes took the scrolls and retreated to his private chamber. He tossed the
scrolls to the corner and lay down on the bedding. His body was unused to the
soft covers, and he got up. He walked to the opening in the wall to look outside.
He breathed in the fresh air and then looked at the scene below. It was the
townsfolk there moving about their daily work without much of the worries of
tomorrow.
“How blessed are some
people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that
comes nightly and brings nothing but sweet dreams.” (Bram Stoker, Dracula)
Vlad sighed. Ever since he
became the hostage and then the voivode, his life has been fraught with fear,
and sleep eludes him at nightfall. He was like his father, a man blessed with
his own blood kin, and yet he was not there to see them grow. What he feared
most were the tales that his children were to hear of him. He was not there to
tell that, but maybe upon death, he will see them, and the truth will be known.
“For life is, after all,
only a waiting for something else than what we are doing, and death is all that
we can rightly depend on.” (Bram Stocker, Dracula.)
Stephen III wrote to the
traders; his words were comforting, for he told them the voivode agreed to the
terms. It was read by many, including Lord Gencio Capulet. He was conveying
that message at the bank. Soon after Lord Gencio Capulet left, Lord Dante Montague
took his leave. He was met by Bassanio on the street. He knew of Bassanio and
his recent engagement to Portia. He was a fair trader but lacked the ability to
negotiate good trades. Portia, when wedded to him, will be a good person to
guide Bassanio.
“Is it true, Dante?”
Bassanio was on a first-name basis when he met the other in private.
“I believed so. Stephen III
has nothing to hide.” Lord Dante Montague nodded. “But I am surprised that Vlad
will battle the Turks again. He had been betrayed by his boyars more than the
Turks.”
“He may need to regain his
seat with more solid backing. That means war with the Turks once more. His
brother, Radu III, has been seen to be weak and was toppled thrice by Basarab
III.” Bassanio said.
“I thought Radu had died.
Yet, is he the current Voivode? It confused me more.” Lord Dante Montague shook
his head. He then looked at Bassanio. “Are you short on coins? I thought you
were well off with Portia on your side.”
“You read my mind, Lord
Dante Montague. I will be well-off when I am wedded to Portia, but we are not
yet. Her father had set the condition of marriage, and I am not in the
listing.”
“I knew the father. He is a
wise man to have his daughter marry a wealthy husband.” Lord Dante Montague
smiled.
“I must build up my own
wealth now if I am to stand next to her. Why is it everyone is leaning on me to
be better off with her? I loved her, but I will not use her wealth. I am in
negotiation for a shipment of weapons with the Greeks, who got it from the ……”
Bassanio smiled.
“And what is your margin?”
Lord Dante Montague asked. He knew Bassanio was a risky trader.
“Marginal, but where there
is one, there will be two and three.” Bassanio smiled. “I trust Jon Archimedes
well.”
“You are walking a thin line
with Jon Archimedes, Bassanio.” Lord Dante Montague looked at the trader. “His
wares have been turned over several hands; he buys and sells them several
times, and your margin is low. If the wares are delayed, you will be penalized
by the buyer.”
“Likewise, I can penalize
the Greeks.” Bassanio smiled.
“I know Jon Archimedes well.
I know you are buying from him, and he will renege on the deal if there is
another buyer with a better price.” Lord Dante Montague cautioned his friend.
“I will suggest you seek another source to sell from. Perhaps ……”
“Yourself? I know you hold a
shipment of grain to sell to the Spaniards. Do me the round here.” Bassanio was
well informed. “I can pay you……”
“No. I am not here to barter
with you. I will do it myself, and I am concerned for you. But I am verifying
the news of Vlad first. War at Wallachia is another disastrous outing for all
of us.” Lord Dante Montague then excused himself to meet the others. Bassanio
was left alone and had his mind on another to talk to Antonio.
“Antonio will get the
backing of Lord Gencio Capulet. He always does.” Bassanio reassured himself.
Jessica was also troubled in
her mind.
“Jessica, you must listen. I
am your mother.” Leah looked at the daughter seated across the table. “You are
of the faith that the Christians may not look too kindly at.”
“Mother, the man is twice…
or more than my age. I am not keen to be a man’s slave.” Jessica was to discuss
her future then. “Abram……”
“Abram is a good man. He is
…….” Leah cut in.
“We hardly know him. We just
met him like a week or less.” Jessica sighed.
“That may be true. But he
has done more than any of the others did. He collected much of our debt back.”
“Is it the debts that matter
here? What of my future?” Jessica snapped back. “I have……”
“The arrangement of marriage
is by the parents. I am your mother.” Leah placed her command there.
“What if … I am to have
another … person I may love?” Jessica looked to the mother. “Could……”
“You …… I need to remind you
that if you are silly enough to sacrifice your virtue before you are….”
“Please, Mother. I am still
pure. I will not do that. My faith still beholds inside me.” Jessica sighed. If
only she could tell her mother of Lorenzo, but it would be suicidal, for
Lorenzo was Christian. It was then Shylock called for Leah.
“I must go.” Leah stood up,
with her pregnancy due anytime, but the wife was to be obedient to the husband.
She made her way to the front section of the office, which also served as the
discussion area.
“Leah, Antonio…. You do know
of Antonio Silva?” Shylock was seated there with the ledgers on his lap.
“That rogue trader, Antonio.
I heard of him. He sold bad grains to the Nubians, and they are looking to
lynch him.” Leah had taken the seat next to her husband. She felt the kick on
the belly and patted her tummy.
“Well, he was saved by… Lord
Ian Pearson, who was asked by Lord Capulet to do so. Elohim yevarekh otkha (God
bless you.)” Shylock said. “His ledger with us……”
“Antonio held bad records
with everyone he dealt with.” Leah took the ledger from Shylock. “He took from
us three times and delayed his repayments. He cannot be trusted.”
“I have Abram now. He will
do ……” Shylock looked to Leah, but she was not keen.
“Although Abram is a
Montague, he will not strike at a friend of Lord Genio Capulet either. He is a
friend to both sides.”
“Then how should I tell
him?” Shylock asked.
“We will not deal.” Leah
replied. “Unless he has a backer for the loan. Or ……”
“A pound of his flesh?”
Shylock smiled. “That will deter him. I shall do just that.”
“Do that. I have aruchat
erev (evening meal) to prepare. But before that, I am to speak to Jessica. She
needs a husband soon.” Leah stood up to leave the chamber.
“And do stop looking at me
like that. I know you would like the third one, but let me settle this one
first.”
Settling the details was the
task of Lady Angeline, and she was frustrated by the preparations. She saw the
return of her husband; seldom does she call him that, for he looked more like
her father in age.
“Dante, I am tired. Do we
serve fried baccalà (cod) or ravioli alla Genovese (meat-filled ravioli), along
with the traditional Tocco (meat sauce)?”
“Not unless you have the
butcher invited. He must taste the meat. They are worse than the bad grains I
got from Spain.” Lord Dante Montague kissed his wife on the left cheek. “I
cannot stay. The war at Wallachia is to start once more. They released Vlad the
Impaler.”
“I am concerned.” Lady
Angeline had heard of the rumours, but the role of the ladies was not in the
warring states but in the pesky neighbours, who were also arranging their own
ball that weekend. It was soon to be called tit for tat.
“Oh, I heard the Santinis
down the street are having their own ball this weekend.” Lord Dante Montague
smiled.
“Oh, did someone there die?”
Lady Angeline looked surprised. “Are we to send the wreath?”
“Do not be nasty, my dear. I
am sure they have their own guests and food. You could send them the meat from
the butcher. Not a pound less of it, or we will be in court to argue the weight
of the meat.”
Arguments are known among
the young, and it was with Romeo and his mother.
“Rosaline was invited, and I
am not.” Romeo, standing by the window, looked to the walls of the estate. “I
am imprisoned here.”
“You know why you are not
invited. The Montagues… Well, we are not exactly their friends. Business
rivalry and…some family issues.” The mother sighs. She recalled herself being
courted by the Lord then; a true gentleman he was. She was denying herself then
for what she had seen with Juliette, but soon her denials became wanton, and
when her mother told her to wed the Lord then, she delayed her reply.
“He brought gifts. More than
he did for your sister.” Mother had told her, but she did not give her reply
then. It was not a refusal but an enticement for the Lord to be persistent in
his request.
Eventually, she agreed, and
life has been wonderful since then. She has her nights of humping the bedding,
but with Juliet soon after, she was content to stay by his side. There were
their nights, but despite all their efforts, she was not to have another child.
She wished she had a son.
Sons can be more than a
handful at times.
“That was between Father and
their Lord. I am not a party to that.” Romeo argued. “This feud is silly.”
“You are a Capulet, and that
is the name that stops you.” Lady Angeline looked at her son. “You could, as I
was told, attend the Santini’s ball down the street.”
“Oh, please, Mama. The
Santinis are a bore there. Their guests, if any do attend, will be twice my
age, and those ladies could not even hold their bosoms up without the aid of
the metal cage there.”
“Romeo, please do not be
rude.”
“Am I? The Santinis, the
Montys, or… the Sagurios…. Oh, spare me, please. I was at Monty’s, and the
hostess…. I was not intentional, but the call by my bowels due to the bad food
made me look for a powder room. I stumbled on the hostess with the servant, but
I was past the need to peek, for I settled for the available seat there with my
eyes closed.”
“Romeo…”
“And she had the nerve to
ask me if I wanted seconds? If I were armed then with a dagger, I would have
obliged with a thrust into her.”
“Romeo!"
