"That is ever so reassuring. In any case, it is precisely to forestall any such damage to my name that I have rushed here this morning."
"It is?"
"Why, yes! For I had received word that the House of Hacklheber had suffered a reversal of its fortunes. Lothar von Hacklheber is reputed to be a vindictive and unprincipled man. My first thought was that he might try to soften the blow to his reputation, by deflecting it onto me; which would be most unfair, given that he entered into this transaction of his own free will, and on his own terms, well knowing the risks. Be that as it may, the fact of the matter is that I am here in London, alone, defenseless, with no assets other than my title as Duchess of Qwghlm, which was bestowed on me by King William."
"We are aware of your titles, my lady—English as well as French—as well as how you came by them."
"And so I am here to offer a solution."
"And what is your proposal, my lady?"
"The purpose for which the silver was intended no longer exists. But the Bills have been presented, and accepted, and must be paid in London before day's end, if the reputation of the House of Hacklheber is to survive. I propose that we convert the transaction into another form of payment. France no longer has need of the silver, but she does have a perpetual need of timber—more so than ever, now that so much of her fleet has been burned in the harbors of Cherbourg and La Hougue. She purchases Baltic timber through the Compagnie du Nord, which deals with a net-work of Huguenot merchants in the north. Those same houses maintain bureaus within a stone's throw of where we stand; indeed, as I was on my way here just now, I chanced to meet Monsieur Durand, who is the local factor of such a concern. I fetched him along with me." Eliza waved her hand in the window. Instantly the door opened, and the last remaining volume in the House of the Golden Mercury was claimed by a big-nosed, wigless, white-haired gentleman. "I present Monsieur Durand of Durand et fils of London, Stockholm, Rostock, and Riga," Eliza announced. "I have told him all about what has happened—though like most of 'Change Alley he had already heard much of the story. Monsieur Durand has let me know, in the most eloquent French, that, as a result of his many connexions and his long expertise in the north, he has developed a respect for the House of Hacklheber that cannot be shaken by one unfortunate incident of piracy. As such, he is willing to arrange shipment of timber to the Compagnie du Nord provided that the four outstanding Bills of Exchange are transferred to him today. He will, in other words, accept the credit of your House in lieu of actual delivery of silver bullion. The House of Hacklheber's obligations shall be discharged in full by day's end, and no damage to anyone's repute shall ensue; Lothar von Hacklheber shall be Ditta di Borsa tomorrow just as yesterday, and this momentary lapse in his reputation, which has led to the abrupt hiring of so many members of the legal profession, shall be remembered—if it is remembered at all—as one of those brief irrational panics to which markets are everywhere prone."
All of this now had to be explained to the big German at the back of the room. Eliza suspected, from this man's age, his bearing, and the way the others deferred to him, that he must report to Lothar von Hacklheber personally. Clearly he spoke little English; which might have been more help than hindrance to him until now, as he had been gauging the mood of the room, and observing the struggle of wills and the balance of power among the participants. He had seen Eliza walk into a room in which the prevailing mood had been like that in a ravelin under siege. Yet she had astonished the beleaguered defenders by not pressing her advantage when she might have, and instead proffering a way out. Astonishment had developed into relief as Monsieur Durand made his entrance. All of these things the old banker perceived, without knowing any of the particulars; and the more hopeful his underlings allowed themselves to become, the more suspicious he waxed. Now they had to sell him the proposal, in German; but he was not of a mind to buy.
"Are we to understand," said the London factor, translating for him, "that La France is to receive—in addition to the hundred thousand livres in silver we have already delivered to you—four hundred thousand livres worth of silver as booty in Dunkerque as well as four hundred thousand livres worth of Baltic timber, in exchange for nothing more than five hundred thousand livres in French government obligations in Lyon?"
"I recommend you moderate your tone," said Eliza. "Voices carry out into the street; and lurking there in 'Change Alley are any number of City men who have heard all the rumors about the insolvency of the Hacklhebers. When I step out that door, I shall be interrogated like a prisoner on the Inquisition's rack. They will know whether the Hacklhebers have been able to honour their obligations, or not. Through the generous intercession of Monsieur Durand, it will be possible for me to answer in the affirmative." Eliza half-turned toward the door and rested a gloved hand on the latch. The room grew perceptibly darker as a Mobb of 'Change-men on the street outside noted her gesture, and drew closer to the windows, blocking out the light. Eliza continued: "This talk of yours about four hundred thousand livres here or there is quite lost on me; I am a mere housewife with no head for numbers." She flexed her wrist and the door-latch made a clicking noise, a bit like the cocking of a flintlock. A volcanic up-welling of German sounded from the rear of the shop; Eliza could not quite follow what was being said, but suddenly the barrister spun to face her and announced: "My client is pleased to accept the proposal, pending resolution of the terms in detail."
"Then pray resolve them with Monsieur Durand," said Eliza, "I am going out for a bit of air."
"And—?"
"And to let the City of London know that the House of Hacklheber is Ditta di Borsa, as ever," Eliza added.
"WHAT WAS THAT BIT you hollered into the back, just as you were coming out the door?" asked Bob Shaftoe. "I could not make out your French."
"'Twas nothing," said Eliza, "only polite leave-taking. I complimented the old fellow on how adroitly he and his colleagues had managed the transaction, and expressed my hope that in future we might work together again thusly."
"And what said he to that?"
"Naught, but only stared into my eyes—overcome with fond emotions, I should say."
"You said before, in St.-Malo, when we—" Bob began, and got lost in his thoughts as his gaze slipped down toward her belly.
"When we were together."
"Yes, you said you wanted your boot on Lothar's neck. And it seems to me you had that, just as you phant'sied. But you let him go?"
"Never," said Eliza, "never. For do not forget that every transaction has two ends, and this is only one of them."
"Very well. I shall not forget it. But I do not understand it."
"Neither does Lothar."
"Will you return to France?"
"To Dunkerque," Eliza said, "to pay my compliments to Captain Bart, and to inform the Marquis d'Ozoir that he has got his timber. What of you, Sergeant Bob?"
"I shall remain here for the present time. I've been to visit Mr. Churchill a time or two in the Tower, you know. He shan't be there very much longer, mark my words."
"The judicial proceedings against him have become a farce, such as appeals to the English sense of humor, but all grow weary of it."
"And meanwhile King Louis himself is laying siege to Namur, isn't he? And folks are asking, why does King William keep our best commander locked up on a ridiculous pretext, when a great campaign is under way on the other side of the Narrow Seas? No, my lady, if I were to go back to Normandy, I'd have some explaining to do, and might even be hanged for desertion. That Irish regiment'll be sent God only knows where—for all I know, they'll wind up in the South, on the Savoy front, a million miles from where I have been trying to go. But soon enough Churchill shall be at the head of an army, and I shall go with that army to Flanders. We shall face the French across some narrow strip of ground. I'll scan the colors on the opposing side, until I spy those of Count Sheerness—"