From the desk of His Grace, Roland de Chalasse, Sovereign Duc of L’Agnace to the Armateur Official, Lacordaire Trading Company
Dear Sirrah,
The expansion of Aegon Lacordaire’s business ventures and his ensuing successes continue to impress as the legacy of Lacordaire Trading Company only grows in the wake of his passing. The reputation built by the ships of the Company have ensured continuing returns on investments, something that I value greatly. Master Aegon had a clever mind for business, one from which I enjoyed significant profit. It is in the spirit of this prior trade arrangement that I seek to make use of the Lacordaire Trading Company’s network.
The presence of a Company representative is requested at my ducal townhouse on the Rue Courcel before the week is finished. The Chalasse estate seeks to import some fine and rare plants, expected to be brought to the City of Elua in excellent condition. A full inventory of the requested species will be provided in person.
Present this note to the steward upon arrival and entry will be granted.
I expect great things from Lacordaire.
Signed,
Roland de Chalasse
~
Idaeus drummed his fingers on the thick wooden desk that used to be his father’s place of command. The Duc wanted rare and living plants. An interesting request. The Lacordaire Shipping Company prided itself on the ability to transport anything, no matter how impossible it seemed. Under the command of his father, they had moved art so fragile a person could destroy it with only their touch. A variety of animals had found their way as cargo, the sailors given strict instructions with their care.
Once his father sent a ship to southern Alba to pick up large blocks of ice, the hulls packed with earth and clay to slow their melt. They transported hundreds of tree-ripened plums to a fête Aegon had put on. The ship, an older one, was practically destroyed with the effort. But his father had his show and didn’t care. Thankfully, he only attempted it once. Otherwise, Idaeus might have taken over a failing company.
Idaeus would attend to this request himself, in person. At some point, he’d have to trust at least some people his father had employed. But he wasn’t there yet. Besides, a request from a Duc was important, and this one was interesting.
~
Carefully dressed in a well-fitted doublet, Idaeus exited the carriage, ignoring the offer of help from the coachman. The predominantly black outfit accented his pale features, contrasting starkly with his white hair. A light blue trim softened the look and caught the hints of blue in his nearly gray eyes. If he learned anything from his former life as a Mandrake adept, it was how to catch someone’s eye and command a presence. His father also taught him the latter, albeit in a very different way.
A young clerk followed him outside his carriage, a large, leather satchel held carefully at her side. He’d hired her himself, asking around for talent, but also someone new with very few loyalties elsewhere. So far she had proven worth the extra effort in finding her. She did as he asked and didn’t ask annoying questions.
Idaeus walked to the door, knocking, anticipating the business deal with a new-to-him customer.
The footman in the gold-and-sable livery of House Chalasse opened the door for him, welcoming him into the entryway of the fine townhouse where the butler waited, his face schooled to professional neutrality as he greeted his duc’s guest. “Welcome, sir. Is His Grace expecting you?”
Idaeus turned towards his clerk, who quickly presented the note, pulling it from the satchel without looking. He smiled ever so slightly. He’d given her some pointers on how to be prepared properly. It was a fine line. Making sure everything was as he wanted it without being a complete ass.
“Please follow me, Master Lacordaire. His Grace is on his terrace.”
The back of the townhouse opened to a grand courtyard garden. A trellis with an aged grapevine ran the full length of the side, and there was a fountain set against the furthermost wall that added music to the air. The rest of the plants carefully tended by the Chalasse gardeners were all local flowers, all known for providing the best pollen for the bees that came to visit. Two bee boxes were constructed in the corner, and the little denizens darted happily through the honeysuckle, violets, lavender, and early mints.
Standing at the terrace and listening to the report of a young woman wearing the woven basket headdress of a beekeeper, was the Duc de Chalasse. A tall man, still strong and toned even in the beginning of his twilight years, he cut a fine figure in the sunlight as his head turned to regard the butler.
The servant bowed and announced, “Master Idaeus Lacordaire, Your Grace.”
Roland turned to study the man before him. He could see very little of Aegon Lacordaire in his features, but there was something in the bearing and the way the man carried himself that betrayed the family resemblance. So he greeted him cordially enough, “Yes. Welcome. Please, join me.”
His servants had set out a tray of smoked cheeses, bright fruit preserves, and the wine of the house. With a careless gesture of his hand, the Duc de Chalasse made it clear Idaeus and his companion were welcome to partake however they pleased.
“Bring me my ledger from my study,” Roland ordered, and the servant bowed and withdrew. The beekeeper was also dismissed, and she leapt lightly down the steps to return to her dear hives.
“Duc de Chalasse, ” Idaeus said as he took the offered seat. “It is a pleasure to meet you. Your garden is impressive.”
He’d noted the elaborate plants as he walked in. He had little experience with the care of flowers. There was one marked on his back, and he’d been in gardens. But he’d never paid much attention to the keeping of them. He was interested now and would be even more so if there was a contract.
“This is one of my clerks, Enora Daviau.” Idaeus introduced the woman as he picked up the offered glass of wine, taking a small sip. He wouldn’t ignore the food and drink offered by his host, but he also had no intention of taking advantage or allowing any drink to soften his mind.
Enora gracefully helped herself to the offered food. Idaeus knew she especially liked tasting different things, but she’d been taught to be mindful before he’d employed her. She extended those lessons now, thanking the Duc for his generosity.
“Your letter intrigued me,” Idaeus said, deciding there was no reason to pretend it had not.
“That was the intention.” Roland took his own seat once his guests were seated. Pouring his own glass of wine, he surveyed the younger man across from him. “Aegon Lacordaire was an excellent businessman. I enjoyed the profits of his ventures, and he never failed me when I contracted him for my own requests. I hope that I can expect the same discretion and success from you, Master Idaeus.”
“I have no wish to destroy my late father’s business,” Idaeus said. It was true, even if had no love for Aegon. “You can expect the same level of perfection. He had the foresight to train me as his heir. Of course, he had expected more time, but he also loved the trading company and took pleasure in showing me its function.”
The Duc selected a slice of smoked cheese mixed with cracked pepper for a sharper bite underneath the creaminess. Following it with a sip of his wine, he addressed the young Lacordaire. “Shall I take, by your presence here following my letter, that you are interested in accepting my proposed venture?”
“I am,” Idaeus said, after another brief sip of the wine. It was good. “I respect your patronage as a client, and this will be my first time managing this particular type of request. I wanted to ensure I had all the information I needed. I have asked Enora to take notes as well, once we’ve started addressing those details so nothing will be missed or forgotten.”
He’d tracked down charcoal and the appropriate type of paper so there would be no mess with ink. Once they returned, Enora would transcribe the information. The contract itself would, of course, be written with ink directly.
“I appreciate a prepared and thorough professional,” Roland said with a nod. “I have prepared a list of the specimens I would like to have imported, and I am willing to pay properly for them. Well do I know the hazards that can come with this kind of work, cost will be no object to see it done right.”
Idaeus gave a slight nod as Roland said cost was no object. He would quote a fair price. One didn’t need to inflate prices when their business was solid. The Lacrodaire Company was prosperous, though he had plans to make it better than his father had. He didn’t need to cheat his customers to obtain that goal. He also refused to risk that reputation.
The Duc’s butler returned with the ledger and a small folio, bowing crisply to present them to his master. Roland extracted a piece of parchment from the folio and passed it across the table to his guests. Upon it, in his exacting penmanship was written the following:
Item: four (4) barrels lotus flowers from Menekhet, packed in water, white and blue
Item: four (4) crates tulips from Khebbel-im-Akkad, assorted colors
Item: two (2) crates white ginger lilies from Bhodistan
Item: two (2) crates marigolds from Bhodistan
“Thorough as your company is,” Roland said as he watched the merchants survey the list, “I do not expect you to travel to these countries personally to survey the packing of the specimens. However, I expect your agents along the trade routes to do their due diligence to ensure that the flowers are of the best quality and kept in excellent condition as they are brought to Terre d’Ange. I’m sure this is reasonable?”
If Idaeus didn’t have a company to oversee, he would have been tempted to fill the order himself. He had traveled outside of Terre d’Ange’s waters, but not as far as Bhodistan. At some point he would see every port, but he needed to be here until he was more established as the owner outside of his father’s shadow.
“It is reasonable,” Idaeus said. “I will ensure they are delivered in pristine shape. The price will be fair and all care taken to ensure they are not damaged in transit. Would you like an invoice drawn up before they set sail?”
“The sooner the ship sets sail, the sooner it may return triumphant,” Roland said easily, taking up his wine again and choosing a slice of creamy sheep’s milk cheese from his tray. “I would not want to delay them with the drudgery of paperwork. No, I will send my financial representative to your company office within two days, but I am a man of honor as I know Master Aegon once was. I am satisfied for the moment with a gentleman’s agreement.”
Idaeus gave a small smile when the Duc said the ship should sail soon so it can return triumphant. A genuine one. The nod of agreement he gave at the notion of his father being a man of honor was less genuine. His father probably was honest with the Duc. Attempting to cheat the Duc wouldn’t have fit in any of his father’s goals. But Idaeus knew who Aegon truly was.
Setting his goblet down and courteously wiping his fingers clean on the napkin cloth prepared with the tray, Roland de Chalasse extended his hand to the young Master Lacordaire across from him, asking, “Are we, then, agreed to do business?”
“I will not disappoint you,” Idaeus said, knowing he wouldn’t. If he was good at anything, it was details. Everything would be just right. He would follow the Duc’s requested storage and check his father’s books for any shipments of a similar nature to see if there’s any additional notes. “I appreciate the hospitality as well. The wine is excellent,” he said as he handed the list to Enora.
“I will send a case of it as a gift of my gratitude when the shipment is delivered successfully,” Roland said easily, giving the gift with the thoughtless ease of the wealthy. “If there are no further details to discuss, then I look forward to your message when the cargo arrives. My financier will come to your company office for the paperwork, but I believe we are done here. Please do not think me rude, I have been away from the City for some time, and the appointments do pile up. Lorin will see you out.”
“Your gratitude would be appreciated,” Idaeus said. He would most likely use it to impress future clients coming to him. It was good wine, but a case would be lost on him. He hated losing any sense of clarity even when business wasn’t a factor. But he also knew that some would take offense to a rejected gift. “I always appreciate business that is kept to the point, I take no offense. Besides, I have cargo that requires special considerations to plan.”
Roland rose to dismiss his guests, green eyes watching them as they left. He certainly hoped this gambit paid off. It would certainly serve to see if young Maël was as useful as he seemed to think he was.
Idaeus stood with the Duc, glad to have a shipment that would give him the opportunity to show his ability. He was also glad the Duc was straightforward. There would come a time where he’d enjoy having his negotiation skills challenged. But first, he wanted to learn every aspect of this business perfectly.