Her Majesty’s Secret Service

060. Bill trading

Robert’s surprised expression suddenly hardened. Ever since I brought up the topic of investment, he looked surprised, so it seemed like it was because I brought up the topic of investment to him.

“Why are you making such a hard face?”

I wondered if it was rude to say that I would invest in a merchant in this day and age, but no matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t seem to be true.

While I was thinking about why Robert’s face hardened, a voice came out from Robert’s hard face.

“Sir, those words… “Change to the rear boat now, is that what you’re saying?”

“what? What should I change?”

“Didn’t you say you were investing in me?”

Apparently, there was a misunderstanding between each other.

After a while, after talking with Robert, I was nodding my head with an expression that I finally understood.

“So, as a bill merchant, if a nobleman doesn’t support you… .”

“Yes, you can’t do it from the beginning.”

The same goes for the problem of converting bills sold by sailors to merchants back into money, and sailors who wanted to sell bills chose the person selling the bills based on the nobility behind the merchant rather than the merchant’s credit.

The average price of the bill has already been determined, so even if it is sold, it must be sold in a certain place to avoid noise.

“And it hasn’t been long since you started as a bill merchant?”

“yes. We used to deal in wool in Calais, but as you know, our sales channels have been blocked by the French since last year. Phew, there are a lot of sailors coming and going from London, so I thought I could make money by starting a bill business, but… .”

Robert, who originally dealt in wool, said that he had no choice but to quit the wool business last year due to France blocking the way to Calais.

Somehow I managed to dispose of the wool I had purchased, but what happened afterwards was a problem.

It is said that Robert, who decided that there was no way to make a living through the wool business anymore, went to Baron Mordaunt, a member of the Bedford Shire councilor who often attended royal meetings, through his past connections, and asked him to become a supporter in the bill business.

The problem was that the bill business was not that easy. The existing bill merchants held on tightly to their customers and would not let them go, but when it came to attracting new customers, there were many who went beyond Baron Mordaunt.

It was said that it was common for people to not be able to get even a single bill in a week because they were pushed by bill merchants who had some kind of earl or some kind of duke behind them.

“And not long ago, I received a call from the Baron. If I don’t make a decent profit within this month, I’ll look for another merchant… . So, I asked George to take care of me… .”

Looking closely, I saw that the merchant named Robert was unlucky, but his business skills did not seem to be bad.

Think about it. Around the time France began to block Calais, they quickly sold off their wool and changed their industry. The stop loss timing is amazing.

In addition, isn’t it said that he is acquainted with a nobleman who is a member of the House of Nobles and also attends royal meetings?

No matter how you look at it, he was not a merchant without skills, even though he was unlucky.

‘This is what happens, should I hire Robert instead? From what I heard, it seems like the Baron, who has been supporting me, has lost his feelings for Robert… Honestly, the only sign I have is for selling bills… .’

My title award ceremony was scheduled to be held sometime next month. The Queen said that she would announce my marriage to Jane in London on the day I received my title.

No matter how powerless they may be, royalty is royalty. If you were a baron who was scheduled to marry a member of the royal family, wouldn’t you be able to provide sufficient support for your bill business?

After thinking that, I looked at Robert and opened my mouth.

“Robert, let’s do something with me.”

* * *

Two months have passed since I met Robert Every, a bill dealer. Although today was the day I was supposed to meet Jane, I managed to find time to leave for the Port of London early in the morning after asking Marco to take care of my work.

By the time I left the palace and arrived at the Port of London, the sunlight was getting stronger and it seemed like noon had already arrived.

I don’t know if it was just today or always, but the Port of London was crowded with people at noon. From sailors who had just gotten off the ship to merchants who came from various countries to sell goods in London. As I passed the various people and stood in front of the tavern I had promised, I immediately heard a familiar voice.

“Baron, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Well, should I call you Baron Grinstead? or not… .”

“Is there really a need to add something like that? Just call them by their titles as usual. As I said before, my last name is ‘Lee’, so if you really want to call me by your last name, just call me Baron Lee.”

“I understand, Baron Li.”

Finally, last month, I was granted the title of Baronet by the Queen.

After receiving the title of Baronet, Robert used the honorific title Baron instead of Sir.

He was not granted a separate fief, because he had a manor granted to him by the queen when he was appointed as a knight.

My manor was located in East Grinstead, and I was told it was owned by one of the nobles who had participated in Wyatt’s Rebellion.

Oh, now all of London knew about my marriage and Jane’s. On the day I was given the title of Baronet, the Queen herself announced that Jane and I were remarrying.

After briefly saying hello to Robert, I got straight to the point.

“So, how are the sales this month?”

“Yes, I bought twenty tickets this week alone. In the past, I was debating whether or not to buy a couple of tickets even if I worked hard all week, but the level of support is different… .”

When the rumor that Logan Lee, the 1st Baron of Grinstead, and Jane Gray, the Queen’s great-niece, were getting married became public, the bill trading seemed to gain momentum.

Last month, I bought 30 bills to pay, and this month, I bought 30 bills in just one week… . Sure, the sign was scary.

“Then how much… ?”

From noble mtl dot come

“yes. There are sixteen weekly salary bills and three long-term voyage salary bills, two of which belong to the navigator. After removing this and that… “I think I bought about seven hundred pounds this week alone.”

The bill business, which was started by raising money that was not available, continued to go smoothly.

I was planning to simply buy the bills and wait until the maturity date to make a profit, but Robert made a profit by reselling the bills he bought at a reasonable price to another bill merchant.

If you bought a 10-pound bill for 7 pounds, you would sell it to other bill dealers for 8 pounds, or 7 pounds and 10 shillings, to make money.

As a result, the 2,000 pounds that had been scraped together from the head chef’s salary and the remuneration received from the kitchen staff had already nearly doubled.

“Robert, let’s go on forever. “Okay?”

“Haha, shouldn’t you say that to Lady Jane, not me?”

The money Robert has earned me in the past two months is several times more than the money I saved in over a year. Investing in Robert was probably the best thing I did when I came here.

As Robert was looking at the bills piled up in one place, a cautious voice came out of his mouth.

“Baron, shouldn’t you go in quickly?”

“Where? In the palace? No, I said it before. Anyway, Marco instead of me… .”

“hmm? Surely you had to meet Miss Jane this afternoon? “It’s been a while since noon.”

Damn, I forgot to count the bills.

Not long ago, he had cheated on Jane about a bill, and that day the queen sent someone to warn him that she would not sit by and watch if something like this happened again.

I don’t know if it was when Archduke Eric was around, but as it happened, Archduke Eric had returned to Sweden for a while. He now had no place to hide from the queen. The ostensible reason for Archduke Eric’s return was to inform King Gustav of Sweden that his granddaughter had been born, but in reality, he may have gone back to reassure his supporters in Sweden.

When the prince did not visit Sweden after becoming the archduke of England, the Swedish nobles who supported Eric began to become dissatisfied.

No, the important thing right now wasn’t Eric. He had to return to the palace before it was too late.

“Do you know what time it is now?”

“How would I know that? There is no mechanical clock, and the sundial has to wait a long time from here. “I guess it was around 2 or 3 o’clock?”

“Well, first of all, organize the contents of the bill and send it to the palace later on George’s behalf.”

“I understand, Baron. Oh, and take this with you.”

“handkerchief? “What happened all of a sudden?”

Robert took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was a handkerchief that looked luxurious at first glance, with roses embroidered on white cloth with red thread.

“This is a handkerchief made in Venice. Take it and give it to Miss Jane as a gift. Rather than leaving empty-handed and making excuses, wouldn’t it be better to say you bought a gift?”

Perhaps because he was in a hurry, Robert’s words sounded very plausible. No, he was really convincing.

Yes, it would be better to go with a gift than to go empty-handed. You can also make excuses. As expected, I will be with Robert for the rest of my life.

After briefly thanking Robert, I took my handkerchief and hurriedly headed to the palace. I hope it arrives a little sooner.

* * *

The garden of Whitehall Palace, tended by England’s most skilled gardener.

The eyes of Jane Gray, an 18-year-old girl resting her chin on the table and looking at the trees and flowers filled with a gardener’s care, were full of dissatisfaction.

“Every time, what is this? “I said that I hope I’m not late because I no longer expect to come first and wait.”

Jane thought she was just grumbling quietly, but she was letting out her frustration in a loud voice without even realizing it.

In response to Jane’s reaction, the maids around her exchanged looks, saying that Jane deserved that.

Exactly three months later, Baron Logan, who would become Jane’s husband, had not appeared again.

“Chi, people are completely different from when we were in Richmond. Surely you won’t come today like last time?”

As Jane was slightly pouting and grumbling, a man came running from far away to where Jane was sitting, breathing heavily.

“Logan? “Why are you late again today?”

The man who was breathing heavily was Logan, who had been selected as Jane’s companion.

Logan barely caught his breath and began to make excuses.

“Miss, how did that happen… .”

“also! also! I said you were a lady! “I promised to call her by her first name!”

“Oh, no, Jane, no, Jane, I mean, please…” .”

Although it had already been two months since they met twice a week, Jane was openly showing that she was offended by Logan’s attitude of still calling her by the stiff title ‘lady’.

During the first week of meeting with Logan by order of the Queen, Logan was never late for his appointments.

In addition, I thought it was very cute how he showed a foolish attitude and barely answered when someone spoke to him.

Due to Logan’s attitude, Jane thought that she could look forward to a happy married life, different from that of her ex-husband, Gilford.

However, Jane’s expectations were dashed in just one week.

After the second meeting, I couldn’t help but be disappointed when Jane continued to call me with the stiff title ‘Miss’ after I started talking to her and said that I was so busy that I was late for my appointment. Isn’t this any different from when I was with my ex-husband?

Her ex-husband, Gilford Dudley, also called her by the title “Miss” instead of “Jane,” so she had no choice but to feel rejected. It would be better to call him by his last name. She’s not teasing, and calling her Lady is something else.

“Jane, I’m a little late because I went back to pick up a gift I ordered separately. First, let off some steam… .”

Jane, who was so angry that she wasn’t even making eye contact with Logan, turned her head slightly and glanced at Logan when she heard the word ‘gift’.

“gift… yo. this?”

“Yes, a gift. Well, it’s a handkerchief from Venice… .”

“Venice? handkerchief?”

I don’t know if Logan knows, but in this era, the meaning of a man giving a handkerchief to a woman was quite special.

Among them, the white handkerchief had an even more special meaning.

‘Oh my? what? Is this a real Venetian handkerchief? Is it white? White? Are you really going to propose here? Uh, uh… ?’

As Logan took out a white handkerchief, Jane’s face turned bright red and she began to panic.

Because her marriage to her ex-husband was truly forced, Jane was unable to even have a proper ceremony, let alone receive a proposal.

So, the situation where a man proposes marriage by throwing a white handkerchief was something I could only dream of. But that kind of situation happens in reality. As an 18-year-old girl, Jane, she couldn’t help but be embarrassed.

“what? Is the Baron planning to propose separately? “Wasn’t she married by order of Her Majesty the Queen?”

“Baron Logan had a side like that?”

“You guys heard it too, right? They say it’s a white handkerchief from Venice. So is it because of that handkerchief that it didn’t come out last week? Why did you say you were in the Port of London?”

“That’s right, I was supposed to receive handkerchiefs on the ship that arrived last week, but for some reason they arrived a little late?”

As the whispering voices of the maids reached Jane’s ears, her already red face became even redder.

‘Now, if you drop your handkerchief, I’ll catch it…’ .’

The classic way of proposing in this era was for a man to drop a white handkerchief at a woman’s feet, and for the woman to grab the handkerchief and declare that she would accept the man’s marriage proposal.

Jane was waiting for Logan to throw the handkerchief at her feet.

“uh… You won’t take it? I’m really sorry I’m late. Let go of your anger.”

However, even after waiting for a long time, the expected situation did not occur.

Instead of the white handkerchief falling at his feet, all he could see was a brightly smiling Logan handing the white handkerchief to himself, saying it was a gift.

“Logan? That handkerchief… .”

“Yes, a handkerchief. “It’s a gift.”

“ah… gift… yes… .”

Jane couldn’t be angry at Logan, who was smiling when he said he had brought her a gift, so Jane sighed softly and took the handkerchief that Logan held out.

The fabric felt soft against the skin and seemed to be made of a very luxurious fabric.

‘Well, this isn’t bad either… . Anyway, you got the handkerchief… ?’

Okay, let’s think positively. As the maids said, the reason she was late today was probably because she had chosen and bought a gift for herself. Isn’t she much better than her ex-husband, who had his servant throw her a bunch of jeweled trinkets and ask her if she liked them?

Thinking like that, Jane began to smile slightly, holding the white handkerchief that Logan had given her tightly in her hand.

It was late April 1555, when the spring breeze blew and swirled around the garden of Whitehall Palace.

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*The bill trading in the 16th century was a business that could not be done without the support of nobles. It was a business for wealthy people who, unless they were nobles, had to be looked after by powerful people.

*It is said that handkerchiefs of that era, especially white handkerchiefs, were used when a man proposed to a woman. Even in Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, a handkerchief was used as a token of love. The meaning of a handkerchief can be roughly thought of as having the same meaning as a coupling ring.