Merchant Bankers of Copenhagen Offices – October 1635
Cornelius Holgarssen looked up from his desk as the door to his office opened. It was Eric, his secretary. "Yes, Eric?"
The young man appeared definitely nervous. "Sir, you have a visitor on his way up. I know you're very busy, but I'm certain you want to see him."
"Really? Who is it?" Cornelius was already straightening papers and removing his teacup. Eddie Cantrell called it "conspicuous consumption" to import tea, but what was the point of becoming wealthy if one didn't display that wealth.
"His Majesty, King Christian." Eric was practically vibrating. He was new to the office, and had not really been near royalty before.
"Nothing to worry about, son. His Majesty and I often consult. Please show him in, and then go get some tea. And make sure that we have those little berry tarts. I'm sure he would love those."
Eric hurried away. Cornelius arranged some chairs near a small table, and smoothed his doublet.
Eric opened the door, and bowed as Christian stepped past him. "Cornelius, how nice to see you," the king said.
Cornelius bowed, and then gestured toward the chairs. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Won't you sit?"
As they made themselves comfortable, Cornelius asked, "Your Majesty, what brings you out on such a beautiful day?"
"I'm concerned about this venture that you and your bankers have been involved in. I know you've already spent more money than you expected. And now you've invited that American pilot . . . ?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. We have been working on this idea for some time. You'll remember Rikard the shipwright? We inherited him from your flights project. He's in charge of the logistics. He's gathered a significant amount of material to build the airship, and has many versions of plans underway. Also we have started clearing for the foundation of the work space, the hangar. Rikard has many serious questions, though, concerning airships. And we feel that only somebody with more experience can answer them. We believe that person is Marlon Pridmore from Grantville."
King Christian nibbled on his mustache, deep in thought. "So what exactly are your plans? And how old is this fellow?"
"Herr Pridmore is reported to be in his late fifties or early sixties. And I think you already know most of our plans, Your Majesty. We want to bring Denmark back to prominence in trade. We have the Baltic, and the North Sea, but we need to get goods overland to the markets of Europe, and we need to do it faster than overland travel can accomplish right now."
The king leaned forward. "But Cornelius, are you sure this is the best method? I already have an airplane. Can't it carry what you need?"
"Your Majesty, how much cargo can your plane carry?"
Christian shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a half ton. Maybe more. I'd have to ask the experts."
"I've read about airships in your encyclopedia, Your Majesty. Even the relatively small one that Herr Pridmore has constructed can carry two tons, maybe more."
"And what of the expense, Cornelius? Look what's already been spent in your failed attempts." Christian stood and paced toward the windows and back. "I can offer you a Royal charter and access to my workshop, nothing more. The clerks are already complaining about my extravagance. I don't want to risk it on something that won't pay off. Your Danish East India Company is already enough of an embarrassment. Five ships! In more than fifteen years, all we ever got back is five ships! I don't care that you're transporting items on other ships from England or France. We don't get any taxes on those. We need the money that trade brings in, we need it here, and your ships need to make port. The royal coffers will not be able to sustain that sort of project again, you know that."
"Of course, Your Majesty. We had not planned to request assistance. That's why we're operating through the Merchant Bankers of Copenhagen. This is not a Danish project, but speculative spending by the bankers."
King Christian strode across the room again. It was clear that the problems of state weighed heavily on him today. "I hold you responsible for the whole thing, Cornelius." With that, he opened the heavy doors himself.
He turned and shook his finger at Cornelius. "Don't mention any of this to that American until we have him safely here. I don't want to start a bidding war over his expertise. The French would love to get this kind of advance over the Germanies. And let me know when he's going to fly that thing. That will be really something to see."