"Lord, some man came with a letter of recommendation from Graf Ferber, apparently he is a goldsmith jublier." (Wroński)
Finally, Graf Ferber has found a suitable candidate. I ordered Wroński to bring the goldsmith to my office... as it turned out, he was waiting outside the door.
He was a man of about forty years, his clothes were very worn, although it was also obvious that they were made of good quality material and by a good tailor... there was fear, resignation and a little hope in his eyes.
"My name is Joachim Braun..." (Joachim Braun)
"Do you have a letter for me?" (MC)
The man handed me a letter, I broke Graf Ferber's seal... It wasn't a long read, but it gave me an idea of who I was dealing with.
"Are you a citizen of Gdańsk?" (MC)
"My father and mother came from Hanover, but before I was born they moved to Gdańsk and I have lived there all my life." (Joachim Braun)
"Have you been a goldsmith for a long time?" (MC)
"My father taught me the profession, and after his death I took over the family workshop." (Joachim Braun)
I knew all this from the letter, but I wanted to see if he would be lying. I have some confidence in Graf Ferber, after all, we were connected by business, but I did not even disclose to him the reason why I needed a goldsmith.
"Graf Ferber writes that you lost your workshop in the casino, then you even played on credit, but without success..." (MC)
"Yes, Lord. Fortune was not in my favor that day." (Joachim Braun)
"You owe me 3000 ducats... I could kill you or throw you in jail, but then I will not get my money back. Therefore, I will give you a chance, you will work for me, and when you complete the task entrusted to you, your debt will be canceled and you will even get your workshop back, but you will not be allowed to enter the casino... never again." (MC)
The color of the man's face and the emotions on it changed several times during our conversation, but after my last words he breathed a sigh of relief, my offer was too good to refuse.
"Lord, thank you... thank you... what can I do... no, I'll do anything." (Joachim Braun)
From a drawer of the desk I took a small box, no bigger than a book.
"In this box there are trade, noble, church, official and even imperial seals. Your task will be to make identical copies of them..." (MC)
"It's a forgery..." (Joachim Braun)
"I would advise you to choose your words more carefully, forgery is a crime... you probably do not want to blame one of the Hetmans of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth of such a deed... Just do what I told you and don't think too much, and by doing so, you will regain your father's workshop." (MC)
Convincing him was not particularly difficult ... when you have nothing to lose, you are ready to do anything.
It was not a good year for the Emperor and his allies, the Imperial army was defeated at the Battle of Chemnitz by the Swedes and the Spaniards lost at sea to the Dutch at Dunkirk and also lost the Battle of the Downs on the south-east coast of England... In the face of so many failures, the emperor will probably look for the causes, and I will deliver them to him... he will not know who to trust.
(Elisabeth / Galina POV)
"Sit down, you don't have to worry. I'd like to talk to you and find out a few things." (Elisabeth)
"Lady, I don't know if I can help you..." (Galina)
"We'll see. How long have you been serving in my husband's house?" (Elisabeth)
"Since the fall of Moscow, maybe a little later, but it's been 5 or 6 years." (Galina)
"Who were you before you came here?" (Elisabeth)
"I served in the house of Prince Czerkaski." (Galina)
"And what happened that you don't serve there anymore?" (Elisabeth)
"Lady... Your husband... ordered to kill the Prince and his wife, I also heard from people that he also killed Tsar and his family and anyone who refused to sign the peace." (Galina)
"I heard rumors about Tsar's death, but it was war. You have a daughter, and what about your husband?" (Elisabeth)
"He was captured by the Tartars and sold to the Turks..." (Galina)
"It's terrible... but you don't seem worried or concerned about it." (Elisabeth)
"It was a long time ago, my husband became a slave in the Ottoman Empire and I don't know if he's alive, me and my daughter were more fortunate." (Galina)
"Touching story, I hope God will reward you for your hardships one day." (Elisabeth)
"Thank you, my Lady... can I leave now? I have to take care of Miss Katarzyna's lesson." (Galina)
"One more question, you've known my husband for 5 or 6 years as you say. What kind of man is he?" (Elisabeth)
(End POV)
At the end of November, a great misfortune befell me, my wife's family arrived in Jazłowiec... I was glad to see them, just as the Jews were happy to see the Germans in 1939.
"This castle doesn't look great..." (Prince Charles)
"Be silent, someone else will hear you." (Elisabeth Stuart)
"Mother, it is true. Maybe 150 or 100 years ago, this castle would have been admirable, but now." (Prince Charles)
"It may be true, but remember that this is your sister's new home and you need her husband's help. You're an adult and so I won't repeat it, but it's not good to look down on a man you want to ask for help... quiet now, we drove into the courtyard. Elisabeth and Prince Jazłowiecki are already waiting on the stairs." (Elisabeth Stuart)