“That’s the very beauty of it. He has no knowledge that he works for a Jew, only that he works for a delightful Amsterdam widow. He can’t betray what he doesn’t know, and his motions shall attract no suspicion, for even in his own mind he does nothing worthy of notice.”
She had been reckless to embark upon this plan without consulting him, but he could find no fault with her actions. Only a moment ago he had lamented his connection with her, but now he recalled well why he so loved this remarkable woman.
“You trust this man?”
“I’ve never seen him, but I trust my lawyer, and he says we may depend on him.”
“And what are his instructions?”
“The same as you have given the others.” She licked her lips slowly, as though paused in thought. “To secure agents in Lisbon, Oporto, and Madrid -men who will do our bidding to the letter, though in this case it will only be my bidding. These agents are to await my instructions and then purchase as directed at a particular time and place.” She studied Miguel’s face, attempting to register his mood. “You cannot object.”
He could not object. And yet, somehow, he did. “Of course not. I am only surprised. We had discussed that these plans were to be mine.”
Geertruid placed a hand on top of his. “Don’t feel unmanned,” she said softly. “I promise I think you as great as ever, but an opportunity arose that I had to seize.”
He nodded. “You were right to do it.” He continued to nod. “Yes, this is all very good.” Perhaps he had reacted too strongly. What did it matter whence the agent came? Geertruid, for all her faults, was no fool. Miguel sighed, tasting the cheap tobacco in the air and savoring it as though it were perfume. A thought suddenly flashed before him, and he stood up very straight. “Do you realize what has happened to us this moment?”
“What has happened?” Geertruid asked. She lounged lazily upon the bench like a satisfied whore waiting to be paid.
“We faced one obstacle, the one thing that stood between us and our riches, and we have just removed that obstacle.”
Geertruid blinked. “We must still set our agents in place and count upon them to do our bidding,” she said, as though she understood not the first thing of his own scheme.
“A mere formality,” Miguel assured her. “The Exchange Bank may as well give us unlimited credit, for we are already wealthy. We now only wait for the rest of the world to recognize what we now know.” He leaned over to her and placed his lips as close to hers as he had dared since the night she had rejected his kiss. He didn’t care about the cherem or Joachim or even that he had lost her money. Those were only details, and details can be managed. “We are already wealthy, madam. We have already won.”
23
Though he had been avoiding the East Indies corner of the bourse all week, Miguel had only finished a small trade in pepper when he felt a hard tap on the shoulder. More like a jab. There stood an impatient and sheepish Isaiah Nunes.
“Nunes,” Miguel shouted cheerfully and grabbed his arm. “You are looking well, my friend. I trust all is on schedule with our little business and we may expect the shipment as planned?”
Nunes could never resist the blunt force of Miguel’s cheer. “Yes, all is on schedule. You know, the price of coffee has been going up, but I secured our price before the price rose. You will still pay shipment at thirty-three guilders per barrel.” He swallowed. “Some of us honor our words.”
Miguel ignored the jibe. “And the contents remain a secret.”
“Just as I promised. My agents have assured me that the crates will be marked as you have instructed. No one will know their true contents.” He looked away for an instant. “Now I must raise another matter.”
“I know what you are going to say”-Miguel held up a hand-“and do you think I would come seek you out like this if I had no intention of paying you? I promise you the money will be there in two days. Three at the latest.”
Nunes sighed. “You did not seek me out. I came to you. And you’ve made promises before.”
“I expect any moment to receive the money I need,” he lied. “All will be made easy. You’ve not a thing to worry about.”
It was Miguel who had not a thing to worry about. The business had been contracted with the East India Company, and it could not be canceled. Nunes would simply have to float the five hundred guilders for a little while. He had the money; it was no hardship for him.
Miguel decided it was time to set the next phase of his plan in motion. He visited a broker, with whom he had done business before, and bought coffee puts to be due in ten weeks’ time, thereby guaranteeing himself the right to sell at the current high price. Miguel wanted to buy a thousand guilders’ worth of puts, but the broker seemed reluctant to advance Miguel so large a loan. Having no other choice, he used his brother’s name as security. There could be no harm in doing so; Miguel would profit from his puts and pay the broker without Daniel ever learning what his brother had done.
“I’ll need to send a letter to your brother confirming his agreement,” the broker said.
“Of course. My brother, however, has a tendency to let his correspondence sit for days. Mark the outside of the note, if you would, with a circle, and I will see he addresses your concerns immediately.” Miguel would have Annetje keep an eye out for the note. It should be easy to keep it from attracting Daniel’s notice.
Once the transaction had been completed, Miguel fought off the queasy remorse. Certainly it was tricky, putting his brother’s money at risk, but everything was in hand. He would not have been so desperate if his brother hadn’t demanded payment on the loan at so rotten a time. It would be one thing if Miguel had been struggling, but never before had he known the market so well as he did now. And with coffee he would be creating and shaping the market, not merely responding to it. The price of coffee would go down because he would make it go down. Daniel’s money could not be safer.
He expected the news of his puts to travel fast, but he did not expect it to travel quite so quickly as it did. One hour later, as Miguel shuffled out of the Exchange and onto the Dam, Solomon Parido appeared by his side. He smiled politely, with no signs of resentment over what had happened before the council.
“I hope I have not violated any rules today,” Miguel said. “Appearing on the Exchange without properly greeting you, perhaps. I expect I’ll receive another summons before long.”
“I expect the same.” Parido laughed softly, as though making light with a friend. “You must not think there was anything of a personal nature in what transpired in that room with the Ma’amad. I merely acted in accordance with what I believed to be right and proper.”
“Of course,” Miguel agreed flatly.
“However, your likening the Ma’amad to the Inquisition-that will make you no friends. There are too many in this city who have lost loved ones to the Inquisition.”
“You forget that the Inquisition took my father; I know what it is, and so does my brother. If he ever sees things as I do, he may not be so quick to follow you blindly.”
“You judge him too harshly. He only wishes to do what is best for his family, and that family includes you. I suspect he will be very proud of you when he learns of your brilliant scheme in the East Indies trade.”
“My scheme?” Miguel studied his face for some sign of what might be coming.
“Yes. I had no idea how clever you were, but now I see in its fullness your plan. Wait until the price of coffee rises because of the growth of demand, and then gamble a large sum of money you do not have on the price falling. Yes, very clever indeed.”