Enchantments of the Haglady by Alan R. Smith

Author:Alan R. Smith [Smith, Alan R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781489712103
Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
Published: 2017-05-15T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

BRAINS AND BRAVADO, VENICE, AD 1066

It was early morning. Antonio Delyan was negotiating the price of goods which had arrived the night before on trade vessels from Carthage and Athens. Documents showed two ships, one from the North African port was filled with large clay jars filled with spices from Alexandria. The other, a Greek ship, had sailed from a port in Anatolia, its cargo packed in dark brown wicker baskets tied tightly to protect the bundles of beautiful silks from Mosul. As Antonio bartered, a very well-dressed third party broke into the conversation.

In a deep, graveled voice, Signor Moretti addressed Antonio, “Scusi, Signore, I would like to discuss the price you are negotiating with my clerk.” The other man in the sale looked at the new participant, nodded in deference, and took a step back.

Antonio looked up to see the most powerful man on the piers of Venice, Signor Matteo Moretti. He was well known on every dock in the Mediterranean Sea. This powerful man owned many businesses throughout the Italian peninsula and Greece. His shipbuilding docks in Venice produced the finest merchant ships on the sea. However, his influence as a counselor to Doge Domenico Contarini, gave him unspoken authority. The merchants and bankers, captains and seamen, every laborer on the dock, each restaurant owner and all the fishermen, ambassadors and beggars, all knew the weight of his name. He oversaw all business activities in the city and controlled the flow of goods in and out of Venice. Signor Moretti’s decisions impacted prices in Greece, Anatolia, all of northern Africa, Europe and beyond.

Antonio remembered his father’s lesson to know all who were powerful in Venice. The lesson would be tested—Antonio knew this man. Deciding to stand his ground, and leading Signor Moretti to think he was not recognized, Antonio struck first in the negotiations.

Antonio gave the nobleman a broad smile and told him, “Signore, I will be happy to do business with you after this sale is complete. And I doubt the man you interrupted is in need of your help, as I deal fairly with all customers.”

Signor Moretti broke out in a hearty laugh. Realizing that the young salesman had taken control of the conversation, he decided to test the skills of the precocious youth. He turned to the original buyer for a brief conversation, and then he turned to Antonio.

Antonio watched as the man bowed to Signor Moretti, sending a telling glance to Antonio that Signor Moretti was now in charge of the purchase.

Signor Moretti asked, “What is your name, young man?”

Shifting to place himself directly in front of his adversary, he addressed the question, “Antonio Delyan, Chief Clerk of Trade for my father, Master Pavel Delyan of Varna.”

“Well, Antonio Delyan, Chief Clerk of Trade, the price you have discussed with my clerk is 10% too high.”

After the initial uneasiness of meeting such a high-ranking person subsided, Antonio felt the excitement of the contest, a match to challenge the second most important man in Venice. But he had to remain shrewd.

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