In Guards We Trust Page 9

  Chapter 8 – The English Gambit

  Jason awoke from a restless night spent contemplating the wisdom of continuing to operate his seven vessel fleet from Monte Vista. One did not require the services of a clairvoyant to predict that grave trouble was heading for Montuga. Apart from the villa, the remainder of Jason’s wealth was tied up in the fleet and in investments in London. He decided that he would relocate his operations to another Mediterranean harbour. The city state of Naples struck him as a possible alternative. Relocating his base of operations would be the easy part. The relocation of the trade centre itself would be both crucial and complex. He would require the co-operation of most of the other trading companies to achieve this. The royal family owned a third of the trade centre. The palace would obviously do its best to prevent any relocation of the trade centre. Although he had never met the king or his family, Jason harboured no ill will towards the Garibaldi family or towards Montuga. But if he was to succeed in moving the trade centre to Naples, the centre at Monte Vista would have to close. One of the reasons for the trade centre’s success was that it had become a unique international hub which exerted considerable influence over the prices of and the supply of the majority of the world’s luxury commodities. Any competing trade centres would significantly dilute such influence.

  A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. To Jason’s astonishment, it turned out to be the king’s messenger. The latter handed Jason a written invitation to take lunch with the King of Montuga at the palace at one o’clock. Jason found it a little unnerving that the invitation’s arrival coincided with the same day on which he had decided to relocate his fleet.