The Viennese Waltz(128)

The uproar started again. “Where’s our money?” came a shout from the crowd.

“It’s in the bank!”

“Then why can’t we get it?”

“Why would you want to? What has caused this unseemly demonstration? Where is the courage of our noble blood? Where is the trust in our emperor?”

“It’s not the emperor we don’t trust! It’s his banker.” Which was a direct shot at Gundaker. As the chancellor of the exchequer, he was the official head of the royal bank, which was why he had the third key. For political reasons, the Abrabanels were officially simply depositors in the royal bank, though Moses was present at the board meetings and had much to do with its design, using information from his family in Grantville.

“The bank is closed while we inventory the silver stocks and will reopen day after tomorrow.”

“Why do you suddenly need to run an inventory?” came from several voices.

The one thing Gundaker didn’t want to say was that they were afraid some of the silver had gone missing and didn’t know how much. He considered saying they needed to assay some of the recent silver deposits, but that would only cause more panic and he knew it. Finally, he just got stubborn. “Because I’m not going to let a mob of peasants into the emperor’s bank,” he roared at the crowd.

The roar that came back was unclear, but not at all difficult to interpret. The mob didn’t care for being called peasants.

“Then stop acting like base-born villagers! Go home, get some sense. Let us do our jobs and come back when you have some reason other than panic to need your silver.” With that, Gundaker turned his back on the mob and went back into the bank, followed by the guards. They prudently barred the doors. With no one to shout at and not quite ready to burn the place down—or go into open revolt against the crown—the upper crust of Vienna went home. At least, some of them did. Rather a lot went to the palace to complain to the emperor about their treatment at the bank.

The Hofburg Palace, Vienna

“It’s Sarah Wendell’s fault,” said Gundaker. “How did she know that there had been pilfering?” The audit of the bank had in fact found that there was silver missing. However, it was less than five percent of the amount that was supposed to be there. Of greater concern was something they had discovered after the printer for the royal treasury had turned up missing the day after the bank closure. It turned out that the man had been printing a little extra money with every print run. He had been paying two guards to look the other way. One was under arrest, the other was also missing. It still wasn’t a massive amount, not even a percent, but it was enough to set all three men up for life. Set them up in luxury.

“It’s not her fault,” said Moses Abrabanel. “For one thing, in the rumor I heard the secret report was made to Your Majesty and myself. That’s why I was asked about it. When I told them that there had been no such report, all I got was warned that they were going behind my back. So tell me, Prince von Liechtenstein, why wasn’t I informed of the meeting in which Sarah Wendell informed you and the emperor that half the silver in the national bank had been siphoned off to buy off Wallenstein?”

“There was no such meeting,” Gundaker said.

“Precisely my point.”

“Is the bank opened again?” the emperor interrupted.

“Yes, and there are lines around the block,” Gundaker said. “No one is taking paper reich money, just silver and barbies.”

“Sarah Wendell is not the cause, but she may be the solution,” Moses offered.

“You’ve been pushing that since she got here,” Gundaker told him. “And I will even grant that she does have a good understanding of the art for someone her age. But she is a girl and a peasant. No one is going to take the word of a peasant on matters of this import.”

Moses looked over at Gundaker in frustration and suddenly a demonically delightful thought occurred to him. Moses felt himself smiling. He turned to the emperor. “Ennoble her, then. If it’s her lack of title that causes the problem, give her one.”

Gundaker went pale. He despised Sarah Wendell and most of the up-timers, but he also found them useful. If they were ennobled, especially Sarah, that would mean that a marriage between her and Karl wouldn’t be morganatic. At least, the marriage wouldn’t have to be, and knowing Karl, he would insist that it not be.

* * *

Ferdinand III was aware of the issues involved and, under other circumstances, he would have been in sympathy with Gundaker’s attempt to ensure his family’s property. Gundaker was sworn to the empire and Karl Eusebius was sworn to Wallenstein, so Ferdinand would prefer Gundaker’s branch of the family to inherit control of the family wealth. But not now. Not today, when his people were lined up around his bank demanding silver.