Barrets Coffee House stood at the corner of a street now known as Aruthas Way, in honor of the late Prince of Krondor, father to the King but still called by most locals Sandy Beach Walk and Millers Road, a route that had once led from a mill no longer extant to a farmers gate long torn down. Barrets was a tall building, three stories, with two open doors at the corner, one on each street. Standing in each door was a waiter: a man with a white tunic, black trousers, black boots, and a blue-and-white-striped apron.
The three other street corners were occupied by a tavern, a ships broker, and, diagonally across the street from Barrets, an abandoned home. It had once been splendid, perhaps one of the finest in Krondor, but misfortune had cost its owner dearly from all appearances. It had been neglected long before it was abandoned, and its past glory was now faded by peeling paint, boarded-up windows, missing tiles from the roof, and dirt everywhere.
Roo glanced at that building. Maybe someday Ill buy that house and fix it up.
Erik smiled. I dont doubt it, Roo.
Roo and Erik walked past the waiter standing at the door on Millers Road, and entered. The two outside doors opened on a simple receiving area, offering several well-upholstered chairs, but otherwise closed off from the main floor of the coffee house by a wooden railing. There was one opening in the railing blocked by a man attired in a manner similar to the two waiters at the door. The main difference was that his apron was black.
A tall man, he looked eye to eye at Erik, then down at Roo as he said, Yes?
Erik said, Weve come to see Sebastian Lender.
The man nodded. Follow me, please. He turned and walked onto the main floor of the coffee house.
Roo and Erik followed and were led through a large area of small tables, several occupied by men drinking coffee, while waiters hurried from table to table. To the left as they reached the center of the room a broad flight of stairs led up to a balcony rather than a true second floor, leaving the center of the room open to the high vaulted ceiling. Looking up, Roo saw there was no third floor, but rather a double set of high windows above the second-floor balcony. Barrets was a very open, well-lit building as a result. They reached another waist-high railing, which cut off the rear third of the room, and there the waiter said, Please wait here.
The waiter moved a small section of the rail that was on hinges, and stepped through and toward a table at the far side of the house. Roo motioned upward and Eriks eyes went to where he pointed.
Above them, on the second-floor landing, men sat at tables. Roo said, The brokers.
How do you know?
Ive heard a thing or two, said Roo.
Erik laughed and shook his head. Most likely he had heard it from Helmut Grindle, the trader they had traveled with for a while when coming to Krondor. Roo and Grindle had spoken of many things commercial, and while Erik had found some of the conversation diverting, as often as not it put him to sleep.
A moment later, a dignified-looking man wearing an unadorned but expensive tunic with an overvest and cravat approached. He studied the two young men before him for a moment, then said, My word! Young von Darkmoor and Mr Avery, if Im not mistaken.
Roo nodded as Erik said, Yes, Mr Lender. We gained our pardon.
Most unusual, said Lender. He motioned for the waiter to open the railing for him to step through. Only members are permitted behind this second railing. He indicated with a wave of his hand that Roo and Erik should sit at an empty table a few feet away.
He motioned for the waiter and said, Three coffees. Looking at Roo and Erik, he asked, Have you broken fast today? When they answered in the negative, he said to the waiter, Some rolls, jams and honey, and a platter of cheese and sausage.
As the waiter hurried off, Lender said, As you are pardoned, you obviously do not need my services as a solicitor, so perhaps you need them as a litigator?
Erik said, Not really. I came to pay you your fee.
Lender began to object, but Erik said, I know you refused to take gold before, but despite your having lost the pleading, we are here and alive, so I think youre entitled to your fee. He produced his money pouch and put it upon the table. It clinked with the heavy sound of gold coins.
Lender said, Youve prospered, young gentlemen.
Its a payment for services from the Prince, said Roo.
Shrugging, Lender opened the purse, counted out fifteen golden sovereigns, then closed the purse, pushing it back toward Erik. He pocketed the coins.
Is that enough? asked Erik.
Had I won, I would have charged you fifty, said Lender as the coffee arrived.
Roo had never cared for coffee, so he sipped at it, expecting to put aside the cup and ignore it. But to his surprise, instead of the bitter brew he had tasted before, this was a rich complex taste. This is good! he blurted.
Erik laughed and tried his, then said, It is.
Keshian, said Lender. Far superior to what is grown in the Kingdom. More flavor, less bitterness. He waved his hand around the room. Barrets is the first establishment in Krondor to specialize exclusively in fine coffees, and as a sign of his wisdom, the founder placed his first shop here in the heart of the Merchants Quarter, rather than trying to sell to the nobility.
Roo instantly came alert; stories of success appealed to him. Why is that? he asked.
Because the nobility are difficult to approach, expect extreme discounts, and rarely pay in a timely fashion.
Roo laughed. Ive heard that from the wine merchants at home.
Lender continued. Mr Barret knew that the local businessmen often needed a place away from their homes or offices where they could discuss business over a meal, without the distractions of an inns taproom.
Erik again nodded, having spent a fair part of his life in the taproom of the inn where he had worked as a child.
So was born Barrets Coffee House, which prospered from the first week it was opened. Originally a more modest enterprise, it has existed for nearly seventy-five years, in this location for close to sixty.
What about the brokers, and syndicates, and you? asked Roo.
Lender smiled as a tray of hot rolls, breakfast meats, cheeses, and fruits, along with pots of jam, honey, and butter, was brought to the table.
Suddenly hungry, Roo took a roll and slathered butter and honey on it while Lender answered him. Some of those without offices of their own used to conduct business all day long and, to keep Barret happy, would buy coffee, tea, and food in a steady stream. Seeing this as a pleasant alternative to hours of empty tables between meals, Mr Barret ensured certain tables would remain reserved for those businessmen.
They formed the first syndicates and brokerage alliances. And they needed representation he put his hand upon his chest and bowed slightly hence litigators and solicitors became habitués of the establishment. When things became crowded, the son of the founder moved to this inn, tore out the third floor, and created the exclusive members area above, and things have continued that way since. He motioned at the second rail. Some members were forced to use this end of the ground floor, hence the newer railing. Now one must purchase a location in the hall for ones syndicate or brokerage, or risk not having a table at which to sit when arriving to conduct business.