Page 25 of The Empire and the Wolf King

Jefferson heartily laughed, then drank some more of his drink, chuckling. “Ah yes, Franklin will enjoy those immensely. I might even get a smile from Adams.” His fingers drummed on the writing desk again.

I said, because I couldn’t bear waiting much longer, “I always forget jokes, I sometimes wish I had written them down.”

Thomas Jefferson nodded. “Adams does cause concern, he is quite stern. He sometimes causes a well-spoken man tae become tongue-tied in his presence. Then once he sees your discomfort, he will lob an insult your way to worsen the cause.”

He finally pulled his small desk closer, inserted a key, and lifted the wooden lid.

My heart rejoiced.

He said, taking out an ink pot, a quill, and a handkerchief, “But I will note your offer, Lord Magnus. It will take a long journey to get to Philadelphia and I will not see Mister Washington for a time. I do not want to lose the details.” He pulled a journal from the bottom of the desk and placed it on the top.

I said, “This is a wonderful desk.”

He opened the book to an empty page. “Thank you, Your Grace, I built it myself.”

Magnus reached in his pocket and passed Jefferson the pen Lochie had given us on his wedding day. “I would like tae offer m’traveling pen for your use.”

Jefferson took it and looked it over. “I have never seen such a thing, where is the ink?”

Magnus said, “Stored inside, tis a good travelin’ implement.”

Jefferson made a very small mark on the corner of a page. “That is… extraordinary. The ink will smudge?” He blew on it and then touched it with his fingertip. “Remarkable!”

With the pen poised over the page, he said, “If you’d like to dictate the details.”

Magnus glanced at me and nodded, leaning forward. “Aye, ‘Tae Mister Washington, I bring greetings and an offer of alliance from Laird Magnus Campbell, Duke of Awe, Scotland.’” He paused waiting for Jefferson to catch up, though he was slow because he kept stopping to marvel at the pen.

Magnus continued, “If ye would add that m’dukedom is centered on lands around Loch Awe, in Scotland, my castle is named Kilchurn.”

Jefferson wrote.

I stared down at my drink trying to do the math, at some point Kilchurn was turned into a ruin, was it in this time or earlier? I really needed Google, but Jefferson didn’t seem to notice any discrepancies.

Magnus said, “‘The Duke offers two fully crewed warships, armed with forty guns each. He seeks only friendship and future trade considerations in return. The Duke can be reached at...’” Magnus leaned back defeatedly. “Och nae, I daena hae an address yet as we are travelin’. We mean tae stay for a time in Charlottesville, I think.”

Jefferson smiled, looking up from his writing. “You must stay at the Oakhurst Inn on Main Street. Tell Jacob Taylor that I sent you.”

I said, “That sounds perfect, add that as our address, that’s where we’ll be. And the date, we will be there… um… indefinitely.”

Jefferson continued writing, then asked, “Is there anything else you would like me to include?”

Magnus peered across at the page, and repeated the details, “Nae, as long as ye hae m’offer of assistance, includin’ m’title: the Duke of Awe, Magnus Campbell, and his wife, Lady Kaitlyn, and that we will be staying at the Oakhurst Inn on Main Street in Charlottesville, on this date.”

Jefferson nodded and out of habit blew on the ink to dry it.

Magnus leaned back. “Thank ye, and please tell Mister Washington that whenever he is available, I will be happy tae meet with him.”

Jefferson nodded, jotting down the additional information. Then he held the pen up to the weak light of the oil lamp and looked at the pen from all angles and then he wrote some more.

I nudged Magnus’s knee. Jefferson was writing about the pen in his journal. This was all very helpful.

Finally, he said, “Very well. I’ll ensure this reaches Mister Washington’s hands directly.” He blew on the page again and then used his finger to gently touch the ink. “This pen is truly remarkable, Lord Magnus. Might I inquire where you acquired it?”

Magnus smiled. “Alas, they are sold in a small market near Loch Awe, but ye can hae this?—”

I nudged Magnus’s knee to stop him and said, “My apologies, Mister Jefferson, but that was a gift from a dear friend, it means a great deal to me.”

Magnus said, “Aye, I had forgotten, I canna part with it. Tis a closely held valuable in our family.”

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