To His Grace Buckingham | By hand, noonish, Saturday 24th

[Duncan Melville]

A message written on white rag paper, with blue-black oak gall ink, sealed with the Melville coat of arms on viridian wax, and delivered by hand to the Buckingham suite in Windsor Castle.

Quote

Your Grace,

Please forgive me for not paying my respects as I should. My wife's death hit me harder than I realized, and I have needed to keep to myself for a few days until the bout of melancholy passed. To make amends, I am sending you a small token of my admiration. I bought it at the Carnival, so I am unsure if it is an original, but I do hope you will find it amusing even if it is not. If it is an original, it was minted at Acre.

Your humble and obedient servant,

Melville

The note was delivered along a small, square wooden box about an inch to the side. Inside was the Templar gold coin that Duncan had bought from master Sagredo, the curiosities merchant.