The meeting for the purchase of an armed merchant ship ended in the afternoon, after which the Earl of Lancashire decided to contribute £300, Baron Montigall II £200, and the rest of the men £100. A county count, a county baron, and several knights and squires had to spend a total of £600 on merchant ships.

Not only did Isabel Walton disappoint such a contribution, but she also swore to the nobles, knights, and squires present that she would pay compensation. As a result, she was extremely annoyed by her trip to Lancashire, and she had lost her good mood in everything she did or talked to anyone.

It was a fast day, and the lunch and dinner dishes that the Earl of Lancashire used to entertain the crowd were almost exclusively fish. That's right, all kinds of fish, there are carp, cod, herring, pike, greenfish (greenfin), salmon, trout, eel. Only sea bass, barracuda and tench are not to be eaten, because they are inferior fish.

After dinner, Baron Montigall II made a request to invite Isabel to his castle of Hornby. Since Hornby Castle was only about three miles away from Thurland Castle, Isabel agreed to visit the following day, Saturday morning. When Baron Montiger II left, Margaret, Lady of Lancashire, walked slowly with her in the square of the castle and chatted.

Still reserved, Lady Lancashire smiled and said to her, "Isabel, I am your good companion, and I want to tell you something. ”

At this time, Isabel was thinking about how to make the £600 grant pay off handsomely or without an unexpected loss. When he heard the other party's words, he nodded at the other party, "Margaret, what are you telling me?" ”

"Do you want to know why Lord Montigall invited you to his castle?"

"Margaret, the money that Lord Montigall promised to finance has not yet been given to me. So, tomorrow I'm going to be a guest at his castle. ”

"Isabel, I'm not talking about grants. I would like to say that Lord Montigall's wife, Mrs. Mary Brandon, passed away just in June of this year. ”

Isabel was not surprised by Lady Lancashire's words, but smiled, "I know that Lord Montigall made a point of mentioning this in a letter to my father. Lady Mary Brandon, I remember being the daughter of Duke I of Suffolk. ”

Lady Lancashire walked slowly, looking around the castle, and said, "Isabelle, if Lord Montigall wishes to seek a second lady, you must not marry him. ”

"Really? I guess you're trying to say that Lord Montigall is a little poor because of that? ”

"yes, how do you know? Well, of course, the whole of Lancashire is a poor northern county in the eyes of the other nobles of the North. ”

The two of them walked out of the stone gate of the moat with their guards and maids as they had done many years ago, and walked towards the forest path that surrounded the castle. As she strolled along the path between the old trees, Isabel's chagrin turned to the better, "Margaret, I don't think Lancashire is as poor as you think. ”

Margaret glanced at her and shook her head, "You mean the vast expanse of forest and pasture north of the county?" However, did you know that there are many swamps to the south and west of the county, and those places are not at all inhabitable? ”

"Swamps? I thought, if there was a way to divert water from the swamps, it could be used as farms and pastures, right? ”

"Draw the water out? God, Isabel, do you know how much money it takes, how many farmers do it? ”

"Margaret, if you and your husband want to become rich, you must find a way to use everything in the territory to create wealth for you."

"Maybe. I don't understand what you can do with places that are damp and have a lot of water, though. ”

The conversation was about to return to the money, and Isabel didn't want to talk any further, but agreed with the other party's statement, "Margaret, I'll find a way to get you some reward from the grant." ”

Lady Lancashire nodded, "Isabel, I hope you don't take this issue lightly. The £300 we promised was enough to cover a year's worth of repairs at Lancaster Castle. ”

The conversation between the two noble ladies extended to the only castle in the county with a military function. Given that Lancaster Castle was once one of the domains of the Duke of Lancaster (the ducal title and the Duchy of Lancaster were recovered by the Crown of England as part of the Crown of England as part of the Crown Estate), the castle has been preserved and maintained. After the Northern Rebellion of 1536, the castle is now used as a prison in the county.

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The next morning, Isabel led the party to Hornby Castle with part of the money raised, and was kindly received by Baron Montiger II, lord of the castle estate. Although it was her first time at the Baron's Castle, she found it rich in rivers and forests.

The river's resources are mainly from the River Lun in Westmoreland, which flows west to south and empties into the Irish Sea south of Heysham in Lancashire. A tributary of the Lun River, the Wenning River, which flows east and south of Hornby Castle, not only irrigates all the arable land in the barony, but also creates opportunities for good growth in the barony's vast expanse of ancient forest.

It's a pity that Baron Montiger, who has the ability to create countless fortunes, doesn't see this at all. Perhaps, the Wenning River and the ancient forests only added to the baron's table some delicate dishes made of fish and beasts.

In casual conversation, Baron Montigall found Isabel to be the best person to marry. As for the basis of marriage - love, the baron did not think that he would fall in love with her. Therefore, the two did not turn the conversation in the direction that Lady Lancashire pointed to, and never left the fish, hunting, religion, and so on.

Eventually, Baron Montiguel, after hearing that she was going to hold a summer hunt in his father's domain, offered to take part in the summer hunt. When Isabel once again said what his father thought, the baron laughed, "Madam, Sir William will have many opportunities to be alone after his engagement with you. I'm sure Sir would be willing for the nobles to come and join in your hunt. ”

Isabel couldn't find an excuse to object, so she agreed, "Your Excellency, I'd love to see you on the summer hunt." ”

Later, the baron spoke again about the grant, "Madame, can this grant of 600 pounds buy a merchant ship?" ”