Baron Walton was also curious to see how his daughter would assist the Earl of Lancashire in obtaining more rare goods from overseas, which were exclusive to the aristocracy. After the servant had brought some more fruit tarts and ale, the baron's conversation with his two important family members became more relaxed and pleasant.

After eating some fruit tarts, the baron smiled softly and asked his daughter, "Daughter, sugar, spices or hides from overseas must be available in the port towns of the south. Well, Lord Lancashire is planning to buy these rare goods from some merchants you know? ”

Isabelle, after quenching her thirst with a large glass of ale, simply said to Baron Walton, "Father, if you were accustomed to going far away by boat, would you choose to go on horseback?" ”

The baron stroked his beard and shook his head thoughtfully, "Probably not." ”

"Father, although it is possible to bring back a lot of goods by riding to the south, it will take a lot of time. Therefore, Lord Lancashire wanted to use his port towns and merchant ships to bring back large quantities of goods by sea. ”

"Lord Lancashire also has his own port and merchant ships?" Baron Walton asked curiously, and even Mrs. Walton, who was on the side, was a little puzzled by her daughter's words.

Reflecting on the location of Lancashire, the coastline near the Irish Sea and the towns along the coastline, Isabel leaned comfortably on the back of a bench and explained: "Father, although there are some villages in Lancashire close to the Irish Sea, only Liverpool has a port. Perhaps, the farmers who live in Liverpool will go out to sea on fishing boats. ”

What she said was largely true, and "poverty" made it impossible for the Earl of Lancashire to think of building a few port towns and taking advantage of the proximity to the Irish Sea to develop maritime trade. Several coastal cities such as Morecambe, Blackpool and Southport also mostly began to grow slowly in trade and inhabitants after the English Civil War in the 1650s.

Merseyside, which became an honorary county and metropolitan county in April 1974, was a small town with a population of no more than 500 until the mid-16th century, before the city of Liverpool was its capital. In the 13th century, King John, nicknamed "John the Landless", who proposed the town of Liverpool, also granted it a royal charter to turn it into a self-governing town. In addition, seven streets were proposed: Bank Street (later Water), Castle Street, Worship Street, Dale Street, Juggling Street (later Hay Street), Moore Street (later Tisbahn Street) and Whitelake Street (later Old Hall Street).

Baron Walton had no substantive opinion about the facts of what his daughter had said, and after thinking for a long time, he said slowly, "Daughter, Lord Lancashire has written that he will treat you as a distinguished guest when you come to Thurland Castle. Would you rather go to Thraland Castle once? ”

"Yes, Father. Now that Lord Lancashire has sent for the gifts, I am naturally going to Thraland Castle to provide some assistance to Lord Lancashire and his Lady. ”

"Well, there's a long way to go from Kirclington to Thurland Castle in Lancashire, and I hope you'll be prepared for all before you leave."

It was clear that the poverty of Lancashire impressed Baron Walton, and in his opinion there might be some unexpected trouble. Of course, the Baron and Isabel did have some trouble there many years ago. If it weren't for Isabel's high vigilance at that time, there would naturally be no current Baron Walton family. Now it seems that Isabel will have to extend her summer hunting plan for a few more days.

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At 6 o'clock on Wednesday morning, July 30, Isabel led 40 saber guards and valets dressed in her father's signature uniforms and rode horses and left her father's territory. After crossing nearly half of the uninhabited Yorkshire Dales, I came to the outside of Thirand Castle at 11am that day.

As the hanging door on the stone bridge of the castle's moat opened, two flag guards rode slowly into the interior of the castle, and Isabel, riding one of the oldest and purest Andalusian horses, looked around and saw that the castle and its surroundings were still the same as they had been for many years, and did not seem to have changed in the slightest.

When she came to the square in front of the main building on the north side of the castle, the Earl of Lancashire's butler, with a dozen servants, stood respectfully waiting for her arrival. The butler then led her and several saber guards to the parlor in a building to the east of the castle. When she entered the drawing-room, she found the Earl and Lady of Lancashire waiting for her.

After a courtesy salute, Isabel handed over the letter written by her father to the Earl of Lancashire, lord of the castle estate. After reading the letter, the Earl of Lancashire, as he handed it to his wife, looked at Isabel with a smile, "Well, Lady Isabel, may God bless you and Sir William Ingleby. ”

Margaret, Lady of Lancashire, also had a smile on her face, and she couldn't help but shake her head, "Lady Isabel, I didn't expect that I would give you a wedding gift in advance. Of course, when you happen to be married to Sir William, Jacob and I will give you another official wedding present. ”

Isabel nodded in acknowledgment and smiled at the noble couple sitting on the throne, "Your Excellency, Madam, I am very satisfied with the gift you have given me. That's enough, I think. ”

Lunch was no longer as quiet as it used to be, and the Earl and Lady of Lancashire looked a little cheerful at the table. During the meal, Isabel mentioned in passing about the upcoming summer hunt in her father's domain. To her surprise, her summer hunting activities had aroused the Earl of Lancashire's hunting interest.

The Earl of Lancashire, after taking a few sips of a glass of wine, said with interest, "Madame, if you don't mind, my wife and I will surely come to your summer hunt." ”

Isabel said somewhat deliberately, "Your Excellency, I appreciate that you can join in the hunt. However, my father wished I could spend more time with Sir William while hunting. ”

Margaret, the Lady of Lancashire, who was sitting at the end of the table, smiled lightly, "Madam, you don't have to worry about that. We will not disturb your association with Sir William, Jacob and I just wanted to see if Sir William was fit to be your husband. Either way, you'll have a year to spend time with the nobles you really love or... The knight was officially married. ”

Isabel had already planned her marriage, and at the moment she was most concerned about the purpose of her visit to Thraland Castle.