Lord Raeburn looks astonished for a moment, then bursts out into a hearty roar of jovial laughter. The Knights can't seem to understand quite what he finds so amusing, but the Lord is clearly highly entertained.

"Och, mae friends, I didnae expect ye to come out wi' something like that! Hoots, I havnae laughed that much in a long time. Oh, now don't be takin' that the wrong way, but I'll show ye somethin' first...I'll only be a moment."

Lord Raeburn gets up and returns shortly with a ledger account in his hands, dated a few years previously, which he passes to the Knights. It lists what seems to be a phenomenal number of outgoing payments, many of which are for extremely large amounts of marks. At the bottom, there is a small section on income. Amongst notably few entries is the figure for the sale of the silver apples...Darien visibly swallows. He hadn't realised that the financial commitment was so large...

"Aye," grins Lord Raeburn, "a pretty penny, don't ye think? A harvest from that tree could probably pay for, what d'ye think, about a third of what ye're Clan spends in a year?

"Och, I couldnae accept your money. Perhaps ye're friends of Lonsdale's, that ye offer such a sum, but I willnae take it. Ye're kind fellows, and ye've brightened me up no end. Och, if only all things could be solved so easy, aye? With a flagon of mead, a roasted pig and an afternoon tae while away with ye're friends, like in th' old days. Aye, I used tae be a happy man, 'til this all started up.

"What's the more, I'd hate to see ye, or ye're Clan, get caught up in this scuffle, for so ye would. That tree's turned mae best friend and neighbour in th' world against me. Ye wouldnae think it, tae look at the beauty, but mark my words, the moment ye gives me yer money, ye'll end up caught up in this whole mess. Nae, I couldnae allow that.

"Och, we've been nattering a while, have we not? I'll tell ye, my friends, I've nae problem with what ye're proposin', but I donnae like ye're clause about th' tree. It's just askin' fer someone tae betray somebody.

"But d'ye think Lord Lonsdale will accept what ye propose? Aye, I think that'd be th' tricky part. Wish I could join ye, speak tae him maeself, but he wouldnae listen."



"The heavens keep the answers to our worldly problems...
the key is to know how to understand their ancient language"