Tehr remained silent for a moment, listening to the patter of the rain on the windows as he thought about what the queen had said.  In December of last year when Christina and he had stayed at the family estates, his mother, the lady Carina Paola d'Montacello d'Wynt had been a somber woman, still in mourning.  Still wearing the traditional black mourning garb that her people from Italia would wear for one year following the death of a spouse, she had seemed a shadow of her normally energetic self.  But then the changeling woman Alexandria d'Hesfal, in the guise of a man she most often wore Alex ir'Hesfal, had come to visit.  Alex had begged apprenticeship under Tehr, and requested the sponsorship and guidance for house Hesfal under the allied banner of house Wynt.  Tehr had agreed, after Alexandria had proven what a capable lover changeling women could be, and it was agreed.  Without the threat of house Dale hanging over the head of house Hesfal, they were free again to begin maneuvering more openly in court, though Alexandria seemed content to let their house grow under the watchful protective shadow of house Wynt.  As a part of the negotiation of such a complex matter as forming such an alliance, Tehr's mother had traveled to the Hesfal estates outside of Dover in late December in south east Britannia.<br/><br/>Tehr had not expected to see his mother again for a while, but then in mid january she had arrived at Hewthorne Hall in Londinium with a second carriage, that bearing Lord John ir'Hesfal and his wife, a quiet meek woman.  Also John's sister Anne d'Hesfal and her husband, a similarly quiet though stoic and strong man.  On paper, Lord John ir'Hesfal was Alex ir'Hesfal's uncle, but in truth Lord John ir'Hesfal was Alexandria d'Hesfal's father, with his half sister Anne.  Tehr's mother had announced that the meeting between the houses had gone splendidly and that house Hesfal would be a valuable ally, and that Tehr was to do anything in his power to help 'Alex' and house Hesfal.  The two Hesfal couples, as well as Tehr's mother stayed in Hewthorne hall for several days, visiting court and Londinium as a whole before the five of them eventually moved on westward to the Wynt estates.  During that time Tehr learned that the secret false marriages of John and his wife as well as Anne and her husband were not the only secrets.  The shy quiet spouses were commoners raised to the lap of luxury with the only caveat being their explicit secrecy about the nature of the siblings and their true relationship.  But then over time the two meek cuckolded spouses actually ended up finding love in each other's arms.  So the four of them were a nearly inseparable item, and quite happy in their secrets and lies.<br/><br/>But that wasn't the most shocking thing about their return to Hewthorne Hall.  Tehr was both shocked and overjoyed to see his mother wearing a light pastel rose colored dress, adorned with simple yet elegant jewelry.  True a year and a few days had passed since the death of her beloved husband, Tehr's father.  But it wasn't just the time that had caused her to get over her grief.  When last he'd seen her, she'd been a pale shadow, someone who had forgotten joy, someone consumed by the loss of one they loved so greatly.  The loss of two actually since her eldest son James, Tehr's older brother, had also died shortly after their father.  But Tehr's mother was not simply out of her mourning phase.  She was happy, light, she reminded Tehr of the way she was before her husband's death.  Somehow, and Tehr wasn't sure if he wanted to know how, she had found joy and happiness in her time at the Hesfal estates outside of Dover.<br/><br/>Tehr long suspected that his lewd and lusty streak came largely from his mother, and he wasn't sure what his feelings were one night when he saw his mother creeping into the bedroom in Hewthorne Hall that was being used by Lord John ir'Hesfal and his half sister Mistress Anne d'Hesfal.  But because of the hour, he knew it wasn't a simple social call.  A point he felt determined to prove, and did so by watching the door most of the night from across the gallery.  His mother not leaving the chambers until just before the break of dawn, and looking very rumpled.  So his mother had taken John and Anne as lovers, possibly only one, but he somehow doubted it.  Who was he to question such actions?  Certainly if she was bold enough to sneak in to be with them under the roof of Hewthorne hall, then the trip to the Wynt estates, where she would have a far measure more privacy, would be much more...<br/><br/>Tehr shook his head trying to clear the image of his mother rutting with the Elder John ir'Hesfall and his sister / lover the changeling woman Anne d'Hesfall from his mind.  But the fact was that his mother was no longer the morose brooding widow.  She had come back into her own strength, and was focusing on regaining her own bliss now that Tehr had a good handle on the matters of the house.  Good for her, she was only in her mid forties, plenty of life left in her, and life that would be enriched with taking a lover, or two.<br/><br/>This brought to mind the thought of the cardinal.  A man who would flirt and charm her, hoping to gain her favor?  Odds were that his mother, were she fore warned with such knowledge could likely turn such a ploy against him.  Tehr had no worries about his mother's ability to handle a lecherous old man, in fact she might even be able to turn the game around on him, for her own or the house's advantage.  Something to consider at greater length, once he learned more about the frenchman.<br/><br/>Tehr cleared his throat,<strong>"I beg you give me a few days, a month at the most, to set up a company for the exploration, settlement, and trading with the new world, or wherever private ships of Britannia might sail.  Under the banner of her royal majesty of course.  I know house Wynt doesn't have the funds to mount such an expedition, but if rumors were to begin circulating in court that you desire such a thing to be created, a week or two from now, after I've already floated the idea to several wealthy houses, I feel confident that I can mastermind the creation of such a business.  One jointly owned by several houses, paying dividends to each as well as to the crown, and of course, with the lions share of the stock resting in the hands of the house with enough foresight to have started it." </strong>He grinned incase it wasn't obvious he was talking about House Wynt.  In fact he thought about how House Saari already had the ships and the windfinders, house Hesfal's fortunes could be greatly improved if Dover was made into a major re-supply point instead of just a fishing community, and how his contacts with Rosalyn d'Caelor's elvish friends in Wales would make an excellent jumping off point for the new world to the west.  Of course they'd need the houses that could make the ships, and several other wealthy houses willing to finance such an endevour.  This would take time, planning, and a lot of political charming.  But he could do it.  This would take a lot of planning, and a lot of luck, but he knew how he could get the ball rolling.  House Saari could be the first major player, the first major ally in this endevour.  With a powerful house like Saari backing this, others would more readily fall into line and be willing to go along with this.  He hadn't planned on giving into their desires to sire their next generation, but now, it might be a crucial step in gaining them as some of the key members for his new plan.  Besides, he was on the fence about it anyways, and he could always have fun in the act of giving them children.  He'd just have to make sure he set the terms.<br/><br/>He did have one niggling doubt tickling the back of his mind though.  The old growth virgin forests on his land. He was willing to sell them to the ship builders, and in fact even that would benefit him as farmers moved onto the cleared land.  But he couldn't help but think about his meeting with Mother Dryad in the forest.  Maybe he could meet with her and see if there was some way that they could pay homage to the forests, to the old gods, and cut down a portion of the forests without offending the nature spirit.  It didn't feel right to not at least pay his respects to her before going forwards.  It was not a meeting he looked forwards to, as he doubted she would be pleased with the cutting down of forests by men.