I visited with Mangaran for a week or so, and then I went on back to Vo Wacune to see how Killane was coming with the renovations. It was autumn by now, and, though the Arendish forest consisted largely of evergreens, there were enough groves of maple, birch, and aspen to add vivid reds, yellows, and pale oranges to the vast wood, and there was that faintly dusty smell of autumn in the air. I found that to be absolutely lovely, and I didn’t really hurry as I rode east. I reached the city of Vo Wacune about mid-afternoon on a lovely autumn day, passed through the ornate city gates, and rode directly to the quiet, tree-lined street where my house stood. I noted with some satisfaction that Killane and his work-gang had repaired the marble wall which surrounded the house and that the rust-riddled old iron gate had been replaced with a new one, far more imposing and ornate.
One of the attractions of my house was the fairly extensive grounds surrounding it. At one time there had been gardens there, but when I’d bought the property, those gardens had long since been taken over by weeds. I was a bit startled when I rode through the gate. The weeds were gone, and the ancient hedges were are neatly trimmed. Killane himself was over near the side of the house spading up one of the flower-beds. He looked up as I dismounted. ‘Well, now, there y’ are, lass,’ he greeted me. ‘I was about t’ send out search parties t’ find y’, don’t y’ know.’
‘Gardening, Killane?’ I said. ‘You’re a man of many talents, aren’t you? How’s the house coming?’
‘She’s all finished, Lady-O,’ he replied rather proudly, ‘an’ she came out better than we might have expected. I’ve been just passin’ th’ time until yer return by gettin’ yer flower-beds in order fer th’ plantin’ next spring. I took th’ liberty o’ bringin’ in a crew o’ cleanin’ ladies t’ polish things up inside. Would y’ be after wantin’ t’ have a bit of a look-see?’
‘I thought you’d never ask.’
‘I’m hopin’ that what we’ve done t’ th’ old girl satisfies y’ enough t’ smooth over th’ jolt yer goin’ t’ get when I hand over all th’ bills. I haggled ‘em down as best I was able, but th’ total’s just a wee bit alarmin’.’
‘I think I can manage it, Killane,’ I assured him. ‘Let’s go look at my house.’
The newly renovated house far exceeded all my expectations. The rooms – even in the servants’ quarters – were spacious, and the bathrooms were large and well-appointed. The walls, which had looked more than a little scabby, had been freshly plastered. The floors, both wood and marble, gleamed. There was a solid, comfortable quality about it, and the high marble wall surrounding it and the trees and hedges in the garden muffled any noises coming in from the street to give the entire place an air of seclusion and peace.
‘It’s perfect!’ I exclaimed to my Wacite friend.
‘Well, I don’t know that I’d go that far, Lady-O,’ Killane replied modestly. ‘I did what I could w’ th’ old dear, but there are some nooks an’ crannies that I’d have designed differently, don’t y’ know.’
I’d more or less decided on something during my travels, but I wasn’t certain how to broach the subject to Killane. Finally, I just blurted it out. ‘We get along with each other fairly well, don’t we, Killane?’ I asked him directly.
‘Yer a reasonable sort of employer – fer a woman – an’ y’ seldom ask th’ impossible. I kin more or less stand bein’ around y’.’
‘Don’t strain yourself trying to flatter me, Killane.’
He laughed. ‘Come t’ th’ point, Lady-O,’ he told me. ‘Don’t beat around th’ bush.’
‘How would you like to work for me?’ I put it to him.
‘I thought I was.’
‘I don’t mean just fixing up the house. I mean permanently. This is quite a large house. I can take care of it myself, if I have to, but there’ll be times when I’ll have to be away for extended periods, and I’d rather not have the house fall back into the condition she was in when I first saw her. To get right to the point, I need somebody to manage the place for me. Would you be interested?’
‘I’m no servant, Lady-O. Me manners ain’t always too polished, don’t y’ know.’
‘You haven’t managed to offend me yet.’
‘Give me some time, Lady-O. We’ve only hardly just met.’
‘Would you consider it?’
‘I guess we kin try it fer a year or so, me Lady.’
‘Why so formal, Killane?’
‘It ain’t hardly proper fer me t’ be callin’ me employer “Lady-O”,’ he replied.
‘I don’t mind in the slightest, Killane.’ I looked around. Now that all the clutter and debris had been removed, the house was almost alarmingly large. ‘We’re probably going to need servants, aren’t we?’ I suggested a bit tentatively.
‘That we are, Lady-O,’ he said, grinning. ‘I ain’t exactly th’ world’s greatest w’ a mop or a broom, an’ me cookin’ leaves worlds to be desired.’
I laughed, fondly laying one hand on his wrist. ‘You’re the one who’ll be in charge of them, Killane, so hire some people you can get along with.’
He bowed with a surprising grace. ‘As y’ wish, Lady-O. I’ll be after bringin’ in a wagon first thing in th’ mornin’.’
‘What for?’
‘Did y’ plan to’ sleep on th’ floor? A bit o’ furniture might be in order, wouldn’t y’ say?’ Then he pulled a bundle of paper out of his tunic pocket. ‘Now, then, shall we git down t’ th’ unpleasant business o’ all these bills?’ he suggested.
It took Killane and me a couple of weeks to shop around and buy furniture, drapes, carpeting, and assorted decorations to break up the starkness of those bare white walls. And then the servants – mostly Killane’s relatives – began to arrive. Nepotism offends some people, but my own peculiar situation made it seem the most natural thing in the world. It took us all a while to get used to each other, and it took me even longer to get used to being waited upon hand and foot. About the only really serious problem I had was with my cook, one of Killane’s numerous cousins, who really didn’t like the way I frequently invaded her kitchen to either lend a hand or make suggestions. In time we worked that out, and all in all, I was happy and content.