Chris shook his head. “A couple of the women were gracious enough to offer me some tea and a pastry, but they were just being polite. And three of them had some girls lined up for you to meet. From the looks of their dresses and fancy hairdos, I bet they spent all morning getting ready. All so they could meet you. Yeah, we ended up hurting some feelings today.”
Kevin shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do about it now.”
“Oh, I took Kyle home. And played with Nikki for about half an hour,” Chris said as he finished off his scog. “I like that pup. Can’t wait until she comes here to live.”
“I can’t either,” Kevin agreed. He turned up his mug and drank the rest of his scog. “Guess we’d better get out of here and play hosts.”
“Miranda did a cookout for the men on the patio. Might not be a bad idea to put in an appearance. That way the men can let their wives know how late you got back. May make a few of them feel a little better about being rushed.”
“I doubt it, but we can hope.” Kevin stood up and stretched. “Maybe we can slip out before long. I’m beat, and tomorrow’s going to be every bit as busy as today.”
Chapter 51
Things Get Started
Saturday morning Kevin was up before daybreak. It was going to be a long day and he wanted to run through his morning routine before it started. As he made his way out to the willow grove, he passed a few ministers. He nodded, but he didn’t stop to talk. If he spoke to one, he’d have to speak to them all, and he never would get to his grove.
As he went through his routine, he blocked out everything but the magic. After running through it twice, he felt loose and relaxed.
On his way back to the castle, Kevin realized the number of ministers standing around the backyard had more than tripled. The sun wasn’t even up yet. Was something going on he didn’t know about?
Kevin opened one of the doors to the dining room. He’d intended to pick up a couple of cups of coffee, but when he saw Miranda, Cryslyn, Allisandra, and Joan all busy putting the finishing touches on the decorations for the brunch, he decided to skip the coffee and get out of there as quickly as possible.
But he wasn’t quite quick enough. Allisandra spotted him. “Myron, we need a little help. Come here for a moment. These garlands need to be hung on the chandeliers and this banner needs to be hung. If I’m going to finish these centerpieces before people start coming in, I don’t have time to do it.”
After Kevin finished hanging things for his aunt, he turned to Miranda and asked, “Is there any coffee in the kitchen?”
She smiled and nodded. “And in your room. Chris has already been down.”
Before he could reach the stairway to the family quarters, he was stopped at least a dozen times by ministers who wanted to tell him how much they’d enjoyed the light show they’d witnessed over the willow grove that morning. Kevin wasn’t sure how to respond, so he thanked them and said he needed to change clothes.
Rupert was on duty at the foot of the stairs. “You’ve had quite a few well-wishers this morning, sir.”
“Well-wishers?”
Rupert nodded. “I’m not sure what else to call them. People who wanted to go upstairs to your room to wish you a pleasant day. I suggested they wait for you in your office. I’m afraid I may have offended a couple of them when I didn’t allow them upstairs.”
“Thank you for holding off the invasion, Rupert. I appreciate it.”
Rupert nodded. “One of the pleasures of my job, sir.”
Kevin laughed as he made his way up the stairs.
When he got to his room, Chris was out on the adjoining balcony. A cup of coffee was sitting on the coffee table, so Kevin picked it up and joined Chris on the balcony.
“Nice workout,” Chris said. Then he motioned towards the ministers wandering around out back. “And a nice audience.”
“Did they really get up that early just to watch me run through my routine?”
Chris nodded. “That’s the only reason I can come up with. They stood out there in small groups while you were working out, but now that you’re back inside, they can’t seem to figure out what to do with themselves. We might need to set up some coffee or something soon.”
Kevin shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“What?”
“Why they’d want to watch a little glow of light come and go.”
“It’s a novelty. How often do they get to watch a sorcerer work out?”
“I have no idea, but I can’t imagine anything more boring. It’s not like they can see me do anything.” Kevin turned and went back inside.
Chris came in a few minutes later while Kevin was changing into his official uniform. “Ready for more coffee?”
Kevin nodded. “But I’ll go with you. Give me another couple of minutes and I’ll be ready to head out.”
A few minutes later, as they were leaving his room, Kevin said, “On second thought, let’s send one of the pages, and while they’re getting our coffee, they can mention something to Miranda about setting some coffee out back for the ministers.”
“Don’t want to go down there yourself, huh?” Chris asked.
Kevin shook his head. “Once was enough. I had to hang garlands and banners on my way back in this morning. I don’t want to even think about what they might find for me to do next. And besides, I’ve got to go get Kyle in a few minutes.”
“If you’re needed in the dining room, I could go get Kyle,” Chris offered with a grin.
“No way. You got to go last night. My turn this morning. But I’ll be more than happy to let you help out in the dining room. Just say the word.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Kevin had just come back from picking up Kyle and they were walking towards the stairs to the guest quarters when he spotted a buggy pull up to the front steps. It was barely 8:00.
A couple of the grounds men, who were dressed in spotless and obviously new uniforms, waited at the bottom of the steps. As the buggy rolled to a stop, one of them stepped in front and took hold of the horse’s reins while the other helped the ladies down. As the ladies reached the top of the steps, two guards opened the front doors and bowed as they walked in.
Kevin was impressed. “I don’t get that kind of treatment when I come in,” he whispered to Kyle.
Kyle laughed. “How often do you come in the front door.”
“You have a point.”
“I’m sure they’d do that for you if you wanted them to, but somehow I just don’t see it.”
“Neither do I,” Kevin agreed, “but the ladies look like they expect it, like anything less would be unacceptable.”
“Those women are every bit as impressed as you are. They’re just better at not showing it.” When they reached the bottom of the steps, Kyle paused and asked, “Are you coming up?”
Kevin shook his head. “I need to get back to the office. I’ll see you at the brunch.”
Kyle headed up the steps, while Kevin walked back across the entrance hall towards his office. He hadn’t seen most of them come in, but there were over a dozen ladies scattered around the hall. A couple were seated, but most stood in small clusters, chatting. Some were young, some old, some in between. Some were bone thin, some were plump, but most weren’t either one. The only thing they had in common was they were all dressed in flowing gowns and fancy hats, not exactly what he was used to seeing the women around the castle wear, and definitely not for breakfast.
When he got to his office, he asked Ariel, “Is the brunch for everyone? Or just the women?”
“Everyone,” Ariel answered. “Or at least your family, Steve’s family, and the invited guests. The castle staff’s already eaten.”
Kevin nodded and headed for his office. The door was closed, so he knocked once and opened it. Chris was sitting at one of the small desks with his head bent over a stack of papers.
Kevin circled around to his chair and looked over at Chris. “Anything I need to know about?”
“No,�
�� Chris said. “I’m hiding.”
Kevin laughed “From whom?”
Chris darted his eyes towards the open door. He got up and closed it. “Cryslyn has everything under control. Your aunt’s flower arrangements are gorgeous. Miranda has the brunch ready to serve. Your uncles are smart. They’re down at the lot getting things ready for the men to start building, except for Kyle, but I’m sure he’ll find them soon enough. Danyelle and her children are outside in the playground with Serra and the staff’s children.”
Kevin frowned. “So who are you hiding from? Who’s left? Laryn? Joan?”
Chris shook his head. “The last I saw of them, they were hiding in Joan’s office with Petri guarding the door.”
“So? Who are you hiding from?”
“Dara. Apparently everyone is doing everything wrong and since they won’t listen to her, she needs someone from this office to order them to do as she says.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “You know, if she wasn’t Dayed’s wife, it would be funny. How did you handle it?”
“I told her I didn’t have the authority to order anything, that I was just an assistant and no one listens to me anyway. She’d have to wait for you. And I hid in here.”
At that point there was one hard knock on the door and it swung open. Dara was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. “About time you got here. How do you expect to run this castle if you aren’t available to make decisions?”
“Well, for one thing, I don’t run this castle. That’s Cryslyn’s job. We have a deal. I don’t mess with her job and she doesn’t try to do mine. Division of labor. I have the same deal with Miranda.”
“Humph! That’s no way for the head of the House of Nordin to handle things. You’re supposed to be in charge, so take charge!”
“I’m in charge of seeing to it that we have competent staff, and we do, so I stay out of their way and let them do their job. But I take it you have a problem. What is it?”
“The decorations in the dining room are all wrong! She has flowers hanging from the chandeliers!”
“You don’t like the way they’re hung?”
“No, I don’t! They look, well, tacky.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, but you weren’t in there to tell me how you wanted it done when I put them up this morning, and it’s a little late now to change things. Brunch will be served in a few minutes.”
“You hung them?” Dara asked, her cheeks turning pink.
Kevin nodded. “Was there anything else?”
“Yes. The menu. This is a brunch for ladies. Serving meat and eggs is not appropriate. Your cook should have served light foods, like fruits, light pastries, a bit of cheese, but meat and eggs? For ladies? Never.”
“If the brunch were only for the ladies, I’m sure Miranda would have served a lighter fare, but since the men are joining their wives for brunch and they have a house to build today, she felt they’d need something a little more sturdy.”
“The men are invited? To brunch?”
“Yes, and it’s time for us to head down,” Kevin said as he stood up. “Chris, are you ready?”
Chris nodded as he stood up.
“Would you like to join us, Dara?”
“I’ll … I’ll find Dayed,” Dara said as she backed out the door.
“Very well,” Kevin said with a nod. “See you there.”
~ ~ ~ ~
The brunch lasted an hour, mainly because some of the women lingered over tea and coffee. It was served buffet style with tables of varying sizes scattered over two-thirds of the dining room. The other third was set up in small sitting areas to accommodate the women after they finished eating.
The men didn’t hang around after they ate. They gathered their tools and headed towards the site for Laryn’s house. By 10:30 most of the men were there, waiting for someone to take charge. Shadron took the lead. He gathered all the men around and laid the floor plans on the ground, explaining what Laryn and Steve wanted in each area. Steve stood by and watched as everyone studied the plans.
After a couple of minutes, one of the men said he’d work on the frame for the back wall. Another said he’d take the front. Then others volunteered to take the sides, frame out the roof, work on the floors, and so on until every major aspect of the house was covered.
Shadron nodded. “We need to have the outside walls up and the roof on by nightfall. That’s seven hours from now. We’ve got several sorcerers out here. Don’t be shy about calling for one of us when you need us. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Laryn’s brother, Shadron.” He pointed towards Dayed and Kyle. “Laryn’s other two brothers, Dayed and Kyle, are also sorcerers. She’ll blame us if this house isn’t ready or if it’s not done like she wants, so don’t hesitate to call on us.” He pointed over towards Kevin and Marcus. “All of you know Myron. Today he’s just Laryn’s nephew and he’s here to work. The sorcerer next to him is his associate, Marcus. He’s done a lot of work around Milhaven and from what I understand, he’s a builder as well as a sorcerer.” He clapped his hands once and said, “Let’s get started.”
The men split off into groups and got to work. Shadron picked up the plans and put them in his pocket. He really wanted the frame up by nightfall. Tomorrow most of these men would be headed back home, but he and his brothers would still have a house to finish, and it would be a lot easier if the outside frame was done.
While the men started on the house, the women slowly migrated towards the sitting areas. Cryslyn had set up areas outside as well as in the dining room. She’d placed them so the women outside would have a good view of the playground, particularly the sandbox, swings, and see-saws. Before long, the sitting areas inside were deserted and everyone was outside ogling the playground.
Darrell figured it would be a hit with the women, so he’d arranged to have several of his guards in the area to answer questions about construction and materials. Serra knew the children wouldn’t be able to resist showing off, especially the ones who had learned to use the ropes and bars, so she’d asked Theresa to stand by, just in case.
At first the women seemed only mildly interested, glancing over at the children while chatting with each other, but as time passed, there was less and less chatting and more and more watching. Soon several of the women joined the children, asking questions about the playground in general and how they liked it. Even more questioned Serra about rules, supervision, and injuries.
The highlight of the morning was Caitlyn’s impromptu performance. She was in the sandbox when one of the women sat on the edge and asked what she was doing. That was all the opening she needed. She went through a piece by piece demonstration of the toys Neiven had made. She showed them how to use the little bucket to build a sand castle and used the tiny shovel to put a river out back so it would be just like her castle. She stood some twigs up in the sand and explained that they were trees. By the time her castle was finished, most of the women wanted sandboxes for their own children. For the next hour, the guards were busy drawing sketches of the playground and listing materials needed for each section.
While most of the women were oohing and aahing over the playground, one woman sat by herself near the edge of the patio with her eyes glued on Serra. Her face was unnaturally white and she kept clenching and unclenching her hands.
Theresa noticed the woman’s hands first, and then her face. She inched her way closer to the woman, trying to make up her mind whether to approach her or not. Theresa decided to err on the side of caution. “Excuse me,” she said, bending down in front of the woman, “are you all right?”
“I’m … I’m not sure,” the woman said, more to herself than to Theresa.
Theresa knelt down and put her hands on the woman’s knees. “Can I get you something? Maybe a cup of tea?”
“I can’t be sure,” she mumbled again. She tilted her head towards Serra. “Do you know her name?”
Theresa turned to see who the woman was talking about. “Do you mean the lady in
the blue dress? The one holding the little girl’s hand?”
The woman nodded.
“Her name’s Serra. She supervises the playground.”
“Serra,” the woman whispered. “It can’t be. There’s no way.”
Theresa had no idea what the woman was talking about, but her color wasn’t improving and her eyes were more glazed than they’d been earlier. Theresa eased herself up until she was standing beside the woman. While she kept her hand on the woman’s shoulder she looked around trying to spot someone from the kitchen staff. Finally she saw Carrie. She waved until she caught Carrie’s eye and motioned her over.
“Would you please ask Miranda to send me a strong cup of tea?” Theresa asked. “And a cool cloth?”
“Sure,” Carrie said with a quick glance at the woman sitting on the chair. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe too much sun, maybe fatigue, but I’m afraid she’ll faint if she tries to stand up.” Theresa looked back at the woman. “Please hurry, Carrie.”
“Anything to eat?” Carrie asked.
“Maybe something sweet.”
Carrie nodded and left.
Theresa knelt back down in front of the woman and moved into her line of sight. “My name’s Theresa. Can you tell me yours?”
“Yani,” the woman whispered. “Thanzer’s wife, of Lochland.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Yani,” Theresa said. “I’ve asked one of the kitchen staff to bring you some tea. I think it’ll make you feel better. What happened? Did you get too much sun?”
Yani shook her head and tilted her head towards Serra. “She looks so much like … Do you know where she’s from?”
Theresa shook her head. “But I do know her mother lives in Milhaven.”
“Her mother?” Yani said, breaking her eyes away from Serra to stare at Theresa. “Elayne?”
Theresa shook her head. “Her mother’s name is Debra. She’s married to Korman, the village blacksmith.”
Yani shook her head, looking more confused than ever. “Are you sure?”
Theresa nodded. “Yes, I’m quite sure.”
The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 44