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So, I had suggested that Fife and Adder visit the keeper of game and grounds for the estate and get acquainted with him. We genuinely needed to check in and make sure there was nothing needed there anyway, but it was also an excellent opportunity for Fife to milk the keeper for information regarding the various spell ingredients that grew on the estate or in the nearby Wild Wood. And given his love of the bow, I thought Adder might be interested in managing hunting prospects for the estate, and for the territory in general.
Mirri was currently ensconced in the well-stocked library, eagerly pouring over the history of Larkwood and the surrounding area, learning all about our infrastructure, our relations with the other territories, and the agreements we had with the trolls and dwarves to the north.
It was strange and a little wonderful, not to have to worry about trying to get every single thing done at once, all by myself. I could definitely get used to the help. Even if it was temporary. Smiling softly, I watched Bach scribble something on a piece of paper, then frown at the ledger he was working on.
"How about a break?" I said, interrupting the silence for the first time in hours.
He sighed and looked up at me. The frown melted away, but he still looked a bit grumpy. "I'm almost done. But I think the spice merchant is robbing everyone."
I huffed a laugh and stood, crossing the room to the bellpull to ring for Saffron. "Oh, he absolutely is. But we let him. He lost his wife and oldest child in a house fire a couple of years ago, leaving him homeless and in charge of two children under five years of age. He had no other relatives, and he's a proud man who hated to accept charity. So, everyone in town started paying him more for his wares. Adding tips and making special orders. I matched their prices and told him it was because I wanted to secure his service to the estate, and also because of the royal decree about equalizing the cost of living. Both were true, of course. But that wasn't the real reason for my offer."
Bach huffed a laugh. "I see. Clearly, there are nuances to this stewardship duty."
I shrugged. "There are. But you'll get caught up in no time. Then you'll probably handle it all better than I ever have. You're a born leader, from what I hear." I pulled the bell, then turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest and giving him a stern look. "But no one expects you to do everything in a single day. Would you like to eat lunch here with me? Or would you prefer your space? If you don’t mind spending more time with me, I was thinking of having Saffron bring up something simple, and enough of it so we'll have snacks at hand for the rest of the day. I might not expect you to hurry on my account, but I do share your sentiment about getting this boring nonsense over with as soon as possible."
He considered for a moment, and I fully expected him to take the opportunity to escape my presence. But in the end, he glanced at the ledger again, then sighed and closed the book with a thump. "Lunch sounds nice, thank you."
When Saffron arrived, we requested sandwiches and finger foods. We talked business while we ate, discussing more of the little arrangements and unspoken agreements that might show up in the estate's business dealings. It wasn't a big deal, really. But it felt good. At least we were speaking to each other. Working together toward a common goal. That was a marked improvement from where we’d started.
"What will you do with Jasper?" I ventured to ask at one point.
Bach arched his dark brows at me, then glanced out the window, to where the lanky young man was now apparently talking the ear off one of the staff as the man tended to the front garden. "What will I do with him? You make him sound like a displaced pet."
I sighed and ran a hand over my face. I hadn't meant to offend him or make this into yet another reason for an argument. "I simply meant that he will be at loose ends, now that his idol is to be so often busy with boring steward tasks and less able to see to his guard training."
Bach relented and gave me a wary look. "I appreciate that you allowed him to tag along with us. If you are concerned about his usefulness, I'm sure we'll find a place for him."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not trying to get rid of him, Bach. I just want to understand how to make him feel like he has a place here. He seems…important to you."
Bach sighed, but his blue eyes met mine without that edge of anger. He really had feared that I was about to send Jasper packing because I didn't have a use for him. Ridiculous male. Was he always on guard, waiting for me to slip up and show my evil motivations? But I reined in my automatic defensiveness. I suppose that was all part of his protective mindset, to always be on the lookout for any threat to those he cared for.
"I think of him almost as my own child," he confided, confirming my suspicions. "Or maybe as a younger brother. He…well, he's not an orphan, but he didn't grow up with the best of situations around him, and his parents can hardly be called parents. He's…mine. My responsibility. I think we both knew from the beginning that my training him in arms and protection work was only an excuse to keep him with me."
I nodded, surprised that Bach was being so candid when he was still clearly not happy with me. He was so good at putting that aside when he needed to. At flipping that switch between Bach the man and Bach the noble. I wished I had half his control.
He shrugged. "I have been thinking about it, and…if you agree, I'd like to see if he wants to learn to be our attendant. Not just for me, but for the others as well. It would require the staff to take him under their wing as well. But it would help the boy become more well-rounded. He would have more opportunities if he ever chose to strike out on his own, with training in multiple areas. He would be an asset to any noble House."
I nodded along in agreement as he spoke. Most nobles had an attendant, which could mean anything from manservant to personal errand person to bodyguard. I couldn't see any of my mates being so self-centered as to employ a full-time attendant for themselves alone—that was more the purview of spoiled highborns who thought the world existed to serve their whims—but it would be helpful having someone to call on now and then if needed, and between the four of them, my mates would surely keep Jasper busy. Especially as they took on more duties around Larkwood.
"That would be perfect," I told Bach happily. "He's so curious and energetic. And I'm sure Saffron and some of the other staff would love to share their duties and knowledge with him."
"I will speak with him. And with Saffron," Bach said evenly. But the expression in his blue eyes had softened. "Thank you."
We finished eating, but with that common interest addressed, the conversation slowly dried up. We had made some progress today, I thought. But still that distance lingered between us, filled with minor resentments and unsaid things.
We returned to our respective work and silence settled around us again, until the sun began to sink toward the horizon outside the window. I set the last of my correspondence aside just as Bach closed his final ledger and started stacking things up neatly on his borrowed table. He left with a polite but brief, "Good evening, my lady," leaving me alone in my office with my hopes, and fears, and mixed emotions.
Eventually, I shook all that off and focused on the biggest positive of the day. I was done with paperwork for the time being. Mushrooms and moonbeams, I never wanted to see another piece of paperwork again as long as I lived!
I took the long way back to my suite, crossing the empty hallway between my office and the library, and making my way toward the back of the manor, in desperate need of some fresh air. I peeked inside the library in passing, smiling fondly to myself when I saw Mirri was still there, bent over a massive old tome that I knew contained ancient stories about the founding of Mistvale. I didn't want to break the magic spell the sweet male was currently under, so I backed away, keeping my footsteps silent as I continued on toward the back gardens.
Passing through the ornate glass doors, I breathed in the glorious evening air and made my way into the cook's garden. Unlike the beautifully landscaped gardens elsewhere around the estate, this little wonderland was meant to be functional, rather than decorative. It was less strictly organized, and contained overflowing beds of fragrant, useful herbs. There were a couple of benches where staff would sometimes sit and rest or soak up the sunshine while they tied bundles of herbs and such. I headed toward one of those now, thinking I might sit there and watch the sunset for a moment, when I heard voices from the back of the garden.
I followed a smooth stone path around the side of the garden, past medicinal flowers and down a trail that led to a vine-covered wall and a quaint wooden door. The entry was mostly used by the keeper of grounds and game when he came up to visit the estate from his secluded cabin further out on the grounds. I paused when I recognized the voices.
Fife and Adder must have returned this way from their visit with the keeper. It was late, but the estate was large, and they had probably spent all day rambling the grounds and learning about every verdant nook and cranny of their new stewardship. The thought made me smile softly to myself. Hopefully, their time spent in nature had helped to soothe some of their animosity toward this entire situation. I really would like it if they could come to love Larkwood as much as I did myself.
I frowned when I realized it sounded like they were arguing. I was too far away to catch their words, but Fife's tone was curt and snappish, and Adder's rumbled reply sounded like a man who was at the end of his patience. I was about to step out from around a trellis of blue vines used to make burn remedies, when the men came into view. The greeting I had formed froze on my lips. They were arguing, Fife's graceful hands dancing as he raged about something. But then Adder cut him off, swiftly moving in to grab the shorter man by the nape of his neck and drag him into a violent kiss.
