I stopped by one morning to see how things were progressing, and I found that they weren’t. My workmen were nowhere in sight, and nothing had been done since my last visit. There were still holes in the roof you could throw a cat through, none of the rotting floor-boards had been replaced, and not even one pane of glass had been set into the window-frames. I stalked through the echoing ruin testing the outer limits of uncle Beldin’s vocabulary.
‘Tis a rare thing t’ find a lady so gifted with th’ language,’ someone behind me said in a thick Wacite brogue.
I spun around and saw a sturdy fellow with his face framed by a fringe of red beard leaning against my doorframe casually paring his fingernails with an evil-looking dirk. ‘Who are you?’ I demanded, ‘and what are you doing here?’
‘Th’ name’s Killane, Lady-O, an’ yer unspeakable eloquence has drawn me here as bees are drawn t’ honey, don’t y’ know. What seems t’ be th’ problem?’
‘This is the problem!’ I burst out, waving my arms at the shambles around me. ‘Last week I hired some men to clean up this mess. They took my money quickly enough, but they seem to have forgotten where the house is.’
‘Y’ paid them in advance?’ he asked incredulously. ‘Wherever were yer brains, Lady-O? Y’ never want t’ do that. Th’ pay comes after th’ work’s done, not before.’
‘I didn’t know that,’ I confessed.
‘Oh, dearie, dearie me!’ he sighed.’ ‘Tis a poor lost lamb y’ are, darlin’ girl. Did y’ happen t’git th’ names of these lazy boy-os?’
‘I think the one who did all the talking was named Skelt,’ I replied in a half-ashamed voice. How could I have been so gullible?
‘Ah, that one,’ Killane said. ‘He’s almost as dependable as th’ spring weather. I’ll run him down fery’, Lady-O. There’s little hope that he or his lazy relatives have any of yer money left, but I’ll make ‘em come back here an’ work off what they owe.’
‘Why?’ I swung immediately from extreme gullibility to extreme suspicion.
‘Because y’ need a keeper, lass,’ he told me bluntly. ‘Now, this is th’ way we’re goin’ t’ do it. I’ll round up Skelt an’ his worthless crew, an’ I’ll beat th’ work they owe y’ out of ‘em. If, after a week, things ain’t t’ yer satisfaction, we kin part friends, an’ no regrets. But if y’ like me way o’ doin’ things, we kin discuss somethin’ more permanent.’
I probably should have been offended by the way he just walked into my life and took charge, but I wasn’t. Quite obviously, he was right. In this particular sphere of human activity, I was indeed a ‘poor lost lamb’. We talked for a bit longer, and Killane modestly confessed to being ‘th’ best builder in all Arendia, don’t y’ know’. Then we went through the house and I told him what I wanted. He agreed with most of my ideas, and pointed out the flaws in the notions with which he disagreed. Then, once our survey had been completed, he passed judgement. He rather fondly patted one of the walls. ‘She’s still a sound old dear, though she’s been sorely neglected. We kin have her back in shape in jig time.’ Then he looked at me rather sternly. ‘Let me tell y’ right at th’ outset, Lady-O, I’ll not be after cuttin’ no corners, so this is goin’ t’ bite yer purse a wee bit. But y’ll be after livin’ here fer a long time, an’ I’ll not be puttin’ meself t’ shame by havin’ th’ old dear fallin’ down about yer ears a few years hence. Y’ll be havin’ notions that just won’t work, an’ I’ll be after tellin’ y’ right t’ yer face that yer bein’ silly. Yer a spirited lady, I’ve noticed, so we’ll scream at each other from time t’ time, but when it’s all done, y’ll have a house y’ kin be proud t’ live in.’
‘That’s all I really want, Killane,’ I told him.
‘Then it’s settled. Y’ kin go back t’ yer embroidery now, Lady-O. Just leave th’ old dear t’ me. I’ll fix her.’
I’ve known very few men who’ve had such straightforward honesty, and I liked Killane right from the outset. As a matter of fact, I was so impressed by him that I ultimately married a man who could have been his brother.
I stopped by my house a few times while it was being renovated. Skelt and his assorted cousins, brothers, and what-not were a sullen group now, but most of the cuts and bruises had healed. Killane drove them unmercifully, and the work was progressing, though far too slowly to suit me. I really wanted to get out of that palace. It was more to get away – and to avoid nagging Killane – that I rode on down to Vo Mandor that autumn to pay a call on Asrana and Mandorin. That odd marriage seemed to be working far better than any of us could possibly have had reason to believe that it might. Mandorin was absolutely enthralled by the mischievous Asrana, and his expression of vapid adoration had the peculiar effect of curbing some of her more outrageous pranks. Their marital bliss, however, failed to dull their political acumen, and they were generally successful in keeping the Mimbrates and Asturians from each other’s throats.
It began to get a bit cloying after a while, so I went on down to Vo Mimbre to look in on Duke Corrolin. There were Tolnedran merchants in Vo Mimbre, naturally, since Tolnedra lay just across the river, but a bit of careful probing verified the fact that they really were Tolnedrans instead of Dagashi. Evidently the nose-bleed I’d given Ctuchik had persuaded him to pull in his horns.
Then, just to avoid any seeming favoritism, I rode on north to visit Mangaran in Vo Astur. There were some problems there, but I saw no evidence that they were of Murgo origin. The removal of Oldoran from the seat of power had mightily offended his family, who for some generations had looked upon all of Asturia as a private estate. For the most part, Oldoran’s relatives were incompetents who satisfied their urges toward belligerence by denouncing Mangaran in highly unflattering terms. One nephew, however, a scruffy, uncouth young man named Nerasin, had actually gone beyond denunciation and was busily forming alliances in preparation for the day when the elderly Mangaran should die and the Asturian throne would fall into the hands of whoever was nimble enough to seize it. I had the strong feeling that Nerasin would have to be dealt with eventually, but for right now, Mangaran’s grip on power was firm enough to keep the young troublemaker in line.