Chapter 3: Settling in

“The east wing of the Hall is built over the site of the old castle keep,” says Mistress Matilda. “The stones used to build the walls are taken from the original castle. Consequently this wing is sometimes called ‘the castle’. I prefer the name my mother gave it, ‘Schloss der Wölfe’.”

“Castle of the Wolves,” I translate, hastily recalling my school German lessons. “Why ‘wolves’?”

“The banner of the Earls of Darwillow has three wolves’ heads on it,” says Mistress Matilda, pointing to an ancient shield hanging on the corridor wall. I study the emblem on the shield, but it’s so worn that it could depict the faces of any mammal.

“This floor of the east wing contains my suite, and five smaller suites should I have personal guests to stay,” continues Mistress Matilda as we resume our tour. “This side corridor leads to the bathrooms. Make sure to use the correct one. There are other bathroom facilities for staff in the attic, and next to the servants hall in the basement.

“Master Arthur has a similar suite and guest rooms in the west wing. The living and dining rooms are on the floor below us. The library and ballroom are on the ground floor of the west wing. The top floor of the west wing contain rooms for the Earl of Darwillow’s use, although he rarely visits the Hall these days. The floor immediately above us contains more suites for visiting family and guests. The servants’ quarters are in the attic of both wings.

“We presently have fourteen servants, including yourself. You met George yesterday. He’s in charge of the servants, although he’s aware that my orders to you will always take precedence over his instructions. In addition to George, we have three gardeners, a cook, two kitchen maids, four housemaids, a handyman, my brother’s valet, ... and you, of course.”

“Am I permitted to go anywhere in the house?” I ask.

“Not everywhere. You may enter the living and dining rooms; the ballroom and library; the kitchen and servants area in the basement; the east wing of this floor; and the attic common areas. My brother’s office and rooms, and those on both wings of the floor above us, are out of bounds unless you are specifically instructed to go there. You may go anywhere in the grounds, but I suggest that you keep away from the gardeners’ sheds and the outbuildings.”

We walk around the ground level of the Hall as we talk. The Hall may be ancient, but it has been kept in good repair. The family clearly has plenty of money to keep up this lifestyle. We pass through the huge ballroom and enter the library beyond. The library is massive, with aisle after aisle of bookshelves at right angles to the wing’s front and rear windows and walls. Light from the huge windows illuminates the aisles of books. A large office leads off from the far side of the library. From the look of the paperwork on the desk, this is where someone is currently working.

“This is my brother’s office. He should be around here somewhere.”

A sound from the back of the library alerts us to where Master Arthur may be located. Mistress and I walk towards the noise, which is coming from between two aisles of bookshelves. When we find the source of the noise we discover Master Arthur standing over a housemaid, whom is bent over a small table. The rear of her dress is hoisted over her back, while Master Arthur is pumping away, presumably into one of her holes. The reason for the slits in the maids’ dresses becomes clear. I don’t get a chance to see if the maid is Dora before Mistress pulls me away from the scene.

“Go and wait in the office while I have a word with my brother,” commands Mistress.

I obey. While I would love to listen to the conversation that follows, I don’t dare disobey a direct order from Mistress. A few minutes later, Master and Mistress join me in the office as though the scene I just witnessed has never occurred.

“Laura needs a phone and identification,” says Mistress to Master Arthur.

Master Arthur unlocks a cabinet and produces a small old-style mobile phone of the type that can only send text messages and make phone calls. Mistress checks the settings on the phone and the list of contact numbers. She adds her number to the list, and copies my new phone’s number into her own latest-model phone. Then she hands the phone to me. I’m not sure where I’m supposed to put it until Mistress hands me a specially designed black leather case that clips onto the waistband of my skirt. My phone sits securely inside the case, while enabling easy access should I need to use the phone.