DuPont Manor
Khloe patted mortar down with her trowel, readying the next stone for its place in the wall. The barn had seen better days, and now that he’d been sleeping in it, Lord DuPont insisted that thatching be replaced and the large hole in the far wall be repaired. Not one to shirk a job, Horus ordered his servants to their chores and let the horses entertain themselves in the field while he and his daughter set to work making repairs. Khloe didn’t dare utter a complaint after what’d happened the day previous. She couldn’t meet her father’s eye and hers, such as it was, still throbbed. I look like I stuck my face in plum custard she groaned. She did her best to keep the bricks even; tidying up mortar as she went. The wall damaged when a mudslide crashed into the barn from the hill at its back.
Three weeks and they’d finally gotten around to repairs. The sun did it’s best to watch her back, going so far as to tease her with her own shadow. At its taunts her skin ached for a rest in the shade, dappled with sweat that did little to abate heat. Her arms did a fair bit of burning in the muscles, having hefted bricks to the barn in the first place, and now filling them in one after the other in a repeated motion. If I survive boredom I think I’ll skip being a mason. While she toiled at one end of the wall her father worked on the other and she refused to acknowledge him. Beyond barking at her to get up before dawn, they hadn’t spoken. There seemed to be an unsaid agreement, and neither made eye contact.
The rolling valley hills were dressed in summer green and the sky a blanket of blue. A warm sweet scented breeze passed over her shoulders and tousled her hair even as she mucked about with her task. The summer bouquet brought her back to long days running circles around the barn, playing pirates with a wooden sword in hand, and sneaking sugar cubes to her father’s horses. At night crickets would sound and stars would twinkle and every year at summers end meteor showers would dazzle the countryside. There was a glow to the days that’d passed; perhaps she romanticized them a bit. Along with innocent things there were scraped knees, rowdy horses, and bee stings. She’d take them all over the mess that dwelt in the manor now.
A low and powerful bark broke the air; an excited curly haired retriever galumphed over to Khloe and nuzzled her back as she tried to place another brick on the wall.
“Oi Barkus, be a good lad and don’t push me over.” She said, feeling the first smile to break her stony face that day. Barkus jumped up as she turned to face him, sticking her trowel into the mortar. A servant with a few quails draped over her shoulder followed.
“Forgive Barkus, m’lady he’s been all manner of excited to get back.” The girl offered as Khloe scrubbed her impatient hound’s ears, chocolate colored fur hot with the sunlight’s touch. The servant was about Khloe’s age, but appeared to be older. Sun worn from long days on the hunt and wiry, the two couldn’t have been more different. Khloe met her with a smile.
“Not to worry, Lia. Glad he’s gone out and gotten some exercise, the two of you always come back with something.” Khloe said as Barkus continued to nuzzle her for more affection.
“Lia, take the catch inside. Bring Khloe with you to help you clean the birds.” Lord DuPont said. Lia bowed and beckoned Khloe to follow her. Khloe obeyed and didn’t glance back at her father.
Once outside earshot Khloe audibly groaned.
“He knows I hate cleaning birds.” Lia patted her thigh and Barkus followed after them, slobbery tongue lolling out of his mouth.
“It isn’t all that bad, milady.” Lia opened the door to the cleaning shed and upon entering Khloe exhaled, relieved to have shade. Lia smiled. “See? It won’t be too terrible.” The two set to work, Lia admonishing a curious Barkus as she set the pheasant up on the long table. He kept nuzzling the dead bird and licking at its feathers with a puppy’s impatience.
“Down, Barkus!” Khloe demanded. “He’s got himself in a state waiting for the wings and feet, hasn’t he?” Barkus whined at them. Lia unsheathed her knife and in one swift motion after the next, removed feet and wings from both birds. She thrust them into a bucket beside the long table and Barkus went head first after them.
“Well, now he’s got his reward, let’s get to work on these.” Khloe groaned but wasn’t about to say no.
Lia dressed her bird in a matter of minutes and picked at stray feathers before Khloe started.
“How can you do that so quickly?” Khloe asked as she struggled to pluck out a tuft of feathers from the pheasant’s back.
“It’s what I’ve been trained to do milady.” She said, watching Khloe’s hands as she continued her indelicate fumbling.
“And none of it bothers you or seems…disgusting?” Lia chuckled.
“You learn to get over it or you don’t eat. That’s all it is.” Khloe’s lips pursed and she felt bile rise in her throat as she pulled at the bird’s skin. Lia patted her on the back. “Here, I’ll show you how to do this proper so it doesn’t take you so long, okay?” Khloe nodded. Lia took her over every step, and even though Khloe wasn’t too keen, she could appreciate the deftness involved. Watching Lia work, she was in awe of how simple she made it appear. Once both birds were finished the girls took them into the kitchen and handed them off to Etta. Lia led Khloe back outside to the shed and grabbed up her fishing rod.
“Well, that was for lunch, want to help me catch supper?” Khloe nodded. Anything is better than working on that stupid barn. She thought.
Lia whistled and the excitable Barkus came running.
“I love to take Barkus along fishing for company. He’s also a great help with other animals that might give me a bit of bother.” She chimed. Lia led the way back towards the barn. The hole had been patched and Lord DuPont now balanced on the roof repairing thatch. “Milord, may I borrow Khloe this afternoon, I could use help catching fish.” She said with a bowed head and a respectful tone. Horus tilted his head and glanced at her from behind his work.
“Go on, then.” He grumped, returning to his project. Lia nodded and led Khloe down the trodden path from the barn. The field stretched miles in all directions, and every tree cluster could be seen from their valley cradle alongside the well-trodden paths, running like snakes over and around the hills. Lia took them down a long dirt road that saw little traffic if any, a familiar trail to both girls. As a child Khloe frequented the pond albeit, not for fishing. It’d been some time since she’d gone on this walk.
“Ever wonder why you stop doing something?” Khloe said as Barkus ran into the apple orchard ahead. A warm wind drifted over them and Khloe reveled in the sweet perfume of apples. Lia nodded.
“Aye.” She said.
“What was the thing you liked doing that you gave up?” Lia smiled.
“When I was little, I used to make dolls for all my little brothers and sisters.” She said. “My father was a tailor. He used to come home with scraps of selvage and I’d make toys. Since all the little ones grew up, I’ve no one to do that for anymore. I think Lopsy was the last rabbit I ever stitched.”
Khloe giggled.
“And Adalie hasn’t put it down since. Every time it’s got so much as a stain she goes crying to Anaiah-” Khloe felt her spirits drop even as they made the shade of the apple trees. Lia patted Khloe on the back as they strode the soft dirt of the footpath.
“He’ll be alright, you know.” Khloe shook her head.
“That’s the problem. I don’t know. I am fed up with all this nonsense with him; he’s delicate so mother treats him like a flower, father is embarrassed to be seen with him, he’s Adalie’s hero, and somehow no matter who he is to anyone, I get berated whenever he’s involved.” Lia giggled.
“The curse of being the eldest.” She beamed. “You’ve got to be responsible, no matter if something is your fault or not, and nobody will thank you for it in the long run.” She said as she reached up and plucked an apple from a passing branch. She handed it over to Khloe before snagging her own. “That’s just how it works, milady. I’ve four little siblings and no matter who did what or when, it was my fault since it was my job to keep an eye out. To this day, I don’t think any of them know the trouble they got me into.”
“And yet, you’re not upset?” Lia’s smile dimmed.
“Truth be told, I spent a lot of time upset. I can’t tell you how many nights I’d cry myself to sleep.” Lia sighed. “When father died everything changed. I didn’t get the chance to be upset by these things anymore, I had to help provide.” Khloe bit into her apple, wincing at the bitter juicy tang.
“That’s when you started working for us, isn’t it?” Lia nodded.
“It’s just life. Some things will hurt for always but, you’ve got to move on.” Lia let out a sigh and took a bite out of her apple.
The rest of the short trek passed in silence and Khloe was grateful for it. The dirt in the air brought her back to early years racing Anaiah down to the pond to play, her little brother unable to keep pace. She’d slow down and let him catch up only to rush off and leave him again. The orchard short cut was a lot less enjoyable when the trees were barely waist high and there was no shade in the heat of the day. Yet, they’d still plod down to the pond to play. The trail disappeared into a sea of grass and the pond sparkled in the noon light. Khloe spotted several fish mulling about near the water’s surface. Lia chuckled.
“Mind a fishing lesson or two?” she asked. Khloe nodded, happy to replace the creeping sensation of loss in her heart with something else.
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