Reflection of Fire

Part I Chapter 8

The initial apprehension about finding her way about the house soon faded. It was larger than the school where she'd been raised, but not by much. The first floor had the kitchen, the dining room, several receiving rooms and offices, a small library, and a large room for parties. Upstairs were the bedrooms and B.B.'s playroom. The servants had their own staircase to their rooms, and Rey had no cause to go to that part of the house. Her bedroom was right next to B.B.'s, and the girl was always delighted to lead her anywhere she wanted to go.

Dinner the first night was a celebratory affair. After meeting Master Dameron, she had been shown to her room to freshen up. B.B. had been waiting impatiently outside her door when she emerged, and she congratulated the girl on her pretty dress. Beaming, B.B. had led her to the dining room, where Finn and Master Dameron waited.

What they talked about wasn't really something Rey remembered, but she did remember how easily the conversation flowed. B.B. was often the subject of it, and Rey learned all about her new student. The girl had always been precocious, learning music from her mother almost before she learned to speak. Her artistic talents were impressive for one so young, and she was excited to learn new things from Rey.

A boarding school had been considered, but everyone was relieved to have found her a governess instead. It would be hard to have her away for so long, Master Dameron and Finn had agreed, and Rey was touched by their sincerity. Fathers, in her experience, tended to miss their children less than mothers.

Rey also learned more about Finn. The story she had been told earlier was expanded a bit, and she was intrigued to hear about living in Africa. They did not want to discuss the story at much length with B.B. present, which was understandable, so Rey was forced to squash her curiosity. For now. Suffice to say that the two had been nearly inseparable since they had met, and Finn had grown fond of B.B. over the years, becoming a sort of surrogate father after the loss of her mother.

Master Dameron was the ward of Leia Organa Solo which Rey already knew. How he became such was because Princess Organa and Master Dameron's mother had been friends in their youth. They had attended the same school and worked toward the same goals politically. Master Dameron's mother had passed away when he was young, and Princess Organa and her husband had taken him in. Rey noticed that neither Master Dameron nor Finn were willing to dwell for long on that story and she got the distinct impression that there was more going on than they were saying.

It wasn't her place to ask, so she just enjoyed what they were willing to discuss. For her part, she spoke only about the school and her friends growing up. She didn't speak of the sickness or Master Plutt or her conviction that her parents would return for her. It was a pleasant evening and she hated to spoil it with the former, keeping the latter close to the vest out of habit.

When B.B. had fallen asleep in her chair, Master Dameron suggested they all go to bed. He had taken his daughter to her room himself that night, and Finn politely escorted Rey to her own. It was a relief to be left alone at last. The room was larger than the one in the hotel, and much more than she expected would be allotted to a servant such as herself. She wasn't entirely sure where she fit into the social hierarchy now. As a female lacking connections, she had been pretty near the bottom. But perhaps now she had come up in the world.

In the morning, Rey had found her way down to the kitchen on her own and was informed that breakfast would be served promptly at eight. The delicious smells wafting out of that place were enough to make her impatient, but she took the opportunity to do some exploring. Her first stop was the library, where she ran her fingers over the spines of the books and smiled at the thought of reading something new. Not now, though. It was something she would savor later.

The only other people she encountered were servants starting their day, and she hated to bother them. So she wandered outside and walked the gardens briefly before heading to the stables. They were empty (of people) except for one woman, who was cleaning the hooves of a roan gelding.

"Good morning," Rey said softly, concerned she might startle her or the horse.

"Morning," came the short reply. Then the woman looked up and Rey supposed she was more of a girl – hardly older than Rey herself. "You're the new governess."

"I am."

"Master Finn said you ran right into them. Seems like a pretty big coincidence to me."

Surprised at her suspicion, Rey frowned. "Yes. Providence, I suppose. I did not intend to run into an employer on my evening walk."

The stablewoman smiled slightly. "Of course not." Finishing her work, she stood and brushed off her trousers – a surprising choice for a woman. "Well, Master Finn seems to like you, and the little mistress is very excited you're here. So maybe you'll do alright. I'm Rose," she added, extending her hand.

Pushing aside her misgivings, Rey shook it. "You're the ostler?"

"Yes. Unconventional, I know, but my family has worked for theirs for generations," Rose said with a shrug, walking past Rey toward the other end of the stables.

"The Damerons?"

The woman stopped to look at Rey with a raised eyebrow. "No, the Organas."

"I see."

"You don't, but that's alright. Mistress Beatrice takes her riding lessons every morning after breakfast. Will you be joining her?"

"I suppose," Rey said doubtfully, looking around the stables.

Rose studied her for a moment. "You do ride, don't you?"

"I have," she answered defensively. Just not often. Or particularly well.

"Of course, miss. You'd best be getting to breakfast."

"Thank you," Rey said quietly, and left with some relief. But perhaps the woman would be a resource to explain some of the things that Finn and Master Dameron felt were not good table conversation.

She soon found that B.B. had a well-outlined schedule, into which she was quickly incorporated. Breakfast was at eight, where Master Dameron was always in attendance. Sometimes Finn joined them, sometimes not. Then Rey escorted B.B. to riding practice. The ostler, Rose, taught both of them with ease, and didn't seem bothered to be teaching Rey just as much as her charge. After riding, it was time for B.B.'s bath, following by schoolwork until luncheon. This was always taken in the playroom, and no one joined them.

After lunch, lessons continued for a couple of hours, until playtime. Sometimes B.B. invited Rey to play with her, sometimes she played alone, and very occasionally Master Dameron or Finn joined in the fun. About half the time, Rey found that her afternoons were free until supper. She spent the time planning her next lessons, walking the grounds, or reading. Evenings were also free, as B.B. went to bed as soon as the meal was over.

The mysteries that had seemed important when she first arrived quickly became less of a concern. All families had secrets – did it really matter what theirs was? Her life was orderly, predictable, and more pleasant than it had ever been. She sent Master Plutt her address as soon as she was able to do so and waited for the post each day with hope. Nothing came. And, every day, she told herself that Master Plutt would keep his word and her parents would be able to find her here. And, every day, she managed to be convincing.