The Heartwood

Chapter 3

Mr. Durrant sees the bird, the spill and the mood of his Master. He stands instantly at attention. Instead of asking the gardener to clear away the cadaver, Mr. Fry suggests that Mr. Durrant take Asher with him to the stables and that he drive the boy home.

"I can walk," Asher attempts to dismiss, but already the Count is waving them away.

"Nonsense. It is too far, Mr. Walsh."

"Please follow me," Mr. Durrant indicates kindly, and Asher has no reason to excuse himself. It is as if the Count no longer acknowledges the presence of his guest. The man watches the bird, perhaps expecting a miracle, with hands tucked under his chin in the shape of a steeple.

The boy leaves him this way, not saying a farewell or offering any thanks. He doubts it will be heard or appreciated and that irritates him. What an unsatisfying close to the day. There is something important that the boy has failed to observe and that context would likely explain the Count's abrupt change in temperament and focus.

Maybe upon his next visit, the boy should damage less of Mr. Fry's property. Or more...

There will be another visit. Asher is already planning it.

He turns his attentions to Mr. Durrant. The gardener looks to be hardly twenty, but with the sombreness and reservation of someone twice as old. Asher had expected him to rush forward when the bird cadaver revealed itself, but Mr. Durrant had not even hustled over to correct the mess that Asher had made of the table. There had been no outspoken "heavens, what has happened?" which the boy is used to hearing from Lynna. Nor had there been protests of being delegated to a cab service for the unwanted guest.

It becomes clear to Asher that Mr. Fry may not have a staff much larger than Mr. Durrant working today, and that leaves the unpleasant task of cleaning away a body, a spill and the sandwiches to the Count himself. And Mr. Durrant does not mind!

"I am terribly sorry to pull you away from your other duties. It is twice now that I have inconvenienced you, Sir," Asher confesses, fishing for information.

Mr. Durrant shrugs a shoulder. "Young Master need not worry over it. Things have a way of accomplishing themselves in their own time, and the grass turned out to be a simple problem to solve. You did less damage than you feared."

"Well, that pleases me," Asher nods. "I do not hope that you are left with further reasons to curse me upon returning, though. The result of our tea has created a rather unexpected mess..."

"The Count will handle everything, I should think. I will likely be relieved of service for the day upon my return."

When they reach the stables, Asher discovers that the single horse and cart that is stored is of a nice quality and well used. The gardener prepares a four-wheeler - a predecessor to the more popular modern growler - and he does not comment when Asher climbs aboard to sit next to him instead of taking shelter inside the cozy cab.

The day continues to be wonderful and the boy turns his attentions towards dissecting the life of the Count's hired help. He learns that Mr. Durrant has replaced a previous servant who had met an unfortunate accident only six months ago. Asher can get no information regarding the nature of that accident without being rude and it is possible that even Mr. Durrant may not know anything more than what he has shared. The man specializes in gardening but does many of the chores within the house. The Count is not high maintenance but often travels, requiring someone dependable to uphold the manor while he is away.

As Asher tries to discreetly learn more of the wheres and whys of Mr. Fry's travels, he finds Mr. Durrant gamely changing the conversation to more mundane topics.