Sky Pirates

Chapter 38

Mildred sat alone in her garden, looking at the work that had been accomplished. She felt, while there was still a great deal more to do, that she and her young companion, Perry, were making remarkable progress. They had cleared and cleaned nearly a quarter of it so far, exposing the paving stones down the central walk all the way to the old fountain and from the main gate to the side gate along the east wall to the honey bee hive.

She ran her hand along the stone bench feeling the deep carved edge filled with soft green moss. The stone was cool to her touch, even as the morning warmed. Perry had been called away for some big barn cleaning that her brother had ordered.

Cole. Mildred did love her brother. He'd always been her friend and protector. Her heart warmed even more toward him as she contemplated the actions he had taken to save her from Lorain's violence. Yet, something had altered. He had changed somehow. And, with his modification, their relationship had somehow distorted, as well. It had been many nights since he had visited her in her rooms in the evening. They had a constant battle going about whether the windows around the manor should be opened or closed and found themselves at times following each other around the place opening or closing the windows behind the other.

Meals had been awkward, so much so, that Mildred was now taking most of them in her room, in the conservatory, or with the Wickliffe family just to avoid his silence.

That's what bothered her most, Cole's silence. He simply would not speak to her. When they did attempt to talk it always ended up in a row of some sort with one or the other of them stomping off, which only prolonged this already too long fight between them.

A hummingbird flitted in front of her and then moved on to the recently uncovered flowers. The "L" shaped portion of the garden that had been once again exposed was now awash in purples, pinks, yellows, reds, and whites. The small bird took advantage of the exposed blooms to nourish itself before flitting away again over the wall.

Mildred inhaled deeply and enjoyed the scent of flowers mixed with moss, dead leaves, and freshly cut grass. It was good, this earthy smell. It reminded her of her father after he'd spent a morning in the greenhouse filling its rows and rows of racks with stone and peat to prepare it for a winter of growing and budding. It caused her to wonder whether he would be home in time to begin the process in the late fall. And, then she remembered that her father was lost to them.

She took out one of her uncle's letters that she'd been carrying with her. Its paper was now stained and the edges had grown a bit ragged. She read her favorite line aloud: "I love you my darling niece and wish nothing but joy and happiness for you. I so long and look forward to the time we will once again be together." The words and sentiment brought a mist to her eyes.

"Stop!" she commanded herself. "How have you become so sentimental?"

Mildred didn't have an answer. But, for some reason, over the past few months, she had grown rather melancholy about a great many things. At times she was despondent for no reason she could discern. And, at other times, fits and bursts of anger rose to the surface seemingly from nowhere and without cause.

"Hello!" Edith called from the gate. "I've taken you up on your offer, finally, and have come to see your garden." Her friend didn't enter the garden, but instead stood at the gate.

Mildred wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and then went to greet her friend. "Hello! I'm so glad you have come to visit me." She took Edith's hand. "May I show you around?"

"Please do."

The girls took on the airs and manners that Mrs. Wickliffe had described to them over the past few days.

"Oh, Mildred, it's wonderful. And you've done all this work yourself. You've pulled out the weeds and cut all this grass on your own?"

She was pleased her friend was impressed. "Not all by myself. Little Perry has been a tremendous help. He's carted so much debris away and cut all this grass." She stopped at the head of the paving stone path. With a sweep of her arm she indicated the portion that was her accomplishment. "I've cleaned out all of this so far. Aren't these roses lovely? This morning I saw a hummingbird taking advantage of these big red flowers. I don't know what they're called." The words tumbled from her mouth. No one, beside herself and Perry, had shown a lick of interest in the work she'd been doing.

"It really is marvelous!" Edith, still holding on to Mildred, began walking down the path. "And, these other little paths?" She pointed into the roses. "Will you work on them, too?"

"Of course. My goal was to arrive at the center, which I think the fountain indicates." They moved to the stone basin, filled with weeds. No water flowed, so what was present was black and muck-filled. "I'm still a afraid to climb that little wall and get in there and clean it out. The water was black muck and there were weeds and leaves growing on top of the muck. Vines had taken such a strong hold of the enclosure as to totally obscure the statues.

"Well, there's plenty to do before you have to face that," said Edith who turned around, bringing Mildred, who was still clamped to her arm, around with her. "Remarkable accomplishment already."

The two girls fell silent, surveying the garden. From their vantage, the right side represented the before image and the left the nearly finished.

"I would like some lunch. And, I thought I might meddle my way into your table," said Edith with a wink.

"Well, if I weren't such a lady, I would tell you how rude you're being." Mildred took on a matronly voice. "Is it really time for lunch already?"

Edith held her lips together tight, but furiously and playfully nodded her head up and down.

"My dear, Edith, won't you please join me for luncheon?"

"I would be most pleased to do so."

Together, the girls skipped out of the garden, up the path, and toward the house running smack dab into Cole and Horatio.

The foursome was quiet, a little stunned to see the others. It was Edith who finally shattered the moment: "Horatio, I've been invited to join Miss Greene for luncheon."

"I have, too, dear sister, by Mr. Parker."

Cole and Horatio allowed the girls to enter the house first and then followed.

"I'll be just a moment," said Mildred as she stepped out of the group, walked down the little hallway, and entered the butler's pantry. There, she discovered one of the serving girls folding napkins. She tried to remember the girl's name, but couldn't. "Please let Cook know we'll be four for lunch."

"Yes, Miss," said the girl with a bowed head and a curtsey.

Mildred returned to her guests and brother, trusting that when they entered the dining room together the table would be properly set. She'd had talks with the serving girls and the cook about how the house would now be run. Although, she'd also learned that footmen should be serving at table and they didn't have any of those. She didn't know yet how to hire staff, but she would ask Mrs. Wickliffe.

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