A Lark In The Bushel

Chapter 14 - "They're here! They're Here! How do I look?"

The following week passed in a flurry of activity in Button House, Kitty was acting as lady of the house as she assigned tasks to all of the servants and ensured everyone was following her meticulously thought-out plan. The family were bemused at Kitty's sudden enthusiasm for household responsibilities and taking charge of the servants, but they could all see she had a natural flair for the task. Her personality was perfectly suited to the role as she was so happy and asked people to do her bidding in such a friendly way, nobody minded being bossed around by her. She could tell the servants to jump off Richmond bridge and they would happily hurry away to do her bidding. They all loved her, that infectious smile was disarming and impossible to argue with. Thankfully her orders were all benign and concerned only matters of welcoming Richard into the household. The staff knew their jobs well and were all eager to meet this Richard, who had taken root in their minds as some sort of hero after Kitty's stories about him.

Kitty was soon bored of her enforced bed rest and as soon as she felt able, she slowly started to walk around her room, then along the corridor and back,before she felt confident enough to tackle the stairs and roam around downstairs to build up her strength. She spent several frustrating days shuffling slowly, going a little further each time before she would tire and be forced to sit to regain her breath. Once she felt as though she was strong enough to not cause the servants concern she would wander around the house, chatting to the servants as they worked. The servants did not want to broach the subject of the night of Kitty's accident for fear of upsetting her, but she would happily regale the story of her own accord. If the servants stood still long enough, or didn't move away at a fast enough pace that Kitty's weakened legs couldn't keep up with, she would follow them around,chatting happily in great detail, starting from the moment their horse threw a shoe on the road, to the moment she awoke from her long sleep, back in her own bed. Kitty relished the details of Richard's role in her story, she would tell of his involvement with the same caring tenderness as a proud mother would talk of her prodigy.

The servants had all heard the story of how Richard had insisted on riding out with  mistress Kitty that night the family stayed at his inn, he was there when she fell from her horse, he was the one who brought her back to the inn and ensured she was cared for, he fetched the doctor and watched over her with his mother. Kitty would tell anyone who was in earshot that Richard had saved her life that night, there was no two ways about it. He was a hero, he was her Robin Hood, her knight in shining armour.

This led to the talk among the staff becoming increasingly flamboyant, the kitchen maids were overheard talking about how Richard was seven foot tall, the gardeners chatted excitedly over their rose bushes how Richard had superhuman strength and could control horses with merely a look. Even the butler, stoic and sensible, had been heard to voice the rumour that suggested Richard was born on the Lipizzaner stud farm and was taught to ride the performing stallions before he could walk. That's why he was such a competent horseman. The butler justified this far-fetched tale by confidently stating he must have been brought to London during a tour of the show, he ran away from the harsh discipline of the riding school dogma and found himself at the inn, he was taken in and adopted by the friendly landlords and he looks after horses for them. A million miles away from the pristine Spanish riding establishment with it's chandeliers hanging above the school.

Kitty heard these rumours and couldn't help but smile at the outlandish stories her staff were telling abut Richard, she hoped they wouldn't be disappointed when they met him, he was an amazing man but a mortal man nonetheless, no super powers, no supernatural talent with the horses, he'd never even been to Spain. He was just a good man, kind and caring, he had dedicated his life to horses and from years of  care he had developed an understanding, that was all it was, and that was more than enough. She knew his talents and skills would fit in with her household and she would be delighted to have him close to her, confident all others in the house would come to love him as she did.