Keish- May 11, 2004

May 11, 2004
Dear Arri,
After losing so sorely to Elcaro just a few years ago, you would think Greste would leave well enough alone.
Imato has been pacing like a caged animal all evening.
“I should be there,” he said, possibly for the hundredth time.
“No, you shouldn’t.  Your assignment, your responsibility, your DUTY is here,” Gretel said, also possibly for the hundredth time.
Well, no.  Technically Jace said it a few of the times.
“Look at it this way,” I finally said, “if you were there the wedding might have to be postponed.  So it’s better you’re here.”
I’m not sure he appreciated my input.  But then he usually doesn’t.
Gretel’s worried.  She hasn’t said she is, but I can tell.  Who can blame her?
We need more information.  No one knows enough yet about what’s going on.

May 12th
I finally spoke with Marta.  She’s the palace housekeeper assigned to manage the tower.
When I told her my problem with the maids and our plans to continue living here, she frowned.  “Brazen girls.  What do they think that will get them?  As if any lady would want maids who behave so improperly.”
I had to hold back a laugh.  Marta’s only been our housekeeper since the new tower was finished, so she doesn’t know me as well as some of the others.  (We’ve had a palace housekeeper assigned to us since Mother’s death so that Father wouldn’t have to deal with supervising servants.)
Marta continued before I could say anything.  “They are right about one thing, though, with your coming of age and your marriage it will be expected of you to oversee the servants as lady of the house.”
I nearly said something entirely unladylike.  So that’s what Imato had been getting at when he started in on me last week.  It honestly hadn’t occurred to me that anyone would expect me to take over what Marta had been doing so competently.
I think I must have looked panicked.
Marta took pity on me.  “Of course, Milady, I am happy to remain in my current post for as long as you need to get settled and choose your own housekeeper.”
“I’d really prefer you just continue managing the household affairs, Marta.”
She smiled.  “And I would be very pleased to continue our current arrangement.  You just send any further maids to me, Milady.  I’ll set them straight.  Unless, of course, they’re ladies’ maids.  I wouldn’t presume to find you your own maid.”
Blast.  I’ve been putting that off for years.
“Thank you, Marta,” was all I managed to say and she excused herself after checking to ensure that I wanted to keep our current cook also and to let me know that she would begin reporting to me instead of the Head Palace Housekeeper.
Lucky me.
So the good news is I can send all household maids to Marta-- and really word should get out quickly to talk to her directly.  The bad news is I probably can’t keep putting off employing my own maid.
Blast.
Gretel is excited.
“Don’t you see?” she insisted earlier.  “This is perfect.”
I didn’t see.  Nothing about having to employ a ladies’ maid seemed perfect.
She explained.  “If you’re interviewing ladies’ maids I can help you and find one for myself without Mother’s ‘help’.”
She had a point.
Gretel’s never had her own maid.  Not really.  They’ve always been her mother’s maids and now her mother wants to be the one to fully staff Gretel’s new household.  Gretel doesn’t mind letting her interview parlor maids and upstairs maids and tweenies, especially since most of the girls are too scared to go to her mother, but finding her own maid is a different matter and it would really be better if she chose a maid before the wedding.
Of course, I should too, I suppose.  If I have to pick a maid I may as well get it over with and have help for the wedding.
I’m not really looking forward to this.

May 13th
Oh, one detail about the wedding that I think I haven’t told you yet-- partly because we hadn’t decided for sure until a couple of days ago-- and maybe Taty will have told you by the time you get this, but we’re not getting married in Adya.
A few years ago Jace and I took a picnic to the beach-- we were gone all day.  I think  I told you about it.
Anyway, we decided to get married just before sunset at that same spot of beach.  It’s just a couple hours away by horse or carriage and traveling back to Adya by star and moonlight will be wonderful.
Sunset and then a full moon-- astrologically you can’t fine a time more auspicious for new beginnings.
We’ll have a formal (well, somewhat formal… sort of) lunch (read feast) before leaving for the beach and each carriage will have baskets of food for the ride back to Adya.
Everything will be very small.  Just family.

Last night, after the celebratory dinner our cook prepared when Marta told her we wanted her to stay, Gretel and I sat down to determine how we would go about finding maids.  Surprisingly, none of those who had approached my thus far had been ladies’ maids.
Jace and Imato laughingly said it probably wasn’t that surprising given my reputation.
You should have seen the looks on their faces when Gretel pointed out that they both needed to find and hire valets just as much as we needed ladies’ maids.
A rather lively debate ensued, with Imato insisting things like “I’ve been able to dress without assistance for years now” and Jace protesting that he’s “just a simple palace teacher, after all, who surely doesn’t need a valet”.  Personally, I rather felt like siding with Jace, but I knew Gretel had a point and that she would win regardless of anything I said, so I may as well side with her if only to end the argument more quickly.
As luck would have it, Marie popped in for a visit just then.  She settled the matter decisively.
“Well, of course you each need a valet.  I mean, I suppose you could share one until the weddings, but that seems silly with Jace and Keish getting married in just a few weeks.  I can recommend some good ones.  Maids as well, of course.”
Jace and Imato tried to contradict her.
“But I’m just a palace teacher,” Jace insisted again.
“I’m not even a knight yet,” Imato grumbled.
Marie shook her head.  “Gretel’s father has a valet.  And you’re a Brio!  Really, that alone is enough for societal conventions to require that you have a valet.  And you,” she turned to Jace, “are marrying a Brio, a daughter of a King’s Advisor.  Always imitate your father-in-law in such matters.”
I had to fight to suppress a giggle.  Father has a terrible time keeping valets-- they have a hard time with the hours he keeps.
With Jace and Imato finally quieted, if not fully convinced, Marie gave us a list of good valets or other servants who would make good valets.  Several of the valets on the list had been Prince Euan’s at some point.  He has a hard time keeping valets also, but for different reasons.
After half-heartedly agreeing to interview some candidates later this week, Imato and Jace headed out for the lit training yard to spar.  I think they just didn’t want to listen to what makes the ideal ladies’ maid.  I know I didn’t.
Actually it wasn’t too bad.  Marie helped us figure out what was most important to each of us-- we have different ideas of what would be ideal, which is good because it should mean we won’t end up fighting over one “perfect” maid.  Before leaving, she gave us a few names and promised to put the word out that we were looking (both for maids and valets).

May 15th
Yesterday was exhausting.  And it’s probably only going to get worse.
I was so tired I overslept and almost missed my first appointment with the dressmaker.
Even though Marie had just said she’d put the word out the night before, by lunch yesterday Gretel and I had messages ( ranging from painfully formal letters to barely legibly notes) from no less than 26 maids.  There were also letters of application from fifteen possible valets.  All of those whom Marie had suggested had written, both the valets and the maids.
“Now what?” I asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the piles of paper on the table.
“We interview them,” Gretel answered.
“All of them?” Jace and Imato asked at nearly the same time.
“All of them,” Gretel confirmed, sounding somewhat grim.
Marta entered the library just then.  I don’t know how it escaped my notice in the past, but the woman is really indispensable.
“If it’s not too bold, Milady, I could arrange the interviews for whenever is convenient,” she said, quickly appraising the situation.
I let out a sigh of relief.  “That, Marta, would be absolutely wonderful.  Thank you.”
She nodded primly.  “When will be best for you, Sirs?” she asked.  “I would recommend a full day for it,” she added, eyeing the pile.
Imato rolled his eyes and Jace ran a hand through his hair.
“It had best be tomorrow, then,” I answered for them.  “Otherwise it’ll be another week before you both have a day free.”
“Very good,” Marta responded.  “And for you and Lady Gretel?”
“We’ll need more than just a day,” Gretel said.
“I’ve had six more such letters delivered to me, Lady Gretel, so you’ll likely need two days.”
“Thirty-two?” I gasped.
Marta nodded again.
I looked at Gretel in dismay.  “How are we going to interview so many?”
Gretel thought a moment.  “Well we both have to meet with the dressmakers tomorrow morning.  And next week you have meetings some mornings.  I suppose we’ll have to break it up.”
I sighed again (though not in relief this time). “Yes, I suppose so.  Marta can you make some for tomorrow afternoon and more Monday afternoon?  Then the rest Tuesday.”
“Very good, Milady.”  With that, Marta left.
Imato and Jace looked dejected at the thought of spending an entire day interviewing potential valets.
“It’s a sign that the servants must really like you both,” Gretel said.  “It’s unheard of to have that many applicants.”
Somehow they weren’t encouraged by that thought.
We had to spend the rest of the day working on what we would ask in the interviews.
Well, that and tasting cake samples that various bakers kept bringing us.  I think it would make more sense for Gretel and Imato to hire a baker in Rousha to make the wedding cake, but Gretel’s mother won’t hear of it, even though hiring a baker here will mean paying extra for travel expenses to get the baker and his assistants to Rousha.
Between the stress of devising interview questions and all of the sugar we consumed, it was a long strange afternoon and no one felt very well by dinner time.
When Papa joined us we had tasted five different cakes and the sixth sample was arriving.  By that point they all tasted the same to me, but Papa found it all quite funny.  He gave Jace and Imato tips on finding a valet and helped Gretel pick out a cake since the rest of us didn’t want to even look at cake anymore.
I couldn’t even look at the sweet muffins at breakfast this morning.  Not that I had time for much breakfast.
My meeting with the dressmaker was simple enough-- I picked out white satin and a pale rose for the sash-- and now I’m lingering over lunch and dreading this afternoon.  Tomorrow Jace and I are taking Papa to the beach to see where we want the wedding.
If I survive this afternoon.  We have ten maids coming-- starting in just a minute.  I guess I’d better join Gretel.  We’re using my sitting room.  Imato and Jace are using the library-- they haven’t even come out for lunch yet.

May 16th
Today was beautiful.  Just what we needed after yesterday.
Ten down, twenty-two to go.

May 18th
Gretel and I have fourteen more interviews today, but I wanted to respond to your letter first, since I received it yesterday.  It’s seems so strange to use regular post after so many months.
Imato received a report from the watch about the mugging, but it was just a preliminary report so it didn’t have any new information in it.
I’m sorry the dance was so awkward.  You probably should talk to Phyfe at some point, but you’ve got enough to worry about for the next couple of days.  Thank goodness for Sean!  I’m glad he was there.
Interesting that Mendel scheduled his test for the same day.
Jace says Master Parker Dyle is definitely one to avoid, but he’d better not be bothering Taty.  He’s still growling about it.

Later
Thirty-two interviews.  Thirty-two possible maids.  Thirty-two pages of notes to go through.
And I have to decide which one is the maid I want.
This is worse than wedding plans.  (No one else has made a decision either.)

I really should just send this letter off.  If I send it with an express messenger you’ll get it the day of your exam.

Good luck!!

Love Always,

Keish

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