-6-
The sun hung overhead when they reached the fief. Miriel saw the town through the windows as the carriage trailed along the stone tiles.
The paddy and crop fields covered land beyond her sight. A river separated the farmland to either bank with a bridge atop connecting them. She could discern faint figures of people in the town and the fields.
The Lerkester Barony was small among the fiefs of the Azvant Monarchy. It lay north-east of the Capitol, a few fiefs away from the border.
Their main produce were harvests from the farmland. Whole families would tend to the fields and few remained home. Children were fostered with fieldwork as young as they could learn, though they were relieved of the laborious tasks till they grew.
The carriage swayed to and fro as they crossed the cobblestone-paved streets of the town. Children played about, throwing balls and chasing one another.
The taller of the houses they passed were two storeyed, while the bulk lived in one storeyed houses. Each had slanted roofs topping them.
They came upon the Lerkester mansion a distance after the town, ensconced within metal fencing. The yard in front of the gates was lush and lively.
The carriage stopped by the gates. Miriel fixed her attire as she waited.
The carriage door opened. She saw Louis beside the gates.
As Crausel escorted her down, she heard ruckus from the mansion.
"You overstep, you soot haired dullard! This is a family matter!"
Crausel flinched. The birds near the mansion took to flight in droves.
.
"Welcome home, madam. How fares your journey?" Louis said. He bowed his head and held a palm to his chest.
"Uneventful, Louis, as hoped. I am delighted to return. We would arrive earlier, had the start been less taxing." Miriel said.
"Your health is everything, madam. The house comes after." He replied.
She saw Louis' countenance had eased compared to a few days before. Though his eyes had lost their former glow.
"Has Uncle Yorn managed? How is he?"
"Well, madam. He tottered the first day. Then better. Until the guests arrived."
"When did they arrive, Louis?"
"Yesterday, madam. At noon."
"Have you prepared their rooms on the main floor?"
"Yes, madam. We have."
"Good. Let no one go above. Where are they right now?"
"All are in the living room, madam. Presently in discourse with Master Yorn."
"Harried as he always is, I reckon. I shall deal with the guests. Send for servants to clear the carriage."
"I shall abide." Louis bowed then made for the mansion.
"Crausel." Miriel called.
He stood by the carriage with his cap held to his chest.
"You may rest. I shall call you again after a week."
"My gratitude, madam." He turned and left for the town.
Now, to deal with the vultures.' Miriel paced to the mansion.
She entered through the doors and crossed the hall, walking further inside through the corridors.
She could hear the exchange spilling from the room, the servants outside barely able to hide their jitter. The servants greeted her as she passed them, their faces brightening as they saw her.
Miriel opened the doors and all went silent. There were four other people besides her Uncle.
"Uncle Yorn, where are the knight and the runner." She turned to her Uncle.
He stood in front of a table, dressed in black clothes with a white shirt underneath. His complexion was better than the last she saw him. His eyes were wide as he stared at her.
"The runner has returned, Miriel. The knight is by the barracks training the soldiers."
"That's the first thing you have to say? Where in bloody Lerkester were you, Miriel!" They were interrupted by a booming voice, from a person decked in a black suit and a white shirt underneath, glaring at her.
"Pardon me, Uncle Till. I had yet to register your presence." Miriel said.
The man was Till Lerkester, her father's younger sibling, though the two were distant in resemblance. He had a rougher face, hair a few shades darker, and far louder to boot. His brows were crumpled as he glared at her.
"Lighten on her, Till, she has borne a lot. How have you fared, Miriel?" A woman's soft voice rang as she walked closer and stood beside him.
"I am well, Aunt Heirell. My deepest gratitude for arriving so shortly." Miriel replied.
The woman was Heirell Lerkester, wife of Till Lerkester. She was garbed in black with a platinum necklace adorning her neck. She had a kindly air about her with her fair skin, soft features and her auburn hair tied in a bun.
"It was most imperative we did when we received the news. Till and Albert had their disagreements, but we would never wish it bar succour. I can only imagine how you must feel with such a burden in your lonesome." She stood beside her husband, wiping her tears with a cloth.
"Cease the chatter and stick to the affair at hand." A clear monotone voice sounded behind them.
Miriel turned to her Aunt Laurell, the youngest of her father's siblings. She sat on the sofa, with a black fur coat draped atop her black dress, diamond pendant adorning her neck. Many hair ties adorned her blonde hair as it fell down one shoulder.
Her stern face, coupled with her poised figure, painted her a haughty image. Her voice, though shaky, was sharp to the ear.
Beside her was Miriel's cousin, Filliore - daughter of Till and Heirell - embroidering a kerchief, clothed in a black-green dress, her auburn hair a few shades lighter than her mother.
"When is the funeral to be held? Do it in haste, would you?" She continued."The herbs will only sustain the body for so long. You can resolve all else on the morrow."
With the herbs they could delay the burial a few days, but even the best could push a week at best.
Miriel turned to Yorn.
"Uncle, where is my father?"
"In his room. We've rested him in the casket but decided we would wait for your return to move him elsewhere." He looked at Till for a moment.
"And the funeral? What have you arranged?"
"On that as well, we await your decision."
"Best bury him now and finish the funeral today." Aunt Laurell added.
"Don't forget the inheritance. We have to settle that quickly as well." Uncle Till chimed.
Miriel pondered, one hand holding her chin. She raised her head and addressed them all.
"The funeral shall be held tomorrow. The inheritance shall be dealt with after. Uncle Yorn, prepare the arrangements." She turned to him and he nodded.
"Why not today then if the funeral is tomorrow?" Uncle Till said.
Miriel stared intently at her uncle. He flinched.
"I will deal with all matters related to my father's inheritance after the funeral and not a moment before. Do tend to yourselves as you stay here, the servants are bundled with their tasks and preparing for the funeral."
She turned and left the room.