Love and War

A month had passed since Selena first arrived at Halcrow Hall. She still hadn’t heard a word from Gyles. During the daytime, she was so busy she barely gave him a thought. The nights, however, were interminably long. She sat down at the desk in her room many times, rising without putting pen to paper. Apart from a brief note to tell her relatives that she was here at Halcrow Hall and feeling well, she’d said nothing more. She’d received a letter from Anne asking why they hadn’t gone to London. She was relieved to learn that Anne was keeping well and wrote back immediately. She didn’t tell her what had happened, because she knew it would bring Hugh running. And that was the last thing she wanted.
She made a thorough search of the house for anything that might give her clues to Gyles’ whereabouts. The nursery, still with the cricket bats, balls and wooden toys of two small boys, had almost disappeared under a thick layer of dust. It obviously hadn’t been visited in years. She picked up a much-loved, one-armed teddy bear and tears came into her eyes. This confused her. She loathed Gyles for what he’d done to her, didn’t she? It was just that she knew Gyles’ younger brother had been killed ten years ago in a riding accident. Both parents had never recovered from the grief of losing their favorite child, or so Gyles had told her.
As soon as word was put out that Halcrow Hall was to be restored, a long line of people formed at the door seeking work. Frobisher showed them in to Selena, one at a time, to be interviewed. She hired a housekeeper, a Mrs. Lillicrop, to replace the last one who’d apparently thrown up hands in despair and departed months ago to live with her brother’s family, two new stable hands to work with Joseph, three men to assist the head gardener and a new under-gardener. Sarah was made lady’s maid and three more young girls were employed about the house, plus another kitchen hand to work with Mrs. Marshall.
It was a start. Selena engaged the services of a dozen workmen. Carpenters to mend broken fences and shutters and replace rotted timbers, laborers to work with the gardeners, stripping off the ivy and doing the heavy work in the grounds, painters needed for every room, roofers to patch up leaks and replace broken slate, and stonemasons to repair walls and paths and fill the holes in the carriageway.
Concentrating on the reception rooms and a mere handful of bedrooms, Selena donned an apron and supervised the work. The carpets and rugs were beaten over a line in the open air. The furniture polished until she could see her face in it. Most responded to her enthusiasm, because it was good for the village too.
Selena spent hours putting the accounts and pensions in order. She purchased a horse for her to ride about the estate. She restocked the home farm with two more cows for milking, pigs, chickens, ducks and geese. She discussed the planting of vegetables with the head gardener and menus with Mrs. Marshall.
The days grew shorter and the air turned brisk and fresh. She wasn’t sure if her broken heart had anything to do with it, but the nights grew longer and colder far too quickly.