Merlana touched Melos's shoulder and asked, "Are you alright good priest? It is a warm day. Allow me to instruct the servants to bring cool drinks."
"That is most kind of you, my dear lady. I certainly look forward to refreshments."
Bulgarth led the way to a sparsely furnished drawing room where tan sofas of the best cow- hide in the land clustered around a low round table. Wide windows overlooking a colorful garden added some gaiety to the stoic room. A maid soon appeared with a tray of cool drinks in tall tumblers carved out of green marble with a base encased in silver. Melos looked appreciatively at them, for not many could afford such finery and to use it nonchalantly must surely mean that their very value was lost in the owner's wealth.
In a girlish manner Merlana said, "You will not do harm to my grandmother will you, good Melos, because I am very fond of her."
"Oh no, dear lady. I will pray for her soul, so that she may rest in peace."
Sarah's eyes widened, "She is not at peace now?"
Melos explained, "Spirits would usually come out when they are not at rest. Sometimes it is because they had a matter they had not settled while in this world."
"Do you have to wait for it to get dark before you begin praying for her?" Merlana asked.
The priest's hands shook so much he had to put down his drink. "Oh ha ha ha, no...no, I don't have to wait till dark. I can do it now for her. In fact if you could show me a quiet room ..."
"My room would be perfect Melos," Merlana said. "As far as I know, she only appears there."
"Oh... it is alright, dear lady. I do not wish to impose. A study or a library will do."
Merlana however said, "Do not worry, you will not be imposing. In fact I insist. It breaks my heart to think that my grandmother is not at peace. I hope it is not because of anything I have done to her?"
Melos realized there was no way to get out of his predicament and his terrified mind went through other options, "Oh yes, that will be the best thing to do. Do not worry child, she will be at peace after this. But I will need a helper though, someone to help me hold a bowl of salt, which I will use to purify your room."
Sarah's eyes again widened, "Purify our room? But we have never done anything wrong in there."
"Ohhh, no, no. The wrongness is not due to anything either one of you may have done. It is just a state of the room that attracts spirits."
"Do you mean to say that my grandmother is impure?" Merlana pouted.
"No, no, no... surely not. These things are very difficult to explain. Ha, ha,..."
Bulgarth said, "There is no need to explain good Melos, for it is difficult for us to even read the mind of those who are closest to us, let alone a ghost. Come let us go now, I will hold the bowl of salt for you."
Melos was relieved, "Yes, let us go now. You are the best person to hold the bowl for me, since you are the owner of this manor." Also the fact that Bulgarth looked like a strong young man helped.
Frad walked out and gave instructions to the maid. A thought occurred to him, and he popped his head back into the drawing room, "Does the bowl need to be of a particular make?"
"Oh no, not really, anything will do. But then a white bowl is best, because white after all symbolizes purity."
Sarah struggled not to laugh, for Frad looked so sincere when he asked that question. Thankfully Bulgarth said, "You don't look well Sarah. Go and rest in father's study, there is a long sofa there for you to lie down on."
Sarah got up and kept her head bowed as she mumbled, "Thank you Bulgarth, I will do as you say."
"Ah, poor child." Melos said aloud, wishing that such kindness could also be extended to him. "This is terrible, terrible."
"Yes, my dear Melos. And once again I wish to thank you for coming here."
"Oh... It is no trouble at all. Ah good the salt is here." A maid passed a medium sized white bowl of salt to Melos, which was filled to overflowing.
Bulgarth turned to the maid and said, "Adar, tell Nana that we have a special guest today. Ask her to prepare tea and dinner." He turned to a male servant standing outside, "Get the chamber servants to prepare the guest room for Melos. Give him the..."
"Oh no, no, my dear Bulgarth. There is no need to do all this preparations." The fearful priest quickly cut him in the middle of his instructions. Then he explained, "I can only stay until tea, then I will need to leave because I have to be in one of my devotees home tonight. She just had her first grandchild and asked me to bless her son's new family. Duty calls I am afraid."
"Well, it is indeed regretful that you have to visit us at such a busy time. Come let us go and settle this matter as quickly as possible."
At the bottom of the grand staircase Melos turned a curious eye to one of the passages and Bulgarth followed his gaze, "That is the way into the kitchen and the servants' quarters. The passage on the other side leads to my father's study. We have nice paintings along the corridor too."
Melos's feet felt heavy when he climbed the polished stairs. He had no choice but to betray Bulgarth because he was too far ensnared in Buringer's schemes. For one, his matchmaking was nothing more than a pretence for finding girls on behalf of older men who liked their women young. At times the priest would ask strong children or young adults to do errands for him and these would be kidnapped on their way to do his bidding. He earned much, but his guilt burned into him, and now he wondered what terrible outcome his spying would have on that family.
They reached the top of the steps. Melos noticed Bulgarth's worried expression, and gave a reassuring smile which made his puffy face appear kind and gentle. Bulgarth smiled back. "Forgive us for forcing you to come when we knew that you are busy. But there was no one else we could turn to for help."
Melos answered, "Do not worry, child, it is after all part of my work." Although for the life of him, he didn't know what to do. "Your father had certainly built a wonderful home." He noted as they walked down the passage leading to Merlana's room. Like the other parts of the manor he had seen, the floor was bare, but exquisite paintings of buildings and sceneries lined the wall between the bedroom doors.
"Yes, Frad designed it for us. It was unusual to commission him, for he was still young though highly imaginative. It must have been very difficult, but that was how he became a part of this family.
"I heard that he also designed a dam for Dew Valley."
"Yes, he did. Also the watermill that goes with the dam. He is the best handler of gear mechanics I have ever met. The mill has more than doubled our output of pressed fruit wine. You must bring a few bottles home with you after this."
"Thank you, that is very generous of you." Melos beamed. Of course it was generous of Bulgarth because the fruit wines from Dew Valley were the most coveted ones in the region.
Bulgarth opened a bedroom door to their right and Melos gasped so loudly at the prettiness he saw that Bulgarth's startled yelp was masked by the priest's effusive approval.
That morning, Hymae had the idea to dress up Merlana's tomboyish room. He recruited the maid Hannah to oversee the transformation. She carried in a small carpet filled with kaleidoscopic flowers for the floor then brought in fluted vases filled with voluptuous flowers which were lined on a shelf together with overdressed dolls found in the attic. With some help from the menservants, the plain mahogany dressing table was exchanged for a more girly design with painted carved flowers against a white background. Hannah even hung an organza shawl on the side of the mirror. The dark curtains and bedcovers were changed to linen printed with yellow and blue flowers interspaced by embroidered pink ribbons. The heavy tapestry had been taken down and in its place was a creamy chiffon drape. Hannah was determined that nobody in Monqui was going to accuse her young mistress of being a tomboy.
Melos gushed, "What a beautiful room."
"Yes," Bulgarth answered as he came back to his senses, "My grandmother gave these dolls to Merlana. And the dressing table was a present for her thirteenth birthday. They were very close."
"Ah, I can now understand why she is still in this world. She loves this child so much, she could not leave her."
Bulgarth bowed his head at the priest's remark. Melos passed him the bowl of salt and indicated for him to stand next to him. Then the priest stretched out his arms, closed his eyes and looked up. His mouth moved in prayer. They both stood in their individual positions for some time, until the priest put down his arms and said, "Hold the bowl out to me as I bless this room with the salt."
Melos took a handful of salt in his right hand and sprinkled them about the room. Then he took another handful and sprinkled these all over the bed. Another handful goes on the window seat, a handful on the dolls and flowers; practically everything in the room was salted. After he was done he clasped his hands together and bowed his head in prayer. He stood like that for the longest time he could.
Bulgarth watched him and with a start he wondered, what if the priest felt the falseness of all this, what happen if the spirit world told him that there was no ghost in this room, and that their existence was only being made use of by the owner of the manor. The young man felt sweat prickling his brows and his heart pounded. Had they made a mistake? Bulgarth tried to swallow the saliva building up in his dry mouth.
Slowly Melos lifted up his head, his eyes still closed. Then he opened them and looked at Bulgarth. Poor young man, he thought to himself, he look terrified. "Be free of your worry, young Bulgarth. I can sense in my soul that the spirit has departed from this room, she will not return again. As I suspected, she was here because she loved your sister so much, and did not want to be parted from her. No harm was ever intended from her part. It took time though to persuade her that all is well with her granddaughter."
Bulgarth breathed a sigh of relief, his fears totally misinterpreted by the priest. "You are very kind Melos, to go through all the trouble of persuading my grandmother. We are indebted to you. At least now my grandmother can be at rest."
Melos nodded his head, and hoped that the ghost would really not return, else it would be a waste of a lot of good salt, as well as a ruin of his reputation. "Oh, but you have to remind your servants not to clean the room for a week. I regret to say that the bed will be uncomfortable for your sister, but at least terror will not strike her in the middle of the night."
"I will do as you say. I will also remind her and Sarah not to try to brush off any salt from the dolls."
"How sweet young girls are. They will make very good mothers I assure you."
Bulgarth smiled and held the door open. He was going to enjoy the next one week.
In the passage Melos said, "Your corridor is very sunny, is this the part of the manor where your household reside?"
"Yes, it is. Our guest rooms are also here. That one there is my room, next to Merlana's and over there are Frad's and Hymae's." Bulgarth explained, as he pointed at the individual rooms. He did not point to the last room at the end of the corridor which was Sheorl's, and at that time, Cassia was hiding in it.
Bulgarth led the way back to the drawing room, where everyone else was waiting, then he walked off to get some fruitwine for the priest. Sarah had returned from the study, and was sitting on a three-seater sofa with Merlana.
The sight that greeted Melos in the drawing room was very demure indeed. The memory of the dolls upstairs made them extra charming. He smiled and sat down across from the girls. He noted that the guard Sheorl was also in the room, standing like a statue next to the window. A teapot with fresh tea was on the low table, the two girls continued to watch him.
Frad gave a cough, took a teacup and poured tea into it. "You must forgive them Melos. The problem we are facing now has made them forget their manners. Would you like sugar and cream with your tea?"
Melos was impressed, for there were very few homes in the region that serves tea in such genteel manner. Both of the girls blushed visibly. "Thank you, only cream please." The priest smiled reassuringly as he took the cup and saucer from Frad's hand, "Do not mind Frad's reprimand children. You have both been very kind to me since I arrived."
The teenagers smiled back, they had not forgotten, they just never knew that they were suppose to pour tea for a guest.
Bulgarth walked in at that point, and noted the blushing faces. He took his seat next to the priest. "Is something the matter? I hope that none of them had been rude to you Melos."
"No, indeed not. You have all been most kind." His smile widened when a manservant carried in a wooden box with six bottles of wine. That was more than any fee he had ever intended to charge.
Bulgarth spoke, "I do not mean to rush you good Melos, but it is past tea-time, and I do not wish for you to be late for your next appointment."
"Oh, yes it is, goodness me. I must leave now."
"Put the wine into his wagon, Chaeno. Make sure they are tied down securely."
The priest's brushed down mare stood waiting outside when Chaeno lugged out the wines. He placed the box carefully in the back and tied it down before covering it with a sheet to shade the bottles from sunlight. This was most certainly a generous home, Melos thought to himself. Then his conscience pricked him again.
Bulgarth accompanied him down the steps. Melos climbed up the wagon, then turned to look down at the young manor owner. "Thank you so much for the hospitality of your home. I have met people who sung high praises of this place. My experience today has now made me one of them."
Bulgarth blushed, pleased with Melos's words, "You are very kind. I hope that your next visit will be less of a rush. Goodbye my dear Melos. And thank you for clearing our worries today." With that Bulgarth passed him a small bag of silver coins, a generous fee for sprinkling salt in one bedroom. Melos received it with both hands and tucked it into his pocket.
The priest beamed as he said, "Yes, thank you very much. May Providence continue to guard your household and give you much wisdom. Farewell, and I hope to meet you again over happier business." Melos picked up his reins then he turned back to wave at all those watching from the top of the stairs.
Bulgarth watched the wagon for a while longer before climbing back up the steps and heading to the drawing room. His accomplices trailed obediently behind him. Frad and Hymae stood behind the three-seater sofa the girls sat on while Bulgarth selected a chair across from them. Sheorl took his position by the door and crossed his arms over his chest.
Bulgarth said, "That part is done, now to the next one. The servants have been instructed not to clean your bedroom for a week Merlana. That means that everything has to stay in place."
"Can I sleep in the garden shed?" All the men, except Frad, laughed, for he had not seen the room yet.
"It's only a bit of extra salt, Merlana," the golden haired man said. "You're not afraid of that are you?"
"Maybe you would like to sleep in my room instead. Then we can sleep in yours." Merlana looked sweetly at him.
Frad smelled trouble. "No..., I don't think so. My room is quite messy and I would not like the servants to start gossiping."
Hymae interjected, "Well said Frad. I can't imagine you sleeping under dainty bedcovers surrounded by all that sugar and spice." Then for Frad's benefit, Hymae went through the details of how Hannah had decorated the room, from the drapes to the dressing table, to the dolls.
Merlana gave a shiver. "Urggh, it is absolutely awful, Frad. I cannot imagine anyone wanting to live surrounded by those things. Most of them are so fragile you could barely touch them. Remember how often Sheorl had to fix that over-decorated dressing table for me?"
They nodded. They did remember, but the memory was a little different. Frad also recalled how Merlana would swing from the door of the wardrobe. None of the items in her room was used the way they were meant to be used. Eventually, her father had brought in strong and bulky furnishings to lessen the chances of accidents. Soft flowing drapes were exchanged for heavier linen. Her dainty bed was exchanged for her father's sturdier old one. Even then the panels holding up the mattress had to be replaced twice because she had such great fun jumping on her bed.
After they had gone through the plan once more, Sheorl walked out of the drawing room to see to Cassia's welfare. There was enough food and drink for her, but he wanted to keep her company. She was still a child after all, and based on his experiences, children would become restless and start to make noise after being left alone for too long.
He knocked softly on his bedroom door and waited a few moments before lifting up the door handle. Dunwood had designed that special knob for him some years ago as a gift. It opened in the opposite direction and tricked anyone who tried to turn it into thinking that the room was locked.
Sheorl stepped in and closed the door quietly. He found Cassia napping on the floor, in front of the window. A painted puppet lying close to her caught his eye. It had rosy cheeks and a bright green cap. She had drawn a white vest, over yellow shirt and made the puppet wear dark green pants. It had blue eyes and light yellow hair. Yet the thing that drew Sheorl's attention was the big happy smile on its face.
Cassia stirred, rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking very much like a little child. Sheorl smiled tenderly, sat down cross legged on the floor and pointed at the puppet. "That is beautiful, child."
"I am glad you like it. I was not sure what colors to paint it in."
The giant gave a low chuckle, "If it is done well, it does not matter what colors you give it. You will know how to make it turn out well." He patted her head, being careful to be gentle.
Then he picked up a scratched block of wood from the floor and pulled out a carving knife from his belt. Cassia watched him, fascinated. Slowly he showed her the different ways of holding a knife for different forms, and that was how Hymae found them later that evening.
Hymae grinned. "I brought you some food, Cassia. I hope you like oranges."
"Oh thank you. That is very kind of you. Look, I finished painting Frad's puppet." The young girl held up the toy for him to see, all her insecurities over painting it wrong gone after Sheorl's praise.
Hymae took it from her outstretched hand and turned it over, delight showing on his face. He never imagined that Cassia could paint so well and with so much detail. She even drew trimmings on the vest and a feather in the cap. He laughed, pleased with her skill.
The dinner gong echoed through the manor.
Sheorl said, "We have to go now. Merlana will take you to her room when it is safe. It will be some more days before you can walk about freely, child."
"Don't worry father," Cassia said thoughtfully. The room was quiet as the two men waited for her next words. "I can feel the sun again."
"Hmm?" Hymae raised an eyebrow, for it was a strange answer to come from a child.
Sheorl brushed her head saying, "That is right child. You are free now." He passed her the puppy he carved and stood up.