May 15, 1885, Evening

The real estate agent, Calvin Read,  was there promptly and he brought a notary – as if he knew that Penny would not be able to refuse to buy the place.

The estate cook had made a wonderful dinner of spring greens, roasted rabbit with potatoes. No one asked about Barnes – yet. It seemed that the rest of the staff was so busy with the preparations for their guests that Barnes was little more than an afterthought to them.

The day-maid had been replaced by the maid that we met the evening  before – Mrs. Henkel. She was busy making sure that each diner – Maggie, Penny, Fynn, Mr. Read and the notary, Mr. McMorran, had fresh water and a full glass of red wine.

“Miss Davenport,” Calvin Read said. “please tell me your impressions of the estate.”

“Well Mr. Read, I can’t imagine anyone could find exception with the property,” she paused, “except that perhaps a bit more land would be beneficial.”

“Agreed, and as I mentioned yesterday, there is property on either side that could perhaps be acquired in addition to this property. I took the liberty of inquiring about price per acre and I think you’ll find it a very reasonable proposal.”

“That’s good to hear, Mr. Read but I would like to finish this fine meal first; the study and some after-dinner drinks seem a more appropriate moment in time to discuss the business at hand.”

“Very well,” Mr. Read said. “Did you have an enjoyable (splendid: seems way too formal for such a casual dinner conversation) day about the property?”

“We did,” Fynn spoke.

Mr. Read looked only at him from the corner of his eye and kept his attention focused on Penny.

“Most certainly,” Maggie said. “I have questions, however, about the shoreline and how far into the Lake…”

“You have a mile out by current law,” Mr. Read said. “Do you like to fish or something Miss Clayton?”

“I do, actually, Mr. Read.”

“She likely could teach you a thing or two,” Penny said, then looked as if she should take it back.

“I’m not much of a hunter or fisherman,” Mr. Read said. “I don’t think I would make a good student.”

Fynn could not stifle the grunt that was a natural reaction for him.

Maggie glared at Fynn. Mr. Read did not impress him as a man who would really appreciate that a Negro was seeing himself as an equal to a white man; regardless of Fynn’s background. Maggie felt often that she had to live in fear of some sort of issue because of Fynn’s skin color. Fynn, however, didn’t seem to feel that particular pressure. Maggie’s father had been such a radical as far as that went. He had raised Fynn as his son and Fynn adopted the attitude. Maggie worried that his lack of tact sometimes was going to put him in the target zone for those who were bothered by such things as skin color.

This apparently was going to be one of these moments, “You consider yourself a fisherman and hunter Mr. Fynn?” Read said.

“I could survive in the wild, if that’s what you mean, Mr. Read.” Fynn replied. “There is a certain satisfaction to catching your own dinner.”

Mr. Read considered this statement and nodded, “You have a point there, sir.”

Maggie let out a sigh inside her head and sipped her wine.

“Where is Barnes?” Read asked.

Maggie took a large drink of her wine, pretending that she was momentarily choked by a piece of bread. Only, it seemed that she wasn’t only pretending. Her mouth suddenly had gone dry.

Penny was sitting her own glass on the table when the question was asked and so she commented first.

“I’m not sure. I spoke with him briefly last night and again early this morning. However, I don’t think I’ve seen him about since then,” she said with a certain amount of nonchalance that seemed appropriate.

Maggie couldn’t help but silently marvel at how quickly she seemed to slip into the role of actress. It wasn’t unexpected. Necessity dictated those actions by circumstance. Maggie knew that Penny never relished the thought of putting on airs. But there was no avoiding it in this situation.

Mrs. Henkel had come into the dining room with a pitcher of cool water and was refilling glasses as the question was asked.

“If you’ll pardon my interruption ma’am, Mr Barnes had mentioned taking a boat out earlier. He’s quite fond of fishing himself. I’m sure he’ll turn up later.”

Read lifted his glass so the older woman could fill it for him.

 

“Well hopefully he’ll show up in time to hear the good news about the sale.”

The rest of the table offered smiles. It seemed, for the moment at least, that they had avoided the need for lengthy explanations. Though, they were all certain that eventually those questions would be asked and they would need to answer.

Over dessert the conversation turned to things that were going on in the town. Maggie and Penny learned from Mr. Read and Mr. McMorran that the May Day Festival ended in a drunken brawl where the Sherriff and his deputies had to arrest and jail nearly eighty overzealous revelers. They further learned that Mr. Read was on the hunt for a wife and that every proposal he had been given had been rejected, apparently because the potential wife was too much of a dolt to accept.

 

“I have found,” Fynn said. “That when I hear the same opinion from many different people, there is an element of truth to it.”

Maggie raised her eyebrows.

Mr. Read, sipped his coffee and just kept his eye on the prize – Penny. Ms. Henkle brought another round of coffee and picked up the strawberry tart with chocolate shavings dregs – most had scraped their plate clean.

“That, was a delicious meal,” Fynn said to the maid.

“You’re welcome, Master Fynn,” she said.

“Shall we retire to the drawing room?” Mr. Read asked.

“Actually, I thought we could go into the library,” Penny said. “I’ve already prepared a place on the briefing table – apparently Dr. Greeves studied law before he became a physician.”

“Very well. I shall retrieve my documents from my satchel in the foyer,” Mr. Read said.

“I need my seal as well, Mr. Read,” McMorran said.

“Of course,” Read said and left the dining room.

That left the three friends with McMorran alone.

“I do hope that you realize that I am only here because Mr. Read indicated that the sale was already proffered. My apologies if my presence here pressured you in any way. Part of my notary goals is to make sure that you are not doing this under any duress at all.”

“I appreciate that, Mr. McMorran,” Penny said. “However, I’m purchasing this under all the freedoms I am afforded, even if they are minimal. I do so in partnership with Miss Clayton – as two halves we equal a whole under real estate law and Fynn here as a third partner in the unfortunate circumstances that something happens to either one or both of us.”

“I can see that you have thought this out thoroughly,” McMorran said. “That pleases me greatly.”

“Penny is always thinking,” Maggie said. “Always.”

Penny giggled just as Mr.Read arrived back in the dining room. He had the look about him as if he knew he had missed some key information, but good manners prevented him from inquiring.

Penny rose from the table, “Shall we?”

“We shall,” Maggie said, a twinkle in her eye.

Mr. Read carried a large leather satchel and it reminded Maggie of the satchel that Barnes put the journals in before they were attacked by the  Kernunnos. She shuddered a bit.

“Ghost walk over your grave, Miss Clayton?” Read asked noticing her reaction.

“I’m just a little chilly from drinking the wine,” Maggie said, lifting her chin to demonstrate to Read that he needed to leave her be.

Inside the library was a huge briefing table – leather topped and trimmed in balsa wood and then with a hammered copper trim. Maggie was immediately drawn to it when they had viewed the house earlier. She knew that if she and Penny were to spend any amount of time here, the Library would be one of her favorite places. She loved the lab, but was less than antsy to return there via the perilous journey it took to get there. She was thinking that they might have to build an underwater tunnel instead of the vessel. Something with camouflage so that the Kernunnos left them be – didn’t try to smash the tunnel. Course spots of glass would be neat to observe the underwater world from a safe vantage point.

Read got to work spreading out the papers, neat little stacks and he got out plumes and ink and McMorran had his seal and own quill at the ready. He went over what each one of us was to sign and took a cover sheet and spelled out the owner of the proper Estate of Doctor Aedan Greeves and the three friends – Penny, Maggie and Fynn.

Maggie couldn’t help herself and yawned. McMorran and Read both looked at her as if she had just slapped them. She rolled her eyes and Fynn chuckled.

The three of them had to line up in a row and six different stacks of paperwork had to be signed. One for each of them and three others. For the estate, for the bank, and for Mr. Read.

Maggie complained her hand ached. She tried to make her signature something neat and readable – not her normal chicken scratch. Fynn put all the signatures to shame. While Mr. McMorran did his seal and signature, Penny discussed the delivery of the first payment, as she had asked for the roof to be inspected and repaired as a condition to the contract of sale. Additionally, Mr. Read was to inquire about three acres on either side of the current three. She drew with her finger along the current map and showed him that it should follow and trapezoidal figure with the largest section forming about the shoreline of Lake Huron.

“Ah, that’s right, Miss Clayton likes to fish,” he said. “But might I suggest we make it a real chunk of land and have each creek on either side be the divider. Turtle creek to the east and Pike Creek to the west?”

Penny and Maggie looked at that map and Fynn could tell that Penny was doing the arithmetic in her brain. Maggie leaned over to Penny and whispered, “I don’t think the chap will leave us alone unless we do purchase it that way.”

Penny hemmed and hawed. But it was only to keep her math straight in her head. Mr. Read drummed his fingers along the edge of the table and tried to not look like a spoiled rich kid on Christmas.

Maggie’s heart began to beat rapidly. She did the math in her head before Penny’s face relaxed. They were being taken advantage of – but two women and a black man. It was 1885. But, Read was willing to bend the rules a bit. There would just be a matter of the endowment papers. Basically a legal permission slip for Penny to do the transaction. Maggie and Fynn were exempt, save proof that their parental units had succumbed to humanness – death certificates, or just one certificate as Fynn would have to prove he was a free man and Maggie’s status as already a business owner helped her. It was her friend, Penny, that actually had less rights. Penny was going to get George to forge the paperwork for her – she had already determined that this was going to need to be done and George said if she paid the legal fee it would be a binding counsel-client privilege.

“I’ll get you the endowment paperwork early next week,” Penny said. “Let’s make this happen. I’ll be sure to send it by motor courier.”

“Very well, we have a bargain,” Read said and reached out to shake Penny’s hand, who did so very cordially. Maggie nodded and Fynn just stood like a towering statue and left Read’s hand in mid air in front of the dark-suited Fynn.

Maggie could hear the carriage pulling up outside, the tell-tale klomping of the horse team. Fynn started to carry the bags out as Penny gathered up the paperwork necessary for the three of them.

“Where is Barnes? So unlike him not to see guests off,” Read said.

“I believe our paperwork has made it a bit late to catch the ferry or the airship back to Detroit tonight,” Penny remarked taking note of the late hour by the sun on the horizon.

“It would seem that we have kept you longer than planned Miss. Davenport,” Mr. McMorran commented.

“There is only a single formality left in the paperwork,” Mr. Read commented, “You practically own the estate at this point, Miss Davenport. I have no concern of your staying an additional night. It would likely be advisable for you to gain some insight into the staff. I’m sure that would solidify any changes that need to be made.”

Penny smiled, “That would be most agreeable Mr. Read. Thank you. I think we shall accept that offer.”

Maggie was actually grateful for another night to look around and explore. There were, she deduced, all sorts of hidden treasures in the estate. And with Barnes gone, it would take a fair amount of exploration to uncover them all. So, as Penny went through the motions of parting words, Fynn and Maggie took the bags back inside.