Walking gingerly over beside Captain Yates, Father Alden addresses Walter nervously, “I say, has there been trouble around here lately?  You seem as if you …. Uh…. Felt the need to defend yourself.”

He pauses and leans a little closer to Walter, “Are you all right my good man?”, he asked with concern.

Kit puts his hand on Father Glenn's shoulder. "I would keep your distance, reverend," he whispers.

The old woman gives Jonathan a long' appraising look then breaks out in a jaggle-toothed smile.

"Might as well call me Nana like your father and grandfather did. Pay no mind to Walter here, he's a bit soft in the head"

The man looks blankly ahead as Nana talks, showing no reaction to her unkind words. Up close, you realise he is older than his baby-faced looks initially suggest, perhaps in his forties. There is certainly an unpleasantly degenerative cast to his features.

At this point your driver Bill chimes in. "Beggin' your pardon sirs, but will you be wanting a taxi in the next day or two?"

Kit walks over to Bill. "Yes, my good man, why don't you check back here in the morning to see if we're needed. I'm almost certain I'll want to go into town."

He nods knowingly to the Captain.

"Nana," says Jonathan with a smile, "I almost seem to remember your face. Tell me, is there a working telephone in the house?

"Hold on a moment, Bill, will you?"

Nana cackles wildly again. "I never could get the hang of 'em and Walter's too dumb to need one. No telephones here"

Kit's eyebrow shoots up, looking at his cousin.

Taking Kit’s advice, Father Alden backs up a few steps from Walter.  He absent mindedly grasps the cross necklace he wears and gently rubs it as he looks back and forth between Nana, Walter, and Jonathan.  He is …….. surprised, would be the polite word, at the inhabitants of the manor.

Silently chastising himself, he turns his attention to the manor and gives it a visual once over.

"Well this is very touching," Says George sardonically, "but can we continue the family reunion inside"

George eye Walter the whole time.  He reminds him of one of his old troopers who was invalided out after getting kicked in the head by a horse.

"I wonder, Bill, if we could persuade you to stay overnight. It would save you a couple of long drives and save us a deal of waiting tomorrow.

I expect we'll need to get our own automobile. Perhaps you know of a business where we might find one available for lease or sale. Might be needing a driver, as well."

He turns to 'Nana' again, "Yes, let's get inside and see what Blenhaim House has to offer the weary traveller.

"Walter, please help Bill with the luggage."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:30, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

Kit's eyebrow drops a bit. He knocks some ash off of his shrinking cigarette. "Cousin, a word, if I could?" he says casually, waving the young Lord over.

"Of course, Kit. Nana, I haven't introduced everyone, please forgive me.

"These are Father Glenn Alden, George Yates, and Christopher Alden that we call Kit. Mr. Yates has been a friend of my Mother's family since before I was born and Kit is my cousin. Father Alden's sort of a 'father confessor' to me.

"Will you show Father Alden and Uncle George inside? I'll join you presently." He steps over to his cousin.

"What's on your mind, Kit?"

Kit pulls the young Lord over and whispers:

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"Say, now, do you think it wise to stay here ourselves? I would rather we reconnoiter the place, have a 'spot of tea' as the Brits like, and head back to the city."

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This message was last edited by the player at 15:30, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

Jonathan speaks quietly with Kit.

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"Kit, it's dark and we've been travelling all day. Perhaps we should have stayed in Newcastle and come here in the morning, but I don't see the harm in staying tonight." He grins teasingly at his cousin, "Afraid of the family ghost?"

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This message was last edited by the player at 16:05, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

Kit chuckles and then continues whispering.

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"I only fear deranged fellows with axes. We need to hide anything that this manservant of yours could attack us with."

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He walks back over to Bill. "What do you say, Bill? Can we persuade you to spend the evening here, for, say, twice your normal fare?"

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"I don't think Walter meant to be threatening. He was probably cutting kindling and absent-mindedly carried the axe along when he heard us arrive. Absent-minded is apparently a fairly constant state."

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"Double? By God, Kit, you're awfully free with my money!" Jonathan laughs.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:13, Fri 09 Mar 2012.

Kit grins and drops his cigarette on the ground, snuffing it out with the toe of his shoe.

Walter stares blankly at Jonathan, until Nana barks a guttural command. Walter picks up a case, then, after another word from Nana, puts down the axe and picks up a second.

Jonathan, Kit and Bill remain outside for a few moments more. "Very generous of you sirs, but I was planning to sleep in a layby somewhere tonight în any case. I'll happily accept your offer of a bed, no need for double the money. But, beggin' your pardon, after I've helped with the cases I'd like to see if I can move the car into one of those outhouses, the morning dew play havoc with her engine"

Kit nods. "Certainly, Bill, certainly."

He moves quietly in the direction of the house.

"Splendid! I appreciate it, Bill." Jonathan gets his briefcase that contains the various legal and business papers he's been given (including the journal) out of the car and goes into the house, looking for Nana and George and Father Alden.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:52, Sat 10 Mar 2012.

Jonathan bustles into the cavernous entrance hall. The room  is very dark, as the filthy windows block most of the fading daylight. The ceiling above is festooned with cobwebs and the furniture is covered in dust and grime. A solitary candle on a rickety wooden table provides the only illumination. Opposite the door is an imposing double staircase leading up to the second floor landing, and Jonathan catches up with the others and they ascend.

"You'll 'ave to slum it gents, there's just me an' Walter lookin' after the place".

She leads you down several winding, dusty corridors, the weak candlelight doing little to dispel the gloom. The walls are bare of decoration, with the occasional square mark showing where pictures once hung. Presently Nana stops outside a heavy oak door and leads you into a musty parlour with several adjoining rooms

"You can all sleep here if two of you don't mind doubling up" says Nana and she goes about the room lighting a few candies. "You'll want to air the rooms out I be bound. No hot water I'm afraid but with the weather we've been 'aving you wont' need any. I'm making some stew later if you've a mind to eat something"

Father Alden scanned Blenheim house as the group followed Nana to the rooms.  He was….. quite disappointed.  If the place had been kept up, it could be lovely.  But in its current state the house was more of an eyesore than anything else.  Not wanting to discourage Jonathan he kept his thoughts to himself ….. for now.

Father Alden nodded his thanks to Nana and said, “Some warm stew would be most welcome later.  I for one, would be happy to partake.  Thank you.”

To the rest of the group he said, “I come from a large family, so sharing a bed with someone else would be no trouble at all for me.”

Kit follows the others in momentarily and catches this. "While you all seem like good chaps, I think maybe I should bunk up on my own, or on the floor."

He looks about the place, running his finger along the grimy window-pane. He then pulls out a hankerchief and starts dusting off one of the chairs.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Wed 14 Mar 2012.

"Yes Father.  If you've seen one barracks, you've seen them all."
George makes what he can of the facilities.

Jonathan is somewhat depressed by the condition of his ancestral seat, but makes the best of the accommodations and the fare. "George, we'll have to engage a staff and set about putting this old pile to rights, eh?" he says over the stew.

After dinner, once Nana has withdrawn to her kitchen, Jonathan brings out a bottle of brandy he brought with him from London and a box of cigars.

"You've each had a chance to read my father's journal. What do you make of it?"