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| Gardens at Government House in Victoria, BC |
June 08, 2020
Review, Edit and Update
Wow! Although there were several, I only ferreted out punctuation issues for this episode.
Over the Airwaves highlights the issue of maintaining, and sometimes deepening, relationships when in our isolation in Covid19.
Over the Airwaves
Digby very quietly suggested that, as he had to call a staff meeting, he would need more information about the condition of the Beaufort mansion. He asked Martha if she would mind contacting Cook and Brigitte to determine their plans. “Of course I don’t mind.” Digby was quite satisfied, confident in the way Martha managed the household. She would call him with the results of her conversation.
~~~~~
“Well, James is so quiet. I can hardly get a word out of him.” Martha was on the phone with Cook suggesting to her that she needed to take a look at the kitchen. “While those two girls stayed there ~ and neither of them are girls anymore so they should know better ~ they did not leave your kitchen very tidy. The microwave!? They couldn’t have cleaned it at all. And the oven…..Dez ~ that’s Miss Emelina’s sister ~ told me that they only used it a couple of times and it was just for the frozen pizzas you left in the freezer. You’d think there had been teenagers in the kitchen the mess they made. At least they kept their dishes done up. What’s that, Elizabeth?”...............The dishwasher? It was full but all the dishes were clean so I just put them away. I didn’t want to leave that for you. What was I saying about James? As you must already know, he wants to have a staff meeting ~ I may have told you that already ~ but he’s still not sure what day. He wants you to have a chance to inspect your kitchen, pantry and freezer to see what needs to be filled up.”
“You know, Martha, I’ve talked to Dez. She’s such a nice girl and so different from madam. What’s that? We’re not to call her ‘madam’ anymore? Well, that sister of hers must have been a good influence on her. And she’s moved into which room?”
“All the way down the hall to the den. Can you believe it?”
“Where will she put all her fancy things. She’s not going to run back and forth to her closet, but then I suppose she’ll get Brigitte to do all that running......!"
“Miss Emelina hasn’t mentioned Brigitte once. I did tell her that I would be seeing when she would be getting in so we can start a top to bottom clean. But she didn’t say anything about any of her things. Half of them are still in that big closet, but you know that big old ‘armoire’ ~ I think that’s what it’s called ~ she’s cleaned out all of her Michael’s things and has some of her clothes and only a few pair of shoes in there."
“Good for her. She’s taking the bull by the horns these days. As far as the cleaning goes, tell Brigitte to leave the big appliances to me. All but the dishwasher. It’s a big kitchen so getting the floors and cupboards cleaned will keep her busy enough. Not to mention the upstairs.”
“I’ll make sure she gets your instructions. Do you know when you’ll be over to the mansion for the inspection Digby wants? I’m calling him tonight so I can tell him. He may be able to give me a date for the staff meeting….but then I probably should wait to find out when Brigitte is coming in. That way everything will be tickety-boo when he gets there.”
“Do you think tomorrow will be alright? I could come in the morning. I don’t know how long I’ll be there so if Brigitte is coming we’ll just make sure to keep our distance. It’s a big house so it’ll be easy enough."
“Tomorrow will be just fine. I’ll give Brigitte a quick call before I call James…..I mean Digby….and will let you know when she’ll be coming in. And by the way, when you get to the mansion, if you see a lady in jeans, a t-shirt and work boots, that’s probably Miss Emelina. I hardly recognized her yesterday when I was there. She was on her way to the garden. It’s good to talk to you Elizabeth. I can barely wait to get back to work and a normal life.”
Martha hung up the phone. If you could call it hanging up the phone. Just tapping a little square was just not as satisfying as putting the receiver back in its cradle. She did miss those phones. But now to call Brigitte.
“Brigitte? This is Martha Haverstock from the Beaufort Estate. How are you? You’ve been at your parent’s cottage? How lovely for you. I’m calling to see what plans you have made to come to start cleaning the Beaufort mansion. ……Tomorrow? ……….Yes tomorrow will be fine. Just remember to maintain good distancing which I’m sure you would anyway. Cook will be there in the morning to check on her appliances and our food supplies. I’ve told her you may be there, but I’ll give her a quick call and let her know. I’m also calling Digby tonight with that same information. He wants to set a staff meeting date but wanted us to do our inspections and cleaning so we can start as fresh as possible………Yes, Digby will be sending out an email with the date as soon as he knows. Thank you Brigitte and I’m looking forward to working with you again after this long time in separation.”
Martha felt a little bit flustered. So much talking. She was probably just tired out. She went to her bathroom and put a cool cloth on her face. She looked a bit flushed but didn’t have a temperature. Just to be sure, she got out her old thermometer. Yes, she was just fine. Well, as soon as she spoke with James she thought a nice cup of tea and a biscuit would make her feel better. She fluffed up her hair and smoothed the collar of her floral print dress, straightened her light coral cashmere sweater and went back to the telephone by her computer. FaceTime. Do I dare? What if he’s indisposed when I call? Surely he wouldn’t answer, but he would call me back. I think I’ll take a risk… mother always said ‘Be brave’.
~~~
James Edward Digby was expecting Martha’s call. After a supper of ham and mashed potatoes, James washed his dishes, put them away and swept the floor. He checked the time on his kitchen clock shaped like a very handsome rooster. It was only 6:30p. Martha was to call at 7:30p. He decided he would have time. In the morning, when James combed his hair, it stayed combed. But just in case, he went to the hall mirror and there was hair or two out of place. His shirt collar was a bit askew and he felt a slight chill so thought he should get a sweater on before Martha called. He retrieved his sweater from his closet and slipped it on. In the bathroom, he straightened his shirt collar, combed his hair again and made certain he buttoned his sweater just two buttons from the bottom. Martha may be calling just to give me a brief report, but I think I may have suggested that she could call using Facetime. James went into his home office and sat at his desk in front of his computer. But just in case, he also made certain his cell phone was fully charged.
“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”
~ Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
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