The house was quiet, the night was just beginning to yield to the rising sun, and there was a deep chill in there air, unseasonably cold for early fall. Nathaniel was just leaving his office, where he had fallen asleep again while finishing up his constantly growing pile of paperwork. Between trade agreements for other noble houses, and weapon and armor commissions for the Mordecai Chapter House, the paperwork came in ungodly amounts.
The Lord shivered and watched his breathe condense in the air before him, "How the bloody hell is it this cold this early into the year?" he asked no one in particular. Walking down to the staff barracks, he summoned Mr. Blake, the staff master of the house.
"Blake, have the maids light a fire in all the fire places. Tell the Stable Masters to prepare the wagon, have some of the maids put some extra blankets in there. Finally, send Ms. Jackman to rouse Cornelia and get her ready. We will be gone for most of the day with our tour of the Chapter House, Keep things in order and just add any paperwork that comes in to the pile, I wil get to it eventually."
"It will be done, Lord Grey."
Nathaniel nodded to Mr. Blake and returned to his office to retrieve his jacket before heading to the kitchen to see about grabbing some breakfast for Cornelia and himself. He liked to be self reliant from time to time.