A cold ale, a nice shot, and a cigarette; let’s just start with that. Such was my thought to get into a relaxed mood, enjoy some light dining and drink, and then a good night’s sleep. Amos caught me on the way and related that he was taking our belongings to Mrs. Langdon’s house, as she had instructed. Well, that stopped me in my tracks. I had given Mrs. Langdon no such leave - to order my belongings moved. The good news was Amos had finished with the Gretzky’s, meaning they had some sort of reliable story to tell. The bad news was that Grace Langdon was already overstepping her bounds.

I decided just to roll with it; I wanted to have fun and not get all worked up. It was really time to take off the businessman’s mask and put on my adventurer’s hat. Indiana Jones ain’t got nothing on me. With introductions fully made and a round of drinks ordered, we sat down and started chatting. Safe topics revolved around travels and the wonders of the foreign lands.

We even got into education for a while, which startled me. USC in Los Angeles had become a university in Constantinople and Stanford University had a new name and was located in Geneva, of all places. Those respective languages were spoken along with English and the cities had been visited, so sites and stories somewhat made sense. Names were an entire discussion. They gave complicated African tribal names but he decided he liked Sheriff. She was to be called Lucinda. It wasn’t unusual to have new names when one came to America.

I led the conversation about traveling with harrowing tales of travel by ship and overland through desert and other inhospitable climes. Mrs. Langdon related amusing stories of her trip out west and the horrors of a Philadelphia girl in frontier St. Louis. It was culture shock that the other three of us could definitely related to.

We ate small dishes of light summer food for supper as the drink continued to flow. Everyone was getting a little tipsy and much laughter filled the room. We even spoke of sports and the half-drunk explanations of what basketball and volleyball were, had the room in tears. Golf and tennis were well understood and got more attention than I felt necessary, but we managed to avoid arts and entertainment. Those were off-limits topics for time twitchers such as us.

Music was interesting since vast cultural differences were assumed and newer music wasn’t such a problem when introduced as something from a far-off, exotic land. Food was another fun one. Modern dishes were simply viewed as more exotic items from unknown worlds. I spoke of the many disparate people we had in Rulo and listed the exotic foods that came with them. This was a somewhat cruel humor but it was fun to watch Sheriff and Lucinda drool over burritos, sushi, and chili-dogs. Once we got into pastas, they tried to order more food, but the kitchen was closed and it was time for us to go.

Amos was waiting for us as we said our good byes to the Byrnes and staggered out the back door. The spare horses were tied to the back of the rig and a teenaged girl about Amos’s age was standing holding the team. Well, that was new. Mrs. Langdon gave Amos directions, 'half a mile on the main road, stone gate entry on the right.' Langdon House was waiting up for herand lamps should be lit for our arrival.

With the four of us being tipsy, even climbing into the carriage was an adventure. The carriage was definitely designed for people much smaller than Sheriff and I; we barely fit. Grace commented that this carriage normally only saw use during funerals. It was elegantly appointed, though, and well-lit if you so desired. It was a quick trip, so conversation didn’t get much further than that before we had arrived and Grace’s manservant was helping us out of the cramped carriage. Grace deposited the visiting couple in the sitting room and showed them the attached water closet. She then guided me out to the stable to help put everything up.

The stable was little used, with only one horse in residence. We quickly filled the rest of the stalls, using up all of her bedding and half of her remaining feed in the process. I asked Amos to remember to have the loft and feed bins refilled tomorrow and to organize it with Mrs. Langdon’s man. We'd tell Clara the amount and cost. I’d need a local accountant and soon. I wanted to stay in the clear with the state and Feds at all times. Render unto Caesar and all that.

With the animals and carriage safely stowed, we closed up the stable and headed to the house. Grace’s man, Phillipe, took Amos and the girl to the servant’s quarters and I followed along out of curiosity. Each servant actually had a nicely set up small room with a central area for eating and relaxing. They even had a water closet and a bath. Everything was attached to the main house near the kitchen and laundry. It was a nice setup. I didn’t stay long, just had a look around and then left them their privacy.

Grace was waiting for me in the main hallway when returned from the servants quarters. She greeted me with a smoldering kiss. This was a surprising development, but her body against mine felt heavenly and her kiss was ferocious. It took me almost a full minute to disengage her before we embarrassed the staff.

We headed back to the sitting room, where warm drinks and aperitifs were available. Conversation didn’t last long before we went on a tour and were shown our rooms for the night. All of the rooms were large and nicely appointed. And each had an adjoining water closet. It was a very large house and overly spacious for the period, not that I was complaining.

Sheriff and Lucinda were installed in their own room and I was taken to mine. My belongings were all there and unpacked. All I had to do was undress and roll into the soft, large bed. Long, busy days and an evening of drinking collapsed down on me. I was asleep within moments.