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To Dream of Darkness

A story by DoggyStyle57

Chapter 49, Written May 2012

===

Chapter 49 - Reunions

Sarina and Asha used the time as they waited on the mountain's peak to prepare their own appearances. Sarina dressed herself once again as the Lady Sarina Randall, in English finery suitable to a young lady of her assumed station in society. Asha became Ashley again, Sarina's black furred vixen maid. No one noticed their presence, on the all but inaccessible crest of Victoria Peak.

They looked down at the lights of Hong Kong, and waited until Sarina was certain that Lu Chen was ready. Then she formed a portal between the peak and the alley in which the young Chinese wolf waited for his former Mistress' summons.

Lu Chen walked immediately through the portal, and knelt in front of Lady Sarina. Then he looked up at her, and said in halting English, "Great Mistress, I most glad am... No, so sorry. I am most glad... that you have called your... your humble servant to you. I have studied hard, and tried to learn this English. I speak much better now?"

"You do indeed! I am quite pleased at your efforts, especially as you could not be certain when, or even if, I would ever ask you to rejoin me," Sarina said. As usual, Sarina's magical gifts ensured that Lu Chen heard her replies in his native Cantonese. "We are returning to England. You may serve me there again, if you are so inclined. Given that you brought your luggage, I take it that you are minded to accept service with me again, and are free to depart?"

"With all my heart, Mistress! I will follow you anywhere," the young wolf replied. "I quit my job and packed as soon as I heard your summons in my mind."

Sarina raised a hand, and sunlight issued from the portal behind Lu Chen, as she redirected it to take them to a room in Lord Pennington's mansion, in England. "Then let us go. Let us see how my Uncle is faring," she said, leading them through the portal.

===

They emerged into Sarina's former bedroom suite, in Lord Pennington's mansion. Sunlight streamed through the windows, and it appeared to be late afternoon, with only a few clouds in the sky.

There was no fire in the fireplace, and the hearth was swept clean of any ashes. The floor was clean, as were the window panes. But the carpet had been rolled against one wall, and the few furnishings that Sarina had left behind were covered with white bed sheets.

"Oh bother! Are we too late? It appears the house has been shut up," Sarina observed. She stepped out into the hall, and was relieved to see that the furnishings in the hall were not similarly draped.

"Oh my God!" gasped a girl's voice behind her. "Where'd you come from?"

Sarina turned, and saw a shocked-looking nineteen year old mixed breed canine girl, who was dressed as a maid. Sarina recognized the girl as one that Lord Pennington had hired about five years before. "Hello Michelle. Sorry to appear unannounced. I only arrived a few minutes ago, and let myself in. Is my uncle at home?"

"Lady Sarina? Is it really you?" the girl asked, "You gave me such a start! I thought I was alone in the house, I did! Oh no! Your room's not ready at all! Oh Lord, not even a bed in there for ye! I'm so sorry! Lord Pennington is at his Gentleman's Club, My Lady - The Three Crowns. He's been takin' his evening meals there, of late. I was just about to go home for me own dinner, I was. But I can get a guest room made up proper for ye first, of course!"

"I have two servants of my own with me who can attend to preparing my rooms. I presume that the room which Lu Chen formerly used is still available for him?" Sarina asked.

"That Chinaman wolf? Aye, Mistress, that room's not bein' used, right enough. Most of the rooms are shut up jus' like yours is, I'm afraid. His Lordship's not been minded to have any guests over of late. He entertains his few business associates at the Club, if at all. So that Chinaman's with ye as well? Still talking naught but his Chinee gibberish?" the girl asked.

"He is with me, yes, as well as my personal maid, Ashley, who you may also remember. And you'll be pleased to know that Lu Chen speaks much better English now, and should be able to communicate clearly with you," Sarina said. "Does my Uncle come home to an empty house, then? And when might I expect his return?"

"He comes back about sunset, My Lady, an' I gets here shortly before that, to greet him an' see that his fire is kindled in his bedroom, and his bed warmed with a warming pan, and to attend to aught else that he may require before he retires for the night. Then I come back in the morning, to help the cook with his Lordship's breakfast, and do the morning chores," the maid replied.

"You may have the rest of the evening off, then, enjoy your meal at home, and return in the morning," Sarina said. "My servants and I will take good care of my uncle tonight. And tomorrow we will re-arrange the duties of the staff slightly, to allow my own servants to help out in the evenings. Do not fear, however. Your pay will not be decreased - just your work load. Good night, Michelle."

"And good night to you too, My Lady! Oh, his Lordship will be so happy to see ye again!" the maid said. Then she curtsied and left.

===

Lord Pennington took a horse-drawn cab from the Three Crowns to his home, as he did almost every night. The old fox had consumed a fair measure of brandy with his dinner, but was still generally in command of his senses, and only slightly befuddled. He had to keep up appearances, after all. The brandy and the conversation with the other gentlemen at the Three Crowns helped to dull the loneliness that he felt, and aided him in going to sleep swiftly upon returning home. He knew that once he was in his home, and had consumed one more brandy before bed, that the sweet oblivion of sleep would embrace him until sunrise.

He paid the driver his fare, walked somewhat unsteadily to his door, and was still fumbling with his keys when the door opened, and a maid let him in. Lord Pennington was all the way into the foyer before it dawned on him that the girl that let him into his home was not his canine maid, Michelle, but some black-furred vixen!

"Ahem! Now see here, Miss! Who the deuce are you, and where is my maid, Michelle! Deuce it all, this is my own house, isn't it? I'll have that cab driver's ear for a key fob if he let me off at the wrong home!" he sputtered.

"This is indeed your home, sir, and Miss Michelle has been given the night off," the vixen replied calmly, taking the gentleman's topcoat and hat and walking stick, which he relinquished almost as a reflex action, and placing the hat and coat in their usual places on hooks in the foyer, and the stick in the umbrella stand.

"Given the night off! Who the deuce said she could have the night off? And who the dickens are you!" he spouted, trying to focus his old eyes on the vixen.

"I am Ashley," she replied, "I have worked here before, Your Lordship, though it has been a while. Now, you have guests waiting for you in the Solar, and you should greet them promptly. Be calm, Your Lordship. All is well. You'll see."

"Guests? Guests! What the devil is going on? Who had the temerity to order my maid about and to let unasked for guests into my home?" he asked, as he followed the departing maid into the Solar.

"Who else would the staff here obey without question, Father," Sarina said, standing and approaching him. "I have come home from the Orient, after nigh unto a year. I do apologize for not writing to warn you of my arrival - but where I was in the Orient, the Royal Mail does not reach."

"Sarina? Oh my dear girl, is it really you?" he said tearfully. "Oh, my dear child. I can scarcely believe my eyes. Have you come home to stay? Or is this just a brief visit, or worse yet, naught but a dream, brought on by too much brandy?"

"No dream, Father," Sarina said. "And I have no plans to go anywhere else for a while, if your offer to use your home as my own still stands. How are you doing? And how is Sister Meghan, your former wife?"

"Well, of course you are welcome! This is your home, my child! Oh, but you couldn't have heard. Sister Meghan sought the comfort of God since the death of our daughter, Amara. Three months ago, God took her in the night, and she is with him now, God rest her soul. She is gone, and that left me alone in this world, with you off in the Orient, and my other daughter and my sister and my brother in law all deceased," he said sadly. "You are all that I have left of family, my child. I have a few friends still at the Three Crowns, but really, no one else. When you left, I didn't seek any female companionship. No other girl could measure up."

"Ohhh, I am very sad to hear that, Father. But as you said, now she is with God, and that is what she wanted," Sarina replied. "Well, I am back now. Shall I join you this evening? Or have you had too much to drink?"

"Ahhh, I fear I might be incapable tonight, yet I would dearly love just cuddling with you this night," he replied. "And tomorrow, I shall cut back on the brandy, I promise! I only drank so much to hold back the loneliness. I shall have no need for that crutch, with you beside me again."

"Well then father, we shall do just that," Sarina said. "And tomorrow, I would propose that we rearrange the schedule, so my servants take care of the night duties, and Michelle and the cook depart earlier, right after dinner. Then we can have our privacy every night."

A knock at the door interrupted any further conversations.

"See who that is, Ashley," Sarina said, though she was fairly certain she knew who it must be.

"Yes Mistress," the vixen replied.

Ashley went to the door, and opened it.

"I do hope it is not too late for a social call?" said the Bernese lady at the door. "Though seeing you, I see the premise for my call was correct. May I greet your Mistress?"

"Come in, Lady Portia," Ashley said with a grin. "Still dispatching werewolves and vampires?"

The canine mage entered, and left her cloak by the door. "On occasion," she replied. She followed Ashley into the Solar, and said, "Please pardon my late and unannounced arrival. But I felt the portal that Miss Sarina used to arrive here, and felt fairly certain that it must be she who formed it. Couldn't think of another mage in England other than myself who could make that strong a portal, or who would have any reason to make one appear here. You are looking well, My Lady. And it is of course always good to see you, Lord Pennington, though I haven't seen you since Sister Meghan's funeral. Tragic, her passing so soon."

"Well, yes, and thank you for your concern," Lord Pennington said. "I would have invited you for tea, or some such, but... well, I was in mourning for a while, and then, the possible improprieties of entertaining a lady alone, in my home? And of course I couldn't invite you for a drink at the Three Crowns, with you being female and all."

"All quite understandable, your Lordship," Lady Portia said.

"I am glad you came, Lady Portia," Sarina said. "I have been to some fascinating places in the Orient, and I brought back some marvelous and rare texts that you most likely have never seen. Once I get a workshop rented again, I shall invite you to study them with me."

"I would be delighted!" Lady Portia replied. "You can still reach me in the usual way. Just leave word at any Church that you need to talk to me, and they will get the message to me. One advantage of being a Paladin - the Church is very cooperative with my needs now. But, the hour is late, and I should let you get your rest. I merely wanted to welcome my old friend home, and see that all was well."

"All is well, and the more so now that we are together again," Sarina replied. "Good night then, My Lady, and sweet dreams to you. I shall call on you soon."

===

Once Lady Portia was gone, Sarina led Lord Pennington to his bedroom, and joined him there for the first several hours of the night. Despite the old fox's misgivings about the state of his intoxication, he was so happy for the chance to mate again with the vixen that he believed to be his own daughter, that he still managed to mate with Sarina briefly, before they fell asleep.

Sarina cleaned herself up after Lord Pennington was snoring softly, and prepared to return to her own bed. "This is not a bad place to be, I suppose," she said quietly to herself. "I shall have to do something about the other servants, however. I need to make sure they will accept without question that I sleep with his Lordship, and won't speak of it to others. But that is easily enough done, and can wait until morning. Sleep well, 'father'. Tomorrow begins a new day for us all."