Leaving

The house was eerily quiet, the only sound being Edward's footsteps as he went from room to room upstairs, making sure all the windows were latched and everything had been packed away. We had given the staff an early Christmas bonus and some vacation time so they'd be available when it came time to move. I sat among the multitude of crates in the main hall of Primbroke Manor, quietly surveying the outer trappings of our possessions. Outside, a thick fog smothered everything, wrapping the house like a layer of cotton batting and making it impossible to see further than a few feet beyond your nose. I looked around the grand hall of our home and sighed.

"It would seem everything has been packed and the windows are fastened tight." Edward said as he descended the staircase. "I'll lock the front doors behind us when we leave."

I rose to my feet. "Everything will stay here until the move?" I asked.

"Yes, the Guv'nah hasn't given his approval for the move yet, so Primbroke Manor will have to serve as a storage until we can move. Are you ready to go my love?" Edward asked.

"We might as well. I doubt this fog will lift and it's getting chilly in here. I want to get to Steelhead as soon as possible, preferably in the daylight."

Edward smiled softly at me and escorted me out. He carefully locked the main doors behind us and pocketed the key. He paused for a few moments, deep in his thoughts and then turned to face me. I took his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze, understanding implicitly how he felt about having to leave. I gave him a small smile and we walked to the bridge in silence.

The fog had coated every branch, twig and blade of grass with a thick layer of hoar frost. It made our footsteps nearly soundless and it made for a bit of a surreal experience walking through it. When the sun reemerged, it would be a beautiful sight, everything covered in a layer of sparking frost. It would be breathtaking to behold.

We boarded the train and settled into our comparment for our journey to Steelhead. I was looking forward to returning to my first home for a visit, spending time with old friends, neighbours and family. Rosehaven would seem small after Primbroke Manor, but it would also be cozy and snug. It would be good to have a rest and restore ourselves before the big move. The train slowly pulled out of Victoria City station and we glided through the fog towards Steelhead.

The dark seas swell and the thunder rolls

I turned the collar up on my ulster as I waited impatiently for the trolley to arrive. "That blessed thing is always running you over when you don't want it, but never around when you do!" I mumbled. The rain continued to pour, undeterred by the evil look CHED gave it or my grumblings.

I had been out in Caledon doing various shopping that needed to be attended to, and while Edward had been able to give me a ride to Victoria City in the Parsival, he had his own business to see to in Babbage and could not give me a lift home. Finally, the trolley rumbled into sight and I hopped on and burrowed as best I could into my coat on the trip back to Victoria City. I was thoroughly sick and tired of this unseasonable and unusual weather and relished the thought of the warm fires back at Primbroke Manor...not to mention my bathtub filled with steaming hot water.

Finally, after a trolley, train and boat travel, my feet were planted firmly on Argylle. Clutching my basket of purchases, I stumbled up the hill to the manor, my wet hems clutching my ankles and tripping me. Water dripped from the brim of my hat and trickled down the back of my neck. It truly was not a day fit for man nor beast.

Mr. Gears met me at the door and relieved me of my purchases. He also managed to catch me as I tripped on the carpet, and being hobbled by my wet skirts nearly fell. Nell Humphreys, the maid, came and took my drenched coat, hat and gloves and murmured sympathetic musings about the horrid weather. I smiled softly and started to contemplate the joys of my hot bath when the front door loudly banged shut and Edward blew in.

"By the gods it's a wretched night out there!" he exclaimed as he allowed Mr. Gears to remove his coat and hat. "I'm glad I had the Parsival, even though the lightning made piloting her a bit of a task. Getting from the mooring towers to wherever I needed to be was the tricky part." He looked over at me in my disheveled state and said "I see you made it home too my love. I was wondering if you were going to make it home. I did pass by the shop in Victoria City, but I didn't see you there, so I assumed you had made it home on your own muster."

I smiled "I just made it home actually, and am thankful to be here. It's nights like these that make you appreciate the comforts of your own hearthside."

As the servants hustled off to their various duties, Edward drew me into a warm embrace. I returned his hug, allowing myself to relax in his arms, the ticking of his mechanical arm a familiar and comforting sound and combining with the beat of his heart it soothed me to no end. After a few moments he quietly said "My love, I'm afraid I've got some very terrible news."

I pulled away slightly and looked at him fully in the face, trying to read his expression. "Are you alright?" I asked, wondering if he'd be injured during his travels.

"I'm quite well, my dearest but I'm afraid I've got some very dire news regarding our island and what is going to become of it. The Linden Government has issued their decree, which is not as hopeful as we had hoped it might be."

"Oh wonderful! I'm shocked no one has yet successfully managed a military coup on these dear Lindens," I groused. "I'm sure if we used Tensai's technical know-how and gathered Des, Lunar and the leaders of other lands together, a better and less stupid government could be achieved. They are so complacent that we are just going to sit and suffer and not go where they cannot control us that they think they can issue what they want without recourse."

Edward listened to me rant on for awhile longer before gently placing his fingertip on my lips and smiling at me sadly. "I know it's upsetting, but I'm afraid at this time there's not much we can do but comply with their edicts" he said.

"So, what might these new laws be?" I asked with ill humour.

"First, Argylle as we know it will be no longer. They are implementing new laws that will only allow 10 persons at most onto private islands like Argylle and their surrounding waters. As well, they are not allowing construction, they want these areas to remain wild and uninhabited. I have no idea why anyone would want to pay tax on such an area, but possibly some people will. They have also created a 'Homestead Act' where people may purchase an area of land similar in size to Argylle but will be severely curtailed in settling it. As an additional deterrant, owners are not allowed to have groups of more than 20 persons at any one time on these Homesteads. I am not sure if this is to discourage rebellious crowds from forming or what their reasons are, but that limit is in their rules. The third option is one that is quite complex and would require Guv'nah Desmond's authority to do. Of course, turning one's back on it all has always been an option, but one I'm not willing to look at" he said sternly.

I quietly mulled this over in my mind, looking at each option in turn. I took a deep breath and looked around the hall of Primbroke Manor, where Edward and I had worked diligently turning it from an abandoned manor house to a home. I thought of the hours spent pruning and gardening, of the amount of labour Edward invested to build the underwater observatory. I also thought of my fellow Dukes and Duchesses, the community events that they've held, which gave Caledon it's particular zest and acted hubs for the community as a whole. I was thankful that the first Duke of Greystoke was not around to see this day, where he would not have been able to host a zoo, a winter wonderland and so many other wonderful events at Greystoke. I was certain Caledon would survive, but how many other places would not?

We heard Mr. Gears approach us, to announce that dinner was served. I gave Edward a small smile and we proceeded to the diningroom to eat.

It was a dark and stormy night....

It was the evening of October 30, and Edward and I were making our way home from Penzance after the broadcast of the radio play. We travelled in silence, Edward piloting us home while I gazed at the star filled sky.

Our automaton butler, Mr. Primary Gears, was awaiting our arrival at the door. He took Edward's overcoat, hat and gloves and my wrap as we made our way into the warmth of the main hall of Primbroke Manor. The wood panelling gleamed softly in the flickering firelight and made the room even more inviting. The other servants had retired for the evening, so the house was quiet and still.

"Will you or m'lady require anything this evening?" Mr. Gears asked.

"No, you may retire for the night, we will be fine on our own." Edward replied.

"Very well sir." Mr Gears said before going to his storage area.

Edward headed for the parlour, not ready yet to settle for the night. I followed him, sensing that perhaps all was not well and in time he might need someone to serve as a sounding board for his thoughts.

As I settled in on the sofa, Edward prepared his pipe, taking considerable time tamping down the tobacco and making sure the draw was right before he too, sat down. He puffed away in silence, the crease between his eyebrows becoming deeper, his teeth clenching on the pipestem every now and again. I knit a few more rows of my lace edging, discreetly keeping an eye on him and finally decided to break the silence.

"Is everything all right my love?", I asked tentatively

Edward paused in his smoking for a moment before answering. "As well as one could expect." he replied. "Why do you ask?"

I leaned over and gently tried to smooth the lines between his eyebrows. "I cannot recall the last time you've smoked your pipe, to the point where I question how good that tobacco is anymore and by the intensity of your puffs, and the fact that I'm sure you're leaving teeth marks in your pipe stem, I seem to think something is troubling you. You also have not been yourself these past few days...you have scarcely seemed to notice that Cook has been making the most wonderful meals and you've just been abnormally quiet. This leads me to believe that something is troubling you, and I would be delighted to help you with it, if I can."

Edward looked at me for quite some time, drawing the odd puff off his pipe before he set it aside on the table.

"Have you heard anything in your travels about a new land tax that has been suggested?" he asked.

I thought about this for a moment. "I've heard rumblings of something of that sort, although I've not been out in society much as of late. I know that the letters from Lunar used to be filled with his plans for a new home for Tensai and himself once they had cleared more land, but in the most recent letter he just said that he's had to put them back on the shelf for the time being. What are these new taxes?" I asked.

"What has happened is that the world Government, the Lindens, have decided that private islands such as Argylle are too costly for them to administrate, and as such have decreed that they will be implementing a 66% tax increase as of January first of the upcoming year."

I stared at him blankly, my mind racing over the figures and costs of the taxes of Argylle. I had never paid much mind to the financial end of matters regarding our island home, Edward had always had a firmer grasp on what land transactions entailed, but I knew enough to know that this truly was not a good situation at all.

"What has the Guv'nah said about this?" I asked , "Since we pay our taxes to him, and he is the title bearer of all of the Duchies in Caledon, I am curious to know his stance on what this all means."

"An emergency meeting was held in Oxbridge the other day, and the long and short of it is that he is adopting a wait and see pose. He is stressing that there is no need to panic, that Caledon will remain, but perhaps altered. I have been in contact with him, telegraphing him and will be remaining in close communication with him until this is resolved."

I sighed deeply. "I have never understood the Linden government. They seem to make the most arbitrary decisions, but I suppose they can as they are a dictatorship. They stew and quake, fret and tremble about some things and then plow blindly into other decisions. This could really start a rebellion, if not an all out revolution."

Edward chuckled slightly "Oh, I think they have created a malestrom that they did not expect in their wildest dreams. The newspapers are filled with nothing else but this...people are writing letters to the editor in massive numbers, some eloquently written, others take a more....heated stance. There have been good suggestions but ultimately, it will be the Lindens who decide what step they will take from here. I can't help feeling that they are suggesting such a massive tax increase, so that when they come back with one that is more tempered, it will seem like a gift and we'll all be pleased with it."

I snorted delicately.

He continued, "This has wide reaching ramifications though. Not only is Caledon affected, but our neighbouring sister state of Winterfell is as well. There are many, many communities that will feel the sting of this knee-jerk decision, some will be altered drastically. It's even been rumoured that Antiquity will not survive this at all. If this goes through, it has been said that the Grand Duke will allow all the lands to go back to the Government and all the residents will be essentially homeless."

"That's rather like throwing the baby out with the bathwater." I said. "I suppose we can be thankful that we will not be homeless, we still have Rosehaven in Steelhead, although I doubt we could keep our staff there. I'm sure with a good character, they could find employment in other homes in Caledon, as good help is so terribly hard to find."

Edward sighed. "No, we will not be homeless, that is true, but I would be sorry to see this all go. We will have to sit down and take a hard look at the accounts and see if this tax increase is justifiable and feasible. Until we hear official word from the Guv'nah about his next step, we will have to just be patient and wait."

"Oh lovely...patience was never one of my better virtues." I grumbled. "However, you are right. There's nothing we can do but sit tight and bide our time. I do hope though, that the Linden Government change their stance at least a little bit and perhaps for once try a little clarity rather than their usual 'clear as mud' way of sharing information."

"Yes, and perhaps someday pigs will fly!" Edward laughed.

I giggled, "Well, if bunnehs can, I'm sure pigs are next!"

We settled again, Edward puffing on his pipe in a more relaxed manner and myself to my knitting. I couldn't help feeling that the spectre of this new decree was lurking though, like the fogs that came in off the water at night. Was this some sort of Hallowe'en game of Trick or Treat? I softly sighed and resigned myself to being patient. Only time would tell what would happen next.

Happy Halloween!

The Duke and Duchess of Argylle would like to extend the warmest wishes for a Happy Halloween to all of our friends, neighbours and acquaintances in Steelhead and Caledon. Please drop by Primbroke Manor at Argylle or Rosehaven in Steelhead for some treats as you are out with the ghouls and goblins. Happy Halloween!

You are Cordially Invited to Attend...

In celebration of the Inauguration of the Duchy of Argylle and the Duke and Duchess of Argylle's first anniversary, you are invited to attend a reception at Caledon Argylle, Tuesday, July 15 at 7 pm SLT. It would be appreciated if attendees wore clothing that was suitable for such an event.

We look forward to having you celebrate with us. Your presence is gift enough.

Happy Dominon Day Canada!

Warmest wishes to all of our Canadian friends as they celebrate July 1st from the Duke and Duchess of Argylle. We hope your day is filled with fun, family, friends, fireworks, lots of ice cream and no mosquitos!

If you're looking for a picnic after sailing, I do know of a lovely spot right by the shoreline at Argylle. Please enjoy!

Oooh...The Post Office is *Really* Going to Hate Us!

Please pardon the lack of pictures for this journal entry, but I cannot for the life of me find my camera in all this mess. To make a long story short (which I'll go into depth with later), Edward and I have moved yet again...but this time back to Caledon, to our very own Duchy! I'm sure by this point the post office will have given up and just sent everything to Rosehaven in Steelhead to be on the safe side. You can find us at Caledon Argylle, just north of Penzance and East of Brigadoon. There's plenty of room to sail or fly and hopefully soon I'll have a rest area ready for those who are looking for a place to picnic during their outings.

As soon as we are unpacked and settled, I'm sure there will be a celebration of some sort. Personally, I thinking of having a "Burning of the Trunks and Packing Crates" party, just so we don't have to do this again! Now where on earth did I put the teapot???