Allister Hale's Story Graveyard.

When dinner time came Chel had Ginny escort the Regent to the high table. Once everyone was seated she introduced the man to her people and the meal began.

“...and when the light faded away I found myself in your grand uncle's bedchamber. We talked and I guess I said something that impressed him because here I am.”

Chel wasn’t sure what to make of the man and his Earth. She could tell that Ginny was taken with the strange magics he had described. Chel was more skeptical about them but she did admit the story about his homeland was enchanting, even if it was most likely false.

Chel was much happier with his ability to act like he cared about what she thought. Perhaps he sought to impress her. Still, his attitude offered her a chance to keep hold of some of the real power in her barony.

“So, Chel, do you mind if we just get going as early as possible tomorrow? I want to make the most of the daylight getting everything in order. I was thinking we get up before sunrise, eat a light breakfast and get to work.”

Chel tensed up, “Tomorrow seems awfully early to get to work. Wouldn't you prefer to get some rest, perhaps take a relaxing horse ride, before you get to work?”

The man shook his head and smiled as he replied, “Naw, I want to get things in order as quick as possible so I can start making improvements to the barony. I need some kind of budget before I can do anything on that front. Honestly, I could get to work now if you feel ready for it.”

Ginny politely cleared her throat. “Lady Chelsea has some work she put off to receive Lord Larchwood and yourself. Perhaps she can show you how she runs the barony before you retire for the evening.”

The man grinned, “That sounds like an excellent idea. Shall we?”

Shortly after that Chel found herself in her office explaining what she was doing. The regent listened patiently offering the occasional question when he didn’t understand something. She had almost finished the work she had leftover from the morning when he finally decided to tell her she was doing something wrong. “I will have to check my records before I can respond to this letter. I use this slate board to write down a reminder to take care of that the next time I visit my library.”

“I see…. why don’t you have the records in here?”

Chel sighed. The records they were referring to pertained to the wheat harvest from three years ago. There was no way to keep every record she might need in the office and she had to prioritize what she kept in the small room. “Simply put, I don’t need it often enough to keep it In here.”

“Reasonable enough. Why do you use such a tiny office then? This is barely bigger than a wardrobe.”

Chel couldn't help herself, she simply rolled her eyes and ignored him. To her annoyance he simply smiled.

When he was done dismissing her womanly he dismissed her by saying, “We can start getting the office in order tomorrow. Goodnight.”