Twenty-Six“Thought you might like some roast pork and wontons for lunch.” Pania spun her parasol gleefully and pointed it to a makeshift table which had been set up in the yard of the Gold House stables. Nelson, John’s man of all tasks, dutifully deposited a cloth-covered basket down on the rough-sawn pine planks set on trestles where the carpenters working on the new Gold House took their breaks.
John had endured so much ill fortune recently she wanted to do something to cheer him up. That’s why she was here, she told herself. To offer her old friend moral support.
He looked at her quizzically and smiled a tired smile. “Very thoughtful of you, Pania, I’m sure. Completely unnecessary, but much appreciated.”
The old house site was a hive of activity. The foundations were completed, and t
