Pettic"s parents were pleased to see him when he returned to them. He helped them as much as he could while he was there. He was pleased to see that his father"s letter had been accurate and his mother was not worried at all about having charge of a number of servants. In all truth, the housekeeper helped her more than a little until she got used to issuing orders for things she used to do herself.
The farming side of running the estate was also going well under his father, who was delighted to have so many hands to help. Having farmed himself, his father was much more knowledgeable than the previous earl and they appreciated being able to talk about what they were doing with him.
Pettic"s brother, Derkil, however, pestered him endlessly about when he could go to court. The sixteen year
