Dear readers,

I loved that you loved the last chapter, the sort of mid-season-finale!
At this point we stay with Laura for a bit before returning to London. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own BSG.

May 1804

Return to Caprica

Laura Roslin

She breathed out in relief as the entrance of the grounds of Caprica Manor came into sight, not missing the small smile Maya gave her from across the carriage. She had decided to bring her lady's maid with her since she wanted to reduce Cally's workload slightly. The lady was very aware that a lot of people would frown upon her decision of keeping on her lady's maid after getting a suitor, obviously becoming pregnant and then marrying as a last resort, but Laura felt it would be hypocritical of her to punish her in light of her own life choices. Additionally, the girl had a gift with the styling of hair and fixing small issues on dresses, so it would be a waste of talent as well. Most employers agreed that it wasn't anyones business how they treated their servants - for better or worse - but obviously word spread quickly around a community or even a city such as London. Her being too nice was not the worst thing someone had said about her, Laura mused.
Her dear Maya on the other hand certainly enjoyed travelling to the countryside with her. She wasn't quite sure whether it had to do with the better air in summer, the change or scenery or the general lower workload, but her mistress still saw no reason not to grant her the pleasure. Only Tory would stay at Roslin House and act as a supporting housekeeper during the summertime. It was kind of her own fault, since she would constantly attack Cally when she thought Laura wouldn't notice, spreading upheaval among the other servants.

The iron gates that they were now approaching were already open, likely awaiting ehr arrival, the spikes on top reflecting the light. Just as the house it was guarding, the gatekeeper's lodge at the right side was fairly stately and luxurious, big enough to comfortably house a family of five. When they heard the coach arrive, the two older children curiously ran outside, stopping in their tracks as they recognized the symbol at the door.

"Faaaaaather!" the younger girl called out excitedly, so loud that Laura could hear it through the door and the window of the vehicle.

She took the walking stick that had been placed in the coach, rapping it against the roof twice. There was no way she would knock her delicate hands against the wood, obviously. Her coachman, well used to the sign, brought the horses to a stop in front of the lodge, just as the gatekeeper and his wife came out of the house. The gatekeeper, Mr Harrison, was a portly man with a very red face and a rather loud, booming voice. He seemed a bit like an angry bull, however, Laura knew this to be a very wrong first impression. He was a friendly and polite man, a very good, honest, and responsible gatekeeper at that and most devoted to his family. When she had been a teenager he had inherited the post from his father and married Mrs Harrison soon afterwards. Mrs Harrison had been the baker's daughter from town, a happy, rather round girl with big blue eyes and a rather unfortunate amount of freckles all over her face. The resulting children had turned out just as expected: An older girl, Debbie, about 10, with a rather plump figure and the most beautiful bright smile in a rather pretty face, and a younger one, Susie, who definitely had inherited her father's loud voice and her mother's happy demeanour - and the unfortunate freckles. She always reminded Laura a bit of a puppy. Two years ago, Mrs Harrison had told Laura that she was certainly done with having children, that they were perfectly happy with the two girls even if there wasn't a male heir - and just a couple of months later, she was suddenly pregnant again. This time it actually was a boy, little Lennard, still short with a cherubian face and his mother's blue eyes.

Right now, Lennard was snuggly fit on his mother's hip as they all stood outside, patiently waiting as Felix Gaeta helped Laura out of the coach. While the younger girl's curtsy was still a bit wobbly, she could see Debbie made all effort to look as polished as possible, even with her wonky braids and slightly dirty dress. Well, those children were just children, able to play as they wished, maybe a bit rough and wild, but Laura wouldn't blame them. She greeted the parents warmly, politely declining the offer for tea for now but promising to visit later that week. She certainly would have to check in on Mr Harrison and enquire after the traffic and the conditions of the road and Mrs Harrison was a delightful source of information about the village and its inhabitants. Only going to church was more prolific for gathering gossip.

When she got back into the coach after a couple of minutes, she told Mr Gaeta to drive slowly through the park, giving her a first opportunity to take everything in. The track seemed in order just as the park around her. The lawns were getting quite long, but after all it was a park, not the gardens, so that was fine. At least it was an opportunity for wild flowers to bloom. She had told Bill about that, she remembered. It seemed so long ago now. Finally, Caprica came into view on a slight hill to her right, majestic in the late afternoon light. The sun was playing on the stones and glinting on the windows, making it sparkle like a jewel. It was beautiful, and even though it held many painful memories, her heart always beat faster with joy whenever she saw it. This was home, a place where she didn't have to scheme or to fake but simply to be.

"I am astonished every time I see it," Maya commented, sounding a bit dreamy, her French accent more pronounced than usually.

Laura could only agree, people didn't call it one of the finest houses in the country for nothing, visiting it whenever Laura wasn't at home. As they came nearer, trees started to grow on both sides of the road, so old and majestic that they almost touched above the lane like a dark green canopy. These trees had been here for generations and likely would be after the last Roslin was gone. Which was, as it seemed right now, her. So not very difficult.

There was bustling in the yard in front of the house as a group of people hurried out of the building to welcome her. She smiled gratefully as a young man in his twenties gallantly opened the door, helping her and Maya outside. He had a kind smile in an attractive face, framed with slightly unruly hair. The well-taylored clothing told the keen observer about his important position in the house. He bowed politely.

"A pleasure to see you, as always," he told her, "everything is in order, just as you wished."
"Thank you Mr Keyan," she answered graciously, "I didn't doubt your organisational skills for a moment, I am so glad to be back!"

She breathed out deeply, turning towards the people who had now built a row in front of the house. All of them were servants, ordered by importance, and Laura made sure to greet each and everyone by name with Mr Keyan behind her.
First came the butler Garner and the housekeeper Mrs Kowal, the cook, then Cally, the 6 footmen and the three upper housemaids who permanently lived in Caprica. Three other girls would come from London in the next couple of days, leaving Roslin House with only a skeleton staff. While Laura could afford a big group of servants, she also didn't believe in spending money unnecessarily on people who wouldn't have anything to do for half of the year. Then came the five lower housemaids, and the servants and more senior outdoor staff. The lowest employees like scullery maids or stable boys were not expected to participate, but Laura still made sure to know their faces and names in case any issue came up and she ahd to make decisions about and for her employees.

"Mrs Kowal," she addressed her housekeeper as they walked up the grand steps, "I would like to refresh myself and retire for a bit, but please be available for a short talk before supper."
"Of course," the other woman answered with a short curtsy, "the girls will help you get settled, I will have the men bring up you luggage."
"Thank you!"Laura answered,"Maya, you have been such a help this morning, you may retire for the day. Please send up Nora instead."

Maya seemed happy but surprised, relieved to have some time to herself and excused herself in the direction of the servants' quaters. Laura found her own room unchanged but ready to use, it had been aired out and decorated with fresh flowers on the small table at the window. Even though Caprica could boast of a spacious master's chamber connected to the mistress' chamber, Laura had never moved into it, still using her old childhood bedroom. She didn't see any reason to change it, after all, it was big enough for one person, easier to keep warm, had the nicer view, and included everything she could ever need. Laura took a couple of moments just to look out of her window, trying not to think about how different her arrival would have been if she had brought Bill or even his whole family with her. It made her feel melancholic and almost uncomfortably sad, and she quickly tried to push the thought away. Just a couple of minutes later, there was a knock at the door and a young brown-haired woman briskly walked into the room, effectively ripping her out of her thoughts. Nora wore a blue dress that matched the colour of her eyes and her hair had been pulled back in an easy but carefully done hairstyle. She seemed genuinely happy to see her mistress, assisting her in opening the fastenings of her travelling dress and unpinning her hair. While she was normally only a upper housemaid, the young woman was well-mannered and far more elegant than one would expect for her station, making her an ideal additional lady's maid when needed. Most of her employees were actually rather well-educated in light of their station, and Laura liked it that way, even though it often meant paying higher wages to make them stay and not search employement elsewhere. She found ignorance exhausting and their broader range of talents often made her life easier sicne she could entrust them with more difficult tasks.

"Is there anything else you need?" she inquired.
"No, but please be back in about an hour or so," Laura told her.

After Nora had turned down the covers, Laura moved to lie down, though the curtain stayed open, letting in the light. There was no way she was going to sleep anyway, but her back ached from sitting and some respite in her bed seemed like a good idea.

The sun was already disappearing behind the trees when Nora appeared again to help her get dressed for the meeting with her housekeeper and dinner. While she made sure to be always dressed according to her station, Laura considered an overly formal attire unnecessary when she was residing alone at Caprica. She noticed contendly that her study had been prepared as well, there was no dust on the desk and books, and the room smelled fresh like the air outside, even though everything seemed to be exactly as she had left it. Only a couple of minutes after she had taken a seat behind the big mahagony desk, Mrs Kowal entered the room, curtsying courtly before taking her customary seat across from Laura. She waited for her employer to speak first.

"How have you been?" Laura wanted to know.
"Not too bad, Ma'am," the housekeeper answered, "it has been rather quiet around here, at least after the gates and trees had been taken care of after the last storm. There have been more visitors than usual though. They all loved the House, I am not surprised, if I may say so."
She smiled, visibly proud.
"We have been taking very good care of her, Ma'am."
"I can see you have," Laura confirmed, "Caprica looks as splendid as always."
"Ma'am, I did not want to bother you with it right now, but if you find the time, I would like to confirm the accounts with you," Mrs Kowal went on, "there is nothing to worry about, the House is keeping up nicely, but she is an old lady after all and just in case..."
"Of course, of course we shall do that", Laura confirmed,"though I plan to involve Mr Keyan as well in this discussion."
Mrs Kowal nodded in agreement.
"Is there anything else?"
"No Ma'am," the other woman answered, taking the hint to get up, "shall l have once of the men bring up your dinner right now?"
"That would be lovely, thank you," Laura answered, a bit distracted.
Using the grand dining hall for herself alone always seemed uncomfortable and unnecessary to her. Instead, she often took her supper in her own bedroom or her study, everyone knew this. Her housekeeper curtsied, but stopped again at the door.
"If I may say so Ma'am, it's good to have you here again."

Random Regency Facts:
I in no way support freckle-shaming, I think they are absolutely charming, but I tried to accurately portray the common beauty standards and freckles were certainly not seen as ideal in 1804.

I could write a whole essay on servants here, but let's stick to basics: There is a hierarchy between the servants and they are obviously paid, though the wages can differ.
A butler is usually called by his last name and a housekeeper is always called Mrs., even if she is unmarried. A lady's maid is an independant and therefore highly sought-after position while "normal" maids are under the command of the housekeeper. There were different kinds of maids, but I will specify this in case it ever becomes important. Since Laura has quite a bit of money, she is able to employ three lady's maids. I changed Maya to be of creole-French decendant since French maids were - according to Regency standards - the absolute most sought-after maids (for no real rational reason).

This is an overview about Caprica Manor (for all my geeks who are interested in particularities):

It is meant to be a low-budget version of Chatsworth House (Pemberley in P&P 2005). According to real Regency sources, Pemberley/Chatsworth House was basically the most impressive house at that time. So it must be a bit bigger and fancier than Caprica. However, just as Mr. Darcy, Laura is connected to aristocracy both on maternal and paternal side (this is just a geeky addition from my side), so Caprica is still rather grand.You could actually visit and go into these houses if the owners weren't at home back then.

In general, the Roslin family always was very big on the rose-and stars-theme, up to the point of ridiculousness. Laura toned it down a bit but it is still very obvious.

The Gardens:
- About 65 acres big (CH has over 100) in a park of about 800 acres (CH has about 1,000).
- A baroque garden behind the house, visible from the windows, mostly to show off. Different terraces cut into the hills, with many small paths to wander on and the occasional flower bed and small statue. They shamelessly copied Chatsworth House's cascade (water running down artificial steps), but with a temple with a cupid statue on top. There is a beautiful artificial pool with a fountains surrounded by three carved selkies at one side of the house, ordered by a former Misstress of Caprica who came from Scotland. Sort of outdated, but Laura loves it and is unwilling to spend money to destroy it.
- The Lady's-Garden. Designed by Capability Brown, the most famous landscape architect of his time. More naturalistic and therefore more fashionable than the baroque garden, commissioned by Laura's grandmother Lady Joan. Marks the soft change of the gardens into the park beyond. Additionally the poppy-courtyard, basically just a meadow behind a wall with wildflowers in them (as mentioned in a former chapter). Since naturalistic gardens are quite en vogue in 1804, hiding it is actually unecessary, but Laura doesn't want to take out the wall.
- A very small Elizabethan garden just for fun. Very strict and symmetric, a lot of roses and little hedges with a round fountain as a centrepiece. In a courtyard on the left of the house.
- A proper rose-garden with over 100 different kinds, separated by hedges. A rose-shaped fountain in the middle, Laura's favourite commission. Engraved with the names of her close family.
- 2 greenhouses for exotic flowers. The second one commissioned by Laura and only finished two years ago.
- Of course the kitchen and herb gardens. Reasonably big but separated by walls since they are not for the public.

The park:
Includes woods as well as grassy areas and two little rivers. Some areas are used as meadows for her own horses. Trees grow on the side of the road close to the house, almost touching across the road.

The houses:
I decided to add a couple of houses directly on the grounds:
- A random hunting lodge in the woods.
- The steward's house. He has his own rather luxurious cottage with a garden, enough for a medium-sized family.
- Two other pretty cottages, rather at the boarders of the property, closer to the village.