Chapter 587 Finalizing the Butler
Applying for a housekeeper position?
Angel remembered that Laura had promised to introduce an experienced housekeeper to him yesterday, but he didn't expect the other party to be so efficient and he would find him in less than 24 hours.
Being able to call out her new name in Backlund, which only Laura knew, also allowed her to confirm the authenticity of the other party's identity.
No wonder he had to wait in the cafe on the first floor. Even in a hotel, it would be impolite to rashly enter a young woman's room... She thought about it and nodded.
"I do need an excellent butler to help me take care of everything in Backlund. So, Mr. Ryback, could you please introduce yourself?"
Without much greeting, the elderly gentleman, who was nearly fifty years old, quickly introduced his previous experience as a butler and the reason for applying for the position.
He is 48 years old this year. His grandfather and father have served as butler and steward of the Negan family. After serving in the army for five years, he started as an attendant of a branch family, gradually served as assistant steward and deputy steward, and finally became Baron Syndras' steward in a transaction.
After the assassination of Duke Negan last year, the new young Duke had a conflict in political stance with Baron Syndras, a supporter of the New Party. In order to avoid embarrassing his employer, the butler who had served the Negan family for three generations resigned voluntarily, so he currently has no new job.
Yesterday afternoon, Baron Swan's butler approached Riback and asked him if he was willing to serve a single woman who had just arrived in Backlund. The salary was generous, so Riback came to give it a try.
The salary was generous... Angel pursed her lips. Fortunately, the black veil of the wide-brimmed hat blocked other people's sight, otherwise her ferocious expression might scare them away.
In order to cover up, Angel asked casually:
"Duke Pallas Nigan asked you to serve Baron Syndras to help him adapt to aristocratic life and related etiquette after receiving his new title?"
"Yes, I served him for two years."
Ryback responded with a standard smile and a moderate pace of speech.
Angel was quite impressed by Duke Negan who was involved in the "Apostle of Desire" case, and the name Syndras frequently appeared in various newspapers and was associated with various donations and charity activities. After the heavy smog at the end of last year, he donated 40,000 pounds. Apart from Earl Hall, he was the most active.
But what he is most famous for is the news that he donated 800,000 pounds to the Conservative Party through various means and bought his current hereditary baronet title.
I'm afraid Duke Negan took a lot of this money...
"Were you a soldier? Ever experienced real combat?"
She asked the next question, trying to judge the limits of Riback's abilities from his answer and demeanor.
Of course, the other party's answer about the several battles in the southern continent did not stay in Angel's mind for too long, but based on Ribak's answer without hesitation, she could confirm that the other party did not falsify his past experience, and should be a good low-level officer.
This will be of great help in managing other servants... Angel thought about it and continued to ask a few professional questions. He became more and more satisfied with the butler candidate introduced by Laura.
Finally, she raised a crucial question:
"Mr. Ryback, I just heard you mention that you believe in the 'Lord of Storms'?"
This was not surprising. As the church with the greatest influence on the army among the three major churches in the Kingdom of Loen, the Church of Storms had a large number of believers in the army. Even if they did not originally have faith, they would quickly become new believers of the Storms under the influence of many of their comrades.
But this conflicts with Angel's beliefs...
“Yes, the Lord gave us courage and a sense of responsibility.”
Riback answered seriously, but there was no right fist hitting the left chest as Angel expected.
Compared to his professional knowledge, his answer was a bit perfunctory. Perhaps he was just a shallow believer... She guessed and continued to ask:
"Does faith affect your work? Maybe Laura didn't tell you in advance that I am a believer in the goddess."
Apart from this, she was very satisfied with the resume of the butler in front of her. His attitude, style and professional ability also met Angel's imagination of a noble butler.
Riback remained expressionless and replied:
"It won't have any impact. During my five years of service, one of my most trusted companions believed in the Goddess of Night."
so……
Angel pondered for a moment, not hiding his hesitation due to the conflict of beliefs. Riback was not anxious, but sat quietly in the chair with his hands symmetrically placed on his thighs, with an upright posture, as if his military career had a profound impact on his daily behavior.
Soon, Angel made the final decision. She had no time to look for other candidates for the housekeeper. Everything that followed, such as renting a house, hiring servants, and social arrangements, would have to be handled by the new housekeeper. Otherwise, she would have to stay in the hotel and would not be able to take the next step.
"Then, Mr. Ryback, from now on, I am your employer."
She said with a smile, and wanted to extend her hand to shake hands with the other party, but at the last moment she recalled the knowledge she learned from "Noble Etiquette" under the coercion of Sylvia, and stopped this impolite behavior.
Riback stood up, straightened his tuxedo, bowed, and maintained a serious expression despite his indifference. He was not overly happy about getting a new job.
"I have two things to do for you," Angel said, immediately issuing orders after confirming the relationship. "First, go to the law firm across the street and get yourself a contract. The annual salary is 120 pounds, as you agreed. Second, I think you've heard from Ms. Laura that I need to secure a place to live in the future. We can rent it first, rather than rush to buy. Also, I need to find the right servants."
The housekeeper had obviously learned some information from Laura, and began to introduce without hesitation:
"Considering you're a believer in the Goddess of Night, the North District, where St. Samuel's Church is located, is a good choice. Closer to the church is a villa at 16 Pacefield Street. It's three stories high, has twenty rooms, a back garden, and stables. It's fully furnished and rents for 400 pounds a year."
400 pounds...
Angel's eyes, hidden behind the black veil, widened slightly.
Although she had a good mental tolerance for rent at this price after being baptized by Laura's words "only 15,000 pounds", she was still a little hesitant when she suddenly heard the amount.
Moreover, St. Samuel's Church is on Pestfield Street. If she rents a house there, she might see several night watchmen every day when she goes out, and she might know one of them.
"If you're not limited to the area near the church, Cromwell Street is also nice. It's close to the suburbs and not as noisy. I remember the house at number 22 is for sale, or you can rent it on a yearly basis. It's a three-story building with a garden and a pond, but the owner requires the entire set of furniture, antiques, and portraits to be rented together, which costs 650 pounds a year."
Compared to this one, the 400-pound one doesn't seem that expensive... Angel pursed his lips and said:
"What if it's not limited to the North District? For example, the Hillston District?"
She had wanted to mention the West Side in passing, but it was obvious that the rent there would only be more expensive. If Riback misunderstood her meaning and quickly upgraded to an area with four-digit rents, it would be easy for her to lose face.
"Well, Birningham Road in the Hillsdon area is nice. It's close to the North End, and the church is only ten minutes away by carriage. Number 8 Birningham Road is a luxurious villa with three floors and over ten rooms. The garden isn't big, but the flowers and plants are well-maintained. It also has stables and servants' quarters. The lease has a year and a half left, but I'm looking to sublet it. The other party is willing to sacrifice some rent, and the current payment is only 450 pounds."
450 pounds a year and a half, equivalent to 300 pounds a year, cheaper than the two above, but the total cost would be a bit more expensive... Angel was immediately tempted, especially when she heard that it could be sublet. This meant that if she wanted to change locations or even leave Backlund, she could completely reduce her losses by subletting.
"What's your suggestion?"
Although he already had a clear inclination, Angel decided to seek professional advice.
"If you want to use this as a social starting point to enter Backlund's upper class, 8 Burningham Road is the best choice. Your neighbors will be university professors, professional lawyers, and doctors. They are all industry elites in their respective circles. While they are not aristocrats, they know many of them. With appropriate visits, you can quickly expand your social circle.
"Although the North District is closer to some nobles who worship the Goddess of Night, many of them are purchasing their second or third homes. Furthermore, it's not the social season right now, so aside from servants, there are few real neighbors. Furthermore, lacking suitable introducers, it's difficult to meet the real nobles directly."
Ribak seemed to have understood Angel's needs. He talked freely and quickly sorted out the advantages and disadvantages of several houses.
But I always feel that he misunderstood the purpose of my coming to Backlund. What did Laura say to him? The more Angel listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She nodded and said:
"Then let's go with 8 Burningham Road. We'll hire a carriage and wait outside the hotel at 2 p.m. today. We'll go take a look before making a decision."
————
3 Burningham Road, Hillston.
In the setting sun, the tall and thin Allen Kress supported his pregnant wife Velma Gladys and carefully helped her get on the carriage in front of their door.
They were about to go out to have dinner with the newly promoted noble Baron Sindras and his friends.
Some time ago, Allen, a surgeon, successfully performed a difficult operation on the baron, curing his chronic disease and gaining the baron's appreciation.
The Baron decided to introduce Allen to his other friends, and this informal dinner was a good opportunity.
"My dear, I feel that since you became pregnant, my luck has been getting better and better, both in my career and in my income. With the Baron's introduction this time, perhaps we can meet more nobles and soon move out of here and live in a better villa in the West District."
Standing at the door of the carriage, Alan said with a smile, his eyes only focused on his wife... and the child in her belly.
His wife was a tall, dark-haired beauty, her belly clearly visible beneath her loose long skirt. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said,
"You said that six months ago. The lease on the house had just expired then. If you had made up your mind earlier, you wouldn't have had to renew it then."
"You had just gotten pregnant at the time, and I thought it would be better to have some stability. Besides, it's not too late now. You can give birth to our child in the best hospital in the West District, right?"
Alan replied, caressing Velma's abdomen, and suddenly felt the belly through the gauze skirt move rhythmically.
Velma also frowned:
"He's been a bit fussy today... Do you think he doesn't want to move?"
As a doctor, Allen knew that a fetus this month couldn't have such a reaction, even if it was several times older. However, he still gently touched his wife's abdomen and said:
"Then let's not move. Let's continue living here, okay?"
As the couple whispered to each other, the carriage slowly drove away from 3 Burningham Road.
At the gate of the villa at 8 Burningham Road, diagonally opposite Allen's house, a young woman with black hair and purple eyes walked out of the garden gate accompanied by a middle-aged man in a formal suit.
"Tell the landlord that I'm very satisfied with this place and the rent will be based on the sublease requirements."
Angel said to the butler, Barker, her eyes subconsciously following the moving carriage. She always felt that the ordinary four-wheeled carriage seemed to exude a certain aura that attracted her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com