Emilia
Emilia tapped on the door to the little workshop a second time, but there was still no answer.
The door wasn’t closed all the way, so she pushed it gently and it swung open to reveal a perfectly organized design station.
Everyone had been complaining so much about the grumpy groundskeeper that she had pictured him reading old newsfeeds in a filthy shed.
But this was the opposite.
Trays of shining discs, bolts and springs were neatly labeled and shelved over a work desk with a perfectly clean surface, save for a velvet cloth with a half-built mechanism resting on it.
She stepped closer to see what it was.
“What’re you doing here?” a high-pitched voice demanded.
She glanced up to see a man with a head full of tentacles and thick spectacles that made his eyes look enormous. And angry.
“I-I was just looking for you,” she said.
“Well, here I am,” he retorted. “No need to interfere with my work.”
She took a deep breath and reminded herself not to take it personally. She had known when she came here that she was going to be dealing with a notoriously grumpy person.
“I’m Emilia,” she said. “The new nanny. And you’re Mr. Grinks?”
He nodded once, impatiently.
“I would like to use the plot of land to the west of the house to grow a garden with the children,” she said. “I wanted to be sure you didn’t have plans for it first.”
“Master Drayven sent you, eh?” Grinks scoffed. “To tell me.”
“Of course not,” Emilia said. “I came to you first. If you have no plans for the land, then I’ll ask his permission.”
“Ach,” Grinks said.
She thought it might be a curse, but then she realized he was clearing his throat loudly.
“You’ve got spunk,” he said in a pleased way. “And respect as well, fine, use the plot. I won’t get in your way.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Are there gardening tools the children can use?”
The large spectacles accentuated the look of pure horror in his magnified eyes.
“On second thought,” she said quickly, looking around at his pristine tools, “maybe I’d better ask Mr. Drayven to purchase child-sized tools. Mimi’s hands are too small for full-sized implements.”
“Too small,” Grinks declared firmly in agreement, as he walked her to the door.
“What are you building?” she asked, when she reached it.
“A folding fountain,” Grinks said with a twinkle in his eye. “I built the mechanism for the labyrinth too.”
“Wonderful,” Emilia said. “It must keep you very busy.”
“I’ve no blueprints,” he said, tapping his forehead. “All from scratch.”
“Would it bother you if I tinkered with the irrigation system in the main garden?” she asked him. “I have a weakness for plants.”
“We’ve got droids for all that,” he said dismissively.