Little Lady Briana: Chapters

There had been time for a nap, but not with Melody. Briana hardly had time to say goodbye to her disgruntled sibling – let alone her parents or grandmother – before Kiara had her bundled into her car seat in the back of an elegant black Chrysler. When she woke to a dry mouth and a soggy diaper, it was midday, and they were zipping down a deserted New England highway at a pace that was unlikely to be within the legal limit. Kiara was on point with a cool bottle of water, and an offer of a change once they got to their destination.

“Are we close to Grandma’s house? I don’t even know how far away it is.”

“Pretty close now.” Kiara glanced down at the GPS display on the car’s built-in tablet and nodded. “The estate is about two hours drive from Ardenthill – with a heavy foot anyway.”

“We’re just picking up Grandma’s dogs?” Briana kicked her feet, as much to work out the kinks in her legs as to resettle some of her diaper’s bunched-up padding. She must have been dressed by Mom or Dad on the way to the car – she’d been too sleepy to remember the sweater and overalls she was wearing, along with what felt like a onesie underneath. Kiara had exchanged her smock dress for leggings and an oversized knit sweater, but kept her headwrap.

“Picking up your Grandma’s dogs is a whole adventure on it’s own, you’ll see when you meet them. We’re also there to make sure the house is buttoned up for the winter, and to let the house sitter go home. Ashley’s Mansion can sit for a few weeks on its own, if the dogs are elsewhere.”

“And then Grandma goes back with her dogs?” Briana sighed sadly.

“That was the plan, originally.” Kiara caught Briana’s gaze in the rear view mirror and smirked. “Then a couple of meddling kids convinced my mom to throw money at a property management company until they sold her the house next to Tess Rasmussen House – and let her rent it before closing besides.”

“She really did it?!” Briana bounced gleefully in her cars seat. “Grandma’s going to live next door?”

“She really did. That was a nicely executed plan – even when she’s sick, my mom’s not easily swayed. Who’s idea was it, yours or Melody’s?”

“Melody’s.” Briana nodded. “They came up with the idea when they went to pick up Grandma’s medical stuff with Mom.”

“Nice. I’ll have to take them for a trip when you and I get back. I need to get to know my niece and nieté better.” Briana squirmed happily.

Her warm, fuzzy feelings lasted her the twenty minutes until they left the highway and rumbled through a town Briana didn’t recognize, at which point curiosity took over.  At the first rotary, a sign welcomed them to Gloucester – which Briana had heard of but wouldn’t have been able to place on a map. It’s seaside, obviously, and I think it’s near Boston? They passed lovely turn of the century houses, made their way down the main street, and came out the other side by the water.

The houses had become much more fancy – more than twice the size of Mom’s house – though most of them had a modern look. Briana bounced in her car seat, trying to guess which of the older houses would be Grandma’s house. Each time she was sure she’d picked the right place, Kiara drove by without a sideways glance. With the road just a dozen feet from the beach, they turned onto a private road, where the houses were fully opulent. Every one of them was a sprawling mansion, and their grounds stretched out for an acre or more. My family doesn’t really have a house in a place like this – do we?

Trees bracketed the driveway that Kiara finally chose. In short order, the trees opened up to reveal an honest-to-goddess stone-walled mansion. It was shorter than many of the modern mansions at only two stories, but it had character they lacked in spades. Kiara parked between a garage that had clearly been added on to the house – and a two story tower with a conical roof. Leading up to the front door was a courtyard of flat stones, ringed by flower bushes.

No sooner had they stopped, then Briana heard deep throated barking from inside the house. The barks died out after only a few seconds, but they’d been voiced by the basso-profundos of the canine world. She cast a nervous look at Kiara, who was unbuckling her car seat.

“Your diaper doesn’t show at all, don’t worry. I won’t say anything about it to Ava, and I’ll find somewhere discreet to change you once we’re settled, okay?”

“Oh uh – that’s good, thanks. I was just wondering though, is there anything special I should do with the dogs? Like, a special sign or uh…”

Kiara chuckled as she helped Briana out of the car. “They’re incredibly well trained. You’ll see. Come on sweetie, let’s introduce you to the seat of our family’s power in the Americas.”

The door was opened for them by a woman Briana’s age, in a sweater so fuzzy pink she looked like a cotton-candy cloud. The color enhanced the healthy glow of the woman’s brown skin and drew attention to her lively, happy face. She had a pair of trendy skinny-jeans on, and was backed by more dog than Briana had ever seen in one place. Three shaggy grey and white furred faces peered out at the Indian woman’s shoulder height. Other heads and tails popping up in the background reminded Briana that Grandma’s dogs numbered half a dozen, all of them Irish wolfhounds.

“Hi I’m Ava, you must be Kiara…” Ava began, only to be drowned out by excited barking and whining from the dogs. They weren’t being loud, individually, but with six of them – at what looked like two hundred pounds apiece – the effect was like being in a kennel.

Kiara put her fingers to her lips and whistled a piercing tone that rose, held for a bar, and fell. The effect on the dogs was electric. All six dogs went completely silent and shuffled away from the door. When Briana and Kiara stepped inside, the Little girl was amazed to see the dogs lined up like soldiers, in two rows of three.

“Thanks!” Ava laughed. “They don’t do that for me, but I can’t make that whistle either.”

“You’re welcome. Have they been well behaved for you otherwise?”

“Oh yeah, I have the hand signs down. They’re great dogs, so sweet!”

“Good! As you guessed, I’m Kiara, and this is my niece, Briana.”

“It’s great to meet you.” Ava shook Kiara’s hand, and took a step forward to shake Briana’s. As she did, her left hand – which had been tucked behind her back, swung forward to reveal a brace-crutch. With practiced care, Ava rested her weight on it, pivoting around the crutch to offer her right hand to Briana.

“Good to meet you too!” Briana shook Ava’s hand warmly, hoping she hadn’t stared at the other girl’s crutch too much – but curious nonetheless. It didn’t look like the kind of mobility appliance someone got for a temporary injury, it was clearly well-worn, though just as clearly of quality construction.

“Ms. Rasmussen said you were coming to take over?” Ava asked Kiara.

“That’s right, but she wanted me to stress that you’ll still get the full pay you two agreed on.”

“She told me that herself, but thanks for the confirmation.” Ava shuffled her feet, shifting her weight from one side of her hips to the other. “Is it okay if I leave tomorrow, or do you need me to clear out tonight…”

“Oh goodness no!” Kiara favored Ava with a kindly smile. “You can stay the entire house-sitting term if you want. Michelle only wanted to let you get back to your friends and family early. Take as much time as you need.”

“Great, thanks.” Ava sighed in relief. “I think I’ll take off some time tomorrow, I wouldn’t mind getting home. I’m just not packed yet.”

“I can help you pack.” Briana offered, eagerly.

“I can manage.” Ava said, with odd firmness to her tone. Too late, Briana realized her offer and checking the girl’s crutch out could be construed as connected. As she was searching for a way to undo her inadvertent faux pas, Kiara stepped between Ava and Briana to the center herself in front of the dogs.

“Stand still for a second, Briana, I need to introduce you to the dogs.” Kiara waved her hands at the hulking wolfhounds; they watched in rapt attention. To Briana’s fascination, Kiara was communicating with the dogs in sign language, though it didn’t seem like the bits of ASL that Briana remembered from an undergraduate elective.

As soon as Kiara was done, the dogs were off their haunches and advancing on Briana to collectively sniff her. Whenever a dog rotated behind her, they invariably sniffed her damp diapered rear, bringing a blush to Briana’s cheeks. She stood stock still, her nervousness building until one of the dogs sat in front of her and whined. Reaching out for the dog’s ears got Briana’s hand headbutted with enough force to stagger her. In the space of a moment she went from being suspiciously sniffed by the pack of wolfhounds, to being nuzzled by six friendly giants at once. Giggling euphorically, Briana tried to hug as many dogs as she could manage, and got her arms on three of them. The rest pressed against her affectionately until Kiara snapped her fingers and pointed at a patch of floor. The whole pack took seats where she’d indicated as if they’d rehearsed the maneuver.

“What was that sign you used for Briana?” Ava tilted her head curiously. “Ms. Rasmussen didn’t teach me that one.”

“I was telling the dogs that she’s a member of the family,” Kiara said. “They won’t let you come to harm while they’re around, Bri.” Briana could only respond with a giggle, as overwhelmed as she was by the dog snuggling. Plus, she was trying to think of a good way to ask if she could ride one of them. Surely it was possible, the dogs were big enough to look her in the eye!

Kiara kept things moving by declaring that she was going to get their luggage out of the car and find rooms for herself and Briana. Ava offered to help, but Kiara insisted on handling everything herself, rejecting Briana’s belated offer of help as well. The way to Briana’s accommodations was around the corner from the foyer, through an art studio and a breathtaking living room, and up some stairs to a cluster of three bedrooms that shared a bath. There was a sign at the top of the stairs that simply said “Daghjem”.

“Do you want your mom’s old room?” Kiara asked, motioning to the left with Briana’s suitcase. “It’s next to the book tower.”

“Book tower?” Briana’s jaw hadn’t been properly closed since they’d first come on the house, it threated to fall right off her face at the latest revelation. “Yes please!”

The bedroom walls sloped to a peak from just a few feet off the floor, but there was a cut-out in the roof for a beautiful multipaned window that bathed the room in light. Not only was there a book tower next door – two floors of books with a balcony, but there was a sitting area that looked out another large window and down into the fancy living room. Briana turned Kiara to confirm her guess that the sitting area had been a musician’s gallery, when she realized that her aunt had vanished – to get her own luggage, of course.

Since Briana was more damp than wet, she didn’t feel like waiting around for Kiara to get settled and make good on her promise of a diaper change. The book tower was her first stop, where she admired curved, built-in shelves full of beautiful old books. A stairway took her down to a lovely study and more books on the first floor of the tower. Doors and hallways beckoned in every direction – but Briana wanted to be sure she knew how to get back the way she’d come.

Back in the foyer, following the sounds of people took Briana to a central hall with a stairway. Neither Kiara nor Ava were visible, but one of the dogs was padding idly down a tight passage. Following that fluffy butt revealed a much older looking section of the house, with a large room that must have been a central living area at some point. The floor had been cleared of furniture – in favor of massive dog beds – but there was  bricked-lined kitchen area with room to build a real log fire under hanging cauldrons.

Three members of the dog pack were present, perking up their heads as Briana entered, tracking her every step. It was a little too intimidating for the Little girl’s original goal of snuggling some pups, so she explored the room instead. The colonial kitchen was fascinating, but even more so was a door painted bright red, bound with thick iron bands. It had a wrought iron handle and a keyhole big enough to peek through.

The moment Briana put her hand on the knob, she felt something fuzzy and wet at the back of her neck. To her utter shock, Briana felt her sweater gripped in the dog’s mouth and pulled taut until she was on her tiptoes. Sputtering protests did nothing to a dog weighing in at two Brianas. The beast marched the Little girl back to the central hallway, shoved her with its nose so she stumbled up against Kiara, and woofed at Briana’s aunt.

“Making friends already?”

“You said they’re well trained! That one grabbed me an dragged me here.”

“Dasher wouldn’t do that without a good reason.” Kiara looked down the hall Briana had come from and raised a brow. “Did you try to get into the armory already?”

“Is that the red door? It’s not labeled.”

Kiara chuckled. “I told the dogs that you’re a kid, they won’t let you near anything dangerous.”

“They don’t like people going near that door anyway.” Ava said, from behind Briana.

“I didn’t know!” Briana wrinkled her nose in an effort to retain her annoyance – but with Dasher nibbling at her ear it was hard to be mad at the big lug. Choosing snuggles – as was her nature – Briana threw her arms around the dog’s neck.

“How was Ashley’s room?” Kiara asked. “I know it’s a bit rustic, but it’s the only bedroom on this floor.”

“It’s fine, I like being near the dogs anyway.” Ava stepped forward, she had a brace crutch in her right hand as well, and was leaning heavily on both mobility aids.

“I’m going to check the boathouse.” Kiara said. “Do you mind giving Briana a quick tour, Ava?”

“Sure!” Ava nodded brightly, turning to Briana. “It’s your first time here? I love this house, it’s like something out of a book.”

“That’d be great, but you don’t have to show me the whole thing if it’s too much.” Despite her best efforts, Briana’s eyes were drawn to Ava’s crutches. The other girl’s mouth set in a hard line.

Ignoring Briana’s statement, Ava swung herself forward – moving fast enough that Briana had to trot to catch up. “The kitchen is through here, and right past that is my favorite room, the Green Dining Room.”

Way to be a jerk in the first half hour of meeting someone, Briana. The Little girl kept up with Ava without further commentary, despite the pace making her diaper rustle.