An Unfortunate Accident: the Death of the late Lord Oswestry
Roderigo, Basil, Bella, Rosalor
Time 3500: The Anderon Reception, shortly before Duke Atropos' marriage to Lady Lilly Clover
Roderigo, Lord Oswestry and his sister Lady Bella Oswestry tell the newcomer, Basil Mederes-Bahlmis something about Aquilan Society, and the about the death of their father.

"Lady Bella, of course I remember," Rosalor said, managing to smile in what she hoped was a kindly rather than an amused manner. "Lord Oswestry, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Let me introduce my nephews, Lord Talaren Bahlmis and Lord Basil Mederes-Bahlmis."

"Hello," said Roderigo gloomily. "I see you've collared all the squelch eels. That's always my luck. They're one of the few things I like - so someone always gets them before me. No, no. Don't mind me. Just go ahead and enjoy them."

He looked dolefully at the plate in Basil's hand.

Basil followed Roderigo's gaze to his hors d'oeuvre. "Well, I'd offer you this one, but I've already taken a bit out of it. There was a whole tray full circulating around earlier though." He twisted his head back and forth, looking for the responsible server. "Don't see it now. Anyway, I'm pleased to meet you, Lady, Lord Oswestry. I've just been asking the Doctor about agriculture...what's House Oswestry's function?"

He picked up the squelch eel and was about to lift it to his mouth for another bite--if it was an acquired taste, perhaps the second bite would be better--when it occurred to him that with Roderigo looking on mournfully, that might not be the best thing to do, and he put it back down.

"Em ... " said Bella, a little nervous at correcting an important off-worlder, but feeling the need to put Basil right. "Actually, I'm Lady Bella Oswestwy. Or just Lady Bella. It'd only be the Head of House that's called Lord Oswestwy - and his wife Lady Oswestwy. Like your aunt is Lady Bahlmis. And you are Lord Basil."

"Pigs," said Roderigo. "That was our official speciality for centuries. Pig breeding, pig slaughtering, pork products. Very profitable too. Then our grandfather decided pigs were beneath us, and gave it up."

"Now," he said morosely, "we live for pleasure alone."

"Oh! Sorry," said Basil to Bella. "As I said, I don't really know much about the setup. I'm getting all twisted up. Who's the Head of the House? Are they coming to the reception?"

"He's here," said Bella. "It's Wodewigo. Otherwise, he'd be Lord Wodewigo Oswestwy or just Lord Wodewigo.

"Daddy died just over a year ago now ... in the tewwible tornado we had. That's why I can wear nice coloured dwesses again instead of black the whole time." She looked down at her puce gown with quiet satisfaction. "I miss him dweadfully, of course," she added hastily.

"Peasants," said Roderigo. "They don't seem to mind the smell."

"They look to us still, of course, and Oswestry's Pork Pies are still the best on Aquila ," added Bella hastily. Heavens! She didn't want these young men to think she was a pauper. "If you like, we could take you around the processing factory."

"What a treat for you that will be," added Roderigo. "There are machines there - well, you would find a visit to our factory of inestimable value if ever you want to dispose of a body and leave no trace."

"Joke," he added helpfully when no-one laughed.

Basil didn't laugh, but he did grin. Looking back to Lady Bella, he said, "Oh, all right, I've overcorrected. I thought you were correcting me calling him Lord Oswestry. I think I've got it straight now...I don't know about any of my relatives, but I'd be interested in seeing the plant. I'm really curious about just what level of technology you've got here." Glancing back at Roderigo, he added, "I don't know about getting rid of a body, but you never know what else you might need to do some day."

He frowned briefly. "Neither of you seem to have brought spouses...are either of you married?"

Bella's eyes widened, and the beginning of a small smile crept across her face.

"I'm not marr ... " she began.

"Oh, and you mentioned the tornado, Lady Bella...I'm sorry to hear of your loss, but I'm curious as to what it was like. I grew up on a space station, and simple weather is a novel thing for me. I can't imagine what it's like to grow up with just this immensity of sky above you all the time."

Bella's smile faded.

"Daddy died," she said shortly.

"Pig," said Roderigo, shaking his head. "We thought we'd put all that behind us, but it was a pig that got him in the end.

"We were have breakfast on the terrace when the storm blew up. And Father had us stay there because, as he said, a gentleman never leaves precipately. And the wind was blowing fiercer ... fiercer ... and then we saw this pig, flying through the air.

"'That's not right,' says Dad. 'Nearest pigs are five fields away,' and he gets up to go and investigate. Wind seemed to drop, but the pig, for some reason, was still in the air, oinking madly and turning in small circles. And Dad got underneath, trying to read the markings.

"And then ... it just ... dropped."

"It was howwible, howwible," said Bella. "Poor, poor Daddy."

"Still," said Roderigo, with unabated gloom, "you have to look on the bright side. We got some excellent ham from that pig. Wind dried."