Written by Robert ‘Red’ Macdonald, The Steward at Kinrowan between The Wars, to his friend Mauve, about a resident of Faerie who was visiting Kinrowan. The letter was copied by Robbie to his Journal, dated 17th of October 1923
Greetings Mauve,
She said, when I asked, that her name was Jenny Thistlethwaite. She appeared one day as if she walked across The Border from Faerie, or the Celtic Twilight as my friend William calls it, into the Estate. And it turned out that indeed she had.
She was wasn’t pretty as such but striking — tall and slender, long braided red hair with feathers and leaves in it, with grey eyes specked with gold flecks that I swear sometimes looked feline. Her clothes were long skirts, a men’s shirt, and a vest of Fall colours.
We have generally friendly relations with those who visit us from across The Border, though it’s said that Oberon and Titania are still mad at a certain fiddler over him stealing the heart of one of their daughters, so I asked no questions of her, just politely greeted her as one does with what might be Faerie royalty.
I watched as she entered from the Greensward into the Kitchen through its doors that face that expanse of lawn. The Cook just nodded to her, again politely, and asked her what she liked for breakfast. She said in a voice like wind through the woods that ‘I would like buttermilk pancakes layered with sour cream, cooked cinnamon apples, and garnished with delicious maple syrup. And tea with lots of cream.’
Curious now, I asked her why she was visiting us, though I hasten to add that she, like all visitors from Faerie, needed no reason. She said that she had heard one old friend of hers, Liath, was back from her trip to Tir Na nOg and she wanted to see how that went.
And off she went to the Conservatory where Liath was having High Tea. I didn’t venture into the Conservatory but I could hear their laughter when a Several Annie opened the door, as my office is nearby in the Building. When I left my office late in the evening after doing the Estate report to the Trustees, they were still deep in conversation.
Your friend, Red
