Power Behind the Throne.

I just went up to the village hall to see what the Dovelands Good Companions Annual Summer Fair was all about. I had my suspicions, and they proved correct. The hall was full of old ladies, mostly with cauliflower hair styles (with credit to Melanie’s sister for the joke.)

Running the show with practiced ease was my landlord’s wife, the next best thing to the Lady of the Manor in these parts. The female halves of the landed gentry traditionally take a leading role (often the leading role) in the organisation of social events in rural areas. They’re generally a strong and capable breed, and often the only thing their husbands are frightened of.