I hurried down the stairs and through the halls as the first of the carriages arrived. No sooner had the footmen taken the trunks from it, and the carriage rolled off than it was replaced with another, and then another, until the front gate was buzzing with conversation. The sun moved behind some ominous clouds, and we were all lucky enough to make it to the picnic under the tent before the skies opened up. All manner of delicacies were laid out by my cook and we feasted on cured venison, local cheeses, freshly baked loaves of bread, fruits and berries, and of course, with champagne. Laughter rang out as we all were given names of gods and goddesses, making our hilltop retreat into Mount Olympus itself.

The rain soon cleared and we stood, somewhat unsteadily after being seated for so long (it could not have been the freely-flowing champagne), and made our way into the house. I gave a brief tour of the house to familiarize the guests and then they were shown to their quarters. Some, who had endured longer journeys, chose to rest while others, more adventurous, joined me for a ride around the grounds. Lady Merry's horse was more interested in grazing than galloping, and so she refereed a race between Monsieur Gandt and myself and I lost the first, but am happy to report that I won back my losses with the second. Soon, others came to join us, and sweet Jean-Matisse atop his pony, made a wonderful third to the riders. Lady Aphrodite and Mr. Ewan Bonham joined us, but alas their horses were too skittish atop the high hill above the lake.

Soon enough it was time to hand the horses over to the stable boys and we all went to wash and change for dinner. Many of the guests slept right through, so I made sure to tell the housemaids to have some food prepared in the larder in case they should awaken late in the night, hungry. Myself, Mr. Bonham, Signore Stern, Ladies Merry and Aphrodite joined me in the dining hall to have a taste, first of some casks of wine my mother sent to me just in time. A lovely claret that we only get in once every 3 or so years, so it was quite the timely treat.

Hungry from our ride, we sat down straight away and enjoyed quite the feast. Oysters and lobster, succulent beef and ham, and sweets to complete the meal. A wonderful compliment to my cook, whom I kept hidden from Lady Merry (who threatened to try to bribe her from my service! The nerve :P ).

Finally satisfied, we all made our way into the gaming room, where Lady Merry read our fortunes. Lady Aphrodite's was very well received. Mine was a bit perplexing, and not just a little bit frightening! And Signore Stern's was enlightening and helpful. Lady Merry was very proficient in explaining the possible meanings of each card!

All in all, a wonderful first night of a house full of guests, and much merriment was had by those of us with a stronger constitution. The others had the constant soothing sound of the rain on the roof and windows to lull them into much needed rest.