Offshore Trust (Second Update)

Even with winter approaching, the meticulously trimmed gardens on the estate still looked immaculate.

For a garden of such vast size, maintaining perfection was no easy task. It required not only exorbitant upkeep costs, but also impeccable taste and the right choice of plants. Salomon was extremely pleased with the work of the Croft family's butler and gardeners. At Laura's urging, the old butler who had served the Croft family for three generations finally agreed to help the Arcanist restore the walled garden and greenhouse, which had gone untended for decades. The butler was English through and through, and he firmly believed that gardening was a way to express the owner's taste. To that end, he gave Salomon several books published by the Royal Horticultural Society, asking the Arcanist to pass them on to Dinah, while expressing regret that he could not personally teach the housekeeper how to choose and shape plants.

The old butler did not alter the appearance of the 125 acres bordering the River Thames. Instead, he directed the construction crew to clear only the bare minimum of weeds and shrubs from the forest paths, cutting down young saplings so they could be used for rides to the woodland clearing in the morning or evening.

"I apologize for making this decision without consulting you." The old butler showed no remorse whatsoever. He insisted that woodland paths strewn with Fallen Leaves helped cultivate an estate owner's aesthetic sense.

"I must protest the alteration plan submitted by your housekeeper. She is still too young to understand the importance of gardening." The old butler frowned and pointed toward the front yard. He was quite pleased with the newly erected marble sculpture of a young woman, but he could not say the same for the four foundation blocks at the entrance