How Lives the Baron

Chapter 1: Goodbye

“Well, I think that’s everything,” said the dark haired woman, scanning the now bare room for any of her precious possessions she may have missed.

“No Mary Poppins, not everything,” said a silken voice from the bedside table.
The nanny turned to the voice and smiled.  It had been a pleasure working with the nobleman again.

“Everything that goes in my carpet bag, Baron.  I wouldn’t dream of letting you see the inside of my luggage,” she said, extending a hand to him.
The elegantly dressed orange cat figurine delicately ascended the extended appendage and sat down in it.  It was more stable than standing.

“The children were delightful, and the father came around rather well, wouldn’t you say?” the Baron enquired, looking up at the woman who had been his hostess for the past month.  “It will be difficult to leave them behind.”

“Indeed, but practically perfect people must never allow sentiment to muddle their thinking.”

“Ha!  You don’t fool me a bit, Mary Poppins, you love these children, and the family will just need to hire another nanny if you leave.”

Both woman and figurine turned to see a sensible black umbrella with a green parrot handle.  It was the parrot that had spoken.

“That is quite enough, thank you,” Mary Poppins said, glaring slightly at the only other thing she had not put in her bag.

Allowing the Baron to take up residence upon her shoulder, Miss Poppins took up bag and brolly and headed downstairs.  She nodded farewell to the backs of the family she was leaving – they were flying a kite together. Indeed, it seemed as though the entire neighbourhood had come out to fly their kites.  It was a fine day, with just the right amount of wind, and there was Bert, selling kites to everyone who had come into the street and found themselves to be without one.  She could hardly help but smile; he always brightened her day.

Opening the umbrella, she held it up and took off.

“Farewell, Mary Poppins.  Don’t stay away too long,” she heard the smiling, slightly lanky gentleman say.

She smiled a smile just for him, a promise that she would come back.  He was a very different gentleman to the feline riding her shoulder, yet so similar.  Bert joyed in life, doing everything, knowing most everyone, and always knowing just the right thing to say.  One would never find the Baron working as a chimney sweep, or creating wonderful pictures on the pavement, but his tea was wonderful, and helping other people was what he most enjoyed doing.  Yet, despite their myriad of differences, they could both be described as the perfect gentleman, except that one was a carved cedar feline figurine.

“Hello Mary Poppins.  Ah Baron, I’m glad I found you; you’re needed at the refuge,” it was Toto, the stone crow who usually flew the Baron where the figurine needed to go.

“Of course Toto.  Please excuse me Miss Poppins, I hope we can take the time for tea together some time,” the Baron said, standing up on her shoulder and bowing to her.

“Certainly Baron.  Take care, both of you,” she said, watching the cat jump onto the bird.  Another smile lit up her features as she watched the almost unlikely pair fly away in another direction.  “It seems that I shall be able to join Nanny MacFee for luncheon after all,” she said to herself, shifting the direction her umbrella was pointing.