STEWARD (stu'erd), n. [AS. stiweard, stigweard, fr. sti, stig, house, hall, sty + weard warden.] 1. An officer or employee in a large family, or on a large estate, to manage the domestic concerns, supervise servants, collect rents or income, keep accounts, etc. 2. An administrator, or supervisor; a manager. 3. A person employed on board ship to do the catering, superintend culinary affairs, etc.; also, on passenger ships, an employee who attends to the passengers' wants, as by waiting on table, attending to the staterooms, etc. -- stew'ard-ess, n. -- stew'ard-ship, n.

Lydia contemplated the invoices before her. Amazing how much liquor they went through at the Elysium considering most couldn't tolerate really drinking it. But then, mortals used it as a security blanket in social gatherings, especially large ones with lots of politicing present -- which described an Elysium perfectly.

She was till trying to understand why the Prince has assigned her Steward. Was it just a strange occurence of a moment or was there some reason behind it? She didn't know Fursa well enough to tell, but the Elysium had been going fine for considerable time without a Steward. It certainly didn't *need* one.

Lydia placed the invoices in the appropriate file.

Franz continued to do his work as he'd always done, as if she didn't exist. They both knew that pleasing Fursa was what mattered and why play at making changes when the Prince hadn't asked for any?

Lydia knew she should have known better than to have offered to help Fursa out. Fursa was under a lot of stress with the Sheriff's torpor.

A faint chuckle escaped her.

Perhaps she'd been living around Harvey too much; seeing too many silly movies. Here'd she'd been thinking that Fursa might use Lydia's "Englishness" to infiltrate the opposition. She thought that she, Lydia, might actually serve some kind of purpose.

/Ah well,/ she thought, /what do I know about espionage?/

The Prince assigned her Steward. She'd damn well learn how to be one. Maybe Clayton could give her some tips... if she could find him.

[Definition from Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Fifth Edition.]