The central yard of the abbey was still a garden; as it had been with the original, it was an herb and vegetable garden. But now there was a paved walkway all around the periphery, an actual stone wall around the garden itself to keep it from being trampled, and a brand new chicken coop in one corner. Someone had evidently closed the chickens up for safety while people went in and out.

The former chapel looked nothing like a religious building now, which was a relief, as she’d had a bit of unease, picturing the place as a stable. Cowboys were bringing in horses two at a time and taking them inside through a stable door in the middle of the building. She kept well out of their way, but out of curiosity, decided to go into the door in the east wing for a moment to see just what had been done there.

When she got inside, it looked like nothing so much as a stable for humans. Which, now that she thought about it, was a very good way to organize things. Most of the showfolk were used to sleeping either out in the open or several to a tent, and really didn’t have much thought for privacy. This was a good way to give them each a little room to themselves, while at the same time making the most of the space available.

It was a single large room with a fine—huge!—iron stove at one end. At the other, of course, was the stone wall of the tunnel that went beneath the second floor. Presumably the second floor looked just like this one, but twice as big. Along each wall and down the middle were something like rows of wooden horse-stalls: plain wood reaching about seven feet high, seven feet long, and five feet wide. Each of the “stalls” contained a wooden “box” bed full of hay attached to one side, and a small table with a holder for a candle on it at the back of the stall. Some of the beds already had bedrolls and packs on them. It seemed like a very good plan for housing a lot of men in rough comfort. The stove would heat the entire room efficiently, and if the fellows didn’t like the loose hay-beds, they could always sew up their own straw or hay mattresses. And meanwhile the hay certainly made a better bed than the cold, hard ground.

She decided to forego any further inspection until after she had gotten back into her own room to see if any changes had been made there. She could see a doorway at the end of this room, but rather than get in anyone’s way, she decided to use the courtyard to reach the tower instead.