Sonnenhang, Switzerland — Wednesday, 26 May 1915

The courtyard at Sonnenhang bustled with people at seven thirty on Wednesday morning. Rachel took the five pruners into the vineyards and demonstrated what was required, using one of the saws and sets of secateurs she had bought in town earlier in the week. She pointed to the cordons and the beginnings of new growth on them. "Leave these, but cut away everything else like this."

Rachel demonstrated again, then watched as they each pruned a vine. She offered guidance and answered their questions until she was satisfied they all understood their job. "We'll break at ten for tea. If you have any questions or concerns, please come find me."

Meanwhile, Maria took the cleaning crew into the house and upstairs to show them the rooms and to explain what was needed. Pointing to the large assortment of ladders, platforms, buckets, brushes, cloths, vinegar, borax and castile soap, she said, "Everything spotless, as if you were preparing a sick room. Open the windows to air out the rooms. Remove any peeling wallpaper as you find it. We'll ring the bell at ten to announce a pause for tea in the courtyard."

David and Bethia sat with the mason and the carpenter, studying Aaron's engineering drawings for the smoker, the brining room and the preparation kitchen. "I'm thinking the old stable is the best place for these," Bethia said. "Let's go see how we can adapt it to our needs."

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By Saturday afternoon, when the last of the workers had left, the entire top floor of the house had been cleaned, and electricians had installed lighting in six of the rooms and began the seventh. The carpenters had framed five new bathrooms by dividing three of the old bedrooms, and they cut doorways through to link them to their respective bedrooms. Now, instead of eight bedrooms, which were limited to chamber pots, there were five suites, each with a bedroom and a bathroom.

The masons were nearly finished building a brick cistern twenty metres up the slope beside the cascading stream, and a pipeline had been installed to bring water from it to the house. Plumbers had run wastewater pipes from the bathrooms, and labourers were preparing the ground for a septic tank and a leaching field well down the slope from the buildings.

David, Maria, Rachel, Bethia and Greta sat sipping wine under the oak trees in the courtyard as they reviewed the four days of work and looked at the following week. "The electrical turbine is due to arrive on Tuesday," David said. "And the electricians told me the wiring should be complete by then. Lathing the new walls will begin on Monday, and the plasterers are coming on Tuesday."

"All the bathroom and water closet fixtures are due to arrive on Wednesday," Rachel said. "When will the water be connected?"

"The cistern is nearly complete. It needs only the mortar to mature and then a sealing with resin," David said. "They told me we can start filling it Wednesday morning, but we're still waiting for the hot water tanks. No word yet on their arrival."

Greta had listened quietly, then at a lull in the conversation, she said, "This is more like my dream. I was foolish not to kick him out, but he was always such a sweet talker. So much talk and so little action. And I was so gullible, always believing he'd change." She shook her head. "More than thirty years here with chamber pots, buckets from the stream and kettles on the stove for hot water. So plain now to see how he fooled. His stories of how difficult it would be to make things easier were an excuse for his incompetence."

"But Jacob and Maddie hadn't modernised until a few years ago," Rachel said. "When Edom and I moved to Germany in 1905, they still had chamber pots, an outhouse and no electricity."

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On Monday, after the cistern was complete, the masons began building the smoker, and a team of carpenters started converting one end of the stables into a kitchen for preparing hams and sausages. The other end was arranged for use as a wood shed. Two labourers were employed to cut the vine prunings into half-metre lengths to be carted to the new storage.

Mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the electricians tested the current from the turbine and began charging the bank of storage batteries. The electrical engineer sat with them and explained the system. "The turbine will continue to produce electricity as long as the water flows through it. Immersion coils in the three water tanks will take the excess current once the battery bank is fully charged. This should give you all the electricity you need plus nearly unlimited hot water."

David nodded as he listened. "And if there is insufficient use, will that harm the system?"

"Yes, but if the water gets too hot, you can close the sluice at the turbine."

"Can you install a thermostat in a water tank that will operate the sluice? Save us from having to always monitor it."

"Excellent idea." He looked at David, pursed his lips and slowly nodded. "I should have thought of that. I'm sure we can devise something to regulate the system. The water tanks are due tomorrow afternoon. I'll tinker tonight with a thermostat and a servo motor."

On Wednesday morning, the valve was turned to begin filling the cistern. When the installation and plumbing of the bathroom fixtures were completed in the early afternoon, they were all tested. The plumber smiled as he tried the last one for David and Maria. "These fixtures are all connected to the hot water pipes. We're just waiting for the tanks to arrive. Once those are in place, we'll connect them to the system to give you access to hot water throughout the house."

A while later, David and Maria examined the completed plaster work. "This is nearly dry enough now to paint," he said as he ran a hand across the surface. "It'll be ready when the painters arrive in the morning." They looked closely at each room, searching for items that needed further attention, but found none. "Looks like painting's all that's left inside."

They descended to the courtyard when they heard a lorry arriving, and they sat watching a large team of men unload three huge water tanks. Maria looked at David, then laughed as she stroked his beard. "I was going to ask where you got the idea to use the hot water to heat the house, but there's no need. It's the empty mind thing again, isn't it?"

"Makes sense. There's a steady, strong flow of water, and its energy does nothing but make noise as it tumbles down the hillside. Having it make our electricity and provide our hot water and our heat takes nothing from it." He pulled her into his chest and held her tightly. "It's so difficult to think of leaving you. So very difficult."

"That's in your mind again, isn't it? I saw that earlier this afternoon. When will you go?"

"After you return from Gottenheim."

"My exams are Friday morning and afternoon. We'll drive back Saturday, leading the removal lorry." She lifted her head from his chest and looked into his eyes. "My bleeding begins on Friday or Saturday. Won't you wait until I've finished with that? I'd rather not have your last experiences with me that way."

He moved some wayward tresses from her face and pulled her up to kiss her forehead. "When will you be finished?"

"If I don't start until Saturday, then it should be over on Thursday. Could you delay until next Friday? Give us another few days."

He nodded. "I've not even considered how I'd travel. How does one travel to Bern from here?"

"We could drive, and I can stay there with you until you've found the embassy and have made your contact."

"We could go on Friday and enjoy the weekend. Find a nice hotel and treat ourselves. Contact the embassy on Monday."

"That would be nice. We've not had time on our own. I'd love that. I'll ask Tante if we can use her lorry for a few days. They won't need it after Tante's belongings are removed to here on Monday, and they can use the horse and carriage if there's a need to go into town."

They sat quietly, watching as the third tank was unloaded and manoeuvred down the ramp into the root cellar. When it disappeared, Maria asked, "That's a lot of hot water. Why so much?"

"The first reason is to take the excess energy generated by the turbine to prevent boiling the batteries. Heating the water acts as a buffer. But also, in the cooler seasons, the heat can be piped throughout the house to radiators. That system will be installed after once the basic water and electrical systems are completed and refined."

He squeezed her to his side. "We should go. You still have to finish your essays."

"A couple of hours only. All that's left is to finish rewriting them into final copy. I can do that in the morning."

"But you're driving to Gottenheim tomorrow."

"Not until the afternoon. We'll start packing when we get there, and Mama will continue on Friday while I'm doing my exams and practicals. The removers are coming early Saturday morning."

He bent and kissed her again. "Even more reason we should go back across to Meierhof. Play in the bedroom until dinner."