Raindrops Keep Falling on their Heads

After recovering from the long journey, Mendez counts Garris’ retirement money properly.
It’s almost 20,000 gold coins!
Feeling a pang of guilt, Mendez resolves to give some of it at least to a local charity or Church, but which one?
Wandering around the small town, he comes to an orphanage.
It’s not much more than a large shack with a poorly thatched roof. So poorly thatched that it barely keeps the sunlight out and would leak like a sieve in even the feeblest rain.
Mendez knocks on the door and is greeted by a harassed but beautiful young woman.
“Can I help you?” she enquires.
Mendez smile widens considerably as he invites himself inside.
“I think that perhaps we can help each other.”
The conditions are grim, but the young woman obviously does her best to keep the children clean, clothed and fed.
The woman introduces herself as ‘Etta’ and explains that she used to run the orphanage with her mother, who sadly died just recently. She starts to cry as she tells Mendez that unless she can find some money soon, the orphanage will be forced to shut.
Mendez smile grows wider still. Garris was a good man; he’d have wanted to help these children.
In response to Mendez’s kindness, Etta smiles in return and the depressing shack seems to brighten around her. Taking his hand, she leads Mendez to meet the dozen or so children.
After a few hours of entertaining the children with stories of sky battles and monsters, Mendez leaves.
At around 6pm he returns, followed by several serving maids from the local tavern. They are all carrying trays piled high with hot food and sweet drinks for the children. After a moment of stunned silence there are whoops of delight followed by the sound of happy guzzling.
Etta and Mendez spend several carefree weeks together, buying toys and new clothes for the children and hiring carpenters and roofers to repair the building. Mendez, Etta and the children paint it themselves in sunny yellows and peaceful blues.
Finally, when it’s time for Mendez to head back to Seawell, he hands Etta a bound folder. As she opens it, she cries for the first time since Mendez arrived. The tears are not just for the breathtaking sum of money Mendez has placed in the local bank for her, but for the fact that Mendez himself will not be sharing her bed from now on.