[JennyHallu]

I think he's been more of a supervisor. He's a long-time, loved, trusted servant of the family, and while I'm sure he'd never hesitate to do manual labor, he's been working perhaps as the family's steward. He's probably managed contractors, but his skills lie in other areas.

EDIT: The challenge of keeping him around, of course, is that his reason must be something that pre-empts his duties to his Lord. A heart attack may well be the best thing, as no one would begrudge such a loyal and well-loved member of the household the time to recover, especially since Lin is there to keep the family posted. Then I could slowly, by letters from home, free him of his duties.