Maurice was the Pendergast family's manservant at their Penumbra Plantation estate in New Orleans, from at least the time when Aloysius and Diogenes Pendergast were children. He continued his duties when Penumbra served as the residence of Aloysius and Helen Pendergast, and maintained the estate alone in the years following Helen's death until the estate's sale following the events of Blue Labyrinth.
Maurice is an old man, stooped in posture and of indeterminate race. He dresses in a butler's uniform. His duties include maintaining the house, cooking and serving drinks while Pendergast is in residence. He is proficient in Southern cuisine (succotash, ham with redeye gravy), and his specialty is alligator étouffée.
|
“You have Alban to thank for this...” — Spoilers for Blue Labyrinth follow. |
|
When Pendergast began selling off the family assets that resulted from Hezekiah Pendergast's elixir, one such asset was Penumbra Plantation, to a developer that planned to turn the grounds into a subdevelopment of mansionettes with the original house serving as clubhouse, restaurant, bar and offices. One of the conditions of the sale was that Maurice be kept on staff as wine steward for as long as he wished to remain in service.