serial fiction

Chapter 58 – A Father’s Uncertainty

by butlersgloves

May Rose pressed her ear against the door and tried to listen to their conversation. Unfortunately, neither of them were loud talkers. So, all she could hear was “mrm mrmrmrr mrrrmrmrmr.” or words to that effect.

She frowned and backed away from the door.

Maybe I’m putting my ear on the wrong spot. But where would the right spot be?

She gave the door a squinty-eyed examination. “I don’t think there is a right spot.” She spread her hand on the door and slid it from side to side – as high up and as low as she could go. “Nope. It’s all so terribly smooth and level. No dips. No apparent hollows. What a pain. Makes it far too hard to eavesdrop. What were they even thinking? Ugh!”

The door opened, startling her.

Aloysius stood on the other side. “Miss Farlington, I am glad you returned.” He held up her shoes. “I do believe you forgot these.”

“oh.” She reclaimed her shoes. “Thank you, Mr. Arden.” There was nothing more for her to say and she could not think of a single reason to barge back into the room. She did an awkward curtsey and left the scene.

****

As Aloysius watched her walk away, a strong feeling gripped him.

Something like uncertainty and doubt.

Something a little like fear.

Something akin to expectation and understanding.

She will become a problem as James grows older. She will attempt to lead him astray.

James came over to him. “Sir?”

He looked down at his son.

Yet, perhaps I am wrong.

He put his hand on James’ shoulder.

I hope I am wrong.

“Come. Let us get you ready for bed.”

James smiled up at him. “Yes, sir.”

Dear God, please let me be wrong.

They retreated into their room and closed the door.

Chapter 57 – A Son’s Promise

by butlersgloves

Keep it together.

Do not lose control.

Stay calm.

Do not let her see how you truly feel. Stay calm and steady.

Do not lose your calm in front of the Farlingtons.

Aloysius cleared his throat. “Miss Farlington, I am surprised to see you in my bedroom again.”

James scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process. “Sir! It is not her fault.”

May Rose grabbed a pillow and flung it at James. It fwoomped against his back. “James!”

“It is my fault, sir. I….” His face froze as if he’d run out of words to say. “Um.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “I asked her to come in here.”

“Liar!” May Rose said.

He gave her a pointed look. “I did. I wanted her to show me how to draw better, sir.”

“And this had to happen in our bedroom, James?”

He hesitated for a moment before replying, “Yes, sir. It made a remarkable amount of sense at the time.”

Aloysius couldn’t help but smile a little at that. “I see. Miss Farlington, please return to your quarters.”

“All right.” She got off the bed and strode over to the butler. “But just so you know, everything he said was a big fat lie. He had nothing to do with—”

“It is well, Miss Farlington. Please leave.”

She exchanged a look with James. “Yes, Mr. Arden.” She left the room.

A moment of silence passed between the father and son.

James bowed his head. “I am sorry, sir.”

Aloysius sighed. “I will not point fingers either way. You both know who is to blame and that is enough. All I ask is for you to think.” He unbuttoned his gloves and removed them one at a time. “May Rose Farlington is above us, James, and she always will be. Nothing will change that. Yet, it is your responsibility as a young man of honor and as their future butler to put your foot down if you feel that she is crossing the line.”

James frowned. “How will I know, sir?”

Aloysius looked fondly at his son. “You will know. As you grow older, you will see the lines that must never be crossed by her and by you. And you will understand.”

“What if I do not?”

“Then, it means I have failed you, James.”

James raised his head. “You will not fail, sir. I promise. And I will not disappoint you again. This, sir, will never happen again.”

Chapter 55 – Drawing Critique

by butlersgloves

As James left the library, his mind was awhirl with questions he hadn’t asked. The biggest question was Why?

Why would Nellie spread such unfounded rumors? She must have known that she would be found out and caught.

Father said that there was no truth to the rumors. Yet, why would she even entertain such a thought that had no basis in reality? What did Nellie want to accomplish?

***

James mulled over those questions and plenty more as he meandered back to his father’s bedroom.

I suppose I cannot blame father. He was quite within his rights to dismiss her. At any rate, he did not dismiss her. Lord Farlington did. For that is how it works. Father can only make a suggestion. It is up to Lord Farlington to make that decision.

james opened the bedroom door and entered the room.

“Well.”

He startled.

“It’s well past time you came in here.”

He looked to the bed just as May Rose sat up. “What are you doing in here?” He looked back at the door to make sure it was closed.

“Waiting for you.”

He walked over to her. “You cannot be in here. If my father—”

“Oh, your father can go cook a horse.”

James frowned. “What are you doing in here?”

“I already told you, daft. I’m waiting for you. You’re here. So, good.” She scooted over to the edge of the bed and handed him the drawing journal. “Honestly. I thought you’d draw a more flattering likeness.”

“What?” He opened the book and flipped to his drawing. “I do not understand. What is wrong with this?”

“Ugh! Everything! You made my eyes too far apart.”

“I did not!”

“You made my mouth way too big.”

“It is the right size.”

“And how do my eyebrows look anything like THAT?” She tapped the drawing for emphasis.

“I. I. I thought—”

“Get up here and I’ll show you the correct way to draw my face.”

“But—”

“Up here now.”

“May Rose, if my father were to—”

“Do you want to know how to draw faces correctly or not? Because if you want, I can leave without saying a single word.”

He looked down at the drawing and back up at her. “You are willing to show me how to draw better?”

“Isn’t that what I just said? Come on, you daft.”

He cast a nervous glance at the door before joining her on the bed.

They laid side by side.

“Well! First of all, we need to start with a clean sheet.” She flipped the page. “We’ll just pretend that travesty did not happen.”

James thought about their argument in the library. He smiled. “Yes, let us pretend it didn’t happen at all.”

Chapter 54 – “Is It True?”

by butlersgloves

Plates carried on their trays.

Glasses carried with care.

Nothing dropped.

Nothing broken or chipped.

It is a glorious procession of precision and order.

James burst into the kitchen. “Father!”

Aloysius cast a hard look at Betsy as she put the dishes into the sink. But she was careful this time. She didn’t just drop it in. He breathed a subtle sigh of relief and turned his attention back to his son.. “You have returned. I—”

“Father. We need to talk.”

Some of the servants turned to see what was going on.

Aloysius scowled at them. “As you were.”

They turned away and resumed their regular busy work.

Aloysius put his hand on his son’s back. “Come. We will discuss this matter in private.”

“Yes, sir.”

He sent another daggered look at his fellow servants. “Do not drop anything. Not even a teaspoon.”

“Yes, Mr. Arden.” they said.

Aloysius led James out of the kitchen and into the empty library. He closed the door behind them. “What did you need to speak to me about?”

“Sylvia told me that you had something to do with Nellie’s dismissal. Is that true, sir?”

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “It is true.”

James shook his head. “Why? I do not understand, sir. Why would you—”

“As I said before, she was spreading ugly rumors about Lord Farlington. She—”

How much should I reveal to him? Any of it? All of it? How much do I trust my own son?

All of it.

“I witnessed her speaking to Sylvia about Lord Farlington. She did not flat out say it, but she implied heavily that Lord Farlington and I were engaged in an immoral affair.”

James frowned. “You and Lord Farlington? Well, of course, that is not true. It is hardly worth being bothered about. You are both men. How could you possibly be engaged in such an affair, sir? It does not make sense. Surely, sir, there was no need to dismiss her. One could easily see the fallacy in such an accusation.”

“Indeed. Yet, Lord Farlington’s reputation was endangered.”

“But, sir. Will she not continue to spread such rumors now that she has been dismissed?”

Aloysius smiled at his son. “Of course, she will. Yet, who will believe the word of a dismissed servant? People will hear her words and assume that she is being bitter and vindictive. They will say, ‘Well, it is no wonder he dismissed her’. Yet, the words of a servant who is still gainfully employed will seem to hold truth. For why would a servant who is still employed lie about her employer?”

“I. I am uncertain, sir.”

“And that would be my point.”

“I assume May Rose does not know?”

Aloysius gave him a questioning look. “Does May Rose Farlington need to know of such salacious rumors?”

James walked over to the nearby globe. He gently turned it with his fingertip. He stopped as North and South America rolled into view. “Sir? Is that the reason why they are moving to America?”

“No.”

“What is the reason?”

Aloysius took a moment to deeply consider the best way to answer that question. He decided on the simplest one: “Politics. Messy, ugly politics. and people who wish to bully him into submission.”

“So?” James turned to face him again. “He is running away?”

“No. He is doing what he believes to be morally right and in his family’s best interest. I know Lord Farlington, James. I know he is not a coward.” He chuckled softly. “If you knew him as I do, you would agree that he is the furthest thing from a coward. Did you have any other questions?”

“No, sir.” He hesitated. “Just one , sir. When will we know if we are to go with them to America?”

“I was planning to speak to him tonight about it.”

“Oh.”

Aloysius sighed. “I need to get back to the kitchen and monitor the situation in there. Did you wish to come with me?”

James shook his head. “I am a little tired, sir. Unless…Did you want me to come?”

Aloysius checked the buttons on his gloves. He made sure that they were still there, still safely fastened. “No. It is all right.” He lowered his hands. “Go rest. I will join you as soon as I am free.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

Chapter 53 – On The Other Side Of The Gate: Lies Or Truth?

by butlersgloves

James wasn’t just in a brown study as he followed Sylvia. He was in a whole brown house.

Is there a way I can honor my father’s wishes and still be friends with her? No, the two are mutually exclusive. It is one or the other. Him or her. My father or my best friend. It is not and cannot be both. It just is not possible.

Yet, I wish it were.

Maybe there is a way.

Maybe we could find a way. How? How could we do it without sneaking around behind his back? Yet, is he giving us any other options?

Yes.

One.

Stop being friends with her.

“I have heard some rumors about Mr. Arden.” Sylvia said. She opened the white metal grille gate separating the sleeping quarters of the lower classed servants from the rest of the house.

“Rumors like what?”

She stepped aside and let James walk through the gate. “Many rumors.” She followed after him. “Rumors about him and Lord Farlington.” She closed the gate. “Rumors about him being behind Nellie’s dismissal.”

James stopped and turned to face her. “That is a lie. My father would never—”

“Your father was trying to protect his own skin.” She smirked. “So to speak. I know what she said. I know why he had her dismissed.”

James shook his head. “You are wrong. My father would never behave dishonorably.”

“Oh, I’m sure he believes that he is in the clear. He believes that he is innocent. He believes that—”

“Stop it! My father is innocent. I can prove it.”

“No, you can’t. Mr. Aloysius Arden is clever. He’s smart. If you ask him if he had any part in Nellie’s dismissal, he will answer it in such a way that will neither be an admission nor a lie.”

“You are wrong. My father would never lie to me. He will tell me the truth.”

“No. He’ll tell you a fabrication, James Arden. A perfect pinpoint needlework embroidery of a fabrication.” She stepped aside. “As a matter of fact, you should go to him and tell him what I said. Let’s see if I get dismissed next.”

James ran to the gate and opened it. He stopped. “Why? Why are you saying such things about him? How do you hope to benefit from it?”

“Nellie was my friend.” Sylvia’s shoulders slumped. “She was a very good friend and I miss her. I miss her more than I’ve missed anyone. I didn’t get a chance to say good-bye to her. Believe me, James Arden. It is your father’s fault that she is gone. I will not believe anyone who tells me otherwise.”

There was a subtle wrongness in her words, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. It unnerved him and made him feel ill at ease. He ran through the open gate without another word.

Chapter 52 – So Much Drama In The Library.

by butlersgloves

“Are you done drawing yet?” May Rose asked.

“Not yet.”

“You sure are taking a long time. How could you not be done yet?”

James frowned as he tried to focus on all of the finer details. “These things do take time, May Rose.”

She shrugged. “Seems like you’re being slow on purpose. Are you done now?”

“NO. And please refrain from peeking.”

She huffed out a irritated sigh and leaned back in her seat. “You could just hurry up.”

“If I hurried, it would become a muddle.”

“Not necessarily.”

James fell silent as he continued drawing.

“Does your father know that you’re in here?”

“No.”

“Oh!” She quickly sat up. “Are you actually sneaking around behind his back?”

He sighed. “You need not sound so enthusiastic about it.”

“Uh, yes I do. James Arden is sneaking around behind his father’s back. James! This is a momentous moment!”

“Hardly. He excused me and…” His hand went still. “May Rose.” James kept his gaze fixed on his drawing. “My father believes it would be in our mutual best interest if we stop being friends.”

“I know that. We’ve already discussed that.”

“Yes, but.” He sat up. “This is not an easy thing for me to say.”

“Then, don’t say it.”

“May Rose—-”

“I know what you’re going to say and I hate it. I hate that you’re so willing to throw a perfectly fun friendship away JUST because you were told to do it. That’s dumb, James. That’s stupid. That’s daft!”

“May Rose, believe me. I do not want to—”

“Then, don’t!”

“It is not that simple.”

“I don’t care! James, please—”

He stood and closed the book.

“James—”

He handed the book back to her. “I am sorry.”

May Rose thwacked the top of his head.

“Ow!”

“I am not sorry.” she said. “You deserved that.”

“May Rose, there is no need to—”

She stood and barged into his personal space. “Don’t you DARE tell me about what there is a need to do or not do. Don’t you DARE!”

He backed away from her, more than half-way convinced that she was going to throw the book at him next.

“There is nothing wrong with our friendship. Do you hear me, James Arden?”

“I do. But.”

“If you dump me—”

“Please do not use the word ‘dump’. It is terribly uncouth.”

She threw the book into the chair. “I don’t care about word choices right now! So, don’t change the subject!”

He backed further away from her. “May Rose—”

She simmered down. “James. I don’t want to lose you.”

“May Rose, please try to understand me. I do not want to lose you either.”

“Then, don’t.”

“It is not so simple.”

“It is. You’re just trying to be difficult.”

He scowled. “I am not being difficult!”

The library door opened. “James?” Sylvia, one of the top floor maids poked her head into the room. “James, Mr. Arden is looking for you. You should come quickly.”

James took a long look at May Rose before turning to Sylvia. “Yes. I am coming.”

He left the room.

Chapter 50 – Draw Something…Or Someone.

by butlersgloves

She can’t really be leaving it at that! She undoubtedly has more to say. So, she will return. Mother will return.

Eliza Farlington did not return.

May Rose brought her knees up again.

I suppose I should be glad that she kept the lecture mercifully short this time around. Nothing worse than an endless lecture of tediousness.

She opened her book and picked up her pencil. She resumed her drawing.

Eyebrows.

My plan didn’t quite work out the way I had planned. James was supposed to come in here, not mother.

Hair.

I wonder why he didn’t. I shouldn’t wonder, though. Clearly, his father had something to do with it.

Shade in the eyebrows.

Or maybe it was his own idea.

Make the eyebrows as dark as possible.

Why did mother leave so abruptly? It had sounded like she was building up to a big reveal about herself. And she dropped it. Just like that.

Shade in the hair.

If she had stayed, what would she have told me?

Make his hair darker.

Maybe I should go running after her. Maybe I should ask her.

Darken every strand.

Yet, I’m sure that’s what she wants me to do. Come running after her.

So, I won’t.

Shade in his eyes with light strokes. Even though his eye color is a dark red.

A knock sounded on the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened. “May Rose.”

She perked up. “Well, it certainly took you more than long enough. I’ve been waiting for you, you know.”

James entered the room and approached her. “I am sorry.”

“You should be.”

He lowered his gaze. “I—Oh! Is that a drawing of me?”

“Sure is. Sorry it’s just a boring portrait. I had wanted to do an action drawing of you, but this came out instead.”

“It is very good.”

She shook her head. “Not good enough. If only I had red pencils, I could make it so much better.”

“Perhaps, but it still surpasses what I can draw.”

She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “It’s all a matter of practice and you haven’t been practicing. Here.” She flipped to a blank page. “You try drawing something.”

He frowned slightly. “Must it be a something?”

“Fine. Or someone. It doesn’t matter.” She handed him the book and pencil. “Just draw.”

James took them and sat on the floor beside her chair. He looked up at her. “No peeking. I want to surprise you.”

“Fine.” May Rose leaned her head against the armchair’s stiff yet cushioned back. Her fingers itched with the need to draw as she listened to him draw line after line.

Long lines.

Short, quick lines.

“So, I saw you.”

Straight lines.

Curved lines.

She frowned. “You were acting like I wasn’t even there. You didn’t look at me. You didn’t talk to me.”

“I was in training, May Rose.”

“So?  I’m in training too, but that doesn’t mean I choose to listen to them all the time.”

The pencil fell silent.

No more lines.

“May Rose, I want.” He paused as if he were trying to think of the right words to say. “I want to make my father proud of me. I love him.”

“So? Where does that leave us, James?”

The pencil spoke in lines again, but James did not reply.

“I like you, James. I enjoy these simple, quiet moments between us. I enjoy running outside with you. If I have any say in the matter, when I grow up, I want you to go on adventures with me.”

The pencil spoke slower.

‘Great adventures. Oh, James! I do not want to be trapped in a get-married-have-babies life. I want so much more than that!”

The pencil went still and James spoke, “I know you do. I suppose a small part of me wants it too. To live without any boundaries, without any of society’s restraints…”

“Yet?”

“I do not want to be a cause of embarrassment and humiliation to my father. If I were to live my life without any restraints, he would be mortified. He would surely blame himself for not raising me right. I cannot hurt him like that.”

She closed her eyes.

He has a good point, but I’d hate to admit it.

“Are you done drawing yet?”

He resumed. “Not yet. And no fair peeking.”

“I am not peeking, you daft.”

Chapter 49 – I Won’t Grow Up!

by butlersgloves

Eliza Farlington looked down at her daughter and saw traces of her younger self. She softened.

If only I could yield. Yet, I cannot.

“May Rose, I am not an ogre nor am I a cold-hearted beast. I do not delight in correcting you and denying you the friendship that you treasure.”

“Then, let me keep it and all will be well.”

“My dear. Life is not that simple.”

“It is simple. Terribly simple, but every adult wants to make it so needlessly complicated. And for what reason? For what greater good? Why should we be here and the servants and all of those lower classed than us be all the way over there? Why can we not intermingle and be friends? It makes not an iota of sense to me! And there is not one way that you can speak sense into it. It just is not possible!”

She sounds so much like myself when I was younger. I wonder if I ought to admit it. If I do, we will gain common ground. Yet, it will also give her ammunition to defy the status quo.

“It may not make much sense now, my dear. Yet, it will. As you grow up—”

May Rose set her feet on the floor. “I have no intentions of growing up. Growing up is foolish and tedious and boredom. Pure adulterated BOREDOM. So many rules. So many cannots. I want to be free of those restrictions. I want to chase after rainbows and dance upon diamonds. I want to race to the end of the Giant’s Bridge and explore the Teschmarht ruins on the other side. I want to stay out in the rain and be gloriously drenched and not care one whit if my shoes squelch as I walk. I want so many things. Things you cannot even imagine.”

Eliza smiled and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “You would surprised, my dear, if I told you of the many things I can imagine.”

May Rose stared at her mother and seemed to be perplexed by her words.

“Do not forget, my dear. I was once a young girl too.” Eliza kissed her daughter one more time and left the room. She longed to stay a bit longer and try to build a bridge of words to May Rose. Yet, the moment seemed to call for a dramatic exit. So, she exited the room.

She hoped that May Rose would chase after her. She didn’t necessarily expect it. Just hoped.

A small, reed-thin hope.

But May Rose did not.

Chapter 48 – The Next Lesson To Be Learned.

by butlersgloves

The rest of the meal proceeded in its usual fashion. Plates were served. Plates were taken away.

Everything was perfectly ordered.

Everything was perfectly managed. With the exception of May Rose’s outburst, nothing went amiss.

James watched all of the proceedings with a keen interest.

Aloysius noticed. If it weren’t for the fact that the Farlingtons were still present, he would have smiled.

I am so proud of you, James. One of my greatest fears was that you would have no interest in my duties or in this life that you have been born into. Yet, look at you, my son.

Look at you.

I would hug you if I could. But not now. Not before the Farlingtons. It would be ill-mannered and boorish to behave in such a manner before them.

And that is the next lesson I will have to teach you. I suspect you will not like it, though.

“I am done with my meal.” May Rose said to her father. “May I PLEASE be excused?”

“Certainly.”

Aloysius stepped forward and pulled her chair back.

“Thank you, Mr. Arden.” She directed a fierce glare at James before leaving the room.

“Will there be anything else you require, sir?”

“No thank you, Arden.”

“Very good, sir. And you, madam?”

“Nothing.” She stood and left the room.

I know Miss Farlington will like it even less than you will, James. Yet, it is an important lesson to be learned. If we are to maintain the lines that divide us from them, this lesson must be learned.

I am sorry that it must be so.

***

May Rose marched into the library with her drawing journal. She could have drawn in the privacy of her own room, but she had a plan in mind. And that plan would not work if she were drawing in her bedroom.

She curled up in one of the armchairs and opened the book. Her pencil was already in there, waiting for her. She picked it up, balanced the book on her knees, and started to draw.

Normally, it took her a while to decide on what to draw. Sometimes inspiration avoided her and she’d have to put her book away.

That was not the case this time around.

She knew exactly what she wanted to draw.

So, she drew it.

The line of his jaw.

His nose.

His mouth.

His eyes.

She hesitated. “If only I could color them red. It doesn’t look right coloring them dark. Leaving them blank is even worse.”

The library door opened. “May Rose?”

She curled her knees up tighter and tried to wish herself invisible.

Her mother entered the room and found her with annoying ease. “May Rose, we need to talk.”

“There is nothing to talk about.”

“On the contrary, there is. And it is my place to speak to you about it.”

She closed her book with a heavy-spirited sigh.

“Your behavior at the dinner table this evening was embarrassing.”

“Why? It was just Arden. It wasn’t like it was anyone of any importance.”

“That is not the point, young lady. Even though, I hesitate to call you a young lady after the way you behaved.”

May Rose focused on her journal’s brown leather cover.

“Yes, Mr. Arden was the witness to your unfortunate behavior. Yet, we ought to always keep up appearances. Whether we are in the company of family or servants, we ought to always be on our best behavior. We must never give them any fodder for gossip.”

“Oh, puhlease. Arden is the least likely to gossip.”

“That is true. All the same, you must learn proper decorum. If you are to survive in this world that we are born into, you must learn to control yourself. Remember this: You will not always be a child. The day will come when you will face society. And trust me, my dear, society will not be kind to you if you lack simple self-control. Do you understand me?”

May Rose wanted to argue. She wanted to say that society could do a full lemming run off a cliff in Mongolia and be eaten by werewolves. Yet, she said the expected, “I understand.”

Chapter 47 – Now Serving: Pork Pot Pie And So Much Tension.

by butlersgloves

May Rose quietly seethed as she ate the pork pot pie.

James was standing with his father near the wall. He was standing there just like his father. Quiet and still.

May Rose wanted to pitch her pot pie at him.

Look at him. Pretending he doesn’t see me or that I don’t see him.

Daft.

He’s completely daft! He’s standing right in my line of sight. How could I not see him?

She violently speared a potato chunk with her fork.

He’s giving up. I can’t believe that his father would conquer him that easily. What did he say to him to win him over to his side?

I thought for sure James would fight a whole lot harder for us to be friends. I thought we were friends. I thought we were best friends.

She ate the potato.

I will talk to him after supper. Even if I must drag him into the bathroom to do so.

“mm!” Lord Farlington raised his hand and waved it in a commanding gesture.

Aloysius Arden stepped forward. “Sir?”

“mmm! This meat is amazing! What is it?”

“Pork, sir.”

“Pork? Well, that is extraordinary. I have always detested pork, but this is very good. Please give my compliments to Hanna.”

Aloysius dipped his head in a slight bow. “I will do so, sir. Is there anything else you require?”

“Not at all. But thank you.”

“Very well, sir.”

“I have a request.” May Rose said. “I want James Arden to sit at the table right next to me.”

“May Rose!” her mother exclaimed.

“What? That is what I want.”

“I do beg your pardon, Miss Farlington, but James is in training right now. He cannot sit with you. I am sorry.”

“Oh, I bet you are.” she muttered darkly.

“Will there be anything else?”

She furiously stabbed a baked apple slice. “No.”

“Very well. What of you, Lady Farlington? Is there aught you require?”

“No thank you, Mr. Arden. You may return to your post.”

He did another slight bow and returned to his son’s side.

May Rose ate the apple.

Yes. I will definitely talk to James later when none of the adults are looking.