Mister Arlington

06

True to his word, Mister Arlington came back before dinner, just as Mary and I were serving the plates. He quickly disappeared for a bit to wash and change before returning in another suit, making himself comfortable at the dinner table.

Mary and I sat in our designated seats before we began to eat in another awkward silence, the only sound being the clang of our utensils against the ceramic plates.

With courage I had built up I examined the man I was working for. He wore a white button down, his black suit jacket thrown over the back of his chair.  His hair was wet from his shower and fell over his forehead, his face etched into a frown, his cool grey eyes trained on his food.

Although I didn't get out much, I guessed him to be someone girls drooled after in his wake. Actually, it made me wonder how he didn't have a lover, there were no signs of any female aside from Mary and I.

He looked young, somewhere around my age, in his early twenties definitely. His wealth was beyond that of his age, leading me to believe that he had inherited his riches, or majority of it at least.

"Staring is considered rude, Miss Whiting."

His words pulled me from my thought as if a bucket of cold water was poured over me. Abruptly, I turned my head to my plate of food, only now realising that I had been starting at him for a while.

"Is it a condition or do you choose not to talk?"

I grimaced at his question. It was a touchy subject for me and still very raw. I hadn't spoken a word since the day my mother died, which happened to be only a week ago. My personal doctor said that it was only a temporary condition from the shock and trauma I had was still going through.

"That's insensitive Tobias," Mary scolded.

I huffed, frowning as I opened my mouth and tried to push out some words but as a result I only managed to make strangled noises, I pushed harder trying to break this curse that I had brought upon myself without realising.

"I wouldn't push yourself, I don't care whether you can talk or not. I was merely wondering aloud."

I looked at him, finding him staring at me without an emotion, just his usual cold stare. I averted my gaze, turning it to the cane I was curious about which was leaned against the table. He stood, wrapping his hand around the hilt, making me turn my gaze to my plate as I also stood, gathering the dishes from the table.

Just like this morning I heard Mary and Mister Arlington speaking while I was in the kitchen, but this time they did so in hushed voices. Although I was curious about what they were speaking about I didn't eavesdrop on other conversation, instead I continued to do the dishes.

Mary entered the kitchen as I was drying the dishes, just as I heard footsteps and the door open and close. I turned to her with a questioning look, wondering if everything was alright.

She smiled and waved it off, "All is well, Tobias is just heading back to work, he's a little stressed. He'll be back early in the morning, so please stay in your room when he does. Tobias made it imperative that I remind you."

Although it was strange, I didn't pry, settling for a nod.

Later that night I was sitting in bed, looking at the ceiling as I thought when I was interrupted by groans and moans as well as a considerable amount of slamming against the walls. The noise travelled from the hall to the stairs.

I grimaced.

How unbelievably unconsidersble, I couldn't believe he had the audacity to bring a woman into the house while Mary and I were trying to sleep. Well, I couldn't exactly make out the woman's moans... Maybe, he was into men?

Although I could hear anything from upstairs I still grimaced, faintly imagining what was possibly happening above my room. I heard Mary's door open and rushed footsteps that went upstairs. I waited to hear any additional noises, specifically a frightened screech of a woman while Mary yelled at her to leave, but none of that came.

I let out a long exhale and sunk down into my bed, I didn't have enough energy to stay up any longer let alone wait for something to happen. I turned to my side and closed my eyes letting my breath even out as I drifted to sleep.

~~~

"Angelica, darling, daddy has hidden something from me. It's a small plastic bag about this big," she said, showing me an example of the size of the bag with her thumb and pointer finger, her hands shaking slightly. "Can you find it for mummy please, I really need it."

I nodded innocently. "Of course mummy," I said before running off in search for the bag. It wasn't long before I had found it hidden in my fathers office, in a secret compartment on my fathers study table. I had only found out about the hiding spot because I had hid in his office once when I wanted to know what he was doing with the two girls he brought up there. Unfortunately, it wasn't pleasant for me.

I ran back to my mother with a wide smile on my face. "Here you go mummy," I said, handinger her the small bag.

She pressed a kiss to my forehead with a feverish look in her eyes, they scared me.

"Thank you my baby!"

I watched as she emptied the contents of the bag out onto the coffee table, separating the white substance into two lines. She quickly dropped to her knees so she could position face over the strips, blocking one of her nostrils she inhaled the first line before doing the same with the second almost instantly.

I watched cluelesly as she lent back, swaying slightly, making me ask if she was alright. It wasn't until she fell to the side with her eyes opened and her mouth slightly a gap under I ran over to her.

My fathers powerful thuds from his boots made their way to the room as I screamed at my mother, I ran to him when he entered, trying to explain only to be met by a powerful backhand which sent me flying towards the floor.

When my head hit the ground I gasped, snapping up into a sitting position in my bed. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I placed a hand to my cheek where my father had slapped me too many times to count.

Even as a little girl being aged six. I shook my head, calmying myself as best as I could before I grabbed my things and rushing to the bathroom to have a shower. Washing away the filthy memory as well as the sweat that had accumulated from the vivid flashback.