Mister Arlington

28

"Good morning, Angelica.," Mary chirped as I entered the kitchen.

"M-morning Mary," I replied, though much less enthusiastic. Last nights conversation with Mister Arlington had left me awake all night, with more questions than answers. However it had kept other thoughts at bay, so I wasn't exactly complaining.

"Is Mister Arlington in his room?" I asked, moving towards the kettle.

"No, he stayed at work."

"Oh."

Mary turned to me with a raised brow. "Did you need him for something?"

"No, not exactly."

Her gaze lingered on me for a few moments before she turned back to arraigning flowers in a vase, with a slightly unsatisfied hum.

"Do you ever get scared?" I blurted, turning so that I faced Mary, my back rested against the counter edge.

She chuckled, almost to herself. "You'll have to be more specific than that, I'm scared of many things.. Mostly things that could happen."

"D-do you ever get scared about Mister Arlingtons.. Job? About your safety?"

"I hardly worry about my safety. Mister Arlington and Tobias always made me feel safe even in circumstance where it was far from."

"Mister Arlington? As in Tobias's dad?"

Mary nodded, "I was a little older than you when I took over my mothers position of being the house maid for the Arlingtons."

This was the first I heard her speak of her past. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't curious how she ended up working for Mister Arlington, so I stayed quiet and listened as she spoke.

"My father was the third in command for Tobias's grandfather, so I always felt quite close to the Arlingtons and grew up with the knowledge of the family business. I suppose that's one of the reasons why I'm not so scared, however I grew with the worry of Mister Arlington and Tobias returning with an injury too horrible to fix."

She paused, resting her hands on the counter.

"Seeing Tobias resting in a coffin is what I'm scared of, and these days I feel like that nightmare is becoming more and more realistic," her voice shook by the end of her sentence.

I stood still, watching as she took a moment to compose herself. My fingers twitched as if my body was telling me to comfort her, and a small tug in my chest made me shift on my feet. The urge to console her made me feel uncomfortable, a sign that I was beginning grow somewhat attached to her.

The sound of gravel turning under tires interrupted the silence between us.

"Oh, that must be Tobias now!" Mary said, straightening. "Why don't you go ahead and tell him breakfast will be ready in a bit."

I hesitated a moment, trying to figure out something to say. Though she hadn't turned to me for me to see her face, it was obvious she was fighting back tears. When nothing satisfactory came to mind, I walked away with a soft hum, leaving her to herself.

A car door closed just as I had opened the door, revealing Mister Arlington, just as Mary had predicted. His hair was disheveled and his eyes noticeably tired as he looked at me, simultaneously loosening his tie.

I curtsied, holding my position as I spoke,"welcome back Mister Arlington, breakfast will b..be ready soon."

Only when his perfectly shined shoes and end of his cane stopped in my line of sight did I raise my head, just enough for me to see him through my lashes. I waited a moment, expecting him to say something, but he only stared.

"Sir?"

"You don't have to curtsy, this is the 21st century."   His tone was rough, almost demanding to stand.

After a short moment to take in his words I slowly stood, meeting his gaze. It shouldn't have surprised me, that he was back to his usual self but–

My eyes widened slightly as he lifted his hand towards me, brushing my hair over my shoulder with the tip of his cane to expose my neck to his gaze. The cold metal gently kissed the skin of my neck causing me to faintly suck in a breathe before holding it.

"The bruises are almost gone.. Still, you should wear the scarf I gave you," he said as he examined my neck.

–he was unbelievably confusing.

"I will," I replied, stepping back from him.

~~~

I skipped dinner, excusing myself before Mister Arlington came downstairs after freshening up. Later in the afternoon, when the sun had recently retired, there was a soft knock at my bedroom door.

I stood from my bed, opening the door to find Mister Arlington waiting in the hallway.

"You skipped dinner," he stated. "Why?"

I shifted on my feet, dropping my head. "W-well, I wasn't hungry."

It wasn't exactly a lie, I was thinking about too many things regarding his proposition that I had lost my appetite.

"I'm sorry sir, but why did you bring this up?" I asked, raising my head to look at him.

"Well, I thought I would check because of your past with self harm."

My heart skipped a beat, as if shocked by what he had said. My eyes narrowed, almost turning into a glare.

He looked over my features. "It seems you have taken offence from my words."

"It wasn't right to bring my past up, especially without knowing the story behind it."

He hummed, "I suppose you are right, that was wrong of me."

Silence fell between us after he spoke, an uncomfortable minute passed by as I tried to think of something to say.

"About your offer," I blurted.

He hummed in response, giving me a nod to continue.

"I..." my heart was racing, I didn't have any idea why. But what I did know was that my answer was going to affect many things about my future.

Was this a good idea? Probably not. But the thrill to accept was too good.

"I accept."