The Art of Being a Gentleman

Chapter 1

The past three days have been nothing short of chaotic. Every single visible and nonvisible surface of the Styles manor has been sanitized at least twice, the backyard has been manicured to perfection and is dotted with bright pink begonias that were planted just last week, the cobblestone pathway leading up to the front of the home is practically sparkling against the afternoon sun, and the heads of the family, Carter and Gwendoline Styles, have been spoon-feeding their three eldest children information on how to behave on this, in their words, blessed day, the arrival of Victoria Astaire and her family.

The three eldest children, Margaret, Preston, and Eli, are standing outside, whispering among themselves as they impatiently wait for their parents and younger brother.

"I certainly don't remember all this fuss when I got betrothed." Eli scoffs.

"The golden child gets all the fanfare," Margaret sighs with a roll of her eyes. "Same old shit, different day."

Preston snorts. "I'm surprised mother and father didn't hire an entire orchestra for the occasion."

"Gwendoline almost did, but Carter stopped her." Margaret laughs, calling her parents by their first names as a sign of disrespect.

The three siblings instantly quiet down when Carter and Gwendoline wordlessly join them outside the house. As usual, they regard their older children with small nods and emotionally detached greetings.

Inside the mansion on the second floor, Harry's in his bathroom sitting on the tiled floor and trying not to vomit. He's fully aware that the Astaires should be arriving at any moment, but he can't seem to get up from his spot, his nerves won't allow him to do so. He flinches when he hears rapid knocking on the door followed by the shrill voices of Pam and Sam, the twin maids.

"The Astaires will be here any minute!"

"Your parents will hack off our heads and serve it on a platter if you're late!"

"Oh hush, Sam!"

When their coercing turns to a loud argument that starts to grate on Harry's nerves, he gets up from the floor and yanks the door open, instantly getting met with the sight of two short, identical red heads with wide, silvery blue eyes bickering back and forth with each other. Harry used to struggle with telling them apart when they first started working at the mansion twelve years ago, but eventually, he started to notice the small, subtle things that differentiated them, such as Pam's hair being a couple of inches shorter than Sam's, Sam's voice being just a few octaves higher than Pam's, and the differing placements of the freckles that covered their faces.

"Ladies!" Harry shouts, causing the twins to snap their attention towards him.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Pam asks.

"If you're worried about Victoria not liking you, then I want you to know there's no need to be." Sam assures.

"She's right," Pam interjects. "You're an amazing man and I bet she's thrilled to have you as a suitor."

"So there's nothing to be worried about!" The twins shout in unison.

Harry just stands there for a moment, blinking at them. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to... whatever that was.

"I'm fine," Harry lies. "I'm just a bit nauseous."

"Would you like some club soda?" Pam asks.

"To settle your stomach?" Sam adds.

"Sure," He answers. He honestly doesn't have any desire for club soda, he just wants the twins to leave him alone for a minute.

"Yes, sir!" The twins shout with mock salutes. They scamper out of the room in a way that reminds Harry of two hyper active puppies.