Sir Milton

03

I only listen as I hear Sir Milton and William talking. I was told to wait till they were finished to gather the dishes.

"Father, do you know if mummy will be back soon? I miss her terribly."William says.

His father let's out a soft sigh.

"Any day now, my boy."he says quietly.

"I'll have to draw her some pictures to put on the fridge! May I be excused father?"William asks excitedly.

"Of course. Go on."he says.

I hear William chuckling and then his feet running.

I hear Sir Milton sigh.

"Service!"he shouts.

I jump, pushing through the kitchen doors and seeing him with his head in his hands.

"Sir Milton? Are you alright?"I question as I begin to gather the dishes.

He only sighs in response.

"Pour me a bourbon."he demands.

I halt gathering the dishes and walk to the drink tray.

I pick up the cut glass bottle of bourbon and pour it in to the awaiting glass till it was about a 4th of the way from the bottom.

I then place it on the table beside him.

He brings his head up and then picks up the glass. He looks at it questioningly before shaking his head and quickly drinking it.

I continue to gather the dishes as Sir Milton stands, walking back towards the tray.

I watch him pour himself another bourbon, only this time he fills the glass almost all the way.

"Williams bedroom will need cleaning. Do that after this."he says before exiting the dining room with his glass.

"Yes sir."I say after him.

I sigh. Sir Milton seems to always be upset. As if something was always on his mind.

And to be keeping the death of his wife a secret from his son, that must be weighing on him heavily.

...

I walk up to the door that belonged to William and knock.

The door opens and I'm greeted by Williams smiling face.

"Hello Ms. Astrid."he says.

"Good evening master William. I was told to clean your room."I say.

"Okay, come in!"he says, running from the door back in to his room.

I push the door open slightly, seeing toys and paper sprawled out all around the floor.

"Oh goodness."I say softly.

"This is my toy train!"he says, showing me an impressive train set.

"Master William."I say, putting my hands on my hips and causing his smile to fade.

"Miss Astrid?"he responds.

"Haven't you noticed you've made a muck?"I say, beckoning to the paper on the floor.

"Yes, but father says the house workers will clean it."He says, slightly confused.

"Well, you must learn to clean up after yourself. What happens when your all grown up, with a house of your own?"I ask.

"Father will get house workers for me!"William says with a smile.

I sigh.

"Come and help me Master William, we can make a game of it."I smile.

"Oh I love games!"William says, rushing over to me.

.......

I sit quietly at the edge of my bed, listening. I hear a knock on the door and sit up. I stand from my bed and walk over to the door, opening it softly.

I peak out and see Stephen's familiar eyes and I open the door fully.

"Dia dhuit. How goes the first day?"he asks, leaning against the door frame.

I notice now that he was only in trousers and a robe.

"Oh..um, it was lovely actually. I taught master William how to tidy up. Did you know he's never actually cleaned before?"I ask.

"He's rich love. Filthy rich in every sense the word."Stephen says making me chuckle.

"That reminds me, how is it that Sir Milton makes his money?"I ask, stepping aside and allowing him into the room.

"Are you kidding? He's the soul heir to the Milton Fortune. His pa owned every strip mall and farm and farmers market here in Dublin, and when he took over he multiplied the number of businesses he owns by 10."He says.

"Wow. That's a lot of money."I say, directing him to a chair to sit.

"Tell me about it. That's why we're paid so handsomely."he says as he takes a seat.

"So how long have you been working for the Milton's?"I ask, sitting as well.

"Oh um, about a year now. Seems like a wee bit of time but we're like family now."Stephen says, looking at his hands.

"...is something wrong?"I question, noticing his mood had changed.

"Oh, no. Of course not. Um, I wanted to come down here not only to see if you'd enjoyed your first day but also to see if you'd accompany me to the market tomorrow. I do most of the shopping but I feel like you should learn as well."he says sitting up.

"Of course, I'd love to."I smile.

"Awesome. Well, have a good night then Astrid. If you need me I'm right down the hall."he says, standing.

"And what of Andrew?"I question, causing him to pause.

"Um, I wouldn't bother Andy, he's a bit off when his sleeps interrupted."he shrugs.

"Oh, okay. Goodnight then."I say softly.

"Goodnight Astrid."he says, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

......