Black Butler: Dark Service And A Broken Soul.

Chapter 4: Her Butler, Making Preparations.

I stared at the letter for a while in disbelief. "You have to be kidding.." I almost whispered. He hasn't made a peep for years, the last time any member of my family saw him was after father's death; at his funeral. "Long-awaited indeed..." I continued, picking up the letter gently from the table, beginning to open it. 'But... What could he possibly want after all these years? Mother and father are gone, as is my sister. 'What would he need to write to me about?' I wondered. I was the onnly surviving member left of our family. It's almost scay to think that he is wilin to contact me after all this time. As I opened the letter, the sweet scent of inscence drifted out freely, very quickly filling the room. It was Roger all right, has writing hadn't changed a bit, and that smell, was the inscence that flows through his church. That's right. He was a member of the church. He was the one who married mother and father. As an old friend of my father's, he knows a lot about our family. Given the situation now, if he was to find out Tobi's true identity.. We'd all be in serious trouble. As a believer of God, Roger wouldn't hesitate to erase both me and Tobi if he were to find out information of our contract- My contract with a  demon, we'd have to leave this place completely, and it would make our challenge even more difficult than it already is. I scanned the written letter's paragraphs, and was left almost speechless. Tobi awaited my response as I stood completely still.

"Is something wrong, miss?" He spoke softly, showing a little concern. I placed the open letter back onto my desk and lifted my head to face the butler.  I hesitated before I spoke. "I-It's Roger, He is coming to visit tomorrow." I said, worried. Carefully lifting the mug and it's saucer off the table, Tobi smiled reassuringly. "I know your worried.. However, there is no need. Myself, the stable-hand and and the rest of our colleagues will work as hard as needed to ensure that no mistkes are made upon Roger's visit. You are safe with me master." He kneeled down, bowing, holding my hand. "But what about the preparations? How could it be possible to think up a meal, decoreate the entire masion, have the stables and horses fully cleaned, arrange the garden to his liking..-" Tobi almost immediately stopped my fretting. He smiled. "Just leave it to me." He spoke, beginning to walk away.

The next morning, we all arose early to make sure that the preparations for Roger's visit were completed. Tobi was busy putting up decorations and changing the lightbulbs in the chandeliers, Thomas, our grounds keeper; effectively our gardener and stable-hand, was busy working away watering and planting flowers in the gardens and seeing to the horses needs, while Shannon and Emily, the family maids, were busy cleaning the inside of the mansion, and Michael, the cook, was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen; like a good woman. He did at some point in the morning make a plate full of iced cakes, but a lot of them ended up disappearing by the time he'd turned his turned his back on them; to which he reacted by smaking Shannon with a tray when she walked into the room. Emily had been working hard all morning and so Tobi had agreed to help her out by wiping the windows near the mansions entrance, as she couldn't reach, and Tobi had finished his work before the others had barely started. In doing so, after he had cleaned said windows, he noticed that they had been breathed on not long after, and had small inappropriate pictures drawn onto them. Sighing, he cleaned them once again and turned around to smack the culprit in the face with the cleaning cloth. Shannon the proceeded to run away making a noise that sounded somewhat like a possessed child. Upon entering the gardens to see how the Ground's Keeper was getting on, he saw a tired Thomas slumped down onto the grass holding a spade, panting. Tobi sighed deeply. "Can you not even get the garden finished? Your the only one so far this morning that has not gotten a decent amount of work done.." Tobi said, folding his arms. Thomas looked up in disbelief. " It's way too much work to get done within two hours! Roger will be arriving at 12, it's 10 already! Even you couldn't have possibly completed all set work already.." He moaned, staring at Tobi. Tobi just smirked in reply. Thomas' draw dropped. "That's impossible..." He whined, flopping to the floor. "WAIT." He got back up again. "What you said just.. Does that mean that Shannon has actually done some work!?" He yelled, eyes wide. Tobi placed his fingers to his chin. "Well.. Not exactly. Other than drawing genitalia on the windows, but I wouldn't really class that as working." He replied. It was then that an eerie 'nhehehehe..' noise came from behind one of the garden statues, both butler and gardener turned to look. It was Shannon again. "GET SOME WORK DONE, IMBECILE!" Tobi yelled, watching Shannon run off again, sighing afterwards. "Please Tobi.. Help.." Thomas kept on whining, flailing his spade around about the air. "Your all useless.." Tobi sighed. "Fine. I'll sort the horses, just get the garden done." Tobi replied, walking round to the stables. Thomas' face immediately lit up. "Thank youuuu!" 

Back inside the mansion, I was yet again in my office, getting documents and other paperwork done, as well as filing, writing letters and doing a little of my own research in some of my father's old books.  That was, until I realised that it was infact 11:55. I made my way downstairs to the doorway, where I found Tobi, Shannon, Emily, Thomas and Michael, all waiting by the door, listening for the bell to ring. "I assume everything is ready?" I smiled, making my way down the corridoor, standing next to them. "Indeed it is, miss." Tobi replied before taking hold of the door handle. I smiled again, and turned my head to look at the door, hearing the sound of a carriage pull up. It was then, that the door bell rang. Everyone looked at each other, hopeful. Tobi opened the door, and promptly stood beside it. Roger walked in, seemingly entranced by the mansion's interior. "This place hasn't changed at all..." Roger began to speak, then turned his head to face me. "Neither have you, miss Ashdown." He smiled, then cautiously turned his head to face Tobi.