It's just after noon when Mrs. Dalton's stuck up friends arrive. I'm standing in the corner of the peachy tea room, waiting for them to enter so that I can serve them their tea. Of all the tasks and chores that are assigned to me, this is my absolute least favorite. I hate any task that requires me to be in the same space as Mrs. Dalton for any amount of time.
Thomas acts as the butler around here, and technically he should be the one to serve them, but Mrs. Dalton and her friends have gotten into the habit of talking about things which no man should ever have to hear. So she chose me for the job instead.
Peaceful silence is taken over by boisterous conversation as they enter the tea room, laughing and gossiping. Once they have taken their seats, I pour the first cup, preparing it to Mrs. Dalton's specifications. After I've added the proper amount of cream and sugar I set the cup in front of her. I listen to their conversation, continuing to make up twelve more cups of tea, preparing each one to each lady's specifications.
"...and the look on her face!" Mrs. Everly chuckles. All of the other ladies except for Mrs. Harrington start laughing.
"Well she deserves it!" One of the others chimes in, picking up the cup of tea that I've just set in front of her.
"Speaking of people who deserve it, "Mrs. Dalton speaks up, taking a sip of her tea. I glance to her, grateful that the look on her face is a pleased one. Sometimes, if I add too much cream she yells at me. But that hasn't happened in a while. I've been serving tea to these same thirteen women every third Wednesday for nearly two years now and I've practically memorized how each of them takes their tea.
"Mr. Herrick was ordered by the court to pay over fifty thousand dollars in fines after what he did to you-know-who," Mrs. Dalton adds. All of her friends are excited by this news, some of them laugh. Fifty thousand?! Geeze, that's a lot in fines, I think to myself as I set the last cup of tea down on the coffee table.
"Well, "Mrs. Harrington speaks up for the first time, her voice dull and unimpressed, "that's hardly anything compared to the wrongs that man has done to our dear friend." She takes a sip of her tea, appearing to be satisfied with its taste.
"His penalty should have been a lifelong prison sentence." Her tone is completely serious, devoid of any sympathy or sarcasm, and it makes me shiver. I can't help but wonder what this Mr. Herrick guy did to his wife to deserve such ill wishes.
Mrs. Dalton finally gives the nod of approval for me to leave and I have to restrain myself from running out of the tea room. Instead I nod, bowing slightly before walking towards the 'servant's door'. Once the door has shut behind me I saunter towards the basement, where I find Adelaide, Thomas, Tobias, Martin, and Keary, all eating lunch.
"Hey guys," I greet, taking the seat across from my brother and next to Adelaide. She smiles at me.
"Finished serving the ladies their tea?" She asks, handing me a plate with a sandwich on it.
"Yes. Thank you," I tell her before taking a bite.
"What were they gossiping about this time?" My brother asks with a smirk. I shrug.
"Stupid things," I reply simply. Toby laughs.
"Aren't they always talking about stupid things?" He questions. I laugh in return.
"You know it. I would love it, if just once somebody else could serve them instead of me," I state, my words laced with exasperation.
"I'm never walking in on one of their stupid conversations again!" Thomas practically snaps back, his face getting a bit red as he recalls the last time he served them. I can't help but laugh.
"It's not funny!" He exclaims.
"It's entirely hilarious!" Adelaide tells her husband, standing to collect our empty plates. When she gets around to take his plate he gives her an indignant glare before getting up and putting the plate in the sink himself. Adelaide shakes her head as Thomas sits back down.
"Coffee, anyone?" She asks after setting the plates in the sink. I lazily raise my hand.
"Me too," Toby says.
"Me three," Martin adds in his gruff voice.
"I need it!" Keary chimes in, rubbing her eyes.
"No, you don't. You're eleven!" Toby snaps back. Keary glares at him.
"Thomas, dearest, will you be having coffee?" Adelaide asks, almost mockingly.
"No, thank you," he spits back.
"Alright, then," she returns, trying to sound angry as she stifles her laughter. The rest of us are laughing at them. She makes up four cups of coffee and sets them on the table, taking her seat next to her husband. We stay there for about two hours, laughing and talking, and relishing in Thomas' stubbornness and immaturity. Then the front door clicks open, signaling that Mrs. Dalton's friends have left.
"Break's over," Thomas says as he goes to fetch their dirty tea cups. Adelaide starts on the dishes while I hurry up the stairs to continue my cleaning duties for the day. Tobias and Martin head outside to tend to the corn fields with the other workers who aren't as prone to shirking their duties as the rest of us. But hey, I'll take any opportunity to disregard my responsablities.
I get down on my hands and knees and begin scrubbing the dark hardwood floors in the foyer. When I'm almost done, Mr. Dalton enters the house, tracking mud all over the floor. I let out a sigh and he stops and I freeze. Everything is deathly silent.
"I hope for your sake that that deep sigh wasn't aimed at me." His voice is cold and threatening.
"No, sir. I was merely taking a breath," I lie.
"Good," he replies icily, "because your position here depends on your behavior. It always has and lately you've been walking on incredibly thin ice." He spits before walking further into the mansion and I'm left to wonder what he meant. Once he's passed me I glare at him, wanting to strangle him and his wife for the way they treat us, but I can't do that. Laying a finger on either of them would be illegal. They get to treat me anyway they want and I can't do anything about it. Because I'm their slave.
One hundred and four years ago, the government re-legalized slavery. They actually call it the debt program, and it's more along the lines of indentured servitude but people have taken to calling us slaves. After the second stock market crash, after all the debts that people owed each other, and the government, President Crescent found that it would be the only way to ensure that people paid back what they owed.
My mother owed the Dalton's a massive debt. When she died from a car accident, that debt was passed on to me and my brother. We've spent the last 10 years working as debtors, and we will remain working for the Dalton's until the court of debts decides that our debt is paid off. And that could take a while.
YOU ARE READING
His Slave
Romance"Remember what I said at the coffee shop?" He asks, and I cringe. "I can report you, slave. And trust me, I will. And you know full well what that entails," James hisses back, glaring at me. I swallow, trying to fight off my anxiety even though I'm...
