Evelyn Porter – Servant Girl Extraordinaire
"Of course, I would come too early for tea," mumbled the girl, glancing at the large grandfather clock on the opposite side of the room in annoyance. The sound of its ticking was slowly driving her past the normal brink of nervousness and onto the edge of panic. She had to calm down…there was nothing to worry about. This…was just her new employer inviting his new employee to afternoon tea. If she had been accepted as the employee – she wasn't really sure. The employer, Mr. Bates, had been very vague in their last meeting. Evelyn shuddered, remembering the strange tests she had to undergo, along with the other applicants. There had been the tests of endurance (which, for some reason, included balancing serving trays with bananas while sprinting against the other applicants), strength, flexibility, and finally the really strange allergy tests (deciding whether or not anyone was allergic to monkeys or any other form of simian type animal). Evelyn had passed all of the tests with flying colors…maybe. She was unsure. Her hope that she may have actually gotten the job flared when she'd received Mr. Bates' call inviting her to tea. Well, of course she was nervous. So nervous, in fact, that she had come ten minutes earlier than the time described in the phone call. Now, she was stuck in this highly polished waiting room that obviously belonged to a wealthy man, her hands sweating, her heart beat and the ticking clock thundering in her ears. God, it was like something out an Edgar Allen Poe story. However, just when she thought the ticking might drive her to lunacy, the door to the study creaked open and Mr. Bates stepped out carefully into view.
Bates was a short, fat, man with huge eyes and brown hair atop his head. He had some sort of facial hair style that was new to Evelyn, some sort of moustache-sideburn hybrid, she guessed. He stood up straight, his hands clasped behind him. He had the air of someone who had been through too many adventures to speak of, and couldn't, possibly, for he didn't have the time. Evelyn stood up quickly, her heart skipping a beat as she did so. Her meetings with him had always been very nerve-wracking. She tried to mimic his way of standing, but gave up in the end, resting her hands at her sides. Bates stared at her for a moment, taking in her appearance, before standing aside to allow her into the study. He smiled at her stiffly, as if the action caused him physical pain.
"Miss Porter," he drawled, nodding his head a bit, "How…nice…to see you again, my dear. I've been longing for a chance to –eh-"
Evelyn had slipped inside the study before Bates could finish, fearing that he might close the door swiftly on her face. There was a table in the center of the room, set for two. Bates calmly gestured to the two chairs on either side of the table. Evelyn took a seat, the sound of her heart beating loud in her ears.
"Ahem, Miss Porter, let us get right down to business," said Bates, pouring them both a cup of tea. Evelyn nodded, a jerky motion, due to her nerves. Bates, who was scrutinizing her as he sat back in his chair, asked, "Why do you want this job, Miss Porter?"
"W-well," said Evelyn, looking anywhere but his huge eyes. "To be quite honest, it sounds like the best job there is, actually. High pay…free living quarters…traveling to remote places of the world…I was sure when I found the ad in the paper, that it was some sort of sham…if you don't mind me saying so, sir."
Bates quirked an eyebrow at her and she hastily took a sip of tea to hide her blushing cheeks.
"What I mean to say is…" Evelyn sighed, putting the cup down and staring into the man's eyes. "I needed a job that was high paying and the free living quarters part was like a dream come true for me. I…needed to get away from some troublesome things…back where I used to live, sir."
"I see. And…does your…family know about…ehh…all of this, then?" continued Bates, leaning in closer. Evelyn eyed him cautiously over her tea cup. "Of course…your background is nothing you must divulge with me, Miss Porter. Onward…naturally…I wanted to know exactly how well you are at…secret-keeping."
Evelyn allowed his words to float around the room for a couple of moments before thinking up an answer. This was strange behavior, even for such a strange-looking man. Just what kind of…secrets were he talking about?
"I know how to keep my mouth shut, if that's what you mean," clipped Evelyn quietly. Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "Sir."
A long, torturous silence greeted her in return. Bates was staring at her again, as if trying to see inside and take a peek at her secrets, as well. Just when Evelyn was sure she'd lost her chance to get the job, Bates stood up and smiled genuinely at her. Surprised, Evelyn stood too.
"Well, Miss Porter…You have impressed me. Be ready, if you would, at six AM tomorrow morning. There will be a car waiting outside your hotel, to take you to the airport," said the small man. Evelyn broke into a relieved grin.
"I got the job? That's brilliant!" She shook his hand quickly and left the room, ready to go and pack her things. She'd done it! No more hiding around, watching her old life glare at her. No, she was finished with all of that, now. She was ready for a fresh start. Evelyn did not notice Mr. Bates pull out a cell phone and start dialing, as she closed the door behind her. Nor did she hear him speaking in hushed tones to an unknown someone on the other line.
"Of course, Mi'Lord. I'll be sure to pick up some jasmine tea on the way back, then, shall I? Yes. The new help will be arriving tomorrow, on schedule, as ordered. Bananas? Very well, Mi'Lord. I shall also get some more on the way back, too…"
End
Author's note: Here's something I did…because I've been re-watching Kim Possible. I realized that Monkey Fist is the cutest thing and that I should obsess over him…So, here's a little something to prove that I loves him…even if he's not even on this page…Well…review if you want more, I guess. Man, I haven't written in a while…