Chapter five

He stepped down the stairs holding a cup filled with red wine in between his fingers. He wore his bare chest proudly, with abs

 bursting out through his skin. Tattoos from the right side of his chest that trailed down to his arm.  He chuckled dryly as he remembered the little accomplishment he achieved yesterday.

The smell of bacon and cheese filled the atmosphere which made Mariam run from the first sitting room down to where the kitchen was. Bacon and cheese were her best food. She could scream the house down when Anna decided to prepare it.

Mariam was a flag of hope to Robinson each time he looked at her. No one knows who her father was. Anna had confirmed seeing him only once but didn't get to know his name.

She hardly asks about her parents having seen Robinson as her father and Anna as her mother. Then making Eleana the witch in the family. Robinson often laughs when he hears her calling Eleana a witch.

He strolled to the dining room, drank the wine Anna had filled a glass with and left the empty glass on the table. Tucked into a corner in the kitchen, but not hidden from view were three black suitcases. Then, he remembered today was the day a new nanny will come to replace Anna.

He grunted in annoyance, secretly thinking of the sweet foods he was going to miss. But today was Saturday, not Monday. He entered the kitchen, the sweet smell of bacon ravaging his nostrils. He sneezed.

"Oh. Master, good morning." Anna called, fixing her eyes on the bacon she was preparing.

"Hmm." he nodded. "I saw your bags, I thought the new… nanny was starting on Monday." He slid his hands into his grey jogger's pocket.

"Err… No Master. It was agreed she will start Satur–"

"Who starts a job on a Saturday?" Charles titled his head.

She grew mute at that point not knowing what to respond before she said, "I was told she will happy to start soon, so–"

"Monday is still soon. It's two days from now, right?"

"Yes. Master." she quickly responded, not wanting to be cut off again.

"Uncle Robinson!" Anna silently thank Mariam for easing the tense environment. "Did Aunty Anna tell you she's leaving us?" Her eyes dropped.

"Yes she did, but she will be visiting during weekends." He smiled holding her little fingers.

"I want to go with her, Uncle Robinson." She begged.

"You will… when you are old enough. Just wait a little bit."

"That's not fair, Uncle Robinson." She pouted her lips, folded her arms and began walking to her room.

"I'll get you ice cream on my way back home–"

"Really? Thank you, Uncle." She ran and wrapped her tiny hands around his lower abdomen. "You are the best!"

Robinson chuckled and said, "I know."

***

Madeline scanned the room she had littered with clothes, shoes, bags and whatnot.

Her mum laughed. "You will be back next Saturday. Take a few clothes with you."

"I know, mum. I know." She scratched her scattered hair. "I'm just looking for one particular–"

"Is it this blue long-sleeve?" Olivia's voice rang out as she came running from the balcony.

"Yes! Yes! Oh, God." Taking it from Olivia. "You, my dear friend, you are a lifesaver."

"Aww, we can do that later. Now, you have to pack."  Olivia entered and started folding the clothes that were already on the bed.

"Right. I should do that–"

"Don't forget the other things I mentioned." Her mum gave her a knowing look.

Madeline's eyes widened as she ran to the bathroom to get a second towel and her toothbrush and other things she thought she would need.

After some minutes passed, she was done gathering the important things she felt were needed. She took a deep breath, paused and took a careful look at her dress. It had black polka dots and white on the sleeves, a V-neck that showed her slender neck. It was tight from her chest to her waist, and then it flowed down, stopping at her knee. She smiled to herself, leaving her long hair to rest on her waist.

"I'll be on my way now." Madeline smiled as she looked at her best friend and mother.

"Breath in, Sis, you will do just fine."

"Exactly, my dear. It will go well. Call me when you get there." Her mother whispered, hugging her.

"I hope you have the letter with you. The address and number are there."

She grabbed her purse and searched for it till she brought out a white envelope. "Yea, I do." She opened it and scanned the letter. "Hmm. The house is in Wimbledon Town."

"Almost an hour from here to there. You should start going, come on."

Her best held her by the hand as they left the house and strolled to the bus stop.

"The owner of the house is handsome." Olivia disrupted the silence between them.

"Shush! How do you even know?" She whispered loudly.

"My mum told me. She said he's very sexy, tall and rich–"

"Of course, he will be wealthy to pay a nanny that amount of money for salary."

"Well…" she shrugged. "That's true. Madeline, I heard he's single too!"

"God, no. I'm not having this conversation with you–"

"Yes, you are! You have been single for some time now–"

"I'm going there to work and nothing more. Just stop. Where's the local bus?" She said, straining her neck, and glancing at the dusty road.

Olivia chuckled knowing her best friend too well, this reaction was expected. "I was only joking tho… in a way."

Madeline furrowed her eyebrows at her best friend. "You are tiring." She began tapping her feet on the dusty ground.

"I know, darling." came her sarcastic remark.

Soon enough, the bus drove towards them and stopped at their front.

Madeline quickly hugged her friend, promising to call when she had gotten there.

It was a longer journey than she expected, and the sun scorched her skin through the thin windows, making her continuously wipe her face with her already wet handkerchief.

An hour passed, as the bus dropped her on a tarred road that had oak trees on each side of it. Everywhere was silent, except for the sound of swerving trees and insects she didn't see.

She walked down the road until she saw a breathtaking mansion that stood tall amid trees that looked like they guarded it.

The huge gate that guarded the mansion was coated with silver, designed with shapes of dragons moulded with gold that shone under the rays of the sun.

She knocked on the gate. No one answered. Then the gate swung open with no one's help. She paused to look around, but she saw no one. She walked into the compound, her eyes covering the length of the house in search of who opened the gate if anyone did.

She reached the stairs that led to the front door and she knocked repeatedly until someone opened it.

An elderly woman held the knob and a…

Her eyes widened at the sight of the man she could not forget in a jiffy. He was the man who almost hit her and shouted her down for it. She saw the frown that also sat glum on his face.

"Miss Madeline. I'm Anna, and this is Robinson Eddington."

She coughed slightly and tried to say something but only resulted in a nod. She heard someone laugh from behind. It was a younger man. She saw him on that fateful day.

He chuckled while walking to her, stretched his hands and said, "I'm Charles, Robinson's best friend and personal assistant. Do enjoy your stay here." The end of the statement had a sarcastic string to it.