“Young master, you must wake up. We have guests coming, there is no time for sleep!” the butler said, opening the window curtains.

The sleepy adolescent boy stubbornly groaned and pulled the bed covers over his head to block the sun rays from hitting his tempered face. The butler came to the bedside.

“If people were to see the Earl like this, they’d banter amongst themselves. It’s time you wake up from your slumber. You have a reputation to uphold, young master,” he said.

The Earl groaned once again, rubbing his eyes.

“Maybe the people can come tomorrow. Tell them I’ve caught a cold or something,” said the young Earl, slowly rising from his fetal position.

“Even if you caught a cold, it’d be embarrassing if they knew. Besides, it’s too late. I’m sure they’ve already begun their travels here,” said the butler. “Now get up, I have your outfit ready to be worn.”

The Earl sat on the bedside, stretching his arms upward.

“How many guests are coming? I’ve forgotten,” he asked.

“Eight. They are expecting to have a great time. It’s not everyday for the commonfolk that you are able to reside in a such a fine manor,” the butler answered, helping him dress, “but I guarantee their highest expectations are not for the building itself, but for you, their host.”

“Right… tonight’s the night when it happens, correct?” the Earl asked.

“Indeed,” the butler replied.

“Please be watchful of them.”

“I will give my utmost efforts to keep you safe, at all costs, as always.”

“As always…”

The Earl, fully dressed, exited his room with his butler dressed in a black suit, who always followed him like his shadow. It was on this walk to the dining hall that every morning the butler would inform the Earl of the day’s plans, leaving him to think them over during an exquisitely prepared morning meal.

“The guests should begin to arrive at one o’ clock. I have instructed the maids to dust every surface and neaten up the guest rooms,” the butler said, “I made sure that they would do their duties with haste, but also with perfection. This place has become dusty, but we haven’t all the time in the world.” 

“And what about breakfast? I’m starving,” asked the Earl.

“Was last night’s meal not filling enough?” the butler worried, “Well, for breakfast, we have prepared you French toast with a scrambled egg, bacon slices, and strawberries.”

“Any pastry dish?”

“You’ve got to watch how much sugar you’re eating. Remember your last tooth ache?”

The Earl groaned.

“And your figure too. We don’t want to ruin your youthful body now, do we?”

“I didn’t ask for a mouthful of ridicule for breakfast!” the Earl snapped.

“Very well. Be seated, young master.”

The Earl sat down at the head of the table before a maid placed a plate of breakfast sided with a bowl of a few assorted fruits.

“I hope the fruits will serve as a proper substitute. The apple is freshly picked from the apple tree in our garden and the bananas were imported from India. I made sure to get the ripest fruit available.”

The Butler tied a serviette around the Earl’s neck so as to not dirty his fresh outfit and he began to eat. Meals at the Earl’s mansion were always of the finest quality, even if for something as simple as a breakfast.

The Earl finished his much needed meal as the day would require a plentiful amount of energy.

“Was your breakfast satisfactory?” inquired the butler.

“I’m full, but I do miss my morning pastries,” the Earl responded.

“Nothing is ever satisfactory to you, I suppose,” the butler teased. The Earl groaned in rebuttal, knowing they spoke of the truth.

“Now,” the Earl, wiping his mouth with the serviette, enunciated, “let us begin our preparations. We have to make sure everything is set up perfectly. If anything goes wrong, our plan could be at risk.”

“Right,” the butler added, “I will assure all goes according to plan. I know how much this all means to you, young master.”

“For my deceased parents, I shall not stop until every last one of them is rid of this world, and I will do whatever it takes to find those responsible,” the Earl stated, standing up from his chair. The butler’s lips slowly curved slightly upward, enjoying the sound of the Earl’s vengeful words.

The Earl continued, “and those responsible mustn't go unpunished.”

“Until then, young master, I will assist you in your goals to the best of my ability,” the butler reassured.

It was a quarter after one when the first guest arrived. It was a tailor, who the Earl perceived as worthy of an invitation to his mansion for he had tailored finely made clothes for him for years of his life. The tailor had brought two suitcases, one of which contained a new outfit made for the Earl as a gift, and the other containing clothes of his own. The next guest, arriving soon after, was a clockmaker, who had crafted a pocket watch for the Earl in recent times. The clockmaker carried two suitcases as well, of which one could hear a muffled ticking from by the second. A baron, whomst the Earl was acquainted with, came along with him and his wife, both of whom were dressed in fancy attire, and had their coachman bring inside their belongings. Next, a gunsmith arrived, carrying one suitcase, and greeted the Earl. A saddler arrived next, with a large gift box of quite obvious contents. The Earl thanked him for his kind gesture. Finally, an author of whose books the Earl enjoyed and his wife arrived. These were all of the eight guests, excited to meet the Earl and reside in his mansion, even if only temporarily.

“Welcome all, I hope your travels here have not been too troublesome,” said the Earl. “I have been awaiting you all.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, young Earl,” said the Baron, his wife then nodding in agreement.

“To you and you all the same,” exclaimed the Earl, trying his best to please the guests. “To start, I would like to take you all on a tour of my mansion. It will be a good way to kill some time. Though I suppose you all wish you could make the time pass slower whilst here.”

The maids carried the belongings of the guests away into guest rooms, and the guests followed the Earl, with his butler standing close by his side. The Earl glanced back to gatch a glimpse of his guests. Though the glimpse was quite short, he noticed the gunsmith staring directly at him with an odd smile. The Earl looked forward, shaking slightly.

The Baron, who was walking behind the Earl, noticed this shivering.

“Are you alright, young Earl?” the Baron asked.

“Just fine,” responded the Earl, then forging a smile on his face. He stood closer to his butler. “Let’s continue our tour of my wondrous mansion!”

The mansion was located in a relatively flat area of land, spotted with trees and surrounded by differing levels of rocky cliffs. Its architecture was of a Victorian style, fitting for the time period. The faces of the house were plentiful in windows, and the backside had a lush greenhouse attached to it which also contained a small seating area where the Earl could relax if he so desired. The mansion was complete with a library, a dining hall, a kitchen, a lecture hall, a cellar, and many bedrooms, one of which belonged to the Earl. This bedroom had a four-post bed set and a personal wardrobe closet, and a desk in front of a window facing the back side of the mansion. Each guest room was fit for two people, and was exempt of any mustyness, except for within the closets, which only hinted of it.

After a tour of the mansion, the Earl and the others went to eat dinner in the dining hall. Shortly after some chatter, the maids brought out the food from the kitchen and set it upon the table. The hungry guests stared at the finely prepared platters with amazement. It was not everyday that the majority of these people had the privilege of eating such a tasty meal.

The Baron, of higher social status than the other guests asked with confidence, “how can you maintain such a well-kept figure when there’s food as delicious as this?” in an attempt to flatter the Earl.

The Earl chuckled and responded, “self-discipline,” then looking at his butler, who cracked a smile knowingly, ending the Earl’s feigned joy. The butler then poured wine into the glasses of the guests, and water into the Earl’s. After eating their dinner, a cake was put out on the table. The Earl’s eyes widened, with his sweet tooth not quite having been satisfied yet. Though, continuing his act of self-discipline, the Earl passed on having the first slice, and instead the last.

The Earl and the butler then walked the guests to their guest rooms, wishing them all a good night and asking them kindly not to leave the rooms at night, with the reasoning that the butler had cleaning up to do and it would be more convenient if no one were to get in their way. The guests agreed to this, but the gunsmith then realized something. He realized that if the butler, who seemed inseparable from the Earl, were to be cleaning up, the Earl would be alone in his bedroom. Knowing this, the gunsmith waited until the clockmaker in the room had fallen asleep. The gunsmith opened his suitcase and pulled out a pistol that was buried underneath his clothes inside. He grabbed his suitcase and exited the bedroom, making his way towards the Earl’s. Upon reaching the master bedroom, the door was conveniently opened a crack. The gunsmith readied his gun to be fired, for this was no gunsmith. The title was a veil to provide reasoning for why he carried a gun, but also to hide his identity, for he had been associated with those who killed the Earl’s parents. However, this was of the Earl and his butler’s certainty. It was all part of their plan, which had been falling into place.

The “gunsmith” slowly opened the door and entered the dark bedroom.

In what seemed like an instant, he was subdued and his pistol was swiftly taken from him.

“The young master’s sleep must go undisturbed,” the butler said quietly, with an arm squeezed tightly around his neck.

The next morning, seven guests were seated in the dining hall, awaiting a fulfilling breakfast.