The Rich Guy

The Rich Guy - Chapter 1

She would have been one of these vile people before her parents had hit on bad times. Or she would certainly have turned into one of them if she hadn't been dragged out of ninth grade mid-term and deposited unceremoniously back on the doorstep of her parents eight bedroomed manor house deep in the heart of Warwickshire.

Returned home in disgrace by her association to her own parents no less, on account of non-payment of fees at Arlesey Boarding School for Girls. It was her parents who were the disgrace though, not her.

Rosalind Penthorpe-Cleeves was fully aware of who she had become since that miserable day eleven years ago, and it was not one of these debaucherous wedding guests that she had the displeasure of serving canapes to tonight.

She'd already accidentally walked in on a couple around her age going at it in the designated staff toilet in the old servants' quarters of the stately home she was currently working in.

She'd pulled the door wide and was stunned to see a woman with her butt perched on the washbasin, her legs waving about like opposing windmills while a good-looking guest with his trousers around his ankles pummelled away at her, the sweat pouring down his forehead as he'd run out of time to remove his blazer before he got to work in their enclosed space.

The woman, oblivious to Rosalind's presence had her head turned the other way but the man locked his blue eyes on Rosalind and gave her a grin, unfazed and maybe even delighted that he had an audience.

He continued thrusting and gazed straight into Rosalind's eyes as if in the moment she was his possession too. After one or two more thrusts Rosalind's brain finally engaged and she slammed the door shut in disgust. She walked away and shook herself to discard the man's eyes still creeping toward her.

'Arseholes,' she muttered.

'What was that?'

Rosalind turned to find that her best friend Ava, had caught up with her. She held an empty silver platter and was on her way back to the kitchen to replenish the canapes.

'Two people shagging in the staff toilet, for God's sake.'

'Yuck,' said Ava. 'There's probably going to be plenty of that later. There's already some extremely drunk people out there. I don't think canapes will be sufficient to soak up the alcohol.'

'No,' agreed Rosalind.

They were almost back at the kitchen.

'What's the matter Ros?' said Ava, concerned about her friend's subdued expression.

'Oh, it's nothing Ave. I just,' she chuckled to change the mood, 'it's just I really need the loo,' she smiled at her friend.

Ava held on a moment not convinced that was what her friend had originally intended to say. She had come to recognise that whenever she and Ros did jobs like this one that her friend appeared to become quieter as if reflecting on her previous life.

'Ros, if you scoot up these stairs here there should be one on the first floor, but don't let Madeleine see you, she's a bit OTT about being professional at all times. I'm sure she'd rather you pee into a bucket, but as it's the twenty-first century and we're employees not servants I think it will be ok. But be quick alright?'

'I'll be quick,' said Rosalind, taking her apron off and leaving it draped over the bottom of the banister. 'Quicker than that couple anyway,' she joked as she sprinted up the plush carpeted stairs toward the first floor. She heard Ava laughing after her as she went and then the sound of the swing door leading to the busy kitchen in the throes of preparing a midnight feast for four hundred guests.