Adam didn't linger long beside the window. He didn't dare. If he was caught wasting time, he'd be harshly scolded.
There were chamber pots still to be emptied and scrubbed, and wainscoting to be polished. Adam worked twice as hard as any of the other servants, and was still criticized most harshly when he failed. The butler, head of the house's servants, attributed Adam's failures to a soft upbringing, being coddled like he was one of the nobility. Adam's father attributed it to him being a waste of food and a worthless shit.
He knew that he should leave, but didn't expect much better treatment in any other house. Not if he couldn't provide good references. Not if he couldn't earn some favor or promotion here.
Besides, part of him had always been waiting for Ronan.
A maid came running to fetch him, out of breath. "Mr Lynch wishes for you to carry his bags. Quickly, now!"
Ronan had asked for him. Adam's heart skipped a beat, though he understood that he was being asked to serve only in the capacity of luggage handler. He'd been asked after in recognition of his service as Ronan's companion as a child, which was more courtesy than could be expected toward a servant.
Making his way quickly downstairs, Adam kept his eyes averted as he went to fetch Ronan's bags. He offered no greeting, since it would be presumptuous of him to speak directly to someone so far above his station.
Adam had also grown. He'd become tall, though not so tall as Ronan, and his face had taken on a sharp, underfed prettiness. His long dark hair was tidily bound at the nape of his neck with a leather strap, and his dark eyes were downcast and sorrowful. A tattered gray suit hung on his frame, ill-fitting and frequently patched. It had been a cast-off from one of the upper servants, years ago.
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There were chamber pots still to be emptied and scrubbed, and wainscoting to be polished. Adam worked twice as hard as any of the other servants, and was still criticized most harshly when he failed. The butler, head of the house's servants, attributed Adam's failures to a soft upbringing, being coddled like he was one of the nobility. Adam's father attributed it to him being a waste of food and a worthless shit.
He knew that he should leave, but didn't expect much better treatment in any other house. Not if he couldn't provide good references. Not if he couldn't earn some favor or promotion here.
Besides, part of him had always been waiting for Ronan.
A maid came running to fetch him, out of breath. "Mr Lynch wishes for you to carry his bags. Quickly, now!"
Ronan had asked for him. Adam's heart skipped a beat, though he understood that he was being asked to serve only in the capacity of luggage handler. He'd been asked after in recognition of his service as Ronan's companion as a child, which was more courtesy than could be expected toward a servant.
Making his way quickly downstairs, Adam kept his eyes averted as he went to fetch Ronan's bags. He offered no greeting, since it would be presumptuous of him to speak directly to someone so far above his station.
Adam had also grown. He'd become tall, though not so tall as Ronan, and his face had taken on a sharp, underfed prettiness. His long dark hair was tidily bound at the nape of his neck with a leather strap, and his dark eyes were downcast and sorrowful. A tattered gray suit hung on his frame, ill-fitting and frequently patched. It had been a cast-off from one of the upper servants, years ago.