Eddward Rockwell wakes up and begins his first day of being a butler in the Barr Estate. He gets dressed, slips his pocket watch into his coat pocket, and begins going over the duty list with the other servants. The head butler paces back and forth explaining what needed to be done for the day before dismissing everyone and showing which way his charge lie. Waking up the young Master Barr, as instructed by the master of the house and the head butler, was one of his first tasks of the day since he was to be the young master's personal butler and caretaker. He sighs stopping in front of the door he knew the hot headed young man was behind. He draws in a deep breath to prepare him for the difficult task to come and then pushes open the door.

"Young Master... It is currently a quarter past eight, please rise yourself from your slumber" he says in a professional manner as he pulls back the curtains keeping the room dark and letting the sunlight enter the ornate room and the gigantic four poster bed in the center.

Kevin groans and rolls over. "Go away... let me sleep..."

"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that, Young Master" Eddward sighs quietly as he opens the second set of curtains. Turning to the wardrobe he sighs and begins to pick out the young master's attire for the day.

"Leave me in peace!" Kevin threw the blankets over his head and curled up, brows knitted together in irritation.

Eddward sets the clothing down on the bench in front of the bed then walks up and flips the blankets off Kevin. "Young Master, your Father has tasked me to be your personal butler. Please do not make my tasks difficult and allow me to get you dressed. We have a nice hot breakfast ready for you."

"My Father can shove off and so can you if you think I'm getting up early!"

"Young Master, please... I have been given permission to do anything necessary to keep you on schedule" Eddward says his eyebrow twitching with annoyance at the spoiled brat.

Kevin groans and sighs loudly before flinging the blankets back and sitting up. He had shed his shirt sometime in the middle of the night and was sitting there with just his pants on. He looked to the clothes that have been laid out and sighed. "Apparently, this is a working breakfast?"

"One should always look professional and businesslike" Eddward says as he begins the task of dressing the adult child.

"Just for your information, I hate it when people dress me. I can do it myself" he grumbled.

"I will make note of that" Eddward says stifling a snicker at the thought of this grown man-child attempting to dress himself. As he puts the finishing touches on his tie, he snaps his pocket watch open. "If we leave this room now we will be on time for breakfast with your Father " he informs snapping his watch shut and opening the door for Kevin.

Kevin briskly brushes past him and walks down the hallway. Putting his hands in his pockets, he turns around and walks backwards. "So how did you get saddled with me? What bad thing did you do? You get caught stealing or something?"

"Young Master, for your own safety, please face forward while walking" Eddward says dismissively as he walks behind him.

"Then tell me what you did to get burdened with me" Kevin grinned.

Just then he trips over a maids cleaning bucket and Eddward stifles a laugh. "Oh my, Young Master, are you quite alright?" Eddward asks helping him up. "I did warn you of that."

"Yes, I'm fine. At least I didn't get all wet" Kevin brushes himself off after assuring the maid that he was fine and not to worry about him. Sending her on her way with a smile and a quick "don't worry about it!"

Eddward quirks a brow. 'My but he is a curious one' he thinks to himself but instead says "I was tasked with this duty because I was the only one willing to accept the challenge."

"You're fairly new here, aren't you?"

"Indeed, you are correct, Young Master."

"I'm not as bad as I seem, I'm always rough in the mornings."

Eddward smirks and opens the door to the dining hall revealing a man in a white suit with flaming hair at the head of the table with a rather refined butler standing behind him. "Son! Good morning!" William Barr greets his son happily.

"Good Morning, Father. Is there a particular reason you have me joining you at breakfast?"

"Your studies start today, I thought perhaps I would congratulate you for finally taking this seriously."

"My studies? To take over the family business?

"Why yes" William nods as his butler leans down and whispers something in his ear. "Ah yes, thank you Giles. I also wanted to inform you that we are having a dinner party in a few nights. You will meet your betrothed there so I expect you to stay away from the spirits and behave yourself."

"What?! My 'betrothed'?! You said you wouldn't do that! What if I don't like her? What if she is a horrid beast?!" Kevin asked astounded.

"I never promised such things to you, your late mother did, God rest her soul" William says dismissively. "You will learn to like, and eventually love her. I assure you that you will find her as attractive as you do those other harlots you enjoy spending time flirting with."

"Harmless flirting is different than marrying them! I don't want to marry someone I don't love and care for! Nat is in that situation now and he's miserable! I refuse!"

"You have no choice in the matter, boy. You will do as you're told and carry out what is expected of you" William says sipping his tea. "The marriage will solidify the joining of her father's shipping company and my trading company."

"I fail to see how a marriage will do that when you can just enter into a business contract with him to join the two companies…?" Kevin sits back in his chair with his arms crossed, glaring at his father before something dawned on him. "Wait, shipping? You mean the VanBartonschmeer's?"

"Yes, their daughter, Lady Natalie, is who you are to be married to."

"I'd wanna be married to someone soon too if I had that last name" Kevin muttered as Eddward had to use all his self-control trying not to laugh as he heard Kevin's comment.

"What was that Kevin?" William snaps.

"Nothing. Fact remains, I don't want to marry her. I don't care... you want to join the two companies that bad then YOU marry her. I'm sure that would work better for everyone."

"I'm far too old to be remarried" William says dismissively. "If you are to take over the company and by extension the family fortune, you will marry her" he says firmly. Out of the corner of his eye, Eddward sees the head butler stiffen at the mention of marriage but brushes it off as nothing.

Kevin sighs, he wants to take over the company, if just to make his mother proud. She always wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps and be a great success but him and his father has never seen eye to eye and fought constantly. On her deathbed, she made Kevin promise to get along with William and since then, he had tried... but this is too much. "Well clearly this is all about your wants and throw mine right out the window, correct?" Kevin suddenly pushed away from the table and stood. "If you'll excuse me, Father, I have my studies to attend to before I continue to let other people live my life for me" and he walked out the door.

Eddward walks after him briskly, stopping a maid for a moment and speaking to her before following behind the ginger. Kevin slams the door to his lesson room open and stormed in. "Who does that old man think he is?!"

Eddward stays silent as he closes the door to the room listening to Kevin rant. "God! He's so insufferable!" Kevin pull sat his tie and throws it on the desk.

Eddward quirks a brow in silent agreement but stays silent and in his place as a butler. Kevin glares at Eddward and scoffs "You can agree, I truly don't care. We've been at odds for years."

"It is not my place and one should always remain businesslike and professional." Eddward says bowing his head slightly as he repeats what he said earlier in the morning.

Kevin sighs loudly "Normal conversation isn't in your programming?"

"It is with the other servants and people of my stature but you are an heir and of high social standing. I've stepped out of line enough so that I could explain this, so I do apologize."

"Around others its fine but when it's just you and me, you can relax a bit. It puts me on edge when you're so uptight. Giles is completely different when it's just him and me or my father. That's just how it's always been since I've been born."

Eddward raises his eyebrows in surprise. "That is rather out of line, is it not?" he asks skeptically.

"I guess but it puts us at ease... isn't that more important?" Kevin grins.

Eddward sighs softly. "Will it make my everyday life easier if I appease you in this manner?"

"Probably not the morning routine but everything else yeah... maybe... most likely..."

"Yes, very well then… While I do not think it's fair to force a wife on you, I do feel it is your duty, as it is part of my duty to take care of you. It cannot be helped if the master of the house has made his mind up" Eddward says as matter of fact. A knock on the door brings Eddward's speech to a halt as he walks over and thanks the maid who had brought Kevin's favorite tea and scones then dismisses her. Setting it on the desk where the ginger would be sitting down, Kevin looked at Eddward suspiciously.

"I like the looser version of you way better than the uptight version." Kevin looked down at the tray in front of him. "How did you know these were my favorites?"

"It's my job, I am after all your personal butler" Eddward smirks.

Kevin took his seat and kicked his feet up on the desk before popping a scone in his mouth. "I think we'll get along just fine."

Eddward chuckles "I should hope so, Young Master. I plan on being here for a long time to come."