This week’s offering for Six Sentence Sunday comes again from my third Russian novel and is another little scene between quasi-antagonist Anastasiya and her best friend Katrin’s butler Mr. Rhodes. It’s late at night on the Fourth of July, and Anastasiya’s 7-year-old son Dmitriy asks his uninvolved mother why she’s painting her nails so late at night. Anastasiya responds in her usual unmotherly manner, and is immediately called out by the butler.
***
“I’m thirty-four years old. I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want, whenever I want it.”
“Including having a drunken one-night stand with a stranger and becoming pregnant?” Mr. Rhodes asks as he picks up the mess Katrin’s youngest daughters made earlier in the evening. “If you don’t want me to understand your endless parade of unintentionally amusing conversation, you need to speak another language. Do you speak any other languages besides Estonian, Russian, English, German, and French?”
Anastásiya ignores him and goes back to painting her nails red.
Welcome to My Magick Theatre 
I love the dynamic between these two. It makes me wonder if she’ll ever change and appreciate his approval . . . although if she doesn’t, I’ll appreciate his proper snark, too! 🙂
(did he say this in front of the boy? Or in a language he knew the boy wouldn’t know? Just asking)
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Dmitriy’s first languages are Estonian and Russian, though his home tutor has taught him a decent amount of English. He’s sadly all too aware of the fact that his father is a stranger his mother (a fashion designer) met when she was at her first show in Paris.
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Oh, dear. Poor kid.
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Once again, the butler told her. Great six! 🙂
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I hope he didn’t say this in front of the kid! Boy, he must be one heck of a butler. I don’t believe he’d remain in my employ with his snark (which I find endlessly entertaining as a reader, but wouldn’t appreciate from staff … especially not at my own expense!)
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Anastasiya isn’t his employer, as he’s often reminding her when she tries to act like it. Her best friend moved her back into her home to protect her from the scandal of unwed motherhood, but the servants feel she’s long overstayed her welcome.
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Haha. Good for the butler!
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I like the butler.
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The butler makes a valid point. Great six!
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I really enjoy the butler – thanks for the explanation above that he’s not *her* butler, all of which makes the story even more interesting. Excellent six!
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Mr. Rhodes rocks! How many butlers can boast of speaking five languages? Love him!
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I do love Mr Rhodes.
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I’m loving this butler! How did he come to speak so many languages? Was he something else before becoming a butler? Fascinating character.
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I love the butler! Great banter!
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I’m in love with your butler! How wonderful.
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What an interesting butler! P.S. Random.org picked you as a winner for my 18 Things Blogfest today, so hop on over to claim your prize:-)
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Snort. This bloke is a pearler!
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