Chapter Text
Downton Abbey continues
January 1926
Monday, January 4th, 1926.
Until today it has been a very mild winter, one could even call it warm for the time of the year. Snowflakes fluttered down on Christmas, as if they were ordered to give the landscape a peaceful and quiet look. But the very next morning the white carpet was melted. Instead of a quiet, white world, the rain was pouring down and the rivers were almost bursting their banks. Finally it has stopped raining this morning.
Thomas was sitting in his butler’s pantry, still uncomfortable with the new situation. Of course, it was the job he had been longing for but it had all been decided so hastily. Would the other servants accept him as a butler?
knock-knock
Thomas looked in the direction where the sound was coming from. He frowned his eyebrows when somebody peeked his head through the door that was ajar.
“Andy? What a surprise! You were the last person I expected.”
“Sorry to disturb you Mr. Barrow, can I come in please?”
“Of course, Andy! Please, take a seat. How can I help you?”
Andy kept standing.
“First of all, I’d like to congratulate you on your new job as a butler, Mr. Barrow. I apologize but because of New Year’s Eve, January 1st and the fuss over the last days, I haven’t found the right moment to come and say this to you.”
“Thank you, Andy, that’s very kind of you.”
Thomas noticed Andy’s nervousness in his voice and in his behaviour.
“Andy, I hope we can still remain friends. I haven’t changed, you know.”
“I know, Mr. Barrow but …”
“Please call me Thomas, certainly in here! You should call me Mr. Barrow in front of the others but not when we’re alone.”
“But you’re my superior now, Mr. Barrow.”
“I was already senior staff member last year too, remember? Please, Andy, don’t make it harder than it already is for me. This whole change has kept me out of my sleep for a few nights now.”
“And there’s also something else that’s bothering me. I wish to apologize once more for my behaviour towards you over the last year. I tried to avoid you, knowing I was hurting you by doing that. I still regret to have missed the chance to get to know each other better. I was misled by the words of Mrs. Patmore and others. Please forgive me.”
“Let’s forget about that period, Andy. There will be more than enough opportunities to get to know each other better. I promise!”
“Thank you, Mr. Ba…, Thomas!” Andy smiled. “Did you…”
“Shush!” Thomas jumped out of his chair and ran towards the door. He opened the door with a quick sharp pull but he was too late.
Andy joined him after a few seconds in the corridor. “What was that all about?” he asked.
“I thought I saw a shadow. Someone was eavesdropping. We can’t be careful enough, Andy!”
“We didn’t say anything wrong, did we? We didn’t tell each other secrets, did we?”
“I know. Maybe I’m too tense. Next time close the door when you come in.”
“Thanks for the conversation anyway. I’m leaving you now Thomas. I have to go to the boot room.”
Thomas watched him going down the corridor and then went back into the room. On his table he found a small envelope with some badly written words on it; the handwriting was hard to decipher:
Letter to Mr. Barrow
Could this be a letter from Andy or was it just wishful thinking? How did it end up on his desk? Why didn’t he give it into my hands? Curious as he was, he quickly opened the envelope to find a little card:
After a turbulent 1925, let me wish you a very warm 1926!
Now I hope you may find yourself in good health and get everything you ever wished for.
Downton Abbey wasn’t the same anymore without you, so welcome back!
Yours faithfuly
Remarkably the card wasn’t signed; neither did it have a name on it. Thomas noticed the spelling mistake in the last word so it must’ve come from Andy or who else? It must have been someone who knew him! Could it be a joke of one of the Hall boys? He decided to put it away in one of the wooden drawers for the time being. Perhaps he could ask Andy for some explanation later on this evening.
After luncheon, Thomas had his afternoon off and Mr. Carson had promised to replace him once a week. He wrapped himself up in his warm overcoat and scarf.
“Where are you going to, dressed up like an Eskimo?” Mrs. Patmore liked asking impertinent questions although she knew that being too nosy wouldn’t bring any answers.
“Mrs. Patmore, I see you aren’t a quick learner either!” Thomas answered. “You should know by now that I don’t have to inform you about my behaviour nor my whereabouts. Let me remind you that I’m the butler now.”
“Alright, Mr. Barrow, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just not that cold outside and you look as if you’re going to explore the Arctic.”
“Exploring the Arctic might be something for Norwegians. While I’m away I will leave you into the safe hands of Mr. Carson. He will be glad to discuss the adventures of John Ross with you all afternoon. Good day, Mrs. Patmore!”
Thomas left through the rear entrance. After a few minutes he had to admit that he was probably dressed too warm and thus he untied his scarf. Besides, the walk to the railway station wasn’t that far.
That evening, dinner in the Dining Room passed off immaculately: not a drop of wine was spilled, not a pea or slice of carrot was left over in the hand painted porcelain plates. Both Thomas and Mrs. Patmore were given compliments by his Lordship.
“Mr. Barrow, can you inform me on the name of that exquisite red wine that we’ve been drinking during dinner?” asked Lord Grantham.
“Certainly, my Lord. It was a Pomerol 1920, Château de Collier.” Thomas had studied the name by heart. He wasn’t the smartest wine connoisseur in England but knew the Lord would appreciate this wine.
“Well chosen, Barrow! You can order more of these bottles. Good night. I see you in the morning.”
“Good night, my Lord.”
While the Lord and the other men lit a cigar, the ladies were searching the quietness of the Drawing Room.
Thomas went straight into the kitchen to congratulate Mrs. Patmore and Daisy with their stewed wild boar.
“I believe you’ve surpassed yourself this time!” said Thomas. “Andy and I were constantly swallowing our saliva. The smell almost made us dribble in front of his Lordship.”
“Oh Mr. Barrow, you’re exaggerating.” Daisy said. “But it always feels good to hear one’s work is appreciated. Mostly we don’t see the things in front of us, it’s just for lack of it that we understand the value.”
“Oh well, oh well, Shakespeare!” shouted Mrs. Patmore “Come on, these dishes won’t wash themselves!”
“Well, maybe one day,” said Daisy “they might invent some sort of machine that washes all the dirty dishes!”
“Of course, the day pigs fly!” said Mrs. Patmore.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “Oh, that reminds me: Andy told me that he wanted to stop by Mr. Mason in a jiffy this very evening.”
“WHAT? Still at this time?” Thomas was surprised by his own voice. “What is he doing out there all alone in the dark?”
Mrs. Hughes tried to calm him down. “I’d say, Mr. Barrow, Andy is a grown man. He knows what he’s doing. He won’t be long. And for your information: there are no wild boars left around Downton Abbey.”
“I hope you’re right, Mrs. Hughes. It’s also my responsibility to make sure that everyone is safe and sound. Let’s not forget there are other two-legged creatures out there at this hour like poachers and vermin.”
“Oh give that boy some credit, will you?”
Thomas went into the courtyard to smoke a cigarette. He knew that it wasn’t very healthy for his lungs but it was the only way to calm down. He realized that he was overprotecting the footman but it was beyond himself. How could he care for someone without choking that person?
Twenty minutes later, the longest in his life, the new butler heard someone was carefully opening the backdoor and was crawling cautiously into the corridor. No doubt about it. He easily recognized these footsteps upon the stairs. Now he could go to bed too. Or maybe not yet…
The next morning Andy was awoken by the sound of the rain that was clattering heavily against the attic window.
“There must be some hail in it too.” he sighed. “After the snow and the rain, so now we’ve had it all.”
Since he was awake and up, he might as well go to the Servants’ bathroom and get washed and dressed. When he opened his door, his attention was caught by a small object wrapped up in brown paper and tied up to the doorknob with strong hemp rope.
“What’s that?”
It wasn’t easy to untie the present in the semi darkness of the corridor which was scarcely illuminated by the diffuse light from a wall lamp. As quickly as possible Andy closed his bedroom door opening the present hastily.
“A book? A novel? - IMRE by X. Mayne - Never heard of!” Andy couldn’t believe there was a book in it and sat down completely astonished. When he opened the book, there was a small text written on the inside in a fine handwriting:
To my best friend.
Happy Birthday today, January 5th 1926
On this occasion, to your 27th birthday!
May you remain happy
And be healthy.
Sincerely yours.
“Aha!” He shouted out. “Thomas too has discovered the art of the initials.”
With a light tap on Thomas’ door, Andy wanted to thank the butler for this unexpected present. The door slowly opened.
“Andy?” whispered the new butler. “Second time you surprise me at my door. Do come in.”
There they stood in front of each other. Both still in their pyjamas. It was a humorous sight to start the day with.
“I wish to thank you for my birthday present. How did you know it was today?”
“Oh, as a butler, one should know such things.” answered Thomas. “By the way, congratulations.”
“Thanks. Do you know every staff member’s birthday?” asked Andy cheeky.
“Hmm. Tell me, how did you find the book?”
“By surprise, tied on a doorknob? No, I mean, I obviously haven’t found the time to read it yet. It does seem interesting. Where did you find it?”
“Yesterday afternoon, I took the train to Ripon. I’ve already ordered it a month ago at the bookstore there.”
“I’ve never been to Ripon. One day you have to take me with you.”
“Then I’ll have to arrange for our free afternoon to coincide.”
“Being the butler, that shouldn’t be too difficult for you, right? How is Ripon?”
“It’s a lovely little town. I even spoke to some inhabitants. They had been Flemish refugees during the Great War but eventually decided to stay in England. We also talked about my life and fears in the trenches. I found out that they had been living quite close to the French border. Suddenly the whole nightmare came back...”
“I bet during the War they called you Major Tom?” Andy joked.
“No, first I was a Corporal and later on I was a Lance Sergeant. Oh well, let’s talk about easier subjects, like your birthday for example.”
“What about it?”
“I know that you’re fond of horse riding but such animal is unfortunately too big to wrap up.” grinned Thomas.
“You’re funny Thomas. I’ve never known you like this. Can I ask you something in confidence about this evening?”
Thomas thought that he already knew what Andy would propose. He’d definitely ask if he wanted to have a drink with him in the local pub after their duties to celebrate Andy’s birthday. Of course! That’s what he was waiting for.
“Dear Thomas, I’d like to ask Daisy out this evening but I don’t know how to do that.”
“Oh…, I see. I… um, I’m not an expert on that matter!”
“I’ve never kissed a girl before so I don’t want to look like a moron. Yesterday I already went to the Yew Tree Farm to get some advice of Mr. Mason.”
“And what did he say?”
“He told me to be patient. That’s all.”
“Look Andy, you just have to follow your instinct. Time will tell. I think one of us should go to the Bathroom now and get dressed. A new day of work is about to begin.”
“You’re right Mr. Barrow. If I may I’d like to go first. I’ll see you at breakfast. Thanks again for the book. See you downstairs.”
As soon as Andy left the room, Thomas felt tears welling up in his eyes. He threw himself up his bed not knowing what to do. Outside it was raining harder. Raindrops were tracing their way down the window glass. It seemed as though the attic window cried together with Thomas.
* * *