#brancaster

[aisphotostuff]

CURLEW NUMENIUS ARQUATA Brancaster Norfolk by Adam Swaine Via Flickr: Curlew are very large, tall waders, about the same size as a female pheasant. Curlew are mottled brown and grey with long, bluish legs and a long, down-curved bill that is pink underneath. It can be distinguished from the smaller whimbrel by the longer bill and plain head pattern. When they fly, curlew have a white wedge on the rump..

[writinginnorthnorfolk]

It’s Wednesday

and this is what I know:married thirty-one years,living in a place wherebeauty is everywhere,yesterday we drovefor just over an hourpast the salt marsheson the North Norfolk coast. In an ice-blue skylapwings flash wings;skeins of geese fly overheadand a variety of ducks glideacross the briny water below. It’s a landscape of shiveringbird calls, marsh birds pouringover reeds, birds settlingin…

[deepdalecamping]

Deepdale Podcast - Top Albums of the Year - December 2022

Deepdale Podcast – Top Albums of the Year – December 2022

Jason & Chris present this month’s Deepdale Podcast, our annual selection of Chris’ favourite albums of the year, plus various bits of Deepdale news. Which albums has Chris selected? Enjoy the listen! Thanks for listening to the Deepdale Podcast, produced by the team at Deepdale Camping & Rooms, Deepdale Farm and Dalegate Market in Burnham Deepdale on the beautiful North Norfolk Coast. Winter 3…

[dopescissorscashwagon]

Sunset at Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk 💛

📸 by VeronicaintheFens

[wardrobeoftime]

Downton Abbey + Costumes

Lady Edith Crawley’s blue & silver dress in Season 06, Episode 06 & 09.

// requested by @threewhitehorses

[contremineur]

Gerard Stamp, Follow me follow (watercolour, 2015)

see here

[royaltysimblr]

Princess Madeleine Through the Years

Read her update below!!

HRH Princess Madeleine was often in the shadow of her older sister, Mary, Princess of the Isle who would later become Queen Mary III. Madeleine was often viewed by the media as the quiet and shy daughter of the King and Queen. Madeleine was rarely in scandal and her life was not nearly reported on as much as her siblings, Princess Mary & Prince Michael. During Princess Madeleine's early 20s, she was thought to have been linked with a family friend, Archibald Vernick.

Famed WAFTA award-winning actor Yusuf Raheem was seen at Princess Madeleine's 25th birthday celebrations. Princess Madeleine was seen leaving his apartment in San Myshuno multiple times throughout the year, sparking rumors of a relationship between the two. Yusuf Raheem was invited to spend Winterfest with the royal family at Statford Castle and was seen in the royal procession to St. George's Chapel. After a year and a half of dating, San Myshuno Palace announced that the couple were engaged. Three and a half months later, on July 15th, the wedding was held at St.Mary's Cathedral in Windenburg. The ceremony was televised and reportedly watched by 190 million viewers worldwide. Following the ceremony, a wedding breakfast was held at Angleterre Palace and a ball was thrown at Sulani House, hosted by Madeleine's cousin, Princess Margaret, Duchess of Montcroix. Princess Madeleine was given the titles Duchess of Richmond, Marchioness of Wixby, and Countess of Brancaster. Yusuf Raheem was reportedly offered a title but declined it. The couple moved into apartments in Kingston Palace which originally belonged to Princess Madeleine's great aunt, Princess Alice.

On May 25th, around 9 months after the wedding, Princess Madeleine gave birth to her first child, Prince Noah Ahmed Raheem. A year and a half later, on September 14th, Princess Madeleine gave birth to Princess Lina Marie Raheem. After five years of marriage, San Myshuno Palace announced that Princess Madeleine and Yusuf Raheem would be getting divorced. Many news outlets reported that Raheem cheated on Princess Madeleine throughout the marriage, however, Princess Madeleine denied these reports. The couple also reportedly conflicted over the Princess not supporting Raheem's acting career throughout the marriage. Allegedly Raheem was forced to give up acting jobs due to him being a member of the royal family. Princess Madeleine gave Raheem 6 million dollars in their divorce settlement. The former couple are reportedly on friendly terms, with Yusuf Raheem seen attending a few royal family events such as the 45th birthday celebrations of Queen Mary.

Prince Noah & Princess Lina were raised primarily in San Myshuno and split time between their mother's apartments at Kingston Palace and their father's penthouse in San Myshuno. The children spent many summers with their mother at her summer residence, Primrose Cottage, a house on the Statford Castle Estate. The children attended Alcott Nursery School and Canterbury Academy. Prince Noah attended Wroxham University, graduating with a degree in business management. Meanwhile, his younger sister, Princess Lina, attended Witham University, majoring in Political Science. Over the last few years, Prince Noah and Princess Lina have been in regular attendance at royal family events with their mother. Prince Noah and Princess Lina have attended a few of their father's movie premieres in Simerica and San Myshuno over the last few years.

Princess Madeleine has taken an average of 190 engagements a year for the last 15 years. Princess Madeleine is one of the hardest-working members of the royal family and is a patron to over 150 organizations and charities including the Windenburg Women's Institute. Princess Madeleine's charities and organizations primarily aim at raising awareness about disabilities and mental health. Princess Madeleine has consistently been ranked as the second most popular member of the royal family, usually behind the Queen herself.

[petalsthefish]

UPDATE

Chapter 2: A Knight’s Tale (Lily’s POV)

In Brancaster, nestled north of what is now called Norwich, the winds danced alongside the cool sea breeze. Ten-year-old Lily, accompanied by her parents, found herself atop a coastal expanse that was part of their estate. Lily's spirited mare, a recent gift, gleefully tossed its white mane as she encouraged it to pick up the pace.

Read More

Or

Start with Chapter 1

Summery: All Lily has ever wanted is to be a knight, like her father, Sir Lionel. After Camelot is attacked and the magical sword Excalibur is stolen, she finds herself teaming up with James, a young blind hermit, as they embark on a quest to find the lost sword. Together, they face the threat of the evil Ruber, navigate challenges with a two-headed dragon and an ogre, and discover that they're more alike than they initially thought. Will they manage to return the sword to Arthur in time, or will they lose not only each other but also their dreams and the precious Excalibur? Based on the 1998 movie Quest for Camelot, but more plot and less singing.

Next Updates:

Chapter 3: Death at Court (Arthur’s POV) Saturday the 27th

Chapter 4: Runaway (James’ POV) Sunday the 28th

[juliasdowntonstuff]

Valentine´s Day drabble

A new drabble has just been posted to ff and ao3 — very last minute on Valentine's Day. It is not entirely on theme for the occasion, but this is as sweet and fluffy as my writing is likely to ever get haha

It had been a long day, Robert couldn't deny it. At dinner, all he kept thinking about was the comfortable bed waiting here in their bedroom with the soft pillows and the warm down duvet — and not to forget his Cora next to him, too. But now that he had finally managed to excuse them from the drawing room, changed into his nightclothes quicker than ever and got into bed, he simply couldn't get to sleep. Cora had joined him on the bed as soon as her jewellery had been meticulously placed in the jewellery box on her dressing table and immediately scooted closer, her hand coming to rest on his chest like it always did. He knew instinctively she had been exhausted, too.

Surely, she was fast asleep by now, so he shouldn't bother her with this. But there in the dark bedroom, still half-sitting up in bed with his hand behind his head, he could not stop thinking of the words his mother had said that afternoon when he paid her a visit.

"Cora?" he quietly asked into the darkness against his better judgment, selfishly hoping that she was not fast asleep already.

Without moving or even opening her eyes, Cora only hummed sleepily in response, she had almost fallen to sleep.

She had sensed before that something was troubling Robert, he was not as talkative as he usually was in the evenings. Once he came in through the door to his dressing room, he had only taken off his robe and slid into bed immediately. She hadn't felt his eyes on her either while she was still taking off her rings, which was very rare for him. Clearly, something was bothering him, she should have known that sleep would not come easy that night — for either of them.

"Do you like me?" he whispered, staring into the darkness ahead.

At this, Cora finally moved. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked, turning around in bed to switch on the lamp on her bedside table, and then looked at her husband with a bewildered expression on her face. She had expected a lot, but certainly not this.

"Just that. Do you like me?" he repeated before he turned on his light as well.

Cora was sitting up in bed, propping herself up on her left arm and she looked quizzically at her husband when she said: "I don't understand where this is coming from?"

Robert sighed as he, too, turned on his side to face her more fully. "It's just something Mama told me from her and Isobel's rather scandalous rescue mission of Dickie a few days ago that I can't seem to forget."

He had hoped this explanation was enough for her to finally answer his question, as simple as he deemed it to be. However, her brows only furrowed further, and her head tilted to the side. "You saw Mama today, then? Because I've been meaning to ask. What was this mysterious mission about?"

"Apparently, Isobel realised that she indeed loves Dickie. She had not heard from him in a while and wanted to see how he was doing but was denied entry by his son and daughter-in-law. According to Mama, Amelia and Larry had been keeping Isobel from seeing him so they would not have to relinquish any possible claims to his estate. It all came to a head while we were at Brancaster when Mama took matters into her own hands, took Isobel and all but barged into Cavenham to get him out. Dickie had been entirely unaware of his family's plotting, and has now moved in with Isobel in the village. They are to be married soon," Robert explained as if he was just telling her about the weather forecast for the coming week.

Cora's eyes widened in shock. "That does sound quite scandalous, indeed! Why did Mary not mention any of this at dinner?" she asked.

"I don't think that Mary knew about this. Mama only said it was very recent and that she hadn't been up here since then. I can tell you, she was dying to finally tell this story. As much as she pretends to hate gossip, she sure likes to engage in some occasionally."

Cora chuckled lightly at Robert's statement and the truth behind it — the sound caused her husband to crack up as well.

"But Isobel and Dickie getting married after all? I am so happy for them!" Cora exclaimed excitedly, almost too loudly for Robert's liking. When she saw him wince at the sudden loudness, she added much more softly: "They are a well-suited pair, aren't they?".

When he didn't reply, she turned off her light again and slid back down in bed to lie next to Robert. He was still turned to face her, and her hand came up to play with the collar of his sleep shirt.

"I'd say they are," he said absent-mindedly. "But please answer me, Cora."

"Darling, I love you. We have been married for thirty-five years now, so by all accounts, why wouldn't I like you?" Cora's hand let go of his shirt and slid up his neck to cup his cheek, brushing over the light stubble on his jaw.

Robert closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. He loved these quiet moments when it was just the two of them and they could be as openly affectionate as they pleased. Usually, her touch calmed his frayed nerves almost immediately, taking his worries away one gentle caress at a time. But not that night; as much as he relished in it, his mind was still reeling, his thoughts revolved entirely around that one question. "That does not necessarily mean you like me."

"Robert, it is too late for that kind of nitpicking" Cora sighed and he could tell she was starting to get annoyed with him. "Can't we talk about this tomorrow? I have to attend the meeting at the hospital early tomorrow morning."

"Larry, as my son I love you, but I've tried and failed to like you. That is what Dickie said, according to Mama. And I think it not only pertains to their relationship. So many other couples like us can't stand each other or don't have much in common, and yet spend their entire lives together. I need to know, Cora. Because I not only love you with all my heart, but I also like you — very much. In fact, I liked you long before I loved you. But you always say you loved me from the start, so the question remains. Do you like me?"

Cora's hand stilled its motions. One look into his pleading eyes told her that he was truly worried about this, whether she liked him or not. To her, it was such a silly question for him to ask her. But this seemed to be so very important to him.

She smiled tenderly at him, her sleepy eyes staring deeply into his, and she said: "I doubt our marriage could have been as happy as it has been if we did not like each other, darling. I indeed loved you from the start, even before I really knew you. But we spent time together, we got to know each other — I firmly believe that I know you better than anyone else in the world, and you know me best, too. You are a part of me, Robert, you always will be. The things about you that I don't love, I like. And the things I don't like, I love. Easy as that. So yes, I do like you."

Robert breathed deeply, sighing nervously in relief shortly thereafter when her hand began to dance lightly across his cheek again. His right hand mirrored hers, while his left reached for her hand on his cheek and slowly brought it to his lips. He affectionately kissed her knuckles, letting his lips linger on her soft skin, but his eyes never left hers.

"Thank you for that, my dear," he breathed, watching her cheeks colour in the soft glow from the light behind him. "Now I shall let you have your deserved rest before tomorrow whisks you away from me to the hospital yet again."

Quickly, Robert turned off the lamp on his side of the bed as well and laid back down. He did not have to wait long for Cora to come close again. But instead of settling down, she pushed herself up one last time. Surprised by this, he put his hand on her shoulder and looked intently at her.

"You don't have to worry so much, Robert. I know this stems from the nature of the marriage agreement we first came to so many years ago, and you will likely never stop thinking and feeling guilty about it, but you and I have been happy together for so many years. We have been through unthinkable things together. Please, never doubt my love for you. And never doubt my liking you, either," she smiled, adding that last bit — not as an afterthought, but as a reassurance.

He smiled sheepishly at her while his fingers absent-mindedly played with the strap of her nightdress in the dark. "I'm sorry, darling. You are right, of course."

Cora only pressed a lingering kiss on his lips in response before settling down by his side with her hand and face resting on his chest again. Sleep did not evade him much longer, his mind now put at ease with the reassurance of his wife lying there next to him, who indeed liked him, very much so.

"I would not let you come and sleep next to me every night if I didn't like you," Cora whispered playfully into the darkness of the room after a while. And his wife was right, as she usually was. He knew she wouldn't. "I would also definitely not let you sleep with me, either."

Robert's head turned quickly to look at her — only he could not make out anything in the darkness. What he could feel, though, was her smirk against his chest, and he knew that she had been very deliberate in her choice of words. He would have to seek some form of revenge for the things she still managed to do to him whenever she pleased. But that would be a task for the next day. For now, they both just went to sleep in each other's arms.

[oatflatwhite]

thomas barrow vs stowell/sinderby at brancaster really is the hydrogen bomb v coughing baby meme

[downton-tourney]

S1, E6:

Sybil goes the results' readings despite her father's opposition. There's a brawl. Matthew and Tom evacuate her. Matthew proposes to Mary. Sir Anthony calls for Mary, but Edith goes with him instead. O'Brien, Daisy and Barrow try to frame Bates for the wine theft.

S5, E9:

Starts with a shooting at Brancaster Castle, the whole "Stowell the classist butler" storyline, Edith meets Bertie, Mary meets Henry Talbot and Charlie Rogers. Ends with Christmas at Downton, Tom leaving for America, Mr Carson proposing to Mrs Hughes, and Mr Bates coming back from his runaway dash to protect Anna.

[aisphotostuff]

Salt Marshes & Creek @ Brancaster Norfolk Coast.. by Adam Swaine Via Flickr: The salt marshes along the north Norfolk coast are a haven for wildlife, and several have been formally adopted as nature reserves. There are numerous inlets along the coast and these provide a sheltered haven for yachts, dinghies and other small boats.Depending on the time of day, this landscape can look very different. At low tide there’s more land than sea. Glistening grey mudflats stalked by terns and waders stretch out endlessly ahead. Dark-green salt marsh is brightened by colourful sea lavender and sea pea..

[bitletsanddrabbles]

Modern AMEW

Not today, writer's block! I'mma write a THING even if it is stupid and short and just exists to say I wrote a THING!

-

"Mama, I can't find the kittens," George pouted, looking under the sofa.

Mary sighed. Sybbie had wanted a kitten, so for her birthday Tom had taken her to see Mr. Mason whose cat had just had a litter. Of course George and Marigold had come along and by the time the birthday girl had selected her new pet, the others had fallen in love with two of it's litter mates. Fortunately Marigold's kitten went with her back to Brancaster, but given that it was a litter of four, none of the children could abide the idea of the last kitten being left all alone, so it had been taken for Caroline, even though she was too young to care. It had all gone well enough, so far, but George was having problems with the notion that kittens, unlike toys, could move and therefore wouldn't always be there when you wanted them. "They've probably fallen asleep somewhere, Georgie, and you should let them be. Kittens need to play, but they also need a lot of sleep."

The boy sighed, but obediently stood and nodded. At least he was old enough to understand things the first time he was told.

Mary smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm sure they'll turn up. Why don't you see if your father has time to play a bit of cricket? He normally has a bit of free time about now. And speaking of finding things, I need to find Thomas. We were going to do the roof inspection today."

"Alright, Mama!" Apparently concern for the missing kittens was easily overruled by the possibility of maybe hitting the ball this time. He was getting better at it. He started to run out of the room, then immediately checked himself to a fast walk, apparently remembering the rules about running in the house.

Mary watched him go with fond pride, then, checking her watch, went in search of her third butler. They'd agreed that three o'clock would be the best time for the inspection, so it was odd that Thomas wasn't already there. Although he had his faults (although he'd grown out of the worst of them, thankfully), he was normally Johnny on the spot when it came to punctuality. He wasn't in the office. Thinking that perhaps he'd gotten talking and lost track of time, she checked the staff break room, but he wasn't there. Andrew was there, though, so she asked him.

"Last I knew he was going to the library, m'lady," the young man replied. "There was something he wanted to look over for the event tomorrow."

'The event' was Edith giving a reading from her most recent book. It was being held at Downton rather than Brancaster because the book was set in Yorkshire...and, Mary was quite certain, because her sister wanted to drive her insane. Really, she wasn't always popping up to hold events at Edith's house! Still, that wasn't Andrew's problem. With a nod and a word of thanks, she turned and headed to the library.

As she walked through the door, Mary immediately spotted Thomas sitting on one of the sofas. "There you are. I've been wait-" she stopped, her notice moving beyond 'butler' and 'sofa' to take in the entirety of his situation. She sighed. "Oh. Oh dear."

Thomas gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry. I sat down." He grimaced. "In my defense, my shoe had come untied and I just meant to lace it up, but before I was done the grey one got me and...well."

"Yes, I see." Mary looked at the butler, firmly pinned in place by a small pile of fur in his lap. If you knew the colours you were looking for, you could pick out all three kittens - grey, black, and multi-coloured. They were clearly all asleep.

Thomas simply looked at her. She'd never seen the man look so helpless in her life.

After a moment of debate, she did the only thing she could do under the circumstances. Shaking her head, she sighed and looked at the mantle clock. "I suppose we can do the inspection a bit later. They're kittens, they can't sleep that long." She gave the butler a smile that was probably more confident than she felt.

"I'd think not," Thomas replied, although he didn't sound as certain.

"Right then, aim for four?"

[deepdalecamping]

Deepdale Podcast - Special with Rich from Man The Lifeboats - November 2022

Deepdale Podcast – Special with Rich from Man The Lifeboats – November 2022

Jason presents this month’s Deepdale Podcast, a special episode chatting with Rich from Man The Lifeboats in advance of their Soul of Albion gig at Deepdale Camping & Rooms on Saturday 12th November. Rich tells us more about the creation of the Soul of Albion album, and how Man The Lifeboats came into being. Enjoy the listen! Thanks for listening to the Deepdale Podcast, produced by the team at…

[illiaburakov]

Chester (placename element)

The English place-name Chester, and the suffixes -chester, -caster and -cester (old -ceaster), are commonly indications that the place is the site of a Roman castrum, meaning a military camp or fort (cf. Welsh caer), but it can also apply to the site of a pre-historic fort.

source: WIkipedia.

I found the book on the English place-names by Charles Whynne-Hammond. Direct quote about fortified places which ended up as the name of cities/towns with suffix (somewhere altered) -cester.

"The most common elements which refer to defensive sites are those meaning army camp, fort or fortified place. The Romans built many a defensive or military base, most of which were taken over by later peoples. The ‘colonia’ was an army establishment, usually a colony for retired soldiers (hence the present name of Lincoln) and a ‘castra’ was a fortified camp or walled town. The latter was very common indeed and most were re-established under the later Saxons, who called them ‘ceasters’ or ‘caesters’. Their walls were rebuilt, their gates and towers restrengthened, their streets resurfaced. The settlements today which began as Roman ‘castras’ are legion. Normally they can be recognised by their suffixes, which derive from the Saxon version of that word. Thus, we have all those places ending in ‘-chester’, ‘-cester’ ‘-caster’ and ‘-xeter’: Winchester, Worcester, Manchester, Doncaster, Exeter and so on. Some of these have prefixes from older Celtic words (sometimes tribal names or physical features), others have prefixes purely Saxon. Rarely, if ever, are the prefixes from a Roman or Latin root."

More examples: Acaster Malbis, Acaster Selby, Alcester, Alchester, Ancaster, Bicester, Binchester, Brancaster, Caister-on-Sea, Caistor, Caistor St Edmund, Casterton (Cumbria), Casterton (Great, Rutland), Casterton (Little, Rutland), Castor (Cambridgeshire), Chester, Cheshire (Chester-shire), Chester (Little, Derby), Chesterfield, Chesterford (Great), Chesterford (Little), Chester-Ie-Street, Chesterton, Chesterwood, Chichester, Cirencester, Colchester, Dorchester, Dorchester-on-Thames (Oxfordshire), Ebchester, Frocester, Gloucester, Godmanchester, Grantchester, Hincaster, Ilchester, Irchester, Kenchester, Lancaster, Lancashire (Lune-caster-shire), Lanchester, Leicester, Mancetter, Muncaster, Portchester, Ribchester, Rocester, Rochester (Kent), Rochester (Northumberland), Silchester, Tadcaster, Towcester, Uttoxeter, Woodchester, Worcester, Wroxeter.

Since there are a lot of "-shire", and it's popular place name all over GB, I'll make next etymology-of-places post about this suffix.

[peterjakes]

Thomas x Richard - 'they won't flower like they did last spring'

Thomas' letter is still missing. Hoping to find out who took it, he goes on a mission, interrogating the staff at Downton but has some self-realisations instead.

it's been a long time since I've updated but just haven't had any inspiration!

I'm not sure about this chapter but thought I'd post anyway.

thanks as ever for reading x

also posted on ao3; https://archiveofourown.org/works/42969186/chapters/123969625#workskin

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. How could it have gone? Thomas had only been at breakfast for mere minutes. Yes, he was the last to arrive. But everyone else was already waiting for him; how could someone have taken it? No, no. Thomas couldn’t start blaming other people. He may have just misplaced it. Yes, that’s what had happened. Checking his surroundings, Thomas quickly searched through the desk drawers. Nothing. Perhaps he’d dropped it? Maybe on his way out of the pantry and along to breakfast? Retracing his steps, Thomas made sure to be quiet so he wouldn’t stir anyone at breakfast. But it was no use, the letter was nowhere to be found. Shit.

“Mr Barrow, is everything all right?” Mrs Hughes had suddenly appeared, a curious look surrounding her face. Thomas realised how strange he probably looked in this moment. Luckily, he had just stopped crouching by the ground, searching for the letter and had moved back towards the pantry.

“Perfectly fine, Mrs Hughes.” Thomas answered the woman rather abruptly, realising this too could cause Mrs Hughes to wonder more than he wanted her too. “Thank you.” A forced smile appeared from Thomas’ lips which didn’t seem to help Mrs Hughes seem any less suspicious.

“Lady Mary’s called; the others won’t be long now.” Mrs Hughes face was blank, as if she hadn’t realised how flustered Thomas looked in that moment.

“Of course, Mrs Hughes.”

Breakfast was a pretty boring affair. Lord Grantham spent most of the morning reading through his paper, whilst Lady Mary spouted on about a trip her husband was still on. It was funny, Mr Talbot seemed to spend more time away from Downton than he did at the house. Lady Grantham didn’t make an appearance for breakfast, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. It was funny, really. The only participants were Lady Mary and Lord Grantham. Master George and Miss Caroline were still too young to eat breakfast with their family, but Thomas could really see how empty the table looked on that morning. There was a time when it was almost filled to the brim. Mr Branson was now married living at Brampton. with his wife and Miss Sybbie. Lady Rose had lived in America for almost five years now. Lady Edith, or, the Marchioness of Hexam, was at Brancaster with her family. Mr Matthew and Lady Sybil were long gone. The Dowager, she was gone too. Downton almost seemed empty.

It was strange, really. How much had changed since Thomas had been at Downton. Of course, it was coming up to 20 years, which wasn’t something Thomas really wanted to think about. He didn’t think he’d make it past two. Carson didn’t taken to Thomas very well, though he must have hired him for a reason. But those first few years were hard. It wasn’t until Thomas became first footman that things started to look up. He had a bit more power, a bit more freedom, which thinking now, maybe that wasn’t such a good thing.

It wasn’t until after luncheon did Thomas find the time to go to the village to deliver his letter. Lord Grantham had gone for a walk, Lady Mary had taken Master George and Miss Caroline to visit Mrs Crawley, whilst Lady Grantham had a meeting at the hospital. Finding time for himself was trickier as Butler, but he supposed that came with the job.

“Andy? Shall we go?”

“’Course, Mr Barrow. I’ll just tell Daisy.”

“Course.” Thomas couldn’t help but smile to himself. The two of them seemed happy, happier than Daisy had been in a long time. It was odd to think that she was sweet on him so long ago. In a way, Thomas had regretted being so cruel to William. It was futile now, Thomas knew that. But using Daisy, tormenting William and being so angry with Mr Bates, Thomas wondered, what was the point? He wasted so much time, time when things could have been different. But there was no point now. He couldn’t change the past, even if he wanted to.

The two men made their way towards the village, talking idly about what they’d read in the newspaper, heard on the radio or in the drawing room.

“Oh, I forgot to ask,” Andy started speaking, as they wandered past Crawley House “Who was that letter from?”

Oh, of course Andy had noticed, not that it should have mattered, unless he had taken it, of course. It was true that Thomas didn’t receive many letters, at least not regularly. He had some friends up in London, but he hadn’t had the time to write to them recently. He didn’t speak to his family very often but was glad of it if he was honest. Thinking of that, Thomas did seem a little lonely, but he wasn’t alone, that was different. Or maybe it was the other way around. “Just a friend.”

“A friend?” Andy’s head turned to face Thomas and a small smile appeared, eagerly waiting for Thomas to explain himself. Thomas wasn’t going to let Andy catch him out, no matter how much he tried.

“Yes, Andy. A friend. Just because Mr Carson didn’t have any, doesn’t mean I can’t.” Thomas knew Andy would laugh at that, and Thomas liked to find any reason to take a swipe at his predecessor.

“Aren’t we friends?”

“I suppose so.” Thomas realised how interested Andy seemed in his letter, which most likely meant he had no real idea what it contained. Or maybe he was just double-bluffing. Regardless of that, Thomas didn’t think it the best idea to interrogate Andy. Any time Andy was in the slightest mood, it made serving dinner hell, and Thomas was far too tired to deal with that. If it did come to it, Thomas would just have to ask, but he hoped it wouldn’t.

“Well-“

Before Andy could ask any more questions, Thomas changed the subject, something he had become quite skilled at in his old age. “And what about you? How’s the farm coming along?”

“It’s fine…just…fine.” Andy’s face fell as soon as Thomas mentioned the farm, which was a tad surprising. From what Thomas had heard from Daisy, living at Mr Mason’s farm was far superior to being stuck at Downton. But appearances could be deceptive, as Thomas knew.

“But?”

“Taking over…it’s a lot.”

“But it’s what you want? Both of you?”

“Of course, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard.”

“Sometimes the hardest thing, is the best thing.” Speaking from experience, which Thomas had quite a lot of, doing the hardest thing was not enjoyable, but that didn’t it was right. If Thomas was completely honest, he didn’t care too much about whether Andy was enjoying the farm or not. He was in a better position than most. But then again, Andy was Thomas’ friend, so pretending to care about the farm for a moment or so wouldn’t do too much harm. And regardless of how he felt, Thomas knew he was good at giving advice. It was a shame really, that he couldn’t follow his own.

“Oh, very wise, Mr Barrow.” Andy raised his eyebrows as he opened the door to the post office. It wasn’t particularly busy, only a few people stood in the queue waiting. Thomas knew they’d be in and out in a flash, meaning his letter would start it’s journey to Richard. This thought made Thomas uneasy. He wasn’t completely sure why that was exactly. The thought that Richard would receive a reply from Thomas, that meant something. But Thomas couldn’t ignore his letter, and didn’t want to. He didn’t know if he would receive a reply, or if he even wanted to write again. But Thomas had to do this, for his own sake.

“I like to think so.” Thomas smirked, putting his hand in his coat pocket to find his letter. Gripping it tightly, he moved into the queue, watching as Andy mused over the notices. “Has Daisy said anything?”

“No, no. I know she wants to hurry everything along but…”

“I understand.” Thomas nodded. That seemed to end the conversation there, Thomas didn’t quite understand why Andy was so reluctant about the farm. The two were married, Mr Mason had moved out himself, it just seemed the next natural step. But then again, Thomas realised it was really none of his business.

*

It was only later in the afternoon, not long before it was time for dinner, did Thomas remember he needed to find that letter. And more importantly perhaps, who took it. He wasn’t going to accuse anyone, that wouldn’t do any good. But there was no harm in trying, to at least ask a few questions without arousing too much suspicion. He’d had no hope with Andy, but he hadn’t really tired. The rest of the day’s work had occupied Thomas, but he a bit of free time, so knew he may as well make use of it.

After finishing his routine afternoon smoke in the courtyard, he made his way towards the kitchen. There wasn’t any real purpose for this, Thomas had just found himself there.

Huffing and puffing, Daisy was slicing the peeled potatoes so quickly, Thomas was surprised she hadn’t cut her fingers off yet. But then again, she had been doing it for a long time. Thomas wondered whether the noises escaping from Daisy was intentional, trying to get a reaction from someone or attention. Thomas thought he might as well bite.

“Daisy?” As if Daisy was expecting Thomas to speak, she looked up, her fingers still tightly wrapped around the knife. His eyes gestured towards the potatoes, that all seemed a little ragged, as if they’ve been involved in a fight. She watched Thomas for a moment, frowning, before speaking up.

“I think…Mrs Patmore’s thinking of moving on.” Thomas frowned as she said those words. Moving on made it seem as if Mrs Patmore’s ghost would no longer haunt the kitchens. Which was a stupid thought to have considering Mrs Patmore was very much alive.

“What?”

“Leavin’. Downton, I mean.” Oh, yes, that moving on. Obviously.

Thomas nodded, “It’s not a surprise. She’s been here a long while. Seems that everyone we knew when we started has gone.” It was true. William. Rose. Ethel. Miss O’Brien. Alfred. Jimmy. Molesley. Gwen. So many people had left. And yet Thomas was still there, after everything. At one point, possibly even not that long ago, Thomas would have been jealous. There were times when he was so jealous, when he yearned to leave. Maybe there was a part of him that did want to leave. He wasn’t necessarily unhappy at Downton, but he wasn’t sure how happy he could anywhere else. He was contented, which was good enough for the time being. Or at least Thomas had thought. It wasn’t like Thomas hadn’t been wrong before.

“S’pose so.” Daisy frowned, focusing her eyes back onto the finely sliced potatoes. Thomas wasn’t entirely sure what Daisy was getting at. Yes, it was sad, he supposed. Mrs Patmore had been at Downton for as long as Thomas could remember. Thomas had never been one of her favourites, but that wasn’t particularly surprising. He supposed it would be harder for Daisy. Mrs Patmore had been there for her, through almost everything. She had trained her, maybe not in the way Carson trained Thomas, and that meant something. She was there when Daisy arrived. She was there when Daisy had married William. Yearned over Alfred (which was still something Thomas could never understand). And there for her wedding to Andy. Like a real relative. A real parent. Something Thomas had never truly experienced.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, stupid. I don’t want her to go.” Daisy shook her head, as if she was embarrassed to admit that. But Thomas didn’t think that was embarrassing, not at all. Thomas was sure he would feel the same, if he was in Daisy’s position. There was only one departure at Downton where Thomas had been truly sad. He hadn’t thought of him that often, especially recently. But that didn’t mean he didn’t care to think of him. It was easier not to, especially at first. But growing older had changed Thomas.

There had been times when Thomas had allowed his mind to wander, and it would wander to Jimmy. Thomas hoped he was doing well, or as well as he could be. It was unlikely the two would ever meet again. Jimmy had never written to Thomas, but he hadn’t promised to, and Thomas wouldn’t have held him to that anyway. Not now at least. Things were much harder before; Thomas had done some truly foolish things. But looking back now, Thomas could admit he did miss Jimmy at times. Missed having someone to share a cigarette with, someone to give knowing looks to in the drawing room, someone to play cards with, someone who was just his friend and didn’t need to be anything else. But Jimmy was long gone now, living his life, probably not giving one thought to Thomas. And that was how it should be.

“Aren’t you going to go too at some point?”

“Yes.” Daisy frowned and placed the knife on the table. “That’s different.”

“Why?”

“Just is.” Right, well that was useful. Sometimes Thomas did wonder about Daisy. The two of them had both grown and changed whilst being at Downton, but old habits die hard, Thomas supposed.

“Alright, then. I better go-“

“Wait. I..wanted to ask you somethin’.”

“Go on.”

“You remember, years ago, before Andy, before Alfred and Jimmy, before William even…when I was soft on you?”

“I do.”

“And you made me think…or you ‘entertained’ it as Mrs Patmore use to say.” Entertained it? How charming, but not far from the truth actually.

“I remember.”

“You know, I never really understood why. Why you did it…I knew how I felt but…”

“Well, I don’t know if you heard, but I wasn’t very nice.” Thomas gave Daisy an awkward smile. It was true he was ashamed of how he’d acted then. It was stupid, really. Maybe if he could go back, things would have been different. Thomas doubted he and William could have ever been friends, but maybe he could have made peace with him. Maybe that was a regret, one of many Thomas had. As for Daisy… well, that was definitely stupid, but Thomas couldn’t help himself, not then. Thomas knew he was good looking. He knew that Daisy liked him. And he liked the attention. It wasn’t bad attention, in a way, it was quite nice. But no, Mrs Patmore was right. He shouldn’t have ‘entertained’ it.

“You were nice to me.”

Thomas shrugged, “Not for the right reasons.”

“No. Whatever they could be.” Thomas wondered what had brought this on. It was true that Daisy had never mentioned this to Thomas before. He was sure she had confined in Mrs Patmore, maybe Andy but never Thomas. It was an unspoken agreement between the two, one that meant they wouldn’t mention what transpired between them all those years ago. In a way, it made Thomas ashamed. Ashamed that he’d used Daisy, ashamed that he’d taunted William, ashamed he gloated to Mr Bates. But he was still a smug so-and-so.

“You wanted to ask…why?”

“No, not why. I think…I understand why, now.”

Thomas thought for a moment. Oh. “Right.” This wasn’t a surprise to Thomas. Though Daisy never mentioned it, no one downstairs mentioned it, but Thomas knew. Thomas wasn’t sure how he felt about it, a younger version of himself would have felt uneasy. That everyone knew the one thing that made him so vulnerable. But Thomas wasn’t his younger version of himself, whether that was a good thing or not, Thomas wasn’t so sure. He wondered when Daisy found out, who had told her. Did she know during the whole kiss debacle? Or when Thomas had seen no way out? Maybe it was during the Royal visit. Thomas had been such an idiot those few days, had let his feelings get the better of him. But he was happy, really happy, for the first time in a long time. And he didn’t want to let that go, didn’t want to spoil it. What could have happened if Andy hadn’t interrupt Thomas that morning? This was something Thomas had thought of often. Whatever could have happened, it didn’t. Andy interrupted, and whatever he did see, he didn’t mention it to Thomas. Just as Daisy hadn’t before now.

“I’m a married woman now, Mr Barrow.” Daisy chimed, who could clearly see Thomas’ thoughts swirling around.

“Enough said.” Yes, Thomas definitely didn’t need any details. Particularly from Daisy.

“But…it’s odd, isn’t it?

“Is it?”

“Yes, just odd.”

Thomas realised what a waste of his time that conversation had been. Thomas was no closer to finding his letter or finding who had taken it. It was unlikely that it was Daisy had taken his letter, and even if she had, it would most likely be a mistake. But Thomas had wasted a good 20 minutes speaking to her about too much of the past.

*

It was only a week later when Thomas had received the next letter from Richard, although he wasn’t going to deny there was a hint of happiness when opening the letter, he was worried too. Thomas still hadn’t found his letter, which could only mean one thing. Someone had taken it. Maybe it was an accident. It could have been thrown away, perhaps. But there a little niggling feeling that made Thomas think that wasn’t true. Maybe there wasn’t any malicious intent, but someone had taken the letter. And Thomas wanted to know who, why and to get it back.

This time, Thomas wasn’t going to be so foolish to read the letter so open, so public. That was his first mistake. Only the safety of his room would allow him so privacy. The wait until the end of the day was almost excruciating. Almost. 

Dear Mr Barrow,

You can’t know how please I was to hear back from you. As mentioned in my previous letter, I didn’t expect to, so I am grateful. 

I’m glad to hear life is treating you well, it’s what you deserve. 

I heard a film crew visited Downton not too long ago. I have to say I’m jealous. Spending time with film stars sounds quite special. Although I must say I can’t imagine my house would have dealt with it too well.

A radio at Downton? I bet that’s a real sight, but a treat too. Lord Hessian isn’t the biggest fan of the wireless, but the Housekeeper managed to persuade. Something tells me the two of them know something the rest of us don’t. 

I suppose it’s only you that can decide where you’ll end up. I’m guessing it wasn’t a childhood dream of yours to be a Butler.  My parents’ thought service was the way to go for me and wanted me to get into a good house. You can imagine their faces when I got a job with the Royal household. Although that wasn’t all it was cracked to be. It seemed both hard work and a game of waiting. In a way, I’m glad to be out of there. The pressure has lessened now with my new job. Lord Hessian is a decent employer, doesn’t care too much for tradition and as long as the job gets done, he’s happy. 

I hope your reply means I’ll be hearing from you more often, that would make my day. Though please don’t feel like you need to. It makes me happy to know you’re well and that you don’t hate me, or maybe you’re just good at hiding it. It’s always difficult to scope how someone is feeling through a letter or note. 

I shall finish this letter now but hope to hear from you soon.

You dear friend, 

Richard. 

P.S.  Do you still have the pocket watch? 

The pocket watch. Why was Richard asking about the stupid pocket watch? Maybe that wasn’t what Thomas should have taken from the letter, but it was a lot of information to process. Richard wanted to continue writing but would only do that with Thomas’ say so. Great. The problem was that Thomas didn’t know how he felt about that. There was a part of him that of course wanted to write to Richard, why wouldn’t he? But that other part of Thomas, the part that had to think logical, knew what was at stake.

Thomas had moved on; he’d been forced to. It wasn’t that he liked it, or even wanted to. But Richard had decided that for him, and Thomas didn’t want to spend any more time wallowing in self-pity, in hating his life. He’d already spent far too much time doing that.