set just after the bbc series ends. rather random - 5 hrs on a coach and this is what my brain came up with! enjoy...
Turning over in bed once more to try and to get comfortable, Jarvis hit his pillow in frustration in a futile attempt to finally try and sleep. Finally admitting defeat, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked over to the dresser to pour himself a glass of water. Taking the glass over to the window, he shivered slightly in the cool night air, breathing onto the glass before absentmindedly tracing a pattern in the condensation with his index finger. "Bloody woman" he muttered to himself, it was her fault after all that he was half-way towards Cumberland and would be stuck there in the cold for the next few months.
"Women troubles?" A voice behind him suddenly asked sympathetically, causing the butler to whirl round in surprise. Slouched against the wall was a dark-haired, slightly dishevelled looking man of about thirty or so.
"How did you…who are…"
"I heard you up and about." The man said by way of an explanation "Couldn't sleep either so thought I'd come and see if you wanted company. You don't mind if I…?" he asked, indicating the pipe in his hand.
"No…go ahead.." Jarvis replied distractedly, waving his hand in the stranger's direction.
"Thanks" he said, lighting up. "So" he repeated after a moment's silence "Women troubles?"
"Not exactly" Jarvis replied after a moment's hesitation.
"Who is she?" The man asked, ignoring Jarvis' hesitation "Wife? Mistress?"
"No!" Jarvis replied hastily "Nothing like that. It's…she's my housekeeper. I'm butler you see. It's…well…"
"Ahhh" the man said knowingly, taking a drag from his pipe "But the two of you are together, yes?"
"What!" Jarvis spluttered "No! Of course not! Mrs Ryan and myself are just colleagues, nothing more."
"Oh, I'm sorry" he quickly apologised "I just assumed…you know"
"No!" Jarvis said vehemently "Nothing of the sort."
"You seem fairly emphatic on that point!" the man said with a hint of a smile playing round his lips "What's the matter with her? Is she your usual dumpy, over-the-hill, face like the rear-end of a carriage housekeeper?"
"Not at all actually" Jarvis replied, turning slightly to frown out the window.
"Really!" the man said in surprise "Is she attractive then?"
"Yes, I suppose so" Jarvis said slowly, thinking back to his housekeeper the last senior servants' dinner before they'd left. The few times that he'd been able to look up at her admittedly. What colour dress had she been wearing? Nothing too unusual for Flora Ryan that was certain. Had she done something different with her hair? He couldn't remember anything. Maybe the earrings…she didn't normally wear those ones during the day. And it may have been his memory playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn she was wearing rouge as well…
"Somewhere pleasant!" the man's voice cut in in amusement, stirring Jarvis from his musings. "So she is attractive?"
"Yes"
"You're attracted to her?"
"No" Jarvis retorted immediately "I mean…she's an attractive woman yes…very attractive. And I, obviously, can appreciate that… most red-blooded men with eyes in their head would… but….that's not to say that I am….attracted to her" he trailed off defensively, not allowing that thought any further, after all, that was hardly likely to help matters between them.
"I'll believe you!" the stranger laughed "Thousands maybe wouldn't!" he added shrewdly, grinning as the butler glared defiantly back at him. "So what's the matter with her then? Why have you fallen out? If you have, I mean….I'm assuming something isn't right between the two of you?"
"It's…complicated…" Jarvis muttered, thinking over his increasingly complicated relationship with his housekeeper "We fell out a few months ago…before Christmas…and things haven't been the same since."
"How were things before then?"
"Compared to this they were bliss" Jarvis muttered moodily "I mean…totally professional of course" he added hastily with a glance up at the other man "We've worked together for years so it was very easy. I suppose…you could say we were friends…"
"But now…"
"I don't know" Jarvis sighed "It's just so bloody awkward between us now. And I've tried to reach out to her, but she just throws it back in my face! Then there was this stupid palaver about separating the men and women…long story" he added up, seeing the look of confusion on his companion's face "so I persuaded the Earl to take the men up north for a few months. Flora and I, well we didn't exactly leave on friendly terms."
"It was your decision to leave then?"
"Yes"
"What did Flora think of that?"
"I don't know" Jarvis muttered, running a hand through his hair and moving to sit in one of the chairs beside the fire "I tried to reason with her. Stop her from making a fool of herself, but she wouldn't listen. Just retreated from me even more…"
"Is it possible…" the man asked tentatively "that the lovely Flora perhaps has….how shall I say...slightly deeper feelings than friendship for you?"
"What!" Jarvis asked incredulously, before giving a short sharp laugh "I doubt it!"
"Really. Why?"
"Why!" Jarvis repeated, gesticulating wildly to illustrate the ridiculousness of the idea "Well…I mean…of course she doesn't. Why would she….there's no evidence at all that she does. For one, she's never said so. If anything, I would say it was the opposite, she seems to go out of her way to avoid me. So, no…definitely not…no"
"Very convincing" the other man said mildly "And obviously you have no such feelings yourself so that won't complicate matters further…" he added with a smile, raising an eyebrow at the butler's dark expression.
Choosing to ignore that particular comment, the butler just glared into the fire for a few moments, trying not to think about Flora Ryan and any hidden feelings she might or might not have. Shaking his head to try and clear his mind, he suddenly turned back to his companion.
"What did you say your name was again?"
However the man wasn't listening, having put away his pipe and was now checking his pocket watch
"Better be off I'm afraid. Hope I didn't keep you up with my ramblings?"
"No, not at all" Jarvis murmured, leaning back against the chair as his enigmatic companion headed towards the door."
"Well, thank you for the company. Don't stay up pondering too long now."
Smiling back, Jarvis nodded slightly in the other man's direction "I won't. Good night."
"Good night…oh and mind your head…"
Turning back round to frown at the now empty doorway, Jarvis shook his head slightly, must have misheard him. Leaning back against the chair, he closed his eyes for a moment, feeling much sleepier now than he had earlier. It would be so easy to fall asleep here in the chair instead of heading back to….
"Walter! Walter, get up, we've got to be down at breakfast in ten minutes!"
"Urgh…yes I'm getting up Feli..Owww!" the butler grimaced, holding his now throbbing head and glaring up at the bookshelf above his bed. "What…howcome…I thought I went to sleep in the chair?" he muttered, looking in confusion over at the fireplace and then again up at the bookshelf.
"Walter what are you talking about?" Felix said in exasperation as he moved to the mirror to knot his cravat.
"The man….last night in here. Didn't you hear him? I couldn't sleep and he…"
"You're talking in riddles my friend. And sleep you did last night, although the amount of talking you were doing, anyone would have thought you were awake." Felix retorted as the butler turned to stare at him in confusion "A certain housekeeper plague your dreams by the way!" he added smugly as the butler went slightly red.
"I don't remember my dreams" Jarvis muttered defensively.
"Well isn't that lucky!" Felix retorted " Or maybe not!" he added with a wink "I'll see you down at breakfast then!"
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