"Secrets, silent, stony sit in the dark palaces of both our hearts: secrets weary of their tyranny: tyrants willing to be dethroned." – James Joyce
Chapter One: Jimmy
Jimmy has never been much for fighting. The whole thing is stupid, really. Only, when Alfred had said…He's no idea why he got so angry all of a sudden. It's not like him to hit someone. Especially not someone bigger. For all Alfred's gangly, he is huge. So what if he said something he shouldn't have? One minute, Alfred had been joking about the new hall boy and then he'd said something about Mr. Barrow and the new hall boy and, before Jimmy knew what he was about, his knuckles were crashing into the side of Alfred's face.
Alfred had just stood there for a minute, but then he'd charged Jimmy and the pair of them had crashed to the floor. Jimmy is dimly aware that Mrs. Patmore is yelling something in the background – she always is – but he has finally managed to shove Alfred off of his chest and has a chance to get another swing in and he can't make out what she is saying. Jimmy's knuckles are throbbing and the whole left side of his face feels like it is going to explode.
Someone reaches for Jimmy and Jimmy's elbow flies to clip the interloper before he knows what is happening. Oh God, don't let it be Mr. Carson, he thinks fleetingly before he feels a hand clamps down on the back on his neck and another wrenches his arm backward.
The other man – Mr. Barrow, he realizes with surprise – hauls him up off of Alfred and throws him back against the wall of the kitchen. Jimmy's shoulders slam against the plaster and the wind is knocked out of him for the second time that day. Funny, he's never considered how much stronger Thomas is than he is. Jimmy pushes the thought out of his mind (as he does with all thoughts that begin with "Thomas" rather than "Mr. Barrow").He wishes it had been Mr. Carson. God, why did Mr. Barrow have to be here for this?
Alfred surges up and straightens his uniform. His face is red but, Jimmy notes angrily, he doesn't look nearly as bad as Jimmy expects he does. "What the-" Alfred starts, glaring at Jimmy.
Mrs. Patmore is staring at Jimmy too, open mouthed. "My word," she says, exchanging a look with Mr. Barrow. "I never." It's not what you think, Jimmy thinks, willing her to understand. Except it is, he realizes. It is what she thinks.
"Thank you, Mr. Barrow," Mr. Carson says, now standing in the doorway with Mrs. Hughes at his elbow. "Get to my office, the pair of you!" He continues, rounding, red-faced on Jimmy and Alfred. "I have never, in all my time at this house, witnessed anything so disgraceful. Brawling in the kitchen after dinner? I would not have thought it possible!"
As Jimmy begins to shuffle towards the butler's pantry, he turns to see Mrs. Hughes reaching to squeeze Mr. Barrow's arm and handing him her handkerchief. Jimmy feels his stomach jolt as he notices that there a trickle of blood running down from a small spilt in Mr. Barrow's lip where Jimmy had elbowed him.
"Here, Thomas, you're bleeding," Mrs. Hughes says.
"It's-" Mr. Barrow says, sounding irritated.
"Mr. Barrow now, I know," Mrs. Hughes says kindly (because she knows Thomas isn't really irritated with her, Jimmy thinks).
"James!" Mr. Carson says, and Jimmy walks faster. His head is spinning from pain and fear. It will be all over Downton Abbey before the morning. Mrs. Patmore has a mouth on her and he's sure the story of what Alfred said to make Jimmy hit him will be all over the estate by the morning. Right. That's him done for, then.