Making her Stronger
Molesley was confused after Miss Baxter had said that his strength made her stronger. What strength? He didn't consider himself strong. But Miss Baxter wasn't, as far as he knew, in the habit of saying things she didn't mean. So something he had done or said to her must have given her the impression that he was strong. Trying to figure out what it had been had made him even more confused, so instead he watched. He observed Miss Baxter and tried to figure out exactly what she had meant.
Mr Barrow was cruel to her and he would stand up for her, pull her away, anything to make Barrow stop. But that wasn't strength, that was common decency. That was all he could think of. He was friendly to her, but not strong, he liked her, and he thought that maybe she liked him too. Nobody had ever been as kind to him as she had been. He still couldn't figure it out. How on Earth was he strong?
Finally, on the way back to Downton at the end of the season, Molesley sat next to her in the train compartment that they were sharing with Anna, Mr Bates and a few of the other servants, but not Mr. Barrow or his partner-in-crime, James, he decided he would ask her what she meant about his strength making her strong. He turned to her while Mr. Bates and Anna were talking.
"Miss Baxter," he began. She looked at him, smiling slightly.
"Yes, Mr. Molesley?" she asked.
"What did you mean on the beach that day? About my strength making you strong?" he asked. "Because I have thought about it and I can't think of how I am strong in any way."
Baxter looked down at her hands, and Molesley was sure that she was now blushing. Worried that he had said something wrong, he apologized and asked if he could fix whatever he had done wrong. She shook her head and Molesley's heart sank.
"You can't do anything to fix what you did wrong, because you've done nothing wrong, Mr. Molesley," she whispered, reaching out one of her hands to grasp his. "And to answer your previous question, you're so strong in so many ways and you don't realize it. You're kind, you're a good man, a nice man, you stand up to people that you see doing wrong to someone else and you make the people around you feel better about themselves. How can you not see that about yourself? Those things help make you who you are, and they're just some of the reasons why I like you so much."
Molesley looked at Miss Baxter, neither of them realizing that Mr. Bates, Anna and the others with them had stopped talking and were now looking at the couple. "You like me?" Molesley asked her, to which Baxter nodded. "As just a friend? Or more?"
"More," she whispered. "I hope you don't find that too forward of me to say."
"Never," he replied. "I've never had anyone who feels that way about me before. And I must say Miss Baxter, I quite like you too." Miss Baxter looked down again and began blushing. He had made her so strong, and yet, he could make her knees go so very weak by making her feel happy. And to thank him for all that he had done for her, she vowed to herself that she would appreciate him and always be there for him and try to be a strong woman to make him happy and repay his kindness in defending her by doing the same for him.
They could do it, they could be happy together, and Mr. Barrow, nor anyone else could stop them from being happy with one another.