A week later, Jimmy stood at the front door beside Alfred, trying to ignore the pointed glances the taller boy was giving him- he always did that when he was looking to start some irritating conversation- and instead attempting to focus on looking smart for the guests that were just pulling up outside the house in their car.
Alfred went forwards to open the door and stepped aside as their guest for the weekend, The Duke of Crowborough, climbed out and smiled widely as he set eyes on the arrangement of family and servants who stood to greet him.
"Marvellous to have you back," Lord Grantham stepped forward to shake the Duke's hand and welcome him inside. Carson ordered Jimmy to go and fetch the Duke's luggage, and he obligingly did so, trying to ignore the fact that he could feel the Duke's stare practically boring holes into the back of his skull.
Back down in the servants hall, Jimmy decided to sit next to where Thomas was reading the paper. His face had started to heal up nicely, and only a few red marks and light bruising was left to remind them of what had happened.
He smiled faintly as the First Footman took a seat.
"Who's that up to visit then?" he wondered, turning a page without looking up, "Carson was rabbiting on this morning about getting the house prepared,"
"The Duke of Crowborough apparently," Jimmy replied with a shrug. Thomas' hand froze in mid air, and he paused for a second, inhaling loudly, before reaching for a cigarette. "You know him?" Jimmy enquired, curious of the other man's reaction.
Thomas lit the cigarette and glanced over at the footman for a moment, "I know him," he replied, before taking the cigarette between his fingers and blowing smoke out the side of his mouth, "What's he doing here?"
"I imagine he's just here on a friendly visit, they said he hasn't been here since-"
Thomas blinked. "I'm aware of when he was last here, thank you Alfred."
Jimmy suppressed a sigh. He hadn't expected Thomas and himself to be acting like best friends in front of the others, of course not; they didn't want to raise suspicions, and he still wasn't one hundred percent sure of how he felt, either…but he did wish that Thomas could act like they at least got on well enough with one another.
"I take it you don't like him very much then," Ivy raised her eyebrows as she walked past, carrying a bowl of something or other for Mrs Patmore. She paused at the door through to the kitchen.
"No I do not," Thomas grimaced slightly to himself, before closing the newspaper over and stood up from his seat. He pushed it in against the table before turning to leave, his fingers trailing lightly over the back of Jimmy's neck in a manner that would have looked accidental to anyone who might have seen it.
Jimmy watched him for a moment, itching to follow, but not wanting to go straight after him in case people wondered why. He hung about for a moment, chatting idly to Ivy until Mrs Patmore bustled past, crying out about cooking lunch, and then shoving the kitchen maid away and allowing Jimmy the chance to slip out of the servants hall and out the back door, where he was relieved to find Thomas leaning back against the wall and smoking yet another cigarette.
"I thought I'd find you out here," Jimmy commented, stopping beside the taller man. A smile flickered across Thomas' face and he turned to his footman.
"Afternoon," he greeted.
Jimmy smiled back, and then studied the older man's expression for a moment. "Tell me why you don't like the Duke of Crowborough. He seemed a nice enough chap,"
Thomas laughed dryly. "A nice enough chap indeed," he put the cigarette back between his lips, and Jimmy's eyes lingered on it for a moment. "Don't let him trick you," he added.
"But I don't understand-"
"Just listen to me, Jimmy," Thomas interrupted, flicking the cigarette away and leaning in closer to the footman, "He's bad news."
Jimmy swallowed, drawing his eyes up to meet Thomas' intense stare. He nodded slowly, and the Under Butler's gaze softened for a second as he pressed the briefest of kisses to Jimmy's lips, and then pulled back and started to stroll towards the door.
"Oh and Jimmy?" he glanced back over his shoulder, "Meet me back here before bed? I rather enjoy the company,"
One final, tight lipped smile, and then he was gone, back inside the house. Jimmy beamed after the empty space he'd left for a moment, before shaking himself a little. He stilldidn't have any answers about the Duke.
Damn. He was curious now, and he knew it'd bother him till he got an answer out of Thomas one way or another. Easier said than done, though.
Jimmy headed back inside to fetch his jacket, and see if he was needed yet.
A/N: So this is the sequel to my other fic, 'Toleration'. This one's going to be multi-chaptered. Apologies for the lack of originality with having the Duke up to stay, but it was the only thing I could think of to keep the plot moving forward. Also, seeing as this is post Christmas Special, I thought I'd mention that what happened with Matthew is slightly different, I really don't like the idea of him being dead, so as far as we're all concerned for this story, he was just injured. I hope you enjoy reading this story, thank you for motivating me to continue writing!