Written as a request for ..Pearls. Not a pairing that I have ever considered before; I hope I can get it to work.
All in all it hadn't been a very good day, Sarah O'Brien concluded. The ghost of a laugh escaped her lips as she lowered her cigarette. She exhaled deeply, closing her eyes as the smoke flurried into the air above her face. She had killed a baby for no reason and the country was at war: that was probably as bad as days got. It made quite a change to be able to smoke alone, without Thomas harping on in her ear. She would have to get used to it, she supposed. Well, out with the old; in with the new. Except there would be no new. She tapped her ash onto the ground.
It would make her old mam turn in her grave to know the way things were going. She had been happy to see her daughter a lady's maid with the hope that she would find herself a husband. That was a laugh, she hadn't banked on Elsie Hughes, guarding the door between the two servants' corridors like a dragon in a fairytale. It was no secret that she was widely disliked by the staff anyway. She and Thomas might have made a thing of it, in a different life. This time she actually laughed aloud a little to herself. She took another drag on her cigarette and paced back and forth as she exhaled.
"Mind if I join you?"
The voice was unfamiliar at first. She turned to see who her companion was and was surprised to see the Crawley's butler standing almost to attention beside her.
"You not gone home yet?" she asked.
Although it was not meant to come out as rudely as it did, he was evidently expecting it to. He looked down at his shoes.
"The master is still here, talking to his Lordship and they told me to wait here and we'd go together."
She nodded, it made sense.
"Smoke?" she offered, surprising herself.
He shook his head.
"I just fancied getting out of there for a minute," he told her indicating with his head towards the back door to the kitchen.
Understandable. She took another drag.
"I imagine, they're all working up merry hell."
He confirmed her suspicion with a nod.
"Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes are trying to keep them all calm but they don't stand a chance. Anna was quite frantic."
"Well she would be," Sarah confirmed, "What with old Bates being of fighting age. That is if that wretched leg of his doesn't stop him."
Molesley seemed confused. Looking at him properly for the first time, she saw that his expression was a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
"Why?"
She snorted.
"Well, our Anna's been carrying a torch for Bates since he arrived. Well, not so much a torch an 'hole bonfire."
He seemed unduly shocked.
"Don't look so surprised. Stranger things have happened at sea."
He also seemed to exhale greatly. Having taken another smoke, she looked back at him; more closely this time. His expression seemed somehow aggrieved.
"What?" she asked, a little discourteously. But then it was him who had come to her.
Molesley was looking back down at his shoes.
"Nothing," he replied after a long while.
"You won't find your reflection there, you know."
He looked up.
"What?"
"In your shoes."
It took him a moment to work out what she was saying.
"Oh."
Having already sounded rude and discourteous, there didn't seem much point in holding her tongue now.
"Not the brightest one, are you?"
It didn't seem to offend him: he hardly even looked reproachful.
"No," he agreed. The thought of returning to his shoes seemed to cross his mind but he decided against it, "There's plenty clever people in this world who use their brains to the wrong ends. Now, I'd like to think that that wouldn't be me but at the end of the day who's to know?"
Although there was no way that the words were meant to, they hit her like a smack it the face. It was her turn to gaze at the ground. This he seemed to notice and so she threw the end of her cigarette on the ground to escape a withering remark. She folded her arms around her middle as she crushed it beneath her shoe. He was standing to attention again and watching her. It felt like she had to say something. She half-turned so that she was partially facing him.
"Quite so, Mr Molesley."
There was silence between them. The evening air was still warm, it was the only thing keeping them here now that the cigarette lay extinguished on the floor.
"Why did you want to stand with me?" she asked, mildly curious.
He shrugged a little.
"You seemed calmer than that lot inside," he answered with a hint of wariness.
"I often am."
There was a pause.
"It'll get an awful lot quieter very soon."
The remark made him seem uncomfortable.
"Not where I'll be going," he told her.
"You'll join up then?" she asked.
He only half-shrugged this time.
"If they'll take me," he answered, "If I'm not too old. A man ought to fight, if he can. It wouldn't feel right if I didn't at least try."
It seemed odd that only now in her disgrace had she been able to acquire a companion of good character. It was pretty plain to her that Thomas had jumped on the chance to take a position that would find him anywhere but on the battlefield. He was young, he was fit, it should be he and not Mr Molesley here sticking his neck on the line. It seemed that he was too good to do so. She nodded her head again; of all the forward things she would say to him, that certainly wasn't going to be one.
He seemed to take her silence as a sign that all possible discussion between them had been exhausted.
"Would you allow me to escort you inside?" he asked, albeit timidly.
She actually felt herself smile a bit as she turned to him.
"You're quite the gentleman, aren't you?" she remarked.
He seemed to be unsure as to whether or not she was joking. Guessing that it was the safest option, he tried to take the remark with dignity while trying to hide his uncertainty.
"I'd never have expected you, of all people, to say that, Miss O'Brien," he replied.
"Why ever not?" she asked, although it was not at all necessary, "I can be quite a surprising piece of work, me."
And not only in a good way, a voice niggled at the back of her head. Her jaw clinched instinctively. He obviously noticed this. He raised an eyebrow in the way that butlers have of making silent enquiry. It was odd how he and Mr Carson should execute the same movement to completely different effect. She nodded and tried to force a lighter tone into her voice.
"Very surprising at times."
He seemed curious at this.
"How surprising?"
Her recent paranoia told her to be careful of the question but judging by his expression he meant it innocuously.
"Well, if I told you, it would be a surprise then, would it? You noodle."
He laughed at that. Sarah did not know what, apart from the spur of the moment made her do what she did next. She stretched up a little as he was taller than her and kissed him swiftly and briefly on the lips.
"That surprising, Mr Molesley."
And with that she did not wait for him to escort her inside but made her way quickly inside, leaving him to realise his bewilderment outside.
Did I get it to work at all? I enjoyed it even if I didn't! Please tell me what you think. I'm also unsure as to whether or not I should leave this as it is or write some more of it.