Chapter 7 - Barriers
The next few days were quite uneventful for the staff of Downton Abbey. No guests had come to visit and the family itself was now away on a short break in London. The staff that remained behind didn't have many of their usual responsibilities, although Mr Carson kept finding jobs for them to do, many that hardly seemed worth doing.
Thomas seemed to be coping quite well with work at the moment, he hadn't been ill again and he seemed a little happier in himself each day that passed. Jimmy's mind was keenly focused on the competition Saturday; he had practised a few steps in his room by himself but it wasn't like having a proper partner to dance with.
Thomas and Jimmy now sat on the bench outside the back door.
"I can't believe it!" Jimmy complained. "Mr Carson's got me cleaning out the gardener's tool shed; and I tell you what, it stinks in there! I'm sure there must be rats!"
"Well, if its any consolation, I've been dusting the chandeliers!" Thomas replied. "That's a maid's job if ever there was one!"
Jimmy grinned. "Do you have to wear a frilly apron?" he asked mischievously.
Thomas laughed sarcastically. "Very droll" he replied. "Listen, have you told Lady Rose about Saturday yet?"
"Yes...only she was so excited when I told her, that she almost gave the game away. The Lady Dowager happened to walk past just as I was telling her...but I don't think she heard us, I think she's probably quite deaf."
"I imagine she hears what she wants to hear" Thomas replied succinctly. "Anyway, you should be getting in some practise really."
Jimmy nodded thoughtfully. "I think Lady Rose is back on Friday..."
"Oh yes, can you imagine it?" Thomas said wryly. 'Excuse me Lord Grantham. I've come to borrow Lady Rose to practise some dance steps!'"
Jimmy frowned. "Hmm...maybe not."
"What about Ivy?" Thomas suggested. "She seems keen on you. She'd do it."
Jimmy's face lit up. "Yeah. I'll go and ask her now" he said, getting up...
"I don't have time!" Ivy exclaimed, nervously looking around in case Mrs Patmore should come around the corner at any moment. "I've got the servants lunch to make!"
Jimmy thought. "What about later?" he suggested, a dwindling hope in his voice.
"I'm not sure. Mrs Patmore is keeping us just as busy as ever."
Jimmy sighed and glanced at Daisy.
"Don't look at me" she said. "I'm just as busy as she is."
Jimmy frowned.
"Can I help you?" Mrs Patmore asked impatiently as she entered the kitchen.
"Uh...no" Jimmy replied with a sigh. "I don't suppose you could."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Mrs Patmore retorted, her arms akimbo.
"Nothing" Jimmy replied, unsure of what he'd just said. He decided to leave before he offended her anymore.
"Well?" Thomas asked as Jimmy sauntered lethargically through the back door.
"She's too busy" Jimmy said glumly.
"Something will turn up" Thomas replied positively, giving his friend a smile. "Anyway, time to put my frilly apron on again. See you at lunch."
Jimmy nodded as his friend left. How was he going to get any practise in before the competition?
"James!" Mr Carson called, stepping through the back door. "Have you finished the shed?"
"Not quite Mr Carson."
"Try and finish before lunch if you can. Lots more jobs to do."
"Yes Mr Carson" Jimmy sighed.
...
Friday morning arrived and the family's chauffered cars pulled up outside Downton Abbey's front entrance. Jimmy held the door as Lady Rose stepped out of the second car.
"Thank you James" she said happily. Jimmy glanced at her with a smile on his lips but checked himself as Lady Edith followed her out. The family and accompanying servants made their way inside.
"Oh. I need something out of one of my cases" Lady Rose proclaimed suddenly, making sure all heard her. She headed back to the car where Jimmy was now unloading the suitcases.
"Oh James, maybe you could open this case for me please?" she asked slowly, as she watched Mr Carson follow the family inside the house.
"Certainly Milady" Jimmy replied.
Jimmy opened the case and Lady Rose pretended to looked through it, unaware that a pair of eyes was watching her through a window of the house.
"Are you still ok for tomorrow?" she whispered.
"Yes" Jimmy replied, "but will we have chance to practise? I'm a bit rusty."
Lady Rose thought. "Leave it with me, I'll see what I can do." She waited till Alfred had unloaded the other car and had walked inside with the luggage.
"We have to do three dances" she informed him. "The foxtrot, the waltz and the one-step. Are you ok with that?"
"Yes, that's fine" Jimmy nodded.
"Good. Oh I'm so looking forward to it now!"
"Me too" Jimmy smiled.
Alfred returned to help Jimmy finish the unloading.
"Oh, there it is!" Lady Rose exclaimed, holding up her handkerchief. "It was in my handbag all along! Silly me!" She glanced at Jimmy with a smile and walked inside.
As she entered the house, she heard her name spoken.
"Rose?" Lady Edith called, standing at the door of the library. Lady Rose stopped in her tracks as Lady Edith walked up to her.
"You're not fraternizing with that young man are you?"
"What young man?" Lady Rose asked, laughing with embarrassment.
Lady Edith looked at her seriously. "I'm not stupid Rose" she stated plainly. "Do you think I believed that rubbish about your not feeling well last week? You were picnicking with Barrow and James weren't you?"
Lady Rose said nothing but her cheeks flushed, annoyed that she'd been found out.
"And just now I saw you talking to James" Lady Edith continued.
"Yes...so I was talking to him. He is a person Edith, not just a servant."
"Be careful Rose" Lady Edith warned sternly. She turned to leave. "Oh, and I wouldn't trust Barrow. Not as far as I could throw him." She walked off, leaving Lady Rose huffing with annoyance.
...
"What do you think Jimmy? Isn't it lovely?" Ivy asked him, as she showed him her new hat with paper flowers and a bright pink ribbon on it.
"It's nice" Jimmy answered indifferently.
"You're not even looking at it!" Ivy complained.
Jimmy took the hat out of her hands and poked at the flowers, trying to show an interest but his mind was elsewhere. He hadn't heard any word from Lady Rose since this morning. He was probably going to look like a right fool tomorrow in front of everyone!
"Don't pull the flowers off!" Ivy scolded, taking the hat back out of his hands, "And why are so you miserable? You've been miserable all afternoon!"
"I'm not miserable!" Jimmy protested miserably. He thought.
"Listen Rose..." he began.
"Rose?" Ivy cut in, confusion on her face.
"I...Ivy I mean!" he quickly corrected. He gave a sigh. "Would you have time later to practise a few dance steps with me?"
"What's this for?" she asked warily.
"Nothing!" Jimmy replied, a little too quickly.
"Something's going on, isn't it?"
"No" he replied unconvincingly. "Anyway, if you don't have time..."
Ivy looked into his melancholy eyes. "Go on then!" she replied kindly. "Anything to cheer you up. I might have time after I've made the servant's dinner."
"D'you mean it?" Jimmy asked grinning.
Ivy nodded, returning the grin.
"That's put a smile on his face" Daisy remarked, watching the pair of them.
The gong rang for dinner and Mrs Patmore entered the kitchen.
"Where's Alfred?" she asked, seeing that Jimmy was already here.
"Here!" he answered, dashing in through the door.
"Right, before we start, Mrs Hughes has said that us kitchen staff can eat with the rest of the servants tonight as a change" Mrs Patmore informed them.
"What will Mr Carson say?" Jimmy asked.
"It's Mr Carson's half day, isn't it? So he won't be here" she replied smugly.
"I'll definitely have time now Jimmy" Ivy smiled.
"Time for what?" Alfred asked scowling.
"Nothing" Ivy replied embarrassed, shaking her head.
"Right, you lot!" Mrs Patmore intervened hastily. "Let's concentrate on serving the dinner shall we?"
...
When the staff had finished their dinner that evening, Mrs Hughes addressed them all.
"Listen everyone" she began. "I thought that because you didn't have any time off while the family was away that we could perhaps have a little music this evening as a treat, maybe a sing-song?"
"That would be nice" Anna answered.
"Could we do some dancing Mrs Hughes?" Thomas asked, glancing across at Jimmy.
Mrs Hughes thought. "Why not?" she replied. "James, would you mind playing for us?"
Jimmy's face fell. He glanced over at Ivy and she looked back at him sadly.
He sighed. "Of course Mrs Hughes" he replied kindly.
"John, Peter. Would you move the tables back to make room?" Mrs Hughes asked.
The room was set up and Jimmy started to play. Some of the staff paired up and danced while others watched happily enjoying the music. All except for Ivy that was.
Thomas walked over as Jimmy finished playing a song. "I'm sorry Jimmy" he said sympathetically. "I thought you would have chance to do some dancing yourself. Shame no one else can play piano."
"Nevermind, it can't be helped" Jimmy shrugged. "But, you could do something for me..."
Thomas walked over to Ivy as the next song began. "Would you care to dance?" he offered.
"Really?" she asked, her eyes beginning to shine.
He put his hands out and she stepped out with him to the middle of the floor.
Moments later though, the room came to a complete stand still. Jimmy stopped playing and turned around to see what was happening. There, in the doorway stood Lady Rose.
"Can I help you Milady?" Mrs Hughes asked, walking over to her.
"Oh please don't stop for me!" Lady Rose exclaimed. "...only, I heard music and I just couldn't resist!"
Mrs Hughes nodded.
"You don't mind do you?"
"No, of course we don't mind" Mrs Hughes said smiling.
"Please, everyone, do carry on. Pretend I'm not here!" Lady Rose said addressing the room.
Mrs Hughes gave the nod and the entertainment resumed.
Lady Rose looked over at Jimmy. "James plays well, doesn't he?" she commented.
"He does. I like to hear him play" Mrs Hughes replied.
Lady Rose thought. "Actually, I have an idea. You don't mind if I borrow Alfred for a moment do you?"
"What's this for?" Mrs Hughes asked intrigued.
"It's a surprise!" Lady Rose replied excitedly.
Mrs Hughes nodded, a look of curiosity on her face.
Moments later Lady Rose returned with Alfred following her, carrying the gramophone from her room in his arms.
Everyone stopped to stare at the beautiful machine as Alfred set it down on a table.
Daisy's eyes flashed wide open. "Is it yours Milady?" she asked.
"Yes" Lady Rose replied smiling. She chose a record and placed it on the turntable.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful in all me life" Daisy commented, as Alfred began to wind the machine up.
Jimmy joined the crowd that had gathered around the machine. Everyone seemed mesmerised as the record began to spin and the music played.
Lady Rose turned to Jimmy. "Now everyone can dance" she remarked purposefully.
"Would you care to?" he asked politely.
"I would" she replied, taking his hand.
They stepped out to the middle of the floor. Some of the staff, particularly the maids began to giggle as Lady Rose and Jimmy started to dance the foxtrot. Unfortunately, a few steps in, Jimmy accidently stepped on her toe.
"I'm so sorry!" he blushed, turning red.
"Not to worry" she replied as kindly as she could. "Let's get all the mistakes out of the way tonight shall we?"
They started to dance again but almost immediately Jimmy trod on her toe once more. Lady Rose grimaced.
"Forgive me!" Jimmy cried, dying with embarrassment. He buried his face in his hands.
"What is it?" Lady Rose asked. "You danced so well at York. I saw you."
"I'm nervous!" Jimmy replied, quite distraught. "I don't want to let you down."
"You must forget who I am" Lady Rose told him. "No one will know me tomorrow."
Jimmy nodded. "You're right" he replied. "It's hard to forget though, with everyone watching us."
She looked around, noticing the gazing eyes upon them. "I believe in you" she reassured him. "I know you can do it!"
Jimmy smiled at her shyly.
"Now, focus on the music" Lady Rose continued. "Let yourself get lost in it, let it carry you."
They started to dance once more and as they span around the room the floor cleared for them. It was quite a sight to see the foxtrot performed so well. Jimmy began to grow in confidence and by the end of the song they were dancing their best. They stopped to a spontaneous applause from the staff, uncontrollable glee on both of their faces.
"I knew you could do it!" Lady Rose gushed with praise.
...
Thomas and Jimmy sat in front of the fireplace in the servants hall at the end of the day. Everyone else had gone up to bed.
"That were a cracking evening!" Jimmy exclaimed as he sat back in his armchair with a cup of tea.
"You did well" Thomas commended. "You might even stand a chance tomorrow" he added with a smirk.
Jimmy chuckled. "I can't wait! It's gonna be grand!"
"Well, it's certainly going to be interesting" Thomas remarked.
"Oh, by the way, thank you for dancing with Ivy for me" Jimmy added. "It seemed to cheer her up. She told me you were very charming. Although I assume she was trying to rub it in, the fact that I never danced with her."
"Well, she didn't get chance, did she? You and Lady Rose were inseparable!" Thomas declared.
Jimmy looked down and began to play with the spoon in his saucer.
Thomas watched him. "What is it?" he asked suspiciously.
"...She's nice isn't she?...Lady Rose I mean" Jimmy replied awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.
"Oh yes?" Thomas asked intrigued.
Jimmy scratched his head. "I..I just mean she's very kind."
Thomas read his expression. "Jimmy...don't tell me you're falling for Lady Rose, are you?"
"Don't be soft!" Jimmy objected with reddening cheeks. He looked down shyly. "She's a lady...I'm a footman."
Thomas sat back in his chair and shook his head in disbelief. "Jimmy Kent! What am I going to do with you?"
