Hi All: I've been working like crazy to finish this before S5 starts. I've rewritten the ending three times. I read a spoiler online for S5 to do with Thomas, if it is true I wonder where they got that one as it sounds amazingly like a story I wrote with that character ages ago. Hmm or do the actors read these fics and use them to create red herrings. LOL. Whatever it is all in fun.

Chapter 25

Tom pushed two more pieces of wood into the fireplace in his office space before he took a seat at his desk. It was late March and it didn't look like winter was going to end anytime soon. Things had changed at the Abbey but some things hadn't. The hall boys came around and filled the wood baskets twice a day and saw to the fires in the main rooms, but here in his office and in his bedroom he lit the fires and saw to them himself. There were no more maids scurrying in during the early hours to light the fires to take the chill off the room or coming back through the day for tending. He doubted Robert, Cora or Mary would ever tend a fire in their lives. Some things were just too big a step for them. For all Mary was willing to take charge she was still very old fashioned much like her father in many respects.

He felt an argument coming on with the family. It was brewing like a storm cloud in the background. There had been a few things over the years with Sybie's upbringing that he had put his foot down and insisted on, but for the most part his mother-in-law coaxed and cajoled and got her own way. Other than insisting Sybie learn to ride astride and his choice of religion everything else was her way. Now Mary was talking about a governess for George and the pressure was on for him not to send Sybie to school, which was coming up next autumn. He had told the family repeatedly he wanted her educated in a private school. The undercurrents of control were there in the little comments and suggestions. He didn't doubt Cora's affection for her granddaughter but Cora liked to have her way. Now as he thought back he could see a pattern in her little manipulations and it was irritating him. At the moment the family had taken a trip north to see Edith. They had mentioned something about visiting friends in Scotland as well. He didn't expect them back for at least another three weeks. They had taken George and Nanny along. He had a local girl in to see to Sybie, which suited the two of them well.

Tom set his pen down and opened the bottom drawer of his desk. The two letters with official pardons had arrived just after the first of the year. The first from the Republic of Ireland had a section explaining rebels who were active before independence were pardoned if they had shown themselves to be law-abiding citizens in the interim. The one from Northern Ireland said about the same thing although it came with a stern warning that any involvement in ongoing rebel activity would result in immediate incarceration with no chance for reprieve. He was a free man. He was chaffing at the restraints that had been put on him living in this house. He had a great deal of responsibility with no magic answers but that didn't stop the family from wanting what had been before and asking for more concessions from the estate holdings. His true allies in the house were gone. Edith was in Glasgow and seemed happy from the tone of her letters. Rose was goodness only knew where as she seemed to be constantly dashing from one country or meeting to the next. He was feeling more alone all the time. At first he had stayed because he had nowhere else to go. Now duty and obligation to the family had become his lot that held him to this house as well as his daughter's heritage.

He closed the drawer and sat back in his chair. He missed Rose something terrible. She was always such a ball of energy and you never knew what she was going to come up with next. Despite the other three adults normally in the house and all the comings and goings, the place seemed dull without her. His mind turned back to his life at the Abbey. He didn't see how he would find anyone to share his life with living here. He could see now there had been some manipulation going on in the background when he was seeing Sarah. He wasn't sorry Sarah was gone, but he was an adult and capable of making his own decisions. He wondered if things had worked out with Rose what the family would have said. Would they have been happy or would they have protested and tried to separate them? No matter how he thought about things it always came back to them trying and doing everything they could to keep Sybie close and have her raised in the manner they chose.

He didn't know what the answer to it all was. Perhaps in the spring or summer he would take Sybie for a visit to Dublin now that he could. He had the funds to afford it easily. He got up from his desk and went into the main hall to sort through the afternoon post. He stopped when he came to a letter addressed to him with Rose's return address and a Dublin postmark. He read the contents of the letter, then folded it slowly and placed it in his inside jacket pocket. Rose sounded tired. She had been in Dublin for the last three months with her job. Her boss had promised them all three weeks off when the agreements were finished which she though would wrap up around the end of April. She'd ended the letter by saying there was something she wanted to tell him of a personal nature. Tom couldn't help but sigh. She must be engaged to the man she had feelings for, he thought. Rose's life was moving on and his would too one day when things were on a more even keel around the estate.

-0-

Thomas Barrow looked out over the grounds the morning of the spring fair. Things at the Abbey had seemed about to fall apart last year at the same time. Now looking back at the last year, he had to admit the change over had been hard but he much preferred things as they were now. For events like this he hired extra staff. They would be gone at the end of the day and he didn't have to think about their day-to-day problems or any of the rest. Today when the fair wrapped up the people helping out had been invited to stay for a picnic on the grounds. The work would get done and there would be a wind up party, but there would be no Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes lording it over him and the rest of the staff. His style was completely different than theirs. He insisted the staff be respectful and keep their distance from the family but they had a great deal more flexibility in their schedules. The days of four hours a week off plus Sunday morning for church were gone.

He spotted Tom Branson helping unload a wagon of chairs. For years he had envied the man his place on the estate. In the last year Thomas had changed his opinion on that score. The man looked exhausted. Everyone knew the estate had taken a hard hit with the fire a year ago. The cannery was rebuilt and ready to go for the summer. The talk of the village was the extra jobs it would bring once it was running. It all looked like a herculean task that Thomas no longer envied as he'd watched Tom Branson struggle under the load all winter long. Working like that so other people could spend more money than he made in a year on one dress or a tailored suit didn't appeal to Thomas in the least. He had never really wanted to stay in service, but it had become his lot whether he liked it or not.

"Mr. Barrow, are you ready for the sandwiches from the kitchen?" one of the day scullery maids asked.

"Tell Mrs. Patmore the tables are ready," Thomas replied snapping out of his reverie. He spotted Lady Mary pass by with a box of ribbons for the children's games. No matter what gossip befell the family or financial difficulty there would always be those who thought they were better than everyone else, and those that worked to keep them there. Bates and Anna had made their escape and Daisy as well. He would keep working and saving and someday he would make his escape too, just not today.

-0-

Tom looked up from where he was standing talking to a group of men. His heart skipped a beat when he saw someone who he thought was Rose standing off to the side talking to Mary. There was a tent partially blocking his view. Rose had called two weeks previously to say she had been delayed and would come to Downton when she was free. He excused himself the group and headed towards the two of them. He noticed a tall man with dark hair standing beside Rose as he drew nearer. Both of them were smiling while they chatted with Mary.

"Congratulations are in order then," Mary said just as he arrived.

"Tom," Rose said with a smile. "I'd like to introduce Mr. John Friesen. My cousin Tom Branson."

"How do you do?" Tom said. This had to be the man Rose had taken to, he told himself. He couldn't help himself from feeling slightly sick with envy. He was kicking himself for being all kinds of fool for letting himself fall for her. She was a highborn lady made for a life in the spotlight. When everything was said and done he was still a working class lad from the streets of southern Dublin.

"Quite well now the announcement has been made," Mr. Friesen replied.

"Let me offer my congratulations as well," Tom said. He extended his hand to shake Mr. Friesen's. He felt the words threatening to choke him.

"Thank you. It has been a great accomplishment. One I won't soon forget."

"I'm sure you won't," Tom replied. "If you'll excuse me there is something I have to attend to." He turned and left the group. He made his way across the grounds away from the fair. It had been a hard winter and at the moment he couldn't deal with Rose's engagement. When he reached the pond he took a path that would lead him through the woods behind the stables and garage.

"What's wrong with Tom?" Rose asked Mary in concern. Her smile faded quickly.

"I have no idea," Mary replied.

"If you'll excuse me, Mr. Friesen," Rose said. "I'll leave you with Lady Mary."

"Go and enjoy yourself," he replied. "You've earned it." His attention was focused on Lady Mary. He was only too glad Lady Rose was giving them a few minutes by themselves.

It took Rose a few minutes to make her way through the fair as she stopped to say hello to people she knew. When she reached the pond she could just see a glimpse of Tom's jacket almost half way to the small stream that fed the pond.

"Why am I always chasing after you," she said aloud before she took the same trail he had.

-0-

Mr. and Mrs. Carson strolled the grounds of the Abbey at the spring fair. They chatted with people they knew and made the rounds of the booths. After an hour or so they made their way towards the refreshment tent where they found Lord Grantham.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carson, how is your retirement treating you?" he asked.

"Well, your lordship," Mr. Carson replied.

"And you Mrs. Carson?" Lord Grantham inquired.

"I'm very happy these days taking care of a small house instead of a large one," Elsie Carson replied.

"We do miss you both," Lord Grantham said.

"It's nice to know one isn't forgotten," Elsie Carson replied. "I'll leave you men to chat while I find us some tea." She moved off to leave Mr. Carson a few minutes alone with their former employer.

"The house seem to be running well," Mr. Carson commented.

"Well, but not with your flair," Lord Grantham said wistfully. "I miss the old days."

"I'm too old to change with the times," Mr. Carson said. "The talk these days is of the young people going to work at the cannery. No one is interested in going into service anymore. All this talk of day jobs and weekends, I'm not really comfortable with it."

"You and I both," Lord Grantham said. He spotted Lord Merton and Isobel Crawley at one of the booths. "Enjoy your day."

"Thank you, Lord Grantham," Mr. Carson replied. He went to join his wife.

"Do you really miss it here?" Elsie Carson asked her husband when he joined her.

"I do and then when I visit on days like today, I wonder why I was holding out and didn't retire sooner."

"Because we're a pair of old fools, who should have married and moved on a great deal sooner than we did," she said. She spotted Daisy Mason pass by on the arm of a young man. "I worked until I was too old and lived my life through others. I miss not having a son or daughter of my own."

"I had Lady Mary," Mr. Carson said stiffly.

"And I had a house full to see to but it isn't the same," she replied with a sigh.

"I was reading in the paper the other day, they're thinking of closing the poor houses," he said.

"What has that to do with us?"

"We could take a girl or boy of thirteen or so to help you around the house."

"Charles, these days children have to attend school until they're fifteen. It's the law."

"There's a school in the village," he replied. "I don't fancy changing diapers this late in the day."

"In other words you would like to have a family?" she asked.

"I'd like to have someone who looks to us for guidance," he replied. "We have love to give if we are a bit long in the tooth."

Just then Miss Sybie and Master George came by the tea tent with their Nanny. Both children dashed right by them and headed straight for Mr. Barrow to ask if they may have a cake. Elsie Carson watched the children and looked back to her husband.

"I would like someone who remembers me to the children," she said. "Alright, we'll ask the reverend if he can recommend a foundling home at church tomorrow."

"He's over playing the games. We'll look him up when we're done our tea," Mr. Carson said.

"You are in a rush."

"I'm not getting any younger," he replied with a self-satisfied grin.

-0-

Rose followed the trail she thought Tom was on carefully. Her shoes weren't suited for country pursuits, which made walking on a rough trail precarious. After what seemed like an eternity she spotted Tom skipping stones across a small creek. He glanced over when he heard her approach and went back to what he was doing.

"Why aren't you with your Mr. Friesen?" he asked while not looking at her.

"He's happy enough with Mary and he's not my Mr. anything. He's my boss," Rose replied. "How did you find out? The announcement isn't in the papers yet."

"It's obvious enough he's the man you were interested in last spring. It solves a few problems doesn't it, working with the man you're going to marry," he replied with irritation. "It what you wanted to tell me isn't it?"

"I am certainly not going to marry Mr. Friesen. You've got it all wrong. He asked me to introduce him to Mary. He met her once back during the war when he visited an injured comrade here at the house. He doesn't care about society gossip. He's much too busy for all that. I still don't understand how you knew. He had only told Mary when we arrived outside the circle at the office."

"Rose, I don't want to play games," Tom replied with a sigh. "What is it I obviously don't know?"

"After three years of negotiations Mr. Friesen has lead the delegation that completed all the agreements that make up the new fishing treaty with Ireland. He is being knighted for his work. It was announced yesterday. Honestly, it's the first time I've ever seen him smile without being reminded to."

"Then you've another feather in your cap," Tom said. He was still smarting from the misunderstanding and feeling inadequate.

"I was only a very tiny insignificant part of the whole thing," Rose said. "Other than long hours, being forced to memorize the most boring facts and figures on the face of the earth and smoothing a great deal of ruffled feathers, I had little to do with it. Although I can tell you anything you ever wanted to know about sardines starting with how many were caught per annum for commercial sale in the last five years for a least seven different countries."

"That interesting was it?" he asked. He couldn't help but grin at the look of exasperation on Rose's face. He tossed the handful of pebbles he had been holding into the stream.

"Dreadful," Rose replied. "Ten hours a day, six days a week for the last five months ironing out every detail of thirty-five agreements each with multiple clauses. It was enough to make me want to tear my hair out and the issues between the two groups!" She threw up her hands in exasperation. "One was a blueprint of the other. It's no wonder they didn't get along."

Tom couldn't help but smile at her exasperation with her foray into the world of negotiations.

"I want to ask you something that might sound a bit odd," Tom said. "Was it you who arranged for my pardon?"

"I may have noticed a small paragraph when reading background notes on Irish policy changes and submitted a few queries," Rose replied evasively.

He took a step towards her and placed a hand on her arm.

"It means everything to me. You've given me my freedom," he said sincerely. "Thank you for thinking of me and putting in the time it must have taken. You've changed my life."

"It wasn't hard to submit the forms once I found out they were reviewing old cases," Rose replied with honesty. She took his hand. "I wanted to repay your confidence in me. It's what's kept me going day after day this last year."

"Still it is more than I had ever dreamed possible. Has it been hard?"

"At times I wanted to run screaming. They're all so well educated and they don't accept women in their work well. I feel like I'm turning into my mother."

"You couldn't possibly," Tom replied with a faint smile.

"I understand her more now. She chose to support my father's career. The life is hard and demanding. While you're in it you hate it and then when you actually complete something, you feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself. It's quite overwhelming, but…"

"But?"

"I feel like part of me is missing while I'm there and I'm suffocating in that life," Rose replied. "I've made a great many mistakes with relationships, with everything really."

"We all do."

"No, Tom. You don't understand. I've made more mistakes with men than you know. I'm always jumping into things without thinking them through. This time, I tried to change that and I thought about it so much I made myself miserable."

"Then you should tell the person you care for how you feel," he said.

"I'm trying to do that. Sometimes I think your so busy trying to protect everyone around you, you can't see what's right in front of your face."

"You're saying?" he felt hope spring into his chest.

"I'm saying I'm hear to negotiate," Rose said. She moved closer to him and laid her hands on the front of his jacket. His hands came up to rest on her arms. "The first step in any negotiation is to find common ground. I would say when two people care deeply for each other it's a good place to start."

"I would say," he replied as he took her into an embrace and laid his lips against hers.

"Tom," she said once they broke apart slightly. She kissed him again while still standing in the circle of his arms. "Did the Council ever improve the fire brigades?"

"No," he replied. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"I know just how to convince them. It's not hard when you know how," she said curling against him.

"How will you do that from London?" he asked. "You still have your work don't you?"

"Spain next unless I have a better offer." She looked up at him hopefully.

"Do you consider being a wife and a mother a better offer?" he replied holding her close.

"I do."

"There won't be any going back. I want a wife who is at my side."

"That is where I want to be. I know it now without a doubt." She stroked a finger on the cleft in his chin while she rested against him. "I've always wanted to be the type of mother who spends time with her children."

"And sends them to school?" he asked hopefully.

"I think hires a tutor so they can go with us if we travel. At least until they're older," Rose replied.

"I think I could live with that," Tom replied holding her close.

"We always have a good time together don't we?"

"The best," he replied.

Epilogue

"Now remember everyone, don't mention anything about fish or fishing while the delegates are here. Leave that to the negotiators," Rose said excitedly. She was four months pregnant and just starting to show. The family was gathered to welcome Rose's former workmates from London plus a group from Belgium. It hadn't been as easy to leave Whitehall as Rose had thought. She'd had to accompany the delegation to Spain before they let her go and a suitable replacement was briefed. Mary had started seeing Sir John Friesen after the spring fair and they seemed a good match. One evening just after Tom and Rose were married, Sir John had been to the Abbey to visit. Rose and he had started talking and before anyone knew it Rose had convinced Robert Crawley to host a delegation from Belgium.

"Rose, you've gone over this a hundred times," Robert groaned.

"Papa, let Rose alone," Mary said. "I'm only happy to have my intended under this roof for the next six weeks."

"Rose, you're getting over excited. It isn't good for you or the baby," Tom said as he entered the library.

What none of the family had realized at the time was the government paid a considerable stipend plus all the expenses for the visiting parties. The house would generate a fair bit of income, which had come as a relief to all the adults in the family. Rose was happy to be involved in her former profession in at least a small way. Tom was only too happy to have Rose occupied with something that didn't remove her completely from her career. Despite what she said about being content to be his wife and mother to Sybie and their future children, he worried that he was taking her away from her true vocation. She was a blinding politician whether she acknowledged it or not. He couldn't be more proud of her.

"You're not overdoing things are you?" Tom asked Rose as they filed outside. "You've rested enough today haven't you?

"I'm rested and everything is fine. I'm excited is all," Rose replied. "You might ask Mr. Darrow if he knows the projections for agricultural commodities for next year. It will keep him off his usual habit of insulting everyone around him and you might find the information useful."

"I'll remember that," Tom said with a smile as he took his place to the right of the door while Rose joined Mary on the left.

Tom smiled at Rose while the cars approach with the two delegation parties. They'd been to Ireland on their honeymoon tour. It had been an eye opening experience for Tom. Now that he had the freedom to go back he'd realized he wasn't too interested in living there. With Rose by his side he was content with his life at the Abbey. The family needed him and it felt good to be needed. Tom turned his attention to Robert and Cora as they greeted their guests. Robert was so puffed up with pride at performing what he considered a service to his country it was a wonder the buttons didn't pop off his jacket. The man had little sense when it came to managing land or vast amounts of money but he did know how to welcome guests to his home in grand style.

Tom glanced at his watch as everyone was filing inside. Sybie and George should be just about finished with their lessons for the day with their tutor and heading to the stables for riding. Tom made his way to his wife's side to find out, which one was Mr. Darrow. It couldn't hurt to find out a few details on commodity projections. He found her talking to one of the delegates about the need for better fire brigades in areas with canneries. He couldn't help but smile. The political life he'd dreamed of with Sybil had shown up in his life in a manner he'd never expected. He was content to leave it to his wife and support her in her ventures as long as they didn't deprive their family. They were happy. Sybie was happy. Soon they would be welcoming their first child at the village hospital where they wouldn't be taking any chances. Everything he had always wanted he'd found right here in the place they now called home.

the end