A fly on the wall of the attic room shared by Miss O'Brien and Mrs. Butte would have seen the two women sharing a bottle of ill-gotten wine late into the night. Said fly might have become dizzy trying to follow the intricate interplay of schemes and suspicions as the two women discussed the bizarre events that had occurred at Grantham House at the end of the Season.

The two women took turns telling the tale as they understood it, with one interrupting the other when some crucial point was neglected.

Lucille sat Indian-style on her own bed as Sarah perched on the edge of hers. It would seem from their postures that Miss O'Brien was the one who desired the information the most. The truth was, Lucille wanted to learn things from Miss O'Brien just as much; she just hid her emotions better. Lucille was impressed by the amount of information Sarah had been able to procure even from her post in India. Being the maid of a first class gossip did have its advantages.

More impressive than her knowledge was O'Brien's power of perception. Having never met Miss Baxter, she seemed to have her personality pegged. When Lucille complimented her, O'Brien just shrugged. "Anna said the woman wouldn't hurt a fly and you say she was fond of Mr. Molesley. That tells me everything I need to know about her. It's her family that intrigues me."

Lucille provided just enough new information to earn O'Brien's respect and trust while giving nothing of value away. It was nearing one in the morning before they reached the end of the story. They both sipped at the last of the wine and thought in silence for a while.

O'Brien spoke first. "So you say Thomas' demeanor changed drastically after the first time the police took him away?"

"I would think that identifying the body of one's dead lover would affect someone, even if they were the killer."

"Don't be daft, Jimmy and Thomas weren't lovers." Sarah said condescendingly.

"Are you sure? They wrote to each other a lot and they were very close." Lucille pretended to try to defend her ludicrous statement. "I am sure Thomas loved him."

"He may have done, but they weren't lovers. I'd bet my life on it."

That's an odd choice of words, Lucille thought. "What does it matter why he was upset?"

"It doesn't. It matters when he was upset. It matters very much." Sarah dropped her voice low and whispered. She contemplated something briefly but then nodded to herself as if reaching a conclusion. It was a choice she would regret, but how could she know the import of that decision? How could she know that she had just committed herself to trusting the very last person deserving of that trust?

"Thomas wrote to me."

"He did?" Lucille leaned forward, feigning ravenous curiosity. This was not news to Lucille. She'd written the letter herself.

"I thought the two of you had a falling out?"

"Yes, he acknowledged that, but he was hoping we could put that behind us, seeing as how Alfred was doing so well. He asked for my help to blackmail the Crawleys. He knew that Lady Flintshire had some information about…" She was still a little wary of trusting too completely.

"About Lady Mary and the Turk?"

Sarah was impressed. "You know about that?"

"I did my research on the family before I took the job at Grantham House. A fellow housekeeper filled me in on the almost scandal." Lucille shrugged as if it was nothing special. "Are you here because of the letter?"

"Yes." Sarah breathed out excitedly.

"Are you going to take it to the police?"

"Not yet. I wanted to hear the full story first."

"You should show the police." Lucille urged. There was nothing in that letter that would do anything but support the police's conclusions.

"It's not that simple. There's more to it than just a letter."

Lucille didn't understand.

"Thomas had not written to me since I left Downton." O'Brien's voice was so quiet and full of tension that Lucille uncrossed her legs and moved to the edge of her bed, though her feet did not reach the floor.

"Yes?" Lucille asked with anticipation. She was not play acting any more.

"And then I get two letters from him in the space of three days?"

"Two letters?" Now here was some information worth knowing. Lucille was glad that O'Brien trusted her enough to tell her, but she understood that there was something else behind this confession besides trust. There was the need for O'Brien to share her secret. This need was the weakness of all gossips; they simply had to tell someone. O'Brien was patient and wily, but she was still, in her heart of hearts, nothing more than a common gossip.

"The first letter was the one asking for my help. Two days later, I received another letter. This one was quite different." O'Brien let the tension rebuild before continuing. She needed to have her gossip properly appreciated. Lucille was a very attentive listener. "He was terrified. He said he thought someone was setting him up to take a fall for the disappearances. He mentioned Sir Richard's death. He wanted out of Grantham House, out of London and out of England. He asked if I knew anyone in India who needed a valet."

Lucille's mind was racing. This could be salvaged, but she had to be careful. "So…you think he wrote the second letter after they found Jimmy?"

"That would seem to make sense, wouldn't it?" O'Brien let the question hang in the air as she stared at Mrs. Butte intently.

"But?" Lucille whispered.

O'Brien looked gratified by Lucille's astute question. "But, the first letter I received was postmarked the day after the second letter!"

Blast! Lucille thought. So close. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does. Just think. In the beginning, the police thought there was someone trying to frame Thomas. Someone using forged letters."

"But that would mean…" Lucille was beginning to recover. So long as O'Brien did not suspect Lucille, this new development could be weathered, maybe even used.

"Either Miss Baxter was the killer, or the killer is still out there."

"But what about Thomas' suicide?"

"I don't think Thomas killed himself. I think it is more likely that it was a murder that was made to look like a suicide."

"Who at Grantham House could be capable of killing anyone? Who could hate Thomas so much to go to all that trouble to kill him?" The killer asked innocently.

"Only one man," O'Brien said with dark conviction. "John Bates."

TBC…

AN/ School ends tomorrow and updates will be spotty (or nonexistent) until early next week. In the meantime, enjoy imagining all the possible ways this could go horribly wrong for Miss O'Brien. ;)