CHAPTER 14: AN OLD-FASHIONED MAN
One week later, early morning
Lord Grantham's dressing room
Lord Grantham extended his arm so that Bates could insert a cuff link. "The christening was charming, Bates. You were quite the proud papa."
"I'm afraid I was a bit soppy, my Lord. I couldn't help myself."
"I was the same way. I went through two handkerchiefs with Lady Mary."
"Was it easier by the time Lady Edith and Lady Sybil came along?"
"No. They practically had to carry me out of the church with Lady Sybil." Lord Grantham raised his chin so that Bates could make a proper knot in his tie. "I don't mean to offend you, Bates, but Thomas Barrow as Timothy's godfather? It was enough to make a stuffed bird laugh."
Bates focused on Lord Grantham's tie. "I'll try not to take offence, my Lord."
Lord Grantham could see that his little joke was not appreciated. "I'm afraid I've been unkind. Please accept my apology, Bates. It's only that I thought there was no love lost between you."
"We've tried to put the past behind us, my Lord. The truth is, Mr Barrow has worked hard to make a fresh start ever since his bad time last summer."
"So I've heard. I'm surprised the others are willing to give him a new chance. Carson says that he's teaching Barrow the finer points of wine. It was generous of him to volunteer."
"I beg your pardon, my Lord, but he didn't volunteer. Mr Barrow asked him for help."
"Did he really?" Lord Grantham was surprised. He could not picture a humble Thomas Barrow. "Whatever possessed him to do that?"
"He wants to do his best for you, my Lord. And I can assure you that Mr Carson isn't making it easy for him."
"No?"
Bates' eyes crinkled with amusement. "Mr Carson spent their first two sessions teaching Mr Barrow the proper method by which to take a sip of wine."
Lord Grantham laughed. "Not really! And Barrow hasn't surrendered?"
"No, my Lord, he's determined to succeed."
"Well, bravo to him! I'll be looking at him with fresh eyes, Bates."
"Yes, my Lord." Bates stepped back to check Lord Grantham's appearance. He smiled. Lord Grantham was nicely turned out.
Mid-February, late at night
The Bates Cottage
Bates was disappointed that he had missed most of Thomas' first visit to the cottage in almost a month. Thomas had been able to squeeze out a little time from his duties, and the two of them planned to walk to the cottage together to join Anna for a late supper. Alas, Lord Grantham chose this particular evening to exceed his self-imposed restriction with a glass of port. Thomas filled his glass and then His Lordship nearly tripped over Tiaa and dumped the port across his dinner jacket. "Cora put you up to that," accused His Lordship before giving the dog a thorough ear scratching. Bates had been obliged to remain at the Abbey so he could remove the offensive stain before it set. It had taken nearly two hours for Bates to be certain he had eradicated every spot, but such was his livelihood.
Bates heard laughter as he approached the cottage. He opened the door ready to join the fun but stopped short. Anna was sitting at the table with her hair down. She was holding a hand mirror, and Thomas was standing behind her with his hands in her hair. Thomas' fingers were entwined in his wife's hair! "Well, now, isn't that a pretty picture!"
Anna happily ran to Bates and kissed him. "We thought you'd never get free."
Thomas was about to join them but checked himself when he read Bates' stony expression. He remained at the table. "Good evening, John."
Bates did not reply. Anna looked at her husband and then at Thomas and felt the inexplicable tension between them. Thomas quickly retrieved his hat. "Goodnight, Anna. I have an early morning and better get on. Thank you for a lovely supper."
Anna frowned at Bates. She gave Thomas a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Thomas."
Bates remained at the door and slowly relinquished only enough space for Thomas to squeeze by, never releasing Thomas from his gaze.
When the door shut after Thomas, Anna turned on Bates. "Have you gone mad?"
"He was playing with your hair!"
Anna could not believe what she was hearing. "He was showing me what my hair would look like if I had it bobbed."
Bates was incensed. "He was trying to convince you to cut your hair?"
"No," Anna replied with an icy calm. "He was trying to convince me not to cut my hair. He said you wouldn't like it. He said it wouldn't be flattering, and he was trying to show me how it would look in the mirror."
Bates took a moment to absorb that bit of information. "I put my foot in it, didn't I?"
"Yes you did, John."
"And I suppose this makes me a caveman."
Anna could not help but smile. "Yes, it does."
Bates looked at the door and then at Anna. "I'll go after him, Anna."
"Thank you, John." Anna took hold of Bates' tie and pulled his head down for a kiss. "You know that anything between Thomas and me is preposterous. It's impossible!"
"I know." John opened the door and hobbled after Thomas.
Thomas was sitting on a bench not far from the cottage having a smoke. He saw Bates heading for the Abbey and was alarmed. Was something wrong with Timothy? He called out, "John, what's wrong?"
Bates turned and saw Thomas' outline in the moonlight. "I was looking for you."
"Well, you found me."
Bates approached the bench. "I seemed to have jumped to an unfortunate conclusion."
Thomas was silent.
Bates sat on the bench. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"
"Should I?"
"Give me a drag, little brother."
"You smoke?" Thomas tried to recall if he had ever seen Bates with a cigarette.
"Like a chimney when I was younger. Rarely now. Makes me too short of breath to manage all the stairs."
Thomas handed his cigarette to Bates. Bates closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Thomas was entranced as he watched the smoke play about Bates' lips. Bates passed the cigarette back to Thomas.
"Thomas, try to understand. I'm an old-fashioned man. I stepped into my own home and saw a handsome man fingering my wife's hair."
Thomas took another drag and handed the cigarette back to Bates. "So ... I'm a real man now, am I?"
"Don't be that way, Thomas." Bates took another puff, and Thomas watched, fascinated, as the exhaled smoke encircled Bates' face. "The two of you seemed so ... intimate. She may as well have been sitting on your lap."
Bates tried to hand the cigarette back to Thomas, but Thomas held up his hand. Bates placed the cigarette between his lips, leaned back, and spread his arms along the back of the bench. He stretched out his legs, gazed at the moon, and enjoyed the last few puffs.
There were moments such as this that Thomas found Bates utterly irresistible. He imagined himself leaning into Bates and his own lips accepting the smoke from Bates' mouth. Thomas shook his head and refocused his thoughts. "I saw you talking with Andy yesterday. You were both laughing, and you kept touching him."
Bates dropped the butt to the ground and crushed it out. "Did I?"
"You patted his shoulder, and you slapped him on the back. You even tousled his hair and said he was a fine lad."
Bates leaned back again. "There's no mystery there. He was telling me his grand plan to propose to Daisy. He was excited and happy, and I was pleased for him. I think she's ready to accept, don't you?"
"But Mr Bates, you touched his hair, and you seemed so intimate!" mocked Thomas.
Bates chuckled. "Fine, Thomas, you've made me feel ridiculous. Satisfied?"
"No." Thomas turned away from Bates. "I get tired of always having to explain myself."
Bates sighed. He knew his behaviour had offended Thomas and hurt his feelings. They needed to understand each other. "Are you saying that there is no difference between Anna and you and Andy and me?"
"Not exactly. Andy and you are friendly. Anna and I are friends. I don't think so much when I'm around her, do you know what I mean? I'm enough for her as I am. And sometimes..." Thomas felt a surge of emotion.
"Sometimes ... what?" Bates asked gently.
"Last week, Anna was fixing a crushed hat of Lady Mary's. It was a wreck, but she was determined, and she set her jaw." Thomas tried to imitate Anna's expression. "You know what I mean, John, you've seen it. It was exactly the way my sister used to set her jaw when she tried to cook." Thomas felt Bates' hand on his shoulder. "I cherish my friendship with your wife, John. I only regret that if I had been a kinder person, I might have enjoyed it sooner. Are you asking me to give it up?"
Bates was surprised. "Of course not!" Thomas look at Bates intently. "Perhaps that's what I was thinking at the cottage, but only for a moment," Bates admitted. "I'm not a saint, Thomas. I can have a temper, and I can be jealous."
"Were you jealous of me, John?"
"I'm afraid I was, little brother."
"That's tosh, you know."
"Anna said, preposterous."
"Why would you be jealous of me?"
Bates laughed. He reached up and tousled Thomas' hair. "Because you're a fine lad."
Thomas hated for his hair to be mussed, but this was too delicious. "Mr Bates, are you flirting with me?"
Bates laughed again. "Now, Thomas, I've told you that I'm an old-fashioned man. I don't hold with married men who flirt with bachelors." Bates stood and collected his cane. "Anna's waiting to hear that we've kissed and made up. You know, Thomas, your friendship means as much to Anna as it does to you." Bates took hold of Thomas' chin and tilted his face up. This had become his habit with Thomas when something was of importance and he wanted no misunderstanding. "Are we good, little brother?"
"We're good, John." Bates smiled, tousled Thomas' hair once more for good measure and hobbled up the path.
