CHAPTER 70: A SIMPLE TEST
1 June 1927
Downton
My Dear Ivor,
We have failed our boy. Thomas and Minnie have completed their contract, and Monday night, Thomas proved his ability to father Minnie's children.
Yesterday was an impossibly long day of meaningful glances and giggles between the two which were repeated this morning at breakfast. My stomach turns when I witness their giddiness, and I've been avoiding their company. Still Thomas managed to inform me of his plan to meet Minnie's father this afternoon and ask for her hand. Don't raise your hopes. It's no more than a polite gesture. No matter his answer, Minnie will marry Thomas.
I don't know what you believe about this situation, but I can tell you what I believe. I don't know what I believe. Thomas is as complex a man as I've ever known, and it's impossible to know whether this marriage will be his salvation or his damnation.
Am I some meddlesome old woman who believes no one can make her son as happy as herself? I know only that a foreboding overtakes me whenever I think of their nuptials. Can you believe that I was ready to ring you yesterday and beg you to come to Downton and seduce Thomas and expose his bogus desire for marriage. I've been that desperate and confused.
Please advise me, dear friend. Am I wrong to be fearful? Is our boy standing on the threshold of happiness as I'm too blinded by what? Jealousy? Am I jealous of Thomas' attention and having it diverted from my own family to his? If I could believe that were true, I would accept it and attend their wedding with rings on my fingers and bells on my toes. My gut tells me otherwise.
JB
Late morning
Downton Village Cottage Hospital
Dr Clarkson studied Thomas as he read through the doctor's typed draft about the dangers of watching the eclipse without sufficient eye protection. There weren't many men who impressed the doctor, but Thomas was one of them. He remembered the young, cowardly Thomas who had tried to manipulate himself into the medical corps at the start of the war. The doctor knew Thomas expected a cushy spot at a hospital. He expedited Thomas' application knowing full well that a hospital assignment was unlikely.
Today, the Thomas who sat in his office was unrecognizable from that scheming lad. He was humble and sincere and had proven his courage when he leapt into a freezing river to rescue his friend. No man in Downton was more respected than Thomas, and no man in Downton appreciated his transformation more than the doctor. He was the only person to whom Thomas had ever disclosed the ordeal he had suffered during the years before coming to Downton. Thomas had confided in the doctor because he wanted the doctor to decide whether Minnie must be told. The doctor considered that another act of bravery but saw no reason to pass the story to Minnie.
Thomas set the draft on Dr Clarkson's desk. "It's too long," he advised. "The shorter the message, the greater the number of people who will bother to read it." They edited the message together and discussed Eclipsia screens, protective attachments for binoculars, and pinholes.
When their business was concluded, Dr Clarkson leaned back in his chair. "I'm sorry that I couldn't give your fiancée the reassurance she wanted when she came to see me last week."
"Last week?"
"Yes, when she asked for an exam that would reveal any impediment to her becoming pregnant and carrying a baby to full term."
Thomas turned pale. "You mean you found an impediment? She didn't say!"
"No, no. I mean that there are far too many factors involved in a pregnancy than I'm able to evaluate. From the exam, I could tell her only that I discovered no problem. I reminded her that none of her sisters have had any difficulties."
"Then as far as you're able to tell, she can give us children?"
"That's right. As far as I'm able to tell. Funny that it didn't occur to me to mention that there's a simple test for men. There's much less to consider when it comes to the father."
"A test for men?" Thomas crossed his legs. "Does it hurt?"
Dr Clarkson smiled. "Not at all. It's not an invasive test, but it does require the man to become intimate with a cup."
"A cup? What do you mean? Oh! WHILE YOU WATCH?"
"Heavens no!" Dr Clarkson chuckled. "Medical science has saved me from that, at least." The doctor stood. "We could perform the test right now if you like, Mr Barrow. We'll provide you with a private room, and you may take all the time you need. Then I'll examine your sperm under a microscope."
"Let's do it! Minnie will be pleased that we can be certain of me!"
