Spoilers: S01E01
There was nothing Bertie Wooster feared more in this world than marriage. He wasn't quite sure why but he found the whole dreaded thing quite disturbing.
He often wondered why it was so, but all he could think of was that he just wasn't meeting women he liked enough to consider desirable for marriage.
His aunts were concerned with the suitability of his future bride but Wooster wasn't invested enough to care for such things. His friends often got entangled with women of diminished social status but Bertie saw no reason to do so. He has got enough troubles of brushing away women with a good social status. Why, in George's name, would he bring himself upon even greater trouble than that were unmarried bored maidens of his own social circle adding to the mixture maidens of lesser social status. He was merely grateful for the fact that they too aren't feeling entitled enough to pursue him as a prospective husband.
Previously, he had no troubles in abstaining from marrying some of them. His tactic included drunkenness, tardiness and general sloppiness before the ladies. If such behaviour failed him, there was always some miserable bachelor skulking around to divert the lady's attention.
Despite that, he always assumed that he'll get hitched sooner or later, everyone did. Until then he enjoyed his independent life to its fullest, which sometimes left him dishevelled and without a voice.
All that changed with his new manservant Jeeves. He was a marvel of a man. It seemed that he did everything right. His manners were impeccable, his voice polite but strong and Bertie couldn't catch him missing one beat of his daily duties.
That had some misfortunate consequences. Bertie was now neatly pressed and presented suitably for every imaginable opportunity. There was nothing on him that was anything but agreeable, from his shiny shoes to his fresh red rose on his lapel. The rose was quite a nice touch. That part of his attire would often go crumpled and sapless before he would notice its demise.
Still, it was really nice to be so well suited that he couldn't bring himself from ruining Jeeves' efforts. Especially since it seemed that his new valet was quite a proud man attached to his job. So much so that Bertie found himself unable to make him unsatisfied to the level that he wore that boring brown suit to the train.
"Jeeves, I have to make one thing crystal clear, I'm not of that sort of gentlemen who are slaves to their servant," he said harshly when they disembarked the train.
"Certainly not, sir" Jeeves answered horrified by the notion and Bertie marched on.
All seemed well with his world. That Honoria business had to be addressed. As usual, he made his cunning plan, more so, he was so satisfied with it that he shared it with Jeeves. Previously, he would keep a plan like that for himself but Jeeves seemed like the sort of chap that would understand his dire need to stay free as long as possible.
He was most unsatisfied to find that Jeeves had objections to his plan.
"Any plan which includes four people of which two of them are unaware of their part is risky to say at least," Jeeves grumbled.
Bertie dismissed his petty remark and carried on with his plan. When it backfired on him because one of his pawns didn't show up, he returned to Jeeves all soaked and wet.
Jeeves lifted his expressive eyebrows disapprovingly eying the soaked suit he so carefully picked out for him before.
"Let me prepare you a bath," was all that he said. "A nice hot bath, we don't want for you to get a cold."
"That would be agreeable," Bertie was shivering by now.
"But let us first get you out of those clothes," Jeeves approached him decidedly.
As Jeeves helped him peel off his wet clothes Bertie felt most strangely. It was routine for his valet to help him with his clothes but that was usually from the back helping him with his coat and waistcoat. Since his sweater was soaking wet hanging from him Jeeves approached him from the front and removed its wet weight of Bertie.
As the soaked fabric crossed Bertie's face he couldn't see for a moment, all he could sense was Jeeves's cologne. When the fabric was removed, he was faced with his tall chest and for a moment he felt confused.
Luckily, Jeeves was an efficient valet and soon Bertie was enveloped in a blanket waiting for his bath to be ready. As Jeeves poured hot water in the bathtub Bertie thought about the procedure of getting in the bath.
Till now, Jeeves would prepare him a bath and then leave just to return to empty the bath. That was in his flat where his bathroom was a separate room. Here, in this guest room, the bath was practically a part of the room with only a sliding door separating it from the main room.
"Your bath is ready," Jeeves bowed slightly exiting the bathroom and moving to the other end of Bertie's room.
Bertie was cold as hell. Without further thought, he went to the bathroom leaving his blanket on the stand. When he was submerged in the bath, he realized that he didn't close the door behind him. Well, that was that now. He could hear Jeeves moving in the room behind him. It was soothing to have his company. Still, that Honoria business worried him. He explained some extent of it to Jeeves, he didn't relish in his defeat.
Then Jeeves dropped a bomb on him telling him that he's engaged to Honoria now.
Bertie sunk in his bath in despair. Honoria was perhaps the worst possible woman to end up hitched to who he could imagine.
After a while his bath became cold. Bertie failed to notice that but Jeeves was alert as ever.
"Khm, sir," he attracted Bertie's attention. "I think the point of a bath will be lost on you if it gets as cold as the pond you had the misfortune of swimming in."
"Quite sure, Jeeves," said Bertie distracted from his thoughts. He got up instantly.
There was a slight flinch on Jeeves' face as he did so but without further complaint, he offered a towel to Bertie and went on with cleaning up the bathroom.
Bertie waged the responsibilities before him. There was no way that he could be rude to Honoria and to his aunt. He had to play his part. After all, that was the thing his departed parents raised him for.
The sadness of his inevitable destiny laid heavy on his shoulders but he was a Wooster and he will withstand it as he withstood Honoria's talk, walk and attitude.
"I'm sure I'll make something of him," she said to Aunt Agatha.
"Wait now, there's no need for that," he complained.
"Don't be silly Bertie you just need someone to take care of you."
Bertie felt strongly against her statement but was lost for words as he often was before women and their less than understandable nature. But that was a flaw of all women, there was no woman he could understand and he presumed that it was so for the rest of his fellow men. They were all together in that mess.
The question of entertaining Honoria's parent came up and Bertie resigned to it as he resigned to the rest of his destiny of obeying women. He was resigned to his destiny so much so that when it was taken from him it took him a while to notice.
At the first moment, he was quite angry at Jeeves for making him seem like a buffoon and a lunatic in front of Honoria's parents. Then it dawned at him that he won't have to marry Honoria. The realization made him happy as a chirping bird upon a tree and quite grateful to Jeeves for removing that unpleasant future from his vicinity.
When he laid in his bed after that incident, he was as content as he could be. As he turned off his light, he thought how there is some more freedom before him, the freedom of demanding women and their stressful company.