It was Mrs Hughes, who suddenly knocked at the door and brought the brothers back to reality.
"Thomas, you are needed for Lord Grantham's luncheon," she said, "The food will go up in five minutes." Thomas looked with surprise at the small wooden clock on her wall. He had spent the entire morning with Jacob in this little room, and nobody had disturbed them. After a second, he knew exactly whom he had to give his thanks. But why did she help him?
"I'm sorry, Jacob, but I have to go," he said and stood up. The moment his hand reached for the door handle, he turned around, "Where do you stay?
"Nowhere. I've just arrived this morning," the younger man looked uncomfortably, "And I have no money left. Maybe I could stay with you." Thomas snorted.
"This is not a hotel, and Mr Carson would definitely not agree to this. Especially not for me," he murmured. Jacob nodded, but said:
"Doesn't he like you, this Mr Carson?"
"Well, let's say I'm not quite popular here. I…"
"THOMAS! NOW!" Mr Carson saved him from further explanations. The footman smiled apologetically and opened the door.
"I'll ask him. For now, you can sit in the servants' hall, if you want, or go out. This will take about an hour." And with that, Thomas hurried to get the plates. As he left Mrs Hughes's room and went past the servants' hall, he could see the questioning look on Anna's and Mr Bates's face, but he decided to ignore them.
"I'd like to have an explanation later," whispered a voice into his ear. Thomas was startled for a moment, but as he turned around, he looked upon the well-known face of Mrs O'Brian. The woman with the brown hair, and dark eyes was the lady's maid at Downton Abbey. She understood his ambitions, she herself had ambitions, and sometimes, Thomas even thought she was somehow dangerous, but she was always nice to him. Thomas would almost say that she was his only friend at Downton.
"Of course, out in the yard, and bring me a cigarette," he said while putting on his white gloves. Then he took the plates on a tray from Daisy and followed William upstairs. His thoughts, however, remained downstairs.
-/-
Jacob didn't know what to do now. He didn't feel comfortable with strangers, so he decided to sneak out until Thomas had finished serving. He grabbed his little brown bag which contained some of his clothes and other personal belongings, and hold it tight as he followed Thomas out of the room. He couldn't see his brother anymore, but he could hear different voices chattering, or barking orders. As he went to the door, he sensed the tempting smell of freshly cooked food, which made his stomach rumbling. He was hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since he'd left his home one day ago, but he didn't dare ask the cook for food. Instead he continued his way to the door. As he passed the servants' hall, he risked a glimpse inside. A young blonde woman was chatting with an older man. She looked nice in her green dress and her white apron, he thought, but also tired. He could see it in her eyes.
As Jacob reached for the back door, he heard a stern female voice with a Scottish accent.
"And where are you going?" Jacob was stunned.
"Out?" he suggested while turning around. From the first moment he had looked at the woman, he felt reminded of his old math teacher. It was not only the brown and curly hair, but also the stern look she gave him. Her dark brown eyes voicelessly demanded a more elaborate answer. However, he was not a servant. She couldn't give him orders. In the end, she was just a woman.
"And why would you go out?
"Why should I be here?" he asked defensively, "I'm not a servant, and Tomasz has to fulfil his duties. I would just be under your feet."
"You wouldn't be under my feet if you sit with us in the servants' hall while eating some sandwiches. Mrs Pattmore's cooking is excellent." And with that she turned around and left him alone in the hallway. Jacob was torn between going and staying. In the end, his stomach decided to go into the servants' hall. Not for long, of course, just for some sandwiches.
As he entered the small hall, he could see that the blonde woman and the older man were still there. She was looking at him friendly while the older man seemed to examine him from head to toe. Jacob shuddered unwillingly, but continued his way into the room.
"Very well. You can sit here," said the woman again, before she introduced herself, "My name is Mrs Hughes and I am the head housekeeper. That means that I am in charge of all the female servants." Jacob nodded.
"And I'm Anna," said the blonde one suddenly. Her voice was somehow soft; even warm. It made him feel welcome, "So? Who are you?"
"Jacob," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Jacob." He smiled sheepishly, before he sat down next to Mrs Hughes; his brown bag now between his legs on the floor.
"You are a friend of Thomas?" the older man, who hadn't introduced himself, asked suddenly.
"Yes, you could say so." Jacob grabbed one of the sandwiches and bit off a large piece while eyeing the man suspiciously. He had brown hair and bushy eyebrows, a bulbous nose and a wide mouth. He wasn't dressed the way Thomas was. Instead of wearing a green and black waistcoat and a white tie, he was dressed in a black suit and a black tie.
"You are not a footman?" Jacob asked.
"No, I'm not. I am Lord Grantham's valet."
"Valet, huh?" He tried to remember the position of a valet in the system, but the only thing he could think of was that Thomas wanted to be a valet.
"So, why you are not serving food right now?" The man snorted.
"Because this is not my job. We have the first and the second footman serving food and the butler supervising their work," he explained, "You are not a servant yourself, aren't you?"
"No, I am a clockmaker," Jacob said.
"So is Thomas's father", said a cold voice from the door. As Jacob looked up, he could see a woman of about 40 years of age wearing a black dress. Her eyes were nearly as cold as her voice.
"Yes, that's right," he said eventually.
"Have you met him there? Thomas, I mean." The woman was now sitting opposite him making Jacob feel uncomfortable.
"No." he said.
"No?" she eyed him, "You seem too young to be one of his special friends."
"Miss O'Brien!" It was Mrs Hughes, who looked at her sternly, "I think, you have work to do." The lady's maid looked like she wanted to say something, but her words never reached the surface. Instead she retreated silently.
"I'm sorry, Jacob," Mrs Hughes said, but Jacob didn't understand what she meant.
"It's alright – I think." He risked a side glance to Anna, who had turned pale, the older man, on the other hand, looked as confused as Jacob felt at the moment. "I am Tomasz's friend, and his brother – just to make this clear." He was confused as he looked from one perplex face into another.
"His brother," Anna echoed, "I didn't know that he has a brother." Jacob shrugged his shoulders. He didn't quite know what to say, so he remained silent. It was the older man who broke the silence.
"So why do you call him 'Tomasz'?"
Now Jacob was really confused.
"It is his name, isn't it?" he said, before murmuring to himself, "Even though nobody seems to remember."