Here is another Chapter. Enjoy!

Reminiscence

Thomas Barrow, the clockmaker's son, had vague memories of his childhood in Yorkshire. He did not have many friends-all the boys would either help their fathers help out in their stores and in the farms or would flirt with girls in their neighborhood. Thomas, however, had very less interest in clocks. He knew how to fix the big grandfather clocks and small wrist watches his father worked on in his store but nothing more. He would prefer spending time reading books and educating himself to be a butler. Occasionally he went to the local parties organized by neighbours.

It was in one of these parties that he had accidentally bumped into a brunette-a slim figured girl with an olive skin and dark long hair, almost as tall as him. She had accidentally spilled a drink on his jacket and said sorry numerous times before Thomas could stop her. He was clearly irritated because the jacket was one his favourite piece of clothing. It was a gift from his aunt who lives in Bombay. But Alison Carol always seemed to know the right thing at the precise time. He quickly took off his jacket without him saying she could and rushed to the bathroom sink. She grabbed a bottle of soda crystals and scrubbed just the right amount on it before washing it off. "There!" she exclaimed in satisfaction. "Now don't wear it right now because it's still wet. There will not be a stain but make sure you iron this portion before wearing it again."

Ever since then, Thomas and Alison would occasionally meet at the farmer's market where she would sell home-made jam and he would come shopping. They would seldom attend the same parties together and would be careful not to bump into each other again.

When Thomas played his first cricket match in the village, Alison placed a bet with some local girls that he would score more than 70 runs. The girls obviously did not believe her because they did not even know Thomas, let alone his cricket skills. Alison won the bet because Thomas scored 122 runs finishing the match. Their friendship soon became a topic of discussion amongst the local children, some of them even predicting they would get married soon. However, these whispers did not bother their friendship and they continued meeting at parties, talking about their future goals and playing and betting during cricket matches. The day Alison left Yorkshire for London, she made a key lime tart for Thomas. "Don't let anyone tell you that you are not good enough. Don't let them get inside that scheming head of yours. I have been there, it's not a great place to be trust me", said Alison at the train station. Thomas laughed and finally bid good-bye to his only real friend.

"Are you still scheming?" asked Alison, serving him a slice of her infamous key lime tart, insisting that she would not let him pay. It is a treat.

"Scheming? No. I am beyond that now", replied Thomas digging into the creamy goodness. It tasted the same-delicious and fresh. Alison never sounded like a maid or a local villager, her accent was much more 'lady-like' and clear, probably something she perfected when she moved to London."Finally made your….uh..little bakery?"

"It's my mother's", replied Alison, the bright smile slightly fading.

"You mean your step-mother?" corrected Thomas. Alison never saw her mother because she left her when she was an infant. Her father used to tell her that she found another man and wandered off in the middle of the night. A man alone was never capable of raising a daughter alone without help. So he married again. But Alison and Lola, her step mom never had an ideal mother-daughter relationship. And judging by her expression, Thomas knew that it had not changed for the better, maybe even for the worse.

"Dad is old and left all the money to her in his will, while he still could. Even what should have been mine", said Alison, collecting the money from the children who had just finished eating and left.

"How is he?" asked Thomas. He remembered how Alison was so very fond of her father-how she held onto his hand while going to parties when they she was little.

"Bad heart but he is tough", said Alison, trying to make a smile. "But I don't want to bore you with my life's tragedies. Tell me about you. Why are you here?"

"I work for the Colfers now. Butler", Thomas stood up from the chair.

Alison literally gave a shout of joy. "That is incredible. You deserved it from the start. The Colfers are pretty influential people here and being their butler….it's an achievement. I am so happy for you Thomas."

"You should come by to the mansion sometimes". Thomas had no idea why he had suddenly said those words.

"Just like that?" asked Alison, slightly smirking. Of course not! Why should she come to the mansion? What reason would she give to the others and what reason would I give? Why am I even asking?

Thomas desperately wanted to change the topic because Alison still stared at him, waiting for an answer, with raised eyebrows. She always was the curious little girl from his childhood days. Even as a little girl she would go to the local library and search for various answers not necessarily related to cooking. Sometimes, when Thomas and she would be alone, she would stir up conversations by saying "Did you know…." Thomas had no alternative but to listen, because he really loved listening to her. Suddenly he remembered why he had come down to the village in the first place and quickly checked his watch.

"I have to go. I am going to see my new cottage in the middle road….." he began but Alison cut him short. "You can come with me. I live in middle road too, in one of the cottages."

She took off her apron and hung it by the door before yelling, "Lucy! I am heading out now. Make sure you lock the cupboards before leaving." She did not wait to get a reply and wore her coat before heading out with Thomas.

"Don't worry, you will reach the mansion before dinner is served", assured Alison when Thomas checked his watch for the fourth time as they walked. "Lady Colfer likes to eat late."

"You know her?"

"A little bit. She sometimes comes down into the village and stops by my shop for cakes. She and her husband."

"So they are aware of your baking skills."

"Don't tease me. I make good stuff, you know it. Lady Colfer is a lovely woman, unlike her husband."

"Why do you say that? I find quite the opposite. She did not even talk to me till Lord Colfer asked me about my private life."

Alison stopped making Thomas stop too. She slowly approached Thomas until the gap between them was almost negligible, making the latter a little uneasy. "Promise me you won't mention this to anyone?"

"I promise", said Thomas, little scared.

"Lord Colfer had an affair with one of the maids at the mansion."

"I don't believe you!" said Thomas at once. "He seems like the…."

"Well, a lot of people seem a lot of different things to a lot of different people. He did have an affair. And no, not a kiss. It was a lot more…."

"Alison!" Thomas was clearly a little upset but also tempted to know more.

"I am not lying. That maid is Lucy's friend. That's how I know."

"And did Lady Colfer know?"

"She knew. I mean maybe she did not know but every wife knows these things."

They continued walking again. It was getting darker and chilly. Alison wrapped the scarf around her neck tightly. And soon they reached middle road-a long and narrow road running in-between two stretches of cottages with white walls and red roofs. All of them covered with climbers and looked identical.

"Which one is yours?" asked Alison.

"17", replied Thomas.

"I live in 5, so that makes us neighbours I suppose", giggled Alison. "Come let's check out your new place."

They soon found number 17. The door was a little rusty. Thomas was given a brass key which he inserted into the key hole and pushed the door open. A wave of damp air came out making Alison cover her nose with a white napkin. They went inside. It was almost dark inside with the tall windows allowing light to enter while it was still day. A small living room with a(broken) sofa, a bedroom with a big bed, a closet, a small kitchen and a small bathroom. "Looks like my house, but mine is better", smiled Alison.

"I need to paint, clean and get the broken things fixed. Then it should be alright", said Thomas as he pushed down the seat of the sofa to make sure how broken it was. "Well, there are a few guys who will be able to help you. Tell them you know me and they might be able to give you a good discount."

Thomas and Alison stepped outside the house and locked the door.

"So..I see you are not married," said Alison, observing his ring finger.

"You are not married either", attacked Thomas.

"I will be soon", smiled Alison and winked. "Really?" asked Thomas. A strange uneasiness filled Thomas' stomach.

"I will introduce you to him soon, now that you are here. You will love him. He is tall and handsome and he has his own….." but before Alison could finish, Thomas interrupted "I have to go. It is getting late." He checked his watch.

"Okay, I will see you soon", said Alison, smiling.

"Yes you will", assured Thomas. He raised his hat slightly and turned around and retraced his way back to the mansion.

A.N: I hope you have liked my story so far. But I will be slow in updating because my exams are approaching. I will try and upload a chapter every week. Please leave your comments and suggestions below.