Adult-FanFiction.org : Television / Streaming

Footman in Training	By : imdirty Category: 1 through F > Downton Abbey Views: 2654 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Downton Abbey and am not making money from this story. And I'm hoping I'm doing this disclaimer thing right :)

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
It had been many years since Thomas was a second footman, and explaining the duties to Price brought back memories, some even pleasant. Cleaning dishes used to put Thomas in a trance-like state, escaping reality for an hour in water that crept from scorching hot to cold. Bringing meals to the children of the house allowed him some moments with people who never judged him and were always happy to see him. Clearing tables for the servants gave him an excuse to get up early from meals that often became awkward for a man, back then not much more than a boy, who was never very good making chums.
Price approached dish duty with gusto, a task he was commonly responsible for as a hallboy at his prior employer. The house was significantly smaller and less grand than Downton, but the staff took their jobs just as seriously. Given the small staff, Price realized there was no chance to move up in rank, and was lucky to have impressed Mr. Carson at his interview and found himself a rank higher at Downton. Price did not offer this information to Thomas. Thomas seemed to enjoy teaching Price, and every house has their own methodology, so it was best to start from the beginning anyhow, he thought.
Though not a bad day, it was a long one, and Thomas was already yawning by nine when the servants gathered for supper.
Molesley sat by Thomas with a thud. "Please look engaged in conversation with me, I need a break from my trainee."
Thomas smiled, "It must be pretty bad if you prefer conversation with me over, well, anyone else."
"You don't know the half of it," Molesley whispered. "He worked with sheep before he came to Downton. Sheep. I hate to question Mr. Carson's interviewing skills, but we're certainly starting from scratch with this one. What did your man do before coming here?"
Thomas swallowed a spoonful of stew and shrugged. "I've no idea."
"You didn't ask?"
"Didn't think to, I suppose. Doesn't much matter, does it? Whatever it was must have been halfway decent, he picks things up quickly. Unlike…"
"His name's Sean."
"Sean, the shepherd."
Molesley sighed and focused on his bread. Why would Carson assign Thomas the better employee? It hardly seemed fair.
Price helped other staff clear and clean up the servants' supper, then found Thomas. "Is there anything else you need from me before I turn in?"
"Not tonight, Price."
"May I ask you a question before I head to the dorms."
Thomas stood a little straighter. "What is it?"
"Did Carson mean what he said?"
"Said what?"
Price shifted his weight from foot to foot. "That the Lord and Lady must not realize that I am new to the staff. Surely they know what everyone looks like? I can follow all instructions but I have no idea how to do that."
Perhaps I gave my trainee too much credit, Thomas thought. "It was hyperbole, Price. He only meant that your skills should be good enough that you don't stand out as new. They likely won't pay much attention to you, or what you do, as long as you do it properly."
Price felt hot. The day had gone so well he felt comfortable asking, and now his mentor was looking down on him, waiting for him to say something. He wasn't sure what to say next.
"Goodnight, Price," Thomas said, a hint to the young man to head to his dorm.
"Yes, goodnight, Mr. Barrow. Thank you, Mr. Barrow," Price said while backing away.
Miss. Baxter smiled across the hall. "What was that, then?"
"Me being disappointed, Miss. Baxter."
"Be kind, give him more than twelve hours to impress you."
"I am always kind," Thomas said, feigning shock.
"Ahh, well, then keep that in mind as the boy is working hard as he can to get into your good graces."
Thomas tipped his head to Miss. Baxter and headed off for his own room. He felt a little pleasure that someone in the house cared about his graces. Even if he wasn't the most nuanced of someones.
As Thomas approached his room, he saw Price standing at the far end of the hallway with another young man, talking quite close together. The two whispered and laughed, nodding before parting ways. Thomas slipped through his door to avoid Price catching sight of him. The little feeling of pleasure was replaced by a much bigger feeling of disappointment, mostly in himself. Remember that he only cares about your opinion when it comes to his employment, Thomas told himself. Don't start opening yourself to others here, especially low-ranking young men who wouldn't consider your friendship under any other circumstances. Thomas lit a lantern by his bed, then quickly extinguished it. Straight to sleep, he thought. Otherwise you'll stew more than your supper.
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Adult-FanFiction.Org is not in any way associated with or related to FanFiction.Net

Adult-FanFiction.org (AFF, the site), its owners, agents, and any other entities related to Adult-FanFiction.org or the AFF forum take no responsibility for the works posted to the Adult-FanFiction.org by its members.

While AFF and its agents attempt to remove all illegal works from the site as quickly and thoroughly as possible, there is always the possibility that some submissions may be overlooked or dismissed in error. The AFF system includes a rigorous and complex abuse control system in order to prevent improper use of the AFF service, and we hope that its deployment indicates a good-faith effort to eliminate any illegal material on the site in a fair and unbiased manner. This abuse control system is run in accordance with the strict guidelines specified above.

All works displayed here, whether pictorial or literary, are the property of their owners and not Adult-FanFiction.org. Opinions stated in profiles of users may not reflect the opinions or views of Adult-FanFiction.org or any of its owners, agents, or related entities.

Website Domain ©2002-2017 by Apollo. PHP scripting, CSS style sheets, Database layout & Original artwork ©2005-2017 C. Kennington. Restructured Database & Forum skins ©2007-2017 J. Salva. Images, coding, and any other potentially liftable content may not be used without express written permission from their respective creator(s). Thank you for visiting!

Powered by Fiction Portal 2.0
Modifications © Manta2g, DemonGoddess
Site Owner - Apollo

Footman in Training