#anna bates | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hayleythesugarbowl · 8 months

Text

It’s Nice To Have a Friend || Thomas Barrow & reader • Part 3

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist • thomas barrow masterlist ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

summary: as you suffer the consequences of your mistake, thomas stands up for you and you can’t deny your growing attraction to him. then he overhears something that might jeopardize your relationship

word count: 1.7k

warnings: some mild swearing at the end

a/n: part 3 let’s gooo!! i had so much fun writing this and i hope you guys enjoy it <3🩰🍓

<— previous part • another thomas fic —>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I hope you know the embarrassment and shame you have brought upon Downton this day. A maid in the dining room, ruining dinner! Respect for this household is surely lost to the Hardcastles.”

All of the servants were assembled downstairs. The mood was somber, that was for sure. You looked down at the floor.

“I feel awful Mr. Carson,” you spoke up.

“As you should,” Mr. Carson said. “This incident is not likely to be forgotten anytime soon. I don’t know what you were doing upstairs in the first place, but you will face severe consequences.

“Yes, Mr. Carson.”

Thomas looked at you and back at Mr. Carson. “I suppose you’ve never made a mistake then, Mr. Carson?”

“Not if I can help it, Mr. Barrow.” He turned his severe look to Thomas.

“S’pose you would know a lot about mistakes,” O’Brien muttered to Thomas.

“Well I am human Miss O’Brien. And so’s (Y/n). We all are. And it’d do you some good not to forget it.” Thomas looked around the room.

“That’s enough, Mr. Barrow. (Y/n) needs to understand the gravity of this situation. We have a standard to uphold. And a maid carrying food upstairs into the dining room and making a fool of herself! You are very lucky His Lordship was so understanding.”

“Since when is trying to help a crime?” Thomas challenged.

“Mr. Barrow—”

“No it’s alright, I believe I should be getting my things anyways,” You said.

Mrs. Hughes stopped you. “Now wait just a minute, nobody go anywhere just yet.”

Mr. Carson started, “(Y/n), I ought to send you on your way—”

Mrs. Hughes interrupted him with a look, “Mr. Carson—”

“But being that it is (Y/n)’s first couple of week here I think we can make some excuses.” It looked like it pained him to say it.

“If she burns the place down will you let her off with a slap on the wrist!” O’Brien said incredulously.

“It was an accident,” Anna said.

“Yes, an unfortunate accident which I will impress upon you will never happen again.” Mr. Hughes fixed you with a stern look.

“Yes Mrs. Hughes,” you obliged, looking down.

“Now leave the poor girl be, everyone” Mrs Hughes said, “before she has a spell and that’ll do no good to any of us.”

“Oh I don’t know, she might be more useful that way,” O’Brien muttered, audibly.

“I’d advise you to hold your tongue, Miss O’Brien,” Mrs. Hughes fixed a stern look on her.

The ladies maid set Mrs. Hughes with a look equal to the latter’s. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Well you wouldn’t, O’Brien, no one’s laboring under the impression that you understand what it’s like being useful.” Thomas stepped towards you unconsciously.

Mr. Carson stepped in. “That’s quite enough Mr. Barrow.”

“Yes, that will be all,” Mrs. Hughes, “Get back to your tasks, all of you. That’s quite enough excitement for one night.

You nodded, walking towards the door but as Thomas went to pass you, you stopped him.

“Mr Barrow—thank you, for sticking up for me.”

“Mr. Carson made a nightmare of all our first weeks. It’s the least I could do,” he told you.

“I’m sure you all didn’t ruin the most important evening of the year with excessive clumsiness.” You rubbed the back of your neck.

“You’d be surprised.” He smiled at you. “You’ll not get the sack, not if I can help it.”

You thought of the other servants saying that Thomas was selfish and distant. You couldn’t help but feel they were wrong, but you didn’t know why it was only you that thought so.

You smiled back, “Daisy already thinks you’ve taken a liking to me. Careful or the other’s’ll think you’ve got a heart.”

“Well we can’t have that,” he said with a wink and then was off in the other direction.

You turned back towards the kitchen where Daisy and Anna and a number of other maids and kitchen servants were watching you.

“Are you feeling better?” Anna asked you.

“I am thank you, still a bit shaken but I’ll get over it,” you said, grateful for her concern. “I’m lucky I’m still here.”

“Well, we’re all glad you are,” Anna said.

“She wasn’t likely to be thrown out, not with Thomas as her knight in shining armor,” Daisy added, as she finished scrubbing a pan.

“There’s a first,” Mrs. Patmore laughed as she walked by carrying an empty tray.

“He’s nicer than you lot give him credit for,” you defended.

A couple of the maids giggled.

“Oh, cut her some slack. She fancies him,” Daisy teased.

You found yourself blushing, “Wherever did you get an idea like that?”

“Only that you’re in love with him,” Daisy grinned. “You can’t deny it, I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

You fumbled for words, and Daisy must have seen the panicked look on your face because she said, “Oh I’m not serious, I’m only poking fun,” Daisy said, “I used to be infatuated with him too before I was brought to me senses.”

“Whatever do you mean? You don’t think I have my fair shot?” You teased back.

“Well, it’s not you that’s the problem is it?” Mrs. Patmore said as she rolled out bread dough, presumably for breakfast the next morning. “You have as fair a go as the rest of us ladies.” She laughed.

You weren’t sure what she meant by it, but you felt defensive. “Suppose I do, then so what if I fancy—Thomas!”

His sudden appearance made you jump. “I was just sent to tell Anna that Mrs. Hughes needs to see her,” he said.

Anna looked back at you sympathetically and then hurried out of the room. You looked to Thomas. He was watching you with a curious expression on his face. You didn’t know how much of the previous conversation he’d heard. You thought about denying everything. But that would be untruthful, you realized. Because maybe you did fancy Thomas.

“Don’t suppose you’ve gone momentarily deaf?” You asked him, trying to break the silence that had settled over the kitchen.

Daisy looked caught between nervous and giddy.

“No don’t suppose I have,” he said, turning around and walking out of the kitchen.

He chased after him, “Thomas, wait.” He turned down the hall to the male servants rooms, which you definitely weren’t supposed to be in but you weren’t paying attention.

When you finally caught up with his brisk pace he was turned around facing the back wall of what must have been his room.

“Thomas I’m sorry if I’ve startled you-”

But he didn’t turn around and you finally gave up, leaving him there, wondering what you did wrong.

*****

You didn’t speak to Thomas for the remainder of the week. Not for lack of trying, but he seemed determined to avoid you. He turned the other way if you came down the hall and if you tried to speak to him he suddenly remembered something that needed done in the other room.

The other staff seemed to notice, especially when he’d been so friendly to you before.

As you sat at a chair, mending one of Her Ladyship’s evening gowns, you thought about all of this. Hearing footsteps behind you, you turned to find none other than Thomas standing in the doorway. He ignored you entirely and continued with his business.

You tried to be kind, “Crazy weather we’ve been having, isn’t it?”

“No different than any other year, I suppose,” he said indifferently.

“No, I suppose not.”

You paused. Oh, what the heck, out with it!

“Have I offended you?” You asked. “Did I do something to warrant the cold shoulder?”

Thomas looked pained coming up with a response.

Finally—

“I can’t give you what you want,” Thomas said softly, looking down.

“What?”

“I can’t be a proper gentleman to you,” he set down his work.

“And I don’t expect you to, neither. I was only being silly. I know it’s beneath you and I wasn’t asking—”

He interrupted you and said slowly, “Not you, not any other woman.”

Understanding dawned on you. His talk about abandoned dreams and romance. His behavior after you’d admitted to fancying him.

He watched you, waiting for a response.

“Well, don’t I feel stupid,” you said.

“Not to worry, (Y/n). I couldn’t ask anyone to resist my charms. I’m sure it’s not your fault.” Thomas attempted a joke.

You laughed, grinning. “I am certain your charms are already employed on someone else, no doubt.

“I might have someone in mind,” he said vaguely.

“Well, whoever the lucky bastard is,” you said, “he better bloody well deserve you.”

“Language (Y/n), I thought you were a lady.”

“Am I?”

“Oh nonsense,” Thomas said, “you are a lady and you’ll made some bloke more than happy someday.”

He paused. “You’ve been kind to me. And I don’t deserve it.”

“Don’t be silly, you’ve helped me more than anyone else here.

“You’re in the minority then. Everyone here would agree that I’m a bad seed,” he said.

“Well not me.”

“You’re biased, you fancy me remember?” He smirked.

“Oh leave off!” You swatted at his arm.

His expression fell and he became serious, “I understand if you no longer wish to associate with me, if romance was what you wanted.”

“I don’t give a rats tail about romance! There are more important things you know.”

He smiled and looked down, silence descending on the room again.

You furrowed your brow. “I have to ask, if everyone says you’re so awful, why are you kind to me?”

He took a minute to reply. “You remind me of myself when I started in service. I had dreams. I had hopes. You remind me to dream. Make me feel like maybe I could. And it trust you. Being me is a lonely business. I’ll deny it to my grave but it is.”

You didn’t know what to say to such a declaration.

“I think you’re a lot more than you or anyone else gives you credit for,” you said.

“I’m grateful for you,” he said, “I haven’t had many acquaintances in my life.”

“Then we stay acquaintances, I hope.” You smiled at him.

“I should like to think of us as more than that,” Thomas said, with a glint in his eye. “We’re friends, you and I.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<— previous part • another thomas fic —>

ˋ°•*⁀➷ hope you guys enjoyed this series and thank you to the anon who requested this fic!! to everyone who read this whole series I’m sending my love your way <3

#thomas barrow #thomas barrow x friend!reader #thomas barrow x reader #downton abbey #elsie hughes #charlie carson #william mason #daisy mason #sarah o’brien #anna bates #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #x reader

36 notes · View notes