A Lady and her Footman (a Downton Abbey Fanfiction/Thomas Barrow)

Chapter 22

You guys are gonna love me at the end of this chapter lol. Sorry for and grammar mistakes. Enjoy!
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After hearing what Mr. Bryant had to say, I walked downstairs to the kitchen. I stepped into the foyer to see Thomas and Mrs. O'Brien conversing in their own little corner, like always.

Thomas looked up from their conversation and furrowed his brows at me. Ethel was sat in the servant's hall with everyone talking with her. I walked down the hall passed the kitchen and went outside.

I walked out of the courtyard and walked to the stables. I sat down on a bench outside of one of the stalls. Mary's horse Diamond stuck his head out of the open part of the stall door and laid his head on my shoulder.

I reached my hand up and pet his nose as he snorted and blew the loose strands of my hair around. I let my hand fall as his head disappeared back into the stall.

I just stared out at the mountains and the empty fields, the wind swaying through the tall grass, the leaves drifting threw the afternoon breeze. Is Mr. Bryant right about me? Does everyone agree with him?.

I heard footsteps on the cobblestone as they neared me, they stopped as they stood behind me. They started to move again as they walked to the front of the bench.

They say done with a huff as they did so. "Is he right about me, Mr.
Carson? Does everyone agree with him? Do you think I'm a rebel?" He sighed.

"Of course we don't agree with him. You're not a rebel, Lilly. Not even close" he assured, I watched the birds sore through the wind. "I didn't kill them" I said again.

"I know that, we all do" I looked down to the rocks below my feet. "There was a man outside my house that night, the night of the fire. The fore was started by bottles full of lighter fluid with burning rags inside them.

They've really thrown in through the upstairs and downstairs Windows. I heard everyone screaming, I couldn't help them, listening to them scream made me want to throw up. 

I want out into the yard, I fell to me knees as their screams vanished, and I saw a man standing beside the house, staring at me. He wore a brown trench coat and a brown cap.

Years later, I was followed around by a man while I was in Dublin. He wore a brown coat and a brown cap" Mr. Carson sighed. "It was a little worn, but it was him"

"Have you told anyone about this?" He asked. "The police said I was delusional from the smoke. And that the fire was started from the lantern that was on in my room, but there was no fire in my room"

"Have you said anything to anyone else?" I nodded. "I've recently told Mrs. O'Brien, and the Dowager. And now I've told you. And I want to keep it that way" he laid his hand on top of mine.

I looked to him to see he was already looking at me. "You've changed, Lilly. You've grown up. You're not that 19 year old girl no more, like when you came here. You're now..."

"25" I told him. He smiled. His smile faded as he looked out at the field. "I will say, you're not as happy as you were when you came here 7 years ago" I bit the inside of my cheek.

"I've been out in the world, seen what's really out there" he sighed again. "I know that. What I'm trying to say is, you seemed happier when you were with Thomas" I held my breath.

"Mrs. Hughes told me about you two seeing each other in secret" I looked down to my lap. "Don't worry, I'm not judging you. I trust you to know that you're a very respectable of ourself to not let anything get out of hand" ah, but at times I wanted it to.