Barrow's Boy - A Downton Abbey Fanfiction

The Great War Begins

     Theodore's father was gone. He was off to assist in the war, they said, and he would be back when it was over. Teddy may have been only five years old at the time, he hadn't even started school yet, but he knew fear. He knew that every time the war was brought up, fear could be seen in the eyes of the Downton Abbey staff and family. Not that he saw much of the family.

     The family member that Theodore saw most was Lady Sybil, the kind youngest daughter of the Earl of Grantham. She had been going down to the kitchens recently, attempting to learn to bake a cake. Of course, as Theodore sat and silently watched, she wasn't always the most successful. However, she was very kind. 

     It was Lady Sybil who had introduced Teddy to the power of words, something that would stay with him for the rest of his life. Words like "delicious" or "cacophony" came out of her mouth, and he longed for more. More descriptive, long words that sound fancy coming out of your mouth. It was Lady Sybil who told Teddy what these words mean and showed him how to spell them in the flour on the tabletop. There had been one time where, after her finger had finished forming the word, Sybil had poked Teddy on the nose, leaving a white dot. That dot stayed there as Teddy composed his next letter to his father, sharing with him the word he had learnt that day.

     Even though Sybil had shown Teddy these long words, others contributed to his learning. His mother had started teaching him the alphabet before she died. Thomas had continued what she started, teaching him to write his name and read simple books. But, after Thomas was gone, it was Anna who kept it going. 

     Anna had always been very kind to him. She entertained him when Thomas was busy, taught him countless things, and showed him kindness that some other people downstairs didn't seem to have. Anna was like a second mother and a very good one at that, and Teddy couldn't imagine Downton without her. 

     After the war had started, the number of men at Downton began to fall. Theodore's father had left, then Mister Matthew from upstairs. Mr. Carson, Mr. Branson and Mr. William, as Teddy called him, had all stayed for the time being, which made Teddy quite happy. His five-year-old mind found the chauffeur's Irish accent hilarious, and Mr. William's piano playing was exquisite. (Another word from Lady Sybil. Teddy swore she was a genius, but, in his letters back, Teddy's father said she was just rich.)

     Despite the fun that he had at Downton, Teddy did miss his father very much. Badly spelt letters were sent to him at least three times a week, and Thomas did answer when he could, but it obviously wasn't as often as the child would have liked. And Theodore wasn't stupid. He knew that wherever his father was, it wasn't good. No, it was nothing like Downton.