I'll Have Your Back (If You Have Mine)

1927

It wasn't quite the 'no expenses spared' affair that the garden parties hosted by The Crawley family in the years before the war had been.

Instead the family and a handful of selected friends celebrated the start of summer with an event that was far simpler and, in Thomas Barrow's opinion, far more pleasant to oversee.

The choice had, of course, been made by Lady Mary and her husband Mr Matthew who had taken over the runnings of the estate in recent years with a certain thriftiness and frugality that had scarcely been attempted by Lord Grantham in the increasingly troublesome years prior.

Perhaps a wise choice.

Thomas smirked discreetly as he ushered Andrew in the direction of a number of guests, the younger man brandishing a tray full of champagne.

He couldn't help but imagine his predecessor, Mr Carson's, reaction to him even entertaining an opinion on The Crawleys decision making...even if the now retired butler had, more often than not, done the same thing himself.

He could almost hear the voice of the older man berating him and wondered faintly if Carson would make an appearance later to ensure he had done everything correctly.

Thomas chuckled to himself at the notion and began bustling around to ensure everything would run smoothly for the rest of the party.

There had been a time, not all that long ago, when he would have relished the act of lording over his fellow workers at Downton. However, for better or for worse he wasn't that man anymore, time and experienced had changed him.

Thomas glanced out across the lawn, just beyond the party. He couldn't help but smile to himself when he spotted two little girls playing together both dressed in white summer frocks.

(His Lordship had been quite adamant to hang on to certain traditions).

Miss Sybbie Branson and Miss Marigold Pelham, now seven and five years old respectively, waved enthusiastically in Thomas's direction, eliciting a warm lopsided grin from him.

(And to think people used to say he didn't have a heart... how wrong they were)

It didn't take long for the young woman who had been watching over her niece and daughter to turn around, curious to see who had so readily captured the attention of the two girls.

She smiled, spotting him, and waved almost as cheerfully as the children had.

The woman in question was Lady Sybil Crawley (or rather Lady Sybil Branson).

She was probably one of the strangest but kindest people Thomas had ever the fortune of calling his friend. She had shown him compassion and offered him her friendship at a time in his life when the mere prospect of undertaking such an action would have done nothing but inspire disgust in most.

In the years that had gone by, there had been very few people in his life whom Thomas Barrow could truly call his friends...Lady Sybil had somehow become one of those few rare souls.

So he reciprocated her smile, rewarding her with a playful salute in return.

His friend.