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As it is the quiet season on Dreamwidth, I decided to post another of my storytimes. I think this fic is appropriate for the seasons of spring to summer.

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A Different Path

~~Downton Abbey/Maurice crossover

~~Mature

~~M/M

~~Thomas Barrow, Alec Scudder, Clive Durham, Maurice Hall, Simcox, random servants, Anne Durham, Mrs Durham

~~Tags: Season 1 of Downton Abbey, Gossiping, Friendship, Internalized Homophobia, Secret Relationship, Romance, Masturbation, Class Differences, Social Commentary, A Happy Ending Was Imperative.

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Summary:

Thomas gets frightened by the death of Kemal Pamuk, and decides to make a fresh start away from Downton Abbey and any possible repercussions. He takes a job as footman at Pendersleigh Park, home of the Durham family.

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Chapter 1: His Troubles Now Behind Him

Thomas arrives at Pendersleigh Park, and makes a very unlikely new friend.

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Thomas shivered as he remembered Lady Mary’s cold tone when she warned him to never, ever say anything about the death of Mr Pamuk. She’d heavily implied that it could mean his dismissal, and even that she knew he’d propositioned the handsome Turk, which could lead to even worse consequences. So Thomas had searched for another position as footman, even though he’d prefer working as a valet, and left Downton as soon as he could. He needed a change of scene, and for men like him it was better to keep moving on before anyone got suspicious.

So he’d applied for the post at a country house in Wiltshire, owned by the Durham family. It was a lot smaller than Downton Abbey but the weather was much warmer and near to the picturesque towns of Bristol and Bath. It should suit him nicely.

At last the train drew up at the final station and the exhausted Thomas was relieved to be able to take the small private line to the estate of Pendersleigh. It had been a very long journey from Yorkshire, but he hoped his troubles were now behind him.

It was late when he arrived, so he just met the butler, Simcox, and the housekeeper, Mrs Wilson, then went straight to bed.

***

The next day, he was introduced to the rest of the staff, a much smaller group than at Downton. As well as the butler and housekeeper, there was a mass of women comprising the cook, two kitchen maids and two house maids. Then two other footman—the stuck-up sandy haired one appeared to be older than Thomas, the nervous blond one younger. Then two gardeners and two gamekeepers, all unkempt and brawny, one blond and three dark-haired, ranged from mid-twenties to mid-forties, and ranged from attractive to downright plain. Thomas tried not to look as if he was assessing them and arouse their suspicions but he couldn’t help it.

Then that was the introductions done and he went straight into work. As an experienced footman, he took it in his stride, literally. The fetching and carrying, the jumping to the sound of every bell…it was so familiar but not as far to walk in the smaller house. It was alright here.

He even found a place to smoke—behind some outbuildings again, he didn’t know or care what they were. When he took a break, he had time to reflect as well. Especially as he no longer had Miss O’Brien to talk to.

Apart from thinking about his new job and colleagues, there was only one subject on Thomas’s mind: what had happened at Downton. So Mr Pamuk had died in Lady Mary’s bed, they’d moved him back to his own, and somehow Mary had worked out Thomas had propositioned the man. What a mess it was, thank god he’d escaped in time before someone else had realised he was kind of an accomplice to moving the body. He shuddered. What if Pamuk had accepted his proposal, he’d been in bed with him and died then? Thomas would have woken up with a dead body and no doubt been given his notice on the spot.

“Got a light?” said a voice, making the footman jump a few inches.

Thomas turned to see the under gamekeeper, the pretty one, standing a few yards away. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! Give a bloke a heart attack.”

( Read more... )

I hope everyone had a nice Easter break or whatever you celebrate?

At last the trees are showing little buds and flowers! The grey and brown of winter is blurring into the greenery of spring and summer.

What a relief. We got through another winter. I was never too keen on winter but the covid pandemic winters really made me afraid of winters and relieved when we got through them. Like humans have done for millions of years, I guess. Struggling through winters full of illness and hardship to reach spring.

And every year it makes me think of the poem my mum recited every spring. I am very aware that this might be her last spring (she is 87), I'm not sure what I'll think of this poem after she passes on.

So I am sharing this to encourage readers to comment on fics and support your favourite authors!

Twice recently I've had nice AO3 comments from really sweet young members of my fandom telling me that my fics inspired them to start writing in our fandom! And that they are excited when they get comments from me on their own fics.

I wasn't sure what to make of them at first, I thought they must be joking and playing games with me. But they assured me they meant every word of it. I felt tearful, my head is still spinning from such unexpected compliments. It is so rare to get praise in life isn't it?

And guess what? Those small bits of genuine praise inspired me to write more fics! I didn't write fics specifically for those commenters but they encouraged me to Keep Writing and Commenting.

(But I decided to gift the really sweet young members' favourite fics to them anyway! Why not share the peace and love? 💖)

All we need is a tiny bit of support and confidence boosting, don't we?

So readers. Please encourage your favourite authors! It can make a world of difference, and fill your fandom with even more great fics to read.