This is the story of Thomas Barrow.
Thomas Barrow has been working as the first footman at Downton Abbey for years. He's always been careful to keep his personal life hidden from the prying eyes of the other staff members and the Crawley family. Bu...
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Late at night Ellie cooed and snuggled closer to him, her tiny fingers clutching at his shirt.
But just as Thomas was beginning to drift off to sleep, a thunderstorm rumbled in the distance. The wind howled through the trees, and rain pounded against the window. Ellie stirred on his chest, her eyes fluttering open.
"It's okay, Ellie," Thomas murmured, trying to soothe her. "It's just a storm. Nothing to be afraid of."
But Ellie wasn't convinced. The lightning flashed outside, illuminating the room in an eerie glow. She started to cry, her little body trembling with fear.
He held Ellie closer to him, rocking her back and forth. "Shh, shh, it's okay," he whispered, but his voice was shaky with emotion. "Daddy's here. I won't let anything happen to you."
But Ellie's cries only grew louder, and Thomas knew that he needed to do something to comfort her. He gently lifted her off his chest and cradled her in his arms.
But the storm continued to rage on, and Ellie's cries turned into full-blown sobs. Thomas felt his heart break as he watched his little girl suffer, knowing that there was nothing he could do to make the storm go away.
As the night wore on, Thomas tried everything he could think of to calm Ellie down. He sang to her, he rocked her but nothing seemed to work.
The storm raged on, but eventually, Ellie's cries subsided. She nestled back into Thomas's chest, her breathing slow and even. Thomas stayed awake for a long time, listening to the rain and the wind howling outside. He felt a deep sense of responsibility for his daughter, and a fierce determination to protect her from the world.
~
Thomas stirred in his bed as the sun began to peek through the curtains. As he shifted, he felt a warm weight on his chest and looked down to see Ellie nestled against him. He smiled at the sight and rubbed her back gently.
"Good morning, my sweet Ellie," he whispered.
He slowly got out of bed, being careful not to disturb Ellie, and started getting ready for the day. Putting on his footmen livery, he soon had Ellie dressed in one of her little dresses, and they both went down to the servants' kitchen for breakfast.
As he took his place at the table between Mrs Hughes and Anna, Thomas smiled at his daughter, who was looking around with her bright pale green eyes.
"Good morning, Ellie," the other servants chorused, smiling at the little girl.
Mrs Hughes, the housekeeper, poured Thomas a cup of tea and asked, "How did you both sleep last night?"
Thomas smiled at her and replied, "We slept well, thank you. The storm didn't help but Ellie is getting better at sleeping through the night, aren't you, my little darling?" He looked down at his daughter, who had started to wriggle and coo in response.
Anna, the head housemaid, leaned over to coo at Ellie, "Oh, look at her, She's so beautiful."
Thomas beamed with pride as he watched his colleagues fawn over his daughter. "She's my world," he said, his voice filled with emotion.
As they all tucked into their breakfast, Thomas fed Ellie a bottle of milk.
Thomas nodded, his eyes sparkling with love and adoration for his daughter. "I want to do everything I can to give her the best start in life," he said, his voice filled with determination.
As they all finished their breakfast, Thomas took Ellie in his arms and whispered to her, "It's time for us to go to work, my love. Are you ready?"
Ellie gurgled in response, and Thomas kissed her forehead before heading out of the kitchen, ready to start another day as the first footman at Downton Abbey, with his little angel by his side.
