𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗦, downton abbey + peaky blinders

02 | making friends

If anyone had told Charles Carson he was going to have a pleasant conversation with an eleven year old girl that morning, he wouldn't have left the safety of his room and laughed in their face. Lucky for him, when Marcella Sullivan skipped up to the door and explained her business, all the while being so well-mannered, it was impossible to turn her away. He found the child amusing, not that he would admit it for years. She was allowed to stay, so long as she didn't disturb anyone or their routine.

"How do you do, sir? My name is Marcella Sullivan and my mother's busy today so she's sent me up to my sister, Jean. If it's an inconvenience I'll head back home. It's understandable."

"Jean?" She nodded, he sighed, "Come on then. Be sure to stay downstairs and don't bother anyone. You can talk to most people but some will be quite rude." He glanced at the clock, "Your sister will be downstairs in a while, so for now you should stay in the servant's hall which is in here."

Three people sat in the room, two who seemed to be a couple and across from them a sultry man holding a cigarette. His physical appearance and lack of the smirk she saw so often seemed to be the only difference from the head of her chosen family. Her heartstrings felt as if they had been yanked from her body as she glanced at him. He was already a painful reminder of those she had been forced away from and he hadn't even started to speak.

"Ah, perfect. Anna, this is Jean's sister Marcella. She's staying up at the house for a while so please be sure to keep her in this room and make sure someone is with her at all times." I was beckoned over to the seat next to her and the intimidating yet somehow comforting man Anna was with.

He was introduced as Mr Bates, to which the Tommy lookalike scoffed from across the room. To make matters worse, his name, as it turned out, was Thomas.

Great. Now I'm going to end up calling him Tommy by accident and I'll never hear the end of it.

"Excuse you."

"Sorry?"

"Well, I assumed you were just clearing your throat, because scoffing is rude."

The pair she stood next to did their best to hide their chuckles, but it was all in vain. The man lowered his cigarette, looked Marcie right in her earthy eyes and smirked.

"I like you."

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't."

The rest of the day seemed to pass by in a flash as Marcie switched between bothering Thomas, helping Anna and meeting other people. She met Daisy in the kitchen around lunch time and seemed to get along with her best, but this almost made Daisy fall behind. Marcie ended up asking for something to do, and so was sent around the downstairs area to fetch and carry bits and bobs someone had no time to get.

As dinner approached, Anna had asked her to get something from the boot room. As she turned to leave, she noticed the older man sat on the bench in the corner.
Thomas' head was in his hands, and had been lifted from them when Marcie entered.

"What're you looking at?" he mumbled, rising from the wooden plank and fixing a shoe's position. Marcie had been told to steer very clear of Thomas Barrow, but seeing him like this made her wonder if perhaps they were wrong about the 'cold-hearted' man. His story was an interesting one and he seemed more lonely than anything, and so was she. The answer seemed so obvious.

Marcie shook her head. "Nothing, just fetching something for Anna." She carefully waved the box she had lifted. Instead of lowering it again, she found herself holding it out to the ex-employee. Needless to say, he was confused. "You bring it to her. You need to make up for staying here, right? Do what I'm doing; help out."

He took the box in his hands, scanned over it and gripped either side almost unnoticeably tighter. With a nod and a confused look, he took her advice and left, taking the box and a new understanding of the girl with him.

Marcella had only seen Jeanie twice that day, and both times she seemed concentrated and serious. It came as a surprise when she was met with the exact opposite as she left the boot room. Jean Sullivan was frazzled and panicked as she told her sister to go home.

The confusion was not helped by Jeanie's usual inability to answer questions, and Marcie was left to wonder what she had done alone.

She couldn't think of anything. Maybe O'brien said something, or Thomas didn't appreciate her advice. No, she couldn't pinpoint how he reacted, but it wasn't anything like that, was-

"There's an outbreak of the Spanish flu. Go home before you catch it, now!"

Oh.

Before she could blink, everything she had brought with her – a hat and coat – was collected, stuffed into her arms, and she was cast out into the increasing darkness of the courtyard. The path of stones winding through the garden and trees was Marcie's only aid to direct her home- no, to the house, she had to tell herself. She swore to never call it home.

Besides, it wasn't like she needed any help. She was a big girl. If she could handle Arthur and John Shelby's antics after a night out, she could handle walking alone in the dark. She'd also walked up to the house this way, thank goodness, or she wouldn't have a clue where to go.

Hold on, did she know where to go?