June 15, 2020
Review, Edit and Update
As skilled as James Digby is at his job as butler, he is as unskilled at even recognizing emotion. ‘All the Words’ brushes away his professional persona and reveals another side of this quiet man.
Sentence structure has been improved as well as punctuation removed and/or added. I took out one or two words that were missed on the original posting.
'All the Words'
James Edward Digby had arrived at the Beaufort mansion at 8:30am. Dezperanza Eliot, sister to Emelina Beaufort, was another early arrival and was expecting Matt Fraser, a local orchardist. She had gone out to the orchard, no matter that grey skies threatened to keep watering grass and trees. Digby continued on through the mudroom and into the very roomy kitchen. He was very familiar with all the workings of this usually busy kitchen. Covid19 had scattered everyone to their homes, making this kitchen seem almost hollow with Martha and Cook’s presence missing. Giles Thornton, the chauffeur had promised to meet him here at 9a.m. for coffee, a cinnamon bun and to give Digby some advice. Digby did not know anything about affairs of the heart. He had turned to Giles for advice. Giles was really Digby’s only friend. A friend he trusted.
James set about making coffee, put cinnamon buns in the toaster oven to warm and set out mugs, plates and napkins for both of them. While reaching in the cupboard for the plates, Digby stopped and listened. He thought he heard a gentle sob but there was only silence. He set the plates on the table, he heard the same sob. He looked up. The door to Martha Haverstock’s room opened then closed quietly. Martha was the Beaufort Estate Housekeeper. A hold over position from old Mrs. Beaufort’s attempt to maintain a Downstairs staff. "Martha. Is that you?" Silence "Mrs. Beaufort? Are you here?"
“No James, it's me. Martha.” Her voice was quiet, her tone almost muffled. She forced a smile. “Did you hear me sniffling away? These allergies are so bothersome at this time of year. I won’t disturb you. I see you have two mugs out.” Martha had seen the mugs when she opened the door and saw Digby.
“Yes, I’m expecting Giles this morning. We need to discuss an important issue.” James felt quite uncomfortable, as though he had been caught doing something wrong.
“Oh, that’s good. Is it about our returning to work?” Martha was also feeling quite awkward. She searched around for something to say.
“Well, we do need to discuss whether we still need all three vehicles. As Giles is the one to drive and service them, I thought he would be the best one for advice.” This was not at all the issue that needed Giles input. Digby moved the mugs from the table to beside the coffee machine and then back again. “Of course, Mrs. Beaufort will have the final say, but I want Giles to give me his input on that issue.” James had run out of words, felt he had more that need saying, but didn’t know what. So he rearranged the two plates on the table, picked them up and put them beside the toaster oven. “Do you know which cupboard the butter is in, or is it in the refrigerator?”
“It should be in the refrigerator, James. Because no one is here very often. It might go rancid if it’s left out.” Martha didn’t know why she was babbling on so. “Well, I’m just going to slip out the back door and take my sniffly nose home. I just needed to drop off some things. And James, don’t forget to put the butter away in the refrigerator.”
“Take care of yourself, Martha. I do hope you feel better.” James and Martha, almost fearful, maintained a great distance from each other.
~~~~~
Giles Thornton, chauffeur for the Beaufort Estate, whistled tunelessly as he drove out to the country. He didn’t really think much of the pretence at grandeur at his place of employ. However, he let that all slip by, because he was employed. His job? Drive his boss wherever she wanted to go in which ever car. Make sure all three vehicles were in good running order and clean. Be cheerful and pleasant. Cheerful and pleasant was the way Giles had been since birth. He really didn’t know what James wanted his advice on, but he was certain it had to do with Martha. He and Digby had shared many things over the years, most often family events with his sons. James Digby was almost like an uncle to them. That was often when the professional mask James wore was put carefully in his back pocket. He was like a different man with the boys.
There was one other time when Giles had seen real emotion from James. Martha had been present as well. It was a sad event, the funeral of James’ only brother. That day was especially hard for him. Giles stopped whistling as he remembered that day. Digby looked like a crumpled old man as he stood at his brother’s grave site. This was a situation that, for James, all the diplomacy and correctness would not help him. Digby stood still, in his black wool topcoat, a navy scarf tucked neatly around his neck. He was hatless, an errant breeze dared to ruffle his hair. Digby would not allow himself to cry. His jaw was set as though in stone. Giles had never seen him look so tortured. He wanted to just put his hand on James’ shoulder in comfort, but felt a firm barrier that protected Digby from any form of human contact. Except when Martha had come to him. She patted his chest over his heart. “It will be all right, James. Not today. But it will be all right.” Digby’s jaw softened almost imperceptibly, he took his clenched hands out of his coat pockets. “Thank you, Martha” His face closed again. “Giles, take James home. Get him something stronger than a cup of tea. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” Martha was pleased to know that Digby had a friend in Giles, not just a driver. Martha dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, already damp with tears.
~~~~
Giles drove his Honda CRV around the mansion to the back. Just as he stepped on the ground, he heard the back door close. Looking up, he saw Martha. She looked like she’d been crying. “Are you all right, Martha”
“It’s just allergies, Giles. James is in there waiting for you. I think the coffee is ready.” Martha brushed by Giles almost pushing him aside. “Ok Martha. Thanks. You sure you’re ok?”
“Yes Giles. You just go on in there. James is waiting for you.”
~~~~~
“James, what did you do to Martha? She was crying when she came out the door.” Giles had a grin on his face. He knew James would never hurt Martha, but he just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
“I did nothing. She was already upset by something else. She wouldn’t tell me what it was. It was really quite awkward, Giles. That’s really ….. well, I mean, ……she is something…… there is something about her that, well, disturbs me. I don’t seem to know what to say to her, unless we are working. What do you suppose is wrong with me?”
Giles desperately wanted to burst out laughing, but could tell that James Edward Digby has met his match. This was definitely no laughing matter. “Well, James. I think that, how should I put this….I think that you’re in love with Martha. I also think that you might be frightened feeling this way and right now, you’ve filled my mug and it’s running all over the table.” Giles jumped up, grabbed a roll of paper towels and began mopping it all up. James looked stunned. He sat down abruptly, the now empty coffee pot still in his hand. “I suppose I should make more coffee, Giles?”
Once the mess had been wiped up and another pot of coffee on, the two men stepped out on the back porch. “You really think that is my problem, Giles?”
“James, it’s not a problem. Your problem might be you. Martha is not a problem to be fixed. How you feel about her is not a problem to be fixed. What you want to do about how you feel about Martha as a woman, not the Housekeeper, is maybe the issue. Not a problem. An issue”
“Giles, I just don’t know what to do. How to talk. What will people say?”
Their conversation continued in the kitchen for most of the morning. Giles was not sure that James had yet grasped that he didn’t have to do or be something special. Because of this social distancing and closed restaurants, a dinner date was out of the question. “James, I have to be back at the house to relieve Melanie. She’s been entertaining our sons while I’ve been out here with you. She has a class to teach over Zoom this afternoon. She needs time for her lunch and a little relax. Give a picnic some thought. I’ll give some thought to how to help you out. Martha is a good person and she cares for you. You will be ok.”
“…I gave you painted air - tears I couldn’t weep - truths I couldn’t speak
- all the words that caught in my throat….”
~ John Geddes, A Familiar Rain
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