When Thomas lies about his father's illness in order to go to London to receive treatment to cure his homosexuality, Baxter tells him she feels sorry, as his father was always nice to her.

This is also the first mention of Thomas having a sister, thereby shedding some more light on his background. It is only in 1924 that it is revealed that Baxter was a friend of his sister when they were growing up. In 1922, he brought his acquaintance Phyllis Baxter into the house to serve as a lady's maid to Lady Grantham. He is a homosexual, and once had an affair with the Duke of Crowborough, while the Crawleys were in London. He mentions to Bates that he has a cousin in Bombay. He also appears to be quite talented at cricket, Lord Grantham stating as much, noting he got most of the house team's runs in the 1919 match. He has worked at Downton for over 10 years, and as a footman used to wind all the clocks in the house.

O'Brien calls him the house's clock expert. As a result, he apparently has a natural affinity with clocks, saying that he grew up with them and 'understands' them. Little is known of Thomas's family, but he does tell Sarah O'Brien and later Jimmy Kent that his father was a clockmaker.

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