hatches schemes with O'Brien, intending to have Bates removed from service at Downton. When Bates catches him stealing some wine, Thomas attempts to frame him for the theft. Bates, however, manages to prove his innocence. Thomas is a closeted gay man. In series one, he tries to blackmail his former lover, The Duke of Crowborough. Later, when Kemal Pamuk, an Ottoman diplomat, visits Downton, Thomas attempts to kiss him. Pamuk rebuffs him and later uses this incident to blackmail Thomas, threatening to inform Lord Grantham about his indiscretion unless Thomas agrees to guide Pamuk to the room of Lady Mary later that same evening. Thomas also leads on the kitchen maid, Daisy, partly for his amusement (since it annoys the second footman, William Mason, who has feelings for her) and for ulterior motives. He manipulates Daisy in order to further his plans to have Mr Bates ousted. At the end of series one, William punches Barrow for his cruel remarks regarding Lady Grantham's miscarriage and the death of William's mother. Shortly beforehand, Thomas signs up to the Royal Army Medical Corps in an effort to avoid being sent to the frontline for the war that is soon coming. In series two, in the First World War, Thomas has ended up on the battlefield despite his attempts to avoid it, and has become terrified by the conflict. He purposefully puts his hand in the line of fire in order to gain a blighty wound and be sent home. Upon his return to Britain, he gets permission to work at Downton as sergeant in charge when the residence is made into a centre of recovery for injured officers. When the war ends, Thomas tries to make a profit by taking advantage of the nationwide rationing by selling goods on the black market. This scheme fails, however, when he is sold worthless goods and is rendered penniless. He returns to Downton as first footman although, as always, he plans to move up to a higher position in the house staff. During Bates's murder trial, Thomas applies for Bates's old job, but is rejected by Lord Grantham. He hides the Crawley family dog, Isis, whom he hopes to "find" to curry favour with Lord Grantham. However, when he goes to reclaim the dog, he discovers her missing, and in his panic trying to find her in the woods, trips on several fallen branches and