I'm just catching up with these Downton Abbey articles. I know that servants usually get time off, either one day or a 1/2 day. You can't tell me that Thomas hasn't gone into Trisk or York and found an underground gay culture. Thomas on Downton reminds of the character of Gareth in Little Brittain, proclaiming he's 'the only gay in the village.' When he was offered a job in New York, I screamed at the TV for him to take the job. He could have gone to gay clubs in the Village or Harlem.