Keep in mind that Hallam is a high-level civil servant in pre-WWII London; a mandarin who knows where many of the bodies are buried. As such, he has to be “careful” of who is in his home, and has access to his information. Mr. Amanjit is silent as a tomb, and had been vetted by Hallam’s mother, which is a huge assurance. Remember when he told Hallam that he would have to “threaten him” before he would go through Maud’s private papers?
Hallam has to work long hours and he has a wife with a baby (then small children) at home and a household that is larger than the average civil servant. Therefore, Hallam needs reliable help, and loyal support, and he has the money to cover expenses for that help and support. In this instance, his wife is just about worthless (as his mother reminded him when the government was in crisis and he needed help in “talking and unwinding to someone who would keep his confidences” yet Agnes was “out shopping for prams”). And, when Agnes did come home from shopping, or the beauty shop, or tea with her friends (or her idiot sister) she didn’t want to hear about his work. She wanted “time for them to enjoy each other” and didn’t seem to understand that she had an obligation to “help” her husband, and that “listening to his concerns” is part of her “job” for the pleasures of shopping and going to the beauty shop and having her time as her own. She refuses to “invest” 45 minutes listening to her husband unwind over cocktails after work, yet she can “shop” and gossip for six hours at a time; she gives women a bad name.
As a result of his elite upbringing, and his current job responsibilities, and his wife’s attitude, Hallam needs help, and the chance at keeping Amanjit by his side is a gift. Remember when he was concerned about outside trouble, and he was as Whitehall long hours, he gave the gun to Amanjit and told him to use it at his discretion; to keep Agnes and the children safe, come what may. While there were other males in the household (Mr. Pritchard, the chauffeur, Johnny), the male that Hallam would trust with the gun was Amanjit.
Mr. Amanjit is currently functioning as a “major domo” to the household and as an aide-de-camp to Hallam. Amanjit has the respect of those both above and below stairs; he can handle matters too delicate for Mr. Pritchard, and he can handle situations too tough for the chauffeur or Johnny. He works well with Hallam’s aunt, in her war work. And, he functions well with Agnes, probably because he is clear as to his position and would never “cross her” unless it was for the betterment of the household. All in all, he more than pays for his keep.
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