The Journey of Living at Downton

Chapter 1: April to Summer 1912

A/N: Don't know whether I should be starting a new story but got inspired and here it is 😅

Also, this woman does not know what happens in the show as in this world Downton is real and she has simply travelled back in time. So no, I'm not going to stop things happening to a character because I know that it'll stop them having this horrible storyline unless she's somehow naturally involved through circumstance.

My username on Ao3, fanfiction.net and Wattpad are all the same while my Tumblr is legends-of-time

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Emma's life used to be fairly normal one for someone living in England in the early 21st century, nothing peculiar but that all changed when in 2021, at 19, she woke up in the past, more specifically 1909.

Emma turned up in Yorkshire, England on a mild day (what else) in the grounds of an estate called Downton Abbey. After literally falling onto the floor right in front of said owners of the estate, the Earl and Countess of Grantham, Robert and Cora Crawley.

They took pity on her as they could see that she was in quite a state and since she played the role of pretending that she had no memory of her past as Emma quickly realised that they may deem her a lunatic as it seemed she had travelled to the past, together with a check by Dr Clarkson.

They let her have a job as a maid in the household cause to them she seemed too lowly as well as nowhere to go and since she had no other options and could see that this was the safest option for her so she took it.

Jump to April 1912 and things have been going well for Emma. She has settled into her role as a maid, learning the different chores that fitted her role and additional learning about the strict hierarchy of this new world she was in. Just kept her head down and got by. Part of this was trying to make sure not too many modern sayings are spoken and quietly laughing at everybody else's reaction.

Emma has made friends while she has been there, such as fellow maids Anna, Gemma and Gwen, and funnily enough Thomas, a footman who arrived a year after she did but obviously not in the same way. Emma knows who to avoid, Miss O'Brien, and who she can rely on, Mrs Hughes the housekeeper and sometimes Mr Carson the butler if it is not too much for him and does not go against his morals. The family is kind to her but as she is only a maid, they largely ignore her. Many of the staff do not mind her as she does not step on any of their toes and does her job but Emma can see that they sometimes observed her oddly as she is still a mystery to them considering how she arrived.

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On one morning in April 1912, Emma is deep asleep in a little single bed in her little room in the very unimpressive servant quarters. She had gone to sleep restlessly the night before and every night since the 14th, waiting for the news about the Titanic.

Emma's sleep is abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Six o'clock!" Calls Daisy the Kitchen maid.

Emma groans sitting up. "All right Daisy." She turns to her roommate Gemma. "Gemma." She calls to her.

Gemma groans loudly. "Uuuhh! I'm up!" Emma sniggers at her reaction. Ironically Gemma has never been a morning person.

They get up and get dressed in their lovely maid outfits and meet with Gwen and Anna in the corridor. They head towards the ground floor of the main house to make it all look nice and proper for the family before they can have their breakfast. To be honest Emma thinks that is what she hates most about this job, the odd times they have their meals and the lack of snacks throughout the day as well as variety in food.