the princess and the pauper ♕ tommy shelby

chapter four

"I don't understand. Why- why would she want to be a secretary" the Dowager said. "She wants a different life." Matthew said. Carson had told Lord Grantham, and by extension the family, about Gwen's dream of becoming a secretary and having a typewriter. "But why? I should far prefer to be a maid in a large and pleasant house than work from dawn till dusk in a cramped and gloomy office. Don't you agree, Carson?" the dowager said and looked at Carson. "I do, my lady" Carson said. "Why are we talking about this? What does it matter?" Matthew asked. "It matters that the people that live and work here are content" Lady Grantham said. "Of course. We should be helping Gwen if that's what she wants" Sybil said.

"I agree. Surely we must all encourage those less fortunate to improve their lot where they can" Isobel said. "Not if it isn't in their best interests" the Dowager said. "Isn't the maid a better judge of that than we are?" Ophelia asked. "What do you say Mr. Pamuk? Should our housemaid be kept enslaved or forced out into the world?" Mary asked. Ophelia looked from Mr. Pamuk to Mary. For someone who tried to convince Mr. Napier, and who was trying to woo him so to speak, she spends a lot of time encouraging Mr. Pamuk. "Why are you English so curious about other people's lives? If she wishes to leave, and the law permits it, then let her go" Mr. Pamuk said.

"But perhaps the law should not permit it, for the common good" Dowager said. "So, you hanker for the days of serfdom" Isobel asked. "I hanker for a simpler world. Is that a crime?" Dowager said. "I do dream of a simpler world, as long as we can keep our trains and our dentistry" Pamuk said. "Lady Mary rode well today" Mr. Napier said when he saw Mary and Pamuk talk among themselves. "Why did you send Lynch back?" Lord Grantham asked. "I had my champions to left and right. It was enough" Mary said. "Did you enjoy the hunt today, Mr. Napier? Mary said you had a tremendous run" Ophelia said, trying to give Mr. Napier some attention.

"It was like something out of a trollop novel" Mr. Napier said, and everyone chuckled. "What about you, Mr. Pamuk? Was your day successful?" Lady Grantham asked. "Yes, Lady Grantham. I can hardly remember a better one" Mr. Pamuk said.

In the drawing room Mary is talking with Napier, Pamuk, and Matthew. "Mary has more suitors tonight than the princess Aurora" Lord Grantham said when he saw Mary. Ophelia looked at her sister, she wondered if she was ever going to be like that. But not even Edith or Sybil were. Not many suitors came for them. Ophelia, not wanting to watch Mary with her suitors decided to go to bed.

Unfortunate for her, sleeping wasn't something she was doing that night, especially when she heard commotion in the room next to her, which happened to be Mary's. She walked out of her room, in her nightgown and her shawl. She found Mary in the hall before her room, crying. "Mary?" Ophelia asked, wondering what had her sister crying early in the morning in the hall. "Oh, Ophelia." Mary said and quickly drying her tears. "Mary, what has happened?" she asked her sister, quickly walking over. "I don't know what to do" Mary cried and took her to her room.

In Mary's room, Ophelia saw a sight that no 16-year-old girl should have to see, nor a 23-year-old, yet here they both were, looking at a man in the prime of his life, lying dead on Mary's bed, with his shirt discarded. "Oh—" Ophelia said in shock, her hand flying to her mouth to cover it to display her shock. "What happened?" she asked her sister, and it was then Ophelia Violet Crawley matured faster than Mary had anyone seen do. "I don't know, he came to my room, and next thing I know, he's dead" Mary said. "We need to take him back to his room" Ophelia said. "We aren't strong enough" Mary said. "Who can we trust?" Ophelia asked.

Mary had decided they could trust Anna, their lady's maid. She would keep their secret. Mary had gotten her and showed her what happened. "We got to get him back to his own bed" Anna said, agreeing with Ophelia's plan of action. "But how? It's in the bachelor's corridor miles from my room" Mary said. "Well, we can try and see if we can manage it between us" Anna said, looking at Ophelia and Mary. They went and tried but they didn't succeed.

"Can we ask Bates?" Mary asked. "No, he couldn't lift him. William can't keep a secret and Thomas wouldn't try to" Anna said. "We've got to do something" Ophelia said. "Who else has as much to lose as you if it gets out?" Anna asked. "Not Papa, please don't say papa" Mary cried out. "No, not his Lordship" Anna said. "Let me" Ophelia said and silently went to get her mother.

Lady Cora Crawley look at the body in shock. "What happened?" she asked looking at her oldest and youngest daughter. "I don't know. A heart attack, or a stroke or... he was alive and suddenly cried out and then he was dead" Mary said. "But why was he here at all? Did he force himself?" she asked her daughter, but Mary shook her head. "Well," Lady Grantham said. "We can talk about that later. Now, we must decide what to do for the best" she said. "There's only one thing we can do" Anna said. "I couldn't. It's not possible" Lady Grantham said.

"If you don't, we will figure in a scandal such magnitude it will never be forgotten until long after we're all dead. I'll be ruined, and so will Ophelia, Mama" Mary said. "Ruined and notorious, a laughingstock, a social pariah. Is that what you want for you daughters? Is that what you want for your family" Mary asked. Cora looked at her girls. "We must cover him up" she said and the four of them carried him back, across Downton Abbey back to his room, where he would be found in the morning by Thomas Barrow, the first footman who was serving as his valet, not knowing Daisy, the kitchen maid had seen Mary and Ophelia drag Mr. Pamuk away.