The Journey of Living at Downton

Chapter 29: April 1922 Continuation

A/N: One year anniversary! Nearly.

——

After the concert, the guests begin to depart from Downton the next morning. The house party seems to have affected everyone, good and bad.

Emma herself feels shaken and down after Anna's attack and she can see that Tom is confused about her behaviour as well as why she hadn't returned to the concert. Emma had continued with the lie Anna had fed Mr Bates, which Tom seemed to accept hesitantly. Emma wants to tell him the truth but she can't betray Anna. She feels worse when Gemma tells her of the odd mood Anna is in with marks on her face while Green (the valet that attacked Anna) is unwell with Dr Clarkson having to come and see him before departure and Emma can't tell her the truth. You think she'd be used to not being her full self and telling lies, for example, Pamuk, time travel etc, but nope.

Emma is in the Hall saying goodbye to guests. She makes her business to avoid some, Sampson and Lady Raven for example but says farewells to Michael, the Duchess, Gillingham and Bullock (Rose's insistence).

"Do you think Billy is alright?" Tom asks her as Gillingham and Mary walk away from them. The two seem to get along quite well but Emma isn't sure. Maybe it has something to do with a particular valet.

Emma looks over to see that a little further away, the Duchess of Yeovil is saying farewell to Billy. The man seems quite down and even more upset than he had seemed last night.

"I hope so." Emma murmurs.

Emma joins Cora, Mary, Edith, Robert and Rose as they watch the cars drive away. Honestly, she's glad to see the back of them all.

——

Emma is staring down at her cup listlessly as she sits on the settee in the Library with Tom beside her having his own cup. Billy lingers by the door and if she was paying attention, Emma would've gone over to him to ask him what's the matter.

Mary walks in snapping Emma back to the room at large. "The tax people have had a cancellation, so they can see us on Wednesday at noon. But I think we should go up tomorrow. I wouldn't like to risk being late."

Robert looks annoyed as he wanders over to the table laid out for them, placing his cup down. "And you don't want me to come?"

"There's no point in you all going." Cora mediates from where she sits on the opposite settee. Emma knows how she feels. It seems father and daughter are battling it out on what's the best way to pay the tax. Robert wants to sell land and Mary disagrees (so does Emma).

Robert turns to his daughter. "It's not that you're afraid I might put the case for selling?"

"It's not a question of putting the case. They don't care how they get their money, so long as they get it." Tom reminds him.

"I'll ask how long they can give us, and what scale of payment they'll accept. Then I'll report back." Mary tells Robert. Emma feels quite proud of the businesswoman she's becoming.

"And we'll make a decision together." Robert says pointedly with a new cup in his hand.

"But I will try to persuade you."

Robert lets out a huff as he walks over to stand by the settee Emma and Tom sit on. "Even though you'd be dragging a debt behind you for twenty years?"

"I don't care. Not if Downton is self-sufficient by the end of it." Mary declares passionately before moving to make herself a cup.

"Isn't it better to make Downton better in the long term?" Emma adds. She wants to get involved as much as she can for Tom, for the Crawleys and for Downton. So far, it's throwing out some logic when she sees fit to do so.