Downton Abbey Fanfiction

¤Seven¤

Isis's grave

Charlie found His Lordship at the grave of the dead labrador, Isis. He was sitting on the ground and crying. Charlie approached him causiously. "M'Lord?"

Robert sniffed and attempted to dry his eyes. "Leave me be Carson, can a man not grieve his own dog?" He snapped. Charlie sat down beside him. "Mrs Hughes and I await your blessing". Robert sighed. "You don't need my blessing Carson. I am truely happy for you both." Charlie frowned slightly. "I know that it is none of my business, but why did you walk out like that?"

"You are right Carson - it is none of your business." He retorted. Robert tried to be strong, to pretend that his life was perfect . To block out the space that was left where his wife should be. She was ofcourse still there, for now. It was only a matter of time before she upped and left. Charlie watched his master cry. Such a thing as this, he had never witnessed. Different from say, Sybil's death, or Matthew's, or any death at all. Robert was crying in fear of loosing his wife, but not to death, but rather another man.

"I, I don't want to loose Cora. I love her! I just don't know how to get her back" he wept. Charlie didn't know what to do. He tried to comfort Robert, but he knew that he had no advice to give him. Charlie had always been a disaster with women, it was a miracle that Elsie wanted to marry him. "Have you tried, talking to her M'Lord? I am certainly no expert but Elsie is already trying to encourage me to talk." Charlie asked carefully.

Robert sniffed. He looked up. "But what will I say?" For a moment Charlie was unsure, then "tell her what you told me. That you don't want to loose her, and you love her. Then wait paitently for her answer and reply accordingly. And whatever you do, do not loose your temper. The prospect of having an angry husband will only encouragd her to break away."

Robert blinked and smiled slightly. "Thank you Carson. You have done me more good than you know". Charlie nodded. "You are very welcome. I wish you luck" he replyed, standing up and making as if to go. "And Carson?" Robert called after him. "Yes, M'Lord?"

"I truely am happy for you both." Charlie smiled. "Thank you".

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The Nursery, Upstairs at Downton

Edith grinned. Her daughter smiled sleepily. "Time for bed?" Edith asked. Marigold nodded slightly and let Edith take her up in her arms. She placed her in her cot and stroked the child's head. "Goodnight sweetheart. Mummy loves you. My beautiful little daughter." She whispered.

Mary stood at the door. "She is not your daughter though." Edith jumped. "Oh, Mary you startled me." Mary narrowed her eyes. "Is she your child?" Ediyh swallowed. There was no hiding it now. She nodded. "Yes." And she burst into tears.

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Upstairs, the master bedroom

Robert walked in. Cora sat on the bed. "Cora?"

She looked up. "Yes?" Robert sat down beside her. "I love you. And I do not ever want to loose you. I may have married you for money, but as time went on I fell deeply in love with you. And I still am. I want to end my days with you by my side. I don't want you to ever leave me." Then he stopped.

Cora didn't know what to say. Eventually, "I don't know if I love you enough. If this is enough. There is a difference between loving someone and being in love. The thing is Robert, if my mother didn't make me marry you, I wouldn't have. And if we didn't have the girls and this, threat almost over us to be perfect, I would have left a long time ago. I still care for you, if that means anything to you."

Robert held back his tears. "So there is nothing I can do to keep you here." Cora smiled weakly. "Sorry". She stood then, and left the room. When she was gone, Robert let the tears flow. And flow they did.

Cora stood at the ajar door and watched. His shoulders shook and he breathed out fits of tear filled coughs. She closed her eyes and went downstairs before she was consumed with guilt.

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The Nursery

Edith told Mary everything. Mary watched, listened. Nodded when appropriate and so forth. Edith wept. Marigold slept. The two sisters bonded.

As much as Mary wanted to lord this over Edith, and look down on her sister's unsavoury ways; she couldn't. Mary pretended to hate Edith. She frowned upon her and mocked her. She teased her about her liking to older gentlemen. She rolled her eyes when Marigold was brought to Downton. But Edith was still her sister. Her only sister after Sybil's death. And she loved her, in her own way. Mary knew that Michael Greggson was a good man, and that he loved Edith. She was sad when he died.

When she thought over it, Mary realised how dense she was at the arrival of Marigold. Edith disapears for a few months, is very secretive about her whereabouts, suddenly takes a massive interest in a random child, and then decides to adopt her. And once the child was in Downton, she hardly let her out of her sight for two minutes. The idea that Edith could be Marigold's real mother never occured to her.

To hold this against Edith would make her a bit of a hypocrit, what with her 'scandelous goings-on' with Lord Gillingham. At least Edith and Michael were planning to marry. Mary suddenly realised how cursed her family must be. Sybil dies and leaves Tom with a child, Matthew dies and leaves her with a child, and Michael dies leaving Edith with a child. Except poor Edith cannot acknowledge that she is Marigold's mother.

Cora appears at the door. She looks to Edith. "I told her" Edith breathes. Cora smiles. Mary frowns. "Wait, who else knows?" Edith smiles awkwardly, "Aunt Rosamund, Granny, Papa, Mama, Tom. Ahh, that's all of us anyway. I don't know what servants know- if any." Mary rose her eyebrows. "So, I was the last to know."  "Rose doesn't  know, or anyone in the wider family." Cora said. "You really do not trust me." Mary said softly. "No. No I don't" Edith smiled, and Mary had to  laugh.

Hi! Thanks for reading, hope you are enjoying so far. Please leave any thoughts in the comments.What do you think of Edith and Mary's new bond? Is there anyone you would like me to include more? I don't really have a definate plan, so all requests will be taken into account.

Thanks again,

{SaskatFishcakes-}xxxx

CAST
Lady Grantham ~ Elizabeth McGovern
Mr Bricker ~ Richard E Grant
Lord Grantham ~ Hugh Bonneville
Charlie Carson ~ Jim Carter
Elsie Hughes ~ Phyllis Logan
Thomas Barrow ~ Rob James-Collier
Miss Baxter ~ Raquel Cassidy
Mr Moseley ~ Kevin Doyle
Mr Bates ~ Brendan Coyle
Anna Bates ~ Joanne Froggatt
Lady Mary ~ Michelle Dockery
Denker ~ Sue Johnston
Spratt ~ Jeremy Swift
Lady Edith ~ Laura Carmichael
Henry Talbot ~ Matthew Goode