**Just how far will Lord Merton go to win Isobel Crawley back? Will his sons have a change of heart? And if so, will Isobel agree to be his wife once more? **
December, 1924
He stormed out of Crawley House, not looking back, and shouted at his chauffeur. The poor elderly man quickly opened, then shut the door behind his employer and jumped in to the front seat. He did not know what had happened inside Crawley House, but he had never seen Lord Merton so upset….at least not since the former Lady Merton passed away.
Dickie Merton ran a hand through his hair before leaning his head back against the seat. He closed his eyes, only to be tortured by the faces of his wretched sons. Opening his eyes again, he looked out across the fields as they drove out of Yorkshire in contemplation.
If only he could make Isobel see that she was most important to him…his sons had long since cut their father out of their lives. It was not as if they would be at the house all the time. They lived and worked in London. Though, he did have to admit they could make life horrible for her. Dickie typically moved in to his London home for the season. If Isobel were to accompany him, she would be thrown in to a life of aristocrats that she neither knew nor cared for in the past. And if Larry and Timothy had anything to do with it, the friends of Larry and Timothy Grey would come to loathe Isobel for taking their mother's place.
But how on Earth would he get rid of his sons? They were his own flesh and blood….and he did care about their well-being. He even chanced that he loved them deep down. But when one's children become adults that go against every moral fiber of one's humanity, what is a father to do?
Early March, 1925
"Good God! Have a listen to this," Robert exclaimed, leaning over to get better light as he read aloud from the morning newspaper.
The Lord Richard Grey, of Merton House, has formally disinherited his eldest son, The Honorable Larry Grey. The proclamation came yesterday from Merton House's lawyer, stating that Larry Grey has proven himself unworthy of the title. At this time, the younger son, Timothy Grey, will inherit the title and estate of Merton House. No further information was available at the time of printing.
Edith's eyes were wide as her father pulled the paper down to look at her. "That is a shock."
"To say the least!" Robert answered, folding the paper and setting it to the side. "I always knew Larry was a git, but I never expected Dickie to go so far as to take away the estate from him."
"Perhaps something happened since we last saw them. If that last dinner was any indication, I can imagine why Dickie would want to leave him out," Edith replied, taking a sip of her tea.
"I wonder if Isobel has seen this," Robert commented. "It seems such a pity that she and Dickie could not work out their differences."
"I cannot blame her," Edith answered. "Both Larry and Timothy spoke horribly to her. I don't know that I would willingly enter a marriage under those pretenses."
Robert became silent, his eyes staring in to space as a theory began to form in his mind.
"Papa? Are you all right?" Edith asked, noting her father's serious look.
"Yes….quite. I must go speak with your mother," Robert said, wiping the corner of his mouth and standing. He leaned over to kiss her cheek and then walked towards the dining room door. "See you at luncheon."
And with that, the Earl of Grantham left his daughter alone and a bit confused as to his sudden change in demeanor.
"Denker!" The Dowager Countess was ringing her bell insistently, the morning paper still in her other hand.
"Forgive me, milady. I was still down the hall getting your things ready for the day," the out of breath lady's maid replied.
"Have…have you seen this?" Violet asked, pointing towards the newspaper. "About Lord Merton?"
"No milady. I have not seen anything," Denker replied quickly, fearing there was something she should know that she did not.
"Well, it doesn't matter now. I must go to Crawley House immediately."
"But your breakfast milady…"
Violet held up a hand as she set the tray to the side. "Food must wait, Denker. This is important."
The lady's maid helped the Dowager Countess out of bed, quite perplexed as to what had her so worked up this morning.
"What do you mean she is not at home? It is not even nine o'clock in the morning."
The young maid looked down, clearly frightened to answer the Dowager Countess who stood at the front door of Crawley House.
"Forgive me, milady. But Mrs. Crawley went to help at the Outpatient Clinic early this morning. She left before seven," the young maid squeaked out, wringing her hands together in fear.
"Good heavens…even the roosters are not up so early!"
The young maid swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a weak smile to match the glare of the Dowager.
"When was she to return?"
"Not until this evening, milady."
"Fine. Then I will go find her myself," Violet said sharply, turning on her heel towards the motor car. But after a few steps, she turned back to face the maid.
"Has Mrs. Crawley read her morning paper?"
"The morning paper, milady?"
Violet sighed, clearly annoyed that she had to spell things out for the girl. "Yes, the morning paper. You know, the one that gets delivered each morning? People tend to read it with their breakfast or tea."
A look of dawning appeared over the maid's features and she nodded. "Right, the morning paper milady."
When silence followed, Violet sighed again and clasped both hands on top of her walking stick. She forced a kind smile in the girl's direction.
"And did Mrs. Crawley read it before she left today?"
"Oh…no, milady. She did not have time this morning. We have it set aside for her if she is home for tea this afternoon."
Finally, Violet thought.
"Right, thank you," Violet said, turning around once more and walking to the motor car. She rolled her eyes at her chauffeur while he held open her door.
"No common sense," she said under her breath, allowing the chauffeur to help her in the car. As he was about the close the door, she held up a hand. "We must stop at the Outpatient Clinic, beside the hospital."
"Very good, milady," the man said, closing the door and getting in the front seat. As the car pulled away from Crawley House, the Dowager Countess began to formulate what she was going to say to her cousin, Isobel Crawley.
A bell rang about the entrance to the clinic, signaling the arrival of a patient.
"I'll be right with you," Isobel called from her place in the back of the storage area. Pulling out another set of fresh linens, she gathered her pile and moved towards the front of the clinic. "My apologies…I was in the back….oh, cousin Violet!"
Isobel stopped short when she saw Violet Crawley standing in the middle of the clinic's entrance. The woman was dressed elegantly, donning the latest in her collection of stylish hats, but wore a look of urgency on her face.
"Cousin Isobel…are you quite alone?"
Isobel took a few short steps forward and placed the linens on the desk. "Yes. But what brings you here….and so early?" Isobel asked, looking down at the small clock pinned to her shirt. For the Dowager to be out and about Downton Village at half past nine was a rarity. Isobel surmised something was out of sorts…or one of the family members was ill.
George, Isobel thought. The color drained a bit from her face as she came to stand beside Violet.
"Is everything all right?" she asked quickly. "George…and Mary….are they all right?"
Violet, sensing the distress of her cousin, tentatively placed a hand on Isobel's arm. "They are fine. No one is ill. But I needed to speak with you right away."
Isobel's eyes closed in relief and she put a hand to her chest, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. "Goodness, you gave me a fright. What is so urgent it could not wait until later?"
"You may want to sit down for this," Violet said, motioning to the bench along the wall. Casting a curious gaze over at the Dowager, Isobel allowed Violet to sit first before joining her.
"Well if no one is ill, what could be so serious that I need to sit? I'm not easily shocked, I'll remind you," Isobel said with a smile.
But Isobel's smile soon faded as Violet spoke.
"It's about Lord Merton…he's disinherited Larry."
****What do you all think? Reviews appreciated!******