A/N: No idea, why this came in my mind, but here it is. A bit fluff, Andith. Enjoy!
The Musical Box
Chapter 1 – After the Fire
„It's a shame what happened to all these lovely things", Mrs. Hughes said to Anna, while they were cleaning Lady Edith's room after the fire.
"Yes, indeed", Anna replied. "But imagine what could have happened, if the fire spread all over the house." She was glad that the accident only took place in this room. How stupid to throw something into a lightened fireplace and not to look after it!
Mrs. Hughes nodded. "I don't want to imagine such thing", she added.
She overlooked the dressing table. All the hairbrushes and combs, the make-up jars and palettes were blackened with soot. It wouldn't be difficult to clean them, but Mrs. Hughes was sure that Lady Edith wouldn't use them again. Maybe some of the female staff would look forward to get this equipment.
Of course, she had to ask Lady Edith, if and which of the items she'd love to keep.
"What is this?" Mrs. Hughes wondered when she discovered a box, perhaps a jewellery box, close to the edge of the table, nearly hidden behind the mirror.
Anna turned around. "It's a musical box, I suppose. Lady Edith keeps it quite a while, but I only saw her once playing it."
Mrs. Hughes tried to clean the box cover with a cloth and opened it carefully afterwards. "I'm afraid it's broken."
"Maybe Mr. Baremiller can fix it", Anne suggested. The village's clockmaker was a very skilled man. Most likely he would be able to clear the soot from the tiniest part of the musical box.
"What a brilliant idea. It would be a pity, if such a fine piece would be ruined forever."
XXX
"I am very sorry, Lady Edith, that we couldn't save more things from your room", Mrs. Hughes apologized.
Edith shook her head. "It isn't your fault, Mrs. Hughes, nor Anna's, but mine alone", she told the housekeeper. "I was so stupid to set fire…" She sighed.
"If you agreed", Mrs. Hughes hurried to take Lady Edith's mind off her worries, "I would send one of the girls with the box to Mr. Baremiller's shop."
"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes. I think, I'll go on my own."
Actually, Edith hadn't decided so far, if the box would be repaired or not. Placed on the very edge of her dressing table, she had almost forgot it – or at least had tried to do so very hard.
She didn't know, why she hadn't thrown the box away long ago. It was of no use for her. Not now, but it had been in the past. She reminded the tune it used to play and Edith felt sick, when she thought about it.
On the other hand, it had been the melody, which had come in her mind as her first lullaby for Marigold. For which reason ever.
Perhaps she should give the box to her daughter. The girl was very fond of music.
Carefully Edith touched the now black wood. She remembered the bright, delicate colour of the cover. Finally, she opened a small, hidden drawer. It was still there.
Reluctantly Edith removed the little stone from the drawer and kept it her hand. It wasn't effected from the soot or the heat of the fire, but simply looked the same as on the day it was given to her.
She had never sent it back to its owner. First she hadn't thought about it. Later she had felt awkward to do so.
When she thought about the trouble caused, the smooth surface of the stone felt strange in her hand. For throwing the memories arising in her mind away, she put the stone back and closed the drawer forcefully.
Marigold was supposed to be sent to Downton in the afternoon and Edith was excited to spend some time with her unobserved. She planned to show her daughter the library as well as the ponies in the stable.
XXX
Three days later Lady Edith entered Mr. Baremiller's shop.
"Good day", she greeted him.
"And a good day to you, Lady Edith", the old man replied. "How can I help you?"
Edith open the bag she carried and put the musical box on the shop counter. "I'd like to know, if you see any possibility to repair this item. It was in my room during the fire and I'd like to keep it."
The clockmaker examined the box most intensive. He opened the cover as well as the back cover, inspected the mechanism inside and finally sighed.
Edith immediately lost all hope. But, she told herself, it could not be, what should not be. The box was a relict to her past and as much as she had hoped that Marigold would like it as much she felt a kind of relief that it would be gone.
"It would be some effort to clean all of it, but I think, I'm able to repair it", Mr. Baremiller interrupted Edith's thoughts.
"Pardon?" Edith was puzzled.
"I think, the repair should be possible", the clockmaker replied patiently.
He had always liked the young Crawley ladies and remembered very well the first time each of them had come to the shop. In Lady Edith's case, it had been when his father had just given up to be the clockmaker in the village. She had come with her mother to ask for the repair of an old clock she had damaged during a hide and seek with her older sister.
"That are good news, Mr. Baremiller." Edith thanked the man and smiled.
She still felt puzzled inside, but she was now more than willing to pass the musical box to her daughter. Maybe she would tell her the whole story about it, when Marigold was older, but despite its history this delicate piece of craftsmanship deserved another chance to be loved dearly.