Downton Abbey – 1943 Morning 9.30 AM

Baxter knocks on the door to her ladyship's room, on her wrinkled hands is a tray filled with her ladyship's morning breakfast. She has been knocking a couple of minutes now she is starting to worry. It is a very unusual occurrence. This time of the morning his Lordship should be down having his breakfast and open his letters. Strangely, they both had not ring their bells yet.

"Any answers from her ladyship?" Bates voice behind her makes her jump

"No, how about his lordship's dressing room Mr. Bates?" Bates shakes his head.

"He didn't answer when I knocked so I walked in; his lordship was not in there. They must be together right now. I think you should go in Mrs. Baxter.. I don't feel very well about it." Bates answers, his voice is thick with worry and his eyes are half pleading to Baxter to urge her to just barge in.

"I was going to Mr. Bates, but I feel so uneasy as well I don't know why. Didn't they always let us know if they are going to be staying in for the morning?" Baxter asks Bates, her voice is low almost whispering.

"Yes, they always let us know. Mrs. Baxter, why don't we go in together? I will take part of his lordships' scolding if it does happen and if they are still sleeping we could sneak out quietly. What do you say Mrs. Baxter?"

Baxter looks at Bates in the eyes trying to find some courage and she then nods and put her hand on the door handle. She cannot put off this feeling of uneasiness, she suppose in the case of emergency it should be fine for her and Mr. Bates to barge in. With that reassurance on her mind, she turns the knob and they both walk in quietly into the room.

"Your Ladyship?" Baxter voice is almost a whisper as she approaches the bed.

"Your ladyship.. Your Lordship.." Baxter calls out again but still come out as whispers. She repeats her calling again while touching Cora softly on the shoulder; she cannot find power in herself to call out louder.

Cora does not move, and neither does Robert. It is as if they are in a deep sleep.

Baxter lips trembles, she puts her hands to cover her face and she starts to sob.

Seeing Baxter's reaction Bates feels like he is about to faint but brace himself forward. He walks to Robert's side of the bed. He touches Robert's hand. It has no warmth in it anymore. He moves his fingers to Robert's neck and tries to sense the pulses and can't seem to find any. He does the same to Cora's neck. He then feels his knees losing and he fall kneeling on the floor and feels a lump up on his throat. Crouching on his lordship's body Bates starts to tremble with sadness and sobs erupted from his body. He owes this great man on the bed so much for turning his life around and he has yet to do enough in return.

Bates is not sure how long he is sobbing; by the time he can get himself to look up somehow Baxter has managed to get Molesley, his wife Anna, Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes in the room. Bates has never seen Mr. Carson cry before and Mrs. Hughes. But they are crying right now. Tears have streams down the wrinkled cheeks of them both, their hands clutching together supporting one another.

As time goes by and wrinkles over wrinkles appeared on their faces and their employers' faces they always knew a day would come when any one of them will passes by this lifetime. But no matter how much they have prepared their minds. It still hurts when it happens.

"I will call to London to let Lady Mary and Lady Edith know of this.." Carson says his voice croaked then he shakily walks out of the room releasing his hand from Mrs. Hughes.

Anna whose face is as damp as the others from crying moves to Bates' side and puts her hand on his shoulder.

Bates puts his hand on hers in return and takes a look at the deceased couple on the bed with his still blurry vision; he still cannot register the reality of it all.

Neither of them has any problems with their health as far as Bates knew. Bates can swear just last night both of them were very much alive and were having dinner still smiling and joking with one another. And Bates can swear too that old Molesley were chuckling and giddily telling the people downstairs of how his Lordship and Ladyship were dancing closely late at night without music in the library. Another series of Earl and Countess endless scandal they would always called it and laugh.

On the bed his Lordship and her Ladyship are in the state of embracing each other. Their expressions are one of contentment. Bates wishes somehow they will open their eyes and that it is all just a big joke. But they never did no matter how long Bates was waiting. They never opened their eyes even when Lady Mary and Lady Edith arrived from London with their children and were kneeling and crying and calling their names.

The village doctor who came concluded to them.

"Lord Grantham's and Lady Grantham's heart just stopped sometime in the morning. They passed away peacefully in their sleep in each other's embrace. I believe there was no pain felt."

The conclusion makes them happy but sad at the same time. It is just like the lordship and ladyship's way to go, with one another in peace.

As the funerals progressed and as everyone is walking back to the house, deep down each one of them know that Downton will never have a kinder and gentler Earl and Countess taking care of it ever again.

Fin.

I am sorry if this is about such unfavorable issue: death. But I want to believe they will be happy forever until the end of their time!