This combines two story ideas I had. The first part is one of the first ideas I ever had for a story but never wrote. The second part is how I originally envisioned the ending (or continuation) of We Will Find a Way.

Downton Abbey 1930

Since receiving the last will and testament and the accompanying instructions, Mr. Murray had dreaded the meeting he would have with the Crawleys. He knew the contents of the will would not be taken well by them. He had been surprised at the terms of the will and he thought, no he knew, they would be shocked.

He left a bit early for the railway station because he wanted to be sure he caught the next train leaving for York which would enable him to change to the smaller branch line that served Downton. He needed one of the office clerks to accompany him to the railway station to help carry the three boxes that had come with the will. He had no idea what the boxes contained other than some jewelry but with the size of the boxes there had to be other personal effects of the deceased that were to be passed on to the addressees. Murray was surprised by such sentimentality since neither the deceased nor the heirs seemed sentimental in the least.

This was a journey with a mission he didn't really want to do but was required to do so by virtue of his position. For a fleeting moment he had thought he could just have the documents and the three boxes delivered to the Crawleys by messenger but he knew that that was not the proper way for the longtime family solicitor to deliver such news, no such news had to be delivered in person.

He had been the Crawley family solicitor for most of his adult life inheriting the family's affairs from his father who had been their solicitor until his death. Although he liked Robert Crawley, he did find him to be like so many of his class who demanded privilege and respect due to their wealth and title rather than any personal merits. Men who felt that anyone not of their class, that is titled men and preferably inherited titles passed from generation to generation and not those self-made men whose wealth bought them titles, were there primarily to serve them. While Robert might have a brandy or whiskey when visiting his office or offer him refreshments when he traveled to Downton, Murray was under no illusions that the two would ever meet for dinner under other circumstances.

Men like Robert Crawley were having trouble realizing the world was changing. The lifestyle of the first part of the century was gone, the country, indeed the world was changing. There were better job opportunities today than being a servant, opportunities for a growing middle class with a better standard of living. Some inventions of this century made life easier and negated the necessity for so many servants in a household such as that at Downton while also presenting new job opportunities in manufacturing, sales and repair and maintenance. But for people like Robert Crawley, and his daughters, these changes were only good if they enabled them to maintain their lifestyle of paying calls, attending parties, riding in hunts, in other words an idle life.

Murray made the train with minutes to spare. He had a car to himself with only the three boxes taking one of the other seats. For once it would have been nice to have traveling companions preferably ones that could for a few hours take his mind off his unpleasant task.

While he had of course fully read the will, he was not privy to the contents of the three letters that had been sent with the will. They were sealed and to be opened only by the intended recipients as were the boxes. He assumed these letters explained why the will had been written the way it was.

As usual there was a motor car waiting for him at the railway station. However this motor car was not driven by a chauffeur dressed in the green livery as in years past. It was Matthew Crawley himself that had driven to the station to meet him.

Mr. Murray reflected that Matthew was different from the rest of them. He had been thrust into a position that he had neither aspired to nor demanded as his birthright. Maybe because he had been born and raised as part of the upper middle class, Matthew Crawley was better prepared and accepting of a changing world. It was his determination and ideas that had kept Downton running and the Crawleys wealthy albeit not quite the wealth of earlier generations. Heaven knows, thought Mr. Murray, if it had been only Robert Crawley at the helm probably everything would have been lost for after all it was Robert that had lost most of his wife's fortune through an unwise investment. And it was Robert that fought Matthew on so many of his ideas for improving the way Downton operated. No, Mr. Murray reflected, Downton would have been lost years ago in Robert had been solely in charge of it.

The past few years had been hard on the Crawleys and they could no longer live the luxurious lifestyle of prior generations of Crawleys. Gone were the chauffeur, ladies maids, and much of the household staff. Mr. Murray knew that the family expected this will and last testament would deliver the much needed funds to restore the family's grand lifestyle.

But he couldn't dwell on that now. No he would deliver the information as required and then make a hasty retreat back to London.

"They are waiting in the library sir" Thomas announced as he opened the door to Matthew and Mr. Murray. Although it had been several years, Mr. Murray still had trouble picturing anyone but Mr. Carson as the Downton butler. He had been surprised when he heard that Mr. Carson had married the housekeeper Mrs. Hughes. He had always that Carson to be too curmudgeonly to romance anyone. Shortly after their marriage, the two retired and moved somewhere to the south or was it to the coast? He had no idea if either were still alive.

They were gathered in the library waiting for him. All of the Crawleys were there except for one and ironically that one was the one that would have the most effect on those gathered here. After the niceties of greetings and offer of refreshments, everyone, including most of all Mr. Murray who just wanted to get this meeting over with, wanted to get down to business. As Mr. Murray looked at their expectant faces he had a twinge of dread once again. Their expectations would not be met by his information; no they would be sorely disappointed.

Downton Abbey 1919

"You can't be serious" Robert thundered at his youngest daughter. "You and the chauffeur?"

Sybil and the chauffeur just stood there holding hands looking defiantly at her family. Although it had started out shakily, they had gotten strength from each other.

"This is just madness" Robert again yelled at the two.

"Papa" Sybil said in a calm voice that belied her anger and her fear. "I love Tom and he loves me. We are going to get married."

"How long has this been going on?" inquired Cora hoping that as information came to light the situation could be dealt with more rationally.

"We've been friends since before the war" Sybil began.

"Since before the war!" Cora and Robert voiced simultaneously although they came to very different conclusions with Cora realizing that her daughter was serious about the chauffeur while Robert was indignant of the improper behavior that had been going beneath his nose.

"All this time you've been driving me about; bowing and scraping while seducing my daughter behind my back."

"I don't bow and scrape, and I've not seduced anyone" Tom replied angrily. He took a step forward towards Robert but Sybil tugged on his arm. "Give you daughter some credit for knowing her own mind."

"How dare you talk to me like that" Robert bellowed.

"How dare you think I can be seduced Papa" Sybil retorted. "I can think for myself."

"Oh really" Robert replied sarcastically. "Have you thought about what this means. No one will accept you married to the chauffeur. You will be banned from all the great houses. Think about the effect this will have on this family especially your sisters."

"I am sorry for that … for any pain it will cause Mary or Edith … but I don't care what society thinks. I don't care what …"

"Sybil dear" Cora interrupted her "you have to think about these things. You have to care about the effect of your actions."

Surprisingly Violet had sat there quietly watching and listening to the volley going on between her son, his wife and her granddaughter. "The family cannot be exposed to scandal. I'm sure Sybil you think you are in love but if you give it a few days, I'm sure you'll see what a bad idea this is."

Sybil rolled her eyes at her grandmother's words. She had thought about this for years. "I have thought about this for years since Tom first proposed to me Granny. I was afraid of losing my family, my friends, my home but now I know that I want to be with Tom."

"Years!" Cora and Violet both exclaimed at once. But whatever thoughts they hoped to express were drowned out by Robert's bellowing. He obviously was so intent on his own thoughts that he hadn't heard Sybil's remarks to her Granny or at least hadn't filtered what she had said.

"Oh yes your lifestyle" Robert began. "If you leave with him your life style will be very different. There will be no money."

"I don't need your money" Sybil threw it right back at her father.

A hushed silence finally enveloped the room while everyone mulled over the words that had been issued from both sides.

It was Robert that finally broke the silence "I won't allow it. I will not allow my daughter to throw away her life!"

"You can posture all you like Papa, it won't make any difference."

Robert had had enough. "Enough of this nonsense. You will either tell this man to leave or you will leave with him this instant. But if you leave you will not return to this house ever again."

Sybil blanched at the harsh words of her father. "Papa please listen to me …"

But Robert was done listening. "You will no longer be welcomed here and you will no longer be a part of this family. It is your decision."

Sybil looked pleadingly at her mother, her sisters, her granny but they all sat there in stony silence pointedly looking away from her.

"That's it then" Sybil quietly said. She took Tom's hand once again and turned to leave the room. No one said a word as the couple walked out of the drawing room and then out of the house.