Chapter 1* The Heir Reluctant
The train chugged on winding its way through the country. Inside one of the plush first class cars the future Lord Grantham, heir presumptive to Downton Abbey and intended for Lady Mary Crawley, sat nervously reading the paper. Patrick Crawley flipped through the pages of the newspaper listlessly and finally with decided annoyance folded the paper and up it on the seat next to him.
Patrick checked his watch. Time, it seemed, was passing very slowly as the train rolled on from London up to Manchester. Patrick felt for the case which was at his feet. He had not trusted it to the porter back in London. Instead he had clutched it close to him checking regularly that it still remained with him.
His thoughts kept drifting to his mission and the reason that mission. The reason was that he could not, in good conscience marry Mary and become earl. It was not who he was. He could not love her and the thought of being with her was more than he could stand forever. Maybe in the past, but not now. Now he knew and he could not go back to pretending she or any of the Crawley girls had any appeal to him.
A porter knocked and relayed the closing distance between the train and it's intended destination. Standing up The future lord Grantham straightened his tie and reached again for his case. As the train stopped with an unusual finesse, Patrick reached into the case and extracted a small notebook. With care he turned to a page on which was written two addresses. Checking his watch he started for the second.
From Victoria Station, He walked deliberately down one street to another and, finding Market Street, He turned down a side road until he found King Street. Scanning the street he saw it a familiar name jumped out from a small sign. Crawley and James, Solicitors, 62 King Street. The light from the lower windows spilled out into the twilight street. Inside there was a neat desk at which a young girl could be seen putting on her hat and coat. Patrick climbed the three steps and went in.
"Sorry, we are closing for the night." The young girl turned and saw the well-dressed gentleman. Stuttering slightly she started again, "I am sorry sir. You're not who I was expecting. Mr. James has gone home, but you could see Mr. Crawley. Shall I call him for you?"
"Thank you that would be good," answered the amused heir, "By the by who did you think I was?"
"Oh," The girl said as she started for the second office door, "There is a poor old beggar who seems to think Mr. James has stolen his fortune. He claims Mr. James took a priceless heirloom. Apparently he has made these assertions about all the past owners of this building. Mr. Crawley usually takes him back to his home explains the issue and promises to sue Mr. James for everything he's worth."
"Would he do it?"
"Oh no they are great friends, besides they mainly make wills and entails and such." answered the girl knocking on the office door.
From the second office a voice could be heard, "Come in Martha." The girl entered and, after a moment, a young man came out of the office with her.
"Sir," she said, "This is Mr. Mathew Crawley."
Turning to Martha the solicitor said, "Thank you Martha. You should go home now. Your brothers will be waiting." Nodding the girl turned off her desk lamp and closed the main door behind her.
Turning to the visitor, the solicitor said, "Matthew Crawley, what can I do for you?"
The heir looked at the young solicitor. He was of average height. His face was kind and soft. His eyes which seemed to question the strange personage were of pale blue. Patrick noted all this before answering, "Patrick Crawley. I believe we are some type of third cousins."
The young solicitors look changed quickly from confused to suspicions to happy and then said, " And what can I do for you?"
"Well," Started the young heir, "Let us sit and I will explain or if you prefer we could get dinner and I'll explain then."
The solicitor looked at his watch and then again at the well-dressed man claiming to be his relation. "Dinner it is. I've not had tea and I was forced to work through luncheon." He went to his office packed his papers up and put on his hat and coat. Looking around he grabbed the keys to the office and, dousing the light, he locked his personal office. He motioned towards the door and pulling the front door closed he locked the offices of James and Crawley, solicitors.
The streets were now lit as the solicitor lead the heir to a café. The owner came by and, once they had their food, the heir began his story.
" I am the heir presumptive to Lord Grantham of Downton Abbey. He is my cousin and, because he has no sons, at his death I will inherit the house, grounds, and title."
The young solicitor had no trouble believing that the man who at before him could in fact be of the peerage. He carried himself with an air and in such a place as the small café in which they now sat, he seemed quite out of place. "So your cousin the Earl has no children?"
" No," answered Patrick who had anticipated this line of inquiry, " In fact Cousin Robert, the Earl, had three daughters. Ladies Mary, Edith and Sybil ,who are all quite lovely, but they will not inherit. You see when Cousin Robert was young his father, the earl at the time, kept the house in poor condition and to support the restoration of the Abbey Cousin Robert married an American heiress. Cousin Cora brought the income the Abbey needed, but his father made the nuptial agreement in such a way as to tie Cousin Cora's money to the entail permanently. The entail states that everything goes to the next male heir. My cousins will get nothing."
"So," the confused solicitor asked, " what am I to do?"
"They want me to marry the oldest daughter Mary," stated the heir looking at his hands, "but I… I can't…and I just can't…" For the first time in his speech he faltered. What if the solicitor didn't understand, what if he did.
"You love someone else," presumed the other man, "and you don't want to be in a loveless marriage. I understand, but I can't see what it is you think I can do."
Love another person, thought the heir, yes it is close enough. Gathering his thoughts he said without tremor or regret in his voice, "I want you to take my place."
Reviews are always welcome. I'm hoping to have another chapter up next week and reviews would help motivate me.