The arrival of Lady Gabrielle.
The service hurried up to form an organized line in front of the entrance of Downton, promptly obeying the orders of Carson.
The countess of Grantham, beautiful Cora, was staying firmly on her feet before the house with her daughters: Mary, Edith and Sybil. Her husband had travelled to Manchester for some days and still had not returned. None of them had seen the duchess of Crowborough before; as a result, there was nobody in the line that was not trembling in excitement.
The dust caused by the car could be seen from a mile away and Sybil, the youngest daughter, could not stop fidgeting as it was drawing near, trembling without a sense of shame, not trying to conceal her feelings. Her mother had told her that the sister of the Duke was her same age and the idea of having someone to talk to without feeling small made her even more nervous, in a good way. However, she was a little scared too, for as she was an activist for civil rights and the thing was not very well-considered at the time. She was afraid that maybe her closeness to the proletarian masses would terrify her new friend.
The car stopped in front of the house. William, the second footman, and Gwen, one of the housemaids, hurried there to unload the luggage of the duchess. Sybil held her breath while the coachman got down the car and opened the door to escort her out.
Cora approached the car with a gentle smile and her daughters stayed in their respective places.
«Your Grace» she whispered, while the young woman descended from the car.
«Call me Gabrielle, please, my dear friend» the duchess answered, smiling with the most delighted look Downton had seen in a very long time. «I do not like to be treated with such honour» she said, softly.
Cora smirked and shook her head, without understanding her clear detachment with the aristocratic protocol in which both of them had grown up. She, however, could not help liking her more than what she liked her brother Philip.
«You must be Sybil» Gabrielle said, approaching the girl. «Your father told me about you during his last visit to London».
They looked extremely different, even though they were the same age. Lady Gabrielle resembled an older woman, since she had been attacked with a non-common illness that made her stay in bed for months. However, she did not seem to be tired nor sick anymore, and her rascal and gentle smile gave a childish look to her slightly enfeebled face.
«I'm very pleased to finally meet you, Your Grace» Sybil answered.
«Do not dare to "Your Grace" me, darling» she replied. «Would you like to show me around?»
«Of course Your Gr...»
The inquisitive look of Gabrielle made Sybil shout her mouth.
«Call me Gabrielle, please, Sybil».
«I will. I am sorry».
«Do not bother saying you are sorry, it is perfectly understandable» she said, smiling gently once again.
Thomas, the first footman, stared at Gabrielle in wonder: she was nothing like her brother. However, he concealed his feelings behind a mask of gravity and detachment. Actually, he was used to that, so it was not as hard as it was to others, such as Lady Mary, who had a brief romance with the Duke. «Brief and false», Thomas thought, for as the Duke was as deceitful as Judas.
«Oh. Thomas, is that you?»
Her sympathetic voice veiled his thinking, and he gently lifted his head up, just to find her dark eyes staring at him.
«You were Lord Grantham's valet back in London, right?»
«Yes, Your Grace» he whispered, trying to keep his feverishness under control. He somehow felt that Gabrielle knew more about him than anyone else. His transitory romance with Philip could not have been disregarded by her. She must have had known.
«You look nice. I am pleased to see you working here… Still».
«Thank you, Your Grace» he answered, bowing nonchalantly. Gabrielle smiled at him once more and, unlike Thomas's first thoughts, she proved some kind of tenderness for him.
«These are… Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper» Cora said, trying to draw the young woman's attention away from the footman. «And Carson, the butler of Downton».
«Oh, Mrs. Hughes, it is such a pleasure to finally meet you» answered Gabrielle, shaking gently her hand. «I am happy to see you again, Carson».
«I feel honoured, my lady» he answered, bending lightly.
Cora tried not to feel left out of the conversation, even though she was unaware of Carson's familiarity with the duchess, and decided to escort her in, along with her daughters. When her ladyship and the girls left the front door to accompany Lady Gabrielle to her room, Gwen said what all of them were thinking about.
«She is so nice».
«She is» recognised Carson, with an almost unnoticeable smile drawn on his lips. «Now get to work, dinner will be served in an hour».