Mary watched as the little girl played with the bear as George played with his toy soldiers. She saw the reddish hair and slight freckles and frowned. The small founding was familiar somehow. She was a quiet child with a stubborn streak in her. Mary couldn't help but watch as the little girl talked in a mixture of words and gibberish to her little bear. The way the child talked to the bear reminded her of another little girl many years ago. That little girl had the same color hair and also had freckles. She too had a toy she talked to. A little doll if she remembered correctly. She would talk for hours to her little doll often times becoming So frustrated the little girl's mama had to hold her to calm her down. She was also a quiet child much like the little founding Mary watched. She gasped as she started to piece it all together. The moodiness and temper. The trips to London, Switzerland, even the Drewe's made sense. It wasn't until her younger sister walked into the nursery and the child toddled to her yelling "mama!" that Mary realized the truth. Marigold was her niece.
(I know it's short but let me know what you think. Thanks! This takes place in the 5th season around the Christmas Special although a bit AU as Mary still doesn't know. I do not own Downton Abbey no matter how many stars I wish upon. It belongs to Julian Fellows.)