The first meeting between Bertie Pelham and his future wife's grandmother wasn't really a success.
No - let me rephrase that.
The first meeting between Bertie Pelham and Lady Violet Crawley was an utter catastrophe.
...
It was the morning of the Open House at Downton.
Bertie was sitting with Tom Branson outside Downton Abbey selling tickets when he noticed an old woman walking right past the queue heading towards the door of the building. He sprang to his feet and quickly ran to stand in front of the woman, blocking her way.
"I'm sorry, Madam", Bertie said with a smile. "You have to wait in line with everyone else."
Bertie had been an officer in the army, so he was used to getting men to obey him. But he knew it was much more difficult with women.
If looks could kill, Bertie Pelham would have been a dead man already.
"I'm sure I have much more right to visit this house than you have young man", the old lady said, looking at Bertie in disdain.
"Whoever you are", she added.
"Of course we could make amends for your old age and let you go in with the next group", Bertie said with a friendly smile. "But I must insist that you buy a ticket. It's six pence."
Tom had noticed what was happening now and was running up to them, feeling rather sorry for Bertie.
"This is Lady Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess, Edith and Mary's grandmother", Tom said in one breath. "And Sybil's."
"Oh!" Bertie was aghast. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"
He really hadn't managed to make a good first impression on Edith's impressive granny, it seemed. He wondered what Edith would say about him trying to get a few pence from her granny to let her enter the house.
"And this is Herbert Pelham", Tom added. "He is sweet on Edith."
Sweet on Edith? That wasn't really how Bertie would have described it, but he didn't like to deny that either, so he didn't say anything about it. Which was perhaps as well, because the old lady started talking immediately.
"Oh, yes!" Violet said with a crooked smile. "The famous Bertie!"
She was looking over Bertie carefully from top to bottom.
"Edith has been talking quite a lot about you", she added. "Some of it rather exaggerated it seems. She has been praising your intelligence!"
Bertie felt rather small beside this short woman. But, he was used to that. He had his mother, he knew mere size didn't amount to much in the eyes of a woman.
"You can never trust a woman in love, can you", Violet added with a chuckle.
Bertie was feeling just as stupid as Lady Grantham was implying.
"Well, we all have our burdens to bear", Violet said. "Pleased to meet you Mr Pelham. Now Tom, if you two will both excuse me, I have to go in and have a word with my son and my daughter-in-law."
Just before she went in through the doorway, Violet turned around and looked at Bertie who smiled back rather shyly.
"Don't worry, young man", she said. "At least Edith managed to get one thing right. You are rather sweet."
Bertie looked sheepishly at Tom, feeling even more embarrassed by the praise than by the reprobation. Tom tried to keep a straight face, but he didn't really succeed.
"I think she approves of you", Tom said with a big grin. "She has never called me sweet."
...
And what did Edith say when he told her about it that evening?
She just had a good laugh.
"Granny has her opinions", she said then. "I learned early on not to take her too seriously. It is easier that way."
Then she kissed him. And all was well in his world again.
AN: Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment!
...
This is the only logical time for the two of them to meet, I think. I might have missed something, though.