London, March 1971

Cora Bartlett sat in her gran's living room surrounded by her family who were all dressed in black, because that is what you usually wear to a funeral. Her aunt Alice was moving around the room making sure everyone else was being taken care of, her uncle Eddie and cousin George were huddled in the corner probably discussing something boring and having to do with the estate. Cousin George was an Earl and owned a large estate with a great house called Downton Abbey that her gran and her sisters grew up in.

As a child Cora thought that it was a great castle and loved to run around the large halls and was jealous that her gran was able to grow up like a princess, but as a modern 17 year old she found the old place very boring and wondered why her uncle worked so hard as the estate manager to keep the thing going, but everyone in the family knew George and Eddie loved the place and considered it their life's work.

On the couch Cora's younger uncle Paul was talking politics and current events with her great uncle Tom, Cora had a soft spot for her old uncle mostly because as a child she loved to hear him read to her and her cousin's in his soft Irish accent. She knew that he was the estate manager for close to 40 years at Downton and he retired when Cora was a child, but he still lived there and sometimes was consulted by George and Eddie.

In the door way near the stairs Cora's mother Charlotte was speaking with her aunt Mary, great aunt Mary fascinated Cora, you could tell with one look what a refined and regal lady Aunt Mary was. As a young child Mary both frightened and intrigued Cora, the way she would sweep into a room and command attention, and the ability to make sure children were on their best behavior just by her presence. As she grew older and learned more about her great aunt she learned to appreciate Mary's wisdom and was able to see a softer side, she also loved to look through old pictures of her gran and her sisters and see her Aunt Mary's beautiful dark hair and creamy skin, she also found the silly dresses those young girls used to wear so very odd and different from the usual bell bottom jeans and flowy tops she lived in.

"Do you think she would like to move back to Downton to be around more people like you and Eddie and Uncle Tom?" Charlotte asked her aunt

"Dear, I don't think your mother would enjoy that, she spent most of her life trying to leave Downton and from what I understand she's quite the city girl and has been for close to 50 years"

"I know but I just don't like the idea of her alone in this house with dad gone...I know Alice will try to be over as much as she can but she still has her classes, maybe I will get Cora to come around more and talk to Paul about hiring a caregiver" Charlotte thought out loud while rubbing her forehead.

Mary sensed her niece was concerned about her mother's life after the death of her father, with a calming tone and a soft touch to her arm she said

"We can talk about it with your mother tomorrow, let's just get her through this day"

" I can't, I have meetings all day tomorrow with the board of directors and..."

As Alice walked by she overheard her sister talk about going back to work as publisher of "The Standard" and couldn't help herself

"Really Char, you're going back to work so soon after dad passed and mum needs us? Is money all you think about?"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes and responded "Alice you know how much mum and dad love the magazine and you know that dad wouldn't want me to shirk the responsibilities of what they built together and how dare..."

Mary cut off Charlotte before she could say anymore "alright girls that's enough, Alice just wants everyone focused on Edith which is admirable and Charlotte I think you're right, Michael loved the magazine like a child, and Alice, your sister just wants to honor his memory, now please no more fighting today especially in front of your mother."

Charlotte was the publisher of a weekly current events and lifestyle magazine called "The Standard", which was founded by Michael and Edith Gregson in August 1923 shortly after they were married and it was a large part of the Gregson and Crawley families ever since, Edith and Michael's children considered the office their second home as they would ofter spend afternoons there and observing their parents working together and being immersed in different opinions and events from around the world.

Charlotte always loved "the mag" and her fondest memories were peeking in and seeing her father patrolling around his office shirtsleeves rolled up, pencil in mouth with a concentrated look on his face focused on some paper or another, and then going across the narrow room where her parent's joint secretary Mrs. Bishop worked and seeing her mother hunched over a typewriter banging away on a column, muttering notes to her self and with sunlight streaming through the window making her coppery hair even brighter, when Charlotte saw that she thought her mum was the most beautiful and interesting woman on earth.

Michael Gregson ran and edited the magazine until 1963 when he stepped down to let the current financial director, Oxford graduate, noted businesswoman, and eldest daughter take over the business aspect and he left editing duties to his youngest son Paul who delivered his first article to the magazine at the age of 15. After college Paul spent 10 years abroad reporting from various locales, but spent the last few years in the London office pushing to deliver the most powerful and honest pieces on events happening around the world and in Great Britain, Paul believed the magazine had an responsibility to make its readers the most well informed people on the planet and took it very seriously. Even after retiring Michael had a hard time staying away from the office until Edith implored him to cut back on his visits arguing "...if the old man is still doddering around the place no one will take Paul or Charlotte seriously" so Michael stayed home more often out of concern for his children and the good of the magazine.

Edith was still a regular contributor until 1955, her articles were always well written and forthright, building her a reputation through out England as one of the most important columnists in print, often when there was a complicated or controversial issues people in pubs and sitting rooms across the country would ask each other "I wonder what Mrs. Gregson thinks?" but citing her age and that the world was changing faster than she was and that there were younger and talented writers who needed an outlet Edith turned in her final regular column in September of that year, it was a short piece mainly thanking the readers for their loyalty and claiming they gave her much more that she did them, thanking her children for putting up with being raised by two journalists, and finally thanking "my partner...in crime, business, board games, tea making, parenting, and love; dear Michael for giving a silly toff girl a chance to tell people her opinions in that dreary office all those years ago in 1920, for always believing in me, but most of all for keeping your promise, I hope I'm still keeping mine". But even in retirement Edith was sought out to write the odd column here and there and act as a contributor on various radio and television programs.

Charlotte gave her aunt a sympathetic and thankful smile, she was close to her aunt mostly because she spent the war years at Downton as the blitz was raging in London so Mary considered her a daughter and was happy to take care of Edith's children as Michael couldn't leave the magazine and Edith wouldn't leave Michael, but it was decided the children needed to be as safe as possible.

"thank you Aunt Mary, she's right Alice, mum doesn't need us to fight, speaking of shouldn't she be down now the service starts soon"

"Do you want me to go see?" asked Sybil Branson-Taylor as she joined her cousins and aunt, Sybil was the oldest cousin and spent her life being looked up to by her younger family members, especially when she earned top marks in medical school during a time when most women weren't brave enough to deal with the sexism at those institutions of higher learning. She also gained pride from her family as she became the leading doctor specializing in women's health and child birth in the country and she even wrote a very smart piece in "The Standard" in favor of the national health system and why there needs to be advancement in women's health

"I'm quite alright Dr. Branson-Taylor, no need to call the ambulance" said Edith as she moved down the stairs and toward her gathered family

"Mum what are you wearing?!" asked Alice as the family took in the sight of the recent widow wearing an emerald green dress that compliment her wrinkly but still alabaster complexion, and made her soft white hair stand out even more.

"I'm wearing a dress from Harrod's I know tradition dictates I wear black, but I've worn black far too much and seeing how I only have a few years left I'm going to do what I like with the time I have,...and besides It's my husband's funeral and I'll do what I damn please"

Cora stifled a giggle, she loved when her gran "laid the law down" as her gramp Michael often described it, especially when it shocked her Aunt Alice

Mary suppressed a smirk thinking about how like their grandmother Violet, Edith had become in her older years.

Charlotte looked around the room and said "well you'll get no argument with me if that's the way you feel"

"You look beautiful Aunt Dee" complimented George, Edith's nieces and nephews called her "Aunt Dee" unsurprisingly through the influence of Sybil, as a child Sybbie couldn't manage to pronounce "Edith" and the sound that came out sounded like 'Dith" and that shortened to just "Dee" and it stuck for close to 50 years.

Eddie added "absolutely, dad always loved you in green didn't he mum?" the question Eddie posed brought the room back from Edith's feisty declaration and into the reality that they have a funeral to attend.

"I think you're right about that Ed," stated Tom Branson, "... and I believe he hated when people weren't on time, we better get going dear" Tom directed towards his sister in law and offered his arm and guided her toward the door and the rest of the family followed.

The service was attended by all the important people from the publishing and news world and featured eulogies by Lord George Crawley, Earl of Grantham who remembered his uncle as a kind and considerate man with a passion for his work, who helped fill the role of a father figure in his life he also told a charming story of Uncle Michael on a pheasant shoot at Downton when George was a teenager and how Michael kept getting lost and was complaining about the racket of the guns and the whole day in general, when George asked him "why didn't you just stay in London if you're not having fun?" Michael responded "because my boy, your aunt Dee is well worth putting up with traipsing around the countryside and seeing your grandpapa gloat over dead birds, she loves to visit here and see you and your cousins and when she's happy I'm happy." and by longtime secretary Gwen Bishop who described getting to know the man over the course of 40 years and how constant the devotion he had toward his children, his employees and most of all his wife Edith

after the service there was a reception where Charlotte cornered her daughter

"Cora, listen you need to spend sometime with gran, she is going to miss gramp very much so I need you to go over to her house at least twice a week and visit"

as most 17 year olds would do Cora huffed and rolled her eyes

"but I have things to do mum, I..."

Charlotte cut her off with a stern look and in a strict whisper

"going shopping with your friends 5 times a week is not things to do, you can spare a few hours a week to see your grandmother, and besides she's more interesting than you think, you can start on Thursday, no argument."

with that Charlotte walked away to talk to more old work colleagues of her father's and Cora resigned her self to the fact that she would be taking tea with her gran quite often.