Thank you everyone who has followed and reviewed so far. I'm working a few chapters ahead of where I'm publishing. I have written a few novels since I've been off fan fiction but not quite sure what I'm going to do with them yet. I'm writing all the characters multi faceted so Mary will have nasty times and nice times much as she does in the show, Edith will be going through dilemmas and the other characters we all know show up with comments on the world and others around them or working through their own problems. I also found Sarah Bunting rather grating and opinionated. It looks like she leaves mid season five but then it could be a red herring.
Chapter Two
"This is your fault, Edith," Mary said when Rose told them the news from London. It was the end of the day and the women were gathered in the drawing room. Cora, Edith and Mary were present. Violet had declined the invitation for dinner saying she had a dinner with an old friend. The men had gone through earlier for billiards. Tony Foyle aka Lord Gillingham was visiting as was often the case these days and Robert had invited another friend of his from the local gentry.
"How could anything Mabel Lane Fox have said, be my fault," Edith replied quickly. "I don't know the woman nor do I care too."
"If you hadn't spread rumors years ago, no one would be the wiser," Mary snapped.
"Mary!" Cora exclaimed. "That is ancient history and Edith has apologized."
"It's not ancient history according to Mabel Lane Fox!" Mary replied quickly. Her chin was in the air and there was fight in her eyes.
"She's saying you snatched Tony from her by using your feminine wiles. It wasn't Mabel bringing up the other unfortunate incident, but others are saying it must be the truth after the Turk," Rose contributed. "It's quite the buzz in London and you were seen kissing Tony on the step of the Savoy."
"Mabel sounds angry and hurt," Cora said.
"I wish people would mind their own counsel instead of spreading rumors," Edith said quietly.
"If you had stayed out of things, I wouldn't have this mess," Mary retorted waspishly.
"It wasn't me who had an affair with a complete stranger in the first place," Edith replied getting angry. She stood up suddenly. "I'll bid you all goodnight. I'm sure Mary can figure out how to get out of this mess on her own."
Edith headed into the library for a few minutes quiet before heading upstairs. She didn't want her ladies maid to see her dabbing her eyes with her hanky yet again. She turned suddenly when she realized she wasn't alone.
"Tom, what are you doing in here?"
"Looking for a book to read," Tom replied. "I'm working on a problem and I thought I might find inspiration in one of these books. You're looking like you need a shoulder to cry on."
"No, not at all," Edith replied. "It's just family, you know. Why can't people let the past stay buried?"
"You let some go, you bring some with you," Tom replied. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Not a thing," Edith replied. "Thank you for that."
"I can always listen, Edith," he offered. Edith was still looking sad but her tears had stopped.
"Never mind my problems. What sort of problem are you working on, if I'm not prying?"
"Business. It seems to be my main problem at the moment."
"I could listen as well," Edith said with a slightly hopeful look.
"Well, here it is," Tom replied. He took a seat across from her on the sofa once she was seated. "There is a fixed budget set out for one of the enterprises on the estate. Costs are rising and it's costing more to run but the customers of that enterprise are completely unwilling to accept less service. We've come to a point where the budget can't meet the costs."
"Can't you cut the costs?" Edith questioned.
"Not without a great deal of ruffled feathers," Tom replied.
"Can you increase the budget?"
"No, the payment on the loan is due."
"Then the customers are going to have to accept what they get," Edith said.
"If only it were that simple," Tom replied seriously.
"Costs are rising everywhere," Edith said thoughtfully. "I've been considering an article on the changes in charity fundraising. This is going to sound a bit odd but are the workers receiving lunch?"
"They do," Tom replied.
"I've heard of business where they cut the tea provided or the lunches as a cost saving measure this last while. There was quite the talk at the last ladies hospital fundraising meeting. We used to supply lunch for volunteers at functions, but no longer. We can't afford it."
"I don't think that would work," Tom said. "You can only do that with day staff."
"Perhaps you can move your workers for the enterprise to day staff," Edith said in an attempt to be helpful.
"Not exactly what I had in mind, but I'll think it over," Tom replied.
"You won't be getting anywhere with Mary in the next few days. The London gossip chain has her hackles up whether she lets on or not."
"Thanks for the warning," Tom replied. "I'd best head up. I've an early meeting."
"I'll go up with you. My maid will be waiting for me. I don't want to keep her too late tonight."
"Have the others gone up?"
"They're still discussing the latest from London."
"I think I'll pass."
"If only I could," Edith replied with a sigh of resignation as she climbed the stairs.
-0-
The next day Tom couldn't help but think he was possibly the best-dressed, well-paid gamekeeper in the entire country. He was out for afternoon hunting with Tony. Tom had a game bag over his shoulder and was carrying the rabbits they had bagged while Tony chatted up Mary. She had decided to come along at the last moment. The weather had cleared and the rabbits were out looking for anything they could devour in the afternoon sun after the cold of the last two days. The proliferation of rabbits in the surrounding countryside was a perpetual problem. They could destroy a field of alfalfa in a few days and were constantly getting into the winter-feed. Hunting rabbit was as much about keeping their population under control as providing an alternate meat source for the house.
"You're looking serious," Tony commented after he'd shot a rabbit. Isis had run to retrieve the animal while the group waited.
"Nothing to concern yourself with," Tom replied. He'd come to dislike the way Mary's guests seemed to constantly insert themselves into the workings of the estate. They seemed to always have an opinion on almost every point of management that came up.
"I'm feeling a need for a breath of fresh air after the rain of the last while," Mary commented with a beaming smile for Tony. "We'll have to have dancing tonight for your last night."
"You could always come to London with me tomorrow," Tony offered with raised eyebrows. "We could have a gay time when I'm not occupied meetings."
"I think I will," Mary replied.
Tom shook his head slightly. With all the years he'd spent living at the estate he'd learned to read Mary's moods well. He was heading Edith's warning from the previous evening. He knew Mary well enough to know she was putting on a good front while manipulating the social situation to her own advantage. He'd come to like Mary and respected her as someone who wasn't afraid to learn the business of the estate and safe guard those interests for her son. She was a fierce ally in an argument but she could be cruel and manipulative when the mood took her. Her constant bouts of waspishness with Edith were more than obvious and he didn't care for them one bit. Tom didn't approve of the things Mary had said to Edith regarding Michael Gregson' disappearance. Just because Edith hadn't been married to the man didn't mean she was grieving any less than he had done. Mary had grieved and was still grieving in her own way but she wasn't discouraging the men who were paying her attention. If anything she was encouraging it.
The other thing Tom didn't care for with Mary was the way she was raising her son. Hardly a day went by when Tom didn't spend time with his daughter. There had only been a few short trips to London or days when he'd been tied up with business from dawn until dusk when he didn't spend a portion of the day with her. Mary on the other hand was going about things as her mother and grandmother had before her. George wasn't unhappy being left with a nanny the majority of the time, but he never accompanied his mother on trips to London or to friend's homes for the weekend. There were many times when Mary was tied up with entertaining and too busy for bedtime stories or the play sessions Tom regularly stopped by for. She'd had a hard time bonding with George right after Matthew's death and it seemed for all she was protecting his heritage the closeness Tom felt with his daughter didn't exist between mother and son. She already had plans for which boarding schools she would be sending her son to as soon as he was old enough to attend. Tom was considering a day school for Sybie in two years or possibly a tutor, but boarding school was out of the question. Parenting styles and how they wanted their children raised were points the two of them would never see eye to eye on.
Tom took the rabbit from Isis when she returned with it and placed it in his bag. His thoughts all day had kept turning back to the problem of the household budget. He walked a short while further along the path they had been following preoccupied with his own thoughts, when he realized he was alone with Isis. He turned back with his open shotgun over his arm to see Mary and Tony sharing what looked to be a passionate embrace slightly off to the side of the trail in a small thicket of bushes. He sighed as he turned back to his hunting. Just then a set of two large ears popped up over a clump of grass. He closed his gun and fired at the rabbit. Isis bounded happily after the kill as Tom ejected the spent shells and placed fresh in the chamber. By the time Isis was back with the rabbit, Mary and Tony were quickly approaching on the path.
"Not too much longer for your sport," Mary commented. "I've got to get back to the house and pack if we're off to London in the morning."
"I have something to discuss with you before you leave," Tom said to Mary. "When you have a few minutes. I don't think it can wait until you get back."
"I think I'll leave whatever it is to your judgment this time Tom," Mary replied while batting her lashes at Tony.
"Tom usually shows excellent judgment with the estate," Tony affirmed. He was hoping Mary's sudden bout of flirting meant she had finally decided to accept him.
"As you wish," Tom replied catching himself before he sighed.
-0-
"I'm not sure this is the best course of action," Violet Crawley commented the next day. She was over for afternoon tea with Cora. There was no sense involving Robert with anything to do with gossip. Mary and Tony had already left for a week in London and everyone else was occupied with their own affairs.
"Mary felt embracing the rumors rather than hiding from them were the best course of action," Cora replied.
"Perhaps this time she'll snap the man in question up instead of waiting until he's found someone else, or in this case gone back to the other woman," Violet stated with a dower expression.
"Mama, Mary isn't ready. You know that," Cora said.
"Ready or not there are those who would snap up a Lord in a heart beat, especially one who is a viscount in his own right. What about that other man who was sniffing around? Not Evelyn Napier the other one. He's heir to a Baron isn't he? One can't afford to be too picky especially in a second marriage."
"Charles Blake is in Northern Ireland for the next six weeks with his work," Cora replied. "I don't see any rush for Mary to find another husband. It's Edith I'm worried about."
"Edith is entirely too glum. She'll never attract anyone with that long face she puts on."
"She's grieving even though she and Michael Gregson weren't married."
"Perhaps," Violet replied noncommittally. "Why can't the young people select a suitable candidate and get on with it? I can't say though I miss that one Branson was interested in. She was entirely unsuitable. Why can't he select one of our own young women?"
"Who would you have him select?" Cora questioned.
"There must be someone suitable we can think of," Violet replied. "He's tame now and respectable enough these days."
"Respectable or not the young ladies won't show up at the door with out encouragement and he is not the type to encourage them," Cora replied. Just then the rest of the family followed by Tom entered the library.
"I've something I wanted to talk over with all of you while we're all assembled," Tom said a few minutes later once everyone was settled with sandwiches and cups of tea. "If you could leave us for a few minutes James?"
Jimmy left the room with a slight bow. He was usually assigned to serve afternoon tea.
"Whatever it is sounds ominous," Robert inquired once the family was alone.
"It's the estate accounts, actually the household accounts to be specific," Tom began. "As you know the interest on the loan has just been paid, leaving the estate cash poor."
"That is not news. We all knew this was coming and budgeted for it," Robert said.
"What we didn't budget for was the rise in expenses. The cost of provisions has increased as has fuel and a host of other things," Tom replied. "It has created a shortfall in the budget specifically to do with the house."
"Can't you transfer funds from other areas?" Violet demanded immediately. "I can't believe an estate of this size can't afford to run the house."
"I knew tying up funds in these diversification schemes of yours would lead to trouble," Robert grouched completely ignoring his mother.
"The estate needs to diversify for the future," Tom replied with his cheeks coloring slightly. "To answer your question Lady Grantham, no we can't transfer funds from other estate operations. Expenses are increasing everywhere."
"It's this blasted government and their public health schemes. They're pushing things this country can't afford," Robert continued on one of his favorite tirades.
"The government is attempting to improve the lot of the common person," Tom pointed out. "This isn't the first time commodities have fluctuated and it won't be the last."
Robert opened his mouth to argue the point when Cora cut him off.
"I'll ask Mrs. Hughes to go over the household accounts with me tomorrow Tom. Perhaps we can find ways to cut down on some of the costs."
"I don't like it," Robert stated. "It isn't how things were done in the past."
Rose had been sitting to the side not saying much. She rolled her eyes slightly at Robert's statement.
"I agree with Tom," Rose said. "Fluctuating prices have been seen before. Daddy says…"
"Yes, yes," Robert said cutting her off. Violet tsked at Rose while Tom and Edith turned to her to hear what she had to say.
"I think we should hear what Rose has to say," Tom said.
"Thank you, Tom," Rose continued. "I was only going to say the countries that do the best financially are those that have diverse exports. Prices and trade agreements change all the time. It would stand that an estate with diverse products would also be able to rise to changing demand more easily. Financial demands are bound to arise during a period of change."
Robert and Violet were staring at Rose with their mouths open. Cora looked equally as shocked at Rose's comments.
"You've never said anything before, Rose," Tom commented with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth once he'd gotten over his shock as well.
"I… well, I didn't think anyone was interested," Rose replied calmly.
"None of that changes the problem we have at hand," Robert said. "What are we going to do about the house?"
"I'll look into things tomorrow," Cora replied. "Perhaps you would assist me, Edith?"
"Of course, Mama," Edith replied. She wasn't quite sure what had come over Rose either.
