Christmas Special

Part 2

A week was passed and Christmas was becoming closer, but despite Lady Grantham's predictions, there wasn't any upcoming marriage for Isobel yet. Truth be told, Lord Merton had tried to arrange a meeting more than once, but she had always come up with some excuses. She hadn't decided anything, she had just kept avoiding to think about it at all. Larry's apologize had been welcomed with satisfaction indeed, but now that the last obstacle standing between her and Dickie was removed, a part of her was regretting that victory; she had spent more than a year shielding herself behind her noble intent to stay out of a relationship between a father and his sons, but now she was starting to think that maybe that was just an excuse – just like the casual ones she was using now. Maybe she had never been ready to marry him in the past, as she wasn't clearly ready now.

Lingering in her difensive strategy, Isobel just kept avoiding the Greys for a little longer and making herself busy. However, unluckily for her, little did she know that she wasn't the one to hold the strings of the story. So, when surprisingly her path crossed with Merton and Miss Amelia's one in front of the hospital, she was basically left with no other choice but stop running – phisically and on a mental level too.

"Dickie, Miss Cruikshank, what are you doing here? Nothing bad happened, I hope"

"Oh no, we are here to see you, actually, since it is the place I was sure to find you" the man replied with a somewhat embarassed smile. "I needed to talk with you and Amelia was so kind to come with me."

Isobel just moved her eyes from the two of them, a bit taken aback. At the thought that they had been looking for her, she couldn't help but feel even more trapped; as far as her mind still refused to aknowledge the whole big question, she knew very well that the topic he wanted to discuss in that exact moment and in that exact place was right about that big question indeed.

"Well, do tell me then" she finally said with an inward deep sigh.

"We weren't able to see each other again after the last meeting at my house and I didn't have the chance to ask you what you think about Larry's change of mind…"

"I believe it's rather obvious what I think about it" she replied quickly, with diplomacy, "I accept his apologize and I am very glad that he doesn't see me as an enemy anymore. I would have really hated to come between you and your sons…"

"Of course, of course, Isobel" he nodded with convinction, even if clearly that wasn't the point he wanted to reach. He paused for a moment, giving a glance at his left and looking back at her only after he received a sort of encouraging nod from his future daughter in law. "But what do you think about us now? I mean… I mean…"

"Lord Merton wants to know when you two can settle the date for your wedding!" Amelia cut him off abruptly, with her usual irritating melliflous smile.

While he had the decency to slightly widen his eyes at that unexpected bluntness, Mrs Crawley totally escaped that part and instead turned to Amelia with a very unfriendly glare.

"I am sorry for your plans, but this isn't going to happen" she said more sharply than she wanted, probably pouring on the young woman all the frustrations she had had to inwardly deal with for too long.

Needless to say that Miss Cruikshank stared at her as if she had grown a third head. "But Larry did apologize! You said that if Larry approved you, you would marry Lord Merton!"

"Actually, I never said that!" she exclaimed back with the same sudden vehemency. Soon she realized though how her words must have affected the present man too and so, as she moved her eyes back to him, her face instantly softened, showing regret. "Dickie, I am terribly sorry. I haven't been fair to you – nor to myself. Your sons' disapproval was not the only reason I have decided to break off our engagement and I am sadly realizing it only now… I don't love you, not like I should…"

In spite of the pain and undeniable disappointment he was feeling for the meaning of her confession, Dickie didn't seem angry at her at all. Actually, as a last attempt not to let her go, he gently took her hands in his. "But I do love you, Isobel. Even if you do not love me, this can be enough, maybe in time you will…"

He trailed off, maybe because he realized himself too the irony of what he was saying. Time? Considering their age, time was the only thing they didn't have and the only time truly left was carpe diem.

"This could work, I know" she answered, not helping but feel tears in her own eyes now. As far as she never loved him, she cared for him very much and hated to see him hurt because of her. He was indeed the perfect man to marry if only… "The point is that I am already in love with someone else" she admitted and it was actually an admission to herself as well.

Amelia gasped in pure shock, but Lord Merton had a much more elegant reaction, giving her just a sad but yet understanding smile. He didn't ask who that someone else was, he didn't want to know – or maybe, he already knew.

"I see. Then I am forced to let you go, Isobel. I can't blame you, though, because honestly you never claimed to love me... At least I hope we can still remain friends."

"Of course we can" she assured immediately, squeezing a bit his hands which were still clasped with hers.

Then, silently, he brought his hands to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on them – a kiss that was the prelude of a goodbye. "Goodbye, Isobel" he said in fact with words too, ready to take his leave.

"Goodbye Dickie" she whispered back.

As her former fiancè walked away along with a still very shocked daughter in law, Isobel just remained still in front of the hospital, watching their figures until they totally disappeared from her view. However, when she finally looked away and turned again to the main door of the building, she found another surprise waiting for her. Feeling probably more embarassed in that moment than during the whole previous conversation, she almost jumped in place.

"Doctor Clarkson…" she just said, asking herself for how long he had been standing out there and actually how much he had heard.

That was hard to tell though, because he looked unexplanaibly annoyed and even crossed.

"Mrs Crawley… I have to go, I have a patient waiting for me"

A curt nod and a quick look was all she got from him, along with those simple words. Then, he entered again inside and she was left alone with her multiplying thoughts, which she couldn't pretend to escape anymore.


"Excuse me for the late, Lady Grantham" Doctor Clarkson said, entering his office and closing the door behind.

It was hard to say though, if the gravity his face was showing was for the situation with Isobel he left behind, or actually for the even more difficult one he was about to face now. He sighed heavily – maybe for both the reasons – and went to occupy the seat behind his desk. Once he was at the eye level of his rather exceptional patient, he was met by a pair of well-known piercing green eyes; apparently that woman was more ready to approach the conversation than he was.

"Don't worry, there is nothing that a few minutes more could do for me anyway" she replied in fact ironically, with a just hinted bitterness in the voice. "So, speaking of time, how much time exactly do I have left?" she asked then with an unbelievable calmness. When he refused to answer right away, she shook her head and her stare became reproachful. "Oh, Doctor Clarkson, as far as I recall you never were fond of lies, so please don't start right now!"

He looked away for a moment as to escape that look, but he soon looked up again and, when he did, he found himself being sincere and blunt as his job – and also his personality - required. "It is a very aggressive cancer, I am afraid. You have a month, maybe two… Since you refuse any treatment." As he spoke the last part, roles were inverted and suddenly he was the scolding one.

But Violet seemed untouched and just offered him a somewhat sad smile. "Which treatment, Doctor? I am 83 and I had a long and full life. I think it is time for me to go anyway…"

"But you could move into a more specialized hospital or…"

"I am staying here, Doctor" she cut him off, with convinction. "I hardly believe that any hospital could perform magic in any case"

Richard remained silent once again; there was nothing he could say anyway, he could only nod in defeat but also admiration. She was loyal to that hospital, to that town, to her home and her principles until the very end.

"You will soon need a nurse to take care of you" he continued after a short while, offering a weak compromise.

Violet did not oppose at that, not totally at least. "I know. Anyone but Mrs Crawley of course…"

Richard sighed deeply and not even tried to hide it. Wheter or not tell to the Crawley family was the main topic of discussion, as the doctor believed that she would have needed support in such a delicate situation or at least there could have been done an exception for Isobel, given the close relationships between the two women. Of course he wouldn't have said a word, but still he disagreed.

"If I may speak freely, Lady Grantham, I think you should tell her instead. Mrs Crawley cares a lot about you and I am sure she will be glad to help you through all of this."

But that new attempt had the same effect of the many previous ones, which was none. "I don't want her to pity me" the woman answered stubbornly, shaking her head.

"Really? Is this the only reason?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

And he had every reason to be incredulous since she didn't believe her own excuse as well. She remained silent, holding an unreadable face for a while, until she suddenly made a weak smile. "You see, dear Doctor, maybe I care a lot for her as well" she finally admitted. "Isobel has suffered enough in her life and she doesn't deserve it. It is bad enough to think that she will be alone when I am gone and…"

"I will take care of her" he spoke softly, almost authomatically.

Usually, Violet hated to be interrupted like that and he had never actually dared to do that before, but yet those words were a surprising very welcome exception. They looked at each other for some seconds and it was like a promise was made in that look, or maybe it was more like a pass of the boton.

Finally, she nodded and her tiny smile grew. "I know you will"


I am a terrible person, I know, but actually I wouldn't mind if it was Violet the one to die. She is probably my favorite character and certainly one of the main pillars of the show, that is why I think that only an important death luke hers would feel like a real closure to Downton Abbey. As for the first scene, it was my ideal wish for the still unknown scene that was filmed in front of the hospital. I decided to close this way Dickie's role in this story, and in the next chapter I will finally focus more on the relationship between Isobel and Richard.

Thank you all for the reviews to the first chapter. I hope that you are still interested in following this story, now that I have made the direction a bit more clear.