Lady Gabrielle's unusual demeanour.

«Good Lord! Supper was delicious; I would love to congratulate your cook for such a delectable meal».

Lady Grantham could not help feeling a bit embarrassed in front of the lady's keenness on Mrs. Patmore's dishes. Sybil however felt like she would become Gabrielle's friend very soon.

«I can call her for you if you want to and Mrs. Crawley allows me to do so, my lady» said Thomas in a soft whisper, while he was picking up the last glasses on the table. William had just taken all the plates to the kitchen.

«That would be wonderful, Thomas» Gabrielle answered, giving him the sweetest smile he had ever seen. Something inside of him trembled in emotion; still, he did not show anybody his sensitive frailty. «Is it alright for you, Cora, my dear?»

She hesitated for a moment, but then she remembered who her guest was, and nodded her head. Thomas disappeared downstairs.

«Do you really think that Mrs. Patmore's cuisine is that good?» asked Edith, looking doubtfully at the young lady.

«Of course I do think so, Edith. If not, I would not have asked Thomas to call her for me. What was her name again?»

«Mrs. Patmore» Sybil answered.

«Mrs. Patmore» she repeated. «I will have to remember that name» she said to herself, getting on her feet as soon as she saw the red-faced lady on the doorstep. «My dear Mrs. Patmore, please, come in, do not be shy».

Mrs. Patmore blushed exaggeratedly. She had never expected to be called upstairs by anyone in the house, even less by a Duke's sister.

«Cora must forgive me if I make her feel a bit harassed because of my attitude, but I thought I had to congratulate you for such a good supper. I have to tell you, my darling, that it had been months since I last had such a filling and pleasant meal, obviously setting aside the lovely company and the excellent service» she added, glaring at the young footmen, that were standing in front of the door with their arms crossed behind their backs. «Thank you so much. I would love to know the receipt for this pudding. How did you do it? It must have taken you so many hours».

«Well… I do have help downstairs» answered Mrs. Patmore in a murmur. «But… Ehm… I am sorry».

«Do not feel frightened by my status. I am a completely normal person, such as you».

Mary had to close her little sister's mouth by pulling up her chin; Sybil could not help feeling fascinated by that woman.

Gabrielle and Mrs. Patmore chatted for some minutes, indistinctly, and all Cora could understand were some unconnected words, such as "pudding", "chocolate", "three hours" and so on. After letting the cook explain the receipt for the pudding with sparkly eyes, Gabrielle decided it was enough and dismissed her with a forbearing smile. She had not expected Mrs. Patmore to be such a talkative woman.

«Mrs. Patmore! Mrs. Patmore! What did she tell you?»

The cook found herself surrounded by inquisitive and excited maids, curious to know every single detail of what had happened upstairs. Both William and Thomas had been dismissed by Cora, while Carson stayed in the dining room with the ladies.

«She said Mrs. Patmore's cookery was very good» said William, noticing that Mrs. Patmore was still under shock. She looked happy for once, and did not scream at Daisy that much during the rest of the evening.

After half an hour, the members of the service sat down at the large table they regularly used to eat. Thomas kindled a cigarette and handed it to O'Brien, Lady Grantham's maid. Then he ignited one for himself, serving a glass of water to Daisy, the kitchen maid, who looked at him with uncontained admiration. William grumbled slowly, but anybody noticed.

All of a sudden, the door's bell rang, and the maids and the footmen sat down properly in their places before letting Lady Sybil and Lady Gabrielle in. O'Brien extinguished her cigarette, Thomas did not. They all got on their feet as a way of showing respect.

«Oh, I beg you, do not do that» whinged Gabrielle. «I just came down here to take a look around. Do not mind me, please».

O'Brien wished to say something, but Mrs. Hughes's eyes told her not to open her mouth unless she wanted to be punished. Thomas gave the cigarette a puff, exhaling deeply. He felt extremely tired, as every day since he had restarted his job as a footman. For a while he had worked as Mr. Crawley's valet, but his lordship had employed Bates after three months, giving him back his stupid job.

«Oh, you have got a piano down here. That is wonderful» Gabrielle said, setting out towards it.

«Nobody is able to play it, though» William whispered.

«Really? What a pity» she answered.

«My predecessor knew how to play it. He was very good at doing superfluous things» Thomas said, taking another deep breath from the cigarette.

«Thomas, I hope you are not preaching again about… Oh. Your Grace».

«Stop it with "Your Grace", Carson. Call me "lady" if you must call me in some way» said Gabrielle, trying to keep calm. Then she smiled back at Thomas, and looked at Carson again. «Do not consider me disrespectful if I stand out for your footman, my friend, but he has got the right to think whatever he wants. Especially if he is staying in his locale».

«I suppose you are right, Your… Ladyship» hissed Carson, not looking very convinced.

«She is right» said Lady Sybil, grinning while looking at Gwen, who was trying to cover her giggles. It was the first time that anybody had confronted Carson with such an elegant (and straightaway) attitude.

«So, is there anyone that would like to learn how to play it?»

The silence that followed that question made Gabrielle feel a bit bothersome, but she caught the intrigued expression of William, staring at the piano with his big eyes.

«Do not be shy, William».

«Well» he whispered, looking around in embarrass. «My mother likes playing. I never learnt, though».

«Maybe you could learn before you pay her a visit. She would be glad» Gabrielle said, smiling gently. «Come here».

Mrs. Hughes flickered three or four times before realizing she was not living a strange dream in which the members of the privileged class cared about the footmen's feelings. Carson noticed and whispered softly in her hear that that was Gabrielle's way.

Sybil sat down near Gwen, on the edge of the bench, and stared with glaring eyes at the young woman.

«I think she will help us» she told her confidentially, as soon as she had started playing Für Elise. Gwen smiled, while her heart started pumping faster. There was still hope for her to get out of Downton.

Anna, the head housemaid, was the one that enjoyed that song the most. It reminded her of her home, and the man that she had fallen for. She closed her eyes and let the soft notes put her in a trance, in which she saw herself married to Mr. Bates, living in a beautiful cottage in South Yorkshire. Sadly, her dream got torn down as soon as Gabrielle stopped playing.

The young woman seemed suddenly concerned. However, she reawakened as fast as she had interrupted the delicate flux of his fingers on the keys of the piano and gave William a delighted smile.

«Now, have you seen how easy this is? You just have to…» and continued explaining the young footman what he had to do, as if anything had happened.

Still, that gesture was not unnoticed by Thomas that directly looked at her contracted back, not just curious but concerned. He had seen that look before, back in London, and somehow he felt that it did not mean anything good.

Anna had been appointed as Gabrielle's maid during the period she would stay in Downton and at that moment she was helping her undo her hair.

«So… What was your name again?» Gabrielle asked, smiling at the mirror upfront as she saw the maid's reflection on it.

«It is Anna, Your Grace».

«Mine is Gabrielle, thank you» she answered, giving a hint of a smile. «Please forgive me if during the first days of my staying I get confused with your name. I have so many names to remember».

Anna nodded, incapable of reacting differently.

A couple of minutes later Gabrielle was ready for bedtime. She fixed her hair in a high bun, under Anna's surprised eyes, and sat down on the bed, giving her a sympathetic smile.

«I know that for you, as for the rest of people in this house, I am a very bizarre individual» she said. «But do not judge me, please. I have seen misery and pain with my own eyes» she added, with a very soft whisper. Then she seemed to reconsider what she was going to say. «I do not pretend to offend you or anyone in this house with my manners. I need to ask you a favour, Anna».

«If I am able to help…»

«You are. Carson says that you are the most reasoning maid here. If you feel that I am doing anything wrong, not out of commonness because you have already seen that that is what I usually do…»

Anna giggled, and Gabrielle smiled agreeably.

«Something that might hurt sensibilities, please, come and tell me as soon as you can».

«I will» she answered, bowing softly.

«Good night, Anna» Gabrielle murmured, watching the maid close the door.

As soon as she made sure that she was actually gone, the girl got out of bed and took one of the books she had brought from London. The hound of the Baskervilles, the cover said. As soon as she opened it, another title appeared: Das Kapital. «Karl Marx» Gabrielle thought. «Such a fascinating man. I wonder what Father would think about me now if he was still alive».

She read incessantly until her fatigue won the battle against her will.