It had been a happy Christmas indeed. Freddie had been home and had told his mother and grandmother all about Ripon. Apparently most of the teachers were good, the lodgings excellent, some of the boys were snobs, but he ignored them and had already made plenty of friends. His best friend was a boy named Oliver, but he swore he hadn't forgotten his old friends.
There had been a bit of a difficulty to explain why she had quit her job at Downton and new house, but Freddie was a good mannered boy and if his mother told him to stop asking questions he did, even though sharing strange glances with his grandmother. He was soon distracted however by all the food and the Christmas presents. There were knitted socks and sweater from his grandmother and both French and English classics from his mother. Unbeknown to him, one of the titles had been from Lord Grantham. Freddie's joy however had been nothing compared to his mother's happy tears when he gave her his gift, a little wooden horse that he had carved himself, not to mention when he handed her his school report.
"This is wonderful, Freddie!" she hugged and kissed him, something he only let her do on special occasions. She turned to her mother "Look, mother!"
"I can't believe I have such a clever grandson. Mathematics, Latin, history . . . What about philosophy? Compared to the other great work it stands out" Jane took back the paper.
"Mother, give him a break, my intelligent boy" she smiled at him, but he looked straight at his grandmother.
"That's professor Rosenstein, he doesn't really like scholarship boys"
"Freddie!"
"It's true mother, everyone says so . . . I promise I'll behave and show him that I'm just as good as those fancy pansies. " Now it was his grandmother who smiled at him.
"That's the spirit, Freddie, you just show them" Jane however tried to share the fun, but her Christmas spirit had somewhat diminished.
But now Christmas was over, so was New Year and both Freddie and her mother were gone. Jane was cleaning the kitchen for the second time that week wondering if she could write to the principal of Ripon Grammar and tell him about this professor Rosenstein. But she had promised Freddie she wouldn't. So she couldn't do that, the kitchen was perfectly clean absolutely nothing to do. She hung up her apron and in lack of better things she put on some tea and started once again reading through one of Freddie's history essays.
Suddenly there was a hard knock on the door. Before she had time to react there was another and then a key turned in the lock. Still sitting she saw a dishevelled Lord Grantham helping himself through the door and into the kitchen. She hadn't seen him since before Christmas, but she had been a Downton during a Christmas and New Year and knew how busy it was. But the state of him made her worried instead of happy, he looked like he was about to cry.
For a moment Robert just stared at her. "I'm sorry to come here unannounced, but . . ." he kept gazing at her and he could read confusion in her face. It didn't work! Whenever he saw her all his troubles left him, the outside world disappeared, but not now. His body was shaking.
"My word is crumbling, Jane" his voice cracked and she hurried up and over to him.
"What's happened?" she asked him while trying to get him to sit down on the kitchen couch.
"I can't stay long" he seemed confused and he kept looking around the room until she finally took his face in her hands. She was about to say something when there was a fuzzy noise. The tea! She hurried to take the pot from the stove and poured some into a cup and put it in front of him.
"Thank you. I'm sorry I'm so" still the tears were threatening and she sat down next to him and took his hand in his.
"Please, tell me what's happened" she asked him. Her concerned voice warmed his heart and he took up her hand to kiss it.
"Dearest Jane" finally he looked up at her "I've just been to Bates trial. They, they found him guilty of premeditated murder" Jane felt like her heart was about to break.
"They couldn't, he . . ."
"No, they did, but we will fight for him and he will be free" he told her most determined and with a slightly shaking hand drinking some of the offered tea. Jane exhaled, the all hope wasn't lost.
"Poor Mr Bates, and poor Anna, she must be devastated" then she looked back at him "No wonder you are so upset" Robert huffed half heartedly
"I wish that was the only thing, I thought with the war our worries would be over, and then the Spanish flu and then . . ." he stopped himself, he had been about to say and then this. He wouldn't change this for anything. Jane squeezed his hand and smiled that sweet kind smile. She cared for him much more than he deserved. "Can you imagine, I am going to be a grandfather" and for the first time he didn't feel total disagreement with the thought. Jane's smile widened.
"That's wonderful! Congratulations" What else could she say? She assumed it was Lady Sibyl, then that meant that she had Mr Branson must have married. "You must be so happy" She meant it, she know the joy such news brought to a family, hopefully. A small smile began to spread on Robert's face.
"I must admit it will take some time getting used to. The marriage, a child and that chauffeur" he uttered the last word as if it gave him a bad taste in the mouth. "But at least she claims to be happy, which is all I wish for Mary so . . ." he bit he tongue, he really shouldn't talk like this about his family.
Jane just nodded and rose to get a cup of tea for herself. "Of course you want them to be happy, you love them. We always wish the very best for our children." He just nodded, contemplating her words as he thought of his daughters. The business with Mary had almost been too much for him, but of course Jane was right, and he was in no mood for losing another daughter. His thoughts were interrupted by Jane.
"Speaking of, Freddie was thrilled for that Kipling novel, now he won't stop talking about India. And he's doing very well at school" she went back to the table and sat down again "Look"
She showed him the essay and the reports and finally that warm familiar feeling filled his heart. Suddenly Downton seemed so distant and Bates' trial wasn't more than a half forgotten nightmare. "This is great, Jane! Wonderful, really, my, Latin and history, I loved history . . . What about this, he doesn't like philosophy?"
"No he . . ." but then she decided against it, he had enough on his shoulders "I think he just needs some time getting used to it"
Robert nodded, but then looked at his watch. "Heavens, is that the time? I need to go back." He rose and headed for the door, but turned in the middle of a step back to her. She hesitantly walked over to him, standing close. He was yet to kiss her good bye "I'm glad that Freddie is doing so well. I wish I had happier news than this, this mess I come dragging with" She gently put her hand to his cheek.
"As sure as I am it will all work out, I wish I could relieve you from some of your burdens" She sounded so strong when she said it, like if he asked her she could give him some peace. He knew she could. Finally he placed his arms around her waist.
"You do, Jane, you always do" and he leaned down and kissed her. He felt her hands in his neck and then in his hair. Oh, how he loved her.
He managed to get back to Downton without anyone noticing that he had been gone. Only Mary commented on it when she found him in the library, stating that he had been hiding from them.
When he then managed the courage to talk to her he meant every word of it. Not only that she wasn't the first Crawley to make a mistake, but after a chauffeur a cowboy would be an easy thing, maybe even exciting. Of course in his heart he still hoped that it one day would be her and Matthew.
And after all his troubles, days of worries, it all seemed to turn. Mary would be free, Sibyl would have a baby and finally there was the happy news of Bates' change from death to life. Maybe Jane was right, maybe it would all work out after all. But when he shared the wonderful news with Cora and kissed his loving wife, Jane was far away from his mind. Like a distant memory of a fairyland dream.
I loved that scene with Earl Grantham and Lady Mary, I just had to add it somehow. Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to all of you!
