Thank you to everyone for everything. :)

Chapter 3

"It really was very kind of you to come along for a walk," Isobel told Lord Merton as they walked towards Crawley House. "I don't think I could have spent the morning inside, on a beautiful day such as this, when I know that I'll be spending a few hours on a train later on."

"I'm glad to be walking with you. It also gave us a chance to discuss our plans for luncheon in London," he said smiling kindly at her.

"Yes indeed," she said returning the smile. "And I must say it's very kind of you to take me to The Golden Duckling. I've heard nothing but great reviews about it."

"You've really never been?" he asked still surprised by that fact.

"No, I haven't. I don't go to London much as it is. But even if I did, I'd never dream of going to something as extravagant as The Golden Duckling on my own."

"Well, then it will be my extreme pleasure to take you."

She smiled at that as they continued walking towards Crawley House.

Richard came back from a housecall on his bicycle, when he caught the sight of Isobel in her dark blue outfit. He smiled to himself at merely the sight of her. But his smile quickly vanished when he noticed she was walking with Lord Merton. Seeing the two of them together, he suddenly felt quite ill causing him to lose control of his bicycle. Managing to get one foot down on the ground, he was able to break his fall quite a bit. However, the sound of his bicycle crashing to the ground gave him away to everyone in the street.

"Dr. Clarkson!" He groaned out loud as he heard Isobel cry out in alarm. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him like this, when Lord Merton was at her side. He tried standing up before she reached him, but he quickly felt her hand on his arm helping him to stand up. "Dr. Clarkson, are you alright?"

He caught her eye and saw the look of deep concern there. But also seeing that Lord Merton was right behind her, he quickly and a little abruptly got out of her grasp. He thought that she looked hurt and offended by his actions. Feeling guilty about it, he quickly offered her a polite smile.

"Yes, I'm alright thank you." He bent down to pick up his bicycle, giving it a once over in the process to check for damages. He was glad to see that there were none.

"What happened?"

He swallowed hard at hearing how concerned, she still sounded. He really didn't want her concern, with Lord Merton there. However, when he looked at her again, he smiled in kind.

"I simply lost my balance. There must've been a small pebble in the road that I drove over, which caused me to fall." He gave her another kind but tight smile. "I should get back to the hospital, so if you'll excuse me."

"Would you like us to walk you back?" she asked gently placing a hand on his upper arm, before he had a chance to leave.

However, feeling her hand on his arm, he jerked away as if her touch burned him.

"No!" Realizing he'd sounded rather harsh, and once again seeing that she looked rather hurt, he quickly spoke more calmly. "No, thank you. I can manage on my own." Not wanting to hurt her any further, he quickly excused himself. "Good day, Mrs. Crawley," he said kindly to her while giving a gentle smile. "Lord Merton," he said with a polite nod, before getting back on his bicycle and driving off towards the hospital.

Isobel kept her eyes on him as he rode off being lost in thought. However, soon her thoughts were broken as Lord Merton spoke.

"He was rather rude."

When she wasn't able to see Richard any longer, she turned her attention back towards Lord Merton.

"Was he? I didn't notice," she said with a smile and a shrug.

He smiled at her. "That's because you're too kind to notice. But yes, he seemed rather rude to me."

"He probably just has a lot on his mind these days," she said giving another shrug. "He often works long hours, and even at night and often in his free time, he's called out for emergencies. It's not an easy job being the only doctor, in a small village such as ours." With that she quickly started walking towards Crawley House again taking long strides. He followed quickly, too.

"I suppose it's not. And I'm sure you're right that he probably has a lot to deal with at the moment."

"Yes, I'm quite sure that's it," she said hoping to convince him, as she wasn't convinced herself. But the last thing she wanted was for someone to think badly of Richard, so she was determined to get Lord Merton to stop talking about it.

"Well then, let's leave it at that."

She merely nodded in response as they walked the last few steps to Crawley House in silence.

When they reached the front door, Lord Merton was about to step forward to knock on it, but Isobel took a few quick steps, getting to the door before him.

"There's no need to knock. I'm quite capable of opening the door myself," she replied cheerfully.

He chuckled softly. "Yes of course."

She opened the door walking in, and he took a few steps inside as well.

"Thank you again for the company."

"It was my pleasure as always, Mrs. Crawley."

They both turned their attention towards Isobel's maid, Lucy, as they noticed she'd entered the hallway. Isobel gave her a bright smile.

"Any messages for me while I was out?"

"No, Ma'am."

Just then the telephone rang causing them all to look in the direction of the sitting room. Isobel let out a chuckle.

"It's as if someone knows that I've just arrived home."

"Would you like me to get it, Ma'am?"

"No, I'll get it. It's bound to be either the Dowager Countess or someone at the Abbey. But if you could show Lord Merton out, I'd appreciate it." She turned towards Lord Merton. "I hope you don't mind?"

He smiled kindly and shook his head gently. "Not at all. You go take care of that telephone call, so that you don't worry anyone. I'll see you in London soon."

"Yes, see you then," she said as she made her way down the hall and into the sitting room.

Lucy then walked passed Lord Merton and held the door open for him. "Thank you," he told her giving her a polite nod.

"You're welcome, Milord."

He was about to leave, but then looked back at her.

"Mrs. Crawley tells me that while she's in London, she's sending you and her cook off for a bit of a holiday. That you each get to spend quite a bit of time with your families."

"Yes, that's right, Milord," she answered politely. "Mrs. Crawley is very generous. Not only is she paying for our travel expenses, but she's also giving us money to spend during our holiday, so that we don't use all our savings. She felt, it was only right to do so, since she's choosing to go to London. She didn't think that her enjoyment should affect our pay."

"That's very kind of her indeed. So you've been happy working for her?"

"Oh very happy, Milord," she answered smiling brightly. "And I hope to continue to work for her for many years to come."

"Well, that might not be a possibility."

Lucy frowned slightly. "What do you mean, Milord?"

"Oh goodness," he said smiling a bit excitingly. "I really shouldn't say, as I haven't asked Mrs. Crawley yet. But I'm quite frankly too happy with the future that I feel I must share it with someone. But I'll only tell, if you promise to keep it to yourself."

"Yes, I promise, Milord."

Lord Merton stepped a little closer and kept his voice low but was still very excited. "I'm going to ask Mrs. Crawley to marry me, when we're in London. So since I have no doubt that she'll accept me, you can expect that she'll be moving away from Downton soon. And," he added more calmly, "I have more than enough staff at my home, so I don't believe that we'll be in the need of you or her cook. So while you're away, you should think about looking for other employment," he told her gently.

Lucy blinked at all the information she'd just received suddenly feeling quite sad. "I see," she merely responded quietly.

"I do wish we could take you both with us. But I don't think it would be right to fire any of my current employees, and it would be too much to employ you all. I hope you can understand that," he explained sincerely.

"Yes, of course, Milord. Mrs. Field is actually only staying on for another few months, so I guess it'll only be I, who will be looking for a new job."

"I see. Well that's at least a bit of a comfort to me. But I know how much Mrs. Crawley values your work and respects you, so I have no doubt that she'll give you an excellent reference," he said encouragingly.

"I'm sure of that too, Milord."

"Well, I really must be off. But you will keep this to yourself, and not even tell the cook?"

"Yes, of course, Milord."

He smiled kindly and brightly. "Thank you. Enjoy your holiday," he said as he walked away.

Lucy merely nodded mutely before turning around walking back inside.

TBC