Thank you again to all for everything. :)

Chapter 4

Richard looked towards the door to his office as someone knocked. "Enter!" He blinked a few times in surprise at seeing Isobel stepping into his office. "Mrs. Crawley," he said softly standing up in the process. "What brings you by? I thought you were on your way to London soon?"

"We are soon," she said as she made her way to his desk, "but I thought I'd come and see you, before I left."

"Oh? Is there something wrong? I hope you're not feeling unwell?" he asked suddenly feeling alarmed.

"No, no nothing of the sort," she said with a smile and a shake of her head.

He gave a silent sigh of relief, and then softly said, "I've very glad to hear that," before adding a bit more cheerfully, "It wouldn't do you any good to be ill, when you're off to London for such a long time."

"No, it wouldn't," she agreed.

"So, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing really," she said with a shrug. "I just came to make sure that you were alright. I don't know quite how to explain it, but you seemed a little off out in the street earlier. Are you alright?"

"Oh yes quite alright, I assure you," he said offering her a smile. "I manage to put my foot on the ground before falling, so that saved me from ending up with any severe bruises."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said smiling kindly, "but it wasn't exactly what I meant," she added then more softly.

Seeing that she was looking at him with great concern, he nearly lost himself in her eyes. But knowing that he couldn't give himself away, he quickly shook his head smiling at her.

"I suppose I was just a bit embarrassed that I fell off my bicycle. It's something that small boys do, but not grown men. And to do it in such a public place…..well, even I have a bit of vanity," he said adding a slight chuckle.

She smiled at his comment but then got a bit more serious. "Still, it seemed it was much more than that."

"How so?"

"I don't know," she said and then shrugged. "You just seemed rather curtly with me, and I couldn't help but wonder if I'd done something wrong. Have I in some way offended you?"

He gaped at her slightly being stunned by her words. He felt like a wretched idiot for having talked to her like he'd done less than two hours earlier. Seeing her hurt always broke his heart, but knowing he was the cause of it broke him even more.

"I assure you, Mrs. Crawley, you have not offended me or done something wrong," he told her imploringly. "You never could," he added more softly.

"I just annoy you from time to time," she reminded him a bit teasingly.

He smiled a bit more brightly seeing her giving him a teasing smile. "Yes, there is that," he said with a chuckle. His heart filled with happiness at seeing her chuckling along with him. It had been a great while, since they'd last had a chance to spend time together and laughing like this. "But I assure you that you haven't done anything now to annoy me," he said with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

She smiled at that but then got a bit more serious again. "Are you absolutely sure about that? I just have a gut feeling that there's more to it than that. So please if there's anything wrong, I'd like to know and help, if I can."

"As I already said, I assure you that nothing is wrong. I think I just must be a bit overworked lately. So if I seem to be rude or harsh, it's simply because I'm a bit stressed out, and I sincerely apologize for that. I mean absolutely nothing by it," he told her sincerely.

"Would you tell me, if there was something wrong?"

Not being too comfortable with her still serious tone, he tried being a bit more cheerful. "Being a nurse I'm sure you'd be able to tell, if I was sick or not."

"That's not what I meant."

He sighed a little at her relentlessness. "Mrs. Crawley, as I've already told you, you could never do anything to offend or hurt me. So please, you needn't be afraid that you could ever do that. That's also why, I would never have cause to tell you if you did, because you simply never would hurt or offend me."

"And if I was not the cause of it, would you tell me then? Would you tell me, if someone else or something had upset you?"

"I'm very rarely upset or hurt by someone or something."

"No, I realize that. But we are friends, are we not? We are very good friends, I believe?"

"Yes," he murmured softly, not able to stop himself from swallowing hard at the tone of her voice. It almost sounded to him like she no longer thought that they were friends. That he somehow had made her believe that he no longer thought of her as his friend. "We're very good friends indeed. Nothing's ever going to change that."

He was relieved to see her smiling at his words. "Good. So would you tell me then?"

He almost rolled his eyes at her persistence, but instead just shrugged.

"If anything would upset me, it would be something very trivial. Hardly something to bother you with," he said with a smile in an attempt to make her believe that everything was alright.

She sighed deeply. "So what you're saying is that you wouldn't tell me?"

"I hardly think that getting a paper cut is worth telling you about. And if you hadn't seen me falling off my bicycle, I hardly think that would've been something worth sharing either. And I do share about my day, whenever we're spending time together," he argued, though it sounded a bit weak even to himself.

She sighed deeply again, this time sounding a little dejected. "Very well then."

"Is there something, you wish to tell me? Is there something or someone upsetting you?" he asked concerned. "Apart from me earlier that is," he added with a soft apologetic smile.

"No," she murmured softly. "There's nothing or no one upsetting me. Not even you. In fact you could never do that to me either." They locked eyes and stood there holding each other's gaze for a long moment, before Isobel finally blinked. "Well, if there really is nothing wrong, I suppose I should be going. Cousin Violet is picking me up soon, and we're going to the Abbey first to pick up some of the others. So I guess I ought to be getting back."

"Yes, I suppose, it's best not to keep the Dowager waiting."

"No, that would indeed be downright horrible," she commented dryly. When she heard him give out a chuckle, she couldn't help but chuckle along with him, before her features softened. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now then."

"Yes, it seems it is. It will be strange not seeing you in the village for such a long time, or having you come around the hospital," he said softly. Or spending time alone together, he thought.

"I know it will be very strange for me as well. Not really sure, I'll be able to cope being away from here for that long."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do just fine," he said encouragingly. "Other than the parties you'll be attending, there is a lot to see in London."

"I'm sure you're right. Well," she added a bit reluctantly, "I really should be going."

"Yes, of course," he said nodding. "Shall I walk you out?"

"Oh no, that won't be necessary. If you're stressed with work, you needn't bother walking me out. Besides, I plan on making a quick stop to visit Beth."

"She'll like that very much."

"I must admit I like visiting her as much as you think, she enjoys my visits. She's such a sweet little girl," she said smiling a little wider. "And as she'll have gone back home by the time, I get back, I really think I'll make one final visit."

"You should stop by her home and visit her, when you get back. I don't think her parents would mind at all. And I'm quite sure Beth would be thrilled to hear your enchanting tales from London," he said with a smile.

She smiled brightly at that, which made his heart skip a beat.

"I just might do that."

"You should," he said softly.

"Then I will," she replied just as softly. They held each other's gaze for another long moment, but then she cleared her throat. "Well, I must be off. Goodbye, Dr. Clarkson."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Crawley."

When Isobel left his office Richard sat back down sighing heavily and put his face in his hands.

TBC