Chapter 9: Matters of Life and Death

The Countess of Grantham lay back in her bed and breathed a sigh of relief but her eyes did not wonder from the buddle in her arms. Wrapped in the blankets was her son.

Her baby boy.

It seemed miraculous that when she had given up all hope of ever having a son, she should at last deliver a boy. But she had - she had! She had done her duty and she had given the estate an heir. Robert's blood line would continue. She was sure there were going to be those who rather she had not. But she did not care for them. There were at that moment only five people in the world she really cared for at that moment, the four who she had given birth too, the fifth was of course their father. Now she and the child had been cleaned up, it was Robert who her eyes desired. Only for him would she take her eyes off her son.

"You have a rival for my heart," she told her husband as he crawled on to the bed and their daughters gathered about her.

"Oh, he can take it," said Robert as he looked at his sons face for the very first time.

"Mama, he's perfect." Said Sybil as she felt happy tears well into her eyes. She had never revelled in her status as the baby of the family and she was only too happy to pass it on to the already treasured little boy.

They had a boy and it was going to change everything. Cora looked at Mary and she saw that she knew now everything for Matthew was over. He had no reason to be there as long as there was an heir and now there was.

So it was done with. The provincial lawyer would not call this home because Downton and everything in it was going to go to the baby in the blankets.

And yet Mary did feel some joy. The baby's life was not yet entirely political and he was her little brother. She could take some happiness from his birth could she not?

Her mother had nothing to be sorry for. She was glad. Even in her exhaustion, Cora noted her daughters courageous smile.

"Here Robert," she said as she passed the child over to him. "Hold your son... and your namesake."

The two of them had not spoken about names. She had been too concerned the child should be healthy first and then they could get into rows about names when it came and when they knew the sex. But as soon as she had seen him, he had been the image of his father in miniature for her and she knew she had to call him Robert, she had too! Besides she had never met a better man in the world than her husband. It was only right their baby should bear his name.

He looked at her as if he was going to protest that he should not be a little Robert but then he shook his head, knowing that he was not going to win at that moment.

Besides he knew they were going to be arguing soon... he wanted to put it off as long as he could.

As he kissed the child he looked across the room at Carson, the only man in the room who truly understood what was going on and he felt his heart sink.

He could not believe he was going to leave all of this – he only knew he was.

"So at last it is settled," said Edith as she sat with her sisters in the library once more, having deduced it was best to give the parents some time alone with the new child. "The estate will go to Robert."

"Yes, none of us needed you to point it out," Mary said as she tried to keep a cap on the fact that she wanted nothing more than to be rather rude to her sister at that moment. She did not know how Edith aroused this violent feeling in her just by walking into a room.

"And Mathew will not inherit."

"And Anthony might have breathed his last – I hear France is not particularly nice this time of year, especially with a war on."

Well, keeping her cool had failed and she knew from the look on her darling Sybil's face she did not approve of what she had said to Edith. But like most things, she had had it coming to her. Edith needed taking down a peg or two – and it often seemed she was the only women about to do it. It was no wonder she didn't like her much.

"Can the two of you stop it? Just for tonight for pities sake!" said Sybil to them, taking on the role of the elder sister if neither of them were going to be bothered to do it themselves. "Our baby brother has only just come in to the world," she said to them.

"It is not as if the child is here now," Edith said cuttingly, meaning that naturally Mary was going to side with Sybil, even if she herself did not like the tone her youngest sister had taken with them both. Mary was a lioness when it came to her youngest sister.

"But father and mama need us to be there for the two of them now instead of thinking of ourselves," Mary snapped back as Carson walked into the room, having knocked.

She had to say she was glad to see him. Even more than her parents, ever since she had been a tiny girl, he had been the one to champion her above her sisters; not because she was the eldest, but because she was herself. He was the only one who had never made her feel as if she had to be anything other than herself and for that, even if he did not know it, he had her devotion.

"My ladies, your father has told me to come to you and tell you that he is going to settle in for the night with your brother and mother for the night. He bids you goodnight."

"The boy has been here but five minutes and father can only be bothered to speak to us through the butler. Wonderful," sighed Edith. Sick of her sister and still feeling a slight annoyance with Sybil for being so – well very, Sybil like, she stormed out of the room without bidding any of them good night.

"It's no wonder Sir Anthony changed his mind," murmured Mary as she smiled. She did not regret what she had done when he had put him off of his sister. As far as she was concerned she had done the poor man a favour when she had realised him from any arrangement he might have foolishly put himself in with Edith.

Both Sybil and Carson looked as if they were trying to muster some sort of defence for Edith out of duty.

But just then, neither of them could do it. As far as Sybil was concerned, they could be vile as they liked to one another, but she knew she was always going to have a lot more in common with Mary. The two of them had always stuck by one another as far back as they were able to remember. When they had been small girls and they had done wrong and been called before there granny for an ear bashing; only one of them had placed the blame. The other two has stuck together and taken the punishment.

It was not hard to figure out which girls had been which.

"I think I am going to follow her up," said Sybil. "I have another day at the hospital tomorrow and I want to be my best for. Mary," she said as she gave her sister a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight darling Sybil."

"Good night Carson," she said as she passed him and gave him a smile which he warmly returned. A Butler did have his favourites after all, and she was second in his affections only to the eldest Lady Crawley. At that moment.

"Well, Carson, we have an heir at last." She said to him with a sigh.

"Yes," he said as he wondered how she had really taken it. When they had been up in her ladyship's room he had thought she had seemed wonderfully composed. But he fancied he knew her well enough to know what you saw was rarely what you got with her.

"My Lady, what I said that night in the guest room has not been altered and nor will it ever be," he told her.

He knew it was not a butlers place to reassure a young lady of her position in his own heart but he did not think a lot of butlers had been with their families as long as he had been with the Crowley's. Nor did he think there were a lot of Lady Mary's in the world.

He had been there for her since she had been a child more like a doting uncle than a Butler at times. She was glad even if they had to worry about every other man in Britain going to war, then they did not have to worry about him going.

He wouldn't leave Downton even if it was a sailing ship that was going down.

He had given his life over to them.

"Quite right too," she said with a grateful smile that told him how glad she was she could depend on him, even if she did not tell him so in so many words. "I think I am going to go to bed as well. No doubt with the new arrival we are all going to be needed all the sleep we can get," She pointed out as she headed for the door, pausing only to lay her hand on his and kiss his cheek goodnight in a rare display of affection. "Goodnight, and thank you Carson," she said gently and he nodded. "Thank you for everything."

As long as he knew she was ok, then so was he.

Excitement as well as nerves kept Robert up that night – as well as guilt.

He had lain in bed with Cora until she was asleep which had not been long, as the poor thing was so exhausted from the events of the day, and then he crept out.

He had never been much of a night time person but he knew he was going to get no sleep that night and so he did not see the point in even trying.

Every time he shut his eyes he saw his baby son. He had a baby son. Robert.

He did not think he had ever done his forefathers so proud. He had been so frustrated when he had not been able to do the simple task of given his estate an heir. He hoped Cora had not noticed because he would hate to think she had and that she blamed herself. No, he had been the one who had been born with Downton... he had to be the one, with aid, to secure the succession.

And now, together, they had. Part of him was more relaxed about going to the war now. He wanted nothing more than to stay home and watch his son grow tall. But if he could not do that, then at least he was going to have the comfort of knowing his successor was ready to stand in his stead.

If the battle went ill, Lord Robert Crawley would still rule at Downton, or he would do in a few years.

And with Cora and Carson to guide him then the child was going to do just fine. If he did not return to his family they would be fine.

He had made his way down to the library to find even Pharaoh was sleep so he was shocked when he heard the door crept open after him.

"Darling, you should be in bed," he said as he rushed to Cora's side. She was the last person he had expected to see. It was so late, she had to rest...

"No Robert," she said seriously. She was not protesting against going back to bed.

He saw it in her eyes that she knew what he was going to do. He had thought he had kept it from her well but apparently not. The thing was they had lived together too long and they knew one another's character too well. His heart and mind could hold no secrets from her.

"Robert, you are not going to do this, you will not do it to me," She said as the tears well in her eyes and fall on to her cheeks. When she had been on the way down, she had been praying he was not going to know what she was on about and then he would protect he was doing nothing. But he was too honest for it.

She had known as soon as she had woken to find he was not at her side. It was his conscience that kept him up, only ever his conscience. Other than that he had slept like a stone every night since they had been wed.

A tear trickled down her face as she mounted her protest in the face of what he was going to do. She did not believe she had worked it out in this moment. It was meant to be the happiest moment of her life when she had, at last, triumphed.

"Robert, you cannot rob me of my happiness."

"I must do as my conscience tells me."

"Then I damn your conscience to hell! Robert, go to the nursery and look in the crib. There is a boy a few hours old who needs his father's guidance's. And then you go to three rooms on the second floor of this house and you tell me those girls – yes girls, none of them are women yet – and you tell me they do not need your paternal love, and then you tell me what your consciences orders you to do. And then if none of that has persuaded you to stay, then you look at me. Me, Robert! I need you in a way I never have before," she said as her anger increased. She was being so pathetic and she was loathe to let him see her this way. But she was tired and emotional and she could not bear the thought of being separated from him for anything in the world at that moment, let alone a war!

It had to be the day for tears he thought because what she said drove him to them. "I do not want to leave you or the children," he shook his head as he took her in his arm to be met by a stiff response. In spite of the fact she had just had their fourth child and was in floods of tears, she was not going to fall in to his arms. "But if England calls, then I must answer."

"And what of my call Robert? You are my best friend, you are my husband and yes – you are my lover. You're everything to me and so I beg you once more do not rob me of my life's joy. Not when it is just completed. Do not rob me of yourself."

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