AN: Again a chapter I am not completely sure about, but I somehow have lost my confidence in writing. I hope that it will come back soon :)

Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews on the last chapter, I am grateful for everyone of them.

I hope you all have a great Sunday!

Kat

P.S.: There are two more stories in my head, one is a Cora/Robert story set in Series 5 and 6, the other one a Mary/Matthew story set in Series 1 and 2. Those will both be multi-chapter stories, but before I start writing them I'd like to write a few one or two shots and I've been thinking about going back to either the Sentimental Haste or the That American Girl universe for that. Is there anything that anyone would like to read (if you still remember those stories if you were kind enough to read them in the first place)? I am definitely open for suggestions and prompts. .


June-August 1890

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James

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Downton Abbey. A house, an estate he thinks that should be his. If his uncle Patrick hadn't survived measles as a child, it would be his. Or it would eventually be his. He doesn't think his father would have been a much better earl than his uncle is, but he himself would certainly be a much better earl than Robert who will inherit it all. Robert is a mild-mannered fool, too nice to the tenants, too soft on the servants. James is afraid that the estate will be lost, Robert after all only married that American dollar princess to save it and he is afraid that it will now be Robert who loses it instead of Patrick. How can such a kind-hearted fool and an American idiot run an estate and a house like Downton?

He hopes to God that they won't ever have a son and that he or at least his own son Patrick will follow Robert as the earl. Maybe Robert will die in some stupid war. There always seems to be a war around the corner and Robert is of course too honorable to not fight for his country. It would be so lovely to kick that horrible American out the door. He has only met her once, at the wedding, but the way she spoke to that upstart orphan Matthew and the way she smiled at Robert made his insides churn.

He'd feel sorry for Robert if he didn't hate him so much. His own wife Catherine who for some reason to do with a romance novel written by a love sick woman named Austin or Ousten wants to be called Kitty, isn't much better than that American dollar princess. But at least she is English. She is responsible for raising Patrick but won't be so for much longer because the boy is becoming too soft. He found him in Kitty's bed the other night and does not think that there is any reason for a boy to sleep in his mother's bed. He certainly never did that.

They are greeted by a full complement, as they should be and are then shown into the library for tea. Matthew is brought down after tea and James cannot believe what he sees. Not only Robert but also that horrible American seems to treat Matthew like a son. The boy sits between them and shows them a drawing, explaining that the ugly stick figures on it are supposed to be cricket players. Both Robert and Cora seem genuinely interested and he cannot understand why they care so much about a little boy they are only distantly related to. When Robert and Cora arrive just in time for dinner they say that they had promised to say goodnight to Matthew. His own son is only half a year younger than Matthew and he has never said goodnight to him. He doesn't know why that would be important.

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Patrick

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"Robert and Cora are very attached to Matthew," James says to him and he immediately wonders about his nephew's agenda.

"They like him very much, yes." He does not want to agree with James although he is sure that both Robert and Cora love Matthew like a son. He does not know whether to applaud or admonish them for it and he wonders what will happen to Matthew once Robert and Cora have their own son.

"I think they like him too much," James replies and has now caught his attention.

"Why do you think so?"

"He is not their son, is he? Should they ever have a son of their own, what will happen then? Would that son always be treated like a second son because of a distant cousin? Wouldn't Matthew become jealous because he is not the heir? Aren't Robert and Cora leading him to expect things he can't expect? Matthew will not always live like this." Patrick cannot deny that James has hit a nerve. He has considered all those things before and the last thing they need at Downton Abbey is two warring boys.

"What do you propose to do then?" he asks James. He has mulled this question over in his head a few times already but has come to no sensible conclusion.

"There must be schools in London who take boys like Matthew." Patrick has thought about this too but he is not sure about it, Matthew is still so very young and has already lost both his parents.

"Isn't Matthew too young?"

"Who cares about that? He'll get used it. He got used to his parents being dead, didn't he? Children are good at adapting."

James has a point; he can't deny it, even if it is a cruel one. And wouldn't it be better to make it clear to Matthew that he is not really Robert's son? That he will never inherit? Who knows what the boy will expect.

"I'll think about it," he says to James.

.

A day later, Patrick watches Robert returning from a walk with Matthew. It is obvious that Matthew admires Robert very much. He wishes not for the first time that Matthew really was Robert's son. There would be no question regarding Matthew's expectation. And he could finally allow himself to think of Matthew as his grandson. It is becoming harder for him every day not to let the boy capture his heart. He wants to tell Robert that he is a good father and he wants to take that little boy on walks and look at his drawings. He wants to play cricket with both Robert and Matthew. But he can't. His position, his social role forbid it. He didn't even play cricket with Robert until the boy was old enough to play for the house team and then it was only during the match. Robert of course had to learn from a tutor and only from a tutor. The first steps may have been shown to him by a footman or maybe the butler but he needed proper training. Patrick sees in Robert and Matthew now what a strong bond between a father and his son can do and he sees in James and his son what happens when there is hardly any bond. Little Patrick does not seem to know James very well and James does not care about Patrick. He even said that the boy would not become important to him for the next few years.

"You are lost in deep thoughts." He looks to his left and sees Violet standing next to him. His first impulse is to say 'yes, I am' and leave the room. But he has the feeling that things are changing between Violet and him and although he does not know what they might change into, he does not want to ruin it.

"James thinks Matthew should be sent to school now."

"And you agree."

"I don't know. James thinks that Robert and Cora are raising expectations in Matthew that can't be fulfilled."

"James thinks that if Robert and Cora don't have a son he and Patrick will be the heirs. He is afraid that Robert could try to smash the entail in Matthew's favor."

He turns towards Violet and sees that this was not a joke. "Are you sure?" he asks her.

"Yes. James thinks that he would be a better earl than Robert will be. He has always thought that Robert is too mild-mannered, too nice, too kind and his behavior towards Matthew has only strengthened that belief."

"Do you think that Robert is too nice and too kind?" Robert had already been very nice and kind as a child. They did not get a single letter from Eton telling them that Robert had been unkind or beaten someone up. He always did his homework, his grades were always good, and when he was older he apparently never joined his classmates when they went on various forbidden trips. Of course he does not know whether that is actually true, he may very well have gone and just been smart enough not to be discovered.

"No," Violet answers. "It is who Robert is and it makes him popular with the tenants and the staff. You see how loyal Carson and the cook are to him. And so are Rosamund and Cora."

"So you think that Cora is loyal to Robert?"

"Yes. She supports him, stands beside him and is, I believe, a great source of comfort to Robert."

"She is also his best friend," he says. He has heard Robert and Cora talk about things he would never talk about with Violet. All they ever talk about, if they talk at all, are the estate and their children. But just two days ago he overheard Robert telling Cora about a letter that Robert had received from an old classmate whose father had died and left an estate in a horrible condition to him. Robert and Cora talked about the matter then and Robert mentioned his own fears for Downton and listened to what Cora had to say. It had made Patrick glad that they had, in the end, allowed Robert to marry Cora.

"Yes. He is her best friend as well. They have been married for only six months but are already able to have a conversation across a room full of people by just looking at each other."

"I've noticed," he says, turns to Violet and smiles at her. To his utter surprise she smiles back at him. "Do you think that we should admonish them for it? Their behavior is not always very dignified."

"No Patrick, we should not admonish them for it. Not yet at least. We should let them find out that they are in love with each other first. Then we can admonish them and tell them their behavior is unfitting for their station. They will of course ignore it, arguing that their love is more important than social rules."

It makes him shake with laughter. Violet looks at him with raised eyebrows and a small smile playing around her lips. For what is probably the first time in his life he thinks that she looks lovely and on impulse more than anything else, he leans down and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

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Robert

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He opens the door to the library because he wants to tell his father that he has to send James away. Or at the very least talk to him. Apparently James told Matthew that he was only allowed to stay at Downton because Robert did not have a son of his own yet and that as soon as there was a boy Matthew would be send away. Matthew said that James came into the nursery that morning to tell Matthew all of this and it makes Robert furious. It took him half an hour to convince Matthew that what James said wasn't true, that he wasn't just a substitute for a yet unborn boy. Of course, Matthew would never inherit and Robert sometimes worries that there might come a point in time at which Matthew may be unwilling to understand why he has to be put to the side lines when it comes to the succession but that is matter to be dealt with at some point in the future.

"Papa," he wants to say but the word gets stuck in his throat when he sees his father giving his mother a kiss on the cheek and then looking into her eyes. He turns around and leaves the library as fast as he can. He needs to find Rosamund, he needs to tell her this and while he remembers that Rosamund now lives in London he runs headlong into Cora.

"Robert," she says, moving slightly away from him.

"Sorry," he mumbles. "I wish you were Rosamund," he says and Cora looks for a moment as if she was about to slap him and then breaks into laughter.

"What?"

"I need to talk to Rosamund. Now."

"Well, you can't. She is in London. But you can talk to me."

"My parents are in the library, kissing."

"Each other?"

"No. They each have a lover in there."

"Robert," Cora says and he looks at her and sees both mirth and worry mingle in her face.

"They weren't really kissing. But close to it. I have never seen them like that and I always thought it wouldn't matter to me. But now that I am married it suddenly does matter to me. I want them to be as happy as I am. I have to write a letter to Rosamund now. I am sorry darling."

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Cora

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She feels Robert kiss her cheek and then watches him almost run towards his room. He looks like a little boy who wants to tell his parents about his first horseback ride. 'He is such a sweet man,' she thinks and only then realizes that he called her darling. It was probably just out of joy, his emotional state seemed a little out of control. But nevertheless, it slipped out. And while she thinks about it, she realizes how very happy it makes her that he did call her 'darling'. Robert is right she thinks, they are happily married. All that is missing is love and she is almost sure that they will eventually find it. While she thinks about this, for the second time within the space of mere minutes someone runs into her.

This time it is her father-in-law who only looks at her and mumbles an apology he probably doesn't even know he is giving. The English habit of apologizing for everything does have its advantages. It makes apologizing easy.

When her mother-in-law doesn't follow she decides to go into the library and finds her there in front of the French doors, looking outside, watching the rain that has begun to set in.

"Mama," she says and her mother-in-law turns towards her. She looks as if she was about to cry and Cora briefly wonders if she should stop Robert from writing his letter to Rosamund but decides that her mother-in-law probably needs her more right now than her husband does.

"How are you?" she asks. She wouldn't have been surprised if she had been brushed off but she isn't. Her mother-in-law turns to look outside the window again and in quite a shaky voice says "After 24 years of marriage I have realized that I like my husband. It has knocked the wind out of me."

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Violet

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She looks at her daughter-in-law and thinks that the girl is probably hiding a smile. She regrets telling her about her recent epiphany immediately but she couldn't help it. When Patrick broke into laughter at something she said, something she did not even think particularly clever and then leaned down and she felt his lips on her cheek, she thought her world had suddenly begun to spin into a different direction. He looked into her eyes afterwards and she wanted to kiss him back, to really kiss him but Patrick mumbled some apology and walked off. But for some reason she is sure, quite sure, that she won't spend the following night alone in her room.

"That would knock the wind out of anyone," Cora says and then doesn't hide her smile anymore.

"I am afraid I have wasted 24 years," she says and again regrets saying it right away. Her innermost thoughts are none of Cora's business.

"I don't think you have wasted those years. Something must have changed between the two of you recently and you made use of it. Don't look at the past as something to regret. Look at the future as something to enjoy."

"That is a very American approach." Cora laughs at this and shakes her head.

"Maybe it is. But it is what Elizabeth Bennett would have said," the girl answers and then turns to look outside the window herself. She looks at Cora's profile and for the first time realizes how beautiful Cora really is. She understands that many men were interested in her although Robert seems to have been the only one with any serious ambition and she is glad about it. She doubts that Robert could have found a better wife.

"Don't be a simpleton," she says with a slight smile she can't hide and true to what she expected Cora understands what she means.

"I won't be. And neither will Robert be. We've already realized that we like each other after all," Cora says and smiles a very dreamy smile. She wants to say something but the library door opens and she can hear James yelling "This cannot go on, Robert. You cannot treat Matthew as if he was your own son. Uncle Patrick, you must tell him that he can't." She turns around and sees a furious James, an even more furious Robert and a completely helpless Patrick. She gives him an encouraging smile and he rolls his eyes in reply. She has no idea what it means.

"I can very well decide for myself whether I am treating Matthew as he should be treated. I do not need my father or you to tell me that."

"Maybe you should listen to what your father has to say because I think he agrees with me."

Patrick looks at her in that moment and she shakes her head.

"No James, I do not agree with you. It is Robert's decision what to do with Matthew. The boy is in his care. Not in mine and certainly not in yours."

"Which is something to be thankful for," Robert says and looks at James challengingly.

"To be thankful for? If the boy was in my care, I'd send him off to school tomorrow." Understanding dawns on Cora's face and Violet knows that Cora is now aware of the fact that James thinks that Matthew has to leave Downton. The soft look that always seems to appear on Cora's face as soon as she looks at Robert vanishes and is replaced by a fiery look she has never seen before but makes her think that Cora is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

"No son of mine is being sent to school so young. I don't mind Matthew going to Eton later on, I even think he should go there but he is certainly not going anywhere right now," Cora says to James and the icy look she throws her cousin by marriage is a complete contrast to the look full of love and devotion that has appeared on Robert's face.