Author's Note: More apologies for another delayed chapter. The good news is, I am about three chapters ahead of updates, and I have already started Part Two of this story, to cover the World War I era at Downton. Therefore, I will post another update this weekend (or two).

Thank you for following Rrranjoar, and thank you again for the reviews RHatch89 and kmby67. Please continue to review and follow.

After tea, William brought the tea service downstairs in a rush. He nearly crashed into Thomas and Mrs. O' Brien, who were engaged deeply in a conversation. Thomas caught the younger footman by his left arm. "Slow down there, William, before you rush yourself out the door," Thomas barked.

"You shouldn't stand in the hallways, talking secretively."

"Mind your business, boy. What we do between our duties is none of your business," Mrs. O' Brien snapped.

"You two are up to some mischief. Doing things that aren't your business."

"Poking your nose around like that, William, you could stick your nose into the wrong thing and find yourself out of work. Like the last person who accused us of being mischievous."

"Well I'm not the one who's on his way out of work. You ought to watch yourself, Mrs. O'Brien."

The Irish lady's maid narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, boy?"

William grinned cheekily and snatched his arm free of Thomas' grip. "You'll see soon enough." William walked off.

After dinner, in the drawing room,

The Crawley sisters had outdone themselves for dinner with the Kent brothers. Edith wore a green silk dress with ostrich feathers in her blonde hair and a shawl around her shoulders. Mary had worn a plum evening dress with a diamond filigree necklace; and Sybil had opted for a simpler dark gold dress with a pearl choker. The three sisters—Mary seated on the chaise, Edith standing against the left wall, and Sybil seated in an armchair—were the center of the activity and conversations in the room.

Dudley sat beside Sybil and straightened his dinner jacket as casually as possible. "Lady Sybil, I hope that you have enjoyed our verbal battle of wits during my many visits."

"Have your visits been that numerous? I hardly noticed."

"Well I have enjoyed the country air at Downton a great deal more than the air at my family's estate. You should come and compare it for yourself sometime."

"The summer season is nearly over. But I do hope you'll reserve the invitation through next summer. We could enjoy a hunt together, you, Lord Edwin, Mary, and I."

Dudley chuckled. "I would certainly reserve an invitation for you through next summer, if you should reserve a dance for me at the first ball of the season."

"I am not certain if you and I would attend the same balls. I have not been to very many."

"Well I…"

Edwin sauntered over and loomed over Sybil and his brother while holding aloft his glass of sherry. "What are you two prattling about here? Some insipid dialogue about artwork or gardens or something of that sort?"

Dudley opened his mouth to respond, but it was Sybil who answered. "No, Lord Edwin. We were merely discussing the potential ramifications of the Austrian Archduke's assassination upon the political relationships on the Continent. Lord Dudley was telling me that war has broken out in the Balkans."

"Good, good. I think my ears would bleed if I had to overhear another bloody conversation about frivolous topics such as the best roses to grow at this point in the season." Edwin sat on the left side of the armchair. "Yes, well the war in the Balkans shall be an irrelevant issue so long as Britain, France and Russia stay out of the matter. It's all a matter of revenge, you see."

"But the oppressed people of the Balkans have been engaged in wars with the Austrians for some time. It seems to me that they want independence. Shouldn't people be allowed the autonomy of their own lives, their own lands?"

"I agree they should, but…"

"Well I don't," Dudley huffed. "Edwin, I do believe Lady Edith wants to speak with you. Perhaps you ought to chat her up."

"Oh, she's busy enough in conversation with that old badger, Sir What's-His-Name? We're all decorations to her." Edwin turned back to Sybil. "Now, as I was saying, the people of the Balkans should be allowed their own sovereignty but only when they're at a point to do so. I was speaking with a friend of the Austrian ambassador, Sir Henry Truelove, and he told me that the Austrians gave them independence over government matters some decades ago. The whole lot of them run back to the Austrians for money though and keep themselves dependent."

"So you would liken it to a parent and a child relationship?"

Dudley rolled his eyes. "Edwin, perhaps Lady Mary would enjoy your company?"

"Oh no, I'm quite comfortable here. Anyway…" Dudley stood up to excuse himself from the conversation with Sybil and Edwin, and sat on the chaise in a spot vacated by Matthew only seconds before. Mary keenly studied Edith, who was engrossed in a conversation with Sir Antony and with Violet.

"Lady Mary, why do you observe your sister in that way, as though watching a master who creating a work of art?" Dudley inquired.

"I would hardly call Edith a master. She is more the apprentice painter attempting to recapture the artistry of someone more talented. She is the pupil of an impressionist."

"You cannot fault her for attempting to capture the lost art of romance," Kemal suggested.

"Mr. Pamuk, do you believe that romance is an art that has been lost?" Dudley asked.

"Why, yes, Lord Dudley, I believe that romance is an art that requires a fine touch upon it. And I believe that the delicacy required to handle one's romantic nature is a tact that is no longer a widely-used skill. Without anyone skilled to put it into practice, it follows that an art is lost."

"In my short lifetime, I have known a few people skilled at the art of romance so the art is not completely lost," Mary countered.

"The art of conversation or the art of seduction, those skills haven't been lost yet. Romance is something much…finer. I should hope, Lady Mary, that you haven't yet experienced it," Kemal answered.

"And what if I have been romanced before? How would I distinguish it from seduction?"

Dudley rolled his eyes and left the chaise before hearing Kemal's answer.

After the guests and the Grantham family had all gone upstairs to their rooms, William walked down to the kitchen in time to hear a woman sobbing heavily. He walked quickly into the kitchen. It was dark but the woman's crying was audible from the furthest corner. "Who's there?" William called out.

"It's me, William. It's Daisy."

William turned on the kitchen lights. Daisy sat in a corner beside a bucket of peeled potatoes and a hearty sized pile of unpeeled potatoes. Even as she worked to peel the potatoes, Daisy sobbed again and wiped her face on her sleeve.

"Daisy, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing, William. Potatoes always make me start blubbering."

"That's onions that ought to make you cry. Is something the matter?"

William knelt beside Daisy. "It's nothing, William. I'm just being silly. You'd think that after two years in service, I'd be used to Mrs. Patmore being so harsh with me. She's made me to peel all these potatoes I brought from the market ahead of tomorrow night's dinner. It's just so much work." Daisy sniffled again and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I should be at it all night."

"I could help."

"No, William. It isn't proper for a footman to be alone with a scullery maid, and even if that wasn't wrong, you ought not to help me. I'm strong enough. I'll manage."

"I won't hear of it any other way, Daisy. Mr. Carson will be making his rounds soon enough. And I'll come back down to help you."

"Don't risk it, William. Thomas might hear you sneaking away and tell Mr. Carson. And then you'll be out of a job with no references. You've already helped me so much." Daisy held out her hand in an expression of solidarity. William took her hand and gently squeezed it.

Downton Abbey, the next day

While Cora bathed, Mrs. O' Brien sat in her bedroom polishing her shoes and laying out the mistress of Downton's clothes. Cora had selected a sky-blue dress for the day as it flattered her growing womb. "O' Brien, what are some characteristics to look for in a good lady's maid?"

Mrs. O' Brien, shocked, looked up from her work. "I think she must be a hard worker, diligent, pay attention to her tasks, loyal, and discreet above all else." She gripped Cora's shoe tightly. "Is there anything in particular you were asking about?"

"Should a lady's maid be abreast of the latest fashions?"

The heel of Cora's shoe popped loose in O' Brien's hand. She stared at it, aghast, then tried to put the heel back into place. It stayed loose. "I don't think that a fashionable lady's maid is essential. Any knowledge in that area might help, but she should be a good companion above that."

From the bathroom, Cora splashed as she made an exit from the bathtub. Mrs. O'Brien continued to work at the repair of the loose heel. The heel fit back into its place, but when Mrs. O' Brien removed her hand from it, the heel easily wobbled and fell off. Realization dawned upon Mrs. O' Brien at the opportunity afforded to her.

Cora opened the bathroom door, clad in her undergarments. "Be careful with the shoes, milady. It seemed to me that one of the heels was out of place."

"On these shoes? Why, I only bought them last week. It's impossible that there could be a defect already."

"Yes, milady." Mrs. O'Brien stood up and helped Cora into her petticoat. "Will you be wearing your silver necklace and the sapphire brooch with this dress, milady?"

"No, I think that's a bit excessive. I haven't much to do today only planning the seating arrangements for the garden party tomorrow. The Kent boys are coming again, and so is Sir Antony."

"They've been here quite a few times, if I may say so, milady. Perhaps there is a marriage on the horizon?"

Cora smoothed the petticoat over her growing womb and studied the effect on her figure in the full-length mirror of her room. "Yes, one can only hope. If there is a proposal tomorrow, I should wear the very best gown possible. Nothing too ostentatious, though. The vicar and the constable are to be in attendance."

"Yes, one must maintain good relations with the local people." Mrs. O' Brien helped Cora into her dress and fastened it off with a blue bow tied around her blooming waist. Cora then sat on the bed for Mrs. O' Brien to help her into her shoes. They slid on easily and neither heel came loose. Mrs. O' Brien looked up at Cora. "Do they fit well, milady?"

"Of course, they do. And you see, O' Brien, there isn't any danger at all from the shoes."

"Yes milady. I…"

Cora stood up and walked to the door. "Oh and before I go, O' Brien, I had another question: For a new lady's maid, do you think a new lady's maid requires a laying out of her duties when she begins the job?"

"N-no, milady. I think the advertisement for the position, if there is one, should be all that she needs to know."

"Thank you so much, O' Brien. I don't know what I would do without you." Cora strolled from the bedroom.

Mrs. O' Brien stayed behind and glanced at herself in the mirror. "Sarah O'Brien," she said to herself, "this isn't you." She hurried to the door. "Milady, wait, don't…."

At the top of the stairs, Cora cried out when her heel snapped. Mrs. O' Brien picked up her skirts and ran to the top of the stairs but it was too late. Cora had tumbled down the flight of stairs to the first landing. She lay there, still and in a gruesome heap. Mrs. O' Brien ran down the stairs. "Someone call for Dr. Clarkson immediately!"

Meanwhile in Grantham Village,

Mary, Kemal, Sybil, and Dudley walked together through Grantham Village. In front of Dudley and Sybil, Mary risked letting her right hand dangle enticingly close to Kemal's left one. Otherwise, even to the most casual observer, the two couples seemed to be a foursome of young people taking a stroll through Grantham Village.

"Thank you again, Lady Mary, for suggesting such a delightful distraction as a stroll through the village today. Grantham Village is so much different than Bradford. It is a pity that neither Edwin nor Edith were able to join us today."

"Yes, well, Edith said this morning that she wasn't interested in a stroll around the village. She has to be fitted for a dress for tomorrow's party for one, and for another, I do believe she would have been the odd woman out," Mary responded. "And where is Lord Edwin?"

"Edwin thinks Downton is fair enough but he is not a man of creature comforts. I believe he wanted to take a gallop around your estate instead. Even at home, he lives in his own Chateau d'Edwin."

"What is Chateau d'Edwin?" Sybil inquired.

"It's what my humble youngest brother calls the cottage he built on the far edge of the manor house estate. It's quite rustic. He only allows one butler to serve him when we are at home, but no maids and no other assistance of any sort."

"That sounds like quite a humble existence. I suppose that puts Lord Edwin outside of the evils of the British upper class," Kemal remarked.

"It may soon be the world in which we all live, Mister Pamuk," Sybil responded.

"I should dread to be alive on that day."

"So, I suppose there is something wrong with being or even wanting to be a self-made, self-sustaining man of his own? There are a great many changes coming soon, Mister Pamuk, and I applaud Lord Edwin' awareness."

"I agree with Lady Sybil." The group had stopped walking, and Dudley took his moment as an opportunity to step closer to Kemal. "Mister Pamuk, you must realize that with the assassination of the Archduke, we have entered a new world. Something beyond any of our comprehensions is upon us. A new era has been thrust upon us."

"Lord Dudley, I would have to say I disagree with you. Some decades ago, Czar Alexander in Russia was assassinated, and your own Queen Victoria survived multiple assassination attempts. The best way to counter the efforts of anarchists to undo the civility of our world is to continue to live in civil harmony. Civilization will always outdo the cause of anarchy," Kemal countered.

"I agree with Mister Pamuk. We must remain rational, and trust in our leaders to maintain cooler heads," Mary added. "Now, shall we continue our walk?"

Mary and Kemal resumed leading the foursome through Grantham Village. "I hope, Lady Sybil, that I have proven myself to be a most worthy champion of your cause," Dudley whispered.

"If I recall the tale of Sleeping Beauty, there were a number of princess who attempted to wake the slumbering princess from her slumber."

"So only true love's kiss would demonstrate my worthiness to you, milady?"

"I believe that while one is hunting, one does not truly know how great a hunter one can be until the quarry is caught."

"And I believe that life is all one long hunt. When one gives up the chase, then one simply dies," Kemal interjected.

Sybil lowered her head in surprise and shyness, but Dudley responded, "That's quite a morbid philosophy, Mister Pamuk. If one fails in the pursuit of the quarry, then are we to simply resign ourselves to death?"

"No, nothing so simple as that, Lord Dudley. What is anything in life, if you really think about it? A chef prepares every meal in pursuit of the most flawless, most praised meal his hands can prepare. An artist works diligently to perfect his craft in pursuit of a masterpiece. Life is all the pursuit of one great achievement."

Later that night, the kitchen entrance

Daisy was bustling about even after everyone else had gone to sleep. Usually it was the duty of the hall boy to gather the coal from the coalpile and the firewood from the pile of firewood outside the kitchen door. Daisy usually undertook the task herself because the hallboy was sometimes delinquent in carrying out his tasks. As she exited the kitchen to gather the fuel needed, Daisy jumped in shock at the lighting of a match just outside the kitchen door. "Thomas, is that you?"

Lord Edwin emerged from the shadows. "Oh! My Lord, what are you doing outside at this hour? You frightened me."

"My apologies, milady. I did not mean to upset…"

"Oh, no, milord, I am not upset by any means." Daisy removed her hand from clutching her chest. She set down the basket she used to carry the coal and folded her arms over her chest. "A-And I did not mean to inquire about your business either, milord. It isn't my place."

"My lady…" Edwin began.

"My lord, you really shouldn't address me as such."

"I am the son of a duke, and if I choose to address such a lovely being as yourself as, 'my lady' then I supposed there's no standard of etiquette to undo it." Daisy smiled shyly. "I am here to smoke a cigarette. Do you care for one, milady?"

"Oh no, I do not smoke, my lord."

Edwin frowned and took a long drag. There was a long silence then Daisy chose to stoop down and gather her coal bucket. "I really shouldn't be out here so late. I must gather the coal and firewood, my lord."

"My lady, if not for all of this formality, I suppose it would be possible for us to become acquaintances. If only I worked downstairs, I could ask about your work day and share laughs with you."

"Acquaintances, my lord?" Daisy stepped back toward the kitchen door.

"Tell me, are you familiar with any of the footmen or butlers, my lady?"

Edwin took a step toward Daisy. "Are you acquainted with each other in away as servants or in a way as brother and sister? Or is there more familiarity going on below stairs?"

"Familiar, my lord? We work together as servants must, but we live apart from each other." Daisy took another step back toward the kitchen door. "I-I really ought to go now milord."

Daisy opened the kitchen door behind her, but Edwin lunged forward and slammed it shut with the weight of his body. "I shall remain until the garden party tomorrow, and I shall have to visit you again, my lady. I desire to become quite familiar with you." Edwin took Daisy's empty hand and kissed it. Then he pushed past her to enter the house through the kitchen.

The Garden Party the following afternoon

Cora had deliberately arranged the seating at the garden part to keep Sybil near the Kent brothers and the local vicar, while Edith and Mary were seated at a table with Sir Anthony and Matthew. Kemal had the unfortunate seating of being at the same table as Lord and Lady Grantham. When they could roam at the party, Kemal quickly located Mary and steered her off to a secluded spot to converse. "I heard about the tragedy that befell your Mama. Is she doing well?"

"Mama is doing well enough, I suppose. She may have an American woman's constitution but she has the heart of an Englishwoman."

As guests milled all around them, Kemal lowered his voice to a whisper. "Your father will not grant us his permission to marry. But I have a friend in York who knows a priest."

"As you asking me to elope with you?"

"Of course, I am." Mary looked away from Kemal, but he took her hands. "Mary, we could be a family. You, myself, and our child."
"It's quite bold of you to bring up that matter here and now."

"Life is a constant hunt, Lady Mary. Just because the field is more broad than one would like does not mean that one gives up the hunt."

Mary looked around the party. "Mister Pamuk, have you heard how the reign of Queen Mary of Scotland ended?" Kemal shook his head. "I shall give you a brief history question then: Queen Mary married one of the Scottish lords in opposition to the requests of other Scottish lords. The Scottish lords, except her husband, decided that Mary was not fit to rule and she was deposed. Her husband was slain. And Mary had to flee for safety to England. They say she rode one hundred miles on horseback in one night and the rumor is that Queen lost the baby she was carrying."

Kemal's mouth hung open in shock. "My darling, I…"

"Attention, everyone," Robert proclaimed as loudly as he could muster, interrupting Kemal's statement, "I have just received notice that the German empire has refused to comply with Britain's request to withdraw from Belgium. We are now at war with the German empire."