continued...

2 chapters in a week? wooooo! ;)

Chapter Five

Mid-August, 1939

The party had been magnificent. So many people had been in attendance and the music was still playing from the grand ballroom of Downton Abbey as she sealed the envelope to leave on the mantle in the library. Likely no one would see it until the morning but by then she would be well on her way.

Sybbie had looked so beautiful at her birthday party and James had been a total gentleman all evening catering to her. They were so sweet together and Marigold hoped more than anything that she would someday find a man who looked at her the way James looked at Sybbie. She knew she had neither the charm nor the looks of her cousin, but Sybbie always made her feel like she was pretty. And Lily. She would miss Lily. Tom's wife was a constant source of confidence for her and always made her feel like she was the centre of the world whenever they would speak, which Marigold tried to do often. She adored the Bransons and little Jack was such a delightful baby. She would miss them immensely and was pained to think of the secret she had been keeping. But no one could know what her real motives were. She had to do it.

Her voyage had been planned for months and she had kept the details of it secret from everyone. She had been slowly withdrawing money from the bank account that her mother had set up for her when she had come back to Downton. She had enough to make the return voyage and pay for any accommodations. The only person who had even quirked an eyebrow at her was her cousin. It had been hard not to tell him, he was probably her best friend in the world but what she needed to do was for herself. She knew he would talk her out of it. She had to do it.

She had overheard so much talk amongst the adults at the party about the whisperings of war again. She had decided by midnight that tonight had to be the night that she would leave. By the time she was back she would hopefully have all the answers she needed and everyone would forgive her for leaving the way she had. She knew her grandparents would forgive her eventually, and her mother would be mad, but hopefully she would understand as well. Her entire adventure would depend on a series of hopes and dreams. She knew she would likely not find what she was hoping to find, but she had to try. And it was now or never. If the story was true, she could go on with the rest of her life. If it was not, then she would have many more questions that needed answers.

She placed the envelope on the mantle and closed her eyes and sighed as she glanced over the family pictures that were spread out there. She would miss everyone so much but hopefully she would only be gone for a month at the most. She stopped at the picture of her as a young girl sitting on her Granny Violet's knee. She suspected the woman was smiling down on her for her nerve in what she was about to do. The picture had been taken shortly before she and her mother had left for Italy. It had been one of the last times she remembered being with her Granny and another of the reasons she fought with her mother so much over the years. She had never wanted to move away, she adored everyone in the Crawley household but her mother had wanted to go. And then she had met and married Antonio. Marigold had never disliked Antonio as it were, but she had never entirely bonded with him either. He treated her well, but she had longed to know more about her real father. No one would speak of him, but no one really spoke ill of him either. The only thing she knew for sure from anyone is that he had died in Germany before she was born. And no one spoke of him after that. She sighed again and turned her back on the pictures.

The music and laughter of the guests still celebrating muffled the noise as she wrenched open the heavy front door and looked back quickly. No one had noticed her as per usual. She hoped to be well on her way to London by the time any one would would bring her absence to the attention of her grandparents. And she would be further away by the time anyone would know of her ruse in the letter she had left. She went to the stables and climbed on the horse that she had saddled earlier in the evening. She thought of all the riding lessons with her Aunt Mary and how close they had become over the past year and a half. The words her mother spoke of her sister had not persuaded Marigold in getting to know the true woman that her Aunt was. She adored her and would miss her as well. Mary had been the only one to speak willingly of her real father with her, but Mary's stories often stopped suddenly as she spoke of getting to know the man while they were in Scotland. Marigold knew how that trip had ended and always saw the darkness come over Mary's face when she reached that point. The subject was always changed quickly and Marigold longed to hear more of their time together there, but knew it was too painful for Mary.

She rode off quietly, determined to not look back on the Abbey that been her home again recently. She had to go. It had to be done. She had to do what she needed to do. Hopefully everyone would understand in the end and she would come home with the answers that she craved.

George heard the knocking at his door and struggled to open his eyes to the darkness. Light crept in from the corners of the drawn curtains and he wondered what time it was. He felt like he had only been asleep for an hour or so and wondered who had the nerve to disturb him. He had been up dancing with a number of potential wives that the entire county and his grandparents had felt necessary the night before. He had been reinforcing his annoyance with a drag of gin from time to time and his head was still fuzzy. Some of the girls whom he had been forced to entertain with a dance had been positively odious. The only time he had really enjoyed himself was when he and Sybbie and James had snuck away to the garage but since it had been Sybbie's birthday party, she hadn't been able to escape that often. He dreaded the next months and year when he would come of age and every girl would be after him for a proposal to enter his family through marriage. He wished he could escape but he didn't want to disappoint his grandparents. The inner conflict in him was greater than he would admit to anyone.

He had been accepted to attend Oxford but his grandparents didn't want him to go. They wanted him to stay and get to know the running of the estate but he wanted to go away and live for himself before he had to take over the running of Downton. His mother was on his side and wanted him to live the life he wanted to live, but the struggle with Cora and Robert had not been resolved in any manner yet. Perhaps he had drunk a little bit too much last night, knowing that he was doomed to live his enter life on the estate. Hopefully his mother could talk some sense into everyone who was opposed to his leaving for a time. He was sure in the end they would win, but in the mean time, he had to bide by his Grandparents wishes and be nice to the daughters and granddaughters of all their friends.

The knocking on the door was stopped when the door creaked open and he sat up in his bed. Who would dare enter his room without permission? He was prepared to lash out verbally when his eyes adjusted to the light and he watched his Granny creep across the floor.

"George? You're awake?" Her normally gentle voice seemed quivery.

"I am. What is the matter?" He rubbed his eyes and tried to wake up fully. There had to be something wrong for her to come into his room and wake him up.

"Marigold has left to go back to Italy without telling us. I need to know if she told you anything." Cora sat on the edge of his bed.

"What do you mean?" He sat up a little further trying to figure out if he had heard his grandmother correctly.

"Anna found this on the mantle this morning." She held out the letter to George and he took it and tried to read it in the dim light, but his eyes were having trouble focusing.

"It's too dark. What does it say." He looked back at his Grandmother and she seemed legitimately upset by the letter. Whatever it said.

"Marigold says she is going back to Italy to live with her mother and she didn't want to upset us so she left quietly in the night." Her voice cracked. "I was wondering if she said anything to you?"

"No Granny. Not a word." George thought back to all the time they had spent together over the last months and he couldn't recall a time that his cousin had said a single word about being unhappy there and wanting to go back to Italy. He was baffled by her behaviour.

"Well get up darling. We are all meeting some of our guests for breakfast and I would like you to be there. You are sitting next to the niece of the Grandersons and I would like you to get to know her. She is a very nice girl..." Cora stood up and left the room quickly not giving him a chance to regretfully decline.

He flopped back on his bed and rubbed his temples. What the hell had Marigold done? It was the last thing he needed to deal with right now.

He heard a stirring again and opened his eyes to see Sybbie, already dressed and up entering his room.

"Why do you all feel you can just come in without permission?" George groaned as Sybbie turned on the light.

"George? Did she say anything to you? I am so confused about why she would do this." Sybbie ignored his complaint. "Why would she leave us so suddenly?"

"She didn't say a word. I swear. I have no idea what she was thinking." George sat up and pushed the covers back from himself. What was happening was starting to sink in. Marigold had left? By herself?

"I'm so confused George. What is happening? Do you think she's okay?" Sybbie had tears in her eyes.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's a very smart girl. We both know that if no one else does, but yes. I'm confused as to why she would go as well. I thought she trusted us enough to tell us everything..."

"She is just so quiet all the time. Who knows what goes on in her head sometimes." Sybbie stood up to leave as Molesely came into the room with fresh clothes for George. "I'll see you downstairs for breakfast. Don't be long. There's probably at least three girls who are dreaming of having breakfast with you every morning." Sybbie giggled and George shot her a look that could have killed.

He shook his head and rubbed his temple one more time. It was going to be one long day. And he was just a wee bit mad at Marigold for abandoning him alone with his Grandparents. With Sybbie away at school most of the time and James busy with helping to run the estate with Tom, she was his go-to best friend when he wanted to escape. What was he going to do now?

Molesley handed him a glass of water and two tablets and waited patiently while George stretched and prepared to face his day.

It was indeed going to be a long one.

to be continued...

What the heck is Marigold up to? Will she achieve her goals before war breaks out?