Thank you so much for the reviews! Please note my horrible math skills in chapter 1 – Anna was actually six months along, not five!

Chapter 2

Cora's heals clicked as she walked through the marbled hall at Grantham House.

March in London had been lovely that year, the weather being bright and fresh unlike the news. As the month went on, she felt more and more uneasy. Now if felt to her as if it was getting to crunch time.

Boris Johnson was going to talk to the nation and she was as sure as she could be no good could come of that. Lockdown she was sure was on the way, of that she was sure. The UK had gone into it a lot later than many countries - but go in to it they would.

She was selfish enough to admit when they did go into Lockdown she would rather do so at Downton.

It was greener than London for a start. It was bigger than London for another and the truth of it was if known then she just preferred the Abbey's setting. As a youth, she had been all about London. It was not so anymore. She was a country women. And if the rumours were true, in a few days they would not be able to travel to the abbey even if they wanted too.

So it was time for her to act. She walked into the living room.

"My darling, I need to talk to you," she said as Robert came into sight.

The Earl of Grantham stood up to greet his wife. He had a feeling he knew what this was about.

"Cora."

"I think we need to go to the abbey."

"I agree," he said as he put his hands on her arms.

"Shall I book the train tickets?" she asked. She was all but ready to pull out her phone and do it.

"Book one for yourself, my darling, " he said and her face fell. "I am going to follow you up in a couple of days." He tried to reassure her.

"I do not see why we cannot go up together?" Cora questioned.

"Cora, I am part of the government. I cannot go yet in case I am needed."

She did not know if that was true.

"Surely you can do what you need to online."

"I do not think so – and I do not feel as if I can leave London yet."

If there was one thing in the world that Cora Crawley believed her husband to be it was a man of honour. and if he did not think he was ready to leave then he was not.

She hummed doubtfully. But he had made his mind up and she had made hers.

"Then I am going to go and ring her girls." Edith had her flat in Marylebone and the new Mr and Mrs Crawley lived in Kensington. Cora could not bear the thought of any of them being cooped up.

"Yes darling, you do that."

He knew she would not be talking about Sybil. Though she was the most free spirited of their daughters she was the only one of them who generally lived full time of the abbey, as she worked in Ripon at the hospital. He wondered if she was ready to have her space and peace invaded for that was what was soon to occur.

X x x

"That was mama on the phone. She wanted to know if we wanted to move to move to the abbey while we can." Said Mary as she walked into the living room.

Matthew looked up at his wife where he sat on their sofa. It was hard to believe just a few weeks ago the two of them had enjoyed a honeymoon in New York City. Now they were back in England and they would not be enjoying any city for a while, or so it seemed to him.

"So she agrees Bojo will lock us down."

"Apparently so," she shrugged.

Matthew thought on it for a minute. "Is it not a bit immoral? Moving somewhere nicer, just because we can."

Of course, Mary thought to herself. She had married a man with morals.

"Darling, I do see what your saying – but we've both been working from home for a week or so now already. I hope if we had anything we would show symptoms by now. It is not as if we are going to spread anything by driving up to Yorkshire but – but us staying cooped up in a flat is not going to help people who can't go to a Downton either."

Just because they were locking down somewhere nice did not mean there were not going to be people looking down somewhere they did not wish too. She felt for them, she really did. But the facts did not change, regardless.

Well, even if he wanted to, Matthew could not argue with that. He didn't like it when she used logic.

How did he feel about locking down at Downton? Well he knew he would get to know his in laws a lot quicker than he would do otherwise. He had not ever banked on living with them for much beyond a holiday…

But the place where they had got married was beautiful and locking down there could be a good thing and take some of the pressures off them. Whilst he and Mary were blissfully happy, no one knew how long this was going to go on for and he did not want anything to change their happiness. Being together for twenty four hours a day well might do that.

And it was not as if they could go and stay with his mother who worked at the care home. That was not going to work…

"What say you Matthew?" Mary asked.

He could see what she wanted. And the two of them were newlyweds. The last thing in the world that he wanted to do was rock the boat.

"I say that we do not know how long this is going to last. And you are right – Downton will be pleasanter for all of us to be." He stood up.

"And remember darling even if there are rules in the day to come, there is no rule to stop us doing this now." She said as she went and wrapped her arms about his neck. They were not breaking the rules – they were simply two steps ahead of them.

"We had better pack a bag Mrs Crawley." He said as he gave her a kiss.

X x x

"Mama I know things are worrying right now but I do not think we are going to be going into lock down any time soon."

Edith sighed. She did not know if it was just the case that she lacked imagination, but she could not imagine they were going to lockdown. It did not seem as if it was real to her that that could happen and she had to say she felt as if the world was going mad and being dramatic. She could not say she had much time for it. It made her weary.

Her mother, bless her, was American after all and there were times Edith felt she was very good at sniffing out the drama in life. Yet this time she could be grateful as it might well serve her own purpose. A little time out of London seemed attractive to her right then.

"Mama, I do not think that is going to happen – but yes I will come to Downton Abbey with you," said Edith.

The truth was she did not think this could have come at a better time for her. If she had lived a different life than she would be happier than she could say right then – her life would be rosy. Any other women would feel as if she had made it. She had a good job as a journalist -one which she loved. And she had a good man – a wonderful man, truly.

But she had not and it wasn't and she just – above all, wanted to be away from London right then. She just felt as if she needed to breathe. And somewhere that it was not going to be easy for Bertie to get to her.

Cora thought her daughter was wrong but there was no point in the world telling her that right then. She had what she wanted and that was for Edith to go with her – so no matter her motive, she was glad of it. When they got to where they were going then she could talk to her – really talk to her and get to the bottom of what was going on – and get to the bottom of it she would.

"That's wonderful darling – I am going to book us two tickets today."

"Is papa not going to come with us?" asked Edith.

"No darling – he is going to follow us up in a few days."

Edith nodded down the phone. "Just text me what time the train leaves - I will be ready to go."

X x x

Anna took a sip of her herbal tea as she stood in the kitchen. This was not how she had thought her pregnancy was going to end.

Up until now it had all been text book. And it still was in her actual health.

But now it felt as if everything was different. And nothing at all was text book at all.

She was vulnerable. Vulnerable to this horrible virus and so John and herself were going to have to shield for the foreseeable future. Having just gone over her due date, John had been sent home from London by the Earl of Grantham. John worked as chauffer and personal attendant to the Earl, a job difficult to work from home, and so whilst he was still online, he was relatively available to his wife. Despite that he had been promised his full pay. And then when the baby came he was going to go on paternity leave and then when that was done – well, they could see where they were.

"Are you alright, my darling?" her husband as her from where he sat with his laptop at the kitchen table. She knew if he had his way then they would not have a laptop in the house – it was not his thing at all, but then they had to live in the modern world whether they liked it or not.

"I – I spoke to my mum, told her she was not going to be able to come to the hospital," she admitted to him.

It had not been an easy conversation for her – not an easy conversation at all.

"I am sure she understands deep down," John said as he came over to her and took her hands. "As for Lady Mary."

Anna sighed. She had not had a chance to talk to her best friend about all of this yet – it felt to her as if life was moving so fast for her right then – to fact. And she had no chance to slow it down.

Mary had said to her she was going to come up from London as soon as the baby was here but – but she did not think that was going to happen now.

"I'll talk to Mary tomorrow – we've text, so she knows were having no visitors for now. I just hope it is a rule we can soon relax."

He smiled at her gently, not saying that as much as he wished it too, he doubted it.

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