Alexander Crawley just arrived from his bike ride, bringing the last crate of baking supplies that Mrs. Patmore ordered from Mr. Bakewell's. He quickly jogs to the kitchen, where Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore saw him
"Oh thank you, your Lordship!" Mrs. Patmore said as he sets down the ingredients on the table "I thought one of the hall boys did it!"
"Oh don't worry, Mrs. Patmore" Alex smiles "I insisted in doing it this time, and I'll gladly do it again sometime soon"
"But wouldn't his Lordship get mad if he knows about this?" Mrs. Hughes then asked
"Oh no, he won't. In fact he actually knows about it, as well as the rest of the family" Alex assured "All except Granny, of course. But it's alright, I'll manage her...I hope"
"Lord Downton," Albert then said as he heads downstairs "His Lord and Ladyship are already in the dining hall"
"How about Lady Mary?"
"She is still not there, milord"
"YES!" Alex cheered, but fixes himself again when he saw their confused faces "I mean...thank you, Albert"
"What does that supposed to mean?" Mrs. Hughes then asked him as she helps him fix his necktie
"I had a little bet with sister Mary, that's all. I promise!" Alex smiles at her
"Alright then," Mrs. Hughes smiles and fixes his hair a bit "Now go up there and have your breakfast"
"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes. You're the best" he then kisses her cheek before heading upstairs to the dining hall
"Ah, there you are!" Cora then said as she saw her son jogged to the dining hall "Have you just come back from your ride?"
"Yes, and helped a bit downstairs as well" Alex kissed his parents' cheeks before getting some food
"What did you do downstairs?" Robert then asked
"I just brought in some of the supplies from Mr. Bakewell's. It's just a few, small crates of baking supplies" Alex then settled on his seat beside his father
He then saw his sisters, Mary and Edith, as well as his brothers-in-law Tom and Bertie arriving at the dining hall
"Papa, Mama" Edith said as she kissed her parents' cheeks "I'm surprised you two are both up quite early"
"Your mother insisted to be up early this time" Robert said, reading the day's newspaper "Why? Is something of the matter?"
Edith chuckles softly as she sat beside her Mama "Oh, nothing...nothing at all"
Alex was chuckling quietly to himself as well before looking at his sister Mary, who was in a bit disappointed since she lost their bet
"Why the long face, Mary?" Cora then notices her daughter's face "What happened?"
"Oh, it's nothing Mama" Mary replied before sitting down beside Edith "I am alright"
"Are you sure?"
Mary then heard her siblings almost choking on their orange juices, trying their best not to laugh
"Now, don't keep us all in suspense" Their mother then looks at them "What is going on with the three of you?"
"Well, it's just that...Mary lost a bet to Alex" Edith then said
"And what kind of bet is this?"
"Mary bets five pounds if you and Papa get up late today. Alex agrees, and now...he wins"
"I'm sorry...five pounds? Five. Pounds?" Robert looks at them as well
Edith nods, and laughs softly. Alex and Mary then laugh along softly as well
"Children...don't bet that big of a money next time" Robert said "Or better yet, don't bet at all"
"Sorry, Papa" the siblings said in unison before drinking their juice and teas
"It was just for fun, though" Alex then said "Not a big of a deal"
"Yes, Papa" Mary added "besides, it is your fault"
"What do you mean it's my fault?" Robert looks up from the paper again, confused
"Well, if you didn't say that, right in front of us, then this bet wouldn't happen at all"
"I think they're right, Darling" Cora said, trying not to laugh at her eldest daughter's sarcasm
"Oh, no...not you too" Robert looks at her, a bit disappointed that she sided with their children
"I'm just saying that you could have kept it more private and let the kids leave our room first"
He then tries to protest, but stops himself when he caught his wife's glare, making their children laugh again
"Are you going to the hospital today, Mama?" Tom then tried to change the topic
"Oh yes, today's the annual town hall meeting" Cora then replied before looking at her son "Do you want to come with me, Alex?"
Alex's head snaps back up, looking at his mother and smiles "Of course, Mama. I'll gladly accompany you"
"Great! In that way, the people can know you more as well"
"Edith, Bertie, do you want to come with us for some business with the tenants and the farms?" Mary then asked
"Of course, why not? We would love to go around at the county" Bertie smiles while Edith nods in agreement
"And while you all have businesses to attend, I'll be the babysitter" Robert jokes, making them all chuckle
"We should all get change now," Cora then said as they all stood up "Especially you, young man. At least make yourself presentable"
"How about less presentable, Mama? In that way, the attention is all on you" Alex asked, smiling nervously
"Just go and make yourself a bit presentable, please?" Cora smiles at him before heading upstairs
With Andy's help, Alex wore a simple brown sweater vest and pants, along with white shirt and blue and red tie, and topping it off with a brown jacket. He then combed his hair nicely before heading downstairs, seeing his sisters about to leave
"Mary!" Alex catches up to them "Can I please have my 5 pounds now?"
"You never really forgot about it, don't you?" Mary chuckles softly before handing him the money
"Of course. Because I'll keep reminding you for the rest of the day if you didn't give it now" Alex chuckles along "And besides, I want to buy Mama some food after"
"Alright then," She then kisses his cheek "See you later"
"See you all later" Alex then waves at them as they all head off to the tenants and farmers in the village
A few minutes later, Cora then arrives, fixing the new brown shawl, as well as the new necklace and bracelet that they gave her last night
"Wearing our gifts already?" Alex smiles as he saw her
"Of course! I do promise to wear them starting today, especially the necklace" Cora smiles "Let's go now, shall we?"
Alex nods, letting her inside the car first before going in himself to go to the hospital
Dr. Clarkson was already waiting outside at the Downton Hospital when Cora and Alex arrived. The doctor then greeted them as they got of their car
"Lady Grantham, I didn't know Lord Downton is accompanying us today" the doctor said after shaking hands with Alex
"Lord Downton had too much free time on his hands, so he decided to accompany me" Cora chuckles softly, and Alex nods in agreement
"The town hall is about to start now, milady. We should be going in" Dr. Clarkson smiles, and let's them inside first
As they entered the large hospital hall, Alex was a bit nervous as he saw lots of people inside. He wasn't really used to large gatherings, only some of the small parties at their home. He also would rather stay in a corner than interact with others. But then again, he agrees in accompanying his mother, and there is no turning back now
People were looking at them as they walked by them. Alex felt very nervous, but tries to smile politely at them. He then got up on stage with his mother, and sat beside her
"Are you alright?" Cora whispers to him, seeing him a bit uncomfortable
"Just a bit nervous" Alex whispers back "There's too many people"
"You'll be alright, Darling. Don't worry" she gently rubs his hands as she listens to Dr. Clarkson's opening remarks
The town hall meeting went smoothly as expected, with the villagers asking a lot of questions about the new equipment and the new discoveries that the hospital presented. Alex was busy fiddling and spinning a pen in his hands to keep him at ease
A middle-aged woman then stood up for her turn to ask, "Your Ladyship, is it alright if we ask Lord Downton a question?"
Alex looks up from his pen as he heard his title. He looks at his mother, who gave him a nod of encouragement. He then took a deep breath, before standing up from his seat and stand beside her behind the podium
"Of course, ma'am," Alex said, smiling "Please...go ahead"
"Will you ever continue...what Lady Grantham has done in the future, when you become the Earl, sir?"
Alex hesitated, thinking about what he is going to say to them. He haven't really thought about it, nor he haven't thought about what he's going to do if he ever becomes the 8th Earl of Grantham
"Of course, ma'am" he then said "I will do my very best to continue what both my grandmother and mother had started. Their contribution to our beloved hospital has a positive impact in us all"
The woman then thanked him and sat back down, followed by hush whispers around the hall. Alex sighs softly in relief, and gave his mother a small smile before sitting back down. He then tries to calm himself down from shaking, breathing slowly and counting backwards
Alex wasn't really used at speaking on stage at all, no matter how many times his Granny told him to practice, and said he will be required to give speeches in the future. He tries his best to overcome his stage fright, but every now and then, he feel very anxious, especially if he's the only one on stage and facing a large crowd
But thankfully, his mother was beside him earlier, or else he will only stutter and might not be able answer the question at all
After the town hall meeting, Cora and Alex were interacting with the villagers as the hospitals gave out snacks and drinks for them. Alex tries his best to answer some questions about him as he was asked by the villagers
But as he was talking to them, he felt a something gently bumped his head. Curious, he turns around and saw a small paper airplane. Alex then excuses himself and picks it up. He smiles at it, admiring some of the drawing that surrounds the plane
He then saw a little girl running towards him. She then halted and looks up at him, feeling a bit afraid of him
Alex notices, and chuckles softly "Don't worry. I'm not scary" he then knelt down to her and hands her plane "Here you go. But you may have to fix the tip of it, or else it won't fly properly anymore"
The little girl then gently took the plane from him before slowly backing away again. Alex chuckles again, and smiles
"How about...a make you a new paper plane, to prove I'm not scary at all. What do you say?" He asks her gently as he stood back up
The little girl then thought for a moment, before nodding in agreement
"Alright then. Now...can you take me to where you're making your beautiful planes?" He then offers his hand to her
The little girl then gently holds his hand, and they both walked to a small corner of the hall, where the other children are playing as well
But little did he know, his mother noticed the entire interaction. Cora smiles at the sight of him, interacting with the children while making paper airplanes for them as well
"He really does love children, Lady Grantham" Dr. Clarkson then said
"Oh, he does. He adored his nieces and nephew as much as he adored these children" Cora said, still smiling and still watching Alex from afar
"Do you think he'll be a great man on day, Your Ladyship?"
"I think so, yes" she then looks at the doctor, smiling before looking back at Alex "Not a great man, but a good man"