So sorry in the delay of posting. My life has been pretty crazy lately. My husband ended up in the hospital and it was scary there for a while. Thankfully, he is now home. It has caused life changes for him and us as a family, but we're so grateful he is home and healthy now. I hope you enjoy this update. AR
Chapter 79
1950s-Downton Abbey
After the passing of Robert Crawley, Anna retired from her role of Head Housekeeper with the push from both Mary and the children. At first, Anna didn't know how to feel about all of this free time. Mary set her up in a cottage nearby to have her own space, and Anna spent most of her early days of retirement making changes to the place. But eventually, she grew bored. Then she spent time over at Johnny and Molly's with Jack. However, she started to feel as though she took over their family time.
The evenings she snuck back into the Abbey to spend her time with Mary. Though now the house was safe for the both of them. The only person inside the house they had to keep their ruse up for was Cora Crawley.
Overtime, Anna began to enjoy her retirement. She learned to enjoy the time she had to herself. She had more time to spend with the grandchildren, but also took a lot of time just to do the things she wanted to do.
Having the cottage ended up being a nice, special place for her and Mary. During the day, Mary could come down to visit. None of the people in Downton thought anything of Lady May visiting her former lady's maid and housekeeper. It was well known that the house remained close to their staff after they retired.
"Knock, knock," Mary said, opening up the front door of the cottage. Anna glanced up from her chair, where she sat reading a book. A smile grew on her lips.
"You're being naughty." Anna closed her book. She stood. "Aren't you supposed to be up at the house, helping prepare for George's big party this evening?"
Mary shrugged her shoulders, making her way closer to Anna. Her hands came up to rest on Anna's hips before pulling her closer.
"Didn't you tell Johnny and Pippa that you had work to do in the village?"
"I did," Anna said, bringing her eyes up to meet Mary's. They both let out a small chuckle. With the planning of George's first party as the Earl, there had been so much going on and so Anna and Mary had less time for one another. They'd planned this time to be just for them.
"Well," Mary began, tipping her head down to give Anna a chaste kiss. She then pushed her back slightly, so Anna sat back in the chair. Mary straddled her lap, deepening their kiss. Anna's hands ran up her back, making Mary shudder against her.
"Oh my god!"
Anna jerked her head up, as Mary jumped off her lap. They both turned to find Pippa standing in the doorway with her hand pressed against the door. Pippa's blue eyes were wide and her mouth agape.
"Pippa," Anna said, brushing back her hair with her hands. Pippa looked between the two of them.
"You…you're old! You shouldn't be snogging in the middle of the day!"
"Oh Pippa," Mary said with a roll of her eyes. "Your mama and I are not that old. We can still have some fun."
"Oh my god," Pippa murmured, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Don't be such a prude."
"I'm not a prude! I just don't want to see my mother and my mama snogging one another's faces off!"
"Pippa, what are you doing here anyway?" Anna asked, standing next to Mary. "You thought I wasn't going to be here, so you couldn't have been coming by to see me."
"I…I needed some quiet," Pippa said, her eyes glancing between both of her mothers. She tugged on a curl that had fallen lose from her braid. "That's all. I hadn't expected to find the both of you…doing that."
"What did you think we did when we were together? Drinking tea and reading books?" Mary asked.
"Yes, that's exactly what I thought you were doing!"
"Well, now you now," Mary said with a smirk. Pippa made a face.
"Oh god."
"Darling, why don't you go now, so your mother and I can finish what we were doing."
"Are you seriously going to continue?"
"Yes," Anna answered.
"You two need a room!"
"This is our cottage, I'll remind you. You're the one who barged in," Mary said, as she and Anna led Pippa outside. "Now go on."
Pippa did as they asked and stepped outside. Anna shut the door. As she did, she spotted Dennis quickly following behind Pippa. A laugh bubbled out of her lips.
"What is it, darling?" Mary asked, walking over next to Anna.
"It's Dennis. Do you think Pippa had brought him here in hopes of snogging with him?"
"Oh Pippa," Mary laughed. "They won't even admit they fancy one another."
"She gets that stubbornness from you," Anna said, her arm snaking around Mary's waist. Mary glanced over to her and then shook her head, as a smile began to grow on her lips.
"Well, she'll learn. I did."
"You did. Now, should we continue?"
"Absolutely."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
George planned his party to be a little less formal than the parties he'd grown up seeing put together by his grandparents. He wanted to be able to invite Johnny, Molly, and Anna. There were still no children allowed, but it was not so much about a status for him. People from Downton were also invited to come.
At first, Cora was not sure about any of this. While she did like to change with the times, she did worry this could open up too many issues. However, George promised her it would not. He'd taken his title of Earl seriously, making her proud, and knowing how proud Robert would be.
She missed him more than she ever could have imagined she would. So she was thankful for a busy house to keep her mind on other things. Both Edith and Sybil visited often, with their husbands, children, and sometimes even their grandchildren. The great grandchildren were such a great reminder of the legacy she and Robert had left behind.
As Cora walked through the party, she saw Pippa, Johnny, and Anna standing over in one corner sipping on champagne and laughing about something. When Pippa turned to look at Anna, Cora narrowed her eyes. The two woman laughed together. Cora gasped. Pippa was Anna's child. How had she missed it all of these years? They looked so much alike. Their eyes were exactly the same. Pippa's mannerisms were copies of Anna's. And when Anna looked at Pippa there was much love in her eyes, like a mother looks at her child.
She noticed Mary walking across the room and quickened her pace. She had to know if she was right.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Mary looked forward to being with Anna tonight, in her home, at a party. With George inviting her tonight, the two of them could sit together, chat together, and even laugh together without anyone finding it odd.
She nearly made it to Anna when she felt a hand tighten around her arm. Her eyes shot over to who dared to touch her, surprised to find it was her mother.
"Mama?" She asked, turning in her mother's direction. "Are you alright?"
"Come here," Cora just whispered, tugging Mary toward an empty hall. "Pippa is Anna's child?"
Mary stepped back a step, a sharp breath escaping her lips. Her eyes searched her mother's face, questioning what, exactly, her mother knew.
"She is, isn't she?"
"She is," Mary finally said. There was no point in denying it. Pippa was a grown woman now and Anna no longer worked for the house. Her mama no longer had to be kept in the dark, because there was nothing for Mary to worry about. "How did you know?"
"I just knew," Cora said. "I saw them standing together and it finally clicked. What I don't understand is why you kept this a secret from me for all of these years?"
"What don't you understand, Mama? Anna had a child and we found a way to let her be in her child's life."
"But why lie about it? You could have let me in on your secret."
"No I couldn't," Mary said in disbelief. "You never would have allowed Pippa, or Anna, to stay if you'd known the truth."
"Oh Mary, don't be so dramatic. I absolutely adore Pippa as if she's my own grandchild. We would have taken her in under the guise you set."
"Mama, you didn't want to take her in when I brought her home. The only reason you allowed it, is because you thought she was mine," Mary reminded her.
"That's not how I remember it at all," Cora said with a shake of her head. "We adore Pippa. We loved her from the moment we laid eyes on her. If we'd known the truth about Anna being her mother, we would have made it work."
"You're clearly misremembering, Mama. You wanted me to sack Anna because she had Johnny, you never would have accepted her with an illegitimate child."
"I never said such a thing!"
Mary sighed and rolled her eyes.
"You have an interesting memory, Mama. I think you forget how things really were back then," Mary said.
"I don't. Do we know who the father of Pippa is?" Cora asked, looking around Mary to see Pippa still chatting with Anna and Johnny.
"He's dead," Mary simply said.
"Is that why she didn't marry him?"
"Mama," Mary sighed.
"Alright, alright, I guess I'll leave that mystery for another day."
Mary bent over and kissed her mother on the cheek, her hand patting her shoulder. She gave her a nod.
"It's really not a mystery you want to solve, but I will explain it more to you later, after this party is over. Pippa is my daughter, as much as she is Anna's. We both adore her."
"And I do, too."
"I know you do." Mary smiled. "She loves you. Now, I must go and make sure George is ready for his toast."
When Mary stepped away, she felt this immense weight fall off her shoulders. She hadn't known how good it would feel to have her mother know the truth about Pippa. It was the one safe truth her mama could know. She'd never be able to tell her about the love of her life, or the life she and Anna had built, but it felt good for her to know this.
"Hey," a quiet voice made Mary turn. Her lips curled up to find Anna using her finger to motion her over. "I found us a seat."
"Oh good, I've been wanting to sit with you all evening."
"Me too, my love."
Fall 1971
Mary's hand shook as she attempted to open her bottle of medicine. A curse flew out of her mouth, under her breath, as the entire bottle spilled all over the floor.
"Mother?" Pippa's voice rang. The door to the bathroom opened to reveal her daughter. "Oh, Mother." She quickly bent down to begin picking up the pills off the floor. "You should have let the nurse or Maebh do this."
"I'm capable enough to get my own medication, Pippa," Mary snapped. Pippa stood, placing them back into the bottle.
"How bad is it?" Pippa asked her. "Should we take you back to the doctor?"
"I'm not going anywhere," Mary strongly stated. "I…I'll be fine."
"Mother, if you're feeling worse, perhaps we should just take you back to the hospital for a little while."
"I can't leave your mama. I can't," Mary said, her voice now strained. "She needs me here. She gets weaker every day. Her memory…." A stray tear slid down her cheek. Pippa's hand came up to wipe it away.
"But we must take care of you too, Mother."
"I won't be going anywhere. I won't leave Anna behind. She needs me."
Pippa let out a low sigh, but nodded. She poured the correct amount of pills into her hand before handing them over to Mary to take.
"Mama's cancer is taking over fast," Pippa whispered, her own lower lip starting to quiver. "You're growing weaker, too."
"Oh darling," Mary said, after taking her pills. She brushed her fingertips over Pippa's cheek. "This day had to come. We don't live forever."
A shuddering breath left Pippa's lips.
"But I won't be dying, not yet. I won't leave Anna behind in this world."
"You're just stubborn enough to make sure of that." A weak chuckle left Pippa's lips.
"And don't you forget it, my dear Pippa. Now, come on, I promised your mama we'd go outside and watch the children play."
To be continued...
