Chapter Four

A/N: Sybil's coming out in the show was in 1914, but pretend it was 1913. It is an AU after all.

June 1913

The time had come for Sybil's debut as a debutante, and Mary enjoyed dancing through the nights and attending dinners in honor of her sister as the season went on. While she had found a great deal of solace in bonding with Ellie, taking walks through the woods, and confiding in Anna, the change of scenery had helped Mary feel the most like herself she had felt in a long time. London was so different from the countryside they called home, and while Mary was a very outdoorsy person, she had to admit the big city had its charms. She even thought she might be able to move on with someone else should she meet the right person. She hadn't felt this hopeful since before she had gotten engaged to Patrick.

August 7, 1913

On the eve of her daughter's second birthday, Mary had been fully back to herself for some time now, and she felt excited about the preparations that were underway to celebrate her little girl the next day. On top of that, Edith was set to marry Anthony Strallan the following month. She felt extremely glad that her sister had the opportunity to marry for love, and she felt that her sister's triumph and her beloved daughter were the two biggest things that made marrying out of duty worth it.

She entered the nursery and saw Anna sitting on the floor bouncing Ellie in her lap and making silly faces at her. They had gotten into a routine where Anna would pop in to relieve Nanny while Mary took care of her letters and then came to give her daughter her morning feed. "Someone seems very happy today." Mary commented. "Maybe she knows that tomorrow is a special day."

"I think she does, m'lady." Anna answered with a smile before getting up and handing the baby to her mother. Mary sat down in the rocking chair and situated Ellie for feeding. "Oh, and before I forget, Nanny wanted me to tell you that she did quite well with her solid foods this morning. She is especially fond of strawberries, m'lady."

"She takes after me with that." Mary responded. She was smiling but seemed a bit downcast.

Seeing the way Mary's face fell thinking about how much her baby was growing, Anna added, "But of course, she'll still need nursing for another month or so."

"The next two months I will treasure very much." Mary said, giving her daughter a soft smile as she nursed. "This bond is something that I deeply cherish."

"I'm sure Miss Ellie likes your bond too." Anna smiled. She had to admit she had never seen a member of the aristocracy be such an involved parent.

"I have to say thank you, Anna."

"Thanks to me? Whatever for, m'lady?"

"For helping me so much with Ellie." Mary answered. "You've been there for me from the beginning, and I couldn't appreciate you more for it. Especially with all the help you gave me when I was out of sorts from Patrick's death. I don't think I would be the mother I am today if I hadn't had you to be an outlet for me to confide in and work through my feelings, not to mention all the ways you helped me care for Ellie."

"I'm quite fond of her, I must admit." Anna said. "But I was just doing my job, m'lady."

"No, Anna, you went above and beyond." Mary said with a reassuring and grateful look. "All the times you brought her to me when I was too clouded in my gloomy thoughts to go to her myself. All the times you gave her a bottle so I could rest. All the times you played with her when I was too busy. And the way you have created a routine for her, for us, so I can spend time with her now that I'm feeling up to it again."

"You're welcome, m'lady. I know how much you love her, and I knew you would regret it if you left everything up to Nanny while your thoughts were simmering in those dark months."

"Taking care of her certainly made me feel better." Mary stated softly, staring down at her daughter with misty eyes before looking up at Anna once more. "Thank you again, Anna." The maid responded with a smile before taking her leave, a feeling of pride welling up within her.

A/N: I know the solid foods/nursing discussion would be more accurate if Ellie was turning one. I originally wrote that she was turning one and Anna assured that she would need to be nursed for another six months, but I decided her first birthday was too soon for Mary to be fully back to herself. So, I changed it to Ellie's second birthday and made it so she would be nursing for another two months.