Chapter 3: Pamuk

Lilly was sewing again after dinner, finishing up the embroidery design for Cousin Violet, while George and Matthew were discussing a case, as Isobel mentioned the letter,

"She asks if we can both dine on Saturday. There are two young men staying, so you two won't be outnumbered for once."

Matthew seemed to bristle at the mention of others as he asked, "What men?"

Isobel adjusted her glasses as she read,

"A… Turkish diplomat called something I can't read, and 'Lord Branksome's charming son', who's to be flung at Mary, presumably."

Lilly looked towards her brother-in-law with interest, whilst George smirked at his brother while Matthew said,

"When it comes to Cousin Mary, she's quite capable of doing her own flinging, I assure you."

Lilly and Isobel looked at each other with amused looks whilst George struggled to keep his laughter in. Lilly finished the general outline of the embroidery and set the handkerchief down as she asked Matthew and her husband,

"Are you two going to ride tomorrow?"

George looked curiously at his wife and asked, "Will you?"

Lilly shook her head as she said, "No, I don't think I will. I want to look at the library."

George smiled and said, "Then I'll join you."

Matthew didn't fail to notice the blush on Lilly's face as she smiled, but didn't say anything to that, and he added,

"Well then, maybe I will take a look as well. Either way, I do have other things to do, so I won't be able to ride."

George sighed, already knowing what that was, while Lilly looked over curiously, but didn't comment.

~~ ….. ~~

Once Saturday hit, Lilly and George had visited the estate, as Cora had invited them for tea and to look at the library. The couple were looking at various novels as they silently conversed when tea came in and Cora asked them to sit down.

Lilly and George both sat on a sofa together as Cora asked,

"How are you adjusting to Downton Lilly?"

Lilly smiled at her and said, "I am getting to know the place better. And thanks to George, it's not that difficult to adjust."

Cora nodded, noticing how George looked at his wife lovingly, reminding her of Robert and herself when they were younger, before stating,

"Well, I was hoping to ask you about something regarding Matthew."

George's attention was brought to the older woman at that, as he asked, "Is this about him and Mary?"

Cora looked around slightly in wariness as she admitted, "Well… yes. I hope I'm not being too crude about that."

George shook his head and chuckled, making Cora relax as he said, "Oh no. Lilly and I think they would make a good match. The problem is that Matthew is too stubborn about our world to let go and see what could potentially happen."

Cora let out a relieved breath as Lilly admitted, "We would try to help, but I don't know how much we could do."

Cora shook her head and said, "Let's wait and see."

After that, an awkward pause settled in when Cora looked over to Lilly and asked curiously,

"So, I heard from Cousin Isobel that you married a while ago. I was thinking if you were interested in having children."

George and Lilly both instantly tensed, a sharp pang stabbing their hearts at the reminder of their lost child. George fidgeted in his seat slightly as he wasn't sure what to state, when Lilly whispered out,

"We… did. But we lost our child due to unforeseen circumstances."

Cora immediately felt guilty about the question and apologized, which George and Lilly nodded, before they awkwardly rushed out of the estate, not able to handle the emotional pain and not wanting to deal with the potential prying from the woman.

Cora watched them leave quickly, as if they were escaping, and felt bad about bringing up that topic. And as they walked away, Cora promised to treat the couple as if they were her own family.

That night, Lilly prepared herself for the dinner having finished making the handkerchief for Cousin Violet. As they were being served, Cousin Violet ranted, probably as gently as she could,

"I don't understand. Why—why would she want to be a secretary?"

Lilly glanced at Evelyn, who sat on her left, as he glanced back at her and nervously smiled, not sure how to interact with the conversation, as Matthew boldly responded,

"She wants a different life."

Lilly saw George passionately cut into his meal, seemingly aggravated with Matthew's tendencies to butt into the conversation with his own arguments, as Cousin Violet stated,

"But why? I should far prefer to be a maid in a large and pleasant house than work from dawn till dusk in a cramped and gloomy office. Don't you agree, Carson?"

Lilly glanced as the older man tensed whilst serving food, and hesitantly answered, "I do, my lady."

Cousin Violet smugly smiled when Mary asked with an irritated tone, "Why are we talking about this? What does it matter?"

Lilly heard Cora from her right side, state, "It matters that the people that live and work here are content."

Sybil smiled and tried to diffuse the situation as she said, "Of course. We should be helping Gwen if that's what she wants."

Isobel nodded and added, "I agree. Surely we must all encourage those less fortunate to improve their lot where they can."

Violet groaned, "Not if it isn't in their best interests."

George looked towards Lilly, who noticed how he had a look of wanting to leave the room. Lilly subtly shook her head, trying to make sure that he didn't run away as Isobel added,

"Isn't the maid a better judge of that than we are?"

Mary turned to Kemal Pamuk, as she asked him flirtatiously, "What do you say, Mr. Pamuk? Should our housemaid be kept enslaved or forced out into the world?"

Lilly winced at how openly flirtatious Mary was as Pamuk smiled at her 'dashingly' as he answered with,

"Why are you English so curious about other people's lives? If she wishes to leave, and the law permits it, then let her go."

Violet looked towards Lilly and asked her, "And how about you, Lilly, as a foreigner yourself?"

Lilly's eyes widened and she paused as she thought on how to best answer, and managed to state,

"I think that if the housemaid has decided that she truly wishes to leave service, it is up to her. Whatever happens is her decision and the consequences will be on her. If she still likes it, then she's done well enough for herself. We don't really have control over what she does in regards to her career if she does leave on her own volition."

Isobel smiled proudly at her, along with George, who understood how difficult it was for his wife to say that. After all, her family had people in service who, mostly wanted to be there, but he knew of other places where it was more a slave-contract than anything else. Lilly had grown up in that culture where she could command things, and her words just now showed how much she was trying to learn the English culture.

Violet sighed, as she said, "But perhaps the law should not permit it, for the common good."

Isobel sighed as she commented, "So, you hanger for the days of serfdom."

Violet looked over at Isobel with exasperation as she bit out,

"I hanker for a simpler world. Is that a crime?"

Pamuk amusedly joined in with, "I do dream of a simpler world, as long as we can keep our trains and our dentistry."

Lilly watched Mary continue flirt with Kemal, and she turned to Evelyn and asked, "So, you know Mary well?"

Evelyn nodded and blushed a little as he said, "Well, yes. I've known her since we were young."

Lilly caught the unsaid message of his feelings for the woman as she commented,

"Mr. Pamuk seems to be… very open."

Evelyn sighed as he said, "I'm afraid I might have brought a contender."

Lilly looked towards him and said, "Well, then I would suggest the wisest thing to start doing something about it."

Evelyn looked at her incredulously and she smiled and said, "If you think George caught my attention and made me love him by doing nothing but fawning over me, you are highly mistaken. I only like men of action."

The man chuckled and cleared his throat quietly, making Lilly smile slightly as he brought the courage up to state,

"Lady Mary rode very well today."

Robert looked over, reminded of a situation from before, and asked his daughter,

"Why did you send Lynch back?"

Mary looked at Pamuk shly as she admitted, "I had my champions to left and right. It was enough."

That answer seemed to please both Evelyn and Kemal, but not Matthew, as George noticed his brother deflate a little bit whilst eating dinner. Robert noticed that as well, and turned to Evelyn as he quickly asked,

"Did you enjoy the hunt today. Mr. Napier? Mary said you had a tremendous run."

Evelyn looked at everyone at the table nervously, noticing the shift in attention as he said,

"It was like something out of a trollop novel."

Robert chuckled and Cora looked over at the Turkish fellow, politely asking,

"What about you, Mr. Pamuk? Was your day successful?"

The man nodded as he said, "Oh yes, Lady Grantham. I can hardly remember a better one."

Lilly subtly frowned at Mary's sudden distress at the comment, worried that there is something more than what Mr. Pamuk was letting on. Afterwards, dinner shifted to more mundane topics, and Lilly appreciated that. Once dinner was done, everyone had walked into the drawing room, where Lilly finally pulled out the finished handkerchief and handed it to the Dowager Countess.

"Cousin Violet, here is the handkerchief you had requested."

The elderly woman studied the detailed embroidery and smiled as she said, "I haven't seen anything like it. It is beautiful. I'm not sure if I can use this because of the fine work. It looks as if the flowers will actually bloom. Thank you, dear."

Lilly smiled widely, relieved that she truly seemed to like the handkerchief. That was when Robert approached them and whispered,

"Mary has more suitors tonight than the Princess Aurora."

That caused both Lilly and Violet to look over, seeing Mary surrounded by Matthew, Kemal and Evelyn. Lilly found George talking to the Countess, as Violet said,

"Will she judge them sensibly?"

Lilly looked over at Robert, not sure how he would respond, when he said,

"Oh, no one's sensible at her age. Nor should they be. That's our role."

Lilly sighed, recognizing the dislike towards Mr. Pamuk radiating off of the man, and it seemed as if the Dowager Countess did as well, when Lilly noticed Pamuk leaving the group. She watched him disappear to a different room and frowned when Mary followed him not too long after.

George seemed to have noticed this as well and looked concerned, risking a glance towards his wife, who mirrored his trepidation. Something did not seem right, but they did not dare intrude. That was when Edith approached Matthew, and they both shared a surprised sentiment at that. But both were dragged into different conversations.

Afterwards, Evelyn Napier approached George and Lilly, who had decided to take a break from the group for a slight second as he said,

"It seems like I'm out of the running."

Lilly sighed as she said, "Well, I'm sure there are other eligible women that you may grow interested in."

Evelyn smiled tightly as he responded with, "I'm hoping for that. But either way, thank you for the tip. It made me realize how I should try to seize the moment whenever I could."

Lilly nodded, and with that, Evelyn went to talk with Robert, causing George to turn towards her and ask,

"What was that about?"

Lilly smirked at him, as she said,

"Oh, it was something I told a certain someone long time ago without realizing what it would lead to."

George chuckled as he took her hand and whispered, "You embarrass me."

Lilly smiled at him lovingly as she responded back with, "You let me."

George would have hugged her right then if there weren't prying eyes as he said, "I can't help it. You make me want to spoil you."

Lilly rolled her eyes at that, but let it slide. The couple had not realized that Cora was talking with Isobel and Sybil, who all were observing how happy the two looked. After excusing herself, Cora walked over to them and said,

"Cousin George. Lilly, I would like to apologize for the question earlier this afternoon."

Lilly shook her head and smiled sadly as she said, "No, it's fine. It just brought memories back."

Cora smiled and said, "We could keep the library open for you if you'd like. I know that it must not be that exciting to be by yourself while Isobel is working at the hospital."

Lilly smiled brightly as she asked, "Really? I could do that?"

Cora nodded and said, "Yes, and if you don't feel too burdened, would it be alright to ask you for help with some planning for events that we hold here at Downton?"

Lilly beamed at that as she responded with, "I would love to."

Cora nodded and excused herself, as she felt happy that she could get to make Lilly happier, even if a little bit.

Eventually, everyone excused themselves for the night, and George and Lilly were preparing to sleep. George was reading a book on the bed when Lilly lied down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he said,

"That was nice of Cora to invite you over. Now you don't need to trap yourself in here all the time."

Lilly nodded and said, "George, I think that… I could be happy here. Truly."

George put his book down and looked at her as he said, "As long as you are happy and alive, I am happy as well."

Lilly smiled at him as he leaned in and kissed her gently. Lilly melted in his arms, thinking how life seemed to turn to a brighter side, where she could start a new chapter in her life. A happier life with George, where they both could respect the past, but continue to move forward.

~~ ….. ~~

The next morning, Lilly and George were having breakfast with Isobel when Molesley walked in with a grim face and said,

"I would have waited for after the meal, but this seemed quite the news."

George looked over and asked, "Oh? What is it?"

Molesley shifted before hesitantly responding with, "The Turkish gentleman has passed away last night."

Isobel gasped out a "What?"

Lilly froze at that and looked at George, unsure of how to take this news. George thanked Molesley as he turned to his family and said,

"I guess we will have to go visit them sooner than we expected."

Breakfast instantly turned grim afterwards.

A few days later, Lilly walked over with Matthew. The younger woman did not feel brave enough to approach the family by herself immediately after what had happened. Lilly had conversed with Cora, who told her how upset Mary seemed to be. Lilly couldn't help but be reminded of her original fiancé, who had a life-easy attitude similar to Pamuk's. Although they had broken off the engagement, she had become close friends with her former fiancé before everything had happened, and she sighed as she tried to read a book she had formerly found interesting.

Once she was done, and Matthew had finished meeting up with Robert, they were heading back home when they saw Mary. Lilly let Matthew go towards her, deciding to head home alone.

After that incident seemed to quiet down, the people were buzzing with the news of a fair. Lilly heard her lady's maid Maria talk about it excitedly, having never been to one before. Whenever Maria talked about it, Lilly made a mental note to let her go.

One particular day, they were altogether in the living room when Matthew looked at Molesley, who was serving them tea, and said to the butler,

"Are you going to the fair while it's here?"

Molesley looked at the family, as he hesitantly said, "I shouldn't think so, sir. But I don't mind it. I like the music."

Lilly then said, "You should go. We can handle ourselves. And I was going to ask if you could take Maria anyway."

Molesley nodded when Isobel cried out, "Goodness, what's happened to your hands?"

Everyone looked at the butler's hands, which were red, looking very irritated as he tried to cover them whilst saying,

"It's nothing, ma'am."

Lilly commented, "They look painful."

Molesley shook his head and insisted, "Oh, no, ma'am. Irritating more than painful."

Lilly was thinking of the times she let Molesley help his father with the gardening, wondering if that had anything to do with this when her mother-in-law asked,

"Have you been using anything new to polish the silver or the shoes?"

Molesley responded with, "No."

Isobel put her glasses on and reached out for his hands as she asked, "May I?"

Matthew shook his head and tried to help his butler by stating, "Leave him alone, Mother."

George, sighed as he got up and pecked his wife's cheek before stating,

"Mother, I'm sure he's fine. I'm heading to work."

With that, he left, while Isobel returned Molesley's hand and stated,

"It looks like erysipelas. You must have cut yourself."

Matthew and Lilly shared bewildered looks, not sure if it was truly what Isobel was stating, when Molesley stuttered out,

"Not… not that I'm aware of."

Isobel looked determined and Matthew sighed as she said, "We'll walk 'round to the hospital tomorrow. Lilly, will you join?"

Lilly looked absolutely shocked at her mother-in-law's request but acquiesced, knowing not to deny her that which Molesley did not seem to know. But eventually he gave in, looking at Lilly with pleading eyes, causing the woman to give an apologetic smile towards the butler.

When they walked into the hospital, Lilly tried broaching her thought on the matter as she said,

"Isobel, I did let Molesley help his father with the garden, I'm sure that must have been a factor to whatever this is."

But it seemed to reach deaf ears as Isobel just walked into the building towards Dr. Clarkson's office while the poor nurse tried to stop the older woman. Isobel ignored the nurse and said,

"You can tell the doctor that you opened the cupboard for the chairman of the board. I assure you, he will raise not the slightest objection."

Everyone watched her take out something, not feeling comfortable with the situation as she said,

"This should do it. Tincture of steel, 10 drops in water three times a day. And this is solution of nitrate of silver, rub a little in morning and night."

Molesley seemed to be resigned as he asked, "How long before it's better?"

Isobel answered quickly, "Erysipelas is very hard to cure. We should be able to reduce the symptoms, but that might be all we can manage. Oh, and you must wear gloves at all times."

Lilly sighed as Molesley said, "I couldn't… wait a table in gloves. I'd look like a footman."

It seemed to irritate Isobel, who did not enjoy Molesley's tone as she said,

"You may have to. The tincture and the salve will help. Try it for a week and we'll see."

With that, Isobel marched towards her house. Lilly immediately turned to a clearly upset Molesley, as she took the tincture from his hands and placed it back on Dr. Clarkson's desk, writing an apology note for the man.

Molesley watched as he hesitantly asked, "Ma'am?"

Lilly stood back up and answered, "I doubt it is erysipelas, Molesley, after all, shouldn't we get the Doctor to check your condition? Though I do agree on the gloves for safety precautions, let's not start taking medications without confirmation."

Molesley nodded, feeling a little bit better as they walked out of the hospital and asked,

"If you don't mind me asking my lady, what do you suppose this is?"

Lilly glanced at his hands before stating, "I think it might have to do with you helping your father in the gardens, but let's not jump to conclusions."

Molesley looked at Lilly, who walked with her head raised, despite people still glancing at her in curiosity. He couldn't figure out how she could emanate such a noble aura.

With that, two days passed, and Lilly helped Molesley fool Isobel, making her think that he was taking the tincture, when Isobel suddenly asked them both to follow her to the hospital. Lilly was in a blue shirt with a dark blue shirt and a hat, for the day. When they arrived, Isobel led them to Dr. Clarkson's office without hesitation as the man stood up to greet her in surprise,

"Mrs. Crawley, how nice."

Isobel noticed Cousin Violet's presence, who looked at Lilly and Molesley with a raised eyebrow, to which Lilly looked back at her sheepishly. This allowed the dowager countess to realize that the woman did not wholly agree with this scenario, as Isobel stated,

"If you're busy, we can come back later."

Violet looked over at Lilly, who gave a slight point to Molesley, The elderly woman knew what she was trying to do, and asked,

"Molesley? What are you doing here? Are y- are you ill?"

Molesley looked over at Lilly who gave him a sympathetic look, as Dr. Clarkson said,

"Mr. Molesley, I got Ms. Lilly's note the other day. Er, how's it going? And my lady, I thank you for returning the tincture."

Isobel whirled around to look at Lilly, who sighed in resignation as she said,

"This happened after I let Molesley to help his father with the garden."

Violet smirked a little, as she studied Molesley's hand at that, realizing what it must be, as she smugly commented,

"I see your father has been making changes at home."

Isobel frowned and wondered why the other woman mentioned this as Molesley politely answered,

"He has, milady. He's got no use for the herb garden now me mother's gone, so he's turned it to grass."

Violet then asked him, still smug about her own diagnosis, "And you've been helping him?"

Molesley nodded and said, "I have."

Lilly looked at Violet curiously, who noticed this and smiled as she said, "Grubbing out the old rue hedge."

Molesley and Lilly's eyes both widened as Molesley asked, "How did you know that?"

Cousin Violet looked over to Isobel and then to Dr. Clarkson as she stated,

"Because this is not erysipelas. This is a rue allergy. If Molesley wears gardening gloves, it'll be gone in a week. Please don't think we're ungrateful for your enthusiasm, Mrs. Crawley, but there comes a time when things are best left to the professionals."

Isobel stuttered, as she tried to speak, but Violet continued to gloat as she stood up and said,

"And now I really – really must go."

Molesley smiled in relief and thanked her, causing the woman to chuckle while Lilly guiltily looked over at her mother-in-law, who looked exasperated.

Later in the day, Matthew, George and Robert were walking through the cottages as Matthew stated,

"I hope Cousin Violet has recovered from last night."

George looked at his brother curiously, but Robert merely chuckled and stated,

"Whatever she says, my mother is as strong as an ox, and it's high time she let go of her scheme for upsetting everything. Time we all did."

George smiled and stated, "Whatever this is, leave me out of it. I don't want to get in-between a war."

Robert laughed as Matthew ignored his brother's antics and said, "I can't deny I'm pleased to hear it."

Robert curiously glanced at Matthew, as he asked, "Are you beginning to see a future here, then?"

Matthew nodded, causing George to smile as his brother said, "In a way, this latest business has forced me to recognize that I do want Downton to be my future."

Robert smiled warmly at that, glad to hear of his heir's thoughts as he responded, "I'm glad."

George commented in a teasing tone, "You must have thought Matthew as an awful prig when we first arrived."

Matthew rolled his eyes, knowing he could be relaxed slightly about the situation while Robert answered truthfully,

"Not a prig, just a man thrust onto something he never wanted or envisaged."

Matthew sighed as he answered apologetically, "I can only see the absurdity of the whole thing. I'm sorry."

Robert nodded whilst answering, "Well, there are absurdities involved as I know well enough."

George nodded and said, "But why involve me? Matthew is the heir, but what does that have to do with me Cousin Robert?"

Robert looked down at his cup of tea as he thought to himself that he should have realized that George would be curious about that as he said,

"Well, Matthew and I have talked, and in the case that neither of us could talk to Jarvis or communicate with the villagers, you might be open to talking with them as our representative."

George's eyes widened as he straightened from his slouching position on the couch, as he cleared his throat and said,

"I'm surprised that you both would think so highly of me. Are you sure?"

Matthew patted his little brother's shoulder as he said, "I wouldn't trust anybody else. This should be easier than to communicate with foreigners."

George tensed, which made Matthew wince as George muttered darkly, "I married, said foreigner, Matthew. I would like it if you didn't insult me and my wife."

Matthew withdrew while Robert tried to recover from the dark mood George suddenly seemed to be in as he said,

"Well, Matthew, as for absurdities, I know those well enough."

George glared down at his cup, remembering the dark moments of his and Lilly's life, while Matthew responded with,

"Possibilities, too, and I was blind to them. I was determined not to let it change me. It was absurd. If you don't change, you die."

Robert sighed as he looked out the window. He took a sip of his tea before asking,

"Do you think so? I'm not sure. Sometimes I think I hate change."

George pushed his emotions down as he said,

"Well, at least we all can comfort ourselves that this'll still be here… because we saved it."

That allowed both Robert and Matthew to relax a little as they both knew that George wasn't truly angry with them. Rather, they realized that George must have been affected by whatever had caused him and Lilly to come live here.

With that, another day passed when another night passed by for both Matthew and George. The next morning, everyone had breakfast. George and Matthew both rushed to go to work, when Isobel stopped them by stating,

"I thought I'd write to Edith to settle our promised church visit. Besides, I want Lilly to see the churches here."

George smiled at how quickly his mother seemed to treat Lilly like her daughter, always taking her side than his now, as Matthew distractedly said,

"If you want."

Isobel studied how Matthew did not seem as interested while stating,

"Well, we can't just throw her over when she made such an effort to arrange the last one."

Matthew sighed as he resignedly said, "It's all in your head."

George shook his head, whilst kissing Lilly on the cheek before going to his mother and doing the same. With that, he left first, knowing that this was a conversation not worth being late to his work for. Lilly watched him leave, before she turned her head to hear Matthew stutter and state,

"Then… she's barking up the wrong tree."

Lilly raised an eyebrow at that as Isobel said, "Poor Edith, I hope that there's a right tree for her somewhere."

Lilly saw how exasperated Matthew seemed at that as she said, "I'm sure there is. And now, Matthew must go to work as well. He will be late."

Isobel waved her son away as Molesley appeared, asking them,

"Ma'am, my lady, I was wondering if I might take some time this afternoon to help in the village hall."

Lilly looked genuinely interested as Matthew stopped himself from exiting the door, turning to look at his valet/butler, asking,

"Why? What's happening?"

Molesley shifted his feet as he answered, "It's the flower show, sir, next Saturday. I'll give my father a hand with his stall if I may."

Lilly nodded and said, "Maria will take care of my needs like usual, so you are free to go on my part. Mother?"

Isobel nodded as well, stating, "Of course you must go."

Matthew smiled and said, "And so, I'm afraid, must I."

With that, Matthew rushed out the door, hating that his brother must have left him behind for this specific reason.

After lunch, Maria had helped Lilly change into clothing for outdoors. Once she was done, she was fashioning a white shirt and long black skirt. She wore a hat fitting the situation, and had followed her mother-in-law to the village hall.

There, she saw people from the village busy setting up tables, and banners. Lilly spotted their butler helping to set up the sign on stage, tying the string around the post. As they walked up, he saw the two women and stated,

"Afternoon, ma'am."

Isobel smiled and asked, "When do you put that magnificent display of prizes on show?"

The elder of the Molesleys smiled and answered, "Not till the day itself."

Lilly looked around still surprised at how people were trying to set a large event just to showcase flowers as the two people continued to converse. She was brought out of her reverie when Cousin Violet came in and stated,

"It's a wonderful area for roses. We're very lucky. We'll see some beautiful examples right across the show, won't we, Mr. Molesley?"

Lilly raised an eyebrow at how the Dowager Countess was looking at her mother-in-law as the butler's father answered,

"If you say so, Your Ladyship."

And as you would expect, Isobel and Violet had a 'cheerful' conversation that Lilly barely escaped from. As much as she liked the two women, she was sure that they enjoyed doing this in front of her more than others. And she found that, on occasion, they dragged her into their conversations, asking her to take a side, which she tried to avoid at all costs.

The next day, Cora had called for Lilly, asking her to help with some of the planning process. Lilly was not sure why the lady of the house asked for her specifically instead of her daughters, but she was happy to oblige, as Isobel had gone to the Dower house to continue the conversation from the other day.

As she was helping to organize the list of tables and confirming that everything was correct with Cora, it did not take long during the afternoon when Cora turned to her and asked,

"How about you stay for dinner? It's almost time, and I'm sure that Carson won't mind with one more person."

Lilly turned to Carson, seeing as he had opened his mouth in surprise, but quickly recovering from the shock to nod to her with a gentle smile. Lilly turned back to Cora as she said,

"Wouldn't I be intruding, I don't want to make extra work for everyone. Besides, I have to change."

Cora shook her head as she said, "You should be fine. And Carson, would it be troublesome?"

Carson smiled as he answered, "No, my lady, it will not. And I will let Mrs. Patmore know of the addition."

Lilly thanked the butler, who smiled back at her, before exiting the room. Afterwards, Cora said,

"To be perfectly honest, I'm so glad that you are here to help. My daughters are always wanting to get out and not help."

Lilly just smiled at that as she continued helping. Soon enough, Cora and Lilly finished their task and Lilly had joined the family for dinner, enjoying listening to them talk about various topics, feeling like she was becoming closer to the family.

The next morning, Lilly, George, and Matthew accompanied Isobel to the village hall, where they met up with the Dowager Countess and her family.

Her mother quickly walked over to Mr. Molesley's table and commented really loudly,

"Do look at Mr. Molesley's display. He's worked so hard."

Matthew commented, "Rather marvelous, aren't they?"

Lilly had an arm around George's as they just amusedly watched the whole situation as Mary responded back,

"Well done, Mr. Molesley."

The elderly man smiled at that in surprise as he stated, "Thank you, milady."

Violet pursed her lips as her grip on her cane tightened due to her annoyance as she said,

"I think everyone is to be congratulated. Splendid."

Isobel resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stated,

"But do look at these roses. Have you ever seen the like?"

Both George and Lilly smiled at how Violet fired off with,

"My dear Mrs. Crawley believes I'm profiting from an unfair advantage."

Cora looked over at Lilly, who looked at her with a knowing smile, causing the woman to look at her own mother-in-law with an indescribable look as she said, "Oh?"

Violet didn't notice this as she continued to state,

"Mm… She feels, in the past, I've been given the cup merely as a matter of routine rather than merit."

George sighed as he spoke up with, "That's rather ungallant, Mother. I'm sure when we see Cousin Violet's roses, it'll be hard to think they could be bettered."

Matthew nodded alongside his brother, but their mother looked annoyed and said,

"Hard, but not impossible."

Violet sighed as she looked towards the other woman and said,

"You are quite wonderful the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming as you."

Lilly had to bite down her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing at that, as Isobel lifted her head, smiled, and said,

"I take that as a compliment."

With that, Isobel walked away, causing Violet to mutter to them, "I must've said it wrong."

Mary commented, "Poor Granny, she's not used to being challenged."

Lilly noticed how Mary seemed to have directed this more towards Matthew than them, so she quickly led George aside. The man looked curious as to his wife's behavior, as he asked her,

"What is it?"

Lilly smiled and looked over at Mary and Matthew, causing him to look over as well. When he found the two people smiling and conversing with one another, he chuckled and said,

"Ah, they seem to have gotten closer."

Lilly and George continued walking, acting as if they were looking at the flowers as she said,

"Well, something must have happened for them to at least be able to deal with each other in a civilized manner."

George shook his head in amusement at that as he said, "If I remember correctly, you didn't seem to like your original fiancé either."

Lilly gave him a side-glance as she said, "And if I remember correctly, I ended that, dropping my own reputation to marry a certain foreigner."

George smiled and looked down at her, causing a blush to appear on Lilly's cheeks, making her look even more adorable in the light, as he whispered to her,

"And I am forever grateful, and more in love with you for that."

Lilly smiled, and if the two people were not in public, they would have displayed more of their emotions, but alas, they had to maintain a façade for everyone so that they would not attract any more unwanted attention than they already had.

Later that evening, Lilly and George were at the table in Downton, sitting on opposite sides, due to Robert having wanted George to be acquaintance with other elites in the town. Lilly was talking with a separate man, who had been kindly asking her questions about George and her involvement with the town. But this was quickly interrupted when Edith broke the pattern and loudly said to Sir Anthony Strallan,

"Sir Anthony, it must be so hard to meet the challenge of the future and yet be fair to your employees."

Everyone at the table quieted, and listened, especially studying the man's reaction to that as he said,

"That is the point precisely. We can't fight progress, but we must find ways to soften the blow."

Lilly glanced over to George, who merely grimaced at how the dinner was going, noticing that despite Matthew having been seated next to Mary, was beaming at the woman, when Cora's intentions seemed pretty clear.

But before she could think much more about it, Edith responded with,

"I should love to see one of the new harvesters, if you would ever let me. We don't have one here."

Cora and Robert eyed Edith with wariness as Sir Anthony smiled and chirped rather happily, "I should be delighted."

After more conversation seemed to pass, Cora switched sides, so that Lilly was talking to Sybil, who was more than excited to talk more about Joseon with Lilly. They talked about the different cultures, and women's rights issues, in which Lilly found that Sybil was extremely passionate about, when she heard a gasp, almost choking sound coming from Sir Anthony Strallan before he exclaimed,

"Oh, Go—God!"

Robert paused his eating, causing everyone to look at Sir Anthony in shock as he asked,

"What on earth?"

Sir Anthony dabbled his mouth with his napkin as he wheezed out,

"I do apologize, Lady Grantham, but I had a mouthful of salt."

Lilly looked at the dessert that was being laid out in surprise as Cora disbelievingly asked, "What?"

She tried tasting the dessert before frowning in disgust. She gently put down her fork as she looked at her guests and stated,

"Everyone, put down your forks. Carson, remove this. Bring fruit. Bring cheese. Bring anything to take this taste away."

With that, the butler immediately stared moving with his footmen, as Cora turned to Sir Anthony Strallan again and said,

"Sir Anthony, I am so sorry."

Sybil bit her lower lip, not helping the shaking of her shoulders as she looked down at her hands to hide her amusement, whilst Lilly looked over to George, who seemed to be doing the same along with the rest of the guests.

Once things seemed to have calmed down, Robert sighed as he added,

"Fains I be Mrs. Patmore's kitchen maid when the news gets out."

Sybil smiled but responded sympathetically,

"Poor girl. We ought to send in a rescue party."

Edith had a slight look of annoyance based on the glint of her eyes that Lilly caught, but it would have not been noticed with those not paying attention as she said,

"You must think us very disorganized."

Sir Anthony continued to shift in his seat from embarrassment as he added,

"Not at all. These things happen."

Thankfully, the dinner calmed down and Carson was able to bring fruit and cheese like Cora had requested, letting the evening go less eventfully.

Later in the drawing room, Lilly was sitting with Cora and the daughters, still talking about the night's events as Sybil stated,

"Poor Mrs. Patmore. Do you think you should go down and see her?"

Cora sighed and said, "Tomorrow. She needs time to recover her nerves. I knew there was something going on."

Lilly worriedly asked, "Is she well?"

Cora responded, "Well, I wanted to make something different than the originally planned dessert, but she had refused and insisted on this one. I'm not sure."

Edith angrily piped in with, "It seems hard that poor Sir Anthony had to pay the price."

Lilly was about to frown when Mary jokingly imitated the man by yelling out, "Good God!"

This set off Sybil to laugh again while Edith bit out at her older sister with,

"As for you giggling like a ridiculous schoolgirl with Cousin Matthew… it was pathetic."

Lilly tensed, which Cora and Sybil noticed immediately. After all, Lilly was family with Matthew more than she was to them, and Edith had blurted out angrily without thinking. But Mary took the bait as she hissed out,

"Oh, poor Edith. I'm sorry Cousin Matthew's proved a disappointment to you."

Edith haughtily responded back, "Who says he has?"

Mary smugly looked straight into her sister's eyes as she responded,

"Matthew? He told me."

When Edith's glare turned to hatred, Cora and Lilly watched them worriedly, as Mary seemed satisfied with this reaction as she continued with,

"Oh, sorry, wasn't I supposed to know?"

Cora interjected quickly, trying to diffuse the situation,

"You were very helpful, Edith, looking after Sir Anthony. You saved the day."

Edith smugly smiled, making sure it was visible to Mary as she said,

"I enjoyed it. We seem to have a lot to talk about."

Lilly held back a sigh, which Sybil seemed to share, as Mary groaned out,

"Spare me your boasting, please."

Edith lifted a corner of her lips as she waved off, "Now who's jealous?"

Mary's reaction was immediate. Her posture straightened as she challenged,

"Jealous? Do you think I couldn't have that old booby if I wanted him?"

Edith ignorantly responded, "Even you can't take every prize."

Mary's eyes narrowed as she glanced over towards the door to the room, as she asked,

"Is that a challenge?"

Edith nodded and said, "If you like."

Mary smiled as she started to formulate a plan. Lilly could see the wires in Mary's brain working and worriedly looked towards Cora, asking,

"Won't you stop her?"

Cora shook her head as she said, "I… I wish for Mary to marry someone, and I'm sorry if we are disappointing you if we seem we are throwing Matthew to the side."

Lilly really wasn't worried about that, but for Mary, who seemed to not have realized how close she had gotten with Matthew without knowing it herself.

Not too long afterwards, the men entered, and Mary immediately snagged Sir Anthony Strallan. Edith sauntered over as she tried to talk to him, but the man did not even pay attention to her. This did not go unnoticed by George nor Matthew. George walked over to Lilly as he whispered seriously,

"What happened?"

Lilly sighed as she glanced towards a clearly upset Matthew, and answered,

"I'm afraid Edith has pushed Mary into a competitive streak that should not have been touched."

George pursed his lips, seeing how angry his brother seemed to be. The couple could not help but feel disappointed in Mary's behavior, which also caught Robert's eyes. He looked towards them apologetically, which both people had the manners to give a gentle smile back, but it was clear that their relationship had instantly become slightly strained.

Edith walked over to Matthew, stating,

"It seems we've both been thrown over for a bigger prize."

That seemed to have done Matthew in, as he tried to respond kindly as he could,

"Heavens, is that the time?"

Edith's eyes widened, realizing how cold Matthew's tone was as she fearfully asked,

"You're not going?"

Matthew gave her an indescribable look, as he said,

"The truth is, my head's splitting. I don't want to spoil the party, so I'll slip away. Would you make my excuses to your parents?"

With that, he headed out, causing George and Lilly to excuse themselves from Robert with,

"Cousin Robert, thank you for the dinner. We're afraid we have to hurry after Matthew."

Robert nodded as he said, "I'm so sorry about Mary."

The couple grimly nodded before rushing out to follow the upset Crawley brother. They let Matthew have some distance up front, not wanting to upset him further, as George said,

"Well, this has been a rathe frightful night. First the salt, and now Mary."

Lilly couldn't say anything, as George said, "This whole ordeal makes me thankful that I found you."

That made Lilly look up to him in the dark, causing her to smile sadly as she said,

"And I couldn't be more thankful that you ran into me like a blithering idiot that one fateful day."

George blushed, causing Lilly to smile, and snuggle up closer to her husband. Their intertwined hands tightened, as they peacefully followed after Matthew. When they entered the house, Isobel was already frowning up the stairs, as she asked them,

"What happened?"