A/N: I am back! I apologize thoroughly for not having been able to come back to post chapters more frequently, but once graduate school started, my life has been a mess! I will try to make sure that I can post from time to time, but please forgive me for inconsistent chapter updates!

Chapter 5: Proposals… but War

For the next few days, Lilly and George spent their time walking around town and taking some time to themselves outside of the Crawley family drama. Of course, the mere presence of Lilly caused some gossip, as interracial relationships were uncommon and sometimes frowned upon. But perhaps due to Matthew's status, nobody really commented on it. After all, Lilly had won most people's hearts with the way she acted, and how she mostly kept to herself unless absolutely necessary.

Branson did sometimes come by to provide them rides when they did need to go a bit farther than Yorkshire, stating that this was the least he could do after the incident in Ripon. During this time, Lilly had finally managed to warm up to Isobel to call her mother, and they even shared some conversations relating to medicine.

Lilly was not very knowledgeable in this field, having grown up as a lady of high status, but her night activities back in Korea did not really allow her to take care of people, as if she were injured, she would have to choose to kill herself for her country.

But those days were long over, as she needed to lay low, and not put George at risk. There was a reason that she kept to the house more so than anything.

During all this time, the members of the abbey had gone up to London for Sybil's formal introduction into society.

And when they had finally arrived, the little time of peace and quiet that George and Lilly had happily and comfortably shared, ended, as the chaos and drama caught up to them as well upon the family's return.

George, Matthew, Lilly and Isobel were eating breakfast, when Isobel finally stated,

"So, what are you all going to do now that the family is back?"

Matthew sighed, and picked at his eggs, as he stated, "Keep working and looking at the paperworks in my spare time I suppose."

George finished his own meal, before rushing out, making sure to kiss his wife's cheek. Afterwards, he straightened up and said,

"I have to go up to London myself tomorrow for an important meeting, but other than that, I am free today. How about you, mother?"

Isobel merely hummed, which signified potential trouble to come with Cousin Violet, causing her two sons to grimace a little inwards. Lilly merely smiled at that and silently ate before walking after George.

As George looked in the mirror and making sure he looked alright, Lilly came up to him, still wary of Molesley's curious personality, as she stated to her husband while straightening his tie for him,

"Make sure you eat your meals, and don't crash into anyone."

George merely smiled at that, and Lilly pecked a light kiss on his cheek in return, before watching him walk out of the house to go to work. Matthew then came up, and put a hand on her shoulder and stated,

"I will make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself."

Lilly laughed lightly at that and thanked him, bidding him goodbye as her brother-in-law walked out as well.

Then she saw Molesley look at her sheepishly before rolling her eyes and stated,

"Molesley, you're going to have to get used to my presence at any time now."

The man squeaked a little and answered her with, "Of course, milady."

Lilly then turned around and headed back inside to join Isobel's side in the living room. Later in the day, Lilly got a request to be at the Abbey, and she hurried over, making sure to put on a coat and gloves on her way out.

Once she arrived, Lilly met Cousin Robert, who had a great smile on his face, as he welcomed her with,

"Oh, cousin Lilly! Welcome! We have such wonderful news!"

Lilly smiled at that and asked kindly, "What is it? I rushed over at the fearful face of William."

Robert chuckled before almost gasping out in a rush, "Cora's pregnant!"

Lilly's eyes widened and she managed to keep her smile on her face as she congratulated him. But of course, she was not an idiot. Even in her family, she knew how inheritances worked. She did not dare ask about that and ruin the mood, as she asked,

"Could I meet Cora? She's not too tired, is she?"

Robert shook his head, the smile apparent even in his eyes, as his happiness shined through, as he responded with, "She's actually the one who asked to invite you over to share the news. Please, come with me."

With that, Robert led her upstairs to his and Cora's room, where Lilly saw Cora tightly wrapped in blankets, which made her smile more, at the sight. Cora smiled in return, as she said,

"Lilly! Oh my goodness! You wouldn't believe the news I have for you!"

Lilly smiled and said, "Cousin Robert spoiled it to me already, Cora. Congratulations."

Cora smiled even wider, as her eyes teared up in happiness and joy, commenting,

"I couldn't believe it. I thought that at this age, I wouldn't have more children, but this is such a surprise and a gift. Oh Lilly, I'm so happy."

Lilly felt a pang of sadness at her comment, as she remembered her lost child, but nobody noticed her face falter a little at that, since the two Granthams were too wrapped up in their own happiness to notice. Lilly quickly put the smile back up, as she held Cora's hand and stated,

"You must take care of yourself. I would trust only yourself at this point to protect your child."

Cora smiled lovingly at Lilly, as she said, "O'Brien has me all settled. But thank you."

Lilly then heard the door open, as O'Brien came in and looked over at Lilly. Lilly knew that O'Brien was one of the few people in the area who looked at Lilly with dislike, but then again, O'Brien did that to a lot of people, so Lilly didn't really mind.

With that, Lilly stood up, and said, "Cora, I must go, but please, let me know if you would like anything."

Cora seemed to deliberate on this, before stating, "Are you any good at making baby clothing? I want one with some of your embroidery in it."

Lilly tensed at that, before smiling with a grimace and responded with, "Of course. I will see what I can do."

Cora immediately sobered at the slightly forced cheery voice, before realizing what she had done. She bit her lower lip in slight guilt, as she watched Lilly excuse herself and leave her to rest. Cora looked over at O'Brien before lamenting with,

"Oh, O'Brien, I feel terrible. I had forgotten that Lilly lost her child right before coming here. And here I am gloating about this whole thing…"

O'Brien froze at this new information, having not known about it. O'Brien felt for Lilly just that moment, knowing that no woman should ever have to feel the pain of losing their child. She whispered back to her lady, as she responded with,

"I'm sure Lady Lilly understands, milady."

Cora could only stare outside, as she murmured, "I know that. I just hope I haven't put salt in her wounds."

Lilly calmly walked down the stairs, her thoughts in jumbles, when she ran into Matthew, who walked inside, having come from his work. He had ended work early, and had decided to stop by. Lilly smiled at him, and said,

"You should prepare to congratulate cousin Robert. There's good news. But please, remember to smile."

Matthew studied Lilly a little in curiosity at that bit of information, before noticing the slight sadness in her eyes. Something upset her, but she was putting a brave face and making a mask for everyone to see. He sighed, before smiling and stated,

"Of course. I'll see you later."

Lilly nodded, thanking Carson, before heading out and walking towards the Crawley house.

Later, Matthew arrived, and after dinner, everyone was gathered in the living room. Isobel looked a little bitter, as she tensely said,

"So he'll give us this house for life, will he? How generous."

Lilly looked worriedly over to George, who sat next to her, arm around her shoulders, as he said,

"Mother. It is generous. You know that he does not need to."

Matthew sighed and added, "George is right. But it did made me think. You must stay here if you want, so do you, George and Lilly. But I wonder if it mightn't be better all round if I went back to Manchester."

Isobel whispered out, "It may not be a boy. We don't know yet."

Matthew looked at his mother with a slightly annoyed look, though he tried to hide it, as he responded back with,

"Really, mother. You never approved of it all in the first place. If it is a boy, you should see it as a release, not a disappointment."

Lilly leaned her head on George's shoulder, seeking comfort silently, which her husband provided, making him smile a little, as their mother asked,

"What does Mary say?"

Matthew bitterly responded with, "Nothing yet."

That was when Molesley cautiously entered, announcing,

"You wanted to see Mrs. Bird, sir."

With that, their cook entered, causing Lilly to raise her head, and look over curiously as Matthew stated,

"Yes, Mrs. Bird, Lord Grantham has rather a favor to ask of you."

Mrs. Bird looked surprised at this, as she answered, "I'm surprised Lord Grantham knows that I exist, sir."

George and Isobel giggled quietly, but Lilly merely let an amused smile be put on her face.

~~…..~~

A few more days passed, and Lilly had managed to make a few more embroideries that she had been requested to make for the daughters of Lord Grantham. As she finished those, she then proceeded asking questions to Isobel about baby clothing in England. Isobel answered kindly as possible, but there were moments when Lilly could not hold her own emotions in and broke down in front of her mother-in-law.

Isobel patiently comforted her daughter-in-law, knowing that if she had lost George and Matthew early on, she would have been heartbroken as well. But knowing there was an untold factor into their story, Isobel knew that it would have been that much more tragic for both her younger son and Lilly.

But one day, Matthew stormed inside, as he announced what had happened of his proposal to Mary and how she answered him. George was in London again, and he was absent from the gathering, but Lilly seemed a bit miffed about the whole prospect of Mary's thought process. But then again, Lilly was not the typical lady of her country. She had denied her fiancé of over 10 years in favor of George after all.

Isobel commented glumly with, "Well, I'm very sad. I thought Mary was made of better stuff."

Lilly sighed, as she stated, "Don't speak against her. I'm sure she had her reasons."

That only seemed to fuel Isobel more, as she said in an annoying tone,

"Of course, she's taken advice from someone with false and greedy values."

Seeing just who she was putting the blame on, Matthew shook his head and said, "Oh, Mother."

Isobel finally yelled out in actual anger, "And we don't have to go too far to know who that is!"

Matthew seemed surprised at his mother's anger, and merely yelled out, "Mother!"

Isobel stood up, as she hurriedly said, "I've a good mind to-"

But Matthew stood up, immediately putting in effect his ultimatum towards his mother, as he stated,

"You are not to go near Cousin Violet. That is an order."

Isobel huffed at that, and Lilly worriedly glanced towards Isobel, before sighing. She was glad this was nothing like her situation with George. If Isobel realized how her grandfather had adamantly disagreed with her marriage to George, Isobel could probably find the energy to anger her grandfather as well in the afterlife.

Later next night, Lilly and the other Crawleys were at the Abbey for dinner. After the meal, they were all in the drawing room, where Lilly was sitting near Cora. Lilly merely listened in on the conversations, as she couldn't help but feel a little down at how Cora seemed to shine from her pregnancy. Cora looked over at her second daughter, and asked,

"So, how was the drive?"

Edith had a dreamy look on her features, before stating, "It was lovely. Only…"

Lilly looked over curiously as well, as Cora urged her daughter to keep talking, making Edith state,

"Well, he said he had a question for me. He told me he'd ask it at the garden party, and he hopes I'll say yes."

Lilly noticed Mary roll her eyes in the background, but Cora seemed to have as well, choosing to ignore her older daughter's antics, as she said to Edith,

"You must think very carefully what your answer will be."

Mary scoffed, "Yes, I should think very carefully about a lot of things."

Edith visibly lost her smile, clearly upset at her older sister's bullying, causing Lilly to frown a little, as Mary stood up. Lilly glanced over at George, who seemed to be in a rather deep discussion with his brother and Robert about telephones. Lilly shook her head in the difference in culture, when she overheard Violet annoyingly state to her mother-in-law,

"So, put that in your pipe and smoke it."

Lilly's eyes widened, while Cora merely sighed, knowing why that had happened. Coar apologetically looked towards Lilly then, and said in a quiet voice,

"I apologize for the other day. I should have been more careful with how I asked you for the baby clothes."

Lilly shook her head and smiled, as she answered back,

"It wasn't that, so don't worry cousin Cora. Rather, it did make me remember my own child and how I made her clothes. It does hurt, in a way. But… George and I are truly happy for you and cousin Robert. Truly."

Cora had a relieved and looked at Lilly thankfully. How could such a young girl be so grown up compared to her own daughters? Cora wondered at how different they were before Lilly finally retired herself with Isobel later that night.

The next day, however, Cora felt like her world had ended when she fell in her bathroom and lost her unborn child. In that short amount of time, Cora had gotten attached to her child, but it seemed so tragic to have lost her child.

Through this time, Lilly had come to her with her own cooking of broths, soups, and Asian food that were known to help with her health. Robert had thanked her in Cora's stead, and Cora could merely repeatedly as Lilly how she had gotten over her and George's loss of their daughter.

All Lilly could respond with, was, "I never have."

George understood why Lilly had thrown herself into taking care of Cora despite everyone stating that she did not need to. Lilly had never gotten the chance to properly get over their daughter's death. After all, she had witnessed the murder of their infant daughter, then immediately dragged to prison for unforeseen torture and interrogation.

He let her be, and even helped her cook, to Mrs. Bird's dismay. But the poor woman helped him learn what to do, while Maria supported her lady's efforts as well. Lilly appreciated George's help and always let him know how she appreciated his love for her through words and kisses.

On the day of the party, Lilly was in full white, which, to her shock, was more of a party outfit rather than the funeral dress code she was used to. She lounged inside the tent next to Cora, having learned to just share conversations with her and give her images of her country when it had been beautiful. Cora calmly listened, when O'Brien came over and gloomily said,

"I wish you'd come inside, milady."

Lilly knew that Cora should not even have come out this far from the estate, but she stayed quiet, knowing how Cora felt. The older lady shook her head and tiredly responded,

"No. People mustn't think I'm really ill. I don't want to cast a dampener on the party."

O'Brien looked discouraged, almost guilty, at that, and gently responded back as she placed a blanket over Cora's leg with a,

"Very well. But do you have everything you need, milady?"

Cora smiled grimly at her lady's maid, trying to cheerfully reply with, "Dear O'Brien."

With that, Cora grabbed O'Brien's hands, and Lilly watched with interest at that, as O'Brien looked even guiltier than before. Lilly did not comment on it, when cousin Violet suddenly rushed over and grabbed all the women's attention as she hurriedly said,

"O'Brien, O'Brien! Can I have a word?"

O'Brien numbly nodded, fearful of whatever was coming, when the Countess of Grantham blurted out,

"I need a favor and I don't want to bother Lady Grantham with it."

O'Brien glanced around and nervously responded with, "Certainly, milady."

Violet looked relieved at that, and responded with,

"She's been helping me find a new maid and we've had quite a few answers from her advertisement. Can you find where she's put them and get Branson to bring them to the Dower House?"

O'Brien looked decently shocked at this, but Lilly had decided to glance towards George, who was talking with others who had come to the party that day. He looked a lot younger and stress free, causing Lilly to smile and allow herself to ignore the conversation happening next to her.

Eventually, George caught her staring and smiled, and gestured for her to come over. Lilly smiled and excused herself, before going on a walk with George for a bit. Lilly wrapped her arms around George and they quietly walked in the shades of the trees, as Lilly said,

"George, are you happy here?"

George looked at his wife, startled at her question. Then he smiled warmly at her and responded,

"Of course I'm happy. I have you and my family safe and sound by my side."

Lilly smiled to her husband to, stating,

"I was wondering if… if you wanted to try for another child."

George stopped walking then, surprised at his wife's suggestion. He looked at her again, before fully turning towards her with a brilliant smile and a comforting one, as he answered her with,

"I love you regardless of a child or not. But are you sure? Is your body alright?"

Lilly nodded, and George saw her shy self that she rarely showed to people. After all, he had fallen for the charismatic woman that she was, and not the demure lady that always surrounded him. To him, she had always been a firecracker and a leader. An admirable unsung hero that would eventually be forgotten for her deeds.

George hugged her then, giving her a warm embrace as he whispered to her,

"I love you with all my heart. Always, to the end of time. I will always be there by your side when you need me from this day and forth."

Lilly snuggled herself closer when Robert's voice rang out in a panic,

"Please, will you stop, please!"

Both George and Lilly walked a little closer, as the string quartet stopped playing. They saw Robert look as if a heavy weight had been placed on his shoulders, as he seriously said,

"My lords, ladies, and gentlemen. Can I ask for silence?"

George and Lilly held their hands together in wariness and slight dread, when Cousin Robert dropped a tragedy on them with,

"Because I very much regret to announce… that we are at war with Germany."

Their hands tightened and the grips remained strong, as Lilly and George feared for their own future.

And George couldn't help but swallow thickly, as he remembered the vow that he had just made to his wife. She had fought before in an unknown war. She had risked her life and lost so much more.

But now, it was his turn to fight for his country. Could he be as brave as her in the battlefield?

He wasn't so sure. But he made a new vow to himself that moment:

He would do anything to come back to Lilly.

Anything.