A/N: I am back! I apologize thoroughly for not having been able to come back to post chapters more frequently! Due to the recent pandemic, I have found some time to be able to work on the projects again! I will try to make sure that I can post from time to time, but please forgive me for inconsistent chapter updates!
Once again, please remember that other than my OCs, everything else belongs rightfully to the creators of Downton Abbey.
Eyeon: Technically, the term ninja is hinting towards a Japanese culture, so not necessarily. And regarding her background, more will be revealed soon, so please stay tuned! Thank you for your love and support!
Chapter 6: Once More Unto the Breach
After the shocking announcement, Lilly and George had went back the Crawley house with both Isobel and Matthew. There, George and Lilly were sitting together on their bed in their room, where they held each other's hands tightly. Lilly could see the trepidation in her husband's eyes, something she was familiar with seeing in others. George whispered out in shock,
"I don't know when I have to go… but I don't want to leave you any sooner than I have to."
Lilly's eyes showed the understanding and sadness in them as she responded back quietly,
"I don't want you to leave if you're not feeling ready. But this is war, George."
Her husband disbelievingly chuckled, more from the shock than actual amusement, as he asked her,
"Is this what you felt?"
Lilly merely shook her head as she said, "No. It was slightly different. You have the chance to prevent something like that from happening. Your country, your government currently has the power."
George let out a tense sigh as he admitted and could not help but flash back to one of his later encounters with his wife before they had married. And he remembered the words that she had said to him when he had tried to dissuade her from risking her life for her country.
"If life is a flower destined to wither, I wish for mine to bloom like fireworks."
He hadn't been able to say anything to that, knowing that she was braver than most men, and he realized how her fire that she had, still probably had, was something rare that he wasn't sure he had.
Lilly, as if sensing his solemn thoughts, took his hand she had been already holding, in both of hers and said to him,
"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't scared of death. But fighting to protect those you love, for those you care about so they could remain the person they were born to be, is what kept me fighting. And I hope that you fight for the same thing. Not for anyone else. Not for the king, but for those who you know will be waiting for you."
George looked at his wife, love full in his eyes as he nestled his face into the crook of her neck, breathing shakily as he said,
"I will. I will fight for you."
Lilly sadly smiled, hugging him, making sure to make the most of whatever time they had.
~~ ….. ~~
Approximately three weeks later, Matthew was drafted to head out to war, whilst George had not received word yet. By the time Matthew left, Lilly and George realized how nervous cousin Robert seemed to be. They could sense that he had wanted to head out to war as well, but both individuals knew better. This war was not a normal one, and it was becoming more and more dangerous.
During this time, George and Lilly mad the most of their moments together, not wanting to regret anything by the time George was needed. Another week had passed, when George finally received a letter. He had opened it for breakfast, where both Isobel and Lilly were watching anxiously as he read it. George sighed heavily, before looking up to his mother, and said,
"I'm to head to London in a week's time. Apparently, they decided that they would not like me to head out to battle due to my injury from last time, but they would like my expertise in a more strategic way to help understand the atmosphere in the Asian countries along with Russia…"
Isobel couldn't help but let out a breath of relief as she said, "Then that means you wouldn't have to see battle in another country."
George nodded and said, "That seems like it, but it would mean that I might outrank Matthew, though I don't know what rank I'm getting as of yet. They haven't enclosed it in the letter."
Lilly looked curiously, though internally relieved. George looked towards his wife and smiled, stating,
"At least that injury did me some good this time I guess. I won't be too far away if I'm lucky. Though, I'd rather Lilly stay back here just in case."
Lilly nodded, understanding what he was saying. This wasn't just quite her battle. And with things going, she understood George's hidden meaning. If he or Matthew were not to come back, and things were to fall apart, he wanted Lilly to protect his mother.
Isobel didn't catch this hidden meaning, as she smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lilly and I will be keeping busy with the injured men. I'm thinking of something we could do just in case."
Lilly looked towards George a little worriedly then, while George just chuckled and said,
"Be gentle with my wife, dear mother."
Isobel smiled, though she happily resumed her breakfast, whilst George and Lilly quietly finished their meal, still not sure how to feel about the overall situation.
That night, Lilly helped her husband pack everything, as he got ready to depart the next morning. As she finished tucking in the last of the clothing for George, her husband crept up behind her before wrapping his arms around her waist.
Lilly smiled gently, as she stood up straighter, before saying,
"I hope you don't overwork yourself."
The younger Crawley brother smiled into her neck as he gently placed a kiss there, quietly stating,
"I'll be careful. And besides, I hadn't hurt myself too bad."
Lilly raised an eyebrow at that, clearly remembering how George had hurt his arm trying to protect her by shooting himself slightly below his shoulder. Given he had purposely grazed it, but it wasn't something she had liked. And thankfully, Britain seemed to want George's brain more than his body for this war, deeming that small injury to be enough to not let him see battle unless absolutely necessary.
George seeing the incredulous look in his wife's eyes, merely smiled and said,
"Compared to what you had to suffer; this is nothing."
With that he placed his palm onto her cheek in a gentle manner, which Lilly leaned into. Both husband and wife hoping to brave through this war. And of course, both knew what George had meant regarding her suffering. For he was particularly referring to two times in their lives.
The first being her and another operative, a hotel owner, both bombing that particular hotel, which had been housing Japanese soldiers. After the Japanese soldiers had not only brutally killed Joseon's soldiers, but also kidnapping civilians for enslavement, the independence fighters operating in Joseon had decided to make a point that the people of Joseon were still fighting for their country's independence by risking their lives by killing the majority of the soldiers that were residing in the capital outside of their base.
During the Japanese soldiers' celebration of their supposed victory over Joseon soldier's destruction and kidnapping of civilians, Lilly had lit the bomb that the hotel owner had set up. However, having heard from a different operative of what Lilly's role in the plan was, George, who had just returned to the country from England, rushed over, only to see the hotel explode.
He had run towards the ruins of the former hotel he used to reside in, managing to sneak a severely wounded Lilly away. He had treated her in secret, hiding away from Japanese soldiers himself trying to do so.
He had seen how heartbroken Lilly was when she saw him, thinking that she was dreaming him being there. That was the moment he had regretted ever leaving Lilly behind and vowed to take her away.
But this had not been the end of Lilly's suffering. Soon enough, despite the careful hidden identities of the operatives, the Japanese were able to finally attack Lilly's family.
One afternoon, Lilly was with their child while George was working with her aunt's family. However, despite being under Britain's protection, the Japanese somehow managed to ransack their home, killing everyone but Lilly, arresting her for supposed treason against Imperial Japan.
When George was finally able to take her out of the prison, Lilly was in poor health. And he had seen the wounds and emotional trauma that his wife had had suffered.
George had barely managed to take both of them away, where both he and Lilly were distraught from their loss of their newborn child. They had managed to sneak away with their handmaid, who had been with George on an errand when the tragedy had struck.
And even now, where George was about to depart for war, he couldn't help but admire his wife's fire and her sense of love towards him. She trusted him to return, just like she had asked him to trust that she would be fine during their early days.
He gently kissed Lilly on the lips, trying to portray how much he loved his wife, as he said,
"I love you."
Lilly hugged him tightly, whispering in return, "I love you."
With that, the night passed, and the couple spent the night showing their love to each other.
~~ ….. ~~
Eventually, time passed, and Lilly was helping Isobel spend the time. From time to time, Lilly and Isobel were invited over to the Abbey, where they had dinners there. The Granthams avoided the topic of the two sons, but Lilly knew that Mary wished to ask her about how her brother-in-law was doing.
And throughout the long time of the war, they had found that roughly two years had passed, and it was 1916. During this time, Lilly and George continued to write each other letters, which was a nice way for both of them to keep in contact. Of course, George did travel back down multiple times, as he was more readily available than Matthew, but the older Crawley brother had come down as well a few times.
And in one particular trip, Lilly had gone up to London instead at George's invitation. That's where she had met Lavinia. When Matthew had introduced her to the Crawley family, Lilly was a little surprised, but hid it well, as she conversed with the quiet woman. She was kind, for sure, and Lilly liked her, but she wasn't sure how Matthew had fallen for such a different woman when compared to Mary. Mary liked to speak her mind, and she had a sense of commanding aura about her, while Lavinia was gentle and quiet. But Lilly did not dislike Lavinia, and neither did George, so the married couple just silently watched from the sidelines, promising to support Matthew in his decisions.
But one morning, Lilly had followed her mother-in-law to the Abbey, where Robert had invited them over to look over the parlor as they set up a fundraiser for the war efforts. After all, Isobel had been working hard to make this work. Lilly hadn't really planned this event, but she was learning how her mother had prepared for the concert. Upon entry, they looked around, Lilly more intrigued by the setup than anything else, when Isobel commented,
"It's kind of you to let us have it here. They'll enjoy it so much more."
Violet looked smug as she entered, before she glanced towards Lilly, who was silently observing everything with curiosity, stating,
"And you can charge so much more for the tickets."
Robert greeted his mother with,
"Good morning, Mama. This is very early for you to be up and about."
Lilly turned to the Dowager Countess, who responded with,
"War makes early risers of us all. I thought I would help with the flowers."
Cora, who had been with them, commented tightly, but kindly,
"Basset has plenty, but… thank you."
That was when Lilly looked to the array of flowers, making her intrigued with the setup. It seemed… overly flamboyant for Lilly's taste, but that was her own personal opinion. But apparently it wasn't just her own thought, as Violet walked over while asking Robert,
"You don't mind my taking over the flowers, do you? Cora's flower always look more suited to a first communion in southern Italy. Well, what else have you planned for tonight's raffles?"
Robert sighed before answering his mother with a, "Anything we can think of that will raise money."
Violet turned back, laughing as she commented,
"Hot buttered toast with a countess, a tuppence a slice?"
Lilly held back a giggle at that. Violet had then urged Lilly to follow her around and help her with the flowers, which caused her to look at Isobel, who waved her to do it. After all, Isobel wanted Lilly to learn the way around living in a household in England, and Violet, despite their friendly battles, was a good teacher for Lilly.
As they were fixing the flowers, they later walked into the library, when Violet also called Anna over to get some extra hands for fixing the flowers. Lilly helped Violet pull some of the flowers out as Violet muttered,
"Looks like a creature from the Lost World."
Having never read the book, Lilly could only guess, but she smiled a little at the elder woman's humor. Once they finished, Anna collected the flowers they took out, when Cora, Isobel, and Robert entered.
Isobel noticed the two and said,
"Well, we thought we'd come in here for a little talk."
Violet muttered loud enough for everyone to hear,
"Oh. Well, I'm sure we won't be disturbed."
Lilly caught Cousin Robert rolling his eyes, but hid her smile, as he motioned for her and Isobel to sit on the couch. They did so, when Robert suggested,
"Please."
Isobel looked towards Lilly, who nodded, before looking awkwardly at the Granthams. After a second, she managed to state,
"Well, the thing is… I've had a letter from Matthew. Of course he doesn't tell me what he's actually doing. But neither does George tell me. I always hear some vague things from Lilly."
Robert smiled as he said, "No, they wouldn't. But I'm glad both are all right. I miss both Matthew and George."
Isobel then added, "Well, that's the point. You must know Matthew's been down here a few times since the war started."
Cora nodded as she looked polite, stating, "We had heard."
Violet commented to the side, "Downton is hardly a metropolis."
Robert quickly interjected with, "Is he still determined to go back to Manchester when it's all over?"
Isobel shook her head, as she said,
"He doesn't talk much about life after the war, none of them do. I suppose they don't want to tempt fate. Until now, that is. He writes that he's engaged to be married to a Miss Lavinia Swire."
Lilly noticed the slight disappointed, upset looks that flashed through all of them, as Violet tried to make it less awkward, as she said,
"Well, I- I suppose we all knew it would happen one day."
Robert asked Isobel, "Do you know her?"
Isobel shook her head, as she said,
"Not yet. But George and Lilly have met her. Apparently, they met when Matthew was in England last time. It all seems rather hurried."
They all looked towards Lilly, who answered with,
"She's kind. Lavinia is a sweet woman."
Robert sighed as he said, "You can't blame them for wanting to live in the present."
With that, everyone saw Robert turn around, as if trying to hide how disappointed he was in this new turn of events. Isobel hurriedly added,
"Anyway, he's been in London on leave, and now he's bringing her here to meet me. George is coming along as well. They will be here tonight and tomorrow, then Matthew leaves on Thursday while George and Lavinia stay for a bit."
Cora hesitantly asked, "So, will both of you miss the concert?"
Lilly looked towards her mother-in-law, who thought things through before carefully answering with,
"Well, that's up to you. We'd all hoped that he and Mary would sort things out between them, but if that's not to be, then shouldn't we try to get back to normal? Even if he's not keen to live in the village. He's still the heir. And you're still his family."
Robert turned back around to face Lilly and Isobel, who also glanced over cautiously, hiding the anxiety in their eyes as he responded kindly,
"I quite agree. We can't know if Matthew will come through it. Either way, I would like to see him, and I want to wish him luck."
Isobel smiled, while Lilly let a slight bit of relief show in her eyes. Cora shakily took in a slight breath in before saying cautiously,
"The trouble is Mary's back from London today as well. She gets in at five o'clock."
Lilly quickly and quietly added, a slight look of nervousness on her features as she said,
"George told me that they will be driving in Lavinia's car. They won't meet on the train."
Violet laughed lightly, not hiding her feelings about the matter at all as she said,
"Oh, that's a relief. I hate Greek drama. You know, when everything happens off stage."
Lilly looked genuinely perturbed and curious at that as Isobel narrowed her eyes before noticing Lilly's curious look. Isobel sighed and said,
"That's not what really happens."
Lilly seemed to gather Isobel's meaning when Cora interjected with,
"But shall we tell her not to come? We might still catch her."
Robert took a second to think, before stating,
"Isobel's right. We must use this engagement as a new beginning. You bring our Lieutenant and Captain Crawley to the concert and stay for dinner afterwards."
Lilly smiled lightly, though she still saw the slight disappointment in Cora's eyes, as Isobel stated,
"I was hoping you'd say that."
And for Lilly, it did make her feel better, as she found herself appreciating the Granthams more for accepting her for who she is. As Isobel headed out, Lilly rose from her seat, getting ready to head out when Robert asked,
"How's Captain George Crawley doing?"
Lilly noticed the hint of envy in Robert's voice, thinking of a good answer, before responding back with,
"He appreciates his work, but I think he appreciates the fact that he gets to participate in the war and protect his home country without having to see the horrors of battle any longer."
Robert smiled tensely, but kindly said,
"I have to admit, I still envy him a little."
Lilly's facial features drastically fell, as if remembering something dark, which Violet noticed immediately, as Lilly tensely responded back with,
"To be honest, George wishes that the war hadn't happened. But it has, and he will do anything to bring back more people home."
Robert finally seemed to have noticed that Lilly's mood had darkened, and was about to apologize when Violet intervened with a curt look to him, before stating gently,
"And he should. You must miss him terribly."
Lilly smiled shakily at that, looking a little grateful towards the elderly woman, answering,
"I do. I love him terribly."
Violet and Robert smiled warmly at that, before Cora headed down and the ladies left to get into the carriage.
Isobel and Violet sat on one side, while Lilly and Cora on the other. However, everyone noticed Cora's slight anger, and they hesitated before the topic of Sybil's interest of volunteering as a nurse was brought up. Cora vehemently disagreed while, to Lilly's surprise, Violet supported the notion.
Cora huffed out, "I'm sorry, but if Dr. Clarkson needs free labor, I'd prefer him not to find it in my nursery."
Isobel gently answered with, "But Sybil isn't in the nursery."
Violet added with frustration, while Lilly could only helplessly watch, as the woman said,
"No, and in case you haven't noticed, she hasn't been there for some time."
Cora sighed and answered, "You know what I mean."
Violet stared straight into her daughter-in-law's eyes as she responded with,
"Well, no not really. You can't pretend it's not respectable when every day we're treated to pictures of queens and princesses in Red Cross uniform, ladling soup down the throat of some unfortunate."
Lilly looked back to Cora, who did not seem convinced as she said,
"But Sybil won't be ladling soup. She'll have to witness unimaginable horrors, and she's an innocent."
Isobel countered that with,
"Her innocence will protect her."
But when Violet said,
"For once I agree with Cousin Isobel. Sybil must be allowed to do her bit like everyone else."
All three women other than the Dowager Countess were shocked at that revelation and stared at her for a bit when the carriage finally came to a halt and the door opened to reveal the butler of the Crawley House. Isobel took Molesley's hand and got off, followed by Lilly. As Lilly's feet touched the ground, Cora took this opportunity to ask their butler,
"What about you, Molesley? Are you ready for the call if it comes?"
Lilly could notice the clear discomfort and guilt in her butler's eyes as he stuttered out,
"It won't be coming for me, milady. I had a letter from the war office. They say I'm not suitable for service."
Cora looked concerned as she asked, "Why not?"
Molesley's appearance of discomfort grew as he quietly answered,
"I really couldn't say, milady."
Lilly couldn't really judge Molesley, knowing that war was a terrifying aspect. And for not having witnessed horrors and the fact that a war broke out for something that seemed so far away, it might not be as motivating for all people to freely volunteer, though a lot have.
But as if not sharing her sentiment, Isobel spoke up with,
"As you can imagine, Molesley's father is beside himself with joy."
Lilly grimaced, though it was slight, Violet had noticed, and she merely commented with,
"God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders perform."
And with that, Violet settled, looking towards Cora ask if their earlier discussion had not ended, and Molesley finally closed the door. Lilly and Isobel shared a look before Isobel said,
"I can do with some tea right now."
Lilly merely nodded, hoping that George would arrive soon. After a few cups of tea, Lilly saw a car pull in and rose, wanting to see her husband. Isobel smiled slightly at the excited gleam in her daughter-in-law's eyes. Lilly was respectful and the picture perfect image of a lady from a household like the Abbey, in which, she was, but Isobel could tell there was a hidden fire in the woman that had married her second son. A fire that had drew her son in like a moth to a flame.
When Molesley finally brought George, Matthew and Lavinia inside, Lilly came out of the sitting room and the married couple made eye contact. A few seconds passed, when George ran up to his wife and wrapped his arms around her quickly. Lilly smiled and embraced him back, not minding her brother-in-law and his fiancée for just a quick moment. She rested a hand to his chest and let his warmth sink in before they parted as Isobel gently cleared her throat.
George chuckled and pecked a kiss to Lilly's cheek. Matthew and Lavinia could only watch them with a warm smile, both thinking how adorable the two were. And Isobel decided to make herself known as she came up to Lavinia and introduced herself.
After all the introductions were over, Lavinia was provided a separate room for the night, and they all prepared for the concert that evening. As George cleaned himself up and prepared, he and Molesley were conversing quietly, when Lilly walked in, which Molesley understood as a signal that the couple wanted to talk.
As the butler closed the door behind him, George leaned back to his closet, admiring his wife, as she was wearing a slightly dark green dress that had a shimmer to it. He had bought it for her when she had been in London the last time, asking her to wear it when he came for the concert.
Lilly blushed a little, at George's appreciation of her and asked with an effort to sound nonchalant,
"What?"
George chuckled and walked over to her, putting a hand to her cheek, stating,
"I missed you."
Lilly smiled and said,
"Well, I'm here."
George laughed at that and said, "Yes, you are. And I'll make sure to enjoy every single second of my time with you."
Lilly shook her head, a smile gracing her features as she said,
"You always say that nowadays."
George's eyes sparkled mischievously as he said,
"Can you really blame me? I have a beautiful wife supporting me through this, lending me her strength and knowledge."
Lilly flicked him on his forehead, causing her husband to pout a little as she said,
"You're insufferable."
George nuzzled his nose to hers gently, as he whispered,
"But know this, I will love you, always. Wherever I am."
Lilly let her arms wrap around his waist, hugging him as she returned,
"Forever. Regardless of where we both end up."
But their moment was interrupted when there was a knock at the door and the couple heard Matthew's voice from the other side, stating,
"You two ready? Mother and Lavinia are waiting by the door."
George sighed, grumbling something that Lilly didn't quite catch, before he held her hand. Lilly's smaller hands tightened in grip, and George opened the door, facing Matthew, and said,
"Ready, brother?"
Matthew rolled his eyes at the almost sickeningly lovely couple, and answered,
"Yes, George. Now hurry, we have to get there quickly. Thanks to you, we're late."
George shrugged and retorted,
"We haven't seen each other in weeks. I have to make the most of it."
Matthew chuckled at that, while Lilly blushed. They soon made their way over to Downton, and upon their arrival, all of them saw people entering the Abbey for the concert. George and Matthew were dressed in their scarlet red mess jackets and black ties.
Upon entry, Lavinia quietly whispered in awe to Matthew,
"It's awfully grand"
Matthew looked around, stating happily,
"You'd better get used to it. It will be your home one day."
Lavinia sighed, which did not go unnoticed by both George and Lilly, as she said,
"I'm not sure 'home' would ever be quite the word to describe it."
That was when George noticed Robert come up to them. The Earl shook Matthew's and then George's hands as he said,
"My dear fellows, welcome back. It's so very good to see you."
Matthew then gestured towards Lavinia, as he said,
"May I present Miss Lavinia Swire."
Lavinia blushed a little, trying to impress Matthew's predecessor as she said,
"How do you do, Lord Grantham."
Robert smiled politely, responding with, "How do you do, Miss Swire."
Robert then looked towards Lilly, smiling as he said,
"Lilly, nice to see you again."
Lilly smiled too as she said, "Thank you for hosting the event."
Robert nodded, before indicating to the group,
"Now, please come this way."
Lavinia thanked the Earl, still trying to take her surroundings in when Mary came up. George and Lilly decided to give the three people some space as Robert noticed their intent, he showed them their seats. The couple could see the clear tension between the three individuals, and were glad to stay away from it, if possible.
Once that had been settled, and all the guests had been seated, the concert had started. Lilly was enjoying the concert when suddenly, two women stood up and started handing out white feathers.
The moment she noticed, George had saw this as well, and Lilly felt him tense as his hand, which had been holding hers, tightened. Lilly could see her husband's brewing anger, which was always a rare sight, but this seemed to irk him, when dear William received one. William, who had been a little clueless to its meaning, asked,
"What is it?"
The girl that had handed him the feather bit out, "A white feather, of course… coward."
That caused Robert and both George to stand up, while the Earl immediately yelled out,
"Stop this at once!"
Lilly's eyes narrowed at the girls and William stood up awkwardly, looking dejected. George grit out,
"This is neither the time nor the place!"
The other girl stepped up as she countered,
"These people should be aware that there are cowards among them."
Robert sighed, trying to hold himself back from losing more composure, as he said, angrily,
"Will you please leave? You are the cowards here, not they!"
That caused Robert's valet, Mr. Bates, to stand and escort the women to leave. Quietly, Robert nodded to William, who looked like he wanted to cry. George sat back down, trying to ease his anger. Lilly quietly held his hand and squeezed it, rubbing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. George's tense stature relaxed somewhat, but Lilly knew that the anger was still deep down there. She understood that anger he felt. After the horrid event ended, and the concert resumed, everyone tried to remain optimistic, but it was clear that everyone's mood had soured just a little, if not more.
When dinner finally arrived, William was serving Cora, who apologetically stated,
"That was horrid, William. I hope you won't let it upset you."
William smiled gratefully as he said, "No, Your Ladyship."
Robert sighed and added, "Why are these women so unkind?"
Edith must have thought that was the right moment to speak up, as she added,
"Of course, it is horrid, but when heroes are giving their lives every day, it's hard to watch healthy young men do nothing."
Robert looked guiltily at William, who seemed to catch the unsaid meaning of his glance and moved on. George then said,
"Helping things continue to keep moving as they are is another way to contribute to the war. I don't know why those women don't know that."
Edith quickly bit her tongue at that, her cheeks flaming a little. Robert and Cora looked a little surprised at George's quiet, but stern comment. They had never seen this serious, angry side of George before and it alarmed them. Lilly gave a slight look to George, who saw it before looking down and continue to eat quietly.
Robert did not miss the shared look and looked towards Lilly gratefully at that, not wanting to ruin the mood even more, when Isobel stepped up with,
"By the way, Sybil, very good news. They do have a vacancy. It's very short notice, because someone dropped out."
Sybil smiled, her eyes bright with joy, when Isobel kindly added,
"You'd have to be ready to start on Friday."
Robert looked curiously at the woman and asked, "May I ask what this is about?"
Sybil answered excitedly,
"Cousin Isobel has got me a place on a nursing course in York. I want to work at the hospital."
Cora, clearly more upset than the others, responded with,
"We don't have to talk about it now."
And the glare that she sent Isobel was so visible that the entire table went quiet once more. After a minute or two, Edith braved to start a conversation with,
"Branson says I'm ready for the road."
Robert paused and said enthusiastically, "That's not what he told me."
But there was a pause as Edith clearly deflated a little, when Lilly heard Lavinia say,
"Oh, how delicious, I love these."
Robert then turned his attention to Lavinia, asking,
"How did you and Matthew meet?"
As Lavinia finished getting the food from the dish Carson offered, she answered,
"Oh, in London. My father works in London, so I've always lived there. But I love the country, too."
Violet answered snarkily, "Of course you do."
Lavinia took it in stride, her smile not wavering as she continued,
"Daddy's a solicitor, like Matthew."
Violet commented once more, "My, my. You're very well-placed if you're ever in trouble with the law."
Robert quickly changed the topic, facing Matthew and George, stating,
"Did I tell you I've been given a colonelcy in the North Riding Volunteers? So, I'm properly in the army again."
George turned to Sybil, who sat next to him, as he quietly asked,
"He's not going to the front, is he?"
Sybil shook her head, but Lilly heard Matthew asking something along the same lines to Mary.
The somewhat awkward dinner ended, and the party had split up into small groups for conversation in the drawing room, where Lilly sat next to George, while they talked with Robert. Robert enthusiastically asked George about his work, and George answered cautiously.
Robert then asked, "Don't you wish to go to the front?"
George's gaze went down to the fire, and Lilly immediately noticed the sadness in them. She didn't know what he was remembering, but clearly it upset him, and her husband quietly said,
"To be honest, I think it's harder to be the one in charge of sending these men and hearing that they didn't make it. It's one thing to be in the front and fighting, but coming up with the missions, arguing with higher ups behind the scenes… it's hard, Cousin Robert."
Robert studied the man in front of him, before asking,
"You're more covert operations, aren't you?"
George nodded, and said,
"I'm supposed to get promoted to Major apparently because of my work, but… I'm not sure if I'm worthy of that. Not with the way this war is turning out."
Robert sighed and said, "You don't sound enthusiastic about this war."
George smiled bitterly and answered,
"Can you blame me? I am the one that is possibly sending someone's father, husband, or brother to potential death. And if they survive, many are wounded and traumatized. And sometimes, they are never heard of ever again. I've faced dangers before, and I've seen what brutality does when done in a country's name. Lilly's suffered it as well. We've probably seen more than deserved."
Lilly then realized what he was thinking of and held back her tears that sprang up. Robert noticed the solemn mood he had directed his family, and guilt sprang up again. He too, had seen the horrors of battle, and did not think carefully of George and Lilly's circumstance with his enthusiasm. He didn't know their story well, but he could tell it was wrought with nightmares.
Eventually, the Crawleys and Lavinia departed, heading home for the night. And once again, within the short period of time, George and Lilly were stuck together like glue, trying to savor the time they had together just in case George did, have to travel for his role.
And like that, the waiting continued, and Lilly tried to busy herself with helping Isobel with the woman's task in supporting the community. Of course, excluding Isobel's grief of Molesley's hesitance of joining the war.
