A/N: There is one historical figure that does actually exist in history. I wanted to just make note that the person's presence in this story is purely fictional. The mentioning of this person is to commemorate the good deeds that they have done, and it is briefly mentioned of what they did in history. However, the meeting between my OC and this person did not happen as this work is fiction.

I am not mentioning the name in this author's note as I don't want to spoil you now, but please pay attention to the author's note after the chapter and google the person if interested!

Chapter 7: Reminder of Sad Endings and New Beginnings

A few days passed and George had gone back to London. Meanwhile, Lilly had been reading a letter George had sent, trying to grasp what his words meant. In the letter, he stated that he wanted Lilly to meet someone the next time he came down to Downton.

In the letter, George maintained an air of mystery, keeping details vague about who she was going to meet despite his honest nature. Perplexed by this and not sure who she could possibly meet, she kept re-reading the letter.

A few minutes later, Maria came to her and announced that Cousin Violet had arrived. Tucking her letter away in a small box, Lilly headed down to meet the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Isobel was already there, and Lilly heard her mother-in-law state,

"I'm sure it would, but-"

Lilly approached and she silently nodded to Molesley for tea, who gladly served her. As she sat down, Cousin Violet said,

"Ah, Lilly. How are you?"

It looked like Cousin Violet was holding back a snarky remark, and Lilly politely smiled, now seeing Dr. Clarkson there. The man had come so frequently lately, that Lilly had lost count. Lilly nodded and said amusedly,

"Yes. Although, I am assuming that this has something to do with signing up for the war?"

Cousin Violet's lips pursed even more, if that had been possible, as she stated,

"Yes… Isobel and I were debating about the duty of the people."

Lilly had to refrain the urge to bite down on her lips to hold back either a laughter or a groan. She wasn't sure which emotion she felt more strongly, and maintained a straight face, as Cousin Violet turned to Isobel and said,

"But… but anyways, I heard William's father would be left on his own if anything happened to the boy. And what would become of Carson if the last of his staff were to go?"

Isobel looked right at Violet, causing Dr. Clarkson to grimace a little, as she bit out,

"That's not the point.

Violet must have had enough, as she yelled out, "Do you want Molesley to die?"

Lilly sighed when she saw Moleley's face turn blanch white, while Dr. Clarkson closed his eyes, trying to stay neutral by all means. But the stress must have been too much, as he turned away slightly to pinch the bridge of his nose to relieve some tension there.

Isobel huffed out, "Of course I don't."

Lilly and Dr. Clarkson could only listen, as Violet seemed to ignore that statement as she muttered out,

"Well…"

That seemed to set a fire to Isobel, as she heatedly argued,

"I don't want my sons to die either. And I am sure that Lilly does not want to lose a husband. But this is war, and we must be in it together. High and low, rich and poor. There can be no special cases, because every man at the front is a special case to someone."

Dr. Clarkson sighed, as he said, "Mrs. Crawley is right. I understand your motives, Lady Grantham, and I do not ciriticize them."

Violet looked towards Lilly, who dearly wished to be somewhere else than this heated debate, as she answered,

"Having come from a country that has seen war not too long ago, I think that as much as mother is correct that we can't have too many men, I also think that familial duty is important. George explained the drafting system to me, and I believe that when the time comes, William will go. And I believe that even if men were to go, if they are reluctant to fight physically, should we really push them to do so? Wouldn't that be cruel if we forced them in without the proper procedures?"

Violet smirked smugly, as she said victoriously, "Thank you."

Isobel looked at Lilly with frustration, though she understood what her daughter-in-law was stating. However, that seemed to clear Dr. Clarkson's conflicted thoughts, as he looked towards the butler and said,

"Molesley, I shall write to the ministry at once, correcting the misinformation. But that's all I will do."

The butler seemed to tremble, causing everyone to feel a little guilty. Or at least Lilly and Violet did. Isobel seemed to smirk in pride, as she told the man,

"Molesley, you understand why I said what I did?"

Their butler squeaked out, "Indeed, I do, ma'am.'

Isobel tried to ease the man's nerves by saying,

"You won't be called up at once. Not while there are younger men to be taken."

Violet huffed at that, quietly commenting,

"But they'll get you in the end, Molesley. And you can blame Mrs. Crawley when they do."

And despite her quiet comment, everyone in the room had heard and all Lilly could do was pray that poor Molesley did not go. After all, even if he did, she wasn't sure if he could survive a gust of wind blowing at him.

And like that, Lilly busied herself with talking to Mrs. Bird and Maria about how they could help around town. Mrs. Bird stated that she was not sure that there were ways to help town, as the woman was busy, and Lilly had requested that the woman teach Maria how to cook as well.

Maria seemed eager to do so, since she already knew how to cook, but she did not really know English recipes. Mrs. Bird, on the other hand, wanted to learn Korean cuisine, and both women eagerly agreed to take their time to do so. Whatever ingredients were needed, Lilly agreed to be the one to provide the costs to do so. After all, she had nothing better to do.

George continued to write her letters, describing his days in London, and his travels to other towns or cities if needed. But in regard to their mysterious guest, George remained quiet.

A few days later, Cora invited Lilly and her family over to dinner. Lilly had quickly accepted, though she did not display her brightened mood at the chance to visit them again. After all George had agreed to come down the same night.

When George found time to change before they went to the Abbey, Lilly waited for him. Once he was done, Lilly entered the room, and smiled at her husband. The man turned to face his wife, before opening his arms wide. Lilly walked up to him and hugged him tightly. The two remained that way for a bit, before George said,

"Do you have time in two days? The guest is coming then."

Lilly raised an eyebrow, her curiosity peaking, but she did nod in response. Lilly asked,

"Would I know who he is?"

George shook his head and said, "No. Not really, but he did seek me out. He's coming from China."

Lilly tensed, before looking up at him and asked,

"China?"

George nodded, and said, I want it to be a surprise. But don't worry. I made sure he was on our side."

Relieved at that, Lilly let out a sigh and said, "Thank you."

George smiled a little sadly, knowing what she was thanking him for, and said,

"I wonder when this will all be over."

Lilly sighed and said, "Hopefully, within our lifetimes."

~~ ….. ~~

Once the Crawleys arrived, everyone was greeted to each other. Cora introduced her to Sir Richard Carlisle with,

"Sir Richard, this is George Crawley, and his wife Lilly."

The man seemed to intently study her, causing an irritation to rise in Lilly, as she smiled politely, and shook his hand. However, Lilly's eyes remained just as intense as Richard Carlisle's trying to gain some sense of the man.

George bristled at the way the man's eyes zoned into his wife, and his smile turned sour.

Robert noticed the tense exchange but didn't comment on it. He hadn't expected Lilly to take this greeting seriously, nor as how a soldier would greet an enemy soldier, but that was what it looked like to him. By the time the two people separated from the handshake, George immediately stepped in-between, facing his wife to prevent the man from talking to them. It was clearly a signal to Carlisle to back off and not communicate with them. Robert knew it was a rude gesture, but he couldn't wonder if it meant that Carlisle was a questionable figure.

Later in the dining room, Lilly was talking with Lavinia, when suddenly, Edith yelled out, causing all conversations to stop and look over in that direction. To everyone's shock, Edith was covered in sauce while Carson began to have difficulty breathing. Everyone stood up at that, before Isobel led Carson to her chair, being closest to him. She then directed Edith,

"Edith, go with Branson and fetch Major Clarkson. I'll telephone and explain what's happened."

Edith snobbishly complained, "What about my dress?"

Lilly's eyes widened at that notion, and Cora seemed to quickly angry at her daughter, as she scolded her in front of everyone with,

"Edith! We'll get you a coat! Come."

With that, Edith was dragged off. Sybil rushed to Carson and tried to help the man out, while Violet commented to Carlisle with worry for the butler in her voice,

"You'll find there's never a dull moment in this house."

George looked at Violet with surprise that she could joke at such a time, when Matthew volunteered him and his brother to help move Carson.

Once Carson was relocated, dinner was cut short. Lilly eventually headed back to the Crawley house with Lavinia. However, George stayed back to help. Eventually, Robert and Cora led them to the door, where Matthew headed out first. George hesitated before turning to Robert and asked,

"Cousin Robert, would it… would it be alright if I could bring a guest of mine over in two days? It would be a meeting in the library. But… he says he has something for Lilly and I did not tell her who he is."

Robert looked at his wife with bafflement, before asking, "And who is this guest? We would be happy to have him here, but it would be nice to know."

George nodded, a slight relief in his eyes, as he said, "An Englishman working in China. He captains ships in East Asia for now. And due to the war, we got in contact since he was there. But he says he was stopping by to meet with us and heard that Lilly was my wife and requested to meet her."

Cora smiled at that and said, "We would be happy to host him here. Maybe he could stay for dinner as well."

Robert nodded and said, "If he wishes to meet Lilly, and Lilly gets the opportunity to meet more people, it would be our pleasure to help. After all, it must be difficult for her to be by herself when you are in London."

George smiled tensely at that, and said, "It is. She is a woman of action, so being in a quiet place might drive her mad from the lack of things to do. But I believe that knowing mother, Lilly might also have a handful trying to keep peace between Cousin Violet and mother."

Robert chuckled at that and merely said, "Indeed."

With that, George thanked them for the request, and went back to the Crawley house.

The next day, George and Lilly spent their time together lazily, not wanting to have to separate from each other for much too long. However, due to Lavinia's presence they had to make appearances to meals and even attend other events. Together, the couple went on a walk, had a picnic, and even spent some time together.

After they changed, George knocked before entering their room. Lilly turned and smiled at her husband. George went up to her and pecked her on the cheek, careful not to smudge her makeup. He whispered,

"You're so beautiful."

Lilly blushed before, teasingly pushing him away and said, "We have a dinner to attend. Perhaps after."

George chuckled and said, "I don't think I'll survive the oncoming storm of mother and Cousin Violet."

Lilly rolled her eyes and responded back with, "If I can survive that when you and Matthew are not here, you surely can."

George groaned, but smiled at that. After all, he did have that surprise for Lilly arriving the next day.

At dinner, Robert politely asked Matthew,

"What was it like at the hospital today?"

Matthew muttered out, with a haunted look,

"At the front… the men pray to be spared, of course… but if that's not to be… they pray for a bullet that kills them cleanly. For too many of them today, that prayer had not been answered."

Robert seemed to look a little stricken at that response, and looked back down to his food, trying to act as if that short conversation had not taken place. Lilly could see the slight look of dismay in Robert's eyes, but she hoped that Robert would rethink his wish to go to the front.

After that, the dinner was not eventful other than Edith declaring she had driven a tractor. And in one corner of her mind, Lilly was curious as to who her husband wanted to introduce her to.

Another day had passed afterwards, where Lilly and George merely spent time talking with Isobel. Isobel had finally decided in making Downton a new place for injured soldiers. George tried to help out in the nicest possible way, but also warned his mother about the fact that they were not the owners of the Abbey.

And as usual, Isobel had huffed at that and determined it was for the greater purpose and that the family should not have a problem with her plans. Of course, George and Lilly both shared a concerned look at her comment. After all, Lilly understood that it would be one thing to house someone they knew, but another to house several total strangers.

Then the long awaited second day came. The day that George's guest would arrive. George had sent Lilly ahead to the Abbey, where she would meet the mysterious person. Cora had offered to serve tea, and Lilly had accepted. They were talking about Sybil's passion for nursing, when Robert had joined in. The parents were rightfully concerned for their youngest daughter, and Lilly could provide some silly stories of her own stubborn adventures. Robert thought Lilly interesting, whilst Cora thought that perhaps Sybil and Lilly would make great friends.

Later in the afternoon, George arrived. Lilly stood at the sight of her husband who was beaming widely. Curious about the guest, Cora and Robert stood as well to welcome the person to their home. George then came into the library, followed by an older gentleman with a stocky build. He was much older than Lilly was expecting, but she smiled politely.

George came up to her, and introduced them to the gentleman with,

"Lilly, Cousin Robert and Cora, this is George Lewis Shaw. Mr. Shaw, this is Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham and his wife Cora, the Countess of Grantham. And this, is my wife Lilly. Or more formally known as Lady Kyung-Ha."

Mr. Shaw smiled, and shook hands firmly with both Robert and Cora. And to the older couple's surprise, the man then looked a little awestruck at Lilly, before bowing to her in an almost 90 degrees.

Lilly's eyes widened at that, and she bowed, as well, but not as low. And then Mr. Shaw said,

"Lady Lilly. It… it is an honor to meet you here in England. You may not know me, but I used to be a good friend of your associate. Mr. Kim said to deliver this to you and that you would know."

With that, Mr. Shaw took out a letter from his inside pocket, and offered it to Lilly with both hands, as if she was his superior. Lilly gently grasped the letter before asking the guest to sit. Cora and Robert looked hesitant, but Lilly smiled at them and signaled that it was alright for them to remain in the library with them.

Upon opening the letter, Lilly found it to have been written in Korean. It translated as,

"My Lady,

It is with great happiness for me to write this letter. All I hope is that you have adjusted to your new life there in England. Mr. Shaw is a generous man who has been helping our cause from here. I have asked him to deliver this letter in the meantime, as the hope that he could connect you to some of our operatives there in England. Mr. Shaw has also thankfully volunteered to deliver you a precious item that we hope you and Master George could protect for us.

Your loyal servant and friend,

Mr. Kim."

Robert and Cora looked on curiously as Lilly read the letter but grew slightly concerned at the sight of Lilly's tearful gaze. Lilly gently put the letter back into the envelope, before taking in a shaky breath before looking back up at Mr. Shaw.

The elderly man smiled wistfully and said, "He asked me to also deliver you this."

And with that, Lilly's husband received the suitcase the elderly man handed them and opened it. Lilly's breath hitched at the sight of her country's flag sitting inside the small suitcase. Robert and Cora wondered what this meant for the girl, but it was clear by the expression on the younger Crawley's face, that this was a significant moment for the couple.

And with that, the man bent his knees and kneeled, before bowing on the floor, shocking everyone in the room. Carson froze at the sight, as he had been watching for any signs that he could help with refreshments. And even with all his years, despite his knowledge that people in the East did show deference with such movements, he did not expect an English gentleman to do so for Lilly. And by the young woman's facial expression of surprise, he could tell that neither did she.

Lilly grew flustered, as she bent down and said,

"Mr. Shaw! Please, get up."

But the man looked at the younger woman, before responding sadly with,

"I personally wish to express my condolences, my lady. I have tried to save Mr. Kim… but the Japanese soldiers…"

Lilly's grip on the elderly man's arms tightened a little as she froze at the news. Mr. Kim had been the leader of the independence league of her district. He had been the one to help some of her family get out of the country before it was too late. He was the person who had taught her how it did not matter if she was a woman. If she wanted to free her country from colonization, she could do so as an equal. As a person.

The fact that her mentor had passed away hurt her so deeply that she couldn't react, and eventually, her husband George kindly, but sadly said,

"Mr. Shaw… thank you for informing us. I'm sure you must be tired. Please, get up. If anything, we should be the ones to bow…"

Cora and Robert both helped George Lewis Shaw stand, as Robert said,

"I'm sure Carson could show you your room. We hope that you don't mind staying for dinner."

Mr. Shaw looked towards Lilly, who wiped away a tear, as she tried to hold her pain in. Trying to follow British customs of not showing too much emotion, Lilly smiled tensely as she said,

"Please stay."

Those two words seemed to do the trick, as the man quietly nodded, before following Carson to go to his room at the Abbey. Once the man went to go rest, Cora turned to Lilly before asking,

"I'm so sorry. We don't know anything, but if you need anything, let us know."

Robert nodded and said,

"Is that your country's flag?"

Lilly merely nodded. Everyone in the room could see that on the white cloth put on the flag, there was a red and dark blue swirl of a circle. And on each edge, there were black lines where one started with three, and each section went up to six lines. And despite the tears on some of the edges, the family could see that the flag was kept in nice shape.

The couple spent a quiet moment in silent appreciation of the flag, before Lilly closed the suitcase and George said to Cora and Robert,

"It is. But you must not share this with anyone. Please ask Carson to not share this."

Robert frowned and asked,

"Why is that? After all, isn't this a flag? Shouldn't we fly this along with our own country's flag in appreciation of Lilly's heritage?"

George shook his head and said,

"Japan has made it illegal to show patriotism to Joseon before Japanese occupation. I'm afraid that this, though it is symbolic for both Lilly and I, is not quite safe to do so."

Cora and Robert tensed at that before Cora said,

"We'll make sure that nobody says a word."

And with that, George and Lilly smiled gratefully at them, before walking outside, hoping to get some fresh air to avoid breaking down completely. All Cora and Robert could do was watch the couple hold each other tightly, as if they were escaping from a nightmare that kept haunting them.

Robert sighed after they left, and said to his wife,

"I can't help but feel bad for the girl. All she did was live in a country where she had been born in. And now this…"

Cora sighed and said, "It shows us that we must not take what we have for granted. That we can't take our own family for granted. Robert… maybe we should talk with Isobel about what she had mentioned before…"

Robert sighed again and said, "I agree with you. Whatever way we could help, we should think about it. Maybe it would help Lilly to keep busy as well. But I'm not sure if mother would watch this happen."

Cora grimaced a little before stating,

"Well, it is our house. And technically, you are the Earl and owner of the estate."

Robert chuckled at that a little, feeling the tensions ease just slightly, as he responded with,

"You know that has never stopped my dear mother."

~~ ….. ~~

Later that night, dinner proceeded calmly, where Mr. Shaw just retold stories of his own past and what he thinks of the war. Robert kept that part of the conversation going. But he could tell that George and Lilly were grateful that they didn't need to talk much. After all, he and Cora had agreed a few hours earlier that it would be best to keep Mr. Shaw entertained separately, by bringing Violet over for dinner. Fair enough, the two people reminisced about a different Russia and enjoyed the dinner. Meanwhile, Isobel seemed to have noticed something off with her son and her daughter-in-law, so kept her snarky comments to herself. It wouldn't help to make dinner grim when the mood itself was fragile.

Even Sybil had joined dinner, upon having heard that Lilly wasn't feeling too great. To Cora, it seemed as if Sybil looked up to Lilly in a way. And it warmed her heart that her own daughter was passionate and caring.

With that, Mr. Shaw rested before leaving early the next morning, declaring that he had work to do. George had picked him up and accompanied him to London. He had explained to Cora and Robert that the man had to meet with other acquaintances.

However, the truth was vaguely hidden. Mr. Shaw actually had brought other people from Joseon and was preparing to help them settle in England. And George was allowed by the government to get this working. After all, George was able to fluently communicate with the people and translate for the government. Mr. Shaw was limited in his own capabilities, so he only was really going to remain in the country for business purposes more so than his own well-being.

Like that, the days passed, and Isobel and Cora, along with Violet, surprisingly, kept Lilly busy. They had decided to support the young woman so that she did not feel alone or left out of the loop. This involved Lilly being in many discussions, before Cora involved Lilly into helping out at the Abbey.

One particular day, Lilly found herself at the hospital, assisting Isobel and Sybil. They were guiding soldiers, who did not seem to mind Lilly's presence. Rather, it was as if they were too preoccupied by their own pain to even notice. They just merely heard her voice and followed where she directed them to. She did have the option of staying back at the Crawley house to spend the day with Lavinia, but it had seemed awkward to do so. After all, she wanted Lavinia to feel comfortable, and staying at a house with a potential in-law without the men was not something either women were comfortable about. With that in mind, Lilly had opted to come to the hospital instead. As she was doing so, she eventually noticed Branson walk up and state to them,

"Her Ladyship had Mrs. Patmore make this up for you so you could eat something during the day."

Sybil groaned out, "Oh, I won't have time."

But that was the exact moment Matthew had decided to enter the cottage, as he greeted Dr. Clarkson. He came up to his sister-in-law and his mother, and Isobel stated,

"Oh, Matthew. I'm afraid we are very busy, as you can see."

Matthew glanced over to Lilly, and the woman gave a slight nod, as if to assure him that all was fine. He looked around and whispered,

"I just want to help."

Lilly could see a shadow come over Matthew's face as he grew shocked at the injured soldiers around them. Then he looked towards Lilly in worry, but it seemed as if his sister-in-law was used to the sight. What he didn't realize though, was just how comfortable Lilly was with war injuries. After all, Lilly herself, fought for her country as much as she could. She even had the scar on her leg and torso to prove it.

Branson risked a glance to Sybil, before asking her,

"Is it what you thought it would be?"

Sybil shook her head, and answered,

"No. No, it's more savage and more cruel than I could've imagined, but I feel useful for the first time in my life, and that must be a good thing."

With that, Sybil turned to Matthew, who just stood there gaping in shock, asking him,

"Matthew, are you busy?"

The heir then quickly joined in the efforts of helping the wounded soldiers. And that was when Lilly seemed to stand up to help the next soldier when she noticed Branson give Sybil a loving look discreetly. Lilly instantly recognized that look. For it was very similar to that of George's look when he declared his love for her.

After a few hours of helping, Matthew greeted his family goodbye before heading back to the Crawley house. Lilly was helping a soldier who came in with his arm in a sling. He did not seem to have as severe an injury like some of the soldiers at the hospital, but out of all the soldiers, he was the first one to notice that she was different.

He then blatantly, and quite boldly, winked at Lilly, causing the woman's eyes to narrow dangerously. For Lilly, she was already a married woman, and happily married at that. For a stranger to attempt to flirt with her, she found that distasteful from her own culture. She quickly handed the man to Branson, who seemed to get the hint. Realizing the soldier was able to walk alright, Branson harshly guided him to the man's bed.

After a while, Lilly and Isobel headed towards the Crawley house to change before heading to the Abbey. George was still in London, so he was unable to join for that night. Lilly was simply dressed that night in a navy-blue dress as she felt there was no need to dress fancily. However, she did keep her hair in a style more reflective of her culture. A lower bun to represent her status as a married woman and a simple hairpin stuck in there to hold the bun in place. The hairpin was a family heirloom and was made of white jade. This was the only sense of accessory that she had chosen to wear for the night.

As they were sitting in the drawing room after dinner, the discussion of volunteering the Abbey to house wounded soldiers was brought into attention. And of course, like Lilly had expected, Dowager Countess of Grantham was not happy about this suggestion. Sybil seemed to be the angrier at her grandmother's disagreement, as Violet huffed out,

"I think it's a ridiculous idea!"

Sybil retaliated with "Why?"

Lilly could only watch helplessly as Violet responded stoutly,

"Because this is a house, not a hospital."

Mary joined in the conversation by stating,

"But, Granny, a convalescent home is where people rest and recuperate."

Violet raised an eyebrow at her eldest granddaughter, not having expected her to make such an argument. With that she said,

"But if there are relapses? What then? Amputation in the dining room? Resuscitation in the pantry?"

Cora took her mother-in-law's side as she added,

"It would certainly be the most tremendous disturbance. If you knew how chaotic things are as it is."

Lilly remained quiet, as she was only Matthew's sister-in-law. George was only here at the Crawley house in support of Matthew. But if situations arose or Matthew took over the estate, George and Lilly would move to London and set a life there. Lilly didn't really have much of a say in this matter. However, Isobel countered Cora's statement, as she said,

"But then there's so much good can be done."

That statement alone angered Violet that the old woman slammed her cane on the floor, making a loud thud noise ring out in the drawing room. Violet glared at Isobel as she said,

"I forbid it. To have strange men prodding and prying about the house, to say nothing of pocketing the spoons. It's out of the question."

Cora sighed, and Lilly could feel the tenseness in Cora, as the woman stood up and said,

"I hesitated to remind, you, but this is my house now. Robert's and mine, and we will make the decision."

Cora was about to turn, but Violet, almost red in the face from anger, hissed out,

"Oh, I see. So now I'm an outsider… who need not be consulted."

Cora's words shocked Lilly, as the woman said, "Since you put it like that, yes."

Lilly awkwardly turned towards Violet and saw a hurt look seep into the older woman's eyes, before they were carefully hidden from view. And Lilly once again felt that the English people were very adamant about not showing their own emotions.

And with that, the night closed and the discussion was put on hold for the time being. After about a day, Lilly remained back at the Crawley House to discuss Maria's cooking lessons with Mrs. Bird. The cook had taken a liking to Maria, and both were discussing combining certain recipes and testing them with the members of the family. Mrs. Bird had always been unsure of whether the English food would be alright for Lilly. And having Maria teach her the recipe for the Joseon cuisine helped. There were also interesting ingredients she never thought of using before. These were cheaper cuts, but Mrs. Bird had learned ways to make them edible in an elevated manner from Maria.

Lilly was happy to find that the two women got along so finely, and asked Mrs. Bird to continue to help Maria learn more. And that if she needed assistance from Maria, to not hesitate and ask for her help.

Mrs. Bird appreciated the offer, and Maria beamed widely. After coming to England, Maria found that it was not proper for her to stick to her lady's side almost all the time like she used to in their home country. Rather, it was more proper to just provide her lady with meals and help her change. That opened up Maria's schedule like no other, and Mrs. Bird's lessons has filled up the time that she had no idea how to use beforehand.

Afterwards, Molesley informed that Isobel asked for Lilly to join her at Downton. Lilly nodded her head slightly before having Maria help her change and head over. Once there, she heard Lady Edith comment,

"Well, we could give them-"

But she heard her mother-in-law cut Edith off with,

"Not much. I'm determined to defend the library as a recreation room."

That caused Lilly to raise an eyebrow as she quietly joined them. Anna offered her tea, which Lilly gratefully accepted. Cora then asked,

"Where are we to sit?"

Isobel nonchalantly commented, "We can screen off the small library?"

That caused Lilly to ask, "Is that enough?"

Edith once again tried to add, "I suppose we-"

And once again, Isobel cut her off with,

"Well, we could leave you the boudoir. I wanted to put the intermediaries in there, but we don't have to."

Cora ground out, "How kind."

Lilly looked at her apologetically, before facing her mother-in-law, and saying,

"Mother, is that really necessary? This is their home after all. Just because we don't live here doesn't mean that all the space is to be volunteered."

Violet's eyes beamed in satisfaction at Lilly's statement, while Isobel looked upset her son's wife would go against her say in this. But Sybil did not seem to mind her mother's mixed emotions by stating,

"Why will we only have officers? Surely all wounded men need to convalesce."

Dr. Clarkson, who was also there for the discussion, responded kindly, but also awkwardly with,

"The hospital is for officers, and the whole idea is to have a complimentary convalescent home."

Sybil then said,

"Of course, but I don't know if we can make that an absolute rule."

Isobel muttered begrudgingly, "If the world were logical, I would rather agree with you."

Violet heard this, and slapped back, "Which comes as no surprise."

Isobel bristled at this, and retaliated with, "You would not, I imagine."

Violet must have had enough, as she then huffed out,

"You imagine right. What these men will need is rest and relaxation. Will that be achieved by mixing ranks and putting everyone on edge?"

With that, Lilly saw Violet exit the room, and Sybil follow to console her grandmother. Eventually, Isobel stands and looks towards Edith, who was glumly hanging around the doorway, causing her to state,

"Don't loiter, Edith. There's plenty to be done."

Lilly could tell Edith mustered up her courage as she tried to state,

"Of course, but I'm not quite what to-"

Isobel then walked towards Sybil, telling the young nurse about something. Lilly walked over to Edith and said,

"What was it that you were going to suggest? I think it might help. It's just that mother could be quite a machine once she has something she has to do in mind."

Edith smiled a little at Lilly before telling her what it was that Isobel had seemingly ignored.

~~…..~~

A day later in the library, everyone was gathered, including Robert. They were discussing about using the estate for a convalescent home, and Violet immediately said,

"I go away for five minutes and everything's settled."

Robert tried to comfort his mother by responding with,

"Nothing's settled. For a start, which rooms will we live in?"

Isobel immediately jumped in with an answer, stating, "The small library and the boudoir."

Lilly's eyebrows rose just like Robert's at the incredulity of how firm Isobel seemed. It was as if Isobel was the owner of the estate now, and not Robert.

Cora then added in a slightly angered tone,

"If Cousin Isobel can find somewhere else for the intermediaries."

Violet hummed before half-jokingly, but more insultingly added,

"There's always the boot room. I'm sure you'll have use for that."

Robert tried to keep his own emotions in check, before asking,

"And where are we supposed to eat?"

Isobel answered quickly, "You can share the dining room with those officers –"

Clearly, that was the wrong answer, as Robert firmly and sternly responded with, "No."

Isobel looked at Robert as if his answer was an outrageous one and heatedly said,

"We all have to make sacrifices."

Lilly jumped a little as Robert raised his voice slightly and said, "No!"

Dr. Clarkson tried to ease the situation as he said,

"Then we'll have tables set up in the Great Hall for the mobile officers and for the nurses. And Lady Grantham, I know you'll be happy about one decision. Lady Grantham asked that the house management might be put into the hands of Corporal Barrow, your former footman, Thomas."

Lilly was surprised at that. She hadn't expected Cora would ask for that. It always felt like the Countess of Grantham had different feelings about Thomas from time to time. Robert must have felt the same as she did as he asked his wife in surprise,

"Thomas? In charge of Downton?"

Cora smiled a little, her facial expression having brightened a little from the one good news as she said,

"No, that's what I thought at first. But he isn't a footman now, he's a soldier. He's worked in medicine."

Dr. Clarkson could see the line of thought Robert seemed to be having as he quickly interjected with,

"The point is, someone has to run the place who's had medical training."

Isobel tried to start, "But I really feel -"

Clearly the best thing for Lilly to do was remain quiet about this as she watched Robert firmly say,

"The men won't accept the authority of a corporal."

Dr. Clarkson nodded, and said,

"I've thought about that. I told my commanding officer that Lady Grantham had asked for Corporal Barrow, and he's prepared to have him raised to the rank of acting sergeant."

That clearly was news to everyone, even Lilly. Robert hesitantly asked,

"But can you spare him?"

Dr. Clarkson smiled tightly as he answered, "We can. I've gone to some trouble to do so."

Isobel huffed a little, and looked away, clearly not happy with how things panned out. Lilly could only helplessly watch. Lilly was good with guns, but she was never good with people. When she turned to look at Cora, it felt like the Countess was beaming brightly.

Dr. Clarkson seemed to have noticed this as well as he said,

"Sergeant Barrow will manage the daily running of Downton and I shall be in overall charge."

Robert seemed to be a little relieved at the news, but out of being polite, he said,

"But you have the hospital. Aren't we missing a tier? Surely there should be someone here permanently who is under you, but over Thomas."

Dr. Clarkson nodded and said,

"And I will make a decision before long. Until then, I do assure you, Corporal Barrow is very efficient."

Violet hummed with, "I say, good. If someone's to manage things, let it be our creature."

Isobel, who was clearly unhappy with everything, snapped back with,

"Why? Are you planning to divide his loyalties?"

Violet merely raised an eyebrow, before calmingly say,

"I wouldn't say I was planning it."

Lilly shared a glance with Cora, who realized that inviting the younger woman might have put her in a tight spot. After all, Lilly had sided with them earlier today and it did not seem like a good thing for her when it came to living with Isobel.

A/N: The person I wanted to briefly mention is George Lewis Shaw, who was, actually, alive during this particular time period. I don't have the exact details of his entire life, and it is unsure whether he came to Britain during the 20s to 30s, but I wanted to mention him because despite not being from Korea, he contributed to helping people out just because he could.