Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters described in this story and it is based on the plot of Downton Abbey which belongs to Julian Fellowes.

Isobel Crawley was sitting at her vanity in her bedroom at Crawley House. She was dressed in a white blouse and a dark blue skirt, her hair still undone. The honey but almost grey thick curls cradled down to the middle of her back. After her shift at the Downton Hospital that morning, her hair certainly needed an update. It was nearly 12 o´clock which meant that she would have at least an hour or less until her guest would arrive. It would be Lord Merton. She had written a letter to him two days ago in which she had invited him for luncheon this day. Of course they had visited each other in the past and he has always been eager to see her. After his romantic proposal a few weeks ago, they have spent time together even if Isobel needed time to think about her answer. She knew he would never press anything on her, so she enjoyed their time together wanting to get to know him better. And she was glad that he accepted her need for space, but noticed how she already missed him in the days they did not see each other. Isobel had felt light and very warm inside when she had received the love letters he had started to write her and she had enjoyed their long strolls in the countryside talking not only about medical things. She had truly enjoyed it. His attention, his admiring and adoring gaze when his deep grey eyeshad been fixing her own brown ones, the stories he had told her, his warm and loving smile, his chuckles after an ironic comment of hers and finally just his mere presence.

`He´s such a sweet man´ she thought brushing out her hair. First, she hadn´t been sure if she should encourage him. After all, she hadn´t directly accepted his proposal. In the belief that she would turn him down, she had told him that she, even if his eloquent talk of love had deeply affected her, would not change her decision about getting married again. But because she hadn´t want to hurt him, she had also told him that she would think about it. Lucky that she hadn´t refused him immediately, he had been willing to give her the time she would need. And so she had found herself struggling with her feelings after he had left her. First, she hadn´t seen him for a while, but after a week she noticed that deep inside she was wishing to hear from him. Her hopes had been fufilled when she had received his letter with an invitation for tea. Against her fears, their encounter hadn´t been odd or embarrassing at all and they just had enjoyed themselves. Of course Lord Merton hadn´t try to hide his feelings and had showed her his affection freely as any time, but there was no point for Isobel to regret making him false hopes.

As she was looking at her reflection in the mirror, a smile suddenly found its way to her lips. Thinking about the last weeks and the time she had spent with Lord Merton gave her a very pleasant feeling in her stomach. She knew that the man was deeply in love with her. And yes, she had grown very fond of him, too. He was a true gentleman with aristocratic but still friendly manner, tall and very handsome, eyes full of love and care and always interested in any topic she would bring on, whether medical or not. He was a good listener, too. In some points, he reminded her of Reginald, her late husband, but then he was totally different. But not in a bad way. She felt comfortable and wanted in his presence. And though she would never have believed she could ever feel love for a man again, the time with Lord Merton enlightened her and she felt the early blossom of love. She had made up her mind and has been thinking about a future at his side as his wife. She would become Lady Merton then. Of course Isobel had never been a woman attracted to status and wealth and she wasn´t sure if she could fit in that position with all its demands and challenges. But she was sure now, that Lord Merton could make her happy and she was willing to give him at least the chance to try. It would be one last adventure. She was no fool. They both weren´t that young anymore. „I want to spend what remains of my life in your company. " Lord Merton had told her and she felt as she was now really able to understand what this sentence means. She knew it would be difficult sometimes. People would always talk and find something suitable for spreading their gossip. And then there were his sons. How would they deal with the replacement of their mother? She had met Larry, the elder one, before, only a rare occasion though, but she still could remember him very well and it wasn´t a good memory to be honest. But Isobel had always been one to give a second chance.

Still lost in thoughts, she began pinning up her hair starting with twisting back the sides and ended with a nice low bun in her neck. Checking out her appearance in the mirror, she was wondering if she might look attractive. For a moment the thought of changing into a less fussy outfit came to her mind. A dress maybe? Brighter jewellery than the small pearl earrings Matthew had given her once? `What happened to you´she thought. She had never been curious about her outfits and her look. So why mess with it now just because a man was courting her? She sighed and her gaze fell on the two photographs standing in golden frames on her vanity. The first one showed her late husband, the second one her son. `Both dead´ she thought with a stitch in her heart. But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door."Come in!" she called and her elderly cook, Mrs Bird appeared in the doorway. "I want to let you know that the lunch is prepared, Ma´am." "Thank you, Mrs. Bird. I will ring when Lord Merton has arrived so it can be served." "Yes, Ma´am." Mrs. Bird nodded and closed the door behind her. Alone again, Isobel took a last look on her reflection before exiting her bedroom and heading downstairs. She decided to spend the rest of the time until Lord Mertons arrival in the drawing room. Picking the newspaper on the go she settled on the large sofa. She started reading the front page but could barely concentrate on the written words. She was too nervous. There was indeed a special occasion for her to invite Lord Merton for luncheon today. She had finally made up her mind and came to a decision. She has been finally aware of her feelings, she felt somehow settled. And content with it. She would agree to marry Lord Merton and spent what remains of her life at his side willing to be happy at last. It had taken her a while but she knew he would have waited for her anyway. She did not care what the Dowager Countess or the rest of the family would say. And now she was going to give him her answer.

So that´s it! Thank you for reading it , I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are most appreciated!