"Your Ladyship?"

"Spratt? Is that you?"

"Er, it is, Your Ladyship."

"Well, you're no use standing by the doorway like that . Do come in, but by all means don't take a seat. What is that ?"

"Er, this, your Ladyship - it arrived in the second post."

"Well, give it here, then! Do you - I don't - "

" Here , is your letter knife, your Ladyship."

"Well, I suppose - but - mmph. Spratt?"

"Yes, your Ladyship?"

"Have you not some place to be ?"

"Your Ladyship?"

"Miss Denker?"

"What of her, Your Ladyship?"

"Do not tell me you have yet to concoct another plan to disarm me of ev-e-ry member of staff I employ."

"... not at all, Your Ladyship."

"Well, good. Spratt?"

"Yes, Your Ladyship?"

"You are still standing here."

"... of course, Your Ladyship … ah. Mrs Crawley."

"I'm a bit of a surprise, I'm afraid. I thought I'd pop in and see Cousin Violet."

"O-of course… "

"I'll announce myself, Spratt."

"That you'd better do, ma'am."

"Excuse me?"

"... nothing, nothing. Don't mind me… "

"... Cousin Violet? It's Isabel."

"Oh, but you do know, I had rather lost the power of sight and hear -ing. I suppose you've seen how in such of a state Spratt is."

"Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Me? At my age? Well, you'd know , better than me ."

"You can't fool me, cousin Violet. Do tell. I can see there's a letter."

"... ah."

"You must remember I have certainly not lost the power of sight."

"... not to -day , at any rate."

"I can see it, Violet. I see you are holding something back."

"I'd be a very poor grandmama if I let everything go! Ha-ha!"

"You will never stop, will you? You can , after what has been our time together, I hope, open up a little to me . I am your friend."

"... I suppose a little honesty here and there never hurts - "

"Well, good."

" - when sprinkled with the, er, the facts. As - as I deem them."

"Violet?"

"It is the Princess."

"You have had word?"

"Written in the most illegible kind. And so - so kindly - not to put a finer point on it, written up from that diction as to be communicated to me ."

"And?"

"The news… will be difficult to impart to the Prince."

"Oh, how awful. How awful it must be for him."

"Indeed… Spratt? How long have you been skulking there?"

"I had just arrived, Your Ladyship."

"And yet my hands are not full, nor are Mrs Crawley's, of the tea which looks to be going cold."

"... I'll serve it right away, Your Ladyship."

"Tsk, tsk. Isobel? What we were talking about?"

" - "

"... oh, yes. And I agree. There are many avenues to pursue. All the world expects us to set a standard."

"What are you talking about, cousin Violet? Thank you, Spratt, it's lovely."

"It's warm… "

"I'll fix that right away, Your Ladyship…. "

"Cousin Violet. Now that Spratt is gone - "

" - and, and the family is all that matters, you know. We and everyone in it. Until our time is nigh… "

"Violet, Spratt is not here. You can stop pretending."

"My dear, life is a play. You can never quite know when the curtain falls, who is left to see the ac-tors at their worst."

"This news must be fractious and give you all worry. There is no need to dissemble."

"Oh, but Isobel! You must think me very poorly. And at my age, I never get sick. You see, it is in the blood. Cora got a headache the other day. I presume it must've been after she talked with her mother… "

" When will you invite the Prince? To tell him?"

"I can hardly invite him. Isobel, you think the worst of me. Such news - "

" - must be communicated by you. You will have the ability to bear it, knowing him as you do - "

"As I do?"

" - that you would deliver it, say, in a manner unlike me, which is by the hospital bed. Yours will have the touch of sincerity. And it places you, above that - that - "

" Isobel . Look at my hands. Look at my face. What could happen? But seconds after?"

"I should think a most overpowering emotion should grip any who should hear such."

"But us? Me and him? And what if - you must be there."

"Of course, I will do what I can."

"... ex -cept be the bearer of this news."

"I could not!"

"No. I see a more deliberate address is needed. The Prince has already lost his fortune and his home. He hardly needs to feel like a wounded soldier as you offer him some iodine for the pain ."

Isobel grit her teeth and Violet reached for the bell.

"S-pratt! Is-o-bel suffers through her tea but both of my hands are - still - wai-ting."

"Cousin Robert. I had hoped to find you at the Abbey."

"But of course I am here. What news have you heard of Mama?"

"Only that she means to tell the Prince to-day. I can hardly think of darker words… "

"Of course. Please excuse me. Would you like some tea? Carson?"

"Oh, no… well, thank you, that is most polite."

"Of course. And yourself?"

"Well, I do worry for her. Cousin Violet clearly has some kind of a - a past with the Prince."

"You can hardly think it, Isobel."

"I think I must! Ha-ha. Though you must never divulge that I do."

"There are enough secrets in the Crawley family - what harm will one more do?"

"I must go. She must call on me sooner or later. I should think, other than anything else - but you see, from my grief - and with her - it is as easy to pull away, and for her , the need to go to her."

"It's a complicated situation."

"That is, at best in a nutshell, to her anyway, the distinction between myself and her on class if not anything else, to separate us. She is a good friend."

"... and you see, it is very legibly typed, ahem. Igor, I should give you some pri -va-cy."

"Not at all, Violet. You see, I had expected this news."

"But it is a shock all the same. I myself have only had - notice of it."

"And you carried it long enough to divulge it to me."

"There could scarce be a question of me holding it back!"

"No. But still I know you."

"There - can be no question. On this , I must divulge. It is no question!"

"And?"

"What do I feel? Certainly, a regret, an emotion less powerful than you yourself must in loss ."

"Let us not speak of my feelings except where you are concerned."

"Igor… "

"Violet. You must know my next question."

"... I shall call Spratt for tea."

"We will both be excusing ourselves for relief, should we either of us drink more. And it is a delay."

"I need time, Igor… "

"There is as much certainty in these words written as gives me closure, to what I had been previously reconciled."

"Perhaps! But there is naught but only ev -e-ry- thing to think of. I could but shudder."

"Why?"

"For I feel for the Princess. As you must. And here we sit… and if - "

"If?"

"By what is discussed in church. By those teachings. If… "

"She is not here. You are. We are here."

"Yes… "

"Will you?"

"After such news? As imparted to you, let alone as received by me, even with some time to dwell on it?"

"That is what I ask."

"You must, by now, know well how deep feelings, other than love, must take root… "

"We are old, both of us. Though you, still, look as young as ever."

"Oh, now, you and I both know that is wisdom. Wisdom in an old face so easily sweeps away the problems of the youth. But that is how we are forged. And in this - this - "

"You must know my feelings."

"I do. One of them, at any rate. Mine are more clouded. It was how I was raised."

"You have objections?"

"Our shared grief is but one ."

"Do you worry how others will talk?"

"Is that not the position of the upper-classes?"

"I should know."

"Igor, here - as indelicate as it is - here, I still have a family. A life, a name."

"Is it worth it?"

"It was not as it was when we almost eloped. Roots run deep here . Throwing caution to the wind is an option only in my corner - in yours - and having suffered - "

"I have suffered. True. But so have you ."

"Not as much as I have led you to believe… "

"There can be no question. You must feel the same way."

"To that, I have no objection."

"So?"

"And still, ma -ny innumerable obstacles prevent me from doing that."

"That?"

"A life… of when I am now, at my age, reconciled to everything except change. And that , chief of all, would be a spectre of it."

"Then I must leave the choice to you."

"Was there any doubt in your mind?"

"No… but, forgive me. It has been years… "

" You must rest on what has been the hardest news alongside everything else."

"And then?"

"Oh, you men. You think of nothing but marching, the barbed wire tearing your uniform and gritting your teeth, seeing the sunset. When the war is over, there is so much to be remedied, that most of it is sitting by and sorting it out . And no weapon can clear away the debris."

"And what of love?"

"Love, Igor, warms the heart while everything else must be tackled with all o- ther energy towards that purpose. Your purpose is straightforward. Mine, you see, must unsettle me entirely."

"Then I shall leave you."

" That , Igor, does not frighten me as it must."

"It does, for me… in the morning, then."

"In the morning, Igor. In the morning ."

"Ah, Mr Spratt. Good morning."

"I'm afraid you just missed the Prince Kuragin, Mrs Crawley."

"It's no matter. Er, that is to say, I'm not sure how much I could have been of help - "

"Right this way, Mrs Crawley. Her Ladyship is in the garden."

" - oh, er, right. Yes, of course. Hullo, Violet?"

"That will be all , S-pratt. Isobel, do take a seat."

"It is done, then?"

"It is for good , I am afraid."

"Then the parting went well?"

"No parting, my dear, is e -ver well."

"The gardens are looking lovely… "

"Yes, well, I did used to win the best bloom in the village. Or have you forgotten?"

"Quite, I must admit. But I came over to see how you were."

"Oh, Isobel. It is an event unlike any other, and then it is like any other. And then it passes. And you know, these things happen."

"... that is rather the gist of it, I suppose, in as many words as can say the same thing."

"Did you expect something wit -ty?"

"From you, always. In such serious circumstances."

"Do I not echo the sentiments of a woman in my position, saying farewell to the Prince?"

"I rather like that colour on you."

"Hmm? This?"

"You have - have a bloom on you, Violet. A colour on your cheeks sitting out here."

"Oh, yes… out here. Well, I suppose the flowers bring to life everything in one that is lacking."

"But not you?"

"By your own admission, not me ."

"But by yours ?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"Well - "

"Let me rephrase that. I cannot know what you mean."

"Ah."

"Miss Denker. I see you are hard at work trying to impress her Ladyship - yet , again… "

"Well, pardon me for living! I am paid to work, you know, same as you, Mr Spratt."

" In -deed… "

"You look awfully chipper, Mr Spratt."

"Do I? Oh, I suppose it's getting rid of the Prince… you know, it wasn't fitting to have her Ladyship in the same room."

"Getting rid of him?"

"Well, er, her Ladyship did that herself. She sent him on his way - and he doesn't have any business being here."

"On my life, but you are aw -ful, Mr Spratt."

"I'm merely preserving the proprieties, Miss Denker, something you wouldn't know about… "

"Well, you can keep your nose in the air. At least I know the truth."

"Truth, Miss Denker, comes from you in a form most unpleasing."

"Because it impacts your position here, you mean, and is crafted to my advantage, or so you suppose? Ha!"

"... precisely, Miss Denker. Now if you'll excuse me, I must deliver this tea to her Ladyship and Mrs Crawley… "

"... oh, you do that, Mr Spratt. As though you think I can't hear you humming down the corridor, thinking of yet another scheme. And blameless, I! I rather should think of a scheme just to prove him right, if it'll get him out from under my nose. But he , unlike a new hire, is to some degree predictable… oh, but you've made a mistake, Mr Spratt. I do know the truth. If only your little ears could hear me whisper this into my sewing. No mark is so indelible, as what I saw on her Ladyship upon dressing her this morning… whatever she may think, the parting may have cost her , but a great deal less than she pretends. Nobody walks that way, even at my age, without having been under a spell of what those books talk about, which I must venture to take a look at… if only I could be sure Mr Spratt does not go through my things when I am out… I must buy a lock, ha! But no trunk could fit the secrets I carry, day to day… ha! Oh, but that Septimus Spratt is a cunning creature. All men are the same. As she was reminded last night. Oh, yes. I found a hair. Ha! But we are all the same. Some of us are just cleverer than others... as Mr Spratt will soon find out."