Disclaimer: I do not own Downton Abbey (:
This chapter and a few of them following is mainly random moments of Lily with random characters at different milestones in her early life. This one involves a lot of crying…
6 months…
Mary shot up in bed as a wail was heard echoing the hallway, she was very thankful she stole the day nursery years ago, having converted the previous night nursery into a day nursery and making the new night nursery rather close to their room.
"Lily," Mary whispered harshly and untangled herself from the covers and her husband. This was an unusual occurrence seeing as their baby girl had recently begun to sleep through the night and everyone in the house began to get full nights of sleep again. She was thankful for Mrs. Jensen, she really was. There were always days that she could barely wrestle Bertie and William in or out of clothes, change Lily's nappy, or have the patience to get soaked attempting to bathe her sons; but there was something about letting her soothe her wailing child that did not thrill her.
Matthew was right behind her as the entered the nursery. William and Bertie looked up at their parents miserably. Mrs. Jensen was just about to pick up the baby.
"Lily loud," Bertie whimpered.
"Let me," Mary demanded. "You help the boys back to sleep." Her daughter in her arms, she immediately felt heat. "Matthew," she gasped. "Feel her, does she seem warm to you?" Matthew placed a tender hand on his daughter's cheek and looked closely.
"Oh my darling," Matthew shook his head. "She's gotten her first tooth."
"Oh dear," Mary shook her head pressing a kiss to the baby's head. "Let us take her in our room for the night so the boys and Mrs. Jensen can rest."
"I do not mind milady, staying up with her," Jensen commented.
"Thank you, but if she's anything like me, she'll be fussing all night and perhaps her Mama and Papa can help," Mary nodded. The baby hiccupped from crying so hard, her face scrunched up in pain. "Oh my darling girl, it will all be okay." She sat in bed and cradled the sobbing girl to her chest and stroked her hair to provide a small amount of comfort in a very uncomfortable situation.
"I do not remember William or Bertie wailing this much," concern was layered on Matthew's face.
"That is because Mama and Papa insisted we let Mrs. Jensen care for them," Mary whispered. "They did not wake up, so we have no one protesting to the way we parent."
"I love you my darling," Matthew whispered, pride in his voice. When he married Mary and they had discussed living somewhere else and he thought he convinced her, there was a glimmer of hope that they might be able to raise their children as he was raised, involved. Suddenly, his inheritance from Mr. Swire kept him tied to Downton and the second Mary was pregnant with William his mother-in-law was searching for nannies and nursing maids who would replace Sybbie's since she did not want to care for more than one child. When he woke up in the hospital after his accident and saw Mary there without the baby, even in his drugged up and foggy haze, he was sure the next words out of her mouth when he asked where the baby was would be the nanny. 'Anna has him,' she murmured. 'He still sleeps here but unfortunately I have been glued to your bedside, so I've only enough time to feed him.' Feed him. That had been the biggest shocker that Mary actually fed her son from her own breast which he knew her Granny expressly frowned upon.
"You should be caring for Lily right now," Mary hissed. "Get a cool rag, maybe it will help?"
"May I try?" Matthew whispered. Mary nodded and tried to hand of the baby to him, but he saw how her little hand clutched Mary's nightgown tightly and it took a lot of effort to detach her. Before she was even in his arms her wails escalated to hysterics. "Never mind." He kissed Mary's cheek and went off to get the rag. He came back with Mary lying almost flat on her back, the baby sprawled out on her chest, whimpers still escaping her mouth but as the baby shook with effort, Mary's hand was soothingly on her back and her head nestled on her breast. Instead of going to her, he took a step back, and watched them fondly.
"What is it?" Mary smiled, looking up from Lily.
"I love you," he repeated for the second time. "And I was right."
"You were right?" Mary lifted an eyebrow. "That might be a first." Matthew let out a dry laugh and climbed into bed, wheeling the bassinet closer to her side so that when Lily was asleep, Mary didn't have to get out of bed. He kissed her cheek gently and laid his hand over top of Mary's on Lily's back.
"You are such a wonderful mother," his eyes were sparkling and suddenly tears were in Mary's eyes. "Darling, have I upset you?"
"No Matthew," Mary whispered. "It's just, I never thought I would be this type of mother. Granny does not approve and nor does Papa but, I'm just so happy. My heart even breaks that we had to only focus on Lily tonight that William and Bertie could not partake in this."
"Has she calmed down?" Matthew asked.
"Yes, for now I believe she has cried herself to sleep I'm afraid," Mary bit her lip, not too fond of hearing that and feeling quite bad for her baby. Matthew smiled and got up. "Matthew where are you going?" he didn't answer and she tried to think of a way that she could get up to follow him without disturbing Lily. Before she could, Matthew reemerged with Bertie whimpering tiredly in his arms, and William following suit much more sleepily.
"Mama," Bertie smiled, no longer visibly upset from being woken up.
"My darlings," Mary smiled as Matthew settled Bertie into bed and allowed William to climb in before he got in. "I do hope you don't mind being woken up."
"They are used to it," Matthew smirked. "You are welcome."
"I can just hear Papa, Mama, and Mrs. Jensen groaning in the morning and thank god Sybbie is out of the nursery or we would not have enough room in this bed for ourselves," Mary chuckled as she gently lifted Lily off her chest and placed her in the bassinet. She turned over, wrapping her arms around her youngest son, breathing in the nursery smell in his hair contently.
"Goodnight my love," Matthew whispered over his now sleeping children and turned the night off.
"I love you," Mary mumbled sleepily before sleep claimed her the second her head hit the pillow.
9 months…
"Do you ever wonder what Sybil would think of us?" Edith's voice was in her ear. Mary was shook from her previous thought as she stared mindlessly out towards the Cricket match.
"What on earth do you mean?" Mary asked.
"Just look at our families, did you ever think?" Edith nodded to the small area beside the tent where they resided. There Lizzie and Sybil struggled to keep up with Theo, William, and Bertie who were running around giggling wildly, Sybil and William pausing every few minutes to cheer for the house team, being the only ones old enough to understand the game.
"No, I certainly did not," Mary smiled fondly. A wail erupted from the bassinet that was sitting behind them. Mary stood up.
"Let the nanny get her," Edith shrugged turning back towards the game.
"When will you learn Edith that I married a solicitor, I can take care of my own child," Mary told her, picking nine month old Lily in her arms. "Yes Granny I know what you will say." Mary commented to Violet.
"I said no such thing," Violet commented.
"I think it's wonderful," Isobel smiled at her daughter in law and Mary nodded gratefully.
"You would," Violet sniffed. Mary made her way back to her sister.
"A solicitor who one day will make you Countess of Grantham, I'm not afraid to say it," Edith rolled her eyes. "Although you could say you were unconventional from the start with Lily."
"I very well could, couldn't I?" Mary chuckled softly as she watched the men come off the field. The house was losing to the village, like always, even with Tom and Matthew on the team. "Shhh my darling," Mary patted the baby's back and bounced up and down.
"Papa! You dropped the ball!" William pointed out as Matthew came into view. Matthew looked over at Mary amused, who smirked back at him.
"I can play!" Bertie piped up.
"My dear chap, I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait a few years till you can play," Matthew laughed.
"How many?" Bertie asked.
"Too many my darling, now go play with your cousins, but do be careful," Mary called to him, walking over to Matthew still trying to calm a now wailing Lily. He kissed her on the cheek briefly before holding out his arms for his daughter who was holding out his arms for him.
"Whatever is the matter Lily girl," Matthew asked the baby playfully. "You think it's terrible how bad your Papa is at cricket?"
"You are not terrible Matthew," Robert said clapping him on the back.
"Papa why you no play?" Lizzie asked Sir Anthony.
"I'm afraid I'm too old," he patted her head with his good arm, the real reason he could not play.
"Elizabeth please go with your brother unless you want nanny to come over," Edith threatened lightly. The three year old scurried away with fear in her eyes, Mary rolled her eyes.
"What on earth is the matter with Lily?" Cora asked as the baby still wailed in her Papa's arms.
"I feel it terrible to say it, but she still looks adorable, crying and all," Edith said under her breath and Mary let out a quick laugh.
"Oh Edith," she shook her head. "Now Matthew let me try again?"
"I've got it Mary," Matthew dismissed her and walked out from under the tent. "Shhh my darling girl, my sweet girl you'll be tired after all this crying."
"Matthew keep her out of the sun, that will not help," Mary snapped.
"She's got a bonnet," he shrugged lifting the baby up in the air to perhaps get a laugh out of her to no avail.
"All this crying is making me agitated," Violet shuffled in her seat under the tent. "Maybe she likes the nanny Mary dear, you ever think of that?"
"Granny the nanny is not even here at the moment," Mary informed her. "We sent her back to the house for now."
"Come on darling, stop crying for Papa," Matthew pressed a kiss to her head, her curly brown hair tickling his nose. The baby's cries finally started to die down to whimpers and she turned to face Matthew.
"Pa," she reached out to him. "Pa." Everyone froze. This was definitely different than her usual baby speak.
"Oh her first word!" Mary exclaimed and hurried towards her husband and daughter. "Oh my Lily you've said your first word!"
"Pa," Matthew whispered and pressed another kiss to her cheek this time. "Lily you have made your Pa very very happy." The baby giggled now, her previous wailing abandoned, and touched Matthew's face. "She's growing up…" Matthew trailed off. "Too fast."
"It's alright darling, she'll always be your little girl," Mary patted his cheek fondly, her hands covering Lily's.
"Times up," Dr. Clarkson called and ran off to call the village over.
"Matthew put the baby down, it is time to play," Robert called, regretfully Matthew handed Lily back to Mary.
"Pa," she whimpered reaching out for him. With a smile Matthew kissed her outstretched hand before kissing Mary's cheek and promised he would be back. Mary nuzzled the baby into her chest to quickly calm her and watched as Matthew joined the house team, Tom giving him a congratulatory pat on the back.
"Good job Lily girl," she murmured, pressing a gently kiss to the baby's head.
"Mama when can Lily say my name?" Bertie asked.
"Probably not for a while yet Bertie," Mary answered.
"Why not, I'm her big brother," he complained.
"I'm her bigger brother," William retorted. "Right Mama?"
"You are both her big brothers," Mary settled the argument quickly. "No fighting or I will send you both back to the house."
"Kiss?" Bertie asked and Mary smiled and bent down, rather shocked when he didn't kiss her, but kissed Lily who gurgled in response.
"None for your Mama?" a tear threatened to slip down Mary's cheek.
"Mama," he giggled and kissed her cheek halfheartedly before turning to the game and cheering only because Sybbie and William began to.
"Oh my Lily, you are growing up too fast…" she looked up and felt a twinge of a smile fall upon her lips as Matthew actually hit the ball, it soaring over the heads of most of the villagers. "All of you are."
Like I said, a lot of crying. But a lot of cute moments too! And a lot of firsts like first tooth and a first word! If there are any other moments you want to see, please let me know, and if you have any ideas for it I'd be open for suggestions!
Please let me know what you think, even if it is a short review like 'Great chapter' or anything else it would be much appreciate, just to let me know you are reading and interested!