Life of a Lily Chapter 7
This is the last chapter of Lily at various introductory ages that establishes the relationships with the people in the family/staff that I want her to. Enjoy!
Sorry that this is not a new chapter and a repost of Chapter 7, I'd like to say that I deleted my original post only because I posted the wrong version of it and I had mistakes I wanted to fix, but I am guilty in wanting a few more reviews before the next chapter and I hoped reposting and fixing my mistakes would help achieve that. Sorry again :/
I consider this chapter really cute, and it also features the first section in Lily's POV.
20 months...
Lily Crawley's sleepy eyes blinked open and she looked around the nursery with a frown. Briefly she thought of crying out for her Papa who would come the second she called for him, but then she saw Ivy the kitchen maid in the corner of the room mending the fire, the only thing Lily knew was that it meant it was really early.
Her nanny was fast asleep, her snores filling the room, and the almost two year old desperately wanted to get out of her crib and start the day.
"Up," she decided for herself. "Over." She looked around her crib and remembered how close she had gotten the other day to escaping if Mrs. Jensen had not woken up. This time, her parents hadn't indulged her with the stuffed animals they put in with her. She curled against her mother much longer than usual last night, not wanting her to let go, and every time she tried to she cried again. Lily was out cold by the time Mary finally got her down and she hadn't managed to ask for more.
"Woof," she giggled as she threw her beloved stuffed dog out of the crib. She did not wish to use him in her endeavor. With as careful precision as a baby could do, she piled the stuffed animals she had into the corner of the crib until it reached as close to the top as it could.
Fearlessly Lily crawled to the top and stood on what she thought was her bear and smiled to herself as she pulled with all her strength and swung her leg over. Luckily, Ivy had already left the room, and she grasped the railing outside of the crib and slid down with a bump. Mrs. Jensen turned over, but did not wake.
Not only had Ivy woken her up, but she left the door to the nursery open. This was a mistake. It took little to no effort for the almost two year old to push open the door and close it behind her smiling mischieviously, as if she was the first toddler ever to escape her room.
Now free of her crib and nursery, Lily took a brief moment to clap for herself and giggle, and that's when she realized that despite how quiet the upstairs was, downstairs was bustling.
She looked down the hall and sighed as she realized both her brothers' rooms were closed and her parents' so she thought of the next best thing.
"Car," she decided and quietly walked to the big stair case. Suddenly she slipped on the carpet. It hurt her bum but instead of crying she reminded herself, "Shhh." She knew this was probably not the best idea and her Mama and Papa would not be happy with her if they caught her, so she had to be quiet.
"Bert," she nodded as she began to crawl backwards down the stairs. She was thankful for her big brother for teaching her how to go down the stairs safely as to not hurt herself, and it was much quicker than when both her Mama and Papa would hold onto her hands fairly tightly and guide her down when she insisted she could do it on her own.
She felt a sense of freedom, knowing she was going downstairs all by herself. Her Mama would occassionaly bring her downstairs when she would need to ask the servants to do something, but she was almost never allowed to be let down from her arms. And if she wasn't in her Mama's arms, she was usually held by either Carson, Anna, or even one time Alfred who had blushed the whole time as Lily was not very cooperative for the novice.
Everyone was too busy cleaning and bustling around to notice Lily once she made it to the bottom of the stairs. With a smile she heard Anna's voice, her mother's maid who Lily loved almost as much as Carson. But then she knew that Anna would take her back to the nursery and tell her parents and she couldn't let that happen, besides, she was looking for someone else.
"Down," she reaffirmed, knowing where her mother had carried her down. She saw where Anna disappeared to and followed without hesitation.
No one in the servant's hall quite knew what to do when she appeared there, hair sweaty and disheveled and still in her nightgown, looking rather proud of herself.
"Miss Lily!" Mrs. Hughes exclaimed.
"Car," she frowned, not seeing him.
"What on earth are you doing down here?" she asked.
"Car," she repeated.
"Are you looking for Mr. Carson?" her eyes widened. Lily's eyes lit up and she looked around.
"Lady Mary," Anna said hopefully, thinking she would be around the corner. "I'm sorry I-"
"No Mama Anna," Lily shook her head. "Me," she pointed to herself proudly.
"You got down here, all by yourself?" Mrs. Hughes.
"Me!" Lily exclaimed with a giggle as Anna's eyes widened and she scooped her up. Lily frowned and began to kick her legs. "No! No Anna!" She frowned at her mother's lady's maid.
"Well that's quite an accomplishment but I don't think the servant's hall is quite the place for a young lady such as yourself," Mrs. Hughes said.
"I'll take her back upstairs," Anna told them.
"NO!" Lily wailed. "CAR!"
"What is the commotion in here-" Carson began. "Anna, why do you have Miss Lily in your arms?"
"It seems that she had wandered down here all by herself," Mrs. Hughes explained.
"Ah," Carson said.
"Car!" Lily cheered up, throwing a mutinous look at Anna, before reaching her arms out for the older man who spoke so warmly and was always kind to her. Carson nodded for Anna to hand the baby to him.
"You all have work to do, go, I've got her now," Carson said.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Anna laughed slightly, even though Lily had no idea what she was talking about.
"Lady Mary," Mrs. Hughes nodded and they both left the room.
"Car!" Lily threw her arms around the butler.
"So you came down here all by yourself?" Carson asked her, climbing the stairs slowly.
"Me! Climb!" she said enthusiastically. "Bored, I bored."
"You were bored and wanted to come down here?" he asked.
"See you!" Lily trilled and Carson chuckled as she patted his cheek and smiled.
"Do you know how much you remind me of your mother Miss Lily," Carson laughed.
"Mama, me like?" she tipped her head.
"Very much so," Carson nodded. "She was always down here wanting to talk to me or run away."
"Away?" she was not familiar with that word yet.
"But you want to know what I always told her, when she was very young?" Carson asked, now on the ground floor and making his way to the stairs. Lily shook her head. "That downstairs was dangerous for little girls such as yourself, and that you don't want to get hurt."
"Ow," Lily shook her head.
"So, you shouldn't wander downstairs unless you want to get hurt," Carson looked at her almost sternly.
"No ow," she gasped.
"So Miss Lily, do you promise me you will never go downstairs again?" he asked. "Unless you are with your Mama or Papa or much older." Lily hesitated before nodding. "Good."
"Lalou Car," Lily giggled and pressed her lips to his cheek.
"Now let's get you back to bed," Carson nodded walking back into the room and placing her in the crib. "It's too early for such a young lady to be up."
"Bye Car," she waved.
"I shall see you later Miss Lily," he nodded politely and left the room, his chest bursting with love for the little girl that reminded him so much like her mother, it scared him. He knew he would always have a place in his heart for Lily, right next to the place in his heart for Mary.
William Crawley woke up to the strangest thing, someone was patting his face. He opened his eyes and was shocked to see his baby sister looking up at his, her little hand still patting his cheek.
"Will, up! Will, up!" she giggled.
"Lily," he hissed, the eight year old suddenly fully alert, sitting up in bed. With delight Lily squealed and tried to pull herself onto his bed.
"Up!" she begged. With a sigh of resignation he let her climb onto his bed.
"What are you doing out of the nursery?" he asked.
"Me climb," she said. "Me good climb. Visit Will!"
"Well it is seven o'clock," he sighed but he had no idea how the little girl managed to get into his room. "Did Mrs. Jensen already wake up?" From his days in the nursery, he knew the older woman was not fond of waking up until she truly had to in order to get Lily breakfast.
"Sleep," she shook her head and tried to climb on his lap. "Play! I want play!" Immediately she puckered her bottom lip and he could hardly resist his baby sister.
"I'm tired Lily, why don't we snuggle instead," he suggested and her brown eyes sparkled with excitement as she hugged him tightly. He really was tired because he honestly wasn't fond of waking up until he truly had to either.
"Lalou Will," Lily sighed contently.
"I love you too Lily, now let's sleep," he mumbled.
"No sleep," she shook her head.
"But quiet," William reaffirmed. He was going to be mad if she made him tired for the day his grandfather had planned for him. Excused from his studies once a week, his grandfather would take him on a destination that revolved something around the estate while it could be anything from visiting the cottages or learning to shoot. While his father spent his time reaffirming William's upbringing education wise, he enjoyed his time every week set aside to what didn't seem like work quite yet for the eight year old.
He was the heir to Downton, this house was to be his one day, he looked sadly down at his little sister though. She was not only a girl, but the youngest, she wouldn't inherit a thing. Miss Emily, his governess, told him not to fret over such things. It would be her job one day to make her suitable for a husband who would hopefully give her something worthwhile.
Just as William started to drift back off to sleep, Lily started to shift in the bed, he knew her wanting to snuggle wouldn't last long, she wasn't even two years old, he should have expected it. Knowing now he would never get back to sleep he sat up in bed.
"Lily!" he heard a frantic voice in the hall, it was Mrs. Jensen. "Lady Mary! Mr. Crawley!" She sounded panicked and William jumped off the bed, telling Lily to stay put, and poked his head out of the door and found her running across the upstairs.
"It's alright Mrs. Jensen, Lily is in here," he said.
"Master William I am shocked that you of all people would take her out of the nursery without alerting me," she chastised. "Lily Crawley, get over here at once, I've been in a panic."
"But I didn't ta-"
"I have to get her breakfast and I suggest you do the same," she looked down at the young boy she used to be in charge of with a frown before scurrying into his bedroom, snatching Lily of the bed, and carrying her back to the nursery while she wailed. The last thing William saw was her brown eyes dark with anger, looking right at Mrs. Jensen.
"William my boy," Matthew said, emerging from his dressing room. "It's not like you to be up this early." Rather than get scolded again, he lied.
"I just thought perhaps I could do everything like Grandpapa today, even eat breakfast downstairs," he said hopefully. He could kill two birds with one stone.
"You know of course I don't mind, but I suggest you say it like that exactly to your grandfather when he asks what you are doing down there," Matthew said. "Get dressed and I guess I shall see you downstairs." William looked at his father in shock, today, other than being woken up unceremoniously by Lily, was going to be even better than he expected.
"Can you ring Carson for some tea?" Mary asked Matthew as they settled into the library for the day with Lily.
"Mama," she cried, beckoning her mother over to where she had blocks laid out. "Build."
"Lily darling, what has Mama taught you about manners, you cannot go around ordering people about," Mary informed her daughter before settling on the floor beside her.
"Build please," Lily huffed. "With me."
"I wonder where she gets her demanding nature from," Matthew chuckled as he sat in a chair, opening a newspaper.
"Are you aware of what Papa is doing with William today?" Mary asked, ignoring his previous comment with an eye roll.
"I haven't the faintest idea," he shook his head. "But knowing your father he will come back exhausted." Mary carefully stacked a block on another one and watched as Lily tried to mimic her.
"Mama good," Lily said. "Mama better than me."
"Was that almost a full sentence?" Matthew lifted his head from the paper.
"You tell me, apparently I'm demanding," Mary scowled. "You will be as good at stacking as Mama one day my dear girl."
"Pretty? Pretty as Mama?" Lily smiled a toothy grin at Mary. Tears pricked Mary's eyes as she lifted her onto her lap.
"You are beautiful Lily, you will be such a gorgeous lady one day," Mary pressed a kiss to the curls on top of her head.
"Lady, lady, lady, lady," Lily sang and wiggled out of Mary's grasp and ignored the blocks for a moment. She started to spin in circles until she bumped into Matthew's legs. "Papa!"
"You are a very silly little girl," Matthew chuckled, bending down to cup her cheek. "Do you want to sit with Papa?"
"No!" she shook her head. "Play!" Matthew put his paper down and looked seriously at her causing her to giggle.
"No, are you saying no to your Papa." Lily threw him a look that said, If you think I would chose to sit still rather than play you are sadly mistaken.
"YES!" Mary raised her eyebrow at him as he smirked devilishly.
"Then I might just have to do this," Matthew laughed as he reached out for her. Lily squealed and tried to run away but Matthew quickly snatched her and sat down on the chair with her. She tried to get down but let out a laugh as Matthew began to tickle her unmercifully.
"Papa, Papa no!" she giggled.
"There's that word no again," Matthew teased.
"Careful," Mary warned as Lily wiggled out of his grasp and stood upright on his legs, her tiny hands grasping his shirt.
"Lalou Papa," she puckered her lips and Matthew met them. She cuddled with him for about two minutes as Alfred brought the tea tray in, until she got bored.
Mary had continued to stack blocks on each other absentmindedly while watching her husband and daughter fondly. So absentlmindley she gasped as Lily got down from the chair started to turn again, crashing directly into the tower Mary constructed. Immediately the baby started to cry. "Down," she whimpered.
"Oh my darling-" Mary reached out for her but Lily pushed her away.
"Build," she cried and pointed at the blocks.
"Excuse me… build what?" Mary asked narrowing her eyes at her daughter. Lily looked unrelenting.
"BUILD!" she screamed.
"Lily Isobel Crawley," Matthew snapped. "You do not yell." Lily stomped her foot. This was an often occurrence, she could be sweet as can be one second and throwing a tantrum the next. Matthew often wondered if Mary was exactly the same at this age.
"I think someone is in desperate need for a nap," Mary commented.
"No nap!" Mary closed her eyes and sighed desperately.
"Yes nap!" Mary reaffirmed.
"No!" Lily hissed.
"Yes," Matthew intervened, placing his paper down which he had tried to begin to read again, and scooping his full-on tantrum daughter in his arms. Immediately she began to sob and he could tell she was very tired, though he honestly had no idea why. She had only just had lunch and her nap was usually not due for another two hours, but it seemed like a good time to him. "You drink your tea, I'll get this one down. It'll help buck you up for what with most likely be tantrum part two in two hours."
"Of course," Mary said dryly, cleaning up the blocks quickly, rising to her feet to choose where she wanted to sit. Her heart clenched though as she heard Lily's sobs echoing down the hallway, Matthew returning a long time later looking disheveled and a large tear stain on his shirt.
"Well that went over well," he sighed.
"Did you expect it to Matthew?" Mary almost smirked. "Honestly it's like you don't know her at all. How did you get her down?"
"I didn't," Matthew mumbled.
"What?" Mary gasped.
"I put a few more stuffed animals in her crib and told her she must play there until she falls asleep, she was still crying but after twenty minutes of rocking I was getting sea sick," Matthew collapsed next to her. "Mrs. Jensen said that it was a good idea and went to clean up the day room after Lily's morning of destruction."
"I'm going to-" Mary began to get up but Matthew grabbed her hand and held her back.
"We mustn't indulge her, she is getting older, she needs to learn this behavior is not acceptable," Matthew told her.
"I suppose your right," Mary sighed.
"Mama! Papa!" they heard William call, running into the house. He emerged in the room as soon as she rang to clear her tea.
"My goodness what on earth did Papa do with him," Mary gasped at the sight of her rather muddy son.
"Grandpapa let me ride Sybbie's horse and now I might get one of my own!" William said excitedly.
"It was only a matter of time before the boys joined in on the phenomena that is this families obsessions with all things horses I suppose," Mary rolled her eyes.
"He was telling me about the hunt and-" he broke off seeing Carson come into the room to collect the tea tray.
"Carson you shouldn't be doing that," Matthew shook his head. "That's what footman are for."
"I wanted to speak with you sir," Carson said. "About Miss Lily. I'm afraid early this morning she managed to escape the nursery somehow and make it to the servant's hall. While Mrs. Hughes and I found it very amusing I do not believe it is very safe."
"It certainly is not!" Mary gasped. "How on earth did she escape the nursery?"
"She did twice Mama," William spoke up. "She's the one who woke me up; I just assumed she was crying and someone who shouldn't have let her out."
"Carson?" Mary prompted.
"I've asked the staff as it has been concerning me all day and none of them have neither done it nor seen anyone today milady," Carson informed her.
"Thank you for telling us," Matthew nodded. "We will get to the bottom of it."
"Of course sir," Carson nodded.
"We should ask Bertie," Mary decided and got up to walk upstairs.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Papa," William mumbled. "I was scolded earlier today by Mrs. Jensen who thought I took her out of the nursery but I didn't."
"You told us now, that's all that matters," Matthew ruffled his hair and William scowled. "Don't look at me like that; I am still your Papa. Now let's follow your Mama before she gets too far ahead of us." William nodded and followed his parents upstairs. Immediately as they passed the nursery they heard Lily and Mary was standing outside of it.
"Does that sound like she's tired herself out Matthew?" Mary hissed.
"Mama," they heard her whimper piteously as if she had been crying for them since Matthew left. "Papa." Mary put her hand on the door to open it fully but stopped. From the crack in the doorway she saw Lily sitting up in her crib looking indecisive.
"Matthew," Mary beckoned him.
"What?" he questioned.
"Look." Mary stifled a gasp of horror, her hand over her mouth, as they watched her little escape artistry. Slowly she threw out her favorite dog again after kissing it. Then she proceeded to stack the rest of the stuffed animals in a pile before climbing to the top and standing up. This time it reached the top.
"Yay Lily," she congratulated herself and Matthew would have laughed if he wasn't so terrified Lily would get hurt. As she swung her leg over and Mary realized it was actually working she flew into the room.
"NO LILY!" she cried and grabbed her daughter.
"Mama I do," Lily whined.
"No," she shook her head. "You do not do that; you could get very very hurt."
"No hurt," Lily smiled as if she thought her mother should be proud. In a way, Mary was, but she wouldn't let her know it.
"You cannot do that Lily," Mary reaffirmed, getting into her daughter's face to get the point across. "No! You know the meaning of the word no, correct?" Lily sighed and nodded. "Mama and Papa both say you cannot do that again!" Mary felt almost bad for scolding her daughter this harshly, but she did not want Lily to get hurt. Lily turned her head around and found her Papa; she stuck her bottom lip out and looked up at him with her big brown eyes filled with tears Matthew's heart melted on the spot. He had similar sentiments to Mary's, he was more concerned with his daughter's safety than making her upset at him.
"I say no too Lily," he told her, coming to Mary's side. "You could get very hurt and I don't want that."
"I do," she whispered. "I go to Car and to Will."
"And what did Carson say when you went downstairs?" Matthew prompted.
"Car say no ow!" she nodded, resigned.
"If you ever got hurt Lily I don't know what I would do," Mary buried her face in the baby's hair. Sure she had already gotten bumps and scrapes but she did not want to imagine her daughter seriously hurt.
"No hurt Mama, no do," she shook her head, wiggling around to face her mother again. Lily cupped her Mama's cheek. "Lily good."
"Yes," Mary smiled through the tears that began to run down her face. "Lily is very very good, now are you going to take a nap like a good girl and wait for Mama, Papa, or Mrs. Jensen to get you out of your crib?" Lily tried to understand all the words, she didn't, be she realized it meant no more getting down by herself.
"Story?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, Mama will rock you back to sleep, and Papa can tell a story," Mary looked at Matthew before settling down in the rocking chair, Lily curled into her chest.
"Lalou Mama, Lalou Papa," Lily mumbled, sleepily.
"I love you too Lily girl, so very much," Mary held her close. Before Matthew even sat down next to her with a book in his hand, Lily was fast asleep, one hand resting on her mother's chest, the other finding a stray curl in her mother's hair a grasping it tightly. Matthew smirked.
"It seems her adventurous morning and afternoon has tired her out."
"Oh god I can't believe she did that," Mary breathed. "How many other times has she? William or Bertie never did that."
"It just goes to show something," Matthew added.
"And what is that?" Mary looked up at him.
"She's going to have us wrapped around her little finger for the rest of her life," Matthew smiled widely.
"And how do you figure that?" she questioned.
"You were scolding her, and now she's asleep and it doesn't look like you want to move, which is exactly what she wanted. She'd prefer to sleep in your arms than the crib any day," he commented.
"I don't care," Mary shook her head. "As long as she is safe I'd hold her forever."
My parents told me I did this as a child, needless to say they never put stuffed animals in my crib again (: Thought it would be cute to give Lily a moment with Carson, William, and more with Mary/Matthew. Now... next chapter with begin, sort of kind of, the story (still not entirely, but I guess of "life" of Lily).
Let me know what moments of her life you want to see, she shall be older than a baby by next chapter.
Please review, even if it is one line long, i just want confirmation that people are reading AND enjoying the story. Thank you (: