Chapter Forty Three
Isobel stirred from a wonderful night's sleep and smiled as she realised she had slept the whole night in Dickie's arms.
"Good morning my love" he murmured "I hope you slept well?"
"Wonderfully well" Isobel smiled, then turned her head a little to kiss his bare chest "An early night was a wonderful way to celebrate being home!"
Dickie gently changed their positions so he could kiss her properly "I totally agree!" He grinned "Maybe we should do it more often"
"Lord Merton!" Isobel feigned a shocked voice that was completely betrayed by the contented smile on her face "What kind of woman do you think I am?"
"Beautiful" Dickie kissed her forehead "Intelligent" he kissed her eyelids "Breathtaking" he kissed her nose "Keeper of my heart" he whispered before he kissed her lips.
-TW- -TW- -TW-
"Sorry I'm later than I said I would be" Isobel arrived at the Dower House in a flustered state "There was more to be done at the hospital than I had hoped."
"I don't quite see why" Violet remarked "You're home earlier than planned! Has something happened?"
"Well, it was quite an eventful week" Isobel agreed, watching as Violet's eyes lit up at the prospect "But we only came home early because we'd had enough of Town and there was no reason to stay any longer. I think Robert and Cora will be back today as planned, but the young ones may stay on for another few days. They had so much more they wanted to do, and Rosamund was enjoying the spectacle."
"My daughter has always enjoyed being involved in the hustle and bustle, but rarely is she the cause of it." Violet commented acerbically "She must be in her element, watching it all play out in her Drawing Room!"
"We didn't see too much of them to be honest. We had our own shopping to do, and as we were staying with Margaret we were a little removed from it all" Isobel commented and Violet's face fell a little.
"So what do you know?" Violet asked, not expecting much.
"Well!" Isobel took her coffee gladly "Have you ever heard of a woman called Elizabeth Albright?"
-TW- -TW- -TW-
Dickie chuckled as they walked up the drive to Downton.
"I bet Violet loved listening to all your stories" He grinned at Isobel "And she doesn't even realise you haven't told her the most interesting titbits of the week"
"I had to keep some of my powder dry" Isobel grinned back "She might be a little annoyed I haven't told her everything, but she will also enjoy hearing more stories over the weekend. Besides, there are some stories I only want to tell once, so I think they are best left until we discuss them with the whole family."
"Such as?" Dickie looked at her suspiciously.
"Such as, I don't want to talk about Tim and Julia until he tells us everything is arranged." Isobel stated firmly "I think the family may need softening up a bit more towards Tim, and that story can help. It's all about perceptions." Dickie looked unconvinced. "But for now, we're here to see the children" Isobel smiled as Barrow answered the front door "So let's just enjoy that."
"I must admit, I'm quite looking forward to seeing John" Dickie admitted as they climbed the stairs "I don't really remember the boys at this age. I don't think I saw them very much."
"I was determined to do as much as possible with Matthew" Isobel reminisced "But there was still so much I needed to do to support Reginald in establishing himself" She sighed "I still remember how scared he looked when he sat down to try and convince me to take on a nursemaid" She smiled "I'd already come to the same conclusion - albeit reluctantly - but I wasn't about to let him know that!" She pushed open the door to the nursery.
"Grandmama! Grandpa!", "Aunt Isobel! Uncle Dickie!", "Yayaya!" A cocophany of noise hit them as the children realised they were there.
"Grandpa, can you read us a story pleeeeeeease" George begged. " We haven't had a story for weeks!" Sybbie nodded enthusiastically beside him.
"George, it's been 5 days, not weeks. Don't exaggerate" Dickie admonished fondly. "Do you have a story in mind?"
George raced away to find a book while Sybbie came towards them shyly and gave them both hugs. "I'm glad you're back." She smiled "Is Daddy back too?"
Isobel sat on a low chair nearby and held out her arms to give the girl a hug "Not quite yet. I think tomorrow, or maybe the day after. He's very busy.. " Isobel dropped her voice to a whisper " ..buying presents" Sybbie giggled.
"Can you read this one please Grandpa?" George held out a story book about King Arthur.
Dickie dutifully sat down to read. "Now, make yourselves comfortable. I don't want any fidgeting. If you need teddies or dollies to listen as well, now is the time to get them." He smiled as the children bustled around the nursery gathering an audience for him. "Ready? Then we shall begin. Once upon a time..."
As the children were occupied, Isobel took the opportunity to step next door into the night nursery for a chat with Nanny.
"Hello Nanny. I hope your week has gone well?" Isobel enquired.
"Ooh, ah har, we've had nae bother." Nanny beamed "A few tears the second night when we were missing a few people, but nothin' too much. Nothin' a wee mug o' hot choc'late cannae cure."
Isobel chuckled "And how has John been getting on?"
"Oooh, he's a grand wee chap!" Nanny smiled "He's settled himsel' in well. He's had quite a week himsel', learnin' to turn himsel' over on to his tummy and push up wi' his ar-rms. He'll be crawlin' afore long, I'll be bound."
"That's wonderful!" Isobel was pleased. "Please don't tell Lord Merton: I want him to discover it for himself". The two ladies shared an understanding smile.
-TW- -TW- -TW-
"This place is wonderful" Julia looked around her "How on earth did you find it?"
"I have my sources" Tim said enigmatically "I thought it would be nice to come somewhere different, somewhere a little out of the way."
"Well, I'm impressed. Thank you" Julia reached over and squeezed his hand. Tim smiled, and turned his attention to the menu.
"Did Dickie and Isobel enjoy their week?" Julia asked after the waiter had gone. "They seemed quite busy."
"I think they did" Tim agreed "I've never really spent much time with Isobel before." He sighed "The more I get to know her, the more I regret how I behaved towards her when she and Father first got engaged."
"Will you go to Yorkshire for Christmas?" Julia asked.
"I don't know" Tim admitted. "They haven't actually asked me, but I'm sure I'd be welcome if I asked. Robert mentioned there might be some kind of get together at New Year in Downton too. It could be quite fun."
"There seemed to be some kind of history between them and Larry. What was it?" Julia asked as the first course arrived.
Tim groaned. "We were invited for dinner before Mary married her first husband, Matthew. Father is her Godfather you see" Julia nodded "Larry decided to play a prank on Tom, who was newly married to Sybil. He... he drugged his drink before dinner which meant Tom behaved rather badly. It backfired when another guest pointed out that Larry had purposefully done it to show Tom up."
"But why would he do that?" Julia was shocked "Tom is lovely."
"Larry had been quite sweet on Sybil when we were younger, and then she married the chauffeur." Tim shrugged "I think he was just wanting to get one over on Tom and show Sybil that she would have been better off with him." He took a drink "Now, I think she was better off with anyone other than Larry" He muttered.
"It's such a nasty thing to do" Julia shook her head "I was often lonely when I was little. It was just me, and my parents were always busy with something. I used to think it would be wonderful to have siblings, but then when I got to school I realised it wasn't always like it is in the story books. Now I wonder if I wasn't better off on my own."
"Have you thought about whether you would like children yourself?" Tim asked nervously "Hypothetically of course"
Julia paused and took a moment to have a drink. "I think it would depend, really. Mummy has always been quite political, although she tries to hide it in public, so I suppose I was brought up to think about being more than just a wife and mother. I had a better education than most, but even so Daddy was still surprised when I said I wanted a job" She smiled at Tim "I haven't really given it enough thought really. It might depend on where my life goes. I don't see the point in just having children because it's what everyone else does. How about you?"
"I grew up knowing I was the second son. Larry would inherit, I would need to work. I suppose I thought I would marry, and we would visit Cavenham as extended family for high days and holidays" He smiled wistfully "Although from what Father has said, we may not have the house that much longer."
"Do you find that upsetting?" Julia asked "We have a house in the country, but only a small one in a village in Daddy's constituency. I don't really have any ties to it. We've always lived mostly in London."
"Not as upsetting as I would have expected." Tim realised "It was never going to be mine, so I grew up knowing I would have to leave it behind. There are fond memories, of course, and I suppose I always expected I would teach my sons to fish in the lake, show them the tree house..." He smiled at Julia "But it really doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I will make new memories, have new adventures and share them with my future family."
Julia's heart beat rapidly in her chest as they smiled at each other. Golly, she thought, Am I ready for what I think this dinner may be about?
The moment was interrupted as the waiting staff cleared the first course and delivered the mains.
"This looks wonderful!" Julia exclaimed "This really is a find"
"I'm glad you're enjoying it." Tim took a deep breath "I was hoping we could discuss some things tonight, and I wanted it to be the right kind of place."
"Oh? You came with an agenda?" Julia needled him.
"Yes" Tim smiled indulgently "Aside from everything that has happened with Larry, my Boss has taken me to task about where my career might be going. He wasn't very complimentary about my efforts so far" Tim reddened "But he has helped me analyse what I would need to do to progress as I would like."
"I see." Julia felt her heart sink "Does that mean you will be leaving?"
Tim nodded "I've applied for a few posts, but the two I'm most hopeful for are in Singapore and Rome."
"How long would you be away?" Julia asked quietly.
"These postings are usually for at least two years. I would get leave, but it's a long way to come back to the UK. Especially from Singapore" Tim admitted.
"You said we had some things to discuss, but that sounds more like a fait accompli" Julia tried not to sound bitter.
"I do want to discuss them." Tim assured her "I have submitted the applications, but I haven't even been interviewed for any of the posts yet. I wanted to talk to you first. You see, to a certain extent what I do next depends on you."
"Oh?" Julia queried a little breathlessly.
"Yes." Tim nodded "You see, if I stay in the Foreign Office I really need to take an overseas job next."
"Hence Singapore or Rome" Julia confirmed.
"Yes." Tim agreed. "But since yesterday, I've been thinking about whether I should stay at the Foreign Office at all. When I discussed it with David, my Boss, we only ever discussed what I need to succeed within the FO, but what about if I did something else?"
"Like what?" Julia asked.
Tim sighed "I have no idea." He admitted "It would be a total leap into the dark, a step backwards career wise most probably, but I would be able to find something in England I'm sure" He smiled hopefully at her.
"But why would you want to stay in England?" Julia purposefully didn't look at him "Wouldn't you like to have the adventure of living overseas?"
"Well, that depends." Tim stalled
"Depends on what?" Julia still couldn't look at him. She could barely eat.
"These last few weeks has shown me what is important in life. I look at Father. I look at the Crawleys. I see people who are enjoying life surrounded by people they love. There may be rough patches, squabbles, disagreements, heated discussions... but behind it all, underpinning it all, is the love they have for one another." Tim swallowed hard "That's what I want to see when I look into my future" He said hoarsely "I want to look forward to coming home at the end of the day, I want to share my life with people who want me to be happy and who I want to be happy in return."
"Oh Tim" Julia reached across to take his hand with tears in her eyes.
Tim continued "You see, going away could be very difficult now. Although my Father is well, he's still getting older and I don't want to lose the time he has left by not being here. Then there's John. Larry and Amelia have left him to fend for himself, and I don't want him to ever feel that he's not good enough or that he was just a spare part like I often did when I was growing up. I want him to grow up in a family, and I want to be part of that family." Tim took a deep breath and continued quietly "And I'd like you to be part of that family too."
"Yes" Julia whispered quietly.
"You see the Rome job would mean I would be away, but it would be relatively close. We could still write, and maybe you could visit when I can't get back to the UK?" Tim continued, oblivious "I could show you the City and the Vatican. There's so much history, and the people are so friendly. The food is fantastic, and the weather is much nicer than here. We wouldn't have to rush anything, it would be just a different type of courtship" Tim blushed a little.
"Yes" Julia whispered again.
"Or there's the job in Singapore. It's really punching above my weight, but it looks fantastic. I've always wanted to see the Far East, and the opportunities out there are amazing. I don't know how much of a chance I've really got with that job, but there's a bit of a sticking point." Tim swallowed hard again, and took a drink as well "You see, it's a married accompanied posting, so I would need a wife to be considered." There he's said it. "I know it's asking a lot, and the post would start in March so it's quite short notice"
"Yes" Julia said, quietly but no longer a whisper.
"I don't want you to make any decisions right now, and I won't put any pressure on you. I want you to make your own choice, and I promise I will accept whatever that choice is. I respect you, and your ability to make your own decisions and they should be totally yours and not based on anything I might want" Tim stated emphatically "But I do want you to know that the idea of going overseas and leaving you behind is heartbreaking." He did look up then, looked her in the eyes "I love you, Julia Foxton, and I would very much like you to be my family." His voice broke as he finished.
Julia leant across the table and gently kissed him. "Saying 'yes' didn't seem to be getting through to you, so I thought I would try something else!" She explained with a huge grin on her face. Tim just grinned back.