As the season turned to autumn, they all waited in anticipation for the new heir, this Mathew Crawley, a middle class lawyer and son to a middle class doctor, to arrive with his mother. There were those that were displeased and those looking forward to it. Emma personally doesn't really care about his social position but obviously some do. Lord Grantham had been the only one that had met him so far in London while the rest of them wait in anticipation for the big event.

Naturally, it came up in discussion on the day of their arrival. They are staying in Crawley house in the Village.

"So, what do you think we'll make of them?" Thomas speaks as many of them are gathered in the Servants' Hall.

"I shouldn't think much. She hasn't even got a lady's maid." Miss O'Brien says with disdain but what's new?

"It's not a capital offence," Anna says kindly.

Mr Bates also defends the newcomers. "She's got a maid; her name's Ellen. She came a day early."

"She's not a lady's maid. She's just a housemaid that fastens hooks and buttons when she has to. There's more to it than that, you know." Miss O'Brien adds snippily. Funny how servants are snobbish as well as their employers.

Mrs Patmore shouts in the distance. "Daisy!" Though Daisy does not move.

"You will have to give us every bit of detail after dinner," Emma says, addressing William and Thomas.

"Are we to treat him as the heir?" William asks innocently.

"Are we heck as like? A doctor's son from Manchester? He'll be lucky if he gets a civil word out of me." Miss O'Brien declares irritably.

"We're all lucky if we get a civil word out of you." Anna remarks and Emma stifles a laugh so that Miss O'Brien does not turn her ire onto her.

Mr Carson enters with a package and they stand. "Gwen, parcel for you. Came by the evening post."

"Thank you, Mr Carson." She takes the parcel and sits back down very quickly. Emma squints her eyes at her, she had been terribly secretive lately.

Carson motions for the servants to sit which they do.

"William?" Mr Carson speaks.

Thomas then interrupts, "Have you seen them yet, Mr Carson?"

"By "them", I assume you mean the new family, in which case, no. I have that pleasure to look forward to this evening."

Mrs Patmore enters. "Daisy, did you hear me call, or have you gone selectively deaf?!" Emma smiles to herself, Mrs Patmore is always good with quick quips.

"No, Mrs Patmore."

"Then might I remind you we are preparing dinner for your future employer, and if it goes wrong, I'll be telling them why!" Daisy rushes after Mrs Patmore.

—

It is time for the big arrival and Emma is prepared for a great deal of second hand embarrassment; she is somewhat glad she doesn't have to be there during their dinner.

Lord Grantham goes to greet them and leads them, with William and Thomas walking behind, into the Great Hall where the house staff are lined up as Lady Grantham, the Dowager, and the girls enter from the other side and line up opposite.

"Welcome to Downton." Lady Grantham says. Emma couldn't help but stare at the newbies from the corner of her eye and can see the others do the same thing.

"Thank you. You've been so kind." Mrs Crawley responds. She seems to be quite able to adapt to the new circumstances.

"What a reception committee!" The son on the other hand. Though to be honest Emma would have been the exact same if when she arrived, she saw everybody lined up like this.

The family is surprised and amused by his comment. Mrs Crawley senses the awkwardness of his comment and tries to recover. "Yes, thank you."

Lord Grantham gives the impression of being in agreement with moving past the faux pas. "This is Carson. We'd all be lost without him." The man somehow puffs up his chest even more. "Mama, may I present Matthew Crawley and Mrs Crawley, my mother, Lady Grantham."

Mrs Crawley steps forward and holds out her hand. "What should we call each other?"

The Dowager Countess of Grantham looks at her oddly. "Well, we could always start with Mrs Crawley and Lady Grantham." Well, that's a bit rude.

Lady Grantham steps forward to guide Mrs Crawley. "Come into the Drawing room and we can make all the proper introductions."

The Dowager looks at Mr Carson, who tries to contain his amused smirk. The family moves into the next room, Lady Mary and Mr Crawley appear to be conveniently placed next to one another though Lady Mary looks less than pleased.

—

"Why shouldn't he be a lawyer?" Daisy asks in the Kitchen during the family's dinner. Turns out that the new heir has gotten a job and wants to continue working as a lawyer, which has set everybody off.

"Gentlemen don't work, silly. Not real gentlemen." Miss O'Brien remarks. Yes, and live off everybody else's hard work.

"Don't listen to her, Daisy," Anna says from her place next to Mr Bates where they were having a quiet conversation with each other.

"No, listen to me!" Mrs Patmore snaps. "And take those kidneys up to the server room before I knock you down and serve your brains as fritters!"

"Yes, Mrs Patmore!" Daisy leaves with the food on a tray as William and Thomas arrive with theirs.

"I wonder what Mr Molesley thinks of them." Emma wonders. Mr Molesley is the man who had taken the position of Valet and Butler for the new Crawleys. If they had turned up without someone already in that position, she keeps thinking how they are probably already finding the man hovering around awkward.

"Poor old Molesley. I pity the man who's taken that job." Thomas says snidely.

"Then why did you apply for it?" Mr Bates quips. Emma chews her lip anxiously; it is always uncomfortable when these two interact with one another.

"I thought it might help me to get away from you, Mr Bates," Thomas says, looking right at Mr Bates.

"Thomas…" Emma gives him a look. He seems to soften slightly but not much at her disapproval.

—

After cleaning the Dining room, Thomas and Emma are talking about Mrs Crawley and the Dowager.

"She a feisty one then?" She asks.

"I should say so. She's a match for the old lady. She wasn't going to give in." Emma smiles at that.

Just as they are about to turn into the Servants' Hall, Mr Carson appears. "What old lady are you referring to, Thomas? You cannot mean Her Ladyship the Dowager Countess. Not if you wish to remain in this house."

"No, Mr Carson," Thomas answers sourly. Emma looks down when Mr Carson glances at her.

Mr Carson passes them to enter the Servants' Hall where William is playing the piano as the others are placed around different areas of the room.

They stand as Mr Carson enters. "William? Are you aware the seam at your shoulder is coming apart?"

"I-I felt it go a bit earlier. I'll mend it when we turn in." William stammers.

"You will mend it now and you will never again appear in public in a similar state of undress." Mr Carson snaps.

"No, Mr Carson," William answers quietly.

"To progress in your chosen career, William, you must remember that a good servant at all times retains a sense of pride and dignity that reflects the pride and dignity of the family he serves. And never make me remind you of it again." And with that Mr Carson leaves. They all turn to glance at William.

"I'll do it." Daisy pipes up helping William remove his coat. "And cheer up. We've all had a smack from Mr Carson."

Anna also tries to reassure him. "You'll be the butler yourself one day. Then you'll do the smacking." Really can't imagine William being one bit like Mr Carson.

"I could never be like him. I bet he comes from a line of butlers that goes back to the conqueror." William replies gloomily.

"He learned his business and so will you. Even Mr Carson wasn't born standing to attention." Mr Bates tells him.

"I hope not for his mother's sake." Thomas remarks with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Emma pulls a face at the sight of it. Him and Miss O'Brien always seemed to be smoking out the back when they could, likely plotting. It made her concerned for their health, even Miss O'Brien's. Sadly, the science wasn't there to tell them that they were at high risk of getting cancer or any other illnesses.

"Can you imagine if Mr Carson was in the circus in his past and he's trying to keep it secret so not to ruin his image?" Emma jokes. Some laugh at her remark and it brings a slight smile to William's face.

—

The next day, Mr Bates and Emma are walking through the Village when they see Mr Carson hurrying into The Dog and Duck, checking that no one sees him entering, but missing them as they walk past the Hospital. She glances at Mr Bates and she can see he looks as confused as she is.

They reach their destination, the Crawley house and meet with Mr Molesley who takes them up to Mr Crawley's room telling them all about Mr Crawley.

"He chooses his clothes himself. He puts them out at night and hangs the ones he's worn. I get to take the linen down to the laundry, but that's about all." Mr Molesley tells them.

"That's all?" Mr Bates asks in surprise.

""I'll do this," he says. "I'll take the other. I'll tie that." I'm just stood there like a chump, watching a man get dressed. To be honest, Mr Bates, Emma, I don't see the point of it." Emma frowns at the lack of validity Mr Molesley seems to be getting.

"Cheer up." She speaks. "I'm sure he's just getting used to it all. He's never had someone there to help him before. Maybe it will change."

Mr Molesley does not look hopeful.

—

That night Emma walks into the room she shares with Gemma to see her settling into bed placing some letters to the side. Emma walks over to blow out the candles on the dresser.

"It is funny, you know," Gemma says.

"What?"

"How when you arrived it was like you were unused to lighting candles. It seemed like you did not do it often before you came here." Gemma remarks.

Emma shifts uncomfortably. Little does Gemma know that she's more used to electricity lighting up rooms and not candles.

Emma quickly changes the subject. "You will never guess what Thomas heard in the Library today." She tells Gemma as she walks over to her bed and gets under the covers.

"What?" Gemma asks with a small smile on her face.

"He heard the Dowager when she was coming in from the garden with Lord Grantham. Seems they want to get her with Mr Crawley. Lady Mary is going to love that." Emma smirks at the thought.

"Well, they don't want to give it all to a stranger. And she was going to marry Mr Patrick to keep it." Gemma muses.

"Would she? She never seemed interested in him. Only liked the idea of being countess and having one over Lady Edith." Emma turns away to blow out the last candle before lying down to sleep.

—

"I'm sorry, but I have standards." Miss O'Brien declares as Anna enters and sits down next to Mr Bates who is on Emma's right.

"I've just seen something ever so odd," Anna whispers so that only the three of them hear.

"What?" Mr Bates whispers back.

Before she can answer, Miss O'Brien's rant increases in volume. "And if anyone thinks I'm going to pull my forelock and curtsy to this…" Emma sees over her shoulder Lady Grantham appears. "…Mr Nobody from Nowhere—"

"O'Brien." Lady Grantham interrupts, causing the rant to stop and all of them to stand.

"Were you discussing Mr Crawley?" Lady Grantham asks.

"Yes, milady." Miss O'Brien says quieter than before but not backing down.

"Is it your place to do so?"

"I've got my opinions, milady, same as anybody." Miss O'Brien defends.

Mrs Hughes enters. "Can I help Your Ladyship?"

"This is the button we're missing from my new evening coat, I found it lying on the gravel," she gives it to Mrs Hughes, "but I was shocked at the talk I heard as I came in. Mr Crawley is His Lordship's cousin and heir. You will, therefore, please accord him the respect he's entitled to."

"But you don't like him yourself, milady. You never wanted him to—" Miss O'Brien tries.

The Countess of Grantham is not listening. "You're sailing perilously close to the wind, O'Brien. If we're to be friends, you will not speak in that way again about the Crawleys or any member of Lord Grantham's family. Now, I'm going up to rest. Wake me at the dressing gong." She leaves and they sit back down.

"I don't think that's fair. Not here in the Servants' Hall." Thomas says from the bottom of the table.

"I agree. If she was a real lady, she wouldn't have come down here. She'd have rung for me and given me the button, that's all." Miss O'Brien utters.

"You are just annoyed she caught you," Emma says. Miss O'Brien gives her a look.

Thomas continues. "This isn't their territory; we can say what we like down here."

"Who says?" Mrs Hughes sternly questions.

"The law. And parliament. There is such a thing as free speech." Heard enough of those last two words back in her own time from idiots.

"Not when I'm in charge! Don't push your luck, Thomas. Now, tea's over. Back to work. You'd better take this." Mrs Hughes hands Miss O'Brien Lady Grantham's coat button. Everyone begins tidying away what they were doing and getting up to get back to work.

""Friends." Who does she think she's fooling? We're not friends." Miss O'Brien mutters.

"No?" Anna questions.

"No. And neither you nor Emma are friends with the girls, either. We're servants, you and me," Miss O'Brien stands, "and they pay us to do as we're told, that's all."

—

Anna and Emma often take turns doing the different activities to help the girls get dressed for dinner. Tonight, Anna is tidying away their things and Emma does Lady Mary's hair as she is once again the last one to be finished.

"Why are you so against him?" Lady Sybil asks, standing next to them fiddling with her gloves as Emma puts the finishing touches to her sister's hair. Emma is quite proud of herself for how good it looked. Learning how to do these specific styles was difficult when she first turned up here and led to a lot of fiddling with Anna and Gemma's own hair for practice.

"Aside from the fact he's planning to steal our inheritance?" Lady Mary alleges.

"Your inheritance." Lady Edith points out from her seat on the bed. "It makes no difference to Sybil and me. We won't inherit, whatever happens."

"He isn't one of us." Lady Mary declares. She was clearly trying to find any excuse why the man is not fit to inherit plus she's a snob.

"Cousin Freddy's studying for the bar, and so is Vivian McDonald." Lady Sybil says as she moves to sit down in a chair.

"At Lincoln's Inn. Not sitting at a dirty little desk in Ripon. Besides, his father was a doctor." Lady Mary says with disdain. Emma moves away from Lady Mary and joins Anna in picking up the last of the things around the room.

"There's nothing wrong with doctors. We all need doctors." Lady Sybil tells her. Emma spots Lady Edith going through letters that were likely to Lady Mary.

"We all need crossing sweepers and draymen, too, it doesn't mean we have to dine with them." Lady Sybil huffs in disbelief at that as Anna opens the door to reveal Lady Grantham.

"Whom don't we have to dine with?" She chirps. Anna and Emma step out of the room.

They hear Lady Edith's remark of "Mary doesn't care for Cousin Matthew", as they close the door.

As they walk to the servants' door on the floor, Emma turns when hearing the door open again and sees Ladies Edith and Sybil leaving the room.

She nudges Anna's side. "Looks like Lady Mary is getting her surprise then. Her Ladyship seems to have managed to get her on her own."

"She won't be happy with it," Anna replies. Poor Mr Crawley he's in for a grumpy Lady Mary tonight.

—

Later that evening a bunch of them were shockingly sitting in the Servants' Hall. Emma sits with Gemma and another maid, Anne, sewing this and that. The Hall is full of music as William plays the piano.

"I wish I could dance like that." Daisy wonders from her seat next to Thomas.

"Like what?" He asks.

Daisy holds up a book with, Emma could only guess, some dance steps mapped out.

"Don't you know the grizzly bear?" Thomas asks as Daisy moves it for the rest of them to see.

Mr Bates chuckles. "The grizzly bear. As if you do." Anna has a wide smile on her face and by this point, William has stopped playing.

"Certainly, I do. Miss O'Brien, shall we show them?" Thomas asks stubbing out his cigarette in the tray and getting up.

"Not likely." Miss O'Brien remarks from the corner. Anna and Mr Bates laugh while Gemma and Emma look at each other quietly chuckling.

"William, give us a tune. Come on, Daisy." Thomas says, grabbing the girl's hand and dragging her up.

"Go on," Anna encourages.

"Hands up." Thomas puts his hands up into claws and growls and the rest of them laugh and clap as he begins to pull Daisy around. Even Miss O'Brien has a small smile on her face.

After a short while, Mrs Patmore comes in, wiping her brow. "Daisy. Daisy!" The music and merriment stop. "Stop that silly nonsense before you put your joints out. See to the range and go to bed."

Daisy turns to Thomas in awe. "Thank you, that was beautiful." They clap and Thomas bows as Daisy leaves.

Emma hopes no one would notice her smile dipping.

—

Not long after she slips away to her room hoping it was unnoticed. Emma needs to be on her own for a moment. All that happiness and togetherness reminds her of her family, the times she would spend with her siblings when they were kids. And now knowing she will never see them again.

Emma's sniffles begin to turn into snobs when she hears a knock at the door. She stands and goes to the door thinking it is probably Gwen, Gemma or Anna, maybe even Mrs Hughes. It is none of them on the other side but Thomas. Emma simply blinks at him and she can tell that he can see that she's been crying.

"Um…" He shifts a bit looking back into the corridor. "Can I come in? I'm not exactly supposed to be on this side remember?"

That snapped Emma out of her surprise and she lets him into the room.

"I noticed you were upset. What happened?"

"What was going on downstairs reminded me of my family. We used to dance about in our Kitchen, you know." She tells him sniffling.

"Thought you did not remember anything." He says smirking. Thomas is the only one who knows about her remembering her family, but she's never told him about her coming from the future to just simply avoid lots of questions. He accepts that she doesn't want to tell him everything.

"Ssh." She says smiling more now as she shoves his shoulder. "I take it that dinner was a match made in hell?"

He laughs. "I don't think there will be any match between Lady Mary and Mr Crawley happening any time soon by how she treated him at dinner."

Emma laughs. "Not surprised considering the way she talked about him before dinner then what her mother likely said to her about maybe marrying him."

They quietened then. "Thank you, Thomas. You should probably go though. Don't want to face Mrs Hughes' wrath too soon after the last time."

He nods patting her arm before slipping through the door.

—

Listen to her thinking the only exciting thing next would be some travelling salesman setting up at the pub for an afternoon when actually the more exciting bit was seeing the Dowager being put in her place. Mrs Crawley has been placed by Lord Grantham as chairman of the Hospital Board after fighting for a new treatment that saved the life of one of Lord Grantham's tenants despite the Dowager's fight to stop it. This new role meant that the president of said board, the Dowager, will have to listen to her and she'll no longer have absolute rule. So, suffice to say some of us were gleeful.

Pretty much all of them from downstairs are going to the ceremony at the Hospital. Really Emma just wants to, in Mrs Hughes' words, see the old bat's face when they announce it.

When the ceremony arrived, everyone, who was sitting down in the audience, all rise when Dr Clarkson entered with the Dowager and Mrs Crawley, then sit when the ladies do

Dr Clarkson speaks, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this happy event: the investiture of our first chairwoman, Mrs Reginald Crawley, who has graciously agreed to share the duties of our beloved president, the Dowager Countess of Grantham." The Dowager is clearly not pleased by the power play. "Our little Hospital must surely grow and thrive with two such doughty champions united as they are by the strongest ties of all, family and friendship."

Everyone in the room could feel the heavy irony.

—

A/N: Thank you to Glassesgirl24 on Wattpad for inspiration for the Thomas and Emma scene as well as your lovely comments.