A/N: Main character ages are as follows: Robert Crawley aged 23. Cora Crawley aged 22. Charles Carson aged 26. Lily Carson aged 5. Elsie Hughes aged 24.

Chapter One

November 1886. Downton Abbey, Yorkshire.

"I've looked over your qualifications, Charles. They seem sufficient." the Earl said. "But I am curious why you want to work here specifically. The best servants have a certain level of passion for the location and consider it home."

"To be honest, milord, the main reason I want to work here is because of my daughter," he answered.

"You have a family?" the Earl questioned.

"Yes. I have a daughter, Lily. My wife, Alice, passed away two months ago."

"Oh, I am sorry."

"It's alright milord. We were rather an ill-fitting pair if I'm honest. But I did love her nonetheless, and I love Lily even more. I want to make sure she's well taken care of."

"I completely understand. Do you feel working at Downton is the best way to do so?"

"Certainly milord. This community is the perfect place for a little girl to grow up. Lily is five and will need to be starting school soon. I want Downton to be the place where she does. We can start fresh here, and in time I'm sure it will most certainly feel like home."

"Pardon my intrusion, I don't mean to pry, but why do you feel you must have a fresh start? Is there something I ought to be aware of?"

"I only meant for us to start over in a place where the memories of Lily's mother aren't so prominent."

"I see. That sounds perfectly reasonable, Charles. One more question for you: can you explain the gap in your time as a footman at Lord Weatherby's?"

"When I first married Alice, I left service and was in a singing group with a few friends of mine. We traveled around the nearby cities performing. It was fun for a time but not the stable source of income I needed once Lily was born. So, I went back into service until Alice's passing. I took two months off to help Lily adjust to life without her mother, but now my savings have almost run out and I must work again."

"Ah I see. I suppose we all want to try new things from time to time. Anyway, I find your appreciation for family admirable. I have a child on the way myself. I would like to offer you a position here at Downton, one that would come with childcare for Lily during the day. She could start attending the village school in January. The work of a footman is a full-time job, however, so please feel free to take a day or two to think about it and make sure it's right for you."

"I've an aunt in Ripon who can take care of Lily on school breaks, so your proposition sounds very fitting. Although, if I'm to live with the rest of the servants, would Lily sleep in my room?"

"I wouldn't think that very appropriate, what with the separation of men and women in the sleeping quarters. I would offer you a cottage on the estate that you could rent and take her home to every night. It's quaint, but you and Lily would each have your own room. And it's only a 15 minute walk from the house. It would mean about 10 percent of your monthly paycheck being allocated to the rent, but that would still leave you with about 20 pounds a month."

"I accept, milord. That all sounds perfectly fitting. If I may say so, milord, you're much kinder than many other people would be in your position. I sincerely appreciate it."

"I believe it is better to rule by compassion than fear, Charles. My mother may disapprove of that, but I don't want you to forget it. Someday you may be in a position of higher status, and you mustn't let that drive kindness out of your heart."

"I certainly won't, milord. Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. You start next week."

A/N: I honestly have no idea what a typical salary would've been for a servant in the UK at this time. I am basing it off of a podcast about The Gilded Age, another Julian Fellowes drama, where they said the 1880s saw an increase of payment to about 25 dollars a month or something like that. Of course, that's in America, but seeing as Cora is American and the estate is run using her fortune, maybe she would follow the American new money traditions. I honestly don't know and just picked a random number that seemed a reasonable amount. Please don't hate me if it's inaccurate.

Also, I know this is rather generous for the aristocracy of the time to be so accommodating to servants, but I feel it is Robert's character even if this is 30 years before he would go on to make a similar offer when the Bateses married.

One more thing to mention: Robert is the Earl already in this fic. I don't know how to write him if he is in that waiting stage and also didn't want to add a bunch of extra characters into this fic. So, Robert's father, Patrick, died a few months into his marriage with Cora, and Carson is the first person he has hired since becoming Earl. I know it's a switch-up, but I hope it's one y'all approve of.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading! I will likely continue this story sometime after Thanksgiving.