Chapter 6

Author Note: Julian Fellowes' brainchild, not mine - I wish!

The middle of August had the final touches put to Fenwick Cottage, with everyone trying to push the war to the back of their minds. Beatrice Taylor was jumpy.

"I hate to bring it up, but promise me you two won't be foolish." she said, dusting the mantelpiece. Walter and Anthony shared a look, Robert's announcement ringing out in the former's memory. Granted, the British hadn't fought any battles yet, but still.

"It'll be over by Christmas, Bea." Anthony replied. "You don't see me lining up to be cannon fodder." he said, clear distaste in his voice. "Plus khaki's not my colour."

"I'm all for King and Country, but not for warfare." Walter agreed. Beatrice sighed.

"Good. Now, shall we tally the guests for the housewarming?" she asked. "Anthony and I don't count, since we're practically live-in guests." she chuckled. Walter rolled his eyes fondly. It was true - his best Cambridgeshire friends had basically moved into Fenwick, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He then hummed in thought.

"Well, Billy Russell and the Crawley girls should round it off nicely."

"All three of them? I'm biting my tongue about an ulterior motive." Anthony teased.

"Lady Edith seemed to bury the hatchet at the garden party. Sybil said Lady Mary can be a bit icy, but I'm just extending common courtesy by including her."

Anthony mumbled something suggestive in response, but Walter chose not to listen, instead making his way over to the telephone.

"Operator? Can you connect me to Downton Abbey?" he asked. After a minute, a gruff voice sounded through the receiver. Ah, Walter thought. Carson the butler.

"Greetings, Mr. Carson. It's Walter Metcalfe. Can I speak to Lady Sybil please?" he asked. After a grunt and about a minute of silence, he heard a familiar husky voice.

"Hello Walter." Sybil said - Walter could hear the smile in her voice.

"Hello Sybil. My housewarming is on Monday, and I'm extending the invitation to Ladies Mary and Edith as well." Walter responded.

"Well that's very kind of you. Whether they'll come, I don't know, but I'll definitely see you on Monday. It's nice that Edith mellowed towards you."

"I agree. I was always ready to give her and Lady Mary a chance, you know."

"I gathered. My sisters can be polarising at the best of times." Sybil said honestly.

"I bet if I was Lady Mary's friend, Carson might not have been so sour towards me when I rang." he said. Sybil's laugh came through the receiver.

"You haven't heard the story of him nearly letting Mary 'steal' the silver." she laughed.

"What?!" Walter gasped. "Oh she must have been a terror as a child."

"I don't remember it as I was about three, but apparently Mary was going to 'run away' and was bargaining for some silver to sell in the village." Sybil smirked.

"You're lucky I'm the one hearing this." Walter laughed. "Don't worry, I wouldn't tease her about it at the housewarming. Maybe once she's gotten a better opinion of me."

"She might not be up to teasing anyway." Sybil said with an odd note in her voice. "You know how there was something blossoming between her and Matthew?"

"I do remember you mentioning it." Walter stated.

"He proposed but retracted it at the garden party." Sybil said. Walter got the feeling that there was more to it, but he wasn't going to pry into the Crawleys' business.

"Is Lady Grantham feeling better?" he asked, remembering Sybil's comment. Anthony and Beatrice, who had been elsewhere doing a wine-tasting to prepare for Monday, walked past their friend and heard half of the conversation.

"How kind of you to ask. It was a rather delicate matter, but she's improving."

"Is that Sybil on the line? Tell her we say hello." Beatrice smiled.

"Beatrice and Anthony send their regards." Walter deadpanned down the telephone.

"Likewise." Sybil replied with a laugh.

"She says hello back to you nosey meddlers." Walter said drily, speaking near enough into the transmitter but looking at his friends. Beatrice mimed wearing a hat.

"Nosey meddlers, ha!" Sybil grinned on the other side of things as Walter stuck his tongue out at Beatrice. "It's been lovely, Walter, but I'm going to have to hang up - Granny's coming over soon. Probably to lament something."

"Going by the stories you've told of the Dowager Lady Grantham, that tracks. See you Monday, Sybil." Walter smiled, hanging up. He turned around to see his friends wearing identical devilish grins. "What are those for?"

"Walter, you should see the dopey smile on your face." Anthony smirked.

"Sounds like I'll be buying a hat sooner than I expect." Beatrice stated cheekily.

"She's a friend." Walter protested. Realising he wasn't going to get the others to see reason, he walked away. About an hour later, he was at his piano in the room he'd termed his study. His mind drifted, and a soulful melody emerged from the keys. "Oh, that's very lovely. Is it original?" Beatrice asked, hearing the music as she walked into the room. Walter night he realised that the gentle, forward-moving melody was obviously a subconscious reflection of a certain brunette.

Monday morning basked Downton in sunshine, and Robert and his daughters were around the breakfast table. Sybil seemed deep in thought as she buttered her toast.

"So are you two coming with me to Fenwick?" she asked her sisters. Mary coughed.

"Darling, it's nice your friend invited me, but I can't see myself having fun. Plus he also invited Edith. It sounds like a mixed message to me." she said. Edith huffed.

"Honestly girls, can't you have one breakfast without snapping at each other? You're both adults now." Robert said. Sybil wholeheartedly agreed with him on this.

"I didn't say anything, Papa." Edith responded. "I'll come, Sybil, but I worry I'll be an outsider. I don't know Walter well, and I've never met his friends."

"Billy Russell will be there too, Edith. You won't be alone." Sybil smiled. "It will be fun. Plus Fenwick Cottage is a nice, quaint sort of place. It's very cosy."

"With dark, narrow stairs and a kitchen that smokes, I suppose?" Mary pondered with heavy sarcasm. Sybil fought to keep a grin off her face - her sister had unknowingly quoted one of Walter's favourite Jane Austen passages. But she had a rebuttal.

"No, Mary. It's quite spacious. Plenty of room for elegant soirées."

"Are you daring me Sybil? You know I love a challenge." Mary replied.

"I know you do. I feel like you need one lately." Sybil smiled.

Within a couple of hours, Branson was pulling up to Fenwick Cottage.

"Have fun, ladies." he said as he opened the car door. Mary tutted in his direction. Sybil knocked on the front door, to be responded with Beatrice's welcoming smile.

"Sybil! Come in! Walter and Anthony are just mixing drinks." the dirty-blonde grinned.

"Perfect. Beatrice Taylor, these are my sisters, Lady Mary and Lady Edith."

"It's a pleasure. Would either of you like a tour? Sybil made a suggestion for the décor last time she was here, and we took it." Beatrice half-smiled.

"I… don't see why not." Mary uttered, walking in. "Oh, it's not what I expected."

"Is that good or bad?" Beatrice asked. "It's only the hallway."

"Oh you must pay no attention to the things Mary says." Sybil chuckled. With a painful smile, Mary realised Sybil was repeating what she herself had said to Matthew once. The group walked into the sitting room, the atmosphere laid-back.

"What's black and white and blue?" Sybil smirked. Anthony Proby turned around.

"Chaplin's latest film?" he responded in a teasing tone. Sybil laughed.

"You know something, Anthony Proby? Walter was right - you are the resident troublemaker." she responded. "I was talking about the room, obviously."

"And we have you to thank for the colour scheme - it looks wonderful." Walter appeared, holding a glass of champagne. "Hello Sybil." he smiled, pecking her cheek. The action left Mary deep in thought - Sybil had made a comparison to Evelyn Napier, but how true was that? Mary still had her reservations about Walter's character. But maybe it was her complicated situation with Matthew clouding her judgement.

"Might I have a drink?" Edith asked.

"Of course, where are my manners?" Walter said rhetorically, going over to a shelf to pour some more champagne. Beatrice whispered something in her friend's ear, and the Crawley sisters heard him scoff in reply. But Mary and Edith caught the look on Beatrice's face afterwards. Clearly she'd said something that was right.

"Here you go, Edith." Walter said, cautiously dropping the title for the first time.

"Oh, thank you Walter." Edith half-smiled. Sybil beamed - it warmed her heart to see Edith not be so prickly around Walter. "So how did you come by this place?"

"I wanted a change of scenery, and I have ancestors from Hampsthwaite. Back in December I was driving around and stumbled across this lovely-looking cottage. The local estate agent said it needed fixing up, and I knew I wanted it. We went to the local pub to talk things over. I bumped into Billy Russell in that pub, we got to talking, and even though I lived down south at the time, the rest is history." Walter said.

"Where is Billy? He said he'd pop by." Sybil pondered. A knock sounded.

"Duty calls." Walter chuckled, walking to the hallway. There was the sound of the door opening, followed by Billy Russell's muffled, indistinct voice.

"Sybil once said you two might call her a 'troublemaker'." Anthony said, turning to Mary and Edith. "What stories can you tell me?" he asked. Sybil laughed.

"Oh Anthony, there are tales that even Mary and Edith don't know."

"Is that so, darling?" Mary asked. "Nevertheless, I remember the many times you ran our nanny ragged. She should have realised your favourite hiding spot was behind Jackdaw's Castle." she smirked. Anthony's eyebrows rose in interest.

"Jackdaw's Castle?" he asked. Mary looked at Sybil and they both laughed.

"The nearest folly on the Downton grounds." Sybil responded.

"Oh, those structures built to look like ancient ruins." Anthony clarified. "Why can I imagine little Sybil running to one during hide and seek?" he chuckled.

"Maybe because she did many times at Haxby Park." Billy Russell chimed in as he entered the sitting room. All seven occupants laughed, some in nostalgia.

"The two of us were constantly going all over Haxby to find her, remember Billy?" Edith asked out loud. Billy nodded. The afternoon passed happily, with many stories being told, and the food and drink giving Mary and Edith enough of a buzz to not be at each other's throats. As the clock struck three, Mary was glancing at Sybil and a blushing Walter. The eldest Crawley heard a laugh beside her.

"I know. Walter is quite sweet on your sister. It's lovely, really." Beatrice grinned.

"I'm not sure I'd say that, Miss Taylor." Mary replied in a clipped fashion.

"Call me Beatrice, Mary." the dirty-blonde-haired woman said. "Sure, some men can be cruel. But take it from someone who's known him for eight years - Walter has a heart of gold. He's my best friend. I know how he treats women he takes a shine to."

"How?" Mary asked. "Have you and he had a flirtation or understanding?"

"God, no!" Beatrice laughed, her shoulders shaking. "I just know him inside and out."

"Do you reckon he might ask Sybil for an understanding?" Mary asked.

"With this war, it's hard to say." Beatrice sighed. "She is very special to him though."

"Unsure of circumstances beyond his control." Mary said. "I can understand that."