"Are you really wearing that?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Oh nothing, it's just more fit for running in the woods than meeting family. It suits you," Mary scoffed in that stilted, put upon voice she used when she was trying to seem more mature. As a newly nine year old, she was, of course, leagues more mature than her seven and four year old sisters.
"I think it's nice," Sybil said, looking almost enviously at Edith's simple rust red frock. An outfit that hardly compared to the frilled, ruffled monstrosity that was her sisters' clothes. Even the bow in her hair was about half the size of theirs.
"Darlings," Mama said as she glided into the room, hands tightly clasped before her. "It's time. Cousins James and Patrick will be coming soon."
"Why do we have to do all this, Mama? Aren't they just family?" Mary asked.
"Yes, but your Granny wants to ensure that they have a wonderful time here," Mama said with a pinched smile. "They haven't been to Downton in a long time. Patrick is about your age, Mary, and he has never been here at all."
"Never," Sybil gasped.
"Never. So I want all of you to be especially kind to him. Can you do that, my darlings?"
"Yes, Mama," Sybil nodded, quickly scrabbling up from her sitting position to follow their mother out of the room.
"Yee, Mama," Mary said, primly following as well.
"Yes, Mama," Edith was the last to follow the rest, eyes darting around every room, hall, and stairwell they passed through as if it was the last time. In a way, it felt like it was the last time. Everything was about to change. The next new era of her life and the next heir presumptive of Downton was about to arrive.
Edith knew so much and yet so little about Cousin James and Cousin Patrick. She knew they were the presumptive heirs of Downton, even though no one had dared mention it aloud. She knew Patrick would eventually be paired with Mary. She knew how they died on the Titanic. She knew original Edith was supposed to love Patrick. And yet, she knew nothing about the man and boy themselves.
What would James be like? She had practically no information about him. Would she love his son Patrick like the original Edith had? She doubted it. Would they at least be friends? She hoped so. Would they be more Mary sycophants following her around like puppies? God, please no.
With a gentle hand, Mama lined her daughters up before the doors of Downton as the many servants lined up behind them. She slightly tisked at Edith for her frock that mismatched her sisters. But she couldn't argue that the simplicity of the dress and smaller bow, pinning her hair on the side in a form of swooping false bangs, wasn't more appealing on Edith than the more popular styles and big, high bows that looked so nice on her other girls would have been.
When they were finally positioned in a way that pleased her, their mother went to her own place beside Papa. They all stood, stock still, staring down the road and waiting until the carriage finally came into view. The two dark brown horses trotted up the driveway before stepping to a gentle stop on the gravel stones. For a minute all was quiet, and then the coachman opened the door to reveal a sharply dressed man in what seemed to be his thirties or forties and a boy of ten years or so with staring, startlingly blue eyes.
"Lord Grantham," the man brightly smiled as he strolled over to Papa and shook his hand. "It's good to see you again."
"Likewise. And none of that Lord Grantham nonsense, James! We are family!"
"If you insist, who am I to refuse his lordship?" Cousin James laughed before turning to Mama and reaching out to kiss her offered hand. "My lady, thank you so much for allowing us into your beautiful home."
"Welcome to Downton. And please, Cousin James, do call me Cora. Any family of Robert's is family of mine."
"Cousin Cora then," James said before gesturing to his hesitant son who slowly shifted to his father's side. "This is my son, Patrick."
"A pleasure to meet you," Patrick said shyly but clearly as he shook Papa's and kissed Mama's hands in a mirror of his father's actions.
"Strong handshake, lad," Papa encouraged him before turning to look at his line of daughters. "And these are our daughters. Our eldest, Lady Mary."
Mary gave a graceful curtsy, smiling sweetly up at James and Patrick. "A pleasure to meet you."
"Our second daughter, Lady Edith. And our youngest, little Lady Sybil." Papa continued.
"Charmed," Sybil chimed, trying to hide her scowl at being called little.
"A pleasure," Edith nodded, noticing how Patrick's eyes hadn't left Mary who was smiling at him like the cat who got the cream. Lovely, so he was joining the Mary fan club too. At least Cousin James seemed charming as he kissed each of their hands with an exaggerated bow.
"Three beautiful, young ladies! You have been blessed, Robert, to have three daughters as lovely as Cousin Cora."
"That I am," Papa smiled proudly.
"You are too kind," Mama smiled. "I know you must be tired from your journey. I have arranged a light lunch and then-"
Edith zoned out as Mama entered hostess mode and soon the entire group was moving back into the house, the adults leading the way followed by the gaggle of children. Mary entranced Patrick with small talk about Downton as he stared around in equal awe of the Abbey and her.
Through lunch the adults spoke of the changes around Downton since Cousin James had visited the estate as a boy, and Mary and Patrick continued to quietly talk together. With each moment Edith felt her irritation at the boy grow as he barely managed to extend basic courtesies to her or even Sybil with how focused he was on Mary. A fact that seemed to please Mary greatly.
For the next couple of days, Mary continued to monopolize their cousin's time. She showed him around the house and the gardens, constantly dragging him away from the other girls and pretending to be too old for the nursery and its childishness. Mama was quite proud of how her daughter was playing hostess. A task which, even Edith had to admit, she did quite well.
Mary only let him go on the third day when Granny came up to Downton to meet the cousins. Soon after the reintroduction to James and a rather frighteningly critical appraisal of Patrick, Granny retreated to the morning room to talk with her favorite granddaughter. Meanwhile, Sybil and a rather lost Patrick followed Edith to the library.
Edith quickly retreated to her favorite spot on one of the sofas by the fireplace where her ever growing stack of books already sat waiting for her. Sybil's own smaller stack of fairy tales, picture books, and a couple bigger texts Edith had already finished was placed on the other side of the same couch where Sybil often liked to sit beside her sister.
Both girls immediately grabbed the books on top of their stacks, one an overview of farming mechanics and the other a picture book of exotic beasts, and promptly ignored the boy in the room. Hesitantly, Patrick slid onto the couch opposite them. Watching him swing his feet and open and close his mouth again and again in many aborted attempts to start a conversation gave Edith a twisted sense of pleasure. Serves him right after ignoring them for several days.
Slowly, Patrick began to reach towards Edith's stack of books. Looking to snag one from the top when suddenly Sybil jumped up and batted his hand away.
"Ow!"
"Bil!"
"No! Those are Edie's!" Sybil glared at the boy, defensive standing between him and the books.
"You didn't have to hit me! I just wanted to read one. And who's Eddie?" Patrick cried. Sybil just kept glaring, completely unrepentant.
"I'm Edie," Edith said, "or Edith if you want to call me that too. You might not remember, but we were introduced a couple days ago. It was after Mary though so it might have slipped your mind. Oh, and this is Sybil or Bil if she'll let you call her that."
"I won't," Sybil grumbled, arms now crossed in displeasure.
"No, I-," the boy stammered, a flush taking over the entirety of his face. "I- but, But why do you have boy names?"
"Why do you?" Sybil snapped.
"Because I'm a boy?"
"Sure, Patty."
"My name isn't Patty. It's Patrick!" Patrick demanded which only riled Sybil up more. Edith signed and turned back to hide behind her book. Let the children bicker. Even if one was over twice the age and height of the other. It's not like Sybil didn't have double the stubborn spite.
"Patty!"
"Don't call me that! I'm not a girl. My name is Patrick!
"Patty!"
"Patrick!"
"PATTY!"
"PATRICK!"
"PAT-"
"What is going on in here!" A deep voice demanded, only for Papa and Cousin James to come stomping in, followed my a disapproving Mr. Carson.
"He-"
"She-"
"Just a slight disagreement, Papa," Edith cut in, closing her book reluctantly. "Patrick didn't like a nickname."
"And this nickname was worth screaming at a four year old?" Cousin James asked with a raised brow.
"… yes?" Patrick guessed, looking rather sheepishly back and forth between his father, Papa, and Sybil.
"Well, what was it then?"
"Umm, well, it- it was… it was nothing. I shouldn't have-" Patrick stammered, flushing a deeper red than before. In fact, it made his previous socially awkward blush seem like a faint pastel tint in comparison.
"If it was enough to get you so riled up, I want to know what it was," James said patiently but firmly. "I would hope I am raising a son who wouldn't yell at a tot over nothing."
"I'm not a-" Sybil began to protest before Papa cut her off with a firm look.
"I- she-, it- it was-," Patrick continued to look around in a panic. He continued tripping over his tongue again and again as Papa and Cousin James' faces became more and more severe.
Surely this boy wasn't going to get himself in so much trouble because he refused to admit to being called Patty, was he? Patty wasn't even that creative an insult! Sure it was feminine and a bit demeaning, especially to a little boy full of masculine pride and determination to make his father proud of his son, but not admitting to it wasn't going to help him do that.
"It wasn't- It was nothing," Patrick stammered. Edith grit her teeth and made a decision. This boy owed her.
"It was my fault. I called him a doormat because of how he lets Mary walk all over him," Edith said. "Sybil joined in and started calling him Mat and Matty, so he was just trying to get us to stop." Sybil and Patrick both turned around to stare at her with mirrored looks of shock and awe.
"Edith," Papa scolded, "I am disappointed in you. You should never have dragged your sister into something so petty. And to a guest in our home? To our family? And for something so jueviline as his friendship with your sister of all things."
"I'm sorry, Papa," Edith muttered, wincing under Papa's words and Mr. Carson's palpable disappointment that was directed at her. It would only get worse when someone told Mama.
"And you shouldn't have been so easily flustered, Patrick," James said gently to his son. "It's good to stand up for yourself, but only in moderation. Yelling and screaming will get you nowhere. Especially if those screams are directed at a young lady. Next time, there will be consequences. Understood?"
"Yes, Father," Patrick muttered.
The adults eventually left the library, ordering quiet and getting along when they did so and promising to send a tea service soon. Quiet was certainly observed in the aftermath of their departure as both Sybil and Patrick sat unable to look at each other. Edith went back to her book.
"Edith?" Patrick finally said.
"Yes, Patrick?"
"Thank you for… for lying for me."
"Yeah, thank you Edie," Sybil agreed.
"You're welcome," Edith nodded, turning another page. "And I would have been responsible for your behavior anyway Bil. No point us both getting in so much trouble."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sybil slumped unladylike onto the sofa. Edith reached over and absentmindedly patted her curly head.
"It's alright. Not your doing."
"So, Can- can I have a book now?" Patrick asked.
"Only if you call me Eddie."
"And me Bil," Sybil added, perking up at the head pats and reaching out for her discarded picture book.
"Alright," Patrick agreed, grabbing a book from the top of Edith's stack, unaccosted this time. Opening the book on contract law, he frowned. "Aren't we a little young to be reading this?"
"You can grab a book from Bil if you would rather have one of hers, Pat," Edith said dryly.
"No, no it's fine. Pat?"
"We can still call you Patty if you prefer."
"Don't push it, Ed."