A/n: There is a poll on my profile profile for those reading this on other platforms under my pen name Draco MalforyGirl 16). I would love to see what the readers think, so please take it as it may help with the outcome of this story. I also want to thank everyone who votes, likes, kudos, favorites, and follows this story on whichever site that may be. I didn't think a lame and overdone plot like this would be so well-liked.
Chapters have been slow due to work, so sorry for that, but I'm still writing and coming up with new plots for this and other stories that I'm working on.
Also, i'm working on a couple of original works that I might try to get published. One of them was inspired by Downton Abbey, AND I will give a sneak peek into the plot within THIS fanfiction, so I hope you guys will like it. Just keep checking out the A/n because I will let you know which chapter it will be in. I will be posting a few chapters over on my Wattpad account to see what people think of them. I will still make time for my Fanfiction because that will always be my first love besides anime and writing.
Thank you, everyone. I'm sorry about the wait, but I think it will be so worth it. I can't believe this chapter is 10 pages and over 6k words before writing the author's note.
Chapter 8: Sisterly Bonds
The weeks advanced since the untimely demise of the very stunning young Turkish gentleman, Kemal Pamuk, and Lilly saw that Mary was still grief-stricken over his death. She didn't know what was worse, if it was some silly little girl's infatuation or if it was the scandal that would come to light and consume Mary's soul. She knew that Mary was fond of him in some type of way, and to lose him unexpectedly genuinely distressed her. Plus, how he died would surely leave some trauma in its wake for anyone. Lilly knew she wouldn't have handled it as calmly as they had. She knew she would have lost her mind entirely having to drag a dead man back to his bed, let alone seeing him die right before her eyes. On the plus side, Albania got its Independence in the end after all.
It was a shame that Kemal had such horrid attributes, but one has to give it up to Theo James for his portal of Kemal in the show. Of course, Lilly liked Theo as he played Four in the Divergent movies, and she thought he was cute, even though the movies were so disappointing compared to the books. She liked him in the Underworld series when he played David too, and then there was his voice-over work on The Witcher and Castlevania. He was a very talented man, that's for sure.
She did love his hair more as Kemal more than Four. She wasn't one to like longer hair on guys as she is more fond of guys having more traditional men's cuts. Something kept short and neat, maybe a shaggy-like character of Zach Addy from Bones. She always thought his whole alternative look was so cute when she was younger. Her friends always told her she was sexiest for this reason. Sometimes, Lilly wondered why she kept those people around who didn't understand what a preference was and deemed everything to be sexist or some type of phobic if they disagreed with a preference, especially when no one could pinpoint what causes a person to have preferences or gender attraction. Many theories have been pointed to, like a person's surroundings, upbringing, geographical location, cultural background, religious beliefs, and education, all have been looked at, but nothing anyone could say, 'Uh ha, this is what causes it 100%'.
At this point, Lilly thought that back in her world, she watched way too much streaming TV than anything else. But with her work schedule, what else was there to do when one got off after a long, hard day? Plus, she was the type who, if a person looked or sounded familiar, would eat away at her until she looked their actor up and saw how many shows she had sent them in.
Lilly thought on it some more and was certain talking to Mary about the events that would encourage her to open up and to recognize that she had someone else in her corner. Still, she would have to tell a massive fib about how she had knowledge of the incident in question. She thought against the idea for a moment but quickly came to the conclusion that discussing the matter wouldn't change future events as he died like he was supposed to. Plus, it's only talking, after all. She hated that she couldn't do anything about Kemal and Mary, but her hands were tried. Events must play out as they did on the show. Sure, there was a lot of heartache along their journey, but in the end, everyone turned out happy, and Lilly didn't want to chance any of that. She had grown fond of the characters over the years of watching them. Even more so now that she was in their world. She had got to know everyone firsthand. She still wondered from time to time how she ended up here and how she would get back, but the thing was, would she even want to go back if the time even arose?
Lilly shook her head to brush those throughs aside as she got up from her snowy wing-back chair, placed the book titled "An Adventure" on the hazelnut circular end table next to one of her windows, straightened her beryl-colored skirt, and left her room determined to find Mary. All the while, she tried to devise a fabrication or something she could mention to get Mary to discuss things without coming up with the truth. It would not matter if she spoke the truth about how she had come to know about the events. Mary would have thought her to be mad and call for Dr. Clarkson. After an hour of searching and rationalizing, she located Mary scanning the paper alone on one of the two cardinal couches in the library.
Her bronzed hair was in its usual updo, a typical style for young ladies of the 1910s. Her cream blouse almost matched the fairness of her skin when paired with her indigo-colored skirt, which made it look even more so. The only thing that bothered Lilly about this picture was the look in Mary's earthy eyes. They were glazed over, seeming to be far from this world. It wordlessly spoke volumes of sadness. None of it was a part of Mary's character in the two years Lilly had gotten to know this warm woman, who only acted cold as ice, seated right in front of her. Her eyes did everything but read the black-and-white words on the paper in front of her face. Lilly took a deep breath and summoned the courage to speak before the paper burst into flames from Mary's unforced gaze, which in a room full of books would have been too great of a loss. Lilly smiled softly as she thought she had to save those poor books from that fiery fate, but it fell again when she got close enough to Mary.
"There you are, Mary. Let's take a stroll out in the garden. The weather is lovely, and it should do us some good to take in the fresh air and sunlight." Lilly proposed as sweetly as she could muster while contemplating how to bring up the sensitive subject matter, knowing she had to tread gingerly while not giving anything away that may change the future. She walked ahead and came to a stop in front of Mary. Mary looked up before nodding in silent agreement. She leisurely folded the paper before setting it on the sofa, standing up, and coming to Lilly's side. Lilly linked her arm with Mary's and guided the way through the massive glass doors of the library that lead to the back flourishing gardens.
Both felt the warm spring afternoon sunlight on their skin as they entered the heavenly garden, removing any chill from their bodies they might have had from being inside for an extensive period of time. It was Lilly's favorite time of year, and anything felt possible on these captivating days. Lilly took a moment to adore the marvelous blossoms in every shade of color imaginable from the emerald bushes.
She envied the Downton gardener and his expertise in growing everything flawlessly. She also struggled to get anything other than herbs to grow in her other life. She has tried, but she felt the heat might have been too much for her poor night sky petunias and numerous pepper plants, even if the plant's instructions said they needed direct sunlight for 6-12 hours daily. The poor plants didn't seem to benefit from it, so she tried to give them only the morning light when it wasn't too hot and then put them into the shade in the afternoon when the heat started to kick in. Nothing seemed to work for the poor, ill-fated plants. She decided at that moment she needed to pick his brain for tips so that once she was married and managing her own house, she could try tending to a garden again and cut down on things to buy for the house.
It was a comfort to know that no matter what time one finds themselves in and no matter the class, everyone likes to save money, especially throughout the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Hell, there was a manual written by Mrs. Beeton as a guide for the housewife to cut costs and increase savings on everything. To use everything repeatedly in a multitude of ways until there was nothing left and had to go to the rag and bone man.
"Mary, I know how saddened you are over Mr. Pamuk's sudden death. It must have been so distressing for you. I'm truly sorry for your heartache, and I don't believe you deserve to feel it." Lilly said flatly as she ultimately bit the bullet. Mary needed to know she had someone on her side, and Lilly supported anything between Mary and Mr. Pamuk, even if she didn't honestly know what happened between them.
The show suggested that it was sexual, which in Lilly's world meant pretty much nothing. Probably something further than second, maybe third base at best. Pamuk even said she would still be a virgin for her husband, so a home run is out of the question. In this world, however, all of that would be the same level as intercourse and would be disgraced as such. Lilly was no feminist by any means, but even she thought that was heatless. She always had to remind herself that you can't glance at the past through the lens of the acceptable in future if this world followed the trends from the world she came from.
Mary looked downward at her youngest sister, slightly astonished, as all the color drained from her face, making her seem like a specter rather than a living, breathing person. She swiftly remembered who she was in the presence of Lilly and that she was the most understanding person in this family besides her twin, Sybil. She had always been closer to Lilly than any of her other sisters. She never knew why, but perhaps it was simply that Lilly always saw the world differently, as if she was much older and wiser than she had been in her seventeen years of life. She knew the world was never just black or white, but all gray as there were always two sides to every story, and that the only difference between the good guy and the bad guy was the reader when they are presented with the facts to make their mind up. Mary was appreciative of that. She looked back to the garden.
"I don't know if it was anything like love, but there was something there…maybe puppy love, if anything. A silly girl falling for a handsome smile and charming words. A story as old as time, I'm afraid." Mary declared sullenly as she moved her hands behind her back, grasping them together, not taking her eyes off the bewitching vision before her. No matter how stunning it seemed, it did little to lighten her heart or the secrets within it. Lilly nodded before speaking, fighting the urge to pick at her navy dress out of nervousness.
"It is, but I thought you had some slice of happiness. I mean, you felt you didn't have much choice when it came to Patrick. After all, he was the heir, and then everyone is throwing Matthew at you because he is the new heir, which I think you should give it a try. See what happens; it might take you by surprise." Lilly sighed, trying to get Mary to see that she had to be with Matthew and find the love she sought. Still, then again, this was stubborn Mary Crawley she was dealing with, knowing she would fight every step of the way until she finally gave in only to live happily ever after…if only for a while before the terrible accents that will take Matthew, but once she let go of Matthew's ghost, she'll have happiness again, even a new loving husband and a second child.
Mary looked down at her sister as they ceased their stroll and faced each other. Mary knew that everyone desired them to be together. It was a match everyone encouraged, but she didn't feel that way towards him. After Patrick, she told herself she wished to marry for love or at least someone who would be her companion, which was the more likely of the two to happen.
Matthew could be the latter part for sure, but it was clear to see, even for someone like Mary, who would be the one to hold his heart even if he or the young woman in front of her didn't know it yet. She has seen every look he sent her direction. The way he lit up as she walked into the room. He even noticed her absence when she silently left it.
Mary just wanted to sit and watch as events unfolded for them like a film at the cinema. There was just a little over a year until Lilly and Sybil come out, but she was sure that as soon as Lilly was out in society, big things would come, mainly from Matthew if Mary was reading him right.
It didn't matter that he was a little older than Lilly, as she was almost eighteen, and once she and Sybil were presented, everything would be above board. Mary has even seen some young debutants out at sixteen or seventeen marrying men in their mid-thirties. It wasn't unusual for their lot, but if Lilly would agree, then at least she would have someone who cared for her, which in their circle was rare. Most couples ignored each other, while others tried to make the best of it only to spend their time fighting and hating each other. She didn't want any of that for someone as kind as Lilly or Sybil. They were too pure for this world, but Mary, on the other hand, would take it if she had to, and if it was in place of her two youngest sisters, then she would do it gladly.
"That may be, but I feel like there are other events on the horizon for me, and we will just have to see where things take us," Mary said with a small smile at the corner of her lips at the thought of Lilly and Matthew.
"Mary, I wanted to talk about the night Mr Pamuk died," Lilly said, a little anxious. Not knowing how to say it, she just blurted it out. She could feel Mary stiffen next to her. Her smile fell, and the color drained from her face again. The deer caught in headlights looked into her eyes, letting Lilly know Mary was alarmed by her statement.
"There is nothing to talk about." Mary lied straightaway, but sadly, her heart jumped right up into her throat, beating violently like a caged animal while the blood in her veins turned to ice. Lilly's sight was still fixed on her "sister" as she stepped closer. She looked around to make sure no one was nearby who could easily hear what was about to be said.
"I saw Mama, Anna, and you carry a body from your room, Mr Pamuk's body. He died in your room, didn't he," Lilly ripped the bandaid right off. It was much better than the dancing around the subject.
Mary swallowed hard, fearful as if waiting for the malicious words to come from her little sister's lips as if they would come from others later. A social pariah that is what she becomes. No self-respecting person would tolerate her in their presence. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. I don't look at you any differently than before, but I want you to know that if you need someone to talk to about the events that happened before and after, I will be here for you." Lilly finished as she grasped her sister's hand, seeing the relief that washed over her face as she relaxed again. Mary felt slightly remorseful, thinking someone like Lilly could think of her differently.
Lilly wouldn't let this secret chase her around and attack her soul. In the show, Mary is always so scared that it will all come out into the open before it eventually does, which always makes Lilly's heart go out to Mary. However, Lilly wanted this one thing not to go the way the show did. Perhaps if Mary felt she had another friend, she could find happiness with Matthew sooner and not be with Richard Carlisle for long.
Oh, Richard Carlisle to Lilly was a nasty piece of work there. She never liked it from the first moment he was on screen, but again, she had to give it up to Iain Glen, for he is such a great actor to make you hate the character. His best part was in Game of Thorns as Ser Jorah Mormont. Downton had a knack for hiring great actors and actresses who could either make you love or hate their characters. The most prominent example is Imelda Staunton, who is known as Maud Bagshaw. When Imelda played Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter, she became the most hated character, even over Ralph Fiennes's Voldemort, and that was saying something. It was also a shock when Lilly learned that Imelda was married to the actor Jim Carter, who played Mr. Carson.
"Thank you, my dear, dear Lilly. I don't deserve a sister like you," Mary said, taking hold of Lilly's hand and holding it firmly. She was trying to convey her level of gratitude before they carried on with their wandering and relished more pleasant topics of conversation.
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After everyone had retired for the night, Thomas commenced to clean up and straighten everything in the drawing room so it could be organized for the morning. He began to collect all the drinking glasses in the room when he was spooked by the sound of the door opening. In the faint light of the few electric lights left lit, he straightened up, thinking it was his lordship, but was pleasantly astonished when the shadowy form of Lilly stepped into the room. She was dressed in her ivory night dress covered by her ivory silk robe with corresponding slippers on her feet. Even in the dim illumination of the room after the fire had been put out, the shadowy darkness at the edge of the room could do nothing to hide her loveliness from the world.
"Oh, Thomas, I'm sorry I didn't think anyone would be here. I forgot my book and only remembered it when I read in here earlier in the day." Lilly exclaimed, a little self-conscious to be seen in such a state of dress. After her walk with Mary, she went back to her room. Still, she thought that reading downstairs would have more agreeable lighting, and with the library having too many people for her preference, she came down to the drawing room where Cora normally would do her needlework.
At first, Thomas didn't know what to say or do. He was amazed she was able to see him clearly as most of his work attire helped him blend into the nothingness of the shadows that encompass the manor at night, especially in a tremendous room like this where the fire had died out, leaving only the soft illumination from the few electric lights. They didn't help that much in a room this size. From what he could see, her long pin, straight hair cascaded down her back to her waist, with the shorter front pieces framing her oval face just so that it made his heart skip a beat. Nothing ornate, just her most fundamental appearance, yet she still looked like an untouchable angel from heaven, which was far too good for this corrupt earth. He swallowed thickly before replying.
"Don't worry about it, my lady. I'm only picking up the drawing room. Let me look around for you, and I will find your book." He told smoothly as he started to move his head around, trying to spot any sign of the book. It was the drawing room, so an out-of-place book wouldn't be too difficult to find, or so he thought, but she only waved it off.
"I can help with that. It will go much faster with two people, and you can get to bed sooner as the hour is already late. Somewhere along the way, we will come across the book. Two birds, one stone, so to speak." She shrugged off as she began to pick a couple of glasses that still had some liquor left in them from some random guest they had entertained for the night. She always thought it was a waste, even if it was watered to keep everyone from getting drunk. They never poured much into their glass and drank even less than that.
"No, my lady, you shouldn't be doing that." He started to say, but the look Lilly gave him stopped him from entirely telling her what he wanted as it wasn't her job; it was his, and a lady such as herself in excellent standing shouldn't be doing this sort of work. She is the daughter of a noble Earl of a great house such as this…it was beneath her to do any labor.
"I know I shouldn't, but me helping won't hurt anything, and besides, I do a lot of housework, like stripping and making my bed, cleaning my room, keeping the hearth nice and tidy, dusting, and handling my clothes. Baking, as you well know, and I even wash the dishes when I can get away with it. None of it has killed me yet, so I don't think helping tidy up here will be the thing that will." She listed as she waved his concern off as she placed the glasses on the drink tray on one of the cherry wood end tables before walking off to find more, not even looking in his direction to see such an astonished look on his face. There was a lot more due to the small dinner party hosted recently. She knew he would never say anything to Mr. Carson about her little activities. That man didn't need any more unneeded stress in his life.
Thomas stood there in slight amusement. He didn't know she knew how to do much other than baking a few things here and there for everyone's birthday, but he never would have imagined she knew how to do ordinary housework or that anyone would let her. Yet he watched her pick up more glasses before setting them on the tray. He snapped out of his daze and began doing the same. She was full of surprises, and he never knew what she would do next. He found that he liked being kept on his toes by her. If he discovered more about her, he bet it would not even begin to starch the surface. Thomas felt he could live with the ever-growing mystery of Lilly Crawley.
They made small talk as they toiled, telling each other about the day's events and funny anecdotes. Before either of them knew it, everything was picked up and neat as it should have been. Thomas held on to the book she was looking for. He had found it shortly after he started tidying up again but kept it to the end to spend more time with her. He never knew why he wanted to. He was sure she had more important things to do than talking to someone as lowly as he was. It seemed she always tried to talk to him… well, everyone downstairs, but that was beside the point. When it came to her, he was like a ravenous dog begging for every scrap of food he could get from the table. It was never enough to satisfy his appetite.
"Well, my lady looks like it is cleaned up, and I thank you for your assistance. I will take the trays downstairs and leave you to your evening." He said as he handed her the book, and she took it from him. He felt the warmth of her skin through his pristine, thick white gloves as it sent a bolt of electricity up and down his spine. The feeling was exhilarating, and as he let go, the withdrawal began to set in. He wanted more, knowing he shouldn't, but he stayed silent.
Lilly looked up at the taller young man. Sometime during their clean-up, a bit of his side-swiped bangs fell into his eyes as the hair cream he had used early that morning began to wear off. Lilly held his gaze for a moment before reaching over, raising her hand, and pushing the pieces of inky black hair back into the place as best she could without more hair cream while not breaking eye contact. Both were dumbfounded by the other. Lilly pulled her hand back, uncomfortable by what she had done; it wasn't a bad feeling, more like she became shy unexpectedly. Standing in front of him in the dull, dim servant stairwell. Nothing like the way Lilly would have looked under said unflattering light.
"Nothing for you to worry about, just looking forward to hitting the hay earlier after a long, grueling day, same as anybody." As he walked past her, he stated he was not in the mood for her to bring down his high. She watched his back as he went deeper into the servants' area, confused by his mood and how he finished cleaning up the drawing room so fast after a party. Still, in the end, she decided it wasn't worth pursuing the truth tonight and went to the servant's quarters and up to her room.
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The next morning, the sun was just as bright as the day before, and with the promise of warmer weather, Lilly found herself walking in the village, running errands for Cora and Robert. She didn't mind as usual; she didn't have anything to do, and on a day like today, it was nice to find something to do outside in the sunlight and fresh air. She was happy wearing a lightweight midnight skirt, snowy blouse, and matching inky lightweight coat on this warm spring day. She smiled a bit as she adjusted the small black hat, ensuring it was tilled more to the side of her updo to help keep her vision clear that she had knowingly "borrowed" from Mary's room. She knew Mary wouldn't be crossed by the action and would only playfully scold her if anything.
Lilly looked back to the road and saw that it was slowly starting to fill up with people getting their day started, either going to work, running errands, or opening their shops if they hadn't already, the children running off to school shortly after bidding their parents' goodbye for the day. This little village was a vast difference from her life in the city, where you didn't have to walk everywhere and could get to places by bus or order a car on Uber or Lyft if you didn't have one or, in her friend's case, didn't feel like driving yourself. Stores everywhere, along with places to eat anything you could want, weren't far away, but out here, everything was simpler, and you had to walk everywhere, which wasn't a bad thing as it was a great deal safer than in her world. She didn't know which she liked better. She was used to the city, but it had its charm at a slow pace here.
A small but shrill bell chiming behind her broke her out of her thoughts as Matthew came up alongside her on the path before stopping, getting off his bike, and walking with it. His golden hair, seen from under his hat, shone bright in the sun like gold straw, but it looked so much softer.
"Morning Cousin Lilly, what brings you to the village at this hour?" Matthew as he smiled down at the shorter woman on the side of him. He was dressed in a dark ash three-piece suit with a matching hat. The outfit in question made his hair and beautiful icy sapphire eyes stand out brighter than before. His caramel-colored briefcase was strapped to the back of his bike, suggesting he was on his way to work as it was a Tuesday.
"Mama wanted me to send a telegram to Grandmama in New Port. The post over in America is slow, and Mama said she was anxiously awaiting a reply to her letter. Papa asked me to pick up a package that had arrived since I was coming down anyway, and it happened to be along the way. Plus, I wanted to browse the local bookshop for something fun to read." Lilly stated, knowing that Cora was making plans for Mary if the whispers going around London were found to be true. Right now, she believes everyone thought of them as mere rumors, but within months, the rumors will be too hard to ignore, as she had seen in the show, but it was good to see that Cora was trying to stay one step ahead.
"You're different from your sisters. I doubt I would see one of them running errands unless it was for themselves…well, everyone other than Sybil. I'm sure she would if asked, but today, I'm happy that it is you I see this morning." He said, delighted, as he grinned at the young woman before him. He was delighted to see her, as most of the time, he ended up with Mary or Edith, so moments like this talking to only her were rare.
He understood why, as everyone wanted him with Mary, and on paper, they made sense, but in his heart, they didn't. He did think he knew where his heart was leading him, but he was sure it would only end with disappointment as he had heard that the Crawley twins had lines of possible prospects ahead of their coming out. Looking at Lilly and her kindness, it wasn't hard to see why her beauty made him take notice but looks only get you so far. Her personality drew people into her web and kept them there without a fight.
"That she would, but I don't mind exercise is good for the mind, body, and, I dare say, the soul. Are you off to catch your work train?" She asked as she looked down at his bike and briefcase.
"Yes, I am, but I'm afraid I'm too early than normal, so I have some time. May I accompany you on your errands until they are finished or until I need to catch my train?" He asked as he checked his watch. He was right on time for his train at the expected time, but he would catch the next one to Ripon and still be on time for work. Even if he had been late, he would have made up an excuse, and if faced with any punishment, it would have been well worth spending a moment in her company.
"In that case, I would be delighted," Lilly said happily as she enjoyed his company and looked into his dreamy cobalt eyes, the same color as the sky above. She has always loved his eyes on the show, even more so when she sees Dan on Vamps playing the son of a vampire hunter who ends up with a vampire. It was a cute movie, but she wasn't too fond of his role in Beauty and the Beast when Disney made the live-action one. It could be that Beauty and the Beast was her favorite movie, so maybe that is why she held the newer movie to a higher standard, or maybe there wasn't enough screen time with him being human and tons where he was doing a voice-over. She needed to remember sometimes that this was Matthew and not Dan.
They spent an hour and a half together finishing all the errands. He even helped her pick out a few good books and told her about his job and what he has been doing since becoming a small-town lawyer before leaving to catch his train to begin his work day. Lilly was envious that he had somewhere to go during the week.
If she could ever get a job during this time, she wouldn't complain like she would about her job back in her world. Eight hours of going into an office wasn't bad, but the time they wanted after the allotted working hours got her. She usually wouldn't even look at her work email unless it was an emergency project that needed help after working hours. It also didn't help that most of her friends didn't work Monday through Friday jobs like she did, so she didn't get much friend time. So she took any time she had free to spend with friends after work or family on the weekends, but she did love her alone time with her pets where she could cook and catch up on her shows or rewatch her favorites when she finished new episodes. Her life wasn't glamorous by any means; it was all very typical, so it wasn't fascinating compared to some of her friends. It was better than sitting around trying to find something to do that was driving her insane, she thought, and she started walking back to the Abbey.
A/n: Well, this chapter is what it is. I'm not 100% happy with it, but I guess I have to be happy with it because I have rewritten it many times over a year and many other chapters for the same reason. It has gone back and forth between being a Thomas or Matthew chapter, but I think the small bits at the end were a compromise, so it's a both-men chapter. The next one will be more of a Matthew chapter for all you Matthew lovers out there. I can't believe I only came up with 15 pages for this chapter. The others I had written were 14-25 pages, but oh well. Also, on my profile, there is a poll, and I would love to know what you think, so please take some time to check it out. It may or may not help with how the story will go. I'm undecided about it right now.
Also, check out "An Adventure." It's an excellent read. It was published in 1911, and it's about two academic women who visited Versailles in 1901 and believed they stepped back into the time of Marie Antoinette. I haven't read it in a while, so I will pull it out when I get home next week. I don't think they were crazy, and there probably are cracks in time that we can slip through. I mean, real life is often much stranger than fiction.