Fic : DA : Lending Library Chapter 2/3
Title :Lending Library
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Summary : At his wife's behest, a young Lord Grantham attempts to exert his relatively newfound authority ... over his mother.
Chapter 2
Despite several pointed looks from his wife, it wasn't until the entree that Robert broached the subject with Mama.
“We've had a bit of a drama - a mystery, if you will - the past few days, Mama. The whole household has been turned upside down looking for a missing item.”
The Dower Countess looked disapprovingly at her son. “When your father was alive we never had as much as a bottle of wine go missing. And do you know why?”
“Because people respected Papa.” Robert answered.
“More pertinently -” His mother corrected him. “- they knew better than to cross him. The first time something went missing after he became Earl of Grantham, he found the thieves and he made an example of them.”
Robert deciphered his mother's cryptic words for his wife. “He buried the robbers alive.”
Cora glanced between her husband and her mother-in-law looking for the slightest hint that they might be having her on. Not finding any, she stated the obvious. “That seems rather excessive. Over a bottle of wine?”
“It wasn't over a bottle of wine.” Lady Grantham sighed. “Just because I said not so much as a bottle of wine went missing doesn't mean it was over a bottle of wine.”
Robert filled in the detail his wife was missing. “Grave robbers were plaguing the village cemetery.”
Refusing to concede anything to her mother-in-law, Cora repeated herself. “I still think that response was excessive.”
Tilting her head in her usual imperious manner, the Dower Countess shot back tartly. “Perhaps it was, but on the other hand you might feel differently on the matter if it were your father to go missing.”
Her mouth dropping open in an unladylike manner, Cora glanced to her husband.
Robert nodded morosely. “Body snatchers got Grandpapa.”
Having succeeded in putting her daughter-in-law in her place, the Dower Countess sounded almost wistful as she reminisced. “It happened before we were married but an example like that, you can be assured the villagers and the staff never forgot it. It set the tone for his tenancy.”
Back to business, she added. “When you find the culprit, you will need to make an example of him - and a harsh one at that.”
For once, Cora agreed wholeheartedly with her mother-in-law, but Robert looked at his mother hesitantly.
“Now don't look at me like that, Robert. You know me - I'm a lamb. I don't suggest something quite that draconian, but if you make an example of the culprit the first time something happens you can ward off a great deal of trouble for the future.”
“We're not entirely sure yet that there is a culprit to be found.” Robert responded. “As it turns out, there might not actually be anything missing.”
His mother looked at him impatiently. “Well is there or isn't there?”
Robert took a deep, bracing breath before pushing forward. “Mama, did you take the new Sherlock Holmes book out of the library?”
“Yes, I did, but don't change the subject.”
“He didn't.” Cora gloated.
Catching on to the implication, the Dower Countess lowered her fork. “Am I to be drawn and quartered?”
“No Mama, of course not.”
Frostily, she responded. “I'm sorry, I did not realize that I lost library privileges along with my husband when he died.”
“Well of course you are still welcome to use the library -”
“- How kind of you.” Her voice dripping with sarcasm, his mother interrupted.
When Robert glanced her way, Cora gave a small nod of encouragement.
Bolstered, Robert continued. “- But I would appreciate it if you would sign out the books you take.”
“Do you think I won't bring them back?”
“Of course not, Mama! It's just that we couldn't find it and Cora was worried sick that there might be a thief in the house.”
With a not at all veiled look of disgust, Lady Grantham looked from her son to his wife. “Surely you two realize that if there were a thief in the house, they would take something more valuable, more marketable?”
“It's not just that. Pakison spent an entire day searching through the library.”
“Did he have something better he could have been doing with his time? Why on earth did you feel the need to hire a full time librarian?! We don't own that many books and the maids are the ones that dust the ones we do have. What does he do all day?”
“That's not the point, Mama. It's that we had a lot of unnecessary drama the past few days over that book. If you had simply put your name in the ledger, we could have avoided all that.”
“You could also have avoided all that by simply asking me if I had it when you first decided it was missing.”
Getting exasperated, Robert became somewhat glib with his mother. “Mama, I'm not asking you to leave collateral. Just write down the names of the volumes you take. I don't think that's unreasonable.”
Cora's heart soared with pride.
Lady Grantham silently stared down her son.
The silence at the table stretched out uncomfortably.
When Robert finally opened his mouth to break the silence, his mother beat him to it.
“Go to your room.”
“Mama -”
“- Go to your room.”
“Mama -”
“- Go to your room or I will ask Carson to take you there.”
“Mama, I am the Earl of Grantham. You can no longer send me to bed without my supper like -”
“- Like I am your mother?” The Dower Countess raised an eyebrow. “Watch me. Carson -”
When Cora - finding her heart now in her throat - dared a glance to their butler, wringing his hands, the always nonplussed Carson looked disconcerted.
“- Mama! I am the Earl of Grantham! Carson is my butler now! If you give him an order and I give him an order which of us do you honestly think he will listen to?”
Crisply, his mother replied. “If you are so confident of the answer to that then stay here because we are about to find out! Carson -”
Cora closed her eyes in frustration as her husband stood and throwing his napkin down on the table complied with his mother's order.
Opening them back up, she found her mother-in-law now staring at her.
“Don't think that I don't realize that this has your sticky fingerprints all over it.”
tbc
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Summary : At his wife's behest, a young Lord Grantham attempts to exert his relatively newfound authority ... over his mother.
Chapter 2
Despite several pointed looks from his wife, it wasn't until the entree that Robert broached the subject with Mama.
“We've had a bit of a drama - a mystery, if you will - the past few days, Mama. The whole household has been turned upside down looking for a missing item.”
The Dower Countess looked disapprovingly at her son. “When your father was alive we never had as much as a bottle of wine go missing. And do you know why?”
“Because people respected Papa.” Robert answered.
“More pertinently -” His mother corrected him. “- they knew better than to cross him. The first time something went missing after he became Earl of Grantham, he found the thieves and he made an example of them.”
Robert deciphered his mother's cryptic words for his wife. “He buried the robbers alive.”
Cora glanced between her husband and her mother-in-law looking for the slightest hint that they might be having her on. Not finding any, she stated the obvious. “That seems rather excessive. Over a bottle of wine?”
“It wasn't over a bottle of wine.” Lady Grantham sighed. “Just because I said not so much as a bottle of wine went missing doesn't mean it was over a bottle of wine.”
Robert filled in the detail his wife was missing. “Grave robbers were plaguing the village cemetery.”
Refusing to concede anything to her mother-in-law, Cora repeated herself. “I still think that response was excessive.”
Tilting her head in her usual imperious manner, the Dower Countess shot back tartly. “Perhaps it was, but on the other hand you might feel differently on the matter if it were your father to go missing.”
Her mouth dropping open in an unladylike manner, Cora glanced to her husband.
Robert nodded morosely. “Body snatchers got Grandpapa.”
Having succeeded in putting her daughter-in-law in her place, the Dower Countess sounded almost wistful as she reminisced. “It happened before we were married but an example like that, you can be assured the villagers and the staff never forgot it. It set the tone for his tenancy.”
Back to business, she added. “When you find the culprit, you will need to make an example of him - and a harsh one at that.”
For once, Cora agreed wholeheartedly with her mother-in-law, but Robert looked at his mother hesitantly.
“Now don't look at me like that, Robert. You know me - I'm a lamb. I don't suggest something quite that draconian, but if you make an example of the culprit the first time something happens you can ward off a great deal of trouble for the future.”
“We're not entirely sure yet that there is a culprit to be found.” Robert responded. “As it turns out, there might not actually be anything missing.”
His mother looked at him impatiently. “Well is there or isn't there?”
Robert took a deep, bracing breath before pushing forward. “Mama, did you take the new Sherlock Holmes book out of the library?”
“Yes, I did, but don't change the subject.”
“He didn't.” Cora gloated.
Catching on to the implication, the Dower Countess lowered her fork. “Am I to be drawn and quartered?”
“No Mama, of course not.”
Frostily, she responded. “I'm sorry, I did not realize that I lost library privileges along with my husband when he died.”
“Well of course you are still welcome to use the library -”
“- How kind of you.” Her voice dripping with sarcasm, his mother interrupted.
When Robert glanced her way, Cora gave a small nod of encouragement.
Bolstered, Robert continued. “- But I would appreciate it if you would sign out the books you take.”
“Do you think I won't bring them back?”
“Of course not, Mama! It's just that we couldn't find it and Cora was worried sick that there might be a thief in the house.”
With a not at all veiled look of disgust, Lady Grantham looked from her son to his wife. “Surely you two realize that if there were a thief in the house, they would take something more valuable, more marketable?”
“It's not just that. Pakison spent an entire day searching through the library.”
“Did he have something better he could have been doing with his time? Why on earth did you feel the need to hire a full time librarian?! We don't own that many books and the maids are the ones that dust the ones we do have. What does he do all day?”
“That's not the point, Mama. It's that we had a lot of unnecessary drama the past few days over that book. If you had simply put your name in the ledger, we could have avoided all that.”
“You could also have avoided all that by simply asking me if I had it when you first decided it was missing.”
Getting exasperated, Robert became somewhat glib with his mother. “Mama, I'm not asking you to leave collateral. Just write down the names of the volumes you take. I don't think that's unreasonable.”
Cora's heart soared with pride.
Lady Grantham silently stared down her son.
The silence at the table stretched out uncomfortably.
When Robert finally opened his mouth to break the silence, his mother beat him to it.
“Go to your room.”
“Mama -”
“- Go to your room.”
“Mama -”
“- Go to your room or I will ask Carson to take you there.”
“Mama, I am the Earl of Grantham. You can no longer send me to bed without my supper like -”
“- Like I am your mother?” The Dower Countess raised an eyebrow. “Watch me. Carson -”
When Cora - finding her heart now in her throat - dared a glance to their butler, wringing his hands, the always nonplussed Carson looked disconcerted.
“- Mama! I am the Earl of Grantham! Carson is my butler now! If you give him an order and I give him an order which of us do you honestly think he will listen to?”
Crisply, his mother replied. “If you are so confident of the answer to that then stay here because we are about to find out! Carson -”
Cora closed her eyes in frustration as her husband stood and throwing his napkin down on the table complied with his mother's order.
Opening them back up, she found her mother-in-law now staring at her.
“Don't think that I don't realize that this has your sticky fingerprints all over it.”
tbc