Fic : DA : Lending Library Chapter 5,6, Epilogue (Complete)
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.
Status : Complete
A/N If you like italics just go read it on fanfiction.net
Chapter 5
Entering her husband's dressing room, a furious Cora found her husband sitting on the bed staring down at the floor. He looked as though he had already received the thorough scolding she had been about to give him.
As he glanced her way, she found his eyes looked rather like those of an already wounded animal that was anticipating the next strike.
Tamping down her anger, Cora sat beside him on the bed. Focusing not on her husband's failure to follow through, but on his initial effort, she kissed him.
Pulling back, she told him. “That was very brave of you standing up to your mother like that.”
Robert perked up. “It was, wasn't it?”
Cora forced a smile. Looking at her husband, it wasn't terribly hard to do.
“You know Cora, I was thinking ... technically Mama really should be out of half mourning by now. Perhaps when she comes to dinner we could invite a few other people. She tends to behave better when there are other people around.”
“Does she?” Cora wasn't so sure.
“Well ... no, not really, but that way she won't have just us to focus on.”
Cora would have preferred to just not have her mother-in-law to dinner, but as she doubted her husband would view that as a viable option, she agreed.
Curious, Cora asked. “Did you really think Carson would take you to your room?”
“I didn't care to find out.”
Cora had to admit that she was disappointed with that answer. “I know we've only had him for two years and he was with your mother for much longer than that -”
“- Cora, Carson has been with Mama longer than I have. He has always been her favorite and he adores her.” Robert marveled. “I still can't believe that she didn't take him with her to the Dower House.”
“But surely -”
“-It didn't seem worth the risk.”
Cora realized. “Carson would have had to go! We wouldn't be able to keep him. If you had stayed and if he had listened to your mother ...”
“Precisely.” Robert agreed. “It hardly seemed fair to put poor Carson on the spot like that and it certainly didn't seem worth it to risk losing him over a battle that had already been fought and lost over thirty years ago.”
Cora frowned. “And your mother knew that. She knew that either you would have to back down or she would leave with Carson. Either way she wins.”
“Cora, Mama always wins.”
“And there was no third option? One where Carson disobeyed her like you did?”
“Carson doesn't have a she-devil putting wicked ideas into his head as I do.” Robert jested.
Cora gave him her most withering glare.
It was much more effective on him than it was on his mother.
More somberly, he answered. “Cora, that would have been the absolute worst outcome.”
“How so?” Cora asked.
“That would have broken Mama's heart.”
Cora looked at her husband. With a sigh, she admitted. “You are a good son.”
Taking her hand, Robert countered. “I'm trying to be a good husband. I have told you before, Cora - She is my mother. You are my wife. You are the mother of my children. I will always support you on the important things, but this didn't seem to be one of them.”
“You think I overstepped?” Cora asked.
“I think we overstepped. In hindsight, it seems like a very petty thing to ask.”
Cora didn't dispute it.
Robert lifted her hand to his lips before going back to his earlier idea. “Now ... for dinner next week ... which of our neighbors do you think would be the easiest pickings for Mama?”
Cora chuckled and rested her head on her husband's shoulder.
tbc
Chapter 6
“Allow me, milady.” Carson offered to take the book from her hand so that rather than just settling her coat on her shoulders for the short ride to the Dower House, he could help the Countess put her arms through the sleeves.
Not in the least bit fooled, the Dowager Countess didn't take even a moment before commenting with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a smile. “You should have been a diplomat.”
Relenting, she held out the book to him. Taking it, he set it on the nearby table without so much as a glance at it.
“Oh Carson, I don't envy you - having to put up with that on a daily basis. She sighed before continuing. “But someone has to be here to look after Robert and my granddaughters.”
“I manage, milady.”
“Carson ...” As he moved behind her with her coat, concerned she asked him. “... Are they happy?”
“They are, milady.” Carson assured her. “The late Lord Grantham choose fittingly. They seem well-suited to each other.”
“They're both ninnies.” The Dowager Countess translated.
Carson hesitated. “I think that with time Lady Cora will learn to better pick her battles.” He hedged.
“Carson ...” More lightly, Lady Grantham inquired. “... what would you have done if my son hadn't gone of his own volition?”
As he slipped her coat onto her, Carson answered. “I would have pointed out how unwell his Lordship was looking - because at that point he was looking very unwell, milady. I would have asked if he required any assistance in getting to his room where he would doubtlessly have been more comfortable.”
The Dower Countess remarked warmly. “You certainly did miss your calling, Carson.”
Picking back up the book to return it to her, he glanced at the spine. “Dostoyevsky. I believe you are in for a treat, milady.”
“I am.” Lady Grantham agreed. “I have read it before many a time.”
“The classics never go out of style, milady.”
“No, they don't. Goodnight Carson.”
“Goodnight, Lady Grantham.”
Epilogue to Follow
Epilogue
Glancing down at the ledger in the library in preparation for writing a new entry, Robert called to his wife triumphantly. “It seems while I may have lost the battle, I won the war after all last night.”
He boasted. “Mama filled out the ledger.”
Wearing a look of disbelief, Cora approached to have a look for herself.
“No, she didn't.” Cora looked up at him irritated. “That's not your mother's handwriting. That's Carson's.”
Cora frowned at him. “Don't you know your own mother's handwriting?”
“I do, but I had hoped you didn't.” Robert admitted.
Suppressing a sigh, Cora declared. “I'm heading upstairs.”
As she started for the door with the book she had been reading still in her hand, Robert spoke up. “You didn't -”
Seeing his wife's glare, Robert stopped himself.
“No, I didn't and you aren't going to either! Not anymore! You are Lord Grantham! This is your house. This is your library! If you want a book, you take it! You answer to no one! Is that understood?”
“Yes, dear.” Robert agreed.
Finis
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Summary : At his wife's behest, a young Lord Grantham attempts to exert his relatively newfound authority ... over his mother.
Status : Complete
A/N If you like italics just go read it on fanfiction.net
Chapter 5
Entering her husband's dressing room, a furious Cora found her husband sitting on the bed staring down at the floor. He looked as though he had already received the thorough scolding she had been about to give him.
As he glanced her way, she found his eyes looked rather like those of an already wounded animal that was anticipating the next strike.
Tamping down her anger, Cora sat beside him on the bed. Focusing not on her husband's failure to follow through, but on his initial effort, she kissed him.
Pulling back, she told him. “That was very brave of you standing up to your mother like that.”
Robert perked up. “It was, wasn't it?”
Cora forced a smile. Looking at her husband, it wasn't terribly hard to do.
“You know Cora, I was thinking ... technically Mama really should be out of half mourning by now. Perhaps when she comes to dinner we could invite a few other people. She tends to behave better when there are other people around.”
“Does she?” Cora wasn't so sure.
“Well ... no, not really, but that way she won't have just us to focus on.”
Cora would have preferred to just not have her mother-in-law to dinner, but as she doubted her husband would view that as a viable option, she agreed.
Curious, Cora asked. “Did you really think Carson would take you to your room?”
“I didn't care to find out.”
Cora had to admit that she was disappointed with that answer. “I know we've only had him for two years and he was with your mother for much longer than that -”
“- Cora, Carson has been with Mama longer than I have. He has always been her favorite and he adores her.” Robert marveled. “I still can't believe that she didn't take him with her to the Dower House.”
“But surely -”
“-It didn't seem worth the risk.”
Cora realized. “Carson would have had to go! We wouldn't be able to keep him. If you had stayed and if he had listened to your mother ...”
“Precisely.” Robert agreed. “It hardly seemed fair to put poor Carson on the spot like that and it certainly didn't seem worth it to risk losing him over a battle that had already been fought and lost over thirty years ago.”
Cora frowned. “And your mother knew that. She knew that either you would have to back down or she would leave with Carson. Either way she wins.”
“Cora, Mama always wins.”
“And there was no third option? One where Carson disobeyed her like you did?”
“Carson doesn't have a she-devil putting wicked ideas into his head as I do.” Robert jested.
Cora gave him her most withering glare.
It was much more effective on him than it was on his mother.
More somberly, he answered. “Cora, that would have been the absolute worst outcome.”
“How so?” Cora asked.
“That would have broken Mama's heart.”
Cora looked at her husband. With a sigh, she admitted. “You are a good son.”
Taking her hand, Robert countered. “I'm trying to be a good husband. I have told you before, Cora - She is my mother. You are my wife. You are the mother of my children. I will always support you on the important things, but this didn't seem to be one of them.”
“You think I overstepped?” Cora asked.
“I think we overstepped. In hindsight, it seems like a very petty thing to ask.”
Cora didn't dispute it.
Robert lifted her hand to his lips before going back to his earlier idea. “Now ... for dinner next week ... which of our neighbors do you think would be the easiest pickings for Mama?”
Cora chuckled and rested her head on her husband's shoulder.
tbc
Chapter 6
“Allow me, milady.” Carson offered to take the book from her hand so that rather than just settling her coat on her shoulders for the short ride to the Dower House, he could help the Countess put her arms through the sleeves.
Not in the least bit fooled, the Dowager Countess didn't take even a moment before commenting with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a smile. “You should have been a diplomat.”
Relenting, she held out the book to him. Taking it, he set it on the nearby table without so much as a glance at it.
“Oh Carson, I don't envy you - having to put up with that on a daily basis. She sighed before continuing. “But someone has to be here to look after Robert and my granddaughters.”
“I manage, milady.”
“Carson ...” As he moved behind her with her coat, concerned she asked him. “... Are they happy?”
“They are, milady.” Carson assured her. “The late Lord Grantham choose fittingly. They seem well-suited to each other.”
“They're both ninnies.” The Dowager Countess translated.
Carson hesitated. “I think that with time Lady Cora will learn to better pick her battles.” He hedged.
“Carson ...” More lightly, Lady Grantham inquired. “... what would you have done if my son hadn't gone of his own volition?”
As he slipped her coat onto her, Carson answered. “I would have pointed out how unwell his Lordship was looking - because at that point he was looking very unwell, milady. I would have asked if he required any assistance in getting to his room where he would doubtlessly have been more comfortable.”
The Dower Countess remarked warmly. “You certainly did miss your calling, Carson.”
Picking back up the book to return it to her, he glanced at the spine. “Dostoyevsky. I believe you are in for a treat, milady.”
“I am.” Lady Grantham agreed. “I have read it before many a time.”
“The classics never go out of style, milady.”
“No, they don't. Goodnight Carson.”
“Goodnight, Lady Grantham.”
Epilogue to Follow
Epilogue
Glancing down at the ledger in the library in preparation for writing a new entry, Robert called to his wife triumphantly. “It seems while I may have lost the battle, I won the war after all last night.”
He boasted. “Mama filled out the ledger.”
Wearing a look of disbelief, Cora approached to have a look for herself.
“No, she didn't.” Cora looked up at him irritated. “That's not your mother's handwriting. That's Carson's.”
Cora frowned at him. “Don't you know your own mother's handwriting?”
“I do, but I had hoped you didn't.” Robert admitted.
Suppressing a sigh, Cora declared. “I'm heading upstairs.”
As she started for the door with the book she had been reading still in her hand, Robert spoke up. “You didn't -”
Seeing his wife's glare, Robert stopped himself.
“No, I didn't and you aren't going to either! Not anymore! You are Lord Grantham! This is your house. This is your library! If you want a book, you take it! You answer to no one! Is that understood?”
“Yes, dear.” Robert agreed.
Finis