In the World of Downton Abbey

Chapter 16 - Disastrous Dinner

Mandy held her palm to her head. She had a horrible headache, and not just from what went on back at Downton and in her life romantically at the moment. She had been calculating the fees for the medicine, bedding, food, and other things the hospital needed in the coming week, and all that she had—and all that she had been using since she started working in the hospital—was a piece of paper, a pencil, and her own math skills.

"What I would give for a calculator..." she muttered.

"You look exhausted."

She looked up and saw George standing in the doorway, wearing his white doctor coat. He came and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. "That's because I am. Where I'm from, we have what's called a calculator. It's a little device that adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides for you without you doing any math yourself. I really would like one of those about now. I mean, I'm good at math, and I was trained to calculate by hand, but we all have our limits."

George eyed a very flustered Mandy. He leaned in and rested his folded arms on her desk in front of him. "I think you need a break. It's been a long day, and you're bushed. And so am I. Wait until you hear what ruptured on this man a few hours ago. It took a full hour to clean up the mess."

Mandy felt her lunch of garden salad and chicken soup come up, even though that was around five hours ago. "Oh gosh, I don't want to know. Keep your medical things to yourself."

"So, you are allowed to vent and not me?"

She eyed him for a moment and let out an exhausted breath. "Alright, I'm sorry. I just... I've had a lot on my plate lately."

"Does it have anything to do with the man you're seeing? The man from Downton?"

George didn't know about what went on with Matthew since she never told him. "No. Well... I suppose he's part of it. I just really need to see him."

"Then go out and see him. You've been cooped up in this office every day since you started working here two weeks ago. It think it's about time that you go and visit your sweetheart. It may do you some good."

Mandy dropped her pencil and leaned back in her seat. "Yeah, I know. I received a letter from my good friend Anna at Downton, and she said that everyone there misses me. At least the people downstairs do. I'm scared to go back there."

"Why?"

"Well... I suppose I can tell you since I consider you a good friend like Anna. Promise not to repeat this, though."

He put a hand over his heart. "I promise."

"Alright."

She commenced telling him about her arriving at Downton, getting the job, her fast romance with Thomas, the ordeal with the hairpin and who did what in that situation, and Thomas's proposal. She topped it off with her moving into Crawley House after Matthew kissed her in the village.

George sat back in his eat, wide-eyed. "Wow," was his summation of her story.

"I know, and I don't know what to do. I promised Thomas, and I broke that promise. He's waiting for my answer to his proposal when I know now that I can't accept him."

"Why can't you accept him?"

She wasn't ready to reveal where she was really from. "There are just... reasons. Anyway, that's why I've been lenient about going back to Downton."

"Why are you lenient about going back to Downton?" they heard a female voice say.

Both Mandy and George brought their attention to Mrs. Crawley who just walked in the door. Mandy made eyes at George and shook her head slightly, indicating she didn't want him to say anything. "Just the usual," Mandy said. "After what happened, I'm a bit afraid of going back."