The Journey of Living at Downton

Chapter 11: Early 1918

A/N: Don't know whether you have noticed but I decided to largely reword this as I feel writing in the third Person will be better than first. I had been writing in third in another of my stories and it felt weird writing this in first and I felt restricted.

Plus I realised I had put a character's name from one of my other stories instead of writing Emma before the change. All fixed now.😅

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Things are beginning to settle though there are still tensions between Lady Grantham and Mrs Crawley.

Second Lieutenant Prior had left a couple of weeks earlier though Emma knows he and Sybil had been writing letters. Sadly he is being sent back to the front. This causes Emma to do something she hadn't done before, praying to God for his return.

Emma is moving towels around or walking through with a clipboard checking things.

"The men are putting on a concert." She hears Lady Edith say as she walks into the Great Hall with a clipboard in her hands.

"Can I help?" Mrs Crawley asks desperately. Emma cringes as she thinks about Major Clarkson's round that was done without her. She hovers waiting for her opportunity to approach.

"Edith has it under control." Lady Grantham replies from where she is faffing about at a table. The woman has been trying to wiggle out her counterpart.

"I do if Mary's willing." Lady Edith calls up to the woman who has begun walking up the stairs.

"Oh, all right." Lady Mary groans. "One song, and that's your lot." She continues walking up and her sister walks out of the room.

"What time is Dr Clarkson's round?" Mrs Crawley asks.

"It's already happened."

"Without me? Why? I'm not very late." Emma feels sorry for the woman.

"We didn't see the need to wait. Mrs Hughes," Mrs Hughes walks over to her, "I need to steal you for a minute. I have to check the linen books."

"But I went over them last week." Mrs Crawley butts in.

"Very good, milady. I'll get started." Mrs Hughes awkwardly replies as she leaves.

"Surely I can—"

The Countess interrupts her again. "Emma, here's the sheets you wanted." Emma nods gratefully, partly due to getting the sheets so she can cross that off her list and mostly to do with getting out of the room. "Anna, can you tell Mrs Patmore it'd be easier for me to go through the menus this afternoon."

"Of course, Your Ladyship." Emma hears Anna say from where she and Gemma are cleaning the Outer Hall.

——

Emma is walking through the Recreation room, handing something to an officer saying he had dropped it when she hears giggling. She turns to see Ethel leaning close to Major Bryant who is sitting in a chair by the fireplace with another officer.

Emma frowns. She has noticed this before but Ethel has ignored her warnings and if Emma wasn't so busy with the Convalescence home as well as the Hospital, she would have more time to interfere.

"Ethel, have you nothing to do?" Lady Edith calls from where she is handing out parcels. Ethel leaves just as Mrs Hughes enters.

"I was keeping her talking. You mustn't blame her." Major Bryant says.

"I don't."

Mrs Hughes looks disapprovingly at Major Bryant and walks away. Emma shakes her head and continues working.