Downton Abbey: The New Era's Wedding

Meetings and choices

'And now, Lord and Lady Grantham are coming here... and greeting me! "Thank you so much m'lord, m'lady" I might answer. Oh, I'm so excited! And... wait, where's my best man? Mh, let me turn around, and... oh! Here you are... Andrew? Are you my best man? "Yes, Mr Molesley, don't you remember it?", Oh YES, I'm so confused! I answer... but no, I don't remember... the music is starting, ohhh! The church is full of people and it's so well decorated...it's so exciting!!! But... what's happening? It's all clearer but I don't hear the music anymore... and... and...'.

Molesley woke up from his dream. The window in his bedroom was opened, and a fresh air embraced the area. Phyllis would have come in about half an hour: they had decided to have breakfast together. It was pretty early and he decided to get off the bed and have a walk near the cottage.

He had a good idea, because there weren't many people and the nature was filled with silence. Mr Molesley was truly considering to make Andy his best man.
While thinking this, he saw a woman's figure walking on his own way but some feet ahead. He didn't recognize her: she was wearing a black coat and dark hat, so that person would've been a woman of the village who liked walking alone in the early morning.
But he wasn't completely right.

When the woman was just a few feet far from Mr Molesley, she suddenly stopped and gasped, but tried to hide her own unexpected exclamation.
She wasn't in favour of light, and Molesley couldn't see her face, but he heard her saying: "Mr Molesley?".

Joseph couldn't believe to his ears. He blocked his walk and the two people stayed the one in front of the other in silence for a few seconds.

"M-miss O'Brien? What... I mean... what are you... uhm... doing... here? Weren't you in...?"
"India? Oh, yes. I was. Until a few days ago", she answered with her unchanged air of sufficiency.
"And... now, you're here"
"Until proven otherwise".
Molesley was perplexed. 'How many things are happening in these days? Should I have waited the week before my wedding to live such unexpected events?', he was thinking.
O'Brien anticipated him.
"I was fired. I spent all the time in India into the governor's estate without exploring any place. It's a nice country, but I knew absolutely nobody. That's why I decided to come back. Nice cheek to come here after escaping. But at least this is my house, I was born in Yorkshire, I must live here. I only hope Lady Grantham will never see me, I couldn't hold her gaze", she added, like she was thinking with high voice.
"But... why here if you're afraid of the situation? Why here and not... in London, perhaps!?", Molesley asked.
"I don't think I will ever get there. If you thought I would have come here without visiting Downton again, well in that case you don't know me".
Molesley didn't understand her philosophy. If he were her, he would've never come back in the place from which he had escaped without telling anyone. But he was sure she was hiding something, but didn't asked her about it: he only questioned how he could've helped her.
"Just don't tell the Crawleys that I'm here. I can visit the abbey at night, when nobody sees me. The estate had never been a family to me, but... I've missed it somehow".
"Your choice. But can I-I offer you something... to drink?"
"I'd like a cup of tea. I know it's early, but I'd like it very much", she said in a thoughtful voice. "Follow me into my cottage", Molesley said. She started walking next to him. 
"Your... cottage?"
"Many things changed since your left. Let me tell you what's going on here".

They entered Mr Molesley's cottage and he prepared a cup of tea for them both. Silence reigned in the house for a few minutes.
Miss O'Brien was the same as always, but her curly hair were a bit clearer; blue eyes and superficial look hadn't changed, but she was a bit kinder.

When Joseph came back with two cups of tea, he sat down at the table where O'Brien had already taken place.
"Pretty cottage, congratulations", she said with a rare smile.
"Oh, thank you. And, well... I started my new job, after Mr Matthew Crawley's death, as footman in the estate. Then, well... after a total fullness of events, I did my exams to become a teacher in the Downton School and they got good results, so I worked there. This is Mr Travis' cottage, he left the village. Since that moment I worked at Downton only for special events, as the King and Queen's visit two years ago, or the directing of a movie in the estate. And then I received a new job thanks to the director Jack Barber, who offered me to write his scripts. This is a total mess, I can't even believe it!".
O'Brien was visibly surprised, but she said nothing except of: "It is. Congratulations again".
"Well... in the meantime, Lady Mary married Mr Henry Talbot, a car racer who now... only sells cars; Lady Edith is now Marchioness of Hexham thanks to her marriage with Mr Herbert Pelham...".
Miss O'Brien was about to choke on tea. This was the most unexpected thing she could have ever heard.
"And... are you fine?", Mr Molesley asked, disquiet.
"Oh, yes, yes. I am. I was just... nothing, go on, please. And Mr Gregson? Everyone was sure Lady Ed... Hexham? Would've married him".
"Oh...", Molesley turned sad. "Mr Gregson was found dead in Germany. It was an awful, terrible event".
There were a few moments of silence, and Miss O'Brien was confused, almost as sad as Molesley, who preferred to tell her happier things.
"But, let's go on with this analysis, coming to something happier... we always need to be happy, don't we?... Uhm, well, so... Mrs Crawley is now Mrs Grey, Baroness Merton... oh, there are many more children in the family now".
"And Mr Branson?", she asked, impatiently.
"Oh, he's married with a lovely woman. Ms Lucy Smith, now Mrs Branson. They have a kid".
Miss O'Brien wasn't surprised and chuckled.
"And downstairs... Mrs Hughes is now Mrs Carson..."
"Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson are married?!", she asked widing her eyes.
"Yes, they are. It was a lovely wedding. Oh, and Daisy is Mrs Parker, married with a footman you haven't known. The Bates have a son, Johnny. He is a funny little boy.
"Mrs Patmore lives in her cottage with Mr Mason, and I'm about to get married to Miss Baxter, Lady Grantham's maid".
Miss O'Brien's eyes were, if possible, even more wided, but she controlled herself. "Your marriage? Here? Oh... congratulations for a third time... and...well, many things've changed, you were right...". She added, like it was the most important thing she wanted to discover, a sort of 'dulcis in fundo': "And Thomas?"
"He... he substituted Carson when he started his retirement, and has been the new butler until ten months ago, when he moved to America with actor Guy Dexter. They're both here now, for my wedding and another marriage they are attending in Italy..."

At the same moment, someone knocked the door.
"I think you're going to know my future wife... or what she is meant to be if everything will be alright", Joseph said, while standing up and walking to the door. Miss O'Brien didn't answer. She was reflecting on all the news she had just heard.

Molesley opened the door and exclaimed: "Phyllis! Guess who I've just met!"
"I have no idea", she said with a smile. "But... can I come in?"
"Oh, yes... excuse me...", he said, awkwardly, while letting her enter and closing the door. A sudden image of the previous day's kiss appeared in front of his eyes and made him smile, but the situation he was going through was so strange, that his grin hadn't been long. He helped her taking off the coat.
Phyllis took off her hat and laughed, with an encouraging look. "Show me your guest, then!"

They arrived together into the living room and Miss Baxter looked at Miss O'Brien. Phyllis was afraid that the woman was someone she already knew, but she didn't remember her. So she didn't talk, but her doubt was rapidly cancelled by Joseph.
"Phyllis, let me introduce you Miss O'Brien, the former Lady Grantham's maid", Molesley announced.
"Oh, I thought you were..."
"Not anymore", Miss O'Brien anticipated her, standing up. "This is a pleasure. Is it a good work... there?"
"It is, you should've known it even before my arrival. I hope", she said.
"I did know it, yes. Well, now I leave you, we shall meet each other on another day. Have a nice day...", she said starting her walk to the door.
"Can we offer you something else?", Phyllis questioned.
"No, thank you. I'm looking for a new job here and I have a colloquium".
She smiled for an instant and left the house, slamming the door.
"What...?", Baxter started.
"Oh, no, I don't know. Don't try to understand her. I have never done it", her fiancée replied.
"Maybe this is the thing you've mistaken", she remembered. "Do you think... will we see her again?"
"Sure. But she told that has come back here because this is her home... but I think there's something else we don't know...", he said, taking a sit.
Phyllis did the same. "Maybe we will understand it. I don't think that a person who hadn't seen her house for years can easily live there again like nothing has happened", she holded his hand.
"You're right", he anwered with a thoughtful voice. But away from all the strange events of the morning, his eyes turned luminescent when he remembered an important thing. "However, since we can do nothing to help her... let's concentrate on our wedding. I think I have decided who will be my best man!".
"Who's him, then?", she asked.
"Andrew".
"Oh...!", she exclaimed. "And why..."
"I'm going to tell you my dream since the beginning...", Molesley started.