"Anthea—darling, where have you been?"

"In the garden, Mama," The young woman replied, removing her gloves, and placing them gently upon the table beside the front door, before stepping further inside the foyer, and cocking a single auburn brow at her mother before going on, "Would you truly suspect me of being any place else?"

"I would rather suspect you of being in many other places, my dear. You spend far too much time out unguarded in the sun, and I am beginning to fear for your complexion."

"My complexion?"

"If you continue to carry about without a hat, you'll be brown as a nut in no time at all," Lady Rosamund Painswick chastised, her ivory brow furrowing in apparent distaste as she strode towards her daughter, and almost immediately set to the task of tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "You are a beautiful girl, Anthea. I will not see you wasting that beauty for frivolity out of doors."

"So, you would have me remain pale and wan, out of the sunlight?"

"I would have you wear a hat when needed, darling, that is all."

"I shall endeavor to remember that in future, Mama," Anthea conceded, her expression cautiously neutral as she turned from her mother's slightly taller frame, and moved instead towards the stairs that would lead up to her rooms. One hand had already lighted upon the bannister while her right foot lifted to rest upon the first of the stairs, before her mother spoke again, her words effectively freezing Anthea in place, and causing her to whirl back around with widened eyes in almost the same moment.

"I have written my brother, Anthea. He has agreed to permit you to stay with his family for the foreseeable future."

"I—he has? But why?"

"It seemed the prudent thing to do, my dear. With Sybil so near her debut, and you as well, I felt it may benefit you both to endure the preparations together," Rosamund informed, her expression unreadable despite the fact that her daughter endeavored to decipher it with all the faculties she possessed, "And besides, you have always adored your cousins—"

"And you have always adored the influx of gentlemen callers that may pass on to me in their company."

"Anthea! That is hardly fair."

"But it is the truth, is it not, Mama?" Anthea pressed, her hand still gripping the bannister while she warred with the anticipation she felt over seeing her dear cousins, and the simultaneous doubts inherent in what appeared to be an attempt at sending her away, "Is finding me a proper husband not your loftiest goal?"

"Whether it is or is not, you know better than to speak in such a way."

"And yet, here we are."

"Anthea, what has gotten into you?" Rosamund demanded, moving towards the staircase, herself, and reaching for her only daughter's hand as the girl began to turn away once more, "This sour reaction is entirely unlike you."

"On the contrary, Mama, it is exactly like me. I have simply been rather skilled at hiding this side of my nature until the present moment."

"Will you refuse to go, then? No matter the offense your Aunt and Uncle may take in the process?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then what, exactly, is the problem?"

In truth, Anthea wished she could manage some form of honest reply, if for no other reason than to earn what she hoped would be a lengthy silence on the manner of her as yet unsecured nuptials. But knowing her mother as she did, she was well aware that any remark she might make would fall upon deaf ears, Anthea settled instead for a soft sigh, and a slight relaxation of her shoulders before fixing a faint smile to her face as best she could while she made to reply.

"Nothing, Mama. Nothing at all. I fear perhaps my recent exposure to the sun has gone to my head after all, as you feared."

With such a remark out in the open, Rosamund emitted a knowing hum of agreement, one hand reaching to pat gently at a perceived wrinkle in her daughter's gown before she was stepping back to permit Anthea to resume the task of heading up the stairs. Listening to her daughter's muffled footfalls, Rosamund only spared a moment more in contemplation of her seemingly peculiar mood, before she was tilting her head to continue to watch Anthea's retreating form at the curve in the staircase, her voice lifting just a bit from its former volume to ensure that her daughter heard her words as she continued to move away.

"Shall I send Ellen to begin packing your things, dear?"

Whether the muffled reply was truly an affirmation, or a denial, Rosamund was all but determined to see it as the former, her expression nothing short of resolved as she turned and headed to the parlor to summon Ellen forthwith.

She could only hope in time, her daughter would come to see this change as a benefit, and not the petty meddling of a mother intent upon finding her daughter a man...

…

Hello there, angels! I know, I know…I've gone and done it again! I've fallen prey to another muse, and here we have the small exposition chapter that is the end result! I have to say, I'm going through a bit of a refresher in Downton Abbey, since I watched it way back when, but fell behind and then stopped watching altogether. So, I have to ask that you please bear with me as I regain my footing! I'll do my best not to mess anything up! I will say that, given my intended pairing for this little tale, it will end up being slightly AU. But I do hope that none of you mind that too much, because I am having a bit too much fun to stop now!

As always, my heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you that has decided to give this little guy a chance so far! I of course welcome any and all feedback that you are willing to give, including the sharing of ideas as to where you think this story should go! And of course, I appreciate your time, and support as well!

Until next time (I hope!)

MOMM