April 1912

A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.

Clara scoffed as she closed the book, though she was careful not to bend any of the pages. Not that if mattered, though. From years of use, the book had acquired stains, tears, folds, and many other things that she pondered how they got there. Placing the book on her bedside table, Clara shuffled in the covers, trying to turn to face the window and groaning when her legs got tangled in the sheets. She pulled her legs up and with a rough, sharp tug, she pulled her legs free of the covers. Clara smiled when she was finally able to turn her body and face the sun.

Mornings normally started out like this for Lady Clara Crawley.

The mornings were her time for peace and quiet and to finally be away from her hectic family life. Being the second youngest of the Crawley daughters, Clara spent most of her time trying to settle the ever-growing tension between her older sisters. Mary, the oldest, had her mind set that she could marry whoever she wanted and always had to win every competition played while Edith, the second oldest, constantly waited for her 'true love' to appear and sweep her off her feet. Her true love being any man she could get her hands onto.

Clara sighed, hearing her stomach grumble, and reached over to press the button on her bedside to signal that she was ready to get dressed. While she waited, Clara stood up and headed towards the window, trying to decide how to spend her day. She mostly stayed close to her younger sister, Sybil, for the two shared a close bond that someone once told her 'only twins could have'. A knock sounded at her door and Clara stayed at her window.

"Come in."

"Milady," Clara smiled when she saw her maid, Grace, enter the room. Grace was only a year older than Clara and the two had formed a close relationship. Grace had been Clara's maid since she was a young child and Clara was glad that her father hadn't sent for a new maid when Clara got older.

"I was thinking of wearing the light purple dress today," Clara started as she watched Grace head towards her closet to sort through her dresses, "But I'm not sure. What do you think?"

"I think the purple dress would look lovely, Milady." Grace agreed, pulling out the slimming dress. Clara smiled and walked over, allowing Grace to help her dress. Clara had a basic, simple fashion. She never wore anything flashy like Edith, nor did she wear anything daring like, Sybil. Clara's style was plain, yet it could be elegant when she wanted it to be.

"Milady," Grace started off slowly, not wanting to ruin Clara's fine mood but knowing she had to, "There had been an accident."

"Really?" Clara asked as she placed a pair of pearl earrings in her ear and she turned to face Grace, her face holding a look of confusion, "What kind of accident?"

"The Titanic has sunk," Grace said, knowing that it was abrupt but not knowing how else to say it.

"Oh," Clara went silent for a moment as Grace quickly did her hair into a simple bun. As soon as Grace had finished, Clara raced down the stairs, ready to ask her Papa if what Grace had said was true and not some terrible joke.

Bounding down the stairs, Clara almost crashed into Anna, Mary's maid. Quickly apologizing, Clara slowed her pace before taking a deep breath, calming herself before she entered the dining room. Clara calmly walked into the room and grabbed a plate, filling it before sitting in her chair.

"Is it true, Papa?" Clara asked with a quiet voice as she stared at her Father with eyes that hoped what Grace had told her was lies, "Did the Titanic really sink?"

"Yes, my dear." Robert sighed as his eyes scrolled down the page, "I'm afraid it is."

"All those poor people," Clara whispered, feeling comforted when Mary rested her hand on her shoulder, "All those families lost."

"Good morning, Papa." Sybil greeted and Clara took noticed of the small paper in her hand.

"Good morning. What's that?" Robert asked as he caught a glance of the envelope in Sybil's hand.

"Just arrived." Sybil stretched out her hand for her Father to take, "Telegram."

The heavy sigh from her Father caught Clara's attention and she looked at him, along with her sisters. Her Father's face contorted into one of heartbreak and concern and Clara stared at him as she tried to figure out what was wrong. With one last glance at Sybil, their Father rose from his seat and hurried out of the dining room. Slowly sliding into her seat, Sybil looked at her sisters, each having a confused look on their faces.

"Did we know anyone on the ship?" Clara asked, as she looked at Mary and Edith, the only ones who had been in the dining room before her.

"No." Mary said before she cleared her throat, "Actually, Papa said that Mama had known one of the victims on the ship. The Astors, I believe. And Papa said that we dined with Lady Rothes last month."

"Oh," Clara nodded before she looked back down at her meal, which looked highly unappetizing now. Looking up, she shared a quick glance with Edith before she took a sip of her drink, wondering what got her Father so worked up.

~8~

The walk from the church seemed much longer than it usually did in Clara's opinion. She stuck close to Mary, for Sybil had stuck close to Edith during this time. It was no secret that Edith loved Patrick more than Mary ever could. Mary had only been betrothed to Patrick because she was the oldest and the fortune was hers by nature. But, alas, Mary had not been born a boy so she would not gain the money unless she married.

"Really, Edith," Mary's cool voice was only loud enough for the four of them to hear, "Do you have to put on such an exhibition?"

"She's not." Sybil said as she looked at Mary with disappointment.

"I was supposed to be engaged to him, for heaven's sake, not you." Mary stated and Clara looked at her oldest sister with a hidden sadness, "And I can control myself."

"Yes," Clara interrupted as she tried to get Mary to understand where Edith was coming from, "But Edith cared more about Patrick than you did." Probably more than you ever will, Clara thought.

"The you should be ashamed." Edith said as she, too, looked at Mary with disappointment.

The rest of the walk was silent and Clara didn't know what to say or do to make Edith feel better. It was normal for her and Sybil to be the calming water between the two fiery volcanos, but today it felt like no matter how hard they tried, the two volcanos wouldn't calm down. When they finally arrived at their house- or mansion- Clara's attention had been focused on Edith, trying to calm her enough so that their parents wouldn't see that anything was wrong. As soon as their father finished speaking with Murray, she quietly followed her sisters into the house, not missing her Mother's whispers to her two oldest sisters.

~8~

Clara sat silently on the edge of Mary's bed as she watched Anna's sleek fingers pin Mary's hair up into a beautiful design. She had always wanted to be able to do her own hair and when she would be a mother, if that ever happened, she wanted to be able to do her daughter's hair, if she ever had one. Edith and Sybil sat in the room too, but they were occupied with their books and Clara didn't want to interrupt them.

"Perhaps she misunderstood." Anna said and Clara tilted her head as she watched Anna tuck two bobby pins into Mary's bun.

"No, it was quite plain." Mary stated as she moisturized her hands, "O'Brien told her Bates can't do the job properly. Why was he taken on?"

"Oh, he was Lord Grantham's batman when he was fighting the Boers." Anna explained as she tucked a few more pins into Mary's bun.

"I know that, but even so." Mary said.

"I think it's romantic." Sybil chirped and Clara looked at her youngest sister with wide eyes. If their Father heard her say that… he wouldn't be pleased.

"I don't." Mary disagreed as she looked at Sybil through the mirror, "How can a valet do his work if he's lame?"

"He's not very lame." Anna defended as she made the final touches on Mary's hair, "There. Anything else before I go down?"

"No, that's it." Mary said as she inspected her hair in the mirror, "Thank you."

Standing up, Mary made her way to the mirror and stared at the outfit she was wearing. She twisted and turned as she tried to make the outfit work the way she wanted it to.

"Oh, I hate black." Mary whined and Clara looked at her. Clara didn't like black either but it was for a good purpose. They were mourning family members who had passed them away in an unthinkable accident. Clara looked down at her own black dress she was wearing and pulled at the skirt. It was a loose, flowy dress that had small black diamonds embroidered across the wide, circular collar of the dress.

"It's not for long." Sybil said as she looked at Mary before getting up and fixing the back of Mary's dress, "Mama says we can go into half-mourning next month. And back to colors by September."

"Still seems a lot for a cousin." Mary remarked and Clara noticed how Edith was immediately drawn into the conversation.

"But not a fiancé?"

Clara and Sybil shared a look as Mary went silent and walked over to her powder table. Clara knew that this was about to get ugly and she was going to have to break it up at some point.

"He wasn't really a fiancé." Mary stated and Clara swallowed, knowing that Mary had finally pushed Edith's final button.

"No?" Edith asked as she looked at Mary, "I thought that was what you call a man you're going to marry."

"I was only going to marry him if nothing better turned up." Mary pushed and Clara caught her glancing at Edith out of her mirror.

"Mary, he just died." Clara said as she looked at her older sister, disappointed in her actions, "At least have the decency to respect him."

"Mary, what a horrid thing to say." Sybil agreed, slightly glaring at her older sister.

"Don't worry." Mary passed them off with a wave of her hand, "Edith would have taken him, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, I'd have taken him." Edith said as she stared blankly at the floor, "If you'd have given me the chance, I'd have taken him like a shot."

Clara glanced at Sybil and the two shared a knowing look. One day, Mary would find herself wanting a man she couldn't have, and one day, she would feel like Edith.

~8~

Clara walked behind Edith as their Mother led them into the lounge. She could hear her Grandmother and Father start to argue but tried to pass it off. Her Mother always knew how to take care of that situation. Clara tripped a little on her dress as Tom opened the lounge door and quickly steadied herself. It wasn't a shock that she had been dubbed the clumsiest Crawley.

"I hope I don't hear sounds of a disagreement." Cora smiled playfully as she entered the room, her daughters trailing behind her.

"Oh, is that what they call discussion in New York?" Violet stated and Cora simply smiled as a response.

"Well, I'm glad you're fighting." Mary said as they made their way to the couch, "I'm glad somebody's putting up a fight."

"You're not really fighting Granny, are you, Papa?" Sybil asked softly.

"Your Grandmother merely wishes to do the right thing. And so do I." Robert reassured his youngest daughter as Violet nodded in agreement.

The sound of the door opening caught Clara's attention and she stared at Carson, "Dinner is served, Milady."

~8~

Clara smiled to herself as she placed the last white Lily into Mary's dark hair. After years of watching Anna, she had picked up a few tricks. Stepping back, she couldn't help but admire how beautiful Mary looked. The pale purple dress looked absolutely wonderful on her and her hair had been done magnificently. Glancing at herself in the mirror, Clara couldn't help but laugh. The four sisters had somehow all decided to wear purple. Sybil wore a beautiful dark purple dress that had a white collar, Mary's flowy, pale purple dress, and Clara wore a light purple dress with a white ribbon around her waist. Only Edith still wore mostly black colors but her shirt held splashes of purple in it.

"Oh, do stop admiring yourself." Edith grumbled as she sat at Mary's powder table, "He's not marrying you for your looks. That's if he wants to marry you at all."

"He will." Mary said confidently as she stared at her reflection.

"You look beautiful." Clara couldn't help but let the words slip out from her mouth and Mary gave her a smile.

"Thank you, Clara darling." Mary thanked as the door opened.

"We should go down." Clara turned her head to look at her Mother, "They'll be back from the station at any moment."

Clara followed her Mother down the steps and quickly, yet elegantly as she could, out the front door. Taking her spot next to Edith and Sybil, Clara watched as her Mother greeted the Duke before introducing the four of them.

"You know my daughter Mary, of course." Cora introduced as she pointed her hand at Mary.

"Of course, Lady Mary." The Duke greeted and Mary gave him a smile.

"And Edith," Cora continued, "But I don't believe you've met my two youngest, Clara and Sybil."

"Ah, Lady Clara and Lady Sybil." The Duke held out his hand and Clara gave it a polite shake, smiling slightly as he repeated the actions with Sybil.

"Come on in, you must be worn out." Cora said as she started to walk towards the house, her daughters walking with her.

"Oh, Lady Grantham, I've got a confession to make, which I hope won't cause too much bother." The Duke said and Cora stopped walking, turning to face him, "My man has taken ill just as I was leaving, so I…"

"Oh, that won't be a problem, will it Carson?" Robert asked and Carson shook his head.

"Certainly not. I shall look after His Grace myself."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of being such a nuisance." The Duke argued and Clara fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Surely a footman…" The Duke paused and Clara noticed how he examined Thomas, "I remember this man. Didn't you serve me when I dined with Lady Grantham in London?"

"I did, Your Grace." Thomas said and Clara tilted her head as she thought she heard bitterness in his voice.

"Ah, there we are." The Duke smiled, "We shall do very well together, won't we…"

"Uh, Thomas, Your Grace."

"Thomas." The Duke smiled once more.

"Good." Cora said before she led them all into the house, "I hope you all had a pleasant journey."

Clara let out a gasp as Bates fell to the ground and had to stop herself from running over to help him. Her father would surely scold her for being so unlady-like.

"Bates, are you alright?" Robert asked as he stared down at his friend.

"Perfectly, my lord, I apologize." Bates answered, still lying on the ground.

Giving Bates one last glance, Clara followed her sisters into the house, feeling like something was wrong with the whole situation.

~8~

"I'm afraid we're rather a female party tonight, Duke." Cora said with a smile and Clara smiled as she took a sip of her drink, "But you know what it's like trying to balance numbers in the country. A single man outranks the Holy Grail."

"No, I'm terribly flattered to be dining en famille." The Duke said as he glanced around the table, giving everyone a smile.

"What were you and Mary doing in the attics this afternoon." Edith asked innocently and Clara gave her a hard look. She knew what Edith was up to and she didn't want drama to be brought in with a guest.

"I expect Mary was just showing the Duke the house. Weren't you?" Sybil tried to defend the Duke's actions and Clara stared at the Duke suspiciously.

"Are you a student of architecture?" Violet asked, trying to figure out what the Duke could have possibly been doing upstairs.

"Mmm, absolutely." The Duke said with a smile.

"The I do hope you'll come and inspect my little cottage." Violet chucked, "It was designed by Wren."

"Ah," The Duke took a sip of his wine.

"For the first earl's sister." Violet continued.

"The attics." Robert cut in and Clara looked at her Father in surprise. She thought he had forgotten about that.

"Yes." Edith said as she held her wine, "Mary took the Duke up to the attics."

"Stop it, Edith." Clara hissed, quietly. Edith was trying to get Mary in trouble to embarrass her in front of the Duke.

"Whatever for?" Robert asked and Cora looked at her eldest daughter.

"Why was this, dear?" Cora probed gently.

"We were just looking around." Mary explained and Clara's eyes narrowed as The Duke smiled at Mary. Something wasn't adding up in her mind.

"Looking around?" Edith scoffed, "What is there to look at but servants' rooms?"

"Edith." Clara whispered in a low-warning tone. She couldn't be more thankful that the seating arrangements had her sitting next to her infuriating sister.

"What was the real reason, hmm?" Edith pressed, ignoring her younger sister's warning.

Violet laughed nervously as she glanced at Edith, "Don't be such a chatterbox, Edith."

"I think we'll go through." Cora stated, her voice raising at the last word.

"I still don't understand…" Edith began but was cut off by Mary's icy tone.

"Will you hold your tongue!"

Clara glanced at her older sister as they all rose from the table and slowly shook her head. Edith was going to be in a sour mood now that Mary had raised her voice at her. She had tried to warn Edith, but she refused to listen to her. Sometimes, Clara wondered if Edith didn't listen to her because she was the younger than her. But in the end, it was Clara who comforted Edith after Mary's cruel tone or words.

Please review if you like the story!

See you soon,

Ana