The next morning around ten, Mandy stood near Tom Branson's car, which was parked in front of the house. She had said goodbye to the servants inside, and she stood next to the car door, staring up at the grand house. What would she do now? Mrs. Hughes gave her a good reference, so hopefully she would be able to find another maid job. If not, she would have nothing to do but beat herself up for letting Matthew buy her that pin. At least Thomas was okay.

"Are you going to miss Downton?"

She turned her head to face Tom Branson, who sat at the wheel, and had a hat on. She nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to miss it more than anyone can think. I made very dear friends here, and it hurts to leave them. I just hope I'll be able to find another job."

His Irish accent came out strong. "There are a lot of places to work in the village, close enough to the pub you'll be stayin' at."

"Yeah, maybe I'll just work at that pub. It's not the best job in the world, but it's something."

He chuckled. "Hey, look at me. I'm here drivin' the motor for the Crawley family. Not exactly the highest quality job out there."

Yeah, but you do it because you have a thing for Sybil. "You enjoy it, though. I don't think I'll be able to find another job that I'll like as much as my job here... and I lost it because of a stupid hairpin."

"You never know if that hairpin was a good luck charm for you. Maybe you'll find an even better job suitable to your skills, whatever those skills may be."

She shrugged. "Maybe. I doubt it, though. Luck hasn't been on my side lately."

"You're part Irish, correct? Well, we Irish believe in luck. I believe luck is on your side."

She let a smile escape, and eyed Tom's wide smile. She had always liked Tom in the show, and believed him to be a put-together man. A political, county-loving man, but still a good man. "Thank you, Tom. I'll try and believe that."

"Mandy."

She turned and saw William approach her. "William."

"We'll sure miss you," he said, standing a good head taller than her, plus some. His eyes were sad. "I wish you didn't have to leave."

"I wish I didn't have to leave, either. Gosh, that hairpin fiasco went way out of hand. You don't think I'm a terrible person, do you? Now that you know exactly what happened?"

He gave her an incredulous look "What? No. I told you I would never think such things about you. I admit that Mr. Crawley shouldn't have bought you the pin, but what's done is done. Now, I hope you'll find another decent job."

"I'm sure I will, but no job will compare to how amazing this one was. I'll miss you, and everyone." She leaned in and whispered, "Try talking to Daisy, huh? Promise me."

The guy's cheeks flushed pink. "Daisy?"

"Yes. It's obvious that you like her. As a parting gift to me, try asking her to stroll with you down to the village or something. Take her to the pub for dinner."

The pink in his cheeks deepened. "Um... I'll try. I don't think she'll agree, though."

"You never know unless you try."

Thomas came up to her and opened the motor door for her. William smirked at Mandy and gave her a sly look, then walked away. She stared after him. Did he know about her and Thomas?

"Well, the best of luck to you, Mandy."

"Thank you, Thomas."

Their gaze lingered longer than usual. "Come visit again."

"I definitely will. You know I will."

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Don't keep me waiting."

Heat rushed up her neck and she got in the motor, knowing what he meant. Thomas shut the door after Tom started to drive off. Mandy suddenly heard, "Wait, wait, Mandy! Mr. Branson, please stop the car." The car stopped and Mandy looked out the window to find Sybil and Mrs. Crawley there. Her heart sped up at the thought of Matthew.

"My Lady," Mandy said, a bit shocked.

"Oh, please, just call me Sybil, Mandy. Here, step out for a moment."

Mandy did as she was told, looking between the two women, a bit confused. "Is something wrong?"

"No, you silly goose," said Sybil. "Just the fact that you're leaving. I wish Mary wasn't so mean to you and made you leave. Really, she just went way too far with that hairpin that wasn't even hers."

"I know... I wish that, too, but it's the way it is. Nothing can be done now."

Mandy looked at Mrs. Crawley, who gave her a friendly and motherly smile. The woman said, "Mandy, I'm Mrs. Crawley, Matthew's mother. It's a pleasure."

She shook her soft hand. "Yes, it is. And I know who you are very well. I heard good things about you."

"I really hope so. So, I hear that you're leaving? What a pity."

"I know. You probably heard the story."

"Yes, I did, and I'm terribly sorry. Matthew and I both feel horribly about it, so we came up with an idea."

Mandy looked at Sybil, then back at Mrs. Crawley. "An idea?"

"Yes. If you don't have anywhere else to stay while you find work, you can stay at Crawley House. We have a spare room which is in need of an occupant."

Mandy's mouth dropped opened in surprise, and she noticed that Thomas's eyes widened at the request, and his jaw clenched. Stay at Crawley house? With Matthew, the other man who was in love with her?

"Um..." Mandy began, "thank you for the offer, Mrs. Crawley, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm sorry."

"Are you staying elsewhere, Mandy?" Sybil asked. "Surely you're not going to stay at a pub."

"Well, I was, but..."

"Oh, no, you can come stay with us," Mrs. Crawley said cheerfully, waving her hand. "And I can help you find work, maybe even at the hospital."

Mandy couldn't believe that this was actually unfolding. She looked around at the gravel, then at Thomas, who still had on a grim expression. She knew very well that the last thing he wanted was for her to stay in the same house as the other man who had feelings for her.

"Oh, please say yes," Sybil pleaded, taking her arm. "It's the least we could do for Mary's behavior."

"Well..." Mandy let out, her eyes not leaving Thomas's gaze.

She quickly thought through this quickly in her head... Matthew would always be at work, so she would only see him in the morning and evenings at most. She wouldn't see him during the day. Also, she would rather stay in a comfortable homey room than in some smelly shack of a room in a pub.

"Okay," she finally said. "That's very kind of you, Mrs. Crawley."

Sybil smiled and Mrs. Crawley said, "It's not a problem at all. We would be happy to have you. Will you wait here while I get my coat? I can travel with you, if you don't mind going to Crawley House, Mr. Branson?"

"Not at all, Mrs. Crawley," he said in his Irish accent, and tipped his hat.

Mandy waited there near the car as Mrs. Crawley went back inside, and Sybil talked with Tom. Mandy eyed Thomas, who stood tall and dignified near the main door, but his lips were pursed together. She had to talk to him and assure him that nothing would happen. She walked up to him, not really caring that William was right there, and would hear her. He seemed to suspect something anyway.

"Thomas, listen. I'll move out as soon as I get a job, I promise. Then I'll come back here and visit."

"I really hope you do, Mandy. I really hate the idea of you livin' in the same house with that man."

She knew he wanted to say more, but he was kept from doing so since Mrs. Crawley came back out. "Are you ready, my dear?"

"Yes, I am."

She walked to the motor, got in, and she and Mrs. Crawley were on their way. Mandy turned around and watched through the back window Sybil, William and Thomas getting smaller and smaller. Soon, the whole of Downton disappeared.

~ ~ ~

Crawley House looked exactly as it did in the show, from the gardens and stones on the outside, to the elegant entryway and drawing room on the inside.

"What a beautiful house," Mandy gushed, and she really meant it. She always admired this house. It wasn't as flashy as Downton, but was still elegant and comfortable.

"I'm glad," said Mrs. Crawley, and she ascended the stairs and Mandy followed her with her bag. "You can stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you."

They reached the upstairs hallway and Mrs. Crawley stopped at a door at the end, near a window that viewed the front gardens below. "This will be your room here."

Mrs. Crawley opened the door and Mandy walked into a room with light blue walls, a queen-sized bed in the middle with a pink comforter on it, a desk to the left of the bed, and a dresser on the opposite wall. I was about as big as the room that she shared with Anna back at Downton.

"I love it," Mandy said, and eyed the cute bed-side table with an antique lamp on it—at least to her it was antique.

"I'm so glad. I hope you're comfortable."

"I'm sure I will be. Thank you, again."

"You are indeed welcome. Well, the bath is in the next room over, and your room connects to it. You can freshen up and then meet me in the drawing room downstairs for tea whenever you're ready."

"Thank you."

Mrs. Crawley left, and Mandy eased down on the bed, eyeing the white dresser with a vase of fresh pink roses in it. She smelled the fragrance. "Well," she breathed, "this will be interesting. Staying in the same house with a man who's in love with me. I have to be careful if I don't want to hurt Thomas again. He's just too fragile."

Mandy set her bag down on the wooden floor and went into the bathroom, which was through a door connected to her room. She took a well-deserved bath for about and hour, and stood in front of the mirror above the sink and pulled the hairpin out of her hair and watched her orange curls fall. She handled the pin and looked at it, the pearl shining.

"Maybe I should give this back to Matthew."

She set the pin down on the sink and fixed up her hair, wishing that she could use a simple hair tie and not the pin. She set her bun a little loose since she wasn't a maid anymore. Some curly tendrils came down by her neck. Satisfied, she walked downstairs and found Mrs. Crawley in the drawing room, a cup of tea in hand. The middle-aged woman smiled when she saw Mandy.

"Oh, come in, come in. Sit."

Mandy sat on the light blue sofa as Mrs. Crawley sat in a pink armchair opposite her. Mrs. Crawley handed her a cup of tea in elegant china. "I'm sorry I took so long up there. I'm pretty worn out from what has happened."

Mrs. Crawley waved a hang. "Oh, don't worry about it. I don't blame you. So, tell me about yourself, Mandy." She sipped her tea. "You are from America?"

"Yes, Washington state. It was quite the journey."

"I bet it was. How tiring."

The two women talked about Mandy's home, family, and her time at Downton. She didn't bring up the hairpin or Thomas, though, since that was discussed enough at Downton. They also talked about the hospital.

"You could work there even without medical experience," Mrs. Crawley explained. "You could change bedding, bring meals to the patients, and do some of the filing."

Mandy thought for a moment. Maybe she could use her accounting skills. "I went to school back in America and received an accounting degree. Is there a job open at the hospital where I can work with numbers and finances?"

Mrs. Crawley stared at her in awe. "You went to school to get a degree? Well, I say, good for you. More woman should be like you, Mandy, going out and making a difference. And I don't know of a post for that specific job, but I can definitely look."

"Thank you. I'm sure I'll really like it. I had a similar job at home, only it was for a law firm."

"Goodness, you just get more impressive by the moment, my dear."

Mandy smiled, feeling rather proud of herself. Not very many women of this time go out and get degrees. She was glad that she pushed through school to get hers. She and Mrs. Crawley continued to drink lemon tea, eat some vanilla cake, and talk. It was around two when they heard the front door open.

"Oh, that must be Matthew. He must be home for a lunch break," Mrs. Crawley said, and Mandy's heart jumped. Oh, boy. This will be interesting. She hadn't seen Matthew since he confessed to her under that tree after what happened in the library.

"Mother?" they heard from the entryway, and Mandy set her tea cup down on the small table next to the sofa, preparing herself to face Matthew.

"In here, Matthew." Mrs. Crawley called.

Mandy heard Matthew enter the room, and her heart hammered in anticipation. She balled her sweaty hands in her lap as the door to the room opened.

"Mother, I took off work for only a moment. I need to talk to you about..."

Matthew stopped mid-sentence and step when he saw Mandy sitting there on the sofa. She stood up. "Hello, Mr. Crawley."

He stood there, staring at her for a moment, and she noticed some pink enter her cheeks.. "Mandy... um, what a surprise."

"Yes, I know," she said. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here until further notice."

"Stay here?" he repeated and looked at his mother with a confused expression. Mrs. Crawley stood.

"Yes," said his mother. "Mandy was let off at Downton, and I offered her a place to stay here, and a potential job at the hospital."

Matthew looked completely lost for words. Did he not know about this? Did his mom make these plans without telling him? Mandy felt her hands tingle from the rate her pulse went.

"I see," he said. "Well... we're happy to have you, Mandy."

"Thank you."

He took one last look at her and went over to his mother and whispered something next to her right ear. She looked back at Mandy. "Will you excuse us, Mandy?"

"Yes. Go ahead."

Mother and son left the room. Mandy only imagined what they would talk about. She bit her bottom lip. "No, don't, Mandy," she ordered herself... but it was futile. She stood up and went to the door and leaned in close to it. She heard Matthew's voice first.

"Mother, you could've told me about your plans of allowing her to stay here with us."

"I don't see a problem in it. The girl needs a place to stay until she gets another job. I simply couldn't leave her to stay in a stuffy room at some pub in the village."

"You know about what happened at Downton, Mother, and the fiasco with the hairpin. If they find out that Mandy's staying here with us, then who knows what will happen? My engagement with Mary is never going to happen—next would be me losing the estate."

"For heaven's sake, Matthew, they all made a big deal out of nothing with that hairpin. They wouldn't object to having us take in a girl with no place to go."

"They would, Mother, especially Mary. They think I'm interested in Mandy."

"Well, are you interested in her, Matthew?"

Mandy held her breath as silence ensued. She knew the answer to that question, but would he tell his own mother?

"Why do you think I bought her that pin to begin with, Mother?"

Shoot! Now his mom knows how he feels about me.

"Oh, heavens..." Mrs. Crawley exasperated. "Well... alright. I will try to get her this job at the hospital, and once she has it, she can move out and board there."

"Will she get it? The job?"

"Oh, I have no doubt. She has a degree in accounting. She's a very intelligent girl who could really do anything. It makes me wonder why she was a maid."

"Just get her the job as soon as possible. Please. I don't want any more trouble."

"Alright, alright, Matthew. Now what did you need to speak to me about that was so urgent that you left work?"

"Oh, well, I just needed to speak to you about..."

Mandy stopped listening after that. She went and sat back down on the sofa, whirling that conversation in her head. Matthew really didn't want her to stay. Her chest tightened, and she had to gulp back some emotion.

How is it that I'm not accepted wherever I go?

Matthew and Mrs. Crawley came back into the room, and Mandy sat there like she never heard a word of their conversation. She smiled at them.

"Mandy, I'm terribly sorry, but I must head back to work," Matthew said. "I just needed to discuss something quickly with my mother."

Mandy stood up. "It's okay. It was nice to see you."

She gave him a smile and they shook hands, and a massive tingle resulted from his touch. He gave one last goodbye to them both and left. Mandy sat back down and attempted to pay attention as Mrs. Crawley discussed—somewhat apologetically—with her the plan that she and Matthew devised, without mentioning why they decided on it, but just said it would be easier travel-wise to stay at the hospital. Mandy had no other choice but to accept it.