The Downton Princess | A Downton Abbey Fanfiction

Chapter One

"Good morning, Your Highness."
    Princess Elizabeth Darrel Crawley of Wales opened her eyes at the sound of her lady's maid, Lily, entering the bedroom. She pushed herself into a seated position, squinting her eyes as she tried to wake up.
    "Morning, Lily," Darrel nodded, rubbing at her eyes.
    Lily curtseyed and went to open the curtains, filling the room with sunlight. Darrel forced herself not to groan as her eyes attempted to adjust to the bright light. She wished that she could order Lily to leave so that she could return to sleeping for a few more hours. But that was a luxury that the future Queen of England did not have. Instead, she got out of bed, threw on her dressing-gown, and went to sit at the dressing table.
    "Is everything packed for today's trip?" Darrel inquired.
    "Yes, ma'am," Lily replied, as she began to get the princess ready for the day. "After you are dressed, I will ensure that the footmen load everything into the car."
    "Thank you."
    "Of course, ma'am. And are you sure that you do not need me to come with you?"
    "I am sure. I will not be gone for long. Besides, there are maids there, so I will not be completely on my own."
    "Of course not, ma'am."
    Darrel let out a heavy sigh.
    "Are you nervous about the trip, ma'am?" Lily inquired, noticing that the princess appeared more anxious than usual (after all, life as a member of the Royal Family was quite stressful).
    "Incredibly," she responded. "After all, I have not been back to Downton in months. And unfortunately, I did not have time to tell everyone the news before it appeared in the papers."
    "It is rather strange that someone reported it before Mr Turner did."
    Darrel shrugged. William Turner was a young journalist, whom Darrel befriended about a year ago. In return for only writing good things about the Royal Family, the princess agreed to sit down with the journalist once a week. During those meetings, she gave him information that the rest of the public did not yet know so that he could be the first one to report it. Unfortunately, William Turner was sacked a few months ago because his boss was angry that he was unable to discover the true reason regarding the end of Darrel and Sebastian Carlos' engagement. However, with Darrel's help (both through encouragement and financial support), William was able to start his own paper. Since then, it was William's former boss, Jones' sole mission to destroy William's career.
    "Well, it was Mr Jones' paper that reported it," Darrel reminded. "I'm afraid after that business with Mr Turner that I accidentally placed a target on his back."
    "Even so, Mr Jones should respect your privacy, ma'am," Lily said.
    "Mr Jones does not seem too keen on respecting anyone's privacy as long as his paper gets the story first. But it does not matter. Their Majesties told me that I am too invested in these matters. They are all members of the press, and I am supposed to ignore them."
    Lily nodded. She wanted to add more, but she could tell that Darrel was finished discussing the matter. Instead, she continued to get the princess ready in silence.

    A little later, Darrel entered the less formal dining room to find her brother, Duke Edward of York. Although amongst the family, he was addressed as David.
    "Good morning, Your Highness," David greeted, getting to his feet as his sister entered.
    "I keep telling you that you do not have to go through these formalities when Their Majesties are not in the room," Darrel reminded. "By the way, where are Their Majesties?"
    "Well, Mother has breakfast in her room as a married woman, and Father had an early meeting."
    Darrel nodded and took her seat. She began to place food on her plate when the door opened and the butler, Wilson, entered with a tray of letters.
    "For you, Your Highnesses," Wilson informed, handing each of them an envelope.
    "Thank you, Wilson," David nodded, waving a hand to dismiss the butler.
    The butler bowed and left the room. Darrel looked down at her envelope; it was from Camila, the Princess of Spain. She married Sebastian's older cousin, Juan Fernando Carlos, who was set to become the King of Spain since Sebastian abdicated so that he could marry Darrel. Despite the end of her engagement, Darrel remained in contact with Camila.
    "Oh!" Darrel exclaimed, upon reading her letter. "Camila and JF are expecting their first child."
    "Yes, I know," David nodded. "JF sent me a letter as well."
    During David's time at university, JF spent a semester abroad in England. The King and Queen of Spain thought it would be good for JF to explore another country. They also hoped that it would force him to focus on his studies, and spend less time at pubs. It originally worked, but then David and JF became close friends and spent more time fooling around than studying.
    "That's rather exciting," Darrel said. "I am happy for them."
    "Are you?" David inquired, giving his sister a sceptical look.
    "Of course I am. And Camila says that Their Majesties are quite pleased; so they are less irritating now that they know that she is with child. Although I am not so sure if she is pleased about the news; she says that at least she will have done her duty. I think she wanted to wait a bit longer before having a child."
    "JF says that as well. Poor chap; he never wanted this life."
    Darrel nodded sadly. For some reason, JF always said that he never wanted to marry anyone. And before Sebastian abdicated, it did not matter if JF ever found a wife. However, as the future King of Spain, he had a duty to his country to produce an heir. So when Camila Alonso came to him explaining that her mother's dying wishes were for her to try to marry the Prince of Spain, he agreed instantly. While the two of them were not in love, they cared a great deal for each other.
    "Does JF ever mention whether or not he is mad with me?" Darrel inquired.
    "No, why would he be?" David replied.
    "Because he was not supposed to become king. Sebastian was the prince, and he threw away his title to move to England to be with me. And now that Sebastian changed his mind...JF will still have to become the King of Spain, but it will all be for nothing."
    "JF hardly mentions you in his letters; other than to express concern. He hopes that you are not as heartbroken as you used to be. Besides, if anything, he is mad at Sebastian. He still thinks that Sebastian was an idiot to end your engagement."
    "He is loyal to his cousin. We cannot blame him for that."
    "I absolutely can!"
    Darrel could not help but laugh at how annoyed her brother could get when he was trying to be supportive. Since they'd only been living together for the past 4 years, they still did not know each other that well. However, they knew that the other was always on their side, no matter what.

    "I should go," Darrel announced, as she glanced at the clock. "I cannot miss the train."
    "Are you prepared to face Lord Grantham?" David inquired.
    "Not especially. I meant to tell Papa first, then let Mr Turner report it in the news. But thanks to Mr Jones, I now have to go to Downton and explain myself."
    "I do not think there is much to explain. Lord Tobias Dankworth is courting you."
    The King and Queen of England had not given Darrel much time to recover from her breakup with Sebastian before presenting her suitor after suitor. However, Darrel disliked them all. They were not bad people, however, they all expected her to be a ladylike princess, which she was not. One of the things she loved the most about Sebastian was that he never judged her for her improper behaviour.
    Finally, after over three months of being introduced to an endless number of suitors, Darrel met Lord Tobias Dankworth. He seemed to care about courting the Princess of Wales just as much as Darrel cared about courting another man. On their first meeting, he informed her (under his breath so the others would not hear), that his father forced him to present himself. Darrel immediately invited him to call upon her again.
    "Well, it is not that simple," Darrel shrugged. "I have not spoken to Papa about my...suitors. I've written to Edith and Mary, however, they promised to not tell the others. So I am afraid that it will be quite a surprise to Papa. Besides, I am not sure how well Lord Dankworth shall respond to my family's questionings. He's never met them before."
    "I am sure that it will go well," David nodded.   
    "Are you sure? When I got engaged to Sebastian, Papa punched him."
    "Well, then let us hope that Lord Grantham's developed some more sense since then."
    "I certainly hope so. Sebastian has dealt with all sorts of people back when he had his princely duties. I am not sure if Lord Dankworth has."
    "We shall find out."
    "I hope that we do not. I want this meeting to go well. Anyway, I better go. Wish me luck."
    "Good luck."
    Darrel got up from the table (as did David). The Duke of York sank into a bow as Darrel headed out of the room.

    Darrel left the dining room and found her Head Guard, Allen, waiting for her in the hall.
    "Your Highness," he bowed, then walked alongside her as she headed towards the drive.
    "Good morning, Allen," Darrel nodded. "Is everything ready?"
    "Yes, ma'am. And as you requested, only three guards are coming. Sidney, Benjamin, and myself."
    Darrel forced herself to not groan aloud. A few months ago she discovered that under Their Majesties' orders, Benjamin undid a strap on Darrel's saddle, causing her to fall off of her horse. They had not meant to cause her any harm, simply to keep her in bed, and away from Sebastian. When she found out about the plan, she ordered that Benjamin be sacked, however, they refused. King George V stated that the fact that Benjamin followed their orders showed his loyalty to the Crown, which was an important quality for a Royal Bodyguard. Darrel reluctantly put up with Benjamin but made sure that he knew that she would never trust him again.
    "Are you all right, ma'am?" Allen inquired since Darrel had not yet responded.
    "Yes, perfectly," Darrel replied. "I am sorry, Allen. I got distracted."
    "That is quite all right, ma'am. You must be nervous to return to Downton."
    "Are you nervous? Or excited...you have not been in quite some time."
    Allen bit down on his bottom lip and tried his best not to blush. He was in a secret relationship with the butler at Downton Abbey, Thomas Barrow. They had been together for nearly four years. The only other person who knew about their relationship was Darrel, who was Thomas' closest friend.
    "With all due respect, ma'am. Please shut up," Allen muttered so no one else could hear.
    "Very well," Darrel smirked. "Although I will be sure to tell Thomas how rude you are."
    Darrel gave Allen her most innocent smile then got into the waiting car to take her to the train station.