The Downton Princess | A Downton Abbey Fanfiction

Chapter Eleven

After afternoon tea, Bertie, Henry, Tom, and Tobias decided to go for a walk around the grounds, to give the Crawleys a chance to catch up with each other.
    While Tobias found it awkward to spend time with the other men, he did prefer it to another interrogation from Lord Grantham. Despite assuring Darrel that he did not mind the questioning and that he appreciated how much the family cared for Darrel, he did find it annoying. He understood why Their Majesties questioned him so thoroughly; he was in a relationship with the future Queen of England. However, he knew that the Crawleys did not see Darrel that way, so he did not understand why they seemed to hate him so much.

    "So, how are you enjoying Downton, Lord Dankworth?" Tom inquired.
    "It is...quite an interesting experience, sir," Tobias replied.
    "You do not have to address me so formally. You outrank all of us anyway."
    "Not me," Bertie chimed in with a smirk, causing Tobias to roll his eyes.
    "Very well," Tobias nodded. "But then I do not want you to address me formally either; call me Tobias."
    The others agreed, grateful that their conversations did not have to be formal. The others knew that if Tobias continued to court and eventually marry Darrel, they would be spending a lot of time together. As Matthew Crawley once said: "If we're mad enough to take on the Crawley girls, we have to stick together."
    "Did you actually convince Darrel to court you by impressing her with your knowledge of flowers?" Henry inquired. "I never knew that she cared for flowers...apart from when she discusses them with Paul Ringer; his mother grows flowers."
    "I suppose it was not precisely the flower knowledge that impressed her. It was more the fact that I was not trying to impress her with my looks, title, or estate," Tobias shrugged. "Unfortunately, upon meeting a young lady, most men believe that bragging about how rich they will be someday will win their hearts. And while that may work on some girls, it certainly does not work on Darrel."
    "Darrel has never cared for class or titles. And, since she is to become the Queen of England, I doubt that would matter to her anyway," Tom replied.
    The others, even Tobias laughed. So far, Tobias enjoyed his conversation with the others. Perhaps marrying into the Crawley family would not be too bad if he had these men on his side.
    "So, how is it that you and Darrel met?" Henry inquired. "The actual details; I am rather curious."
    "Well, we were at a garden party at Buckingham Palace," Tobias replied. "And at one point, my parents noticed that Darrel wandered off on her own, so they suggested that I go and introduce myself to her. So, I followed her and saw that she was sitting on a stone bench in a secluded part of the garden; although the guards were nearby, so we were not on our own. I did not know what to say; I have never been very good at speaking to women. So I approached her and voiced my observations on the flowers."
    "You know a lot about flowers then?"
    "Yes, I studied them, and learnt to draw many different types."
    "That is quite impressive, and you are right, such knowledge is not common amongst the men who brag about their titles."
    "Is that an insult or a compliment?"
    "Certainly a compliment. I have no title, and I was a race car driver before I met Mary."
    "And I used to be the chauffeur here," Tom added.
    Tobias nodded. He knew all about the Crawley family and the different marriages, scandals and joys that the family endured over the years. Since he and Darrel were not in love, they spent most of their time together discussing random topics and decided to tell each other about their family's history. They ended up spending almost a month's worth of visits talking about their families. That was part of the reason why Tobias was not frightened off by the interrogation last night; he knew that the Crawleys were good people.