Chapter Text
"Kathrine you can't possibly think running away with this man is the solution!" Her grandmothers tone was harsh as she continued to storm down the steps of the estate with a cloth bag slung unceremoniously over her shoulder, her guitar firmly held in it's case in one hand and a pink piece of luggage in the other.
She had chosen this night specifically because she knew her father and mother would be out at her aunt Caroline's for dinner, she hadn't necessarily counted on the fact that her grandmother would stay behind and catch her as she attempted to make her escape.
It was still light outside, and she was counting on the fact that she'd be able to make it to the bus stop near the end of the road long before dark.
"Yes I can! I'm an adult!" While that statement wasn't true — with her being just 16 — she nonetheless finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, her grandmother still leaning over the gallery watching as she practically jumped down from the last two steps. "Barrow stop her!" The aging butler stood in front of the door with a hint of sadness on his face, Katherine knew deep inside that he would be one of the only parts she truly missed about the cushy lifestyle she led, but she hoped that would change when she stepped foot on the warm California sand and was attending her boyfriends concerts on a nightly basis.
"Barrow move" her voice sounded more desperate than she had wanted it to, and her tinge of fear was no doubt apparent to both her grandmother and the butler.
"Milady I'm sorry I can't-" "I said move!" Barrow seemed to flinch slightly when she raised her voice, and for a moment she cursed herself for sounding like the spoiled brat her brother had been when they were younger. But luckily it seemed to, albeit reluctantly, caused Barrow to not only move out of the way, but open the door for her.
"Thank you" and with one final huff, turning to look at her grandmother with a triumphant smirk, she made her way out of the large estate.
"You'll regret this Kathrine! I swear you will love!" her grandmothers voice seemed less cold than it usually was, and Kathrine slowed her march for a split second, tempted to turn around and walk back into the estate.
But she couldn't.
If her father didn't want her running off with what he referred to as a dim witted musician, then he shouldn't have hoisted her so suddenly onto meeting the sons of multiple different noblemen when she hadn't even completed her schooling, not to mention hadn't even applied to any unis yet.
As she made her way down the long gravel road that made it's way up to the Abbey she couldn't help but smile to herself, humming a song or two from the recent Beatles album her aunt had given her for Christmas the previous year, she was the only one who truly understood. But the further she walked along the path the more she felt a sense of hesitation bubbling in her chest, and she couldn't help but stop briefly and turn around to see the estate in all it's glory. And it dawned on her suddenly that maybe she shouldn't leave the place she had called home for so long, maybe she was making the wrong choice by running away to California. Maybe her grandmother was right after all.
She took a small step back towards the step with a sigh, imagining the look on all their faces when she buckled under the pressure of leaving everything behind for good and came back to Downton with her tail between her legs.
But before she could move any further a small glimmer beneath her feet caught her eye, and she gazed down to find a small gem stone poking out of the dull grey gravel.
Assuming it was one of the jewels she had packed away in her cloth purse she made quick work of moving her guitar over to her hand with the luggage, struggling to hold the two in one hand as she bent down to grab the stone off of the ground and return it to her bag.
If her father had seen her folding over like this in her current outfit — her brown mini skirt and sheer white top with embroidered pink flowers and no bra — she was certain he would have yelled at her to return to her room and change into something more ladylike. But he wasn't here, and it was her favorite outfit that would have made her fit right in in the hot sun of California. Although she supposed that didn't matter anymore.
Her fingers grazed across the cold stone, and before she could stand back up she was overcome with a sudden pressure in her head, almost making her fall forward from the weight of her bags.
A wave of dizziness came over her, and before she could see anything else she caught a glimpse of the gold gravel road coming closer and closer as the world went black around her.
When she finally came to the sun had almost fully set over the horizon, meaning that it would be dark long before she made it back to the estate.
Her grandmother would no doubt be waiting for her, with that smug ‘I won’ smile.
Brushing off the dizziness that still fogged her mind with a grunt she pushed herself off of the cold ground, grabbing her guitar and luggage case before setting her path back towards the Abbey.
Maybe entering through the servants quarters — a habit she picked up when she started sneaking out to concerts in Ripon — would be the best course of action, avoiding her family for the time being and giving her a chance to vent her frustrations to the butler.
After a few minutes of walking, all of which made her regret wearing her gogo boots instead of her converse or sandals, she could finally see the rough outline of the servants entrance come into view. And while something about it struck her as different than it had been when she left a few hours ago, she brushed the feeling off with a sigh, assuming that she was too mad to truly notice what the estate looked like in complete detail before she stormed out.
Pausing as she found herself in front of the picnic table that her and Barrow had countless pep talks on she paused, placing her guitar and luggage gently on the bench before stepping up to sit on the top of the table like she always had.
After-all, one cigarette before returning safe and sound to her family wouldn’t hurt.
She dug through her cloth purse quickly, pulling out her cigarette case — a gift from Barrow — as well as a lighter.
It always seemed to help calm her nerves, no matter how many times her father would yell that they were bad for her health. And besides, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. She told herself the same thing when she had first started dating Dennis, and it would have stayed that way had they not been caught by the chef kissing in the supply closet.
It was then that she noticed she had absentmindedly been humming a song or two again, presumably The Beatles once again but she didn’t care to focus on the details much right now.
The distinct sound of the servants entrance clicking open pulled her out of her thoughts, and she didn’t even have to turn around to know who was at the door.
Barrow was the only servant who still slept in the servants quarters, Kathrine never knew why.
“I’m not ready to hear Grandmother Mary gloat just quiet yet Barrow” she breathed out into the warm summer night air, taking another drag from the cigarette.
But instead of an immediate reply, or the old butler coming over and offering fatherly advice like he normally did, there was a moment of silence.
Kathrine didn’t like that.
“Barrow please say something, I know papa doesn’t like Dennis but surely he should’ve seen this-“ “I am not Thomas Barrow” the deep gruff voice of a man she didn’t recognize cut her off, and she froze, not daring to turn around and see who the mystery voice belonged to.
“And what are you doing on Lord Grantham’s estate?” Kathrine didn’t even focus on what the man was saying, all she could think was that she was fucked.