Downton Abbey Script Book Season 1 (11 page)

ANNA: It's not a capital offence.

BATES: She's got a maid. Her name's Ellen. She came a day early.

O'BRIEN:
She's
not a lady's maid. She's a housemaid who fastens hooks and buttons when she has to. There's more to it than that, you know.

There is a voice from the kitchen calling Daisy. But Thomas is showing her a cartoon in the paper, which absorbs her.

ANNA: We'll want some very precise reporting, when dinner's over.

WILLIAM: Are we to treat him as the heir?

O'BRIEN: Are we heck as like. A doctor's son from Manchester? He'll be lucky if he gets a civil word out of me.

ANNA: We're all lucky if we get a civil word out of you.

Before O'Brien can think of a suitably withering reply, Carson pauses at the door, carrying a thick brown paper bundle. It seems to hold a booklet or something similar.

CARSON: Gwen. Parcel for you. Came by the evening post.

GWEN: Thank you, Mr Carson.

THOMAS: Have you seen ‘em yet, Mr Carson?

CARSON: By ‘them' I assume you mean the new family? In which case, no. I have that pleasure to look forward to.

His position is clear. He goes as Mrs Patmore looks in.

MRS PATMORE: Daisy? Did you hear me call? Or have you gone selectively deaf?

DAISY: No, Mrs Patmore.

MRS PATMORE: Then might I remind you we are preparing dinner for your future employer! And if it goes wrong, I'll be telling them why!

Daisy scuttles off as the gong sounds, and the others head for the stairs.

Cora is with her daughter. They're both in evening dress.

MARY: But why are they here at all? When you're going to undo it?
*

CORA: Your father's not convinced it can be undone.

MARY: But you'll still
try
?

CORA: Granny and I are willing to try.

MARY: And Papa is not?

Her stunned disbelief is actually rather touching.

CORA: We'll bring him round. You'll see. We're trying to find a lawyer who'll take it on.

Mary is quite heartened to hear this.

CORA (CONT'D): So, what are they like?

MARY: She's nice enough. But he's … very full of himself.

CORA: Why do you say that?

Mary hesitates, and then decides against the truth.

MARY: Just an impression. Let's go down and you can decide for yourself.

In the Great Hall, the family is assembled and Carson has the servants lined up. Thomas holds the inner glass door open for the Crawleys to enter. Behind him, at the other end of the outer hall, William has closed the front door behind the Crawleys and Robert has stepped into the outer hall to greet them.

ROBERT: Hello, again. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Mrs Crawley.

ISOBEL: We're delighted to be here. Aren't we, Matthew?

MATTHEW: Delighted.

His mother is determined to present herself as comfortable with the situation. He rather less so. After they have entered the Great Hall, the footmen drop back to their places in the line, and Cora steps forward.

CORA: Welcome to Downton.

ISOBEL: Thank you. You've been so kind.

Matthew turns to the line of servants, with a laugh.

MATTHEW: What a reception committee!

He regrets his gag when nobody says anything. Isobel is anxious to cover his gaucheness. She turns to Carson.

ISOBEL: Yes. Thank you …

ROBERT: This is Carson. We'd all be lost without him.

The butler's steely mien does not alter.
*

ISOBEL: Thank you, Carson. For making us feel so welcome.

Matthew catches Mary's eye and he would be tempted to make a joke of their predicament, but she looks away.

ROBERT: Mama, may I present Matthew Crawley and Mrs Crawley? My mother, Lady Grantham.

Isobel steps forward and takes Violet's hand.

ISOBEL: What should we call each other?

VIOLET: We could always start with Mrs Crawley and Lady Grantham.
*

Cora decides to head off any further trouble.

CORA: Come into the drawing room and we can make all the proper introductions. Thank you, Carson.

ROBERT: Yes, Carson. Thank you for making them feel so welcome.

He is exasperated by the butler's coolness. Violet shares a look with Carson to make it clear they're on the same side.

Dinner has just begun, Carson still as stiff as a board. Thomas and William are taking round the first course.

ROBERT: Do you think you'll enjoy village life? It will be very quiet after life in a city.

VIOLET: Even Manchester.

ISOBEL: I'm sure I'll find something to keep me busy.

CORA: You might like the hospital.

This earns her a dagger-like glance from Violet.

ISOBEL: What sort of hospital is it? How many beds?

VIOLET: Well, it isn't really a hospital—

ROBERT: Don't let Doctor Clarkson hear you. He thinks it's second only to St Thomas's.

CORA: It's a cottage hospital, of course, but quite well equipped.

ISOBEL: Who pays for it?

VIOLET: Oh, good. Let's talk about money.
*

Robert ignores his unhelpful and snobbish mother.

ROBERT: My father gave the building and an endowment to run it. In a way he set up his own memorial.
†

ISOBEL: But how splendid.

ROBERT: And Mr Lloyd George's new insurance measures will help.

During this, Carson notices William's sleeve is coming apart at the shoulder seam. He is not pleased.

VIOLET: Please don't speak that man's name, we are about to eat.

During this, Thomas has stopped at Matthew's left.

THOMAS: I will hold it steady and you can help yourself, sir.

The implication being that Matthew does not know how to be served by a footman. Isobel winces, Violet smirks.

MATTHEW: Yes. I know. Thank you.

The girls exchange looks. Mary gives a gracious smile.

MARY: You'll soon get used to the way things are done here.

MATTHEW: If you mean I am accustomed to a very different life from this, then that is true.

Naturally, the simplicity of his reply wrong-foots Mary.

SYBIL: What will you do with your time?

MATTHEW: I've got a job in Ripon. I've said I'll start tomorrow.

This is a total bombshell. To family and servants, alike.

ROBERT: A ‘job'?

MATTHEW: In a partnership. You might have heard of it. Harvell and Carter.

ROBERT: The lawyers?

MATTHEW: They need someone who understands industrial law, I'm glad to say, although I'm afraid most of it will be wills and conveyancing and other, lowly activities.

He smiles around, but this has not made things any better.

ROBERT: You do know I mean to involve you in the running of the estate?
*

MATTHEW: Oh, don't worry. There are plenty of hours in the day, and of course I'll have the weekends.

ROBERT: We'll discuss this later. We mustn't bore the ladies.

VIOLET: What is a ‘weekend'?

She feels she has been transported to an alien planet.

Mrs Patmore is in the thick of her main work event of the day and is increasingly irritated by the rest of them.

DAISY: Why shouldn't he be a lawyer?

O'BRIEN: Gentlemen don't work, silly. Not
real
gentlemen.

ANNA: Don't listen to her, Daisy.

MRS PATMORE: No!
Listen to me!
And get those kidneys up to the servery before I knock you down and serve your brains as fritters.

DAISY: Yes, Mrs Patmore.

She scurries away with the tray.

ANNA: I wonder what that Mr Molesley makes of them.

WILLIAM: Mr Bates, you know Mr Molesley, don't you?

BATES: I do. We were footmen together. In a house near Stafford. Before the South African War.

THOMAS: Poor old Molesley. I pity the man who's taken that job.

BATES: Then why did you apply for it?

Thomas is caught out, but he bounces back.

THOMAS: I thought it might help me to get away from you, Mr Bates.

He looks round the company, satisfied with his response.

THOMAS (CONT'D): And I didn't know then that Mr Crawley wasn't a gentleman.

MRS HUGHES (V.O.): Might I ask who is serving the savoury?

She is in the doorway. Thomas and William hurry out.

The ladies leave the dining room together. Cora walks with Isobel on their way to the drawing room.

CORA: How do you find Molesley?

ISOBEL: He seems very willing.

CORA: We felt combining the roles of butler and valet was more suitable for a house of that size. Don't you agree?

Isobel smiles her agreement. She is out of her depth.

ISOBEL: I am so interested to see the hospital.

Violet is walking just behind them with Mary.

VIOLET: Ooh, well, you would be. With your late husband a doctor.

She makes it sound roughly equivalent to a plumber's mate. Isobel understands this, and defies it.

ISOBEL: Not just my husband. My father and brother, too. And
I
trained as a nurse during the war.

VIOLET: Fancy.

ISOBEL: I'd love to get involved somehow.

VIOLET: You could always help with the bring-and-buy sale next month, that would be
most
appreciated.

They've reached the drawing room door, held by Thomas.

The men are alone drinking Port. Robert's still bewildered.

ROBERT: How will you manage it?

MATTHEW: Like many others, I shall bicycle to the station, take a train there and back, and bicycle home.
*

This is astonishing to Robert. And disappointing.

ROBERT: But I've brought you to Downton so the people here will know you.

MATTHEW: They will know me. They have many years to get to know me, before any change of leadership. But I'm afraid I must keep busy.

ROBERT: And you can't be busy at Downton?

MATTHEW: I can and I will be. But it won't keep me busy enough.

Daisy, Anna and Bates listen to Thomas, as William comes in. Anna has her sewing things. The hall boys are laying the table. William sits at the piano and starts to play.

THOMAS: She's a match for the old lady. She wasn't going to give in.

CARSON (V.O.): What ‘old lady' are you referring to, Thomas?

He stands in the doorway, magnificent. William stops.

CARSON (CONT'D): You cannot mean her ladyship the Dowager Countess. Not if you wish to remain in
this
house.

THOMAS: No, Mr Carson.

CARSON: William, are you aware the seam at your shoulder is coming apart?

WILLIAM: I felt it go a bit earlier. I'll mend it when we turn in.