NdA: The next chapter will be released Wednesday 4th.
This chapter (with little corrections) has been already posted on my tumblr blog, born as a little drabble. I saw some people were interested so here's the sequel. It's going to be a multi-chapter story, I have a lot of ideas but if you have any suggestion please share with me!

I'm not a native, so forgive my mistakes, reviews are very welcomed! Hope you like it!

I wish to all of you a pleasant reading!

P.S. I'm a Cobert fan. So believe me it's going to be a Happry Ending, whatever happens (remember this).

Chapter 1

"Papa, she's been missing since Friday and you're not worried?" Mary asked the same question again, not sure if her father had heard the first time. Her voice was sharp and calm, like Violet's, yet it was only a mask to cover her real feelings: she was indeed beginning to worry.

"She's not missing." Robert sighed like he had had enough of those questions, although he's heard it only two or three times, from both his daughters. "She's just mad at me and she went to London. End of the discussion."

"With her maid?" Mary went on "In our London house? Not at aunt Rosamund's?" at those words, Robert turned slowly to face her daughter. There was clearly a lack of information from him.

"I thought she went to your aunt's house." he muttered without showing a single emotion. Mary stepped closer to him, her left fingers tormenting the right ones, like every time she was nervous.

"But I phoned her and she said she dined with mama at the Ritz on Thursday and then mama said she wanted to be alone for the next day so aunt Rosamund didn't worry. But then on Sunday evening she was surprised she still hadn't got anything from mama so she send her a message but mama didn't answer." she spoke without a single pause.

Robert stared at the void.

"She's really crossed then." he said just above whisper, his pen frozen in the mid-air.

"Why did you fight?" Mary enquired, both for concern and for curiosity. Robert sighed loud.

"Actually it was you Granny. It's the same old story.. she was angry for the Hospital and she said out of the blue something about your mama being American- I can't quite recall the conversation. Your mama got mad and said that even you and Edith are half American but Granny denied, saying you two are completely British.." he was rubbing his fingers on his forehead, trying to escape the incoming headache.

"But we are British!" stated Mary with pride, as if being American was a sort of shame. Yes, Granny Violet had done a good job on making everyone think so. "I suppose you didn't take mama's side."

"I did not." he confessed with a small voice. "I suppose I actually made worse." he made a guilty wince at the window, recalling part of the conversation that led to the real discussion.

Mary sighed. Granny was right, of course, but surely mama expected papa to take her side. No doubts she was angry with him.

"You should go to London and-"

"Milord! Milord!" Carson's voice caught their attention in less than a second. Few were the times Robert saw the butler running inside the house, except the time he was announcing the birth of her daughters or something very bad had happened.

"What is it, Carson?!" the woman studied the butler's face: it was red, his eyes full of fright.

"These just arrived, Milord." a letter and the daily paper from London. "You have to read those at once." he ordered with his panting breath. The paper hadn't been ironed which was very unusual.

Robert silently asked what was the source of all that fuss, wondering if he'd had to read the letter or the paper first.. he chose the paper. The front page showed a picture of a house he well knew.

Mary's hands covered her thin lips to suppress a shocked wince.

Crawley's London House robbed.

It has occurred approximately on Sunday evening, around 8pm but it has been discovered only late this night.
The house was occupied by only few people, one of who is in critical condition due to the aggression. No news from the abductors yet. No ransom asked.

Lady Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham is no where to be found.

All the theories inside.