Sarah O'Brien sighed as she closed the clasp on her suitcase. It contained only a couple of items - a spare dress, an extra pair of shoes, a few pieces of night time wear, a small photo frame containing a picture of her mother and father on their wedding day. She wouldn't need much else, surely? She scowled to herself as she put on her coat and hat, picked up the battered old case and made her way down the servants stair case.

Cora had summoned her a few days ago, much to her confusion. She'd dressed her lady for the day and gone about her morning duties, not expecting to have to tend to Cora until that evening. It was Mrs Hughes' face appearing in the yard during her routine cigarette break that had ruffled her feathers at first.

"Her Ladyship has rung for you, Miss O'Brien."

"What, now?"

"Yes, now." She'd received a stern glare from the housekeeper, and being unable to gather the strength for an argument with the Scottish witch, she crushed her half smoked cigarette out on the wall and stomped up the stairs to her Ladyship's bedroom. She knocked lazily on the door, waiting for the usual 'come in!' before stepping inside.

"You rang, m'lady?"

"Ah, O'Brien." Cora Crawley. O'Brien stopped her urge to roll her eyes at the sickly sweet tone of her voice. She was stood at her dressing table, a piece of paper in her hand. "Yes, I'm sorry if I've interrupted you-" O'Brien was suddenly conscious of the cigarette smell lingering on her. "- but there's something I need to discuss with you. It's seems my mother has been taken ill..." She held up the letter in her hand. Cora paused for a second, her fingers tracing over the paper. "I've booked tickets to New York for next week... Luckily Lord Grantham knows a man down south who was able to get last minute ones for us. I don't believe it'll take that long to get there, not with these new ships. We set sail on Wednesday from Southampton, so be ready to leave Downton on Monday morning... I don't want to risk being late."

And just like that, her future was decided. She gotten to work immediately, sorting Cora's belongings out for the long journey. She'd always wanted to travel, even as a child she'd dreamt of sailing away to magical, foreign lands of wonder. She never, however, imagined that she'd be tied to a Countess, waiting on her every wish and command. She'd always assumed travel would give her a sense of freedom, and yet here she was, feeling more trapped than ever.

"All packed then, Miss O'Brien?" She popped her head into the servants hall. It was Anna who spoke, and O'Brien felt a dozen pair of eyes on her.

"Yes, we are."

"Oh, I envy you. I'd love to go to America!" Daisy squeaked from the table as she cleared away few stray plates. "I'd be terrified though, everything's huge, int'it? How will you cope over there? What if they can't understand you? What if you get lost, I heard they just use numbers for street names!"

"Numbers?" William frowned.

"Yeah, like one hundred and fifty two street and tha'. So strange!"

There was a grumble of agreement.

"I think yer' forgetting that Her Ladyship is actually American, so I don't think that'll be too much trouble for us." O'Brien resisted to urge to roll her eyes. Idiots.

"Well, I'm sure Miss O'Brien will take excellent care of Her Ladyship, that's all that matters." said Carson, his thick brows crossing as he looked to O'Brien.

"Don't worry, I always do."

After a last minute check, and a few soppy goodbyes outside on Cora's part, both women were tucked up in the back of the car, the first stage of their long, gruelling journey on its way.

"Get yourself comfortable, O'Brien." Cora smiled, pulling a book from the small traveling bag O'Brien had packed. "It's going to be a while before we arrive in Southampton."

She was right. The journey took longer than O'Brien anticipated, and she had to stop herself several times from groaning in irritation at the numbness of her backside. She was only relieved of the car ride when she felt a gentle tug on her elbow.

"O'Brien? O'Brien, wake up. We're here."

O'Brien pulled her cheek off the glass of the window, rubbing her eyes gingerly. She was thankful that the rumbling of the engine had gone, and all most desperately she opened the door of the car, holding it open for her Ladyship. She reached out her arm for Cora to take, and she carefully aided the Countess to her feet. She busied herself with a gentleman in a smart naval uniform who was inquiring about their tickets and their luggage. It took a good couple of minutes, but before long their belongings were being boarded. O'Brien turned her attention back to Cora, who was stood staring at...

She let out a small gasp, her eyes struggling to adjust to the sight before her. An iron beast of such massiveness greeted her. How had she missed it? Perhaps it had joined the sky, and her eyes simply not picked up on the huge metal contraption. She'd never seen anything like it, and she was sure her mouth had fell agape in wonder.

"Oh, O'Brien... How magnificent is it?"

She simply nodded at Cora's words.

"The R.M.S Titanic..." Cora flashed a smile at her, taking her playfully by the arm and pulling her towards the passenger boarding area. "This part of our trip won't be as uncomfortable, thankfully!"