Dear Edith,

I still cannot believe that Sebastian chose to end our engagement. I understand his sense of duty towards JF, and I suppose that I cannot blame him. However, at the same time, I thought that he would be willing to compromise and create a plan that would work for everyone.
I love Sebastian, and I will always love him. But I do not understand why his plans never involved compromises. He always feels as if he needs to dedicate his entire life to one person, or one plan. He never managed to split his time between two plans.
I wish he could. I know that I will never love another man.
Sincerely,
Darrel

     - A letter to Darrel's older sister, a few days after Sebastian moved out of Buckingham Palace

I did it. I ended my engagement with Darrel.
Now, before you begin to write your lecture, hear me out: I did this for you.
The last time we spoke, you told me that you would lift my ban once you become King, and I will be able to return to Spain. So I began to think about moving back permanently. You have done so much for me over the years. You are going to become King because I abdicated! I know that I can never repay you for everything that you have done for me. Perhaps I can make it up to you by being there by your side. I can stand by your side as you become the greatest king that Spain has ever seen.
Unfortunately, I know that in order to stand by your side, I have to leave Darrel. I cannot have her wait for me to return to England. It would not be fair to either of you. And while I love Darrel with all my heart, family comes first.
I will never love anyone else, but no one has ever been more loyal to me than you. And I must repay you by standing by your side.

     - A letter from Sebastian to his older cousin, JF, the future King of Spain, after he moved out of Buckingham Palace

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My darling Darrel,
I am so sorry to hear that you and Sebastian have ended your engagement. I know that I have not always supported your relationship, but I am sorry to hear that you are in pain. I know how much you loved him, and how much he meant to you. But I also know that there must have been a good reason for your engagement to end, and I support your decision.
You are a strong young woman, and I know that you will be able to move on from this.
Your loving Papa

     - A letter from Darrel's father, Lord Grantham, after reading about Sebastian and Darrel in the papers

Have you completely lost your mind?
You abdicated the throne so that you could be with Elizabeth. I became the Prince of Spain because I was next in line to the throne. I willingly took the position so that you could live your life in England, and be with Elizabeth for the rest of your life. Why in God's name would you give that up? It does not make any sense. There are other ways to support me than to throw away the life you have in England! It makes absolutely no sense, Sebastian.
Upon reading the rest of your letter, I do appreciate your loyalty. But I do everything that I do for you because I love you, and I want you to be happy. I thought you were happy with Elizabeth, was I wrong? Because I do not need you in Spain all the time. Especially not if you are going to spend the rest of your life regretting the decision that you made.
Please think about this decision carefully. I am sure that it is not too late for you and Elizabeth.

     - A letter from JF upon reading Sebastian's letter
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If Their Majesties continue to parade suitable bachelors in front of me, I believe I shall scream. Or possibly run away and never return to Buckingham Palace. At this point, I believe that I have met every single bachelor in all of England. Even your Evelyn Napier. And while he is a decent man, he is far too old for me, and I am sure he is still in love with you (please do not show this letter to Henry). But at least Evelyn was a nice break from the men who wish to court me.
How did you put up with your Men back in the day? You seemed happy to have three men pursuing you. I do not find this enjoyable in the least. Especially since every interaction I have is observed by Their Majesties, David, or a guard. And yes, I know that as an unmarried woman I need a chaperone. But how am I supposed to get to know anyone if others are watching? And every single person is so formal that it is utterly dull. Not to mention that I am sure that most of them only wish to court me since I will be Queen someday.
So far, I have gone on promenades, picnics, teas, and a few rides. However, even the rides were boring because the men do not believe that I can handle myself on a horse. Although I am sure I could beat every one of them at a race. If only I did not have to sit side-saddle.
I suppose I shall have to choose one of these bores someday.

     - A letter from Darrel to her eldest sister, Mary, a month after her engagement ended

Dear Paul,
I was wondering if you could do me a favour. From what I've heard from the papers, Sebastian has yet to find a place to live. He is living in a hotel, which of course, does not have much privacy. And while he was the one to leave me (with good intentions, I must add), I still care about him.
I remember Sir Charlie telling me that he was giving you a townhouse to live in now that he deems you responsible enough. Would it be possible for you to ask Sebastian to move in with you? I know that the two of you have not always seen eye-to-eye, but I cannot think of any other solution. Besides, the two of you understand each other to a certain extent.
Please consider this, Paul. If not for Sebastian's sake, then for mine. And do not let him know that I asked you to help him.
Thank you,
Darrel

     - A letter from Darrel to her closest friend, Paul Ringer, two months after Sebastian moved out of Buckingham Palace

JF,
I avoided writing to you because I wanted to avoid another lecture. And in all fairness, I did not have anything to tell you. I spent most of my time in my hotel room and aimlessly wandering around London. But then reporters kept following me, so I had to shut myself up in my room.
But oddly enough, a few weeks ago, Paul Ringer visited me. Do you remember him? He is the man you almost punched while we were at Downton. But anyway, he was quite civil for a change. He offered me a room at his new house. He says that he feels bad for me because the press keeps pestering me, and he says that he would appreciate having company.
While I am not a fan of Paul, I accepted his offer. It is not ideal because we are not exactly friends. But I do need to leave the hotel, and I do not think I could afford a decent house in London. Hopefully, we do not kill each other. But at least I have self-defence training on my side, I doubt that Paul can say the same.
Please do not be mad at me. And if you have a chance, please visit England. I miss you.
Sebastian

- A letter from Sebastian to JF, two and a half months after he ended his engagement

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Dear Edith,
Please do not reveal the contents of this letter to anyone else (except Bertie), as it is not yet publicly known, but I feel as if I have to tell someone. I believe that I have found myself a decent suitor.
His name is Tobias Dankworth, he is the Duke of Birmingham's younger son. He is not as boring as the other men that I have met. He is in fact, pleasant. He is smart, kind, clever, and he is the first suitor who allowed me to race him when we were on a ride. Granted, he made me promise that if I fell I could not blame him and I would have to keep the guards off of him. I happily accepted and won the race.
I finally found a man who is not too irritating.
Sincerely,
Darrel

     - A letter from Darrel to Edith, five months after her engagement ended

Dear Her Royal Highness,
I know that we are to meet later tonight at the opera. However, I wanted to reply to your letter so I can give it to you later.
Thank you for being so honest with me. It is not a quality that I see in most young women. They usually say whatever they can so that they can secure a husband.
I understand why you feel the way that you do. After losing Mr Carlos, I understand why you cannot love another man. The two of you seemed to be a wonderful couple.
Rest assured, I understand that there will never be anything more than companionship between us.
Yours,
Lord Tobias Dankworth

     - A letter from Lord Tobias Dankworth to Darrel, six months after Sebastian left Buckingham Palace