AU: No Bates/Anna. In the first season, Matthew has not proposed the first time yet, and Edith has not learned to drive.
Didn't see any Mary/Anna fics, so I decided to make my very first fanfiction about the ladies. I intend to go through the Second Season events and possibly the third season depending on when we in America get to see it.
Til There Was You; Chapter 1: Mary's Beginnings
From the start of it Mary Crawley was a creature of curiosity with a refined sense of mystery about her. At a young age, Lady Mary realized that she was different from other girls. She didn't fawn over the boys with which her parents tried to pair her. And when other girls were affectionate, as some girls naturally are, Mary could feel a tight, warm ball forming in the pit of her stomach. Some days it made her ache, others she could fight away the feeling for some amount of time. However, in her sixteenth year, she realized what it was when she happened across a rather lewd novel that one of the servants let slip from their pocket. "Oh Temptress!" It was quite a risqué cover of two women embracing, their legs entwined together as their dresses rode up exposing their lower thighs.
She found herself relating quite heavily to the two women, and understood then what her feelings meant. For months she fought over whether to turn over the book. She would read certain parts again and again until the binding began to crack. Surely, a lady such as herself shouldn't be reading such unrefined things. Still every time Mary Crawley read the book, the warmth in her torso would smolder again and again. She found herself reading, just to get the feeling. There was no reason to turn it over to her father now; she could always blame it on some chamber maid whom she disliked should it be found.
She found her eyes straying to the women who attended her mother, Cora's, parties, their long, elegant necks, lithe and slender hands. Very nearly once, Lady Mary almost kissed one of her friends at a tea party. The girl had been holding her hand and comforting Lady Mary over her not having many suitors, which Mary honestly didn't mind. However, as the girl whispered a secret into Mary's ear her lips grazed the lady's earlobe. It had taken a massive amount of self-control to keep control over the tightness in her stomach, the warmth which nearly commanded her to press their lips together. In fact, Lady Mary excused herself on account of illness and laid in her bed the rest of the night fighting with the feelings that dwelled within her.
Near her eighteenth birthday, her ladyship attended church one Sunday, and heard the most awful sermon out of the Book of Leviticus. Apparently, two men in the church had been found in the throws together and were being banished from the town. Father John bade all the attendees to know their heavenly God and not give in to sin that would cause them to be an abomination. Mary always remembered the words, they sat in the back of her mind as she read her book for the last time. She prayed fervently to God to take away the sinful feelings in her, and after praying, threw her book, which was falling apart, into the lighted fire in her room. It burned bright, and Lady Mary Crawley laid in her bed and cried, praying ever so much, that she would not be a disappointment to her family.
Years passed, and she learned to control the feelings, to push them deep into her conscious mind and never acknowledge them. Slowly, she began to show an interest in the men her parents flung at her. Still, excuses had always been made to show the suitor away- this one too pompous, that one too poor, this one too self-righteous, that one too rich. Mary never truly showed a genuine interest in any man until she met her distant cousin, Matthew Crawley, the man destined to inherit the estate. For her family, she vowed that she would find a way to love him, and so she tried to do…
"Bloomers? Really, Sybil must you?" cried out Edith, the second Crawley sister. Sybil, the youngest, turned and began to argue her side, as was her nature.
"Women wear pants when riding and hunting why not to dinner? Besides, they are hardly that bad are they not, Mary?"
Mary looked up from her mirror and met her youngest sister's eyes. She turned in her chair, moving her lady's maid, Anna Smith, gently aside.
"I don't expect father will like it at all, but if you feel you must push the point, I see no reason not to go ahead with it. It will after all take the attention off of Matthew and I for the night, so in that case, please do wear whatever you wish." It had become annoying how often Matthew and Mary's supposedly imminent marriage was referred to in the past few months. Mary could hardly stand to sit next to the man at this time; much less share a bed with him. And still, somewhere deep in her, the feelings would grumble every time he touched her hand. Mary caught herself thinking of the feelings that resided inside her lower torso, and quickly ushered the girls out.
"Why don't you two go plan Sybil's grand entrance? Don't go down before I finish dressing though, I want to see what father thinks of your pants." The duo quickly parted, Edith a bit begrudgingly.
"Well," Mary started, standing so that Anna could begin putting on her dress, "What do you think of Sybil's pants, Anna?"
"It isn't my place to say, your ladyship." Anna answered quietly hoping not to draw any undo criticism on the subject. But Lady Mary insisted,
"Yes, but I asked for your opinion so that is making it your place, is it not?" it was more a demand for an answer to the first question rather than a second inquiry.
"I suppose so, your ladyship. I think they're a bit too outspoken for my taste, but Lady Sybil seems to fit them well. I find it wonderful that she can be so courageous and wear what she wants so freely."
Mary began once again,
"It's a pity we all can't be so courageous and free." She mumbled lightly.
Anna gave a small sweet smile and laid her hand her lady's shoulder.
"We all have our time to be courageous and daring, Lady Mary." While she spoke, Anna began pulling the dress up Lady Mary's slender yet alluring figure. As Anna pulled the top over Mary's chest, her hand grazed the underside of her ladyship's breast. For a moment, Anna froze, embarrassed, but in that time, Lady Mary found herself uncontrolled and pressed into Anna's warm hand with a soft moan. It had been so long since, she actually felt the tight knot in her stomach that it surprised her. Anna stood unmoving, but managed to find strength to pull the top over and begin fastening the buttons on the back of the dress.
"Is that all your ladyship?" by this time Lady Mary Crawley had regained control of herself and had straightened back into her normal posture ignoring what had just transpired.
"Yes, Anna, that will be all." Mary said a bit sternly. As Anna turned to leave Mary turned and spoke to her once more.
"I think you're right. We all have our time to be daring, Anna. The question is do we recognize it." she finished.
Anna left perplexed and still blushing a bit at the thought of the recent moment. Her hand cupped itself as she remembered the feeling of Lady Mary's breast against her fingers.
"Oh, Lord, what am I doing?" she chastised herself. Anna shook her head, straightened her bonnet and frock and went down to the kitchens to help Missus Patmore with the dinner service.