AN: This is a collection of short stories that deal with the relationship of Mary and Matthew and what would have happened had things been different in certain situations. The chapters of this 'story' are all their own stories, they are not connected, nor in chronological order.
Every chapter is a standalone piece.
This is the first one and it is about what would have happened had Matthew found a way to break the entail.
As always, please let me know what you think. Thank you!
Kat
P.S.: I know this story is legally impossible, but I don't care and I hope that you don't either :)
"There is a way to break the entail."
"What?"
"If I renounced the title, Mary would be heiress of all."
"You can't renounce it."
"Yes I can. There is a clause in your prenup that says that under certain conditions it is possible."
"I hope you are not considering renouncing the title."
"I am."
"Matthew. The Earldom would lapse."
"Yes. But Mary would be heiress of everything else. The estate, Cora's money."
"What about you?"
"What about me? Until a few months ago I had no idea I would ever come here. I'll go back to Manchester, forget about all of it." Robert looks at him pleadingly and this is not really what he wants, he has come to think of Downton and the title as his destiny, but if there is a way to give it all to Mary who deserves this so much more than him, than he should walk that way, regardless of his own feelings.
"At least talk to Mary about it."
"Talk to me about what?" Mary has entered the library as if on cue and Robert leaves as if on cue too.
"I found a way to break the entail."
"What?" There are happiness and confusion on Mary's face, but he thinks that happiness is the predominant emotion.
"Yes. And if it was broken, then all of this would be yours."
"So you would be a peer without an estate. Eventually. We would hollow out the title."
"I wouldn't be a peer. I would have to renounce the title. But we can draw up a binding contract on that now."
"So the Earldom would lapse."
"Yes."
"You would not be the Earl but remain a country lawyer."
"Yes."
"And you would be willing to do this?"
"Yes."
"Why?" He had hoped that she wouldn't ask this question, because he doesn't want to answer it.
"Does that matter?"
"It matters a great deal. I want to know why you are prepared to give up all of this. Are we that horrible?" Mary looks as if she really was concerned about this.
"Of course not." 'Of course not and you least of all' is what he actually wants to say.
"Why then?" He takes a deep breath.
"Because it is stupid and wrong that you should be overlooked for a fourth cousin just because you are a woman."
"So you are doing this because you don't like the concept of the entail."
"I don't really agree with it, no."
"Are your principles really that strong? Are you so smug?" Why does she get mad at him now? He is giving all this up for her. But of course she doesn't know this.
"Mary, I just don't think it is fair."
"I don't believe you. There must be something else." Of course there is something else. But he shouldn't tell her that.
"Mary, I"
"What?"
"I don't want to talk about it." He really doesn't. He wishes she would leave.
"But I do."
"Mary, I know you despise me. No, don't interrupt me. I know you despise me and you have every right to do so. I am taking what should be yours. And I can't stand you despising me. So by giving it all to you, I hope that you will despise me a little less." This is as close the truth as he is willing to get. He looks up at her and the expression on her face is incredibly soft, he has never seen her looking like that, but it makes this all the more important.
"I don't despise you, Matthew. It is the law and you are the lucky one. I don't matter in this."
"On the contrary. You matter a great deal."
"Do I?"
"In fact you are all that matters to me." She has stepped closer to him, so close that he can feel the heat from her body.
"Why, Matthew?" she asks in an unsteady voice.
"Because I love you." He wishes he hadn't said it, he didn't want to say it. Mary looks horrified by this.
"Well, if that is the only reason why you want to give it all up, I can help you with that."
He listens to her as she talks about Pamuk, how he came to her room, how she allowed him into her bed, how he died in her bed, how her mother and maid helped her return the body to the room he was found in the following day.
"How is that supposed to help?" he asks her, because he really doesn't understand.
"Well, you certainly don't love me anymore now, so you don't have to give any of this up."
"Mary, I. This is a lot to take in." But it won't stop me loving you he thinks.
"Matthew, go home. Come back here in a few days and you will see that you don't love me anymore." He does as she asks because he is putty in her hands. He doesn't care about Pamuk, he would only care if at that time he had had some sort of claim on Mary, but he didn't. He doesn't change his mind about this over the course of the next few days and he walks up to the Abbey purposefully to tell Mary that she will be heiress of all but the title. He finds her sitting on a bench outside and asks her for a walk and she obliges. She even takes his arm when he offers it to her.
"So you can still stand my company." He wonders why she is so spiteful, but there is no use fighting with her.
"Mary, you told me to come back here after I had thought about Pamuk. And I did think about the whole thing and I still love you. Very much." She stops in her tracks and because she has been holding onto his arm, he has to stop too and he now turns towards her. There is an expression on her face that throws him off guard. She smiles a smile at him that can only be called lovingly.
"I am rather impressed, Matthew. But if what you say is true, then there would be another way. There would be a way for both of us to have all of this one day. In the very distant future." Of course there is a way and he has thought about it before, in fact he thinks about it constantly, but he won't go that way.
"Mary, I could never marry a woman who didn't love me, no matter how much I loved her." She steps closer to him now, just as she did a few days ago, and looks into his eyes. There are tears in hers and he wonders what they mean.
"Who says you would have to marry a woman who doesn't love you?"
"What?"
"Andromeda was rescued by Perseus, son of a god. Perseus rescued her form the sea monster."
"Yes?" He has no idea where she is going with this.
"What if she had fallen in love with the sea monster?" It can't be true. He doesn't dare to hope.
"Then she probably wouldn't have wanted to be rescued." He hopes she wants to be rescued by him.
"I don't want to be rescued by Perseus, Matthew. Not anymore."
"So you'd rather have the sea monster?"
"Oh, I wouldn't call you a sea monster." He has to laugh because he is almost sure now.
"No?"
"No. You aren't a monster." He is going to risk it now, he'll go all in so to speak and he is almost sure that he will win. He puts his arms around her waist and pulls her even closer to him. She smiles at this and he feels more confident.
"I am glad you don't think of your future husband as a monster." She looks at him a little flabbergasted, but her eyes show how happy she truly is.
"I haven't really said yes yet." No, but it was her suggestion.
"I haven't asked a question yet." They are playing a game and they both enjoy this game. This will be something that their grandchildren will laugh about.
"Then ask."
"Do you love me? Truly?" He needs to know this first and if she does love him then he will ask the question she is waiting for.
"Oh yes. I love you very much. I only realized it after you had told me how you felt about me. But I do love you." They are so close now that she almost kisses him while speaking.
"Marry me, then."
"That wasn't a question."
"No. But will you?"
"Yes." Their lips meet and the kiss sends him to heaven. She puts her hands in his hair and he puts one of his hands onto her back to hold her against him. He has never felt like this before, he has never been this happy, he has never desired anyone this much.
"Oh God, Mary," he whispers into her ear and she only replies "Yes".
They are married eight weeks later and when little George Robert Crawley is born seven and half months after their wedding, he throws all lingering thoughts about renouncing the title to the wind because he knows that he wants to pass Downton and the title on to his son. His and Mary's son.