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Lady Mary's Prayers
When Mary Crawley was five years old she prayed for a little brother, she already had a little sister Edith and she was not much fun. She figured a brother would be better, anything would be better than Edith. Her prayer wasn't answered, she didn't get a little brother but she discovered Carson. Not discovered him exactly, he had been always been there but it was when Mary was five that she discovered that if one wanted anything done at Downton Abbey, he was the man to see. So she went to him for silver to sell so as to raise the money she required to run away from home. The rest as they say is history.
When Mary was eighteen she prayed that she wouldn't be forced to marry her cousin Patrick. She had nothing against him, he was alright but she knew from the moment that she first had about their engagement that she wouldn't like him. God answered her prayers, although not quite in the way she would have liked. Patrick died and that was the end of that.
When Matthew, the man whom she'd disliked and now loved more than life itself, was missing and subsequently wounded in battle, Mary prayed that he would be found, that he would survive, that he would be healed. All prayers were answered, Matthew did in fact survive but he was not hers. He belonged to Lavinia Swire, the woman Mary tried to hate but failed. Mary was happy and grateful that Matthew was alive but she sometimes wished that Lavinia would vanish off the face of the earth.
When Lavinia died of the Spanish Flu, Mary stopped praying because it crossed her mind that it was now twice that she had prayed to have encumbrances removed and two people had died instead.
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Mary went outside and watched the snow falling. Inside the house, the rest of the household was still enjoying the Servants Ball. As she stood there she mentally went through the list of things she would need for her journey to America, she would be sad to leave Downton, to act cowardly but it would be good to travel, to see Grandmama.
Mary found herself praying, without knowing how and why, Mary began to speak to God. Please give me a sign, she prayed, something, anything. And then her prayer changed, let him ask me to stay, she prayed, if Matthew asks me to stay, I'll know.
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"Are you ready to leave?"
Mary turned to her husband and nodded. "Let's go." Hand in hand they walked out of the church and made their way back to Downton Abbey.
Mary was thankful many of her prayers had been answered over the years.
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