"I never realised you were so beautiful." The words hung rapturously in the air, entwining themselves around Matthew Crawley and his lover. His fingers caressed her soft and divine skin, so delicate that it threatened to crumble under his manly touch. "I told myself that you're too good for me. I told myself that Mother would not approve. But I've realised something, something that casts those doubts away; you and I, we're meant to be. Others might not see it but I can – surely that counts for something?" Matthew's cerulean eyes shimmered with a glaze of tears; he looked away and blinked hard. "I'm sorry. You must think me a fool."
He didn't mind that she did not reply. Her presence alone was sufficient replacement for a conversation; her posture so flawless, so seamless, and her sweet and tantalizing scent sent shivers down his revivified spine. "I'm so glad you feel the same," he whispered, and with years of longing and yearn erupting inside him, he moved closer. The moments leading up to it were a blur, however her savoured the moment of contact with every thread of his being – his lips touched the soft chocolate sponge first, and soon his teeth followed, taste buds rejoicing in an explosion of aromas and flavour. He silently thanked Mrs Patmore for her second to none baking prowess; for too long had he resisted the seductive scents of her ever famous dark chocolate layer cake. The thick icing glistened gloriously in the sunlight that beamed into the room and the light dusting of frosting twinkled against the rays. Matthew Crawley had never seen something so full of effortless beauty; never had he come across something that made his heart skip several beats and made all five senses tingle.
That was the day that Matthew Crawley gave away his heart.