Downton Abbey doesn't belong to me.
Some Unsuspecting Millionaire
Mary Crawley hugged her father. She had dreaded this moment, the moment when her father found out about Mr. Pamuk, for so long that she was almost giddy with relief at his reaction.
Her father was right. She would leave Downton for a while and find another, more suitable man to be her husband. She didn't need to be saddled with Richard Carlisle anymore. She could and would be free.
000
"Mr. Carlisle is back," Anna told her the next evening as Mary got ready for supper.
"I haven't seen him yet," Mary replied. "But I know what has to be done." She sighed and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was as ready as she would ever be. "I'm ready."
000
Richard was understandably unhappy with her decision and for a split second Mary regretted it, was she strong enough to brave the storm that was about to be unleashed, but when he began to threaten her with exposing her story. "You always thought you lot are better than the rest of us," Richard accused her. "But you'll see how vengeful I can be. You'll have nowhere to hide when I'm done with you. Nowhere." Mary stared at him in shock wondering how she had ever convinced herself that marriage to him was an answer to her problems. She must have been desperate.
Mary was grateful when her father walked in and asked Richard to leave.
000
"Mother I don't see why we have to leave Manchester," Matthew Crawley complained.
Isobel Crawley paused for a second; she was packing his toiletries, and walked over to her son. "You know why."
"I don't know why," Matthew replied. "I don't want to go to some sleepy English village." Matthew was sulking and he knew that it was unbecoming in a man of his age but he was tired of his mother telling him what to do. In the beginning, after his injuries in the war, and the death of his wife Lavinia to the Spanish Flu a few months after that, Matthew had understandably been unable to cope, but he was better now. He didn't need his mother looking after him. He was fine.
Isobel obviously didn't think so, she had seen what the war and Lavinia's death had done to her son. She'd almost lost him a hundred times and Dr. Clarkson had told her that the best thing to do for him was get Matthew away for a while and that was what she was going to do.
The Crawleys of Manchester were one of the oldest and richest families in the area and Matthew's marriage to Lavinia had added to their wealth. Matthew and Isobel could easily afford to take time off and travel at a whim still Matthew preferred to go in to work each morning.
"Why do we have to go now?" Matthew asked his mother.
"Christmas was depressing enough, don't you think?" Isobel replied. "Who knows, maybe starting the new year in some sleepy English village is just the kick we need to get us out of the downs."
000
Mary exited the church and began to make her way back home. Somehow she had begun walking to the church and appending some time there every Wednesday morning, bad weather or good. Today was a nice day and she'd told Prat, who always insisted on driving her there, that she would make her way back to the Abbey on foot. She was still waiting to hear back from Grandmama and then she'd book her crossing to America. They had decided that America would be the best place for her to weather the storm of the scandal. Mary wondered idly if she'd like it there.
Mary was so lost in thought that she didn't see the young man until she bumped into him. He reached out a hand to steady her.
"Sorry," Mary took a step back. "I didn't see you there."
"Obviously." The young man smiled at her. He had a nice smile. "Matthew Crawley." He held out a hand that Mary didn't take. Crawley. He wasn't related to them by any chance, was he? "Mary," she told him.
"Mother and I have recently moved into Lenner Cross," Matthew told her. He hadn't thought that he'd meet any interesting people on his first day but this Mary seemed very interesting.
"That's a very nice house," Mary replied. She had never been to the Cross, as it was known locally. She smiled widely at Matthew, he obviously had no idea who she was; it was safe to talk to him.
"Are you free by any chance this morning?"
"Why?" He wasn't going to preposition her already, he was?
"I thought that if you were," Matthew smiled. "You could join me for tea. Bring me up-to-date on who's who in this place. Tell me which house is haunted and the mad people are."
Mary laughed inspite of herself. "I'm afraid I can't," she said him, although she was really tempted to do so. It would be nice to spend some time with somebody who had no idea who she was but she had to visit Granny.
"Some other time then," Matthew insisted.
"Milady." Mary turned and saw Prat standing there waiting. She had told him that she was going to walk. "Lady Mary," he continued, "his Lordship asked me to fetch you at once." Prat gestured towards the car which was parked a few metres away.
Mary walked off leaving Matthew staring at her.
Lady Mary, he thought. He couldn't wait to get to know Lady Mary Crawley.
000
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