Authors Note: Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites both on here and on Tumblr! I was shocked at all the requests for a continuation of the previous chapter, with several suggestions on where to go next such as how they met, once the baby was born, were they married etc.
So with that I've decided to go back to the very start and explain how Matthew and Mary met in my verse, I'll update their relationship through all the different stages so all questions can be answered. Thank you once again for reading ~ englishfreckle
As always these characters belong to Julian Fellowes, ITV et al, I just have fun with them.
(Eight years previously)
The room oozed old glamour as Mary scanned the space for the umpteenth time, light piano music filtered through the air from the grand piano by the bar but even in this luxurious space she was annoyed. Her Father was sat opposite her but she might as well not been there by the way he looked straight past her, his eyes focused on the door at the other end of the long room. She hadn't even in this restaurant of The Dorchester since it had been remodelled and at this rate wasn't likely to ever again as her irritation build up. A quick bite to eat was the ruse her Father used to bring her here; but when they arrived and Robert told the maître d the booking was for three not two she knew she had been lied to.
"He's a charming young chap, great mind – one of the best young talents I've seen come to the company in years," her Father babbled on as Mary tried not to roll her eyes, instead studied the wine list for the third time. Every little sound was grating on her now, from the clinking of glasses to the scraping of cutlery on fine china. Yet the key source of her sour mood wasn't even there yet, in fact he was incredibly late.
"Even if he is the greatest thing to grace Crawley's in years he has atrocious time keeping! We've been here twenty minutes Papa, it's awfully rude and to be frank-" she was cut off before she could continue by her Father standing.
"Ah Matthew! You finally made it," he moved from the table to greet this protégé he constantly praised, but Mary didn't move, instead she kept her back to the pair of them.
"I'm so sorry Robert, I came on the Tube and you know how that can be, and then I struggled to find the room," he sounded nervous, she observed and she could hear the shuffling of feet towards the table.
"It's fine we haven't been here long have we Mary?" She gritted her teeth at her Father's obvious lies and did not reply. "Anyhow Matthew let me introduce you to my eldest, Mary. Mary this is Matthew Crawley, no relation before you ask."
The image she had formulated in her mind's eye of Matthew Crawley was far from the young man who stood in front of her now, hand stuck out to shake hers. With the reputation of her Father's office she had expected only the best, considering how much he sung Matthew's praises expectation did of course not meet reality. Polished, good hair and a pristine suit were what she expected. Instead Matthew Crawley stood in front of her in a pinstripe suit with a jacket too large for his frame, floppy blonde hair that needed something to control it, a skinny tie and the worst crime of all- Converse shoes with the suit. She didn't need to utter a word, the look of disgust Mary gave him as she looked him up and down showed her true feelings.
"Pleasure." She held her own hand out begrudgingly to shake his, her tone cold and cutting.
Soon it was obvious to Mary why her Father had invited Matthew to this lunch, all she had known before of him was that he was a student on a summer internship at Crawley's and her Father had taken a shine to him. As their wine and starters arrived at the table, the conversation had become more civil as it turned towards Mary preparing to start university in September. It was why they were in London to begin with, to sort out accommodations that met her Father's standards; he was against Mary staying in halls.
"So what are will you be studying?" Matthew asked as he ate his starter, noticeably with the wrong cutlery, which made Mary internally cringe considering their surroundings.
"Politics at Kings." She announced proudly, and then noticed her Father's expression and Matthew's surprise.
"I didn't realise it was Kings, Robert never mentioned. I'll be in my final year there," he muttered as he picked up a napkin, "Politics, Philosophy and Law."
"Quite the mouthful. Dipping your toe into everything?" The sting in her tone took any humour from the comment.
"I suppose you could say that, but I chose to look at it as broadening my horizons." He replied calmly, "we'll probably see each other around campus."
Mary nearly dropped her fork and wondered was it too late to change her options.
"You have to be kidding me!" She all but shouted at the computer screen before exiting out of the student intranet in a huff. All those hours of hard work, reading online journals, taking notes from books older than her and for what, nothing. Well, it wasn't nothing but it seemed her efforts had been fruitless from the grades she kept on getting, another 2:2 to add to the ever growing pile. But she couldn't ponder on it long, she cursed under her breath when she realised she was going to be late for her new politics seminar group that morning. Quickly she gathered up her bag and grabbed her coat, ready to face the cold November air outside.
After walking around the building three times, she finally found the room she was looking for and could hear chatter from inside. Great, they had already started; now she had to apologize for her tardiness to a group of people. She took a breath before pushing the door open and heard the familiar voice leading the group before she saw the floppy blonde hair. It was like the world was conspiring against her today.
"Mary, glad to see you've joined us," Matthew commented from the top of the circular table, the heavy text in hand as her fellow students sat juggling the texts and their notebooks.
"Apologies. I struggled to find the room. I'm sure you know how that can be." Her reply was sharp as she pulled out the only free chair and sat. The exchange caused some raised brows from her peers and her expression dared them to brave challenging her.
As the seminar continued Mary remained quiet unless Matthew asked a question directly to her, instead she was formulating an argument to present to the department to be switched seminar group. She was sure they wouldn't change her over just because she held an unexplained dislike for Matthew Crawley; they would probably tell her to grin and bear it for the rest of the term. The train of thought was interrupted by the voice who was the cause of her annoyance.
"Okay, so same time next week. It's chapter 12 for the reading, if you have any problems feel free to e-mail me." The group began to gather up their things and Mary made a beeline for the door but was stopped, "Mary, can I have a word?"
It was just the pair of them in the room now, the circular table separating them as she stood with her arms crossed over her chest defensively. Again she looked him up and down; it seemed the summer had brought an improvement on his clothes. For one they all seemed to fit him properly and they made him look leaner in build, dark jeans with a white shirt and a casual blazer and interestingly, glasses.
"Are the glasses to give you an intellectual look?" She sneered as her impatience grew.
"For this occasion I'm not going to mark your lateness to the department," he struggled to maintain his superiority in the situation as he blushed furiously, "and I actually need them."
"I suppose I should thank you. Just call it a returned favour for the summer," the sarcasm dripped from Mary's voice as she looked towards the window, "I didn't realise you were going to be running my seminar group."
"I didn't realise you would be in my group until last week. One of the professors offered me the role for one term for some extra credit, and I'm also running one with first year law." He looked over the glasses as he continued, "it all adds up in the end."
"Hmm." She resisted suggesting he was bragging, knowing he would probably run along to her Father or the department about it. "Don't you have to be in the library or something? Can I go yet?"
"Actually no, I'm off to the pub with some of my friends for a quiet drink. Probably not your scene from what I hear from your Dad," Matthew laughed as he threw a leather satchel over his shoulder.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped accusingly, what had her Father been telling him?
"He just said you like to" he gestured his hands wildly as that blush returned and he mumbled, "go out and have a good time. No malice meant- sorry if it came across that way. Look I have to go; I'm meeting my mate Tom. See you next week Mary." And with that he was gone.
Once she was alone in the room, it was then Mary let her frustrations about Matthew Crawley out.
Mary's finger hovered over the keypad of her laptop before she finally bit the bullet and hit the submit button. The screen in front of her updated and there it was in black and white for the world to see, well the university intranet. Mary Crawley needed help.
'Posted by: MissM_C
Wanted: Tutor for first year politics student. Willing to pay reasonably- message for more details.'
The advert was brief on purpose she did not want people to realise it was her if possible, Mary was a very proud person so asking for help was a big step for her. But she could not risk another 2:2 or 3rd coursework grade this year, let alone on an examination. All she could do now was wait.
It seemed like luck was on Mary's side too, when she returned from the day's lectures there was a message waiting in her inbox regarding the advert. She scanned over the message and sighed in relief, someone was offering to meet with her to discuss her specific requirements and needs if she wanted to. Quickly she typed up a message back and thanked them for the offer and suggested meeting as soon as possible. Between the pair of them it was agreed that two days later they would meet in a nearby café to discuss things face to face.
The rain seemed relentless as she all but ran into the warm of the café, lowering the hood of her coat once she was inside the cosy building. Dark wood and deep red furnishings and red brick walls adorned with art seemed a world away from the grey and miserable day outside. The centrepiece of one of the walls was an old train station clock; if it wasn't so huge Mary would have been tempted to offer to buy it from them for her own flat. As she lined up to order her coffee she realised something- she did not even know this person's name that she was meeting, this was going to be an interesting morning indeed. With her much needed caffeine in hand her eyes scanned over the café and a table with a pair of plush red armchairs near the door, perfect for escaping if the meeting did not go well. She was in the midst of getting her previous coursework pieces from her bag when the bell over the door rang, Mary's head bobbed up to see who the new arrival was, only to be disappointed to see an older lady walking in. Then she realised someone had been holding the door open for the older woman, this had to be the person. For once in her life Mary felt incredibly nervous as she waited to see who her saviour was to be, but when she saw who it was she felt ill.
"When I saw M_C, I never guessed it would be you of all people." Matthew moved into the armchair opposite her, a stupid grin plastered across his face even though he looked ridiculous.
"You look like a drowned rat. Don't you possess such a thing as a coat with a hood or an umbrella?" She raised a brow as she lowered her cup of coffee.
"It's only a spot of rain," he tried to joke as he removed the lightweight coat, droplets puddling to the wooden floor below, "anyway we're here about you not me. Did you bring your coursework and assessments like I said?"
Begrudgingly Mary passed over the piles of papers to him as he placed on his glasses and began to scan over her work, her brow furrowed as he screwed his face up at times. Who was he to judge her work? With a sigh she sat back and observed him further, noting how his bright blue his eyes seemed to be against the darkness of the room.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Mary asked the forced pleasantries obvious.
"Just a black coffee please" Matthew murmured without looking up from her last paper.
By the time she returned he seemed to be done, all the papers in front of him in a neat stack and his gaze fixed out the large window beside their table. Matthew seemed to jump in surprise as she placed the cup down and returned to her seat, resting her elbows on the table as she linked her fingers.
"So?" Her outwards composure was collected but inwardly she dreaded what he had to say.
"Well," he began the bumbling from their first meeting returned, "you have a good basic knowledge of things but it's not enough."
"Not enough?" She repeated his words but with a sneer as she struggled to maintain her façade.
"Yes Mary, didn't you listen to anything I said last term during the seminars? This isn't A-Level where you can bam out a string of facts and get a mark for a date!" He was the one becoming angry now.
"I did listen but don't recall that comment."
"So it would seem," he all but snapped, "you need to put your opinion and view into your work if you want to be getting 2:1's and 1st's. And we both know you aren't afraid to show that in day to day conversation." His shoulders heaved as he took a deep breath before grabbing the coffee.
"Now you've gotten that out of your system," she turned towards the large window now, "do you think you can help me or not?" Her question was met by a laugh and she looked back at him, her gaze incredulous.
"I'm sorry but you're unbelievable sometimes, you never fail to shock me Mary."
"Well, will you?" She pressed the question as she leaned forward some.
"I will, but first we need to discuss the matter of payment-" now it was her turn to laugh.
"Aren't you rolling in it now Matthew? The internship with my Father, running seminar groups and now tutoring. You mustn't be that strapped for cash to agree to this."
"Well surprisingly Mary not everyone can afford to have a private school education and the benefits that come with that lifestyle. Some of us actually come from comprehensive schools and single parent families. And with London living costs being so extortionist every bit of money helps."
She was stunned into silence at his reply, and in an effort to save face picked up her new cup of coffee drinking far too much of the hot liquid in one go. The sensation burned in her throat and it took all her might not to yell out in pain, this had to be karma getting her back for being so judgemental.
"I believe we can come to an agreement that suits both of us Matthew." She was not going to let him have the upper hand that easily.
Soon she was meeting with him twice a week in the library to go over her latest assignments and begin revision for her ever approaching finals. At first it was a polite stalemate between the pair of them but as time wore on Matthew began to wear down Mary's cold demeanour. After one particularly late session revising he insisted to walk her back to her flat, not wanting her to walk home in the dark alone.
"Matthew I am perfectly fine to head home by myself," she asserted as she buttoned up her red jacket.
"Rob- your Father would kill me and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you." He retorted as he picked up his worn satchel and Mary sighed as she finally gave in.
The short walk to her flat was met with several awkward silences as the pair walked through the quiet streets. Mary nodded to him to take the next turning and Matthew could not hide his surprise at the row of traditional and extremely expensive townhouses that lined the street.
"Did you seriously think my Father would let me live in halls now Matthew?" She rolled her eyes as she searched her bag for her keys, "I have the top floor flat, lovely view actually. Ah! Here they are- goodnight." And with that she left him standing on the pavement outside.
The weeks soon flew by and the end of the year was fast approaching, with that came the obvious parties but worst of all the final exams. Mary was not going to let them rule her life, despite all the progress she had made with Matthew's help she still wanted to have fun. However it was one Sunday morning when she turned up late to an important revision session with a hangover that Matthew decided to turn on her. In harsh whispers that were met by disapproving glares from the other students around them he questioned her dedication and if she was actually taking university seriously. Deeply embarrassed at Matthew's attempt to publically humiliate her, Mary set out to prove him wrong.
"Students, this is your ten minute warning." The voice of the educator rung out across the silent exam hall and was met by a scurrying of pens across paper and the rapid turning over of exam booklets. Mary on the other hand had re-read her answers twice and was satisfied at her arguments so sat calmly and watched the silent chaos around her. A girl a couple of seats in front of her in the row to her left seemed like she was moments away from having a panic attack as she furiously crossed out a big section of her answer. Whereas the boy to her immediate right had given up trying to get anything else done and held his head in his hands in defeat. 'One minute' echoed across the room now and with a satisfied expression on her face Mary counted down the seconds in her head. Three. Two. One. A sound crossed between a moan and a sigh of relief echoed across the room as the papers were swiftly collected up and the students began to exit the room. From the chatter around her Mary gaged that the general consensus was that the exam was incredibly hard; yet she did not struggle but before she could think on it anymore she heard her name being called out.
"Mary! Over here!" Although she could not see his face properly through the crowd she spotted the unruly blonde hair and headed in that direction.
"Matthew, what on earth are you doing here?"
"I was picking up something from the department this morning and thought I'd wait to see how the exam went. So?" He looked down to her with anticipation as they moved with the crowd.
"Seems the general view is it was a tough one." She sighed as she held her bag tight.
"Oh." He mumbled, the previous eagerness gone.
"But…" her tone became lighter, "I would have to disagree with the others. Plus it was something we did a mock paper on last week!" On hearing this his grin returned.
"That's fantastic Mary!" He beamed as they paused outside the library where they had spent so many hours studying.
"I have to thank you once more, and I guess I will see you at some point over the summer. You're back at Crawley's right?"
"Yeah I am," she couldn't help but notice the slight sadness to his tone, "Mary, I may be being forward here but I have a proposition. I'm no longer classed as your seminar tutor so it won't be breaking any policies or anything," the mumbling Matthew had returned.
"Matthew just get to the point!" She laughed as he blushed furiously, his hands fidgeting.
"I was just wondering, if you, if you fancied going for dinner sometime. It can be casual of course, just as a way to mark the end of the year."
"I would love to. Just do me a favour, and don't be late." And with that Mary walked off with the widest grin on her face.
