Before you go on, I'd like to thank you so much for reading this. It makes me so happy that I can share this with people like you!
Haha! I have no midterms so I'm actually finding time to write this. Well, I do have a college audition coming up for a really good Acting Conservatory Program, so I might have to miss a day or two. But for this reason, a next chapter might be posted tonight. I'll try my best!
Love,
Lady Sea Monster
PS: This picks up right where we left off…
…
She felt a delightful weightless sensation come over her. Sighing in relief, relaxing even further, she felt her body being lifted by an unseen force up above her bed. Then one by one, elements of her bedroom began to disappear. Her lamp on the table with the fringed shade faded away, the dim light it cast becoming barely visible, her paintings of ladies in high fashion danced away from her view, her mirrors reflecting a silvery swirling mist before disappearing as well. She felt herself rising until she was surrounded by nothingness. Her room was gone. Her bed was gone.
Mary was at peace.
At peace until an odd fear arose within her. Her fingertips then began to tingle, and the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up. Her eyes flew open, and as soon as they did she was rushed out of this feeling of bliss and contentment that she had not felt in so long, and thrown into darkness.
Her body still limp she could not control it, she found herself still floating, in a horizontal position, toes together, arms outstretched, hair hanging down away from her, Somehow it had released itself from the braided bun Anna had constructed so well that morning. It was now a waterfall of shining chestnut locks, smooth and shiny, lightly blowing in the soft wind around her. Her dress, a light cream colored piece, was draped across her body, flowing down below her, also blowing in the light breeze.
Despite the darkness that now surrounded her, she still felt strangely at peace. She realized she had no control over anything happening besides the way she dealt with it, and she could not even bring herself to consider the options of how to go about facing this with a proper air in her weak state.
Then she heard a voice.
"Hello, my Darling." It hissed. The voice sent shivers down her spine, but she knew it well.
…
He was sitting in the study at Crawley house shortly after breakfast, trying to remember as much of his strange dream as possible when he heard her. His mother had noticed his distraction and questioned it, but he deflected her inquiries. Isobel knew she would find out whatever it was soon enough, so she did not pry. He then locked himself away in the study to think upon the feelings and resoluteness he had woken up with.
All he knew was he had to save her, the beautiful girl chained to the rock. He had to stop her tears.
It was amidst such strange thoughts as these when he heard her call to him.
A rushing sound filled his ears, not unlike how the dream had begun. He rubbed at his ear absentmindedly, but it grew louder. It was then joined by a voice.
"Matthew…" It said, barely in a whisper.
Matthew looked up sharply from the papers he had been pretending to look over on his desk and looked about the room. He had thought her had heard…her.
"Is someone-"He began, but it came again, and this time louder.
"Matthew, c-come to me."
The eerie, echoing voice, it seemed, was both very far away yet speaking in his ear. It was soft, as if carried to him by the wind, but still urgent. The he heard her slightly cry out.
He leapt to his feet.
But despite the straightforwardness of its request, he hesitated.
"I n-need you.."
The keeper of the voice was in obvious distress, but Matthew did not know what to do. As he wondered about the strange occurrence, the rushing began to die down, but did not cease, leaving Matthew sitting straight up and very tense in his chair, papers in his hand, with a strange look on his face.
Suddenly he threw the papers down and made his way to the door, grabbing his coat and hat and throwing them over his arm, the expression never leaving his face.
Ribbing his ear, he started up to Downton Abbey, wondering what he was to do.
…
Matthew walked up the gravel pathway to the towering front door of the Abbey. He had noticed the car parked in the main entrance, the chauffer leaning against it.
Matthew raised a hand to him which was returned by a slight bowing of the head and a "How do you do, Mr. Crawley."
"I'm quite well, thank you, Branson." He added with a smile, "Tell me, is there anything happening I should know about inside, anything I might have to—prepare myself for?"
The smile was mirrored on the chauffer's face. They had both had to deal with drama within the walls of the big house. Never a dull moment, indeed.
"Well, Sir, Lady Mary had a turn this morning, I hear. I was called to drive over the Doctor. There was some more this morning, but I only know what I'm involved in." "Which, even then, is sometimes too much." Branson thought to himself.
The rushing in Matthew's ears rose suddenly, but he paid it no mind and it soon returned to the distant rumble.
"Yes, of course. Thank you very much." A concerned look crossed his brow.
"And good luck to you. " Branson added in farewell and Matthew went up to ring the bell.
Carson greeted him.
"Good morning, Mister Crawley." Boomed his deep, friendly voice, inviting him inside. "Are you here on business with his Lordship?"
"Uh, well, no, Carson. I was hoping to see Lady Mary, but I heard that she's seeing Dr. Clarkson. Is it anything serious?"
"The Doctor only just arrived, so we cannot be sure." But upon seeing his face fall he added, "Many things have been demanded of her as of late, Milord, I wouldn't think it too soon to assume it's simply exhaustion." Smiling when he saw the heir's face regain some of its brightness.
"I'd like to go up and see her if that's all right, then."
"Very good, Milord." And bowed slightly, and watched him make his way towards the main staircase. He hoped his presence would not agitate Mary further. She had shown no previous signs that he caused her any discomfort, but Carson knew, of all people, that with his Lady Mary, things were not always as they seemed.
He started up the steps. The rumbling followed.
…
Matthew reached the landing where Mary's room was situated and met Cousin Robert on his way down.
"Good Morning, Lord Grantham." Matthew said.
"Matthew!" He replied. So good to see you. I wish it was under slightly different circumstances."
"As do I, Sir, but I'm sure it's not too bad. Has she looked unwell since my last visit here?
"I daresay no. She was a little distracted at breakfast, though, and I'm told she almost passed out in the library. Clarkson says it doesn't look serious. He's in there with the girls now."
"And Sir Richard, I presume?" Matthew added, a twinge of bitterness entering his voice, although his face stayed neutral and pleasant. The same could not be said for Lord Grantham.
"No." A slight scowl passing his features. "No, Sir Richard had some important matters to discuss with some people in town surrounding Haxby."
Matthew shared the disgust he heard in Lord Grantham's voice when he mentioned the estate. "So," he thought, "He's not here to tend to his sick fiancé. How noble." But keeping his sarcasm private, he added, aloud. "There must be quite a lot to take care of surrounding the estate." The sound in his ears rose to an almost unbearable volume. He brushed at his ears, trying to hide his ailment from his cousin.
"Too much to take some time out to comfort my sick daughter, surely." He said, bitterness coating each word. With company he had tried to be optimistic about his daughter's fiancé, but this was too much. The man had noticed how Mary had looked at breakfast, only commenting that she looked "a fright" and said no more of it, rushing off into town.
"Well, I'm just on my way to go look after her." This caused a smile to soften Grantham's harsh expression.
"Thank you, Matthew. It's wonderful, you being here for her, through all this—he stopped, not wanting to give away what he could see of Mary's feelings on the situation.
"I'm sure I understand, Lord Grantham. Thank you. Might I stay for tea?"
"You are always welcome, my boy."
"Thank you, sir."
And with that, they parted. Matthew went up the rest of the stairs and turned down the hallway to Mary's room rubbing his ear violently, the sound never leaving. He caught Dr. Clarkson as he was shutting the door gently behind him.
"Oh, hello, Matthew." Said the Doctor.
"Hello, sir. How is she?" He asked.
"Well, I feel that rest is all she needs. I would blame pure exhaustion for her turn this morning. But I told Anna that someone should check on her every now and then and if anything develops, that I should be made aware immediately. Distress upon the body can leave it weak and susceptible to other ailments. We can only hope she can fight them off."
"Can I speak with her?"
"She has been asleep for quite a while, and I do say that is best. She may feel quite groggy upon waking, but if she stays the way she is now, she will be fine."
"Thank you, sir." He said, and went inside.
There Mary lay on her bed, sheets tucked lightly around her. Her hair splayed out across the pillows, her arms loosely configured, one across her stomach, one resting towards the edge of the bed. "She looks very peaceful," Matthew thought. "More at peace than I think I've ever seen her."
Her face, usually the epitome of coolness and collectiveness, seemed strangely candid and raw. A faint smile passed her lips.
He realized when he looked upon that face that all of his transactions that day had been almost automatic; he was not completely there in any of the conversations. He suddenly remembered his reason for coming. The voice. Her voice.
He suddenly remembered the rushing in his ears. It got louder and louder still.
He tried to ignore it by pulling over a chair next to her bed and sitting down.
"Mary, I had such a strange dream last night—" He began softly…
Then he heard her call to him again. A voice, her voice, he was sure of it, carried to him by a gentle wind.
"Matthew, I n-need you…here"
Matthew studied Mary's sleeping face and noticed her eyes. Spellbound by her dreaming eyes, he watched their restlessness. The rushing in his ears became the only thing he could hear as he became hypnotized by their rhythmic moving under her eyelids. As he watched, his own eyelids began to droop. He reached an arm limply out to her, feeling his body weaken.
He fell unconscious, his head falling onto the arm resting on her bed, his body leaning towards her in his chair.
There they stayed, both in deep sleep. Their breathing syncing together, their outstretched arms leaving their hands inches away from each other. Their busy minds finally at rest, they found their imaginations take them away, away.
…
Well, there we have it.
Now, I know not much really happened in this one, so I'll see what I can do in terms of action in the next few chapters.
But don't let that stop you from…reviewing!
-Lady SM
