Author Note: You completely lovely lot – thank you so, so much for all your reviews! I am really glad you all enjoyed it and having had a break for the fandom, it is nice to know more than one of you think this is a fairly original twist 3 a few of you have asked about ships and ramifications of Patrick's survival on canon – I am not going to give too much away (it's far too early for that!) but I will say I am playing with mid game and end game ships and this is a very slow burning fic. I hope you all feel you can settle in for the duration!
Chapter 2: The New Normal
She knew it was all hopeless now – she had given up all hope on the day of the wedding and yet Edith could not help but try and look especially pretty for Patrick on the day of his and Mary's return.
She found the very cruellest thing about love was that on no account did it take on board the feelings of the other person. It was just so achingly there and as far as she was able to tell it was always going to be. That was that.
She went downstairs in a long brown skirt and a blue blouse, her hair softly curled. The best thing about Mary being back asides from seeing Patrick was going to be the return of Anna, as far as she was concerned. Gwen had done her very best of that she was sure, but when she did not have the experience of the senior maid there was nothing which she could do to rival her.
Of course when she got into the breakfast room all any of them were able to talk about was the returnees.
"And all is ready for the return of Mr and Mrs Crawley?" said Robert with a note of pride in his voice.
It felt to Edith as if he was rubbing it in in a way, even though she knew that was not the objective. Still she also knew now she was never going to be Patrick's wife.
And she felt as if she had dreamt of that day when she was going to be since she was a little girl in a party dress. None of this was fair.
"It is, milord," replied Carson and the tone in his voice was just as excited. Really, Edith thought it pathetic.
And then there was Sybil looking as if she was five years old and it was Christmas.
God knows why but their younger sister thought the two of them were such nice people and the one comfort was she would be just the same if it was Edith who had been away.
Sybil at least saw her sisters on equal footing.
"Do you think they will have had a nice time?" she asked their father.
"I am sure they would have had a lovely time."
Mary and Patrick had planned it together before they left, they had chosen Italy as it was going to be to both of their tastes. Robert did not see any reason in the world why they would not have had a wonderful honeymoon.
"But I am even surer we are going to hear all about it over dinner." Which Edith was looking forward to immensely, she thought to herself sarcastically.
"Is Cousin James coming?" he was the only member of the family who Sybil truly disliked.
"Yes he is. He is Patricks father after all." Their cousin lived not far away from them on the estate and as far as the girls were concerned, he could get over to the Abbey to say hello far too easily.
And he would use Patrick as an excuse to come more and more.
Sybil made a face at Edith total she just what she thought of that.
But if she thought her sister was going to mimic her and make a face in response then Sybil was soon disappointed. Edith sat down and begun her breakfast quietly, hoping against hope the day was not going to be as trying as she thought it was going to be but was unable to believe it wouldn't be.
X x x
Mary could not say she was not sorry the honeymoon was over as they came over the hill for it was a beautiful sight to see Downton Abbey came into view. And it was an even more beautiful thought that she was going to be the countess of it one day. This was always going to her home.
She looked to her side at Patrick. She was sorry she was not for a big romance in some ways but she was no longer a young girl in the nursery, desperate at the idea of a handsome prince. She did not think she had ever been for that matter, for she was not one to give herself over to sentiment. There were things in life which were of much greater importance.
As Mr Pratt drove the two of them to what was now sure to be there home one day, Mary and Patrick share a smile.
Even had she not desired him as a husband with all her heart she felt sure after the honeymoon they were going to be make a go of things. Her cousin who was now also her husband was nothing if not nice and she did not find him totally annoying. He was clever, could dance and had been raised as she had so they had the same values. She wasn't sure she could say the two of them agreed on everything but that was fine as she did like a good argument.
"I wonder what life at home is going to be like now we are Mr and Mrs Crawley." He mused.
If the truth was known she had not put a lot of thought in to it, and it was now on the tip of her tongue to say it was going to be in no way different to the way it had ever been but of course that was not true… it was wrong.
And so she settled with replying, "So do I."
For a start there were all the practical things. Anna would be a real Lady's Maid now. And she was going to be allowed to have her breakfast in bed. The other two young ladies of the house were not going to be able to do that for a while to come yet, if ever a small voice in the back of her mind said meanly. She hoped all of this was not going to change the way that she and Sybil were together but there was no such concern for the way her and Edith, for they had never been all that close or even really liked each other.
No, as long as it did not affect the way her and her darling sister were together then she was content.
Of course another way which her life was going to change she thought was that now she had a husband. She had a man in her life who from her knowledge of their honeymoon did seem to quite enjoy his martial rights and so she would have to get used to seeing her cousin in her room, which was not somewhere Patrick had spent a lot of time – not since they had all been very young. The last time they had been in and out of each other's rooms were when they had been very small. When they had been in the nursery in fact. But things were going to be all very different now and she was ready to face that she thought to herself.
A small smile came on to her face as they begun to roll up the drive – yes they were ready for this and they were going to make a go of it, she thought to herself.
And one day she would wake up and she would be who she had always dreamt of being.
Not just a wife but a mother and queen supreme at Downton. What a lovely thought.
X x x
Cora was pleased to see it did look and sound as if the young couple had had a good time. As soon as Mary came into view, she seemed well and her mother use that to as a balm to any worries she had had for her daughter when she had been away.
At the door of the abbey, Carson, Robert and Sybil had been waiting to make a fuss of them. On account of the fact they were not sure what time they would get in entirely, James had not been wired over and Cora suspected that was just the way Mary had wanted it. She would not have put it passed her daughter to leave the time which they were going to arrive home deliberately vague.
"Oh you do look well my dears," she said as she embraced them in turn, all the while desperately looking for some evidence that the great experiment had worked and that there was something deeper between them now.
But the truth of it was (to what she felt was her shame) she had never been very good at reading her eldest daughter.
Well it could be then that something had happened she thought to herself. Time would tell.
"We had a rather lovely break."
"We look forward to hearing all about it," her mother beamed.
Carson was giving orders for the luggage to be dealt with as Robert and his young cousin headed through to the library.
If Cora had hoped to monopolize Mary though, she was disappointed. It was not long before Sybil was holding on to her arm, thrilled to have her sister home.
But then she was superseded by her father who was not letting Sybil get a word in edge way, so eager was Robert to hear about the trip.
Sybil being Sybil though, she finally did.
"Oh Mary I need to talk to you," Sybil said as the sisters sat down together. More than anything their mother wanted to know what that was about.
No doubt she was going to be able to get it out of them later. She certainly hoped she would.
A little later than all the other, Edith arrived for tea.
She and Mary greeted one another civilly and Patrick and Edith with a little more warmth.
She tried to keep her feelings in check as he kissed her cheek.
"It is so good to see you."
She swallowed down her heart into her chest and sat quietly as the dissection of the honeymoon began.
X x x
It wasn't till they were getting ready for dinner that evening the youngest Crawley sister finally got the eldest to herself.
"Mary, you cannot know how good it is to have you home," Sybil said as she sat down on her bed. She had missed the two of them getting ready to go down together at night and she had wondered if it was going to continue now that her sister was a married lady. She knew there were plenty of people who thought Mary was far too grand for her own good but it did seem as if she was not yet too grand for Sybil and for that she was going to be forever grateful.
Especially now when the truth was she was sure she needed her more than ever.
"Well it is just as good to be home I promise you."
"Did you not have a nice time with Patrick?"
Mary thought on that for a moment.
"Well the two of us did not have an unhappy time." She said as she gave her sister a look that said she knew the way she and Patrick were together.
Mary did not quite like or approval of the look of sympathy her sister gave her just then and knew it was time to change the subject.
"So what have I missed my darling. What has been going on here?"
She hoped the answer would be nothing at all but for she was loathed to miss anything good but she saw from the way her sister blushed that was not quite the case.
"Sybil?"
"Oh Mary… I think I have met someone!"
So her younger sister had a crush. That was exciting news. It could not help but bring a smile to Mary's face.
"Do tell!"
"I went to stay with Imogen Blake for a few days. You know what parents are like about girls who are not yet out, but her mother and father had a small dinner. They have had a bit of legal work done lately," Sybil said lowly as if she was risking giving away some sort of state secret by imparting this information on her sister.
Mary waited for her to go on but she did not.
"So it is the lawyer you liked?"
"Oh Mary he was awfully kind and clever… and I think he may have a family connections as he is a Crawley too - but I think I want to get mama and papa to ask him here for the weekend."
Mary almost did not believe what she was hearing. If Edith had spoken of a man to come and see her (well that may have been less believable after all…) but at least she was of an age when her mother and father were not going to hit the roof at the mere suggestion…
But Sybil.
She was their baby and as far as Mary was concerned honestly she was her baby as well but she knew her younger sister and though she might be kinder with it, she was just as stubborn as Mary herself.
"Well, I think it may be a bit soon for all that. You are only sixteen."
"Mary, do not be so disappointing. You know as well as I do that I know my own mind. I am going to ask them and then him."
Seeing the mood Sybil was in she withdrew. She was going to have to come up with a better argument against it if she was going to stop it.
If she was able too.
"So I know he is a lawyer and his name is Crawley… may I know something else about the man who has apparently stolen your heart for his own."
"His name is Matthew and he is quite wonderful. That is all you need to know."
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