Hello Reader! This is my first fanfiction ever (still new to this site and getting the hang of it) so hopefully the first chapter wasn't too terrible! I love Downton Abbey and I love reading Modern twists on Matthew/Mary so I thought I'd give this ago. I sadly don't own the characters, Fellowes does. No copyright intended and all that fluff. The story is set in 2013 & will NOT follow the shows plot. Matthew will not end up in a ditch and Sybil won't die in childbirth.

Thank you for reading!

CHAPTER TWO:

Mary had never seen such a beautiful face in her life. Matthew had the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen, his chin perfectly shaped and his nose just the right size for his face. She let go off the breath she'd been subconsciously holding in.

''Sorry but did you just say Crawley?'' Mary questioned.

''Yeah, Matthew Crawley. I'm originally from Manchester but moved down to London a couple of years ago.'' Matthew answered. Papa has never said that we have any relatives in Manchester, must be a co-incidence, Mary thought.

''What a crazy coincidence! My last name is Crawley too. Do you think we could be distantly cousins?'' Mary queried.

''Really? Well my father died when I was two so I haven't really met most of my Crawley family. So it's quite possible.'' Matthew responded turning to face Lavinia who was smiling, obviously enjoying the possible fact that Mary could be a distant relative of his.

The trio awkwardly sat down, Mary pulling a chair over from a table to face the couple. She took a moment to watch the two interacting, Lavinia seemed to be watching Matthew like he was glowing but Mary got the vibe that she was more in to him than he was into her.

Matthew doesn't look like he is enjoying Lavinia being so close to him. Pull yourself together Mary, he's engaged for goodness sake. And could quite possibly be related to you. I need to check with Papa.

It was the waitress who interrupted Mary's trail of thought, bringing her latte over to her. After thanking her, Mary began asking Lavinia about how far along she was with the planning.

''We haven't done too much really. We've set a date for September the 3rd. We really wanted an autumn wedding didn't we darling'' Lavinia responded laying a hand on Matthew's thigh. Mary swore she saw him flinch at the contact. ''I've picked a church, St Edwards, as well as that was my local church when I was growing up. Matthew said he didn't mind didn't you darling.'' Lavinia briefly paused, turning from Mary to look into Matthew's eyes. ''But we really need to book a reception location. Do you know of anywhere we could have it Mary?''

''Well my parents use to host a few events while I was younger so I could come up with venues and email you links to their websites?''

''That would be great if you could Mary.'' Matthew finally spoke up. His face was now clearly staring at hers, his bright eyes making contact with her. The way the name Mary left Matthew's lips seemed to memorize Mary. His voice was so deep, yet so angelic.

''It would be my pleasure'' Mary responded, taking a sip of her latte and setting it back down on the table in between her and the couple. ''Anna hasn't really told me much about you two though. How did you meet? How long have you been together?''

''We were introduced actually by mutual friends. Matthew's friend Tom was my workmate Sarah's partner at the time and we were out celebrating Sarah's birthday at a pub when we ran into Matthew and Tom introduced us. I knew he was the one from me as soon as I saw these gorgeous eyes.'' Lavinia responded, turning to face Matthew and stroking his cheek with her palm. Was that another flinch? Or am I going blind. Mary asked herself. Matthew maintained eye contact with Lavinia however as she continued. ''I then made the first move didn't I darling? I asked Matthew for his number and we parted. Then the next Saturday I texted him asking if he wanted to come to the movies with me and we ended up back at my flat afterwards, drinking red wine and playing cluedo. It was the best night of my life.''

''I thought we went to that restaurant on the Thames?''

''No darling that was our third date, not our first.'' Lavinia said turning to face Mary, ''Men these days. Terrible memories. Our 4 year anniversary was last November''

Four years together? But He just doesn't look comfortable sitting next to her.

''I hope you two don't mind me asking but how old are you?'' Mary questioned. Lavinia looks a lot older than Matthew.

''I'm 34 this year. Matthew's quite a bit younger than me.'' Lavinia hesitantly replied, her hand removing itself from the spot on Matthew's thigh. Is their age a problem between them?

''I'm 27. Turning 28 in December.'' Mary could've sworn he had a smirk on his face as he responded. She shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable with the topic.

The trio carried on discussing the wedding and imputing ideas for the venue as it was Lavinia's main concern. Mary listened to what Lavinia was suggesting, taking note that Matthew wasn't involved. He sat silently stiring his now cold coffee and nibbling at the blueberry muffin that he'd brought while Lavinia was vividly describing the church decorations she wanted. Mary also took note at the amount of times Matthew looked up at the clock on the wall behind them.

Was he bored?

About an hour later Mary suggested that they call it a day, stating that she had a few errands to run before lunch. Lavinia stood from the couch to hug Mary, thanking her for agreeing to help and that they would pay her whatever was needed. Matthew stood, saying his goodbyes to Mary also and excused himself to the loo. Mary took that as her cue to leave, leaving Lavinia alone in the cafe.

This is going to be an interesting few months. Mary thought as she opened the door facing the cool breeze outside. She grabbed her phone out of her handbag and immediately set up a text to Anna:

Lavinia is lovely. Looking forward to getting to know the happy couple more over the next few months. Could've warned me about Matthew though.

-M

She immediately received a small ding:

I knew you two would hit it off. Matthew is a real charmer. Sorry about the name, didn't even consider you two might be related. Check with your Dad. Free this afternoon? Coffee date? I want to know ALL about it.

-Anna

Mary then logged onto her Facebook page on her iPhone, to quickly check if her younger sister Sybil had replied to her message about their movie night plans tomorrow night, when she saw a new friend request pop up:

Matthew Crawley (Mutual friends with Anna Smith) wants to be friends with you.

She hesitantly pressed confirm and carried on her way down the street, shutting her app and promising herself to stalk his page when she got home.

Thanks for reading and hopefully you liked it!

- Marthewshipper xx