Matthew could hardly believe his luck as he walked away. It felt like a dream. Not only was he inside, but Mary Crawley had got him in here. On top of that, she actually seemed to like him somewhat by the end of it all.
For the first time in his life, he found himself wishing that he were a part of this whole scene because that would mean he would have another opportunity to talk to her. He wasn't a fool enough to think she would ever like him seriously, but conversing with her had been fun and refreshing. It'd be nice to be her friend. The fact that she was also extremely beautiful didn't hurt either. Matthew felt invigorated.
He shook his head, reminding himself of the task at hand. Save your job! Find Holly.
Matthew scanned the room and even though nobody was paying him an iota of attention, he felt like he was about to be pounced on and escorted out at any moment.
The lights had been dimmed, encouraging people to start dancing. If he knew Holly, she would either already be on the dance floor or she was in the bathroom gearing herself up for the night.
He headed towards the DJ decks, trying to look discretely at the girls who had already started dancing without seeming like the creepy guy all alone ogling the women.
When Matthew saw she wasn't there, he headed for the bar. He figured he might as well grab himself a free drink while he waited.
All around him, he could hear people emphasising their snobby accents as they spoke. Everybody was dressed impeccably; even those in the outlandish outfits looked like they had never come across a speck of dirt in their entire lives. There was something unnatural about it.
He observed the people in the room as he waited for his beer to be poured, noting a Channel 4 news presenter and one of those young girls from a talent show pop band in attendance.
"You're not somebody I've seen before." A pretty voice said from beside him.
He turned towards it, and an even prettier face greeted him.
Mary went to the bar closest from where she was standing with Will before she had left him, hoping to quickly grab a couple of drinks.
She felt two strong hands grab her hips from behind, and she almost let out a yell before she heard, "Where have you been?", being playfully asked in her ear.
She smiled as she turned around. "Sorry darling, I got caught in a conversation with one of those Timple girls."
"Ghastly." He responded, handing her a drink. "You were taking too long so I got us refills."
"Thank God." She said, and he laughed.
"Think you can survive the rest of the night?" Will teased, his dark eyes hopeful.
"Yes, I think I might just be able to." Mary knowingly smirked back at him. Usually, she liked to get out of these things early and not go to the after party. Will loved the after parties - and often the clubs after that - and was always disappointed when she bowed out.
A few years ago, she was right there with him every weekend. But she was twenty-seven now, and tired of the same people and the same scene over and over again. Will was a couple of years older than her, but he sure still loved it.
Sometimes Mary wondered if he'd ever get over himself and grow up. He could be very mature when it came to business and financial responsibility. But the elitist attitude and the parties every weekend had had her growing weary for some time.
Tonight, however, she was ready for some fun. It had been a while, and she felt a rush from the old days. Mary knew it was temporary, but she couldn't bring herself to care.
Her boyfriend led her to the dance floor, and she wondered if she would see the lawyer again. Mary thought about if the mysterious blonde would see her, dancing with Will's arms wrapped around her. Maybe he would be jealous. The thought sent her soaring.
Just before Mary woke, she was dreaming of running towards a river that only seemed to get further away the closer she tried to move to it.
Will shifted beside her, draping an arm across her waist and causing her to open her eyes.
God, she was thirsty.
Mary quickly got up, and just as quickly realised her head was pounding. Combined with the fact that she was stark naked and it was freezing outside of the covers, she felt positively horrid.
"Will." She bumped him.
When he didn't move, she bumped him harder and shouted his name.
"What? What?" He said deliriously.
"Get me some water and painkillers, would you?" Mary said, promptly lying back down and getting under the covers.
When he didn't move straight away, she bumped him for a third time.
"Yep, okay, okay. I'm going." He said, groaning as he got up.
Mary could only hum in response.
A couple of hours spent dozing passed before the two could communicate properly. When Mary noticed the pounding had subsided, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Her gorgeous dress was in a heap on the floor on the opposite side of the room, and she couldn't see her underwear at all. Luckily she always left some things at Will's to get home in. She didn't like his apartment much; it was all sleek lines and cold colours. There was no personality in it at all. When she felt like this, all she wanted to do was crawl under the warm, fuzzy blanket on her couch and watch trash television all day before ordering some form of horrid take away for dinner that she would never normally go near.
Mary slid out of bed and opened the drawer that held her clothes.
"Not yet." Will moaned from the bed. "I hate you always sneaking away."
She smiled back at him as she put her bra on. "I'm not sneaking away from you, I am just sneaking towards being alone."
"Yes, that makes me feel so much better."
She laughed. "If you knew what I really meant by that, you wouldn't be so upset."
"I just feel like you never want to spend time with me." He said a little more seriously. It was true that they more often than not spent their nights apart, and that Mary was nearly always the one deciding it to be this way. She had started her own digital publishing company ten months ago and running a start up required so much of her time and energy that she often liked to be alone to recharge.
Mary gave Will a look. "Are you really complaining after last night?"
Will's smile came back. "I would never complain about that."
"Good boy." She said as she was pulling on a pair of jeans. "I'll see you on Tuesday for that dinner with Tony and Mabel."
She gave him a quick kiss and strode out of his door without looking back.
Staring out the cab window on the way to her apartment, Mary's mind wandered back to that lawyer from the night before. She didn't know why he had popped up in her thoughts; she usually forgot about people like him faster than Edith fell in love with any male who made eye contact with her.
Maybe it's because he was different from anyone she'd had a proper conversation with in so long. She never went past mere pleasantries most of the time; maybe she needs to give people more of a chance.
Just as the idea crossed her mind, Mary saw a man on the footpath spit into a rubbish bin. Well, maybe not all people.
The early afternoon sun peeked between the trees as they swayed, the light dancing across her eyes. She let herself think of the tall blonde some more.
By the time she was home, Mary no longer felt hungover. She brightly greeted Mitchell, the doorman, and rode the gold trimmed elevator to the top floor.
After exiting the lift and opening her mahogany door, she bypassed her couch and went immediately to her room to retrieve her laptop.
Jumping onto her satin bedspread, Mary greedily opened her computer. As she stared at the search bar on Google's home page, she cursed herself for not getting his name. People usually were all too ready to let her know their name when she met them; she never had to concern herself with asking.
Mary began to list the things she knew about him in her head, trying to see if she could remember anything that would help her narrow down who he could be. Let's see. He was a lawyer and Holly Waterford was his client. She could hardly message Holly and ask. They weren't exactly friends and it would be a very odd question to come out of the blue.
She imagined herself calling Holly, "Hi! Holly? It's Mary Crawley. What is the name of that tall blonde lawyer of yours? The one who just closed a settlement for you about your hit and run?"
Besides, Holly was on a plane to the Bahamas right now according to the blue-eyed man and she would probably be very surprised that Mary even knew she had a lawyer.
What else? He was tall, about six foot two or three she would guess. Blonde, blue-eyed – obviously – with a kind of boyish look that, contrary to her usual type, she found very appealing. He could certainly babble, but he seemed clever and strong in his opinions.
None of this was any good in helping her find him online, though Mary did feel as though she might be able to write a character based on him for a novel. She leaned back against her cushioned headboard and sighed.
She guessed he was about thirty, give or take a few years. His accent was sophisticated and his suit looked quite decent, so he must come from some sort of money. But then again accents don't mean much these days and the suit could have been a hire…
She groaned in frustration and shut the laptop lid. This was pointless. It's not like she was ever going to see him again anyway and even if she did, nothing would come of it.
This was just the ultimate sign of her boredom with her social life.
The week passed without much fanfare for Mary. Dinner with Tony and Mabel was nice enough. Mary much preferred talking to the latter than the former. She always felt as if Tony sat a little too close and leered a little too much. She didn't know why someone as clever and pretty as Mabel stayed with such a buffoon. Mary wondered if anyone thought the same about her and Will.
The only source of drama in the week was not a welcome one. An employee of hers, Damien Morgan, had left the company and had taken three major clients with him when all of them had signed contracts with her for future deals. Damien was claiming the contracts were void on a technicality and Diamond Publishing did not have a dedicated legal department to handle something like this, rather just an outsourced legal advisory firm. It had become obvious quickly that Mary needed a team on hand at all times, and she was frustrated with herself for not getting on top of this sooner. So much was riding on her with this start up. She felt like she had an enormous amount to prove with so many eyes - particularly her father's - keenly on her. It didn't help that it seemed most of the people watching wanted her to fail.
But now was a time to leave all that at the office and begin the weekend. Mary wasn't particularly looking forward to the birthday party tonight. For one, it was Felix Simon's birthday and he was a right cad with all of his father's money at his disposal without ever having held a single job in his now thirty-one years of living. Secondly, she was exhausted and not much up for socialising. But a party was a party, and getting to wear the dress she had made for the occasion was something to be happy about at least. It was a velvet mini in pale blue that seemed to shine as she walked.
She heard her doorbell ring and after one final look in the mirror, she began the night.
An hour into the party and people were still eating and talking with nobody too tipsy just yet. There were certainly a lot of people trying to be.
Mary had perched herself on a bar stool, one leg crossed over the other. She was delighted to see her cousin Rose not long after entering, and the two were animatedly catching up while members of their circle stood around them.
"Do you know Andrew Napier?" Rose asked, eyes and smile wide.
"Andrew? Evelyn's younger brother?" Mary questioned. "Yes, of course. Not very well personally, but we've sat at a few dinners together and he seems like a nice enough young man. Not as nice as Evelyn, but he is a tough older brother to live up to."
"Oh indeed! And Andrew is so lovely." Rose said excitedly, clasping Mary's hand as she spoke. Every time they talked, Rose seemed to be infatuated with someone new. Yet, her infatuation seemed so genuine, it was hard to begrudge the young girl her happiness. "He just graduated from Oxford, you know. And he loves concerts, just like me."
"Just like a lot of people," Mary said, not discounting her cousin's enthusiasm. "Are you seeing him?"
"He's taken me on a couple of dates. We are going on another on Sunday!"
"Well, have fun and be careful," Mary said. "Though I doubt you could get into too much trouble with a Napier."
"Yes, you could do much worse Rosie." Will's voice cut into their conversation. "I look forward to seeing where it goes."
"She could also do much better," Mary said with a glint in her eye, mostly just to defy her boyfriend.
"And I'm sure you could as well." Will hit back with a smile, handing his girlfriend a fresh glass of champagne.
"Of course I could." She agreed, flicking her hair back.
The group laughed, only to be interrupted by Laura Mason joining them.
"It's good to see your high opinion of yourself hasn't waivered, Mary," Laura said with good humour.
"I doubt it ever will," Mary said with a smile, standing to give Laura a kiss on the cheek. While they were not exactly friends, Mary and Laura had always had an affinity for one another.
Laura's mother was a politician who campaigned extensively for women's rights and education, while her father was a respected heart surgeon. While her family were not exactly high born or high society, they were clever and kind. Laura was always graceful, and conversing with her was a pleasant change to the asinine chatting Mary put up with from most people.
"Are you here alone?" Mary asked, as she waved Will off a seat. "Join us."
"Thank you," Laura answered, taking the stool. "But no, I'm not here alone. My date is just in the bathroom."
"Your date?" Rose piped in. "Oh, do tell me it's that gorgeous blonde I saw you with at the last party! What was his name? Jordan something?"
Laura laughed. "Oh no. Jackson was sweet but not for me. Though my date is another gorgeous blonde."
"Someone we know?" Mary asked, just as Laura jumped up.
She waved her hand in the air. "Over here!"
Mary took a swig of her champagne, not particularly interested in Laura's date. She leaned over to say into her cousin's ear, "Do you have a plan for when you'd like to leave tonight?"
"Leave!" Rose exclaimed. "The party hasn't even begun!"
"She's just teasing, Rose." Will stepped in. "Mary's not leaving."
Mary was just about to retort, when an approaching voice paralysed her.
"I do hope my intrusion isn't making you talk of leaving."
From behind Will and a couple of his friends, emerged the lawyer being pulled in by Laura. He was dressed in a navy suit, with a white shirt casually unbuttoned at the top. His hair was gelled, but not nearly as perfectly as it had been last Saturday. A lock fell across his forehead as his eyes found hers. He smiled.
Everybody else gave the intruder a laugh, with many voices assuring him that it was not his sudden presence that sparked any kind of conversation.
Mary just stared at him. His eyes suggested he was in on something she wasn't, as if he had known she was going to be here. It made her feel like she had been tricked, or was in some kind of odd dream. He had appeared in her dreams a couple of times this week.
"I'm sorry to intrude, nonetheless." He said, managing to tear his eyes from hers to address the group.
"Don't be silly," Laura assured him, rubbing his arm as she did so.
Mary was in such shock that watching Laura rub his arm was the first time she realised that the lawyer was her date. The gorgeous blonde man was the lawyer! Her mind scattered, trying to piece it together.
"Would you like a drink?" Laura asked him.
"I'd love one." He smiled at her, and Mary felt a twinge of annoyance.
Laura recruited Will to help her with a round, and the lawyer used the small opportunity to tease Mary a little more.
Leaning in, he whispered, "Not exactly the pub I thought we'd run into each other at, but I suppose an upscale bar at a grandiose private event will do."
"What are you doing here?" She asked sharply, though her demeanour had recovered just enough that she drew no attention to them.
He laughed lightly. "I'm on a date."
"Have you tricked me or something?" Mary was frustrated. "Are you dating Laura and last week was all a scheme to have some fun with me to alleviate your boredom?"
He laughed a little again and said, "God, no. You don't seem to have a high opinion of your friend! I only met Laura last week at the gala, after you let me in. We got to talking at the bar, and she asked me if I'd like to come to a party with her this Friday. I said yes."
"Just like that, huh?" Mary asked, still haughty. The explanation made enough sense, but her annoyance wasn't waning.
"Just like that." He repeated, and she noted how much more confident he seemed now than he did last week.
"Well, didn't you turn out to be quite the charmer? Our near entire conversation on Saturday seemed to consist of you bumbling over words most five year olds have mastered. Yet by the end of the night, you had a girl who is both clever and pretty asking you to a party the following weekend."
"I suppose I got out all my bumbling with you." He countered mischievously. "Plus, Laura's isn't nearly as fierce an opponent."
"Opponent? That's what you call someone you talk to, is it?" She questioned.
"Not usually." He smiled down at her, and for a moment she felt like she was back living last Saturday night, with this strange man making her feel oddly giddy.
"You know I never got your name." She whispered up to him.
He kept her gaze and said, "I didn't think it mattered to you." She noticed how his eyes dropped from hers for a moment, taking in the short hemline of her dress and the long legs that came out from underneath it. She found herself searching his face for a look of approval.
She shone in pale blue, her dark hair and eyes making such a contrast with the rest of her appearance that it reminded him of the moon in the night sky. She was positively striking.
His eyes came up from her legs, and he gave her the smile she was looking for.
Right then, Laura cut between them, shoving a fresh drink in each of their faces. "Matthew! I see you've become acquainted with Mary. I assure you, she does retract her claws eventually."
Both Matthew and Mary gave a delayed laugh.
"Though they never retract entirely, Matthew." Mary said, pausing before saying his name for the first time. Matthew. It suited him. Strong and soft at the same time.
"I'd expect nothing less, Mary."
The conversation seemed a little too familiar, prompting Laura to ask, "Do you two know each other?" She pointed a finger between them. "Hang on, are you related?"
That made Mary jump out from her reverie. "Related? Why on earth would you think we are related?"
Mary looked at Laura as though the girl needed to be committed to an asylum.
"Oh, well, obviously not then!" Laura laughed. "You have the same last name. Mary Crawley, Matthew Crawley." She pointed between the two respectively.
Matthew smiled knowingly, but Mary felt bewildered. The man she had been cursing all week for not telling her his name, the man she had spent hours scouring the internet for in the hopes of finding out his identity, turned out to have almost the exact same name as her barring a few letters? How ridiculous!
Matthew held out his hand to her. "It's nice to meet you, Mary. I assure you, I have never known anyone from my family to be related to someone from the aristocracy so I doubt we could be any relation of significance."
She looked at his hand for a moment before taking it, lightly clasping her fingers around his.
"What a relief." She said, meaning it to sound more like an insult than it did.
His hand dwarfed hers, and he held on for a little longer than she did before releasing her. Mary found herself staring into his eyes, and knew she needed to quit it immediately before anybody noticed her strange behaviour.
"Here, sit you two." She said, hopping up out of her seat. She moved quickly, not giving them a chance to keep her.
Mary made her way over to Will who immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in. She pretended to engage in the conversation he was having with Mark, a colleague turned friend of Will's, about their company's investments in the last quarter. While not her favourite subject of conversation, Mary could usually keep up with their industry jargon and had a small interest in finance. Right now, however, her mind was on Matthew and Laura. She was trying to subtly look over at them but she felt like he was watching her and didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
When she finally caught a glimpse, Matthew was sitting on the chair she had just given up with Laura perched on his knee. They met last week! How could they possibly be this close already? It was so classless and uncivilised, to be draped across one another like that in public.
Matthew was engaged in conversation with Amy and Stuart, a couple of their friends that had been standing around. It was like he had completely forgotten she was there. She hadn't seen him try and look over once! It had only been a few minutes, but she couldn't help herself. Curious to hear what they were talking about, Mary said, "Let's find more chairs and sit with the group."
Never one to deny her anything, Will obeyed.
Mary heard Matthew give his full name as her boyfriend provided her with a seat..
"Oh! Hang on," Amy said excitedly. "You're not the Matthew Crawley from Swire and Sampson, are you?"
"Not anymore. I was previously." He answered.
"Yes, of course." She responded. "That's why I ask. I read about your leaving the firm after spending so many years there and headed for a top post! I hope I'm not prying, but I just couldn't understand why you would leave such a lucrative job."
Mary wanted to roll her eyes. Trust Amy to both pry and show off her knowledge of the London law scene. She was so proud of herself for becoming a lawyer when most other women in their circle either didn't work, or only did so in fluffy jobs that required little brainpower.
"Don't worry, you aren't the first to ask." Matthew said with grace. "The truth is I was too comfortable, and I had some personal reasons for needing a change. Where I am now is certainly tougher, but I think I'm becoming better for it. At least, that's what I'm telling myself."
His response was both gallant and sincere. Mary pondered what his personal reasons could be while scanning over him comprehensively now that she knew his eyes weren't on her. He looked good a little bit more casual, though most men would still consider his outfit to be very dressed up. His suit was high quality, and clearly tailored for him, which impressed her. She kept going back and admiring his hair, the blonde floppy locks such a stark contrast to her usual dark haired type. That lock was still hanging down his forehead, just begging to be pushed back. It was then that she noticed that he looked a little uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if it was all the attention, or Laura on his lap, but it was obvious to her that he wasn't having a great time.
"Enough with the work talk, please." Mary interrupted. "Not all of us like to continue our weekends with conversation of what we've been doing all week."
"I agree," Rose said.
"I need the ladies." Mary said, and then directed at Laura, "Come with?"
Matthew was relieved that Mary had offered an out from his current predicament and smiled at her as she walked away with Laura.
"So tell me about this date of yours." Mary said, reminding herself not to seem too curious. "Is it love?"
Laura laughed. "This is only the second time I've ever seen him so I don't think we are quite there yet. He is lovely though, and very clever. I like that he's not a part of all this as well. Shows just how intelligent he really is!"
Mary had to agree.
"Have you got any other dates planned?" She asked.
Laura was surprised Mary was asking so many questions. She had never taken an interest in anyone she had dated before. "Not yet, but I'm hoping he will ask me at the end of the night if all this hadn't scared him off by then."
"End of the night?" Mary asked suggestively.
"Well, I hope so." Laura responded with a raised eyebrow, "But honestly, I don't think it will happen. He doesn't seem like the type."
"The type who likes sleeping with women?" Mary was incredulous. There was only one thing she was certain of about Matthew Crawley at this point; he liked women.
"Hah, no! I hope not at least," Laura laughed. "I just don't think he'll try tonight. He seems so…" She swayed her head searching for the right word, "respectful".
Mary understood what she meant, yet it still didn't seem like reason enough for him not to try a little harder. He clearly knew how to flirt. She had no doubt he could be respectful and get a girl into bed at the same time.
"Well, it's his loss then isn't it?" Mary said, believing it to be the other way around. "Enough of the boring boy chat then. What else has been happening with you?"
Mary didn't really care, but she didn't want to seem interested in Matthew. Nor did she want to seem too interested in Laura's love life just in case the girl suddenly thought of her as her confidant. The last thing she needed was constant updates on Laura's love life, especially if Matthew ended up asking her on more dates.
Though Matthew's appearance had made the night more interesting than she had originally thought it would be, Mary still found herself wishing she could be elsewhere. As the night went on, everybody got inevitably drunker and started hitting the dance floor. She let Will twirl her about for a while before she felt he was sufficiently inebriated to leave him with his friends and she could walk away.
She spotted Matthew sitting alone on the chairs they had all occupied before. He didn't look bored or annoyed. He seemed to be having enough fun just watching Laura dance with her friends.
Mary walked over and sat down beside him.
"What are you doing here all alone?" She asked.
"Well I'm not alone anymore." He said smiling at her. "And I'm not a very good dancer."
"I don't think anybody here is," she countered, "but is that a reason not to dance?"
He grinned. "No, I suppose not. I'm not always this boring, I promise. I guess I'm just not in the mood."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "For dancing?"
"Cheeky." He laughed. "Yes, for dancing. What about you? Getting dizzy from all that twirling?"
"You were watching me?" Mary asked teasingly. She was pleased.
"I've already told you that you are hard to miss." He answered while keeping his eyes trained on the dance floor.
He kept surprising her, the way he answered her questions like that. It wasn't how the game was usually played. It was supposed to be more subtle, as if you could pass the conversation off as though it wasn't flirting at all if you wrote it down on paper. He wasn't playing by the rules. And yet, she liked it very much.
"So it sounds like you are quite a big shot lawyer," Mary changed the subject, but she really did want to know about his job.
"Don't know if you could quite say that," he said humbly. "It certainly doesn't feel like it these days."
"Hmm, yes. What were those personal reasons you referred to earlier?" She asked, openly prying. God, she was as bad as Amy.
He smiled. "I kept trying to sneak in to all these fancy events and my boss decided it was too embarrassing to keep me around."
"Ah, well, at least your reasons are believable." She said. They sat in silence for a moment, though the music vibrating through the room hardly made it a quiet affair. She didn't want to have to make an excuse to leave or go back to her boyfriend. She wanted to talk to him some more.
An idea occurred to Mary. "Are you really any good though?"
"Why do you ask?"
"It's not exactly party talk but I'm having a bit of a legal issue at work," Mary said. She never spoke business to strangers and absolutely hated to admit that she was having faults in her own workplace. But this was an opportunity to talk to him some more, away from all this, and she felt like she could trust him.
"Oh?" Matthew said in a surprised tone, yet he was clearly curious.
"I won't bore you with the details here, but I am looking for some advice." She offered, hoping he would take the bait and she wouldn't have to do any more of the work.
"Well," he said, trying to read her expression for what she wanted from him. "How about I give you my card and we can have a coffee to talk about it sometime this week?"
She tried not to show off a huge grin. Hook, line, sinker.
Mary took the card and said, "I'll fit you in my schedule."
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your words of encouragement and follows to this story. Let me know what you think and suggestions are always welcome!