Mat POV

After being discretely questioned by Carson Matthew was shown to his room. As he was lead through the house he couldn't help but stare in such a fashion that made Carson give a small smile. When he reached his room Carson told him that breakfast would be ready at eight and he was quite welcome to wander down when he wanted to.

He stared around in abject horror at his room, it was much larger than anything he was used to with an attached bathroom area and the bed looked like it could swallow him whole. He plopped down on a chair in a corner of the room next to his new bookshelf and didn't know whether to laugh or cry, it was so strange here and so abnormal he didn't know what to do with himself.

He looked at the two trunks he had with him, they represented his old life that looked like it would definitely not fit in here and Carson had told him he would have his own valet and that he just had to ring the bell to call for him. Gosh his own personal servant, sure they had had a cook and a maid at home but nothing on this scale.

He had been brooding for a few hours when he heard a light knock on the door and when he went to answer it; it was none other than his cousin Mary. He hadn't really had a chance to really look at her but now she was dressed and ready for the day he had to admit that she was really rather beautiful.

"Hello Matthew," she said far too brightly for eight o'clock in the morning, "are you ready for breakfast? I hope you don't mind but Papa sent me to get you. He thought you might need a guide to get around this place, it's quite the rabbit warren." She giggled slightly, he looked at her with a face akin to shock, was this what all girls were like, surely the stories he had heard couldn't be right if they were all like Mary.

"Ah, er, yes, quite ready, I won't need anything will I?"

"Oh no of course not, you'll have breakfast and then Papa will show you around, show you some of the grounds, that sort of thing. After all this will all be yours someday and then you will quite possibly have the afternoon free."

"Maybe I could trouble you for your time this afternoon then, I'm sure you know all the best places on the estate."

Mar POV

Was she mistaken or was he flirting with her? Maybe he didn't realise he was doing it but whatever it was she certainly enjoyed the attention.

"Of course I will, you can meet Sybil and Edith as well I suppose, Sybil was especially excited to meet you. I think she thinks you will be a terrific new play mate. Well come on then I'll show you to the dining room."

I lead him through the many corridors pointing out certain things, my own room and the nursery and then the library downstairs. We reached the dining room and he hesitated so I pushed him through the door.

"Ah there you are Mary, hello Matthew. So how do you like Downton then, is your room alright?"

"Everything's fine, perfect infact it will just take a little time to get used to everything, all the new people and finding my way around this place."

It was then that she heard little feet running down the stairs and through the corridor, it seemed that Papa had invited her younger sisters to breakfast to meet Matthew.

"Papa, Papa." Sybil shouted giggling as he picked her up and placed her in his lap,

"Hello my dear, are you and Edith excited to meet your new cousin, you can call him Matthew, if that's alright?" he asked Matthew who nodded his head quickly. Sybil squealed again pushed herself off her fathers lap and ran around to Matthew and stuck out her hand.

"Hello, my name is Lady Sybil Violet Crawley but you can call me Sybil."

"Hello Sybil, I'm Matthew", he picked her up and placed her on his lap being quite tall already, almost as tall as Papa and started up a conversation with her, seeming more at ease with her than anybody else.

Mary watched on with an affectionate smile as Matthew got Sybil and Edith to some extent to open up, something they wouldn't normally have done with an almost stranger.

After they had eaten nanny came and fetched Sybil and Edith and Papa stood and invited Matthew for a tour of the grounds. As they went off I decided to go back up to my room, I watched them walk the grounds pondering what Matthew would be like that afternoon when she got him on his own that afternoon and made him relaxed. She found that she actually wanted to get to know him, she'd never seen someone be so good with Sybil and darling Sybil was so very important to her. She wasted the morning away day dreaming about her future, she wasn't sure that she wanted to marry him or anyone for that matter but it wasn't like she would have much choice in the matter so if she had to marry someone it could at least be someone she liked. She heard the gong go for lunch and hurried downstairs, strangely finding herself anxious to see his face again.