Simplify me when I'm dead – Chapter 3

In large households of old, servants are loyal to a fault Well, most servants. At least servants of the ilk of Mr Carson. At breakfast he gathers the servants and informs them that a despicable incident occurred, that no member of the family is at fault, and that neither he nor Mrs Hughes will condone any gossip. Above all, no one is to speak about the incident to anyone in the village.

Those servants who do know the details of the incident – with the notable exception of Miss O'Brien- agree with Mr Carson. The junior servants sigh. All the know are half whispers. All they know is that it concerns Lady Mary and the gorgeous Turkish Gentleman. Mr Bates notes that Thomas the footman looks fidgety and defiant. He cocks an eye at Anna and motions towards Thomas. Anna has a sudden moment of sheer clarity, and it is all she can do not to throw her butter knife at the footman.

Evelyn Napier leaves the house after breakfast, eager to catch an early train. He made apologies to the Earl and was silently, but firmly dismissed. He would have to hope that time and the gaiety of the London season allow him back into the good graces of the family.

Mary Crawley is outside, awaiting the summons of her Mama and is in deep self-doubt. Why did he come to her? Oh how she regretted her reckless, public flirting! How she despised herself at this very moment!

"Lady Mary?" It was Anna. "His Lordship would like to see you in the library."

"Of course."

As Mary heads back into the house, she sees her grandmother's car turn up the drive. Well, she thought to herself, if I was a Catholic, I would call this penance.

They say that a rumour can travel the world before the truth has even had the chance to put its shoes on. Consider then a rumour that concerns the fine family up at the house and is even begun by one of the protagonists of the story itself. The Diplomat, having had to arrive at the Grantham Arms almost at last call, spent a good evening drinking beer and regaling the clientele with the story of a lusty, ravenous young women, and he an obliging lover, only to be discovered by her family because the lady's moans were too loud. This is the way of some men, who, to hide their shame and guilt, will turn to boasting and lies. By midday, the story is all round the village. In the Other Story, the Diplomat is dead, and presumably his secret taken to the grave. Not so in this one.

At Crawley House, the maid Beth excitedly tells the story to Mrs Bird and Mr Moseley, only to be silenced by these senior servants. (In years to come, Mary Crawley will be thankful for the loyalty of servants.) Therefore, it passes that Matthew Crawley, who breakfasts early and soon is on his way to Ripon to work, does not hear about The Incident.

Isobel Crawley, who is largely more observant than her son, sees the smiles and the titters on her way to the hospital to oversee inventory. The nurses are too good mannered to tell her, but a young trainee, her eyes alight does ask " Were you up at the big house last night Mrs. Crawley? Is it true that there was a beautiful foreign gentleman?"

Thinking she has finally understood all the excitement, Isobel laughs and nods. "Yes he was certainly a treat for the eyes. All the young ladies were quite taken with him."

Poor Isobel! If only she knows what she has confirmed!

Up at the house, Mary is a facing a panel of her senior relations. Part of Mary is deeply indignant. She had not given in to his advances, must there be this cross examination. Reading her face correctly, Robert crosses to sit by her. " We just need to ascertain what happened last night. Are you hurt? Should we be taking action?"

"Moreover," said Cora, "how did he know which was your room? Why did he think he could come to you?"

The Dowager twitched and pursed her lips. "We must know everything Mary. That man has already spread his version around. The village is agog. I managed to get it from my butler who got it from the boy who brings the papers. No doubt your servants already know. He has certainly mastered the fascination of the townspeople. Although why anyone listens to a foreigner is beyond me."

"But what is the story Mama?"

Upon hearing it, the Earl shook his head. "We were alerted because Mary screamed. I think we were just in time."

"Mary?"

"He came to my room. He was unwanted. I screamed."

"And?"

"And what else is there? I'm ruined either way!"

"Don't be so melodramatic! You're not the tragic heroine in an opera.", retorts her grandmother.

"Oh Granny, don't be maudlin."

"Never mind your Grandmother," the Dowager sniffs at Cora for this, " you need to answer my questions."

"Mama, I have told you what happened."

"I know and I believe in your virtue, but you must admit that you did flirt with him in the most shocking way. I am still at a loss to know how he knew the location of your bedroom. The distance between the family rooms and the bachelor's corridor is so very distant."

"Mama do you really think-?"

"it is not what I think Mary. The story is already in the village. Our lives are tenuous, our reputations are tenuous. It is all you have, Mary. You flirted with him so publicly, so wantonly!

"This is unhelpful, Cora. I came here only to say that we must control the story. We can hope that deference and loyalty to the family will help it die down soon enough here if we do nothing to confirm it, but we must get ahead of this man before he takes the story to London."

"Will he be taken seriously?" the Earl, like all Englishmen of his time, was a little sniffy about foreigners

" It is not him, is it? How many suitors has Mary spurned these past three seasons? All we need is a slightly irked society mother. London society is vile, and how easy it will be to cast shade at the Earl of Grantham. There's already enough babble surrounding Matthew and his middle-class ness." The Dowager, knowing that she is right, is now enjoying herself immensely. "We need a plan Robert."

Mary, who has been silent because her mother's words have alerted her to her own insecurities, asks to leave. She is dismissed.

"I think, " says Cora slowly, "that before too much damage is done, we must see Mary married. She is already getting older."

"I agree my dear. The bloom is almost off the rose. Has she shown any partiality to Cousin Matthew?"

"No, I'm afraid not. He did seems eager towards her, though."

"I can't see that we can force things, " begins Robert, only to be shushed by his Mama.

"Robert, you must stop reading novels. It is time that we worked on Matthew, it is his duty to marry Mary. If he can rouse some spirit in him and get her interested, we may have her married in three months time. But I rather fear that it is up to us."

"How will we keep him from finding out about the incident? "

"No one in the village will repeat gossip to a member of the family. We will need to be careful, of course. We can work together. And I think, my dear, that we shall need another ally."

"So we are to be friends, then?"

"Allies my dear, which is so much better. Now come, we shall call upon Cousin Isobel."