A/N: Having far too much fun writing this story, hence the speedy updates, whoo! Thanks again to all those who reviewed and favourited! So happy this story is well received! And now, we're actually moving into AU territory...enjoy!
Mary felt surprisingly good the next morning, so it did not strike her as necessary that they should depart straight away. Matthew was invited to go deer stalking with the men, while the Ladies were to meet them for a picnic in the glen. In light of this, Mary also deemed it a nice idea to have a little word with Edith about her new beau, away from prying eyes.
So it was decided that the sisters would take a car up to the picnic together. Unsurprisingly, Matthew was rather sceptical.
"I can drive very well, you know." Edith assured him. She was not very keen on being alone with Mary, but the prospect of driving a car again was rather tempting. "It's not far and we'll drive very slowly. There's no traffic up here as it is." Mary argued. In the end, Matthew was forced to relent. He really had no other choice if he didn't want to fight with Mary again.
"To be honest, darling, I'm quite ready for us to go home after this outing." She baited him. "You are?" he was surprised. "There's nothing wrong, is there?" Mary was quite proud of his attempt to mask his panic. She could almost buy it. "No, darling. Everything is just perfect. And we'll see you later. Tomorrow, you and I can take the train back to Downton...if it makes you feel better." She smiled and kissed him quickly on the lips.
Matthew nodded, glad to hear it. Tomorrow, they would go home and everything would be as it should. He was still slightly uneasy about leaving her with Edith, but they would meet again in a few hours.
Deer stalking afforded patience and a relaxed attitude, two things that he was sadly lacking these days. However, the prospect of ending this risky little vacation prematurely did make him feel better than he had felt since their arrival.
Edith eyed her sister suspiciously when they took their seats in the car. There must be some hidden agenda on Mary's mind, why else would she wish to spend time with her...
"I don't know what you mean..." Mary said innocently as they drove off. They were silent for a few miles, which was nothing unusal. Sybil had always been the social lubricant between them, without her it was rather more difficult to make polite conversation.
"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" Edith commented awkwardly as she sped them through the breathtaking hills of the Scottish highlands. Mary nodded. "Yes." She held her belly. Actually...something wasn't entirely right. She couldn't point her finger at it exactly...she just felt odd. It wasn't so much painful as it was a feeling as if the baby moved more than usual. Since there was nothing really unsual about that, she tried to ignore it.
"Edith?" Mary turned towards her sister in the driving seat, her eyes raking over the young woman, so smartly dressed and modern-looking these days. "Yes?" came the mildly exasperated reply. "Are you quite sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"
Edith rolled her eyes, an unconscious imitation of her sister. "I knew this would come up. Can we please not, Mary? Not now." she frowned, staring at the road ahead. They had to drive through a patch of forest and Edith didn't like the look of the stubbly path. The other two cars with the Ladies had driven ahead and managed quite well on the forest grounds, though they had lost track of them a while ago. Edith shifted gear.
"Alright. I just don't want you to make any mistakes." Mary said, sounding more haughty than she meant to. "Oh I see, because you haven't made any mistakes in your life, have you? No, Lady Mary Crawley has always acted with perfect propriety...a picture of female perfection." Edith sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Mary sighed. She had hoped that after Sybil's death, Edith might be a little less thorny.
"Suit yourself. Just don't blame me if you end up ruined and alone." Mary spat, looking towards the other side. The dark depth of the forest around them made her a little uneasy. And the baby was getting more restless. Now, she actually did start to feel repeated stabs of pain. Dull...but mounting.
Without warning, the car screeched to a halt in the middle of the forest path. Mary had to brace her arms not to fly forwards through the front window. "Are you crazy?" she panted, clutching her belly tighter. But Edith had already left the car without a word. Mary stared after her.
She opened her own door and took a deep breath. The ache had stopped, which was a good sign. "Edith, wait!" she called after her sister and followed her a little way off the path. Edith shook her head, her back turned to Mary.
"How dare you...how dare you of all people tell me off about ruining myself...when you've nearly ruined this family?" Edith shrieked as she whipped around, tears in her eyes. She took in the image of her eldest sister, standing there in her green costume, her impossibly beautiful face glowing even in the low lighting of the forest and her hands resting on her round swollen belly...a beautiful diamond engagement ring and a wedding band glittering on the slender left hand.
Edith felt sickened. "Why can't you be happy for me? Why can't you let me be happy?" she exploded. "Why can't you be on my side?"
Mary blinked, completely taken aback. For a moment she had a vision of darling Sybil standing in her bedroom, looking at her accusingly with the same questions on her lips, regarding Tom. Mary quickly looked away.
"That's not...Edith, I'm just trying to keep you from...being disappointed again." Mary said then. "I don't want you to run into another trap...and believe me, I know what it's like to choose the wrong man. And how unforgiving people can be about it...or any bad move that you make!" She had worked herself up into a temper to match her sister's.
"Oh that's very convenient, isn't it? To prostrate yourself now as if you cared...you never used to care about what I did, as long as you were better off than me!" Edith's face was deep red with anger, tears coming down her cheeks, smudging the eye-make up she had recently taken to apply. "You cared about Sybil, you always did...but did you even notice when I was upset?"
Mary stared at her aghast. „And you complain that Matthew meddles into everything...but you think you can meddle into everyone else's life!" Edith gave a harsh laugh. "Poor Matthew, he can never do right by you, either. He'd have been a lot better off if..." Edith hesitated, seeing Mary's eyes grow wide.
"If...what?" Mary pressed out between her teeth.
"If he'd married Lavinia. And you had better stay with Carlisle...he suited you, know know. Just as cold and callous as you are. I think you were truly deserving of each other. And he didn't seem to mind what you were... " Edith cried, her eyes full of disdain.
"Well, perhaps the same could be said about Anthony Strallan." Mary snapped back automatically. "Maybe he ditched you, because he'd started to see what you are..."
She immediately regretted this low blow, but Edith's words had cut her so deeply that she could not seem to hold back. Her emotions were suddenly running rampant and the baby grew more agitated.
Without another word, Mary rushed past her sister, waddling as best as she could through a line of trees. She had to calm down. If she so much as looked at Edith now, she would say something absolutely unforgivable...
She trudged angrily, until she came to a clearing a little way down the path. There was a small stream and the sun partly broke through the thick tall trees. It was a pleasant enough sight to calm her down. She leaned heavily against a tree and took a few deep breaths.
If only she had gone back home with Matthew this morning...and listened to him about talking to Edith. What had she been thinking? Bracing herself, Mary turned to walk back to where the path was. Suddenly, she could hear an engine roar in the distance and wheels screeching on the dry grounds.
No. It could not be...
But it was. When she had reached the path again, there was no car. No Edith. Just the faint smell of gasoline and the chirping of the forest birds.
She was alone.
But surely, Edith would come back, Mary reasoned. She had only driven off in anger and would certainly compose herself and come back...wouldn't she?
Mary shivered in the cool air. She was weary and cold and her feet ached terribly. But she stood her ground, certain that her sister could not possibly be so vindictive as to leave a pregnant woman alone in a forest. The dull ache in her back started again.
After half an hour, Mary returned to the clearing. She was furious with Edith and deeply hurt. They were not fond of each other, no, but to think that Edith would hate her so much as to let her rot in the middle of nowhere...
Tears stung in her eyes, but she bit them back. No. This was not the time to cry, nor to panic. It was alright. Matthew would come and find her. Someone would. Forget about Edith, she didn't need her to come back. She would just wait here and stay calm.
In the end, Mary was glad to have found the stream. As parched as she was, the clear cool water was like balm to her dry throat. Fortunately, baby had also stopped making a fuss and she felt confident that she would be alright. After washing her hands and face, Mary put her gloves and hat back on.
There now. She felt restored and civilised again, and even if she had to walk down the forest path all by herself she would do so. Edith had better go and hide somewhere...
"We can do it, can't we?" she addressed her belly as she turned to leave. "We don't need anyone's help on our way out. Just you and I." she caressed it with a confident smile. Baby squirmed in assent.
A second later, she felt something warm running down her legs.
In panic, Mary lifted her skirt, fearful of seeing blood. But the fluid was almost clear. What had Isobel called it again? The 'breaking of water' or something. Mary pulled a face, cursing her own stupidity. Now she knew what those dull pains had been.
And this could only mean one thing...
Oh God.
Really sorry for the cliffhanger (or not :P)
I'm sure you can guess where this is heading. Only question is, how much will Edith regret her decision, how badly will Matthew flip and how on earth is Mary going to get out of that one...we shall see!
Thanks for reading! Reviews would be lovely :)
