A Song and a Dance

Matthew and Mary sneak off during Sybil's ball.

July 1914

Mary sat down in a chair placed along the outskirts of the ballroom as another lively dance ended. She had to admit, this season had been quite enjoyable so far. This night had been especially fun. It was Sybil's ball. Although the room was filled with young and eligible men, Mary only had eyes for one.

Matthew.

The night was still young, and they had already shared several dances together. Her mother would scold her for it tomorrow, but she didn't mind. To her surprise, Matthew moved quite well on the dance floor. He nearly swept her off her feet during their first dance of the night. During their second, Matthew pulled Mary a bit closer than what would have been deemed proper. By the third, it felt as if they were the only couple in the room.

Mary looked through the moving mass of people in the center of the room, searching for Matthew. She found him paired with Edith, who seemed thrilled by the attention. Matthew was politely conversing with her, but did not seem too excited about his partner. Mary rolled her eyes. Although she did feel bad for Edith at times like these, Mary knew her sister was in for a disappointment when she learned of Matthew's true feelings for her.

As the music ended, Mary watched Matthew come her way. She smiled as he took the seat next to her. "You must be exhausted," Mary said, "I haven't seen you sit a dance out yet."

"I quite enjoy dancing, but I'm sure I'll pay for it tomorrow," Matthew answered. "I know we've already shared too many dances together tonight, but is there any way I could convince you to have another with me?"

"I would love that, but I'm afraid I'm in deep trouble with Mama already. Another dance with you would push her over the edge," Mary replied.

Matthew stared down at his feet for a moment. But then he looked over to Mary, a sly grin on his face. "I have a better idea."

Mary was stunned by Matthew's spontenaity. "What did you have in mind?"

Matthew stood and offered his hand to Mary. "Come with me and you'll find out," he said. Mary accepted and preceded to follow Matthew out of the ballroom, hand in hand. They weaved through the crowds quickly, escaping out into the warm summer night. They stood on the sidewalk in front of Grantham House, surrounded by the noise and light of the city.

The music from inside could still be heard from where they were. Another song was just beginning. "Lady Mary, may I have this dance?" Matthew said in a mocking tone while bowing rather eccentrically.

This made Mary laugh. "Why of course you may, Mr. Crawley," she answered with a curtsy.

They came together as the sound of the waltz filtered to the outside. "Now no one will see us dancing together again" Matthew whispered into Mary's ear. She smiled slightly, coming closer to him.

"How clever of you," Mary said softly. She knew Matthew took advantage of any chance to be alone with her.

"This probably isn't the right time, but have you given any more thought to my proposal?" Matthew asked.

She knew this question was coming, after putting Matthew off for nearly two months now. "I have," Mary answered. "But I want to be absolutely sure, so I promise to give my answer the day I get back to Downton." She went along with Aunt Rosamund's advice to wait until her return, but Mary wasn't sure she needed that time to decide.

"The anticipation will be unbearable," said Matthew.

"I can assure you, it will be worth the wait," she replied, meeting his gaze. Looking in to Matthew's eyes, Mary realized she couldn't hold her feelings back any longer. Before she even knew what she was doing, her lips were upon his. They kissed passionately for a few moments. The desire Mary felt for Matthew burned stronger than it ever had before. They eventually broke apart, smiling and breathless.

In that moment, Mary was sure.

A/N: Wow, it's been awhile. But the next story has finally been published, and I hope it was worth the wait! After rewatching Season 1, I wondered what happened between Mary and Matthew at Sybil's ball. Plus, I had some requests for some sneaking around, so I combined the two ideas.

Writing this was rather a challenge, and I'm not sure how good it is, but I hope you enjoy it anyways! I'll try and update more often. Any ideas or requests are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading :)

-NMB