Rating: PG-13 (this chapter)
Spoilers: Season 1 & 2 trough the Christmas Special

Disclaimer: Any names off characters you recognize from Downton Abbey are not mine. All original characters do however belong to me. Fanfiction is in my opinion the ultimate form of flattery to a screenwriter :)

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Chapter Summary: Lady Mary and her son settle in at Downton. Her relatives are curious about the boy, and of course wonder who his father is. Matthew confronts Mary, and she tells him. The two tentatively renew their friendship and closeness from before.

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Special thank you to the lovely Tambear for catching missing commas, odd grammar and offering excellent suggestions & advice!

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The Rightful Heir

Chapter 4: Children's Laughter at Downton

The house was in a crazed frenzy that afternoon and evening. Mrs. Patmore had the kitchen staff almost in tears ordering them around after changing the dinner menu to make Lady Mary's favorite dishes. The staff members who had been there when Mary was at Downton had made every excuse possible to go upstairs to get a look at her and her son. The Servants' dining hall buzzed with questions and thoughts on who the father of Mary's son was.

"I think he's a movie star," one of the young maids said with a giggle. "Perhaps Valentino."

"Ohh!" the other two maids at the table sighed and smiled dreamily.

"Is the nursery set up for Master William?" Mrs. Hughes said sharply to the maids.

"Yes, Mrs. Hughes."

"Good, then perhaps you can check on Lady Mary's room once she comes down for dinner."

"Is it true that the boy is eating with them in the dining room?"

"Not that I can see what business that is of yours," Mrs. Hughes snapped. "but, yes he is."

"Why didn't she bring her nanny?"

"Again, I don't think that's any of your concern Becky."

"Yes, Mrs. Hughes."

"Perhaps I can look after him?" Sophie, a young maid said timidly. "I'm used to looking after me brothers and sisters. You know, just for tonight."

Mrs. Hughes nodded. "Come."

"Where to?" she asked as she hurried after the housekeeper.

"Lady Mary needs to give her approval."

"Lady Mary?" Sophie squealed and stared at Mrs. Hughes.

"She is the boy's mother. Of course she would want to meet you. Did you think that I would just put him in your arms and you take the frightened child from there? Silly girl."

Not waiting for an answer, Mrs. Hughes continued up the stairs. Sophie hurried after her, afraid of yet another lecture.

"Come." A voice called from the other side, in response to Mrs. Hughes' knocking.

"My lady, I've brought one of the maids to meet you. She has excellent experience with young children and I thought that perhaps she could be of assistance to you with young Master William."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes. That's very thoughtful of you," Mary said and smiled at her. "How have you been?"

"Very well, my lady. It's not as busy here at Downton now with you and your sisters gone."

"Perhaps you're glad that I'm back then? It must be dull to only have Mama and Papa around all the time."

"We're always happy to have you back, my lady."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes."

Mrs. Hughes nodded and then left Mary alone with the maid. Sophie stood silently waiting while Mary gave her a once over.

"How old are you Sophie?"

"Seventeen, milady."

"And you have experience with children?"

"I do, milady. I have six younger siblings, four brothers and two sisters."

"God bless your poor mother," Mary said with a chuckle. "Four boys. I find one a handful."

Sophie giggled but stopped when she realized that it was inappropriate. "I'm sorry, milady."

Mary held up a hand to stop her. "Please, don't apologize. Anyone who will spend time with my son must be capable of laughing." She smiled cheekily at Sophie. "Consider it a requirement."

"Yes, milady," Sophie said and smiled.

"He's a very happy little boy. He loves to read, especially funny stories and adventure stories. He is especially enamored of cowboys at the moment," Mary said and rolled her eyes.

"Like Buffalo Bill?" Sophie exclaimed.

"Yes," Mary said and smiled.

"So's me brother Jimmy. Chasing the sheep around with a rope an' everything."

Mary laughed. "I hope that William won't, but it would not surprise me."

"Last time I was home, Jimmy and Albee tied me to a tree and I had to pretend to be an Indian princess that they had to rescue."

Mary smiled and sat down. "It sounds like you enjoy playing with your siblings. They are lucky."

"I do, milady."

"Have you met my son yet?"

Sophie shook her head. "I only heard that he's very handsome."

"He is, but then I'm his mother so I am of course a bit biased in the matter," Mary said with a chuckle.

The door opened and William came running inside making a beeline for Mary who pulled him up on her lap.

"Mama! Poppy says that he's got horses."

"He does," Mary confirmed. "Mama has a horse here too. His name is Diamond."

"Diamond," William whispered. He looked at Mary. "Can I ride him?"

"No, my darling. He's too big for you."

William huffed and folded his arms. "Everything is too big for me."

"Not the rocking horse in the nursery," Sophie said and smiled at him.

"William, this is Sophie," Mary said. "She's going to be your Nanny for a while. She's very nice and you will do a lot of fun things together."

"Like what?" William muttered, still sulking at not being allowed to ride Diamond.

"Master William, everyone knows that you must learn to ride a rocking horse properly before you can ride a pony," Sophie said and made a knowing face at him. "Your grandfather did, and I think your Mama did too. Mr. Carson said that the rocking horse in the nursery is yours, Lady Mary. Is that true?"

"It is," Mary said, smiling at the girl and how cleverly she had steered William's thoughts back to the nursery. "My grandfather gave it to me on my fourth birthday."

"Really?" William said, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Promise, cross my heart and hope to die," Mary said and they giggled together.

"I know exactly what you have to do, Master William. There's a trick to riding a rocking horse. Can you do it without the stirrups?"

He shook his head at her. "No I can't."

"Then you need to practice!" she exclaimed and clapped her hands over her cheeks in surprise. She held out her hand to him. "Come, there's not a moment to waste."

William jumped off Mary's lap and ran to Sophie, taking her hand. She looked at Mary.

"Milady, if that's all, Master William and I will be in the nursery."

"Thank you Sophie. You may go."

William waved to Mary as he eagerly walked off with Sophie.

Edith had called once she learned that Mary was back. She promised that she and Anthony would come to dinner the following evening. Mary slowly walked back to the drawing room, musing over the changes in her sister, and how happy she was for Edith to have found happiness at last.

"Mary, there you are," Cora said and ushered her into the room.

She walked straight over to Violet, sitting down next to her. The two smiled at each other, then Violet touched her chest and a tiny sob escaped.

"Must be the flowers," she muttered and gestured to the vase sitting on the table next to her. "Cora always chooses the wrong kind. Too strong smelling."

Mary just smiled and squeezed her arm. "I'm so glad to be back, Granny."

"I hear that there's a child," Violet said and met Mary's gaze.

"Yes, my son, William."

"Does he have a father?" Violet snipped.

"He does, but William doesn't know his father."

"A boy needs his father, Mary."

"Why? We've been doing marvelous on our own." She looked up at Matthew who was talking to her father. "Matthew grew up without a father and he turned out just fine."

Violet huffed and opened her mouth to comment on that when a commotion at the door was followed by a running child. William grinned as he ran to Mary, throwing himself against her.

"Mama!"

"Hello my darling," she said and caressed his cheek. "Did you have fun with Sophie?"

"I did." He crawled up on the sofa next to her. "She knows a lot of games. Did you know that her daddy is a real Indian chief?"

Mary chuckled and shook her head.

"I was not aware that we had Indian chiefs in England," Violet said with an amused chuckle. "I guess I better lock my doors."

"Granny, this is William," Mary said and pulled the boy onto her lap. "William, this is Mama's grandmother, Lady Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham."

William frowned at the long title and chewed on his lip. "May I call you Granny too?"

"Yes you may, William."

"Why do you have a stick?"

"William, it's not polite to ask about that," Mary said in a gentle voice.

"It's quite all right, Mary. He is curious of course." She smiled at William. "It's a hidden sword, my boy. In case pirates attack. Then I will pull it out and defend myself."

William's eyes grew huge and he gasped, staring impressed at Violet's cane. "Can I see?"

She shook her head. "It's a secret. You can't tell anyone. Then the pirates will know, and they will take it away before I can use it."

"Promise," he said and made a little gesture in front of his mouth.

Violet gasped as she recognized it. Her eyes immediately darted to Mary, who smiled.

"I taught him that. He's a Crawley; he needs to know our secrets."

"Mama," William said and tugged at her sleeve. "May I have dinner with Sophie in the nursery? She said we could have a campfire like real cowboys and eat our dinner on a blanket on the floor."

Violet chuckled and shook her head. "The future heir to Downton eating on the floor."

Mary smiled at him and pinched his cheek. "Of course you can, just remember that you cannot have a real fire inside."

"Perhaps a small one in the fireplace?" he asked hopefully.

"Perhaps. If not, you need to have a pretend fire."

"Like in the moving pictures!" he said and laughed.

"Just like that."

"Thank you, Mama," he said and kissed her cheek.

He jumped down and waved good bye. "Bye Granny Violet."

"Good night, William."

He ran off and Mary watched him. Dodging a footman, William stumbled a little and Robert caught him before he could fall and hurt himself. Mary gasped when her father tossed William in the air making her son squeal with laughter.

Matthew was annoyed with Mary. It almost seemed like she was avoiding him on purpose. He had only exchanged a friendly hello with her since coming down to dinner. Finally able to join the ladies, he looked around for her, but to his dismay she was nowhere in sight.

"I believe Lady Mary stepped outside," Carson said in a hushed voice behind him.

"Oh! Thank you, Carson."

Matthew found her in the same spot as that winter night so many years ago. He had planned to ask her to marry him that night, but her determination to leave made him falter and his courage disappeared in the wind.

He stood silently next to her, watching the darkening sky, waiting for the first star to flicker.

"He's mine," he finally whispered.

"What's that?"

"William," he clarified. "He's mine, just as much as he's yours."

"Hmm."

They were silent again and he stuck his hands in his pockets. A smile touched his lips when he spotted the first star.

"I think they suspect the truth."

"Oh?"

Their eyes met and he shrugged, smiling cheekily. "Crawley blue eyes?"

"I see."

"Aren't you going to say something, Mary?"

"What is there to say? I'm not going to lie to you."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would you've done, if I had? Come to America? Asked me to marry you? Demand I come back, so your son could be raised in England?"

"Yes! No. Oh I don't know, Mary," he snapped. "The point is, you never gave me a choice."

"Matthew, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to feel obligated to marry me. William and I are fine. He's my darling boy; my heart has been content since he was born."

"I want to get to know him," Matthew said stubbornly. "By God, Mary, how could you be so selfish?"

"Selfish?" She glared at him. "I left all of this behind. It wasn't until months later that I realized that I was pregnant. I had cut my ties, started a new life. For the first time in my life I felt free. Finally knowing that feeling, I wanted my son to experience that too. Perhaps that is selfish of me, I don't know, but know that everything I've done since finding out that I carried another living being inside me, was to make his life everything it could be."

"Please, Mary, let's not fight," he sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his temper. "I love you, and I love our son."

"You barely know him!" she exclaimed.

"Did you not love him the moment you saw him?" he asked her, challenging her to disagree with him.

"Of course I did!"

"Then why does it surprise you that I love him?"

She shrugged. "I'm his mother. I carried him for nine months."

"And I'm his father," Matthew snapped. "He's part me and part of the woman I love."

Mary laughed and shook her head. "I think you're in love with the idea of me, more so than the actual me."

"Don't tell me how I feel!"

"Do you want to marry me?" she asked with an amused chuckle. "Tell me honestly. If William did not exist, would you still want to?"

"Of course I do! I wanted to ask you that night, you know." Matthew sighed and ran his hand through his hair. This was not how he had imagined telling her. "Never mind." He turned on his heel and walked back inside.

Mary closed her eyes and sighed. "I would've said yes," she whispered softly.

Mary stretched and blinked a few times. The sun was coming through a gap in the curtains and she frowned. Her eyebrows shot up when she noticed how late it was. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up, stretching again as she walked over to ring for the maid.

Impatient as ever, she pulled the curtains open, looking out over Downton. The view was familiar. She had seen it every day, growing up. Feeling a little chilly she grabbed her robe. Downton was cold compared to California. Mary worried for a moment about her son. She had forgotten to tell Sophie to give William an extra blanket. Sinking down on the bed she closed her eyes, wishing that she was back in California. She loved mornings in their home in Hollywood. William would run into her room with Maria in tow. He would jump on her bed and then the two of them would have breakfast in bed while talking about the day ahead. If it was a nice day William would often swim in the pool while Mary lounged in the shade under an umbrella.

A knock on the door startled her and popped her little daydream bubble.

"Come in."

The door opened and William peeked inside. He laughed and ran to her. She opened her arms and pulled him up on the bed next to her, tickling him and delighting in his giggles.

"Good morning, Mary."

She instantly let go of her son and sat up. "Matthew."

"I ran into William outside the nursery. He told me how the two of you usually have breakfast together. We did not want you to feel lonely, so we thought that perhaps we could join you."

"That's very nice of you," she said and grabbed William again, kissing his face. The boy squealed and tried to get away.

"Mama, not in front of Matthew."

"Oh? Since when is your Mama not allowed to kiss her darling boy?"

"I wouldn't mind a kiss from your Mama," Matthew teased the boy.

William giggled. "Have mine!"

"Which one?"

William pointed to his cheek, then the other one, and finally his lips. Matthew sat down next to Mary on the bed and pointed to his left cheek.

"Here?" William nodded. "Well?"

Mary leaned forward and placed a kiss on Matthew's cheek. He took a deep breath as her soft lips brushed over his heated skin. He pointed to his other cheek and looked at the boy.

"Here?" Again William nodded.

Matthew turned and Mary placed another soft kiss on his cheek. Looking her in the eyes he touched his lips.

"Here?" he whispered.

She just looked at him.

"Yes!" William cheered and laughed, bouncing on the bed.

Matthew leaned forward and very softly kissed Mary on the lips. Her eyes fluttered close and she sighed against his lips. He pulled away and she leaned in as if wanting to prolong the kiss.

"Good?" Matthew asked the boy.

"Yes!" he said and giggled some more, both his hands over his mouth.

"A real gentleman does not kiss a lady in her bedroom in presence of her son," Mary said and made a face at them.

"I guess we're not real gentlemen then, William and I," Matthew teased. "I prefer kisses to being a gentleman."

"I don't!" William stated firmly. "I want to be a cowboy!"

"Did you have a nice cowboy dinner last night?" Mary asked.

William nodded. "Sophie says that cowboys eat beans. She must be wrong because they are so yucky."

Mary laughed and ruffled his hair. "Cowboys don't only eat rattlesnakes and possums, you know."

William wrinkled his nose and rolled his eyes at her. He looked so much like Mary it made Matthew laugh.

"They eat empanadas and steak," William said excitedly. "Maria says so."

"What's empanadas?" Matthew wanted to know.

"You've never had an empanada? Burritos? Enchiladas?" William made a pained face at Matthew. "Didn't your Mama make some?"

"William's Niñera is Mexican," Mary explained. "She's a very good cook. I've tried so many lovely dishes since moving to California."

"I assume you don't know how to make them?" he teased.

"I'm afraid not," she confirmed.

"In the meantime I guess we have to introduce William to some good old English cooking. Kidney pie maybe? Kedgeree?"

William wrinkled his nose. "No thank you."

"How about some toast with strawberry jam?" Matthew said and scooped up the boy.

William shook his head, but he was smiling. Matthew tossed him in the air.

"Bubble and squeak?" Another shake of his head. "Fried porridge?"

"Yuck!"

Matthew put him down and William ran over to the window. Matthew sat down next to Mary, taking her hand as they watched him.

"He likes you," she whispered.

"The feeling is mutual, I can assure you."

"Can I go and see Poppy?" William asked eagerly.

"You may. I think he's in the dining room having breakfast."

"I know where the dining room is."

"Remember to be quiet if Papa is reading the paper. You may ask the footman for some tea if you like."

"How about we go down together and let your Mama get dressed?" Matthew suggested.

William laughed and ran to Matthew, throwing himself at him just like he would do with Mary. She felt a tiny stab of jealousy at the sight. Why was it that everyone adored Matthew?

"I'll see you downstairs then," she said curtly and got up.

Matthew's eyebrows furrowed a little and he tilted his head as if waiting for an explanation to her sudden mood change.

"Come Matthew!" William tugged at his hand, making Matthew laugh.

To be Continued…

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*** TEASER ***

The story continues in Chapter 5: Rediscovering Downton through the Eyes of a Small Boy. Mary takes William to meet Diamond. Later Matthew gets a chance to spend some time with the boy and the two start to bond. Matthew is eager to move things forward, but Mary is cautious, worried about how William will adjust the many changes around him.

When Edith and Anthony come to dinner, Mary finds herself in a mirror situation of the disastrous 'salty pudding' night. She is therefore very surprised to find a new common ground with her brother-in-law, Sir Anthony Strallan. Sharing a moment with her sister, she tells Edith about William. It becomes apparent that Mary is not the only one who has changed.