A/N: I feel so evil right now...
A/N2: This is the updated version! Old readers: go straight to the bottom, there's a new part at the end of the chapter!
:::
The guests dropped off. Matthew sneaked out and thereby fled from his responsibility as a host of the dinner. The bomb had been detonated and his mission was complete.
The smoking he wore was warm and itched. He needed air. The cold air welcomed him. He drew a deep breath.
"Is it true?" A cool voice from the dark asked. "Are you giving me the title?"
Matthew turned around to face the woman in the dark. This was the first time he really saw her. She was a beauty, indeed. Porcelain skin. Dark hair. Magnificent eyes. Matthew suddenly realized he had fallen in love with her. He barely knew her since his accident. But somewhere, deep down, he had a connection to her. She was very dear to him. It was a shame she probably hated him, the thought stung his heart. "It's yours to claim."
"You've had amnesia." She stated and dropped the previous subject.
Matthew looked down on his own feet. "I still don't remember anything after 1912."
"Do you remember me?" She asked in a soft voice and stepped closer.
Matthew avoided looking at her. "No."
"But I am your wife. Surely you remember something." She tried in clearly a frustrated tone. "You must have memories from our wedding or the day your son was born or-" She stopped there,
Matthew showed no sign of recognition. "Look!" She said frustrated and showed the necklace with his and her wedding ring. "Our rings! Do you remember?"
"I'm sorry Mary." He confessed. "My memory is blank.
"You're not trying hard enough!" She hissed at him.
"Pardon?"
"You heard me." She bit back.
"What is the matter with you? Why are you behaving like a spoiled princess? You're the one that ran away from the problem! You ran off to America, leaving me here without an explanation."
"I thought you were dead, Matthew! Don't you think the sky fell down on me when I heard about your accident? Don't you dare to accuse me of not thinking about you, worrying about you every second awake!" She shouted back at him. "You do not know what it feels like to be left alone with nothing?"
Matthew rolled his eyes. "You don't know what it feels like waking up surrounded by strangers saying; Look at this estate and title, it's now yours my son! And I'm apparently married to a woman who fled the country when I was hurt, not even bothering to talk to me when she arrived in the country again. The news of my recovering did not make you come back."
"I never knew." She whispered. "If I had known that you were better, I would have returned in a blink of an eye."
"It's so easy to promise things, Mary, although it's harder to keep the promises, apparently. Cora said Robert sent a letter for you. Why didn't you return then?"
Mary's lips became stern, as if they tried to keep the lie behind them. "Matthew, I never received a letter." She ran a hand through her short hair and looked away when she said it.
Matthew recognized her nervous gestures, clearly she was lying, he had seen lying witnesses during law school keeping up the same gestures. "What a pitiful excuse! Didn't receive the letter?" He questioned her. Anger boiled in his veins now. In his point of view, she tried to run away from the responsibility, excusing herself with bad lies.
"Alright!" She admitted frustrated, just as angry as him. "I threw the letter on the fire!" She confessed, shouting.
All the blood in Matthew's face drained, his fingers started to shake uncontrollably. "You did what?" He asked with a thin voice and hid his shaking hands. The truth was hard and cold when it was shouted into your face.
"Yes, I did that." Mary said breathlessly. "Matthew, I regret-"She was cut off by a voice at the door.
"Lady Mary." Carson said from behind, interrupting them. "I might suggest that you take command and bid goodbye to the guests, the clock's almost eleven."
"Thank you for reminding me, Carson. I will return shortly." Mary said. Quick glance at Matthew. She turned to Carson again. "No, I will return now. I don't want to disappoint the guests."
Carson smiled. She was born into this role.
:::
Matthew strolled into the library. The servants had already put the lights out and the last guest had left Downton. He had kept a low profile during the rest of the dinner.
He wandered in the dark to Robert's old desk. Matthew lit the desk-lamp and stared down at the new contract. He saw his and Branson's signatures, he turned page and noticed a new signature. Mary's neat handwriting. Her signature. Matthew checked the original contract and the copy, her signature on both of them. The signature of Lady Mary Crawley had sealed the new contract, Matthew's request for her to become the new and only heir.
"Mr. Crawley." Carson's familiar voice erupted from the doorway.
Matthew jumped at the sudden voice in the silence. He turned around. "Yes, Carson." He straightened his smoking jacket from Carson's piercing stare. He felt like a thief that had been caught in the act.
"Are you planning on staying up? Would you like some tea if that is the case?" Carson asked.
"No, thank you." Matthew answered and avoided a yawn.
Carson turned around to leave.
"Wait!" Matthew called. "Did the late earl often stay up late?" He asked out of curiosity.
Carson seemed a bit surprised but answered: "The late earl was a busy and duty-bound man who loved his family. He preferred to work in the nights to spend time with his family in the days." He hesitated. "Mr. Crawley, do forgive me for the comment I made regarding whether Mary had something to disapprove or fear of in your relationship. She is the daughter I never had."
Matthew had his mouth half open I surprise. He came back to senses. "There is nothing to be forgiven, It's fine, Carson."
"Thank you, Mr. Crawley."
:::
Matthew dressed for breakfast. He had actually slept well this night. No strange nightmares from far away battlefields this night.
He was heading downstairs when he decided to make an u-turn and headed towards the nursery. He had been pushed away by the elderly women last night when he wanted to meet his own son. This time he wanted to get to know the little one without ten elderly women hoovering around him, telling him how to hold the bundle of joy and so on.
The nursery door was shut. He hesitated but gathered courage. A soft knock on the door was followed by a "Do come in."
The old nurse turned to see the guest.
"Uhm, I-" Matthew stuttered, feeling stupid.
"You want to hold your little one?" The nurse's usually bitterly wrinkled face lit up in a smile. She gave the bundle to Matthew. "It's nice to see that at least one parent cares about him. I don't want to sound harsh but the boy hasn't even been christened yet and his mother does not seem care for him." She almost whispered the last sentence.
"What do you mean?"
The nurse stepped closer and lowered her voice even more. "She doesn't even hold him. It's a pity, the boy is a nice little chap."
:::
The short side of the table was already prepared for Mary when she arrived at breakfast. Usually the married women ate their breakfast in bed but she was the countess of Grantham now and Downton was hers. The thought was dizzyingly.
She sat down and started to eat. It felt so wrong to sit in her fathers seat. Up until recently, this seat had been his. Her fingertips nervously tapped the table. The servants had set the table for another person, Matthew. Where was he? She needed to talk with him. She wanted to make things right again. Mary had a nagging feeling of embarrassment connected with their last meeting. She had lost her temper and started yelling nasty things at him.
"M'lady, the newspaper." Carson handed her the newspaper and retreated.
Mary sipped on her tea and scanned the front page. The headline made her choke on the tea.
Lord Grantham resigns from title and estate!
Turkish ambassador found dead in Countess of Grantham's bed!
Read more on page 12
Mary flipped through the pages with a racing heart. The front page screamed out her so called "love affair" with Kemal Pamuk. The flirt they had shared in 1913 which later on had resulted to him dying in a heart attack in her bed. She was dizzy when she came to page 12. A huge photo of her and Matthew together and a picture of Kemal Pamuk.
She started reading, feeling ill.
The wedding and baby happiness for the young Earl and Countess of Grantham only lasted temporary. When Matthew Crawley said "I do" to his Lady Mary, he did not just win a fortune and love, he also gained a tragic scandal. Something he wasn't aware of in that time.
When Matthew Crawley wedded his Lady Mary Crawley, daughter of the late Lord Grantham he had no idea of her horrendous secret, says a source close to him.
Kemal Pamuk was invited to Downton Abbey in spring 1913, he found himself and Lady Mary flirting. Later they decided to meet, in her bedroom, at Downton. Kemal Pamuk, however, died that night in Lady Mary Crawley's arms.
A source close to Matthew Crawley, says Matthew found out about the secret after his and Lady Mary's son was born. Matthew Crawley started to question whether the boy was his. He became more suspicious when Mary fled to America. He had suffered a head injury and amnesia from a car crash. A car crash possibly caused by him finding out the secret and therefore driving recklessly. Matthew Crawley decided it was enough proof and did not want to have anything to do with her anymore, he thereby left everything, the Downton Estate, land, money and title. He declared the news on his father in law's funeral...
Mary stopped there. She was ruined. Finished. Her social life was over. She might as well hang herself.
Somewhere in the agony she became furious. Matthew had put a knife in her back! She scanned the article again, "a close source to Matthew", a code word for "Matthew himself said that". She snorted.
Mary heard voices from the hall. She stood up and left the room, calmly on the outside with an inside boiling like lava. In the hall she met Matthew strolling down the stairs. He looked smug, she thought.
Mary skipped the polite phrases and demanded: "What is this supposed to mean?!"
Matthew stopped. He stared at her confused.
"The article." She clarified with an ice cold tone. Mary threw the newspaper at him. "What have you done?" She asked in a venomous tone. "You have ruined me!"
Matthew held up his hands in a peace sign. "What's the matter?"
"What's the matter?" She echoed. "I'll tell you what's wrong! You went to the papers and exposed me! You pushed a knife into my back, get out of my sight!" Mary said ice cold.
"Matthew scanned the headline. "I have no idea of what you're talking about. A Turkish ambassador?" He looked confused up. "What is goi-"
"Don't you dare lying at me like that! This is the real reason you rejected the title, it's not an admirable act of 'doing the right thing'. Out!" She raised her voice frantic.
Mary's shouting had received a lot of attention from the servants. Carson, Thomas and Jimmy appeared in the hall. Mary backed away from Matthew.
"Escort him out. I don't want to see him." She said trying to sound calm... and sane, pointing at Matthew.
"Can't we talk about this?" Matthew tried.
She snorted: "You have no power here! I'm the Countess and you're a-" She stopped, desperately trying to find words. She knew she had stepped to far and regretted it already terribly.
".. Middle class lawyer?" Matthew filled in with a dead voice. He felt his arms clenched to the sides by Thomas and Jimmy.
Carson stepped in front of him and said with a low voice: "Don't make this harder than it already is. You can at least walk away with your dignity remaining instead of making us force you."
The situation was unbearable. Matthew looked around. Most of the servants watched this crazy act.
Mary practically boiled with anger but the anger had started to fade a bit. She clenched the damned newspaper again to have at least something to hold on to.
Matthew was himself locked between two men from the staff. A maid hurried towards Mary. "M'lady, come lets have some tea, this is a bad place now, think of the-."
"Mary." Matthew tried. "I have never talked to the newspaper, I swear."
Carson blocked his view of her. "Escort him out." He told Jimmy and Thomas.
Matthew found himself, embarrassingly enough, escorted out, watched by the whole staff of Downton. The big door shut behind him. Jimmy and Thomas immediately loosened their grip of him. Carson looked both ways. "Mr. Crawley, I will arrange a car for you and send your belongings as soon as possible." He said with a different tone. "Thomas, did you get what I asked for?"
"Yes, Mr Carson." Thomas answered and retrieved a business card from his pocket and another copy of today's newspaper.
"Mr. Crawley, you and Lady Mary have been deceived by someone. Have you read the article? It's based on pitiful lies to destroy both of you."
"She never mentioned a 'we'" Matthew said.
"Mr. Crawley, the article features you. Since you abdicated from the inheritance, someone gave the newspaper wrong information."Carson held up the newspaper in front of his eyes. "This is a set up."
"Because I abdicated from the inheritance." Matthew raised a brow.
"Mr. Crawley, do I have to remind you that you stepped on many toes last night. Many powerful aristocratic men does not approve of your choice. They see you as a danger to their way of living. This is the result, they are trying to destroy you."
Thomas spoke for the first time: "Mr Crawley, you are ahead of your time." He said with a almost muffled voice.
"And the solution to the problem is dragging me away from here? I may not the the Lord of Grantham anymore but you can't just throw me out! What about my son?"
"If you don't act now, there will be nothing left of Downton for your son!" Carson hissed and continued in more calm voice:" Here, this is the business card of Michael Gregson, he will help you."
"Who is this Gregson chap?" Matthew asked confused.
"He's a newspaper magnate. You must deny this article's trustworthiness open to the public. There is no other way."
"Is this the man who printed this article?" Matthew asked. "Why is he going to help me then?"
"Michael Gregson does not own this newspaper," Carson held up the paper. "Sir Richard Carlisle does, and he will probably not help you."
:::
Mary shook off the servants and locked herself into her room. She was shaking, both from the anger and the fear. The article had humiliated her, made her the laughing stock!
The feelings of betrayal and humiliation mixed together. A few moments passed. Mary calmed down and started to think more rationally again. Her first thought, that Matthew was behind all of this, seemed strange and even silly now. The poor fella had lost his memory and did not remember the Turkish diplomat, the idea of exposing her to the media with this story was certainly not his idea. She suspected it was someone else...
Mary sat down on the floor with the newspaper widespread beside her. It was Sir Richard Carlisles newspaper. Unfortunately for her, a newspaper magnate was the only living soul outside Downton knowing her secret. The only person to gain something from her side-step so long ago.
Sir Richard Carlisle had made reality of his threat. He was capable of destroying her, he had clearly showed it. He had not only destroyed her own social life, he had also ripped her family apart.
Matthew had been escorted out, like a thief, as a result of her bloody temper! She felt despicable for reacting the way she had reacted.
The sound of a car's engine distracted her from her thoughts. She got up and stared out through the window. One of Downton's cars left the estate. A quick glance at the clock told her it was only the beginning of the day, she had plenty of time to go to the bottom with this. A visit to Sir Richard Carlisle was now high on her to-do list, after she got a hold on Matthew and apologized for her behavior.
