Chapter 7

Robert was pleased to see his kinsman was so happy to be visiting his home.

Lord Grantham chuckled. "Welcome - it is good to see you again Matthew," Robert said as they shook hands.

When they had met in London he had thought he was a good man and on his second first impression of this distant relative of his, he thought the same thing... it could all be so very much worst …. he did, on the surface, seem entirely respectable.

"I do not think you have yet met my wife, Lady Grantham," Robert said as he introduced them.

"I am honoured," he said as the lady took his hand and pressed it, he wondered what she thought of him and if he was worrying her by being here.

He hoped not - on no account did he wish to do that.

"I hope you had a good journey."

"I did - the train flew all the way here." he said with a grin.

"And I trust they feed you?"

"Some tea and cake."

"Well I am sure we are going to be able to improve on that before the end of the night."

x x x

Being there to welcome Mister Matthew to the abbey had been an option rather than a command so while Lady Mary and the family were busy Anna had chosen to take a few moments to herself. She felt as if she had very little time to catch her breath of late and knowing that of course Carson and Hughes were going to be going out to satisfy their curiosity about this Mister Matthew had only increased her desire to stay in. She was sure she was going to get a catch to have a look at him later in the visit.

Gwen to had gone up so she was down stairs with Thomas, Mr Molsley and Lily, each of them enjoying a few moments peace.

Or so she thought.

As for Mr Molsley, it had been his intention to go and greet Mr Matthew for he felt it was his duty to go and support Mister Patrick where ever he could.

They were as close as any man and his valet and he was well able to tell things were not right between him and Lady Mary. He could not help but wonder if Anna knew it to but if she did, then she was not saying it.

If the two of them were only a bit closer then he was sure they were going to be better place to share confidences about their master and mistress but if the truth was known, that was the last reason he wanted to be closer to Anna and the real reason was well – he was sure he was beginning to develop some very real feelings for her and he wanted to give her the chance to do the same.

Now he had a good job, Joesph Molsley was sure he was going to be able to support a wife and for the first time in his life his prospects were attractive.

And it was high time he made something of his life - in all ways.

So it was time to bite the bullet.

"Anna, can I ask you something?" he said as he went in to the kitchen.

If she was being honest with herself then she wished he had made his request at any other time rather than during the time of the day than when she was sitting quietly enjoying a rare afternoon cup of tea.

But he had. And she was not going to deny him.

"Of course, you can Mister Molsley," she said with a smile that hide the way which she truly felt.

"The next time there is a picture showing in the village, I was wondering if you would like to come with me?"

She felt her heart sink for she had been dreading that he was going to ask her something of the sort.

But then she heard a sniggering.

"Mr Molsley, I do not know why you do not leave the poor girl alone," said Thomas, from where he sat listening across the room. "It is clear she is not interested in you."

She did not think she had ever seen any man get so embarrassed so quickly.

Anna knew what Thomas had said had been the case in the past. In fact, if she was honest with herself, then it was still the case now. But Mr Molsley had been kind to her of late and the two of them were forming a together friendship of a sorts – different to the other ones she had. True, she was not attracted to him as a woman should be attracted to a man but knew she could do a lot worse.

And she was always going to champion kindness of over cruelty.

And this was one laugh which she was not going to hand over to Thomas on a plate, she thought to herself.

"Whenever there is next a show on in town then I am going to be honoured to come with you – thank you for the invitation."

Disappointment and hurt turned to joy for Mr Molsley in an instant whereas Thomas just raised his eye brows. Anna knew in that moment she had been the one who lost as the sheer fact of the matter was the footman did not care who she spent her time off with.

He had just been having a laugh.

But maybe it had been the worth it for the smile on Mr Molsleys face either way. A trip to see a picture Anna mused to herself…. no harm could come from that.

X x x

It was with her husband's words ringing in her ears that Mary went out to meet the new arrival. She did not know why but it made her dislike him on meeting. After all he had come up in the fight and so it must all be his fault. She did not need to be told that logic left a lot to be desired.

The truth was it was born out of frustration with her life and circumstance. It was frustration that nothing in her was different when it came to Patrick – or at least not in a good way. She had known she was not going to fall in love with him on the wedding day. But now he was her husband and behaved as such. In spite of their efforts, as of yet she showed no signs of being with child. And though she was in no way what you could call sentimental, when she heard the way Sybil talked of Matthew, she could not help wishing there was a mention of love in her marriage beyond what one cousin might naturally feel for another.

And then it was all she could do to stop herself comparing the Crawley man who had just turned up to the one she had married. It was Patrick who was found wanting.

Patrick's eyes were muddy green but Matthew's were clear blue.

She did not want to find him handsome she thought almost spitefully as he was talking to her mother.

But she did. She could see exactly why her sister found him attractive.

"Let me introduce you to my daughters – of course, you know Sybil but this is my eldest Mary."

"Mr Crawley," she said rather stupidly.

"It is a pleasure Lady Mary."

"Likewise." she said formally.

He took her hand and pressed it as he had done her mother's. It was warm and try as she might to deny Patrick words had been oddly prophetic.. which made her like Matthew both more and less.

So far everyone had been very kind to him but Matthew had hoped to be able to know a little more of Mary even on a first meeting. It was clear she meant a great deal to Sybil just from the way she had spoken of her to him at dinner so he did want her approval.

He was too busy thinking this to try and come up with something else to say and it was clear she was not going too.

Conversation seemed to be rather stilted between them and Mary's mother did not seem to be eager to see any develop.

"And this is my daughter Edith."

There was something about the way that she said it that made him sit up and take notice of the countess and it was apparently the same effect it had on Edith. She looked at her mother as if wondering what she was doing before she looked at him and tried to make the best of an odd beginning to a conversation.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." she said with a smile.

"And you."

"Did you have a pleasant journey?"

"I did, thank you," he said and that seemed to be enough for Edith for she smiled politely - he had no argument with this as it meant he could turn his attention to Sybil but the way Cora caught her daughter's eye said something had gone wrong there.

But to what it was, Edith was oblivious.

"Lady Sybil."

Try as she might to keep her excitement in, she could not. It was not very lady like but she had been so looking forward to seeing him again and how he was here. It was wonderful.

"It is so good to see you again," she said with a true and wide smile.

"And you," and for just a while none of the others mattered. This was why he had come to see and it had been worth ever mile.

And then in a direct contrast everyone else did mattered and for just a moment, it felt to Sybil how Mary must have for all this time - as all eyes were on her and they were judging. If anything was between them. It was then that her mother stepped in and saved her, thank god.

"Why don't we all go and have some tea?"

As it was her father's house, in Sybil's mind, she had no doubt Mathew was doing the right thing when he drew back to walk in with her father.

"Does Mama seem quite well to you today?" asked Edith as her sister came to her side. But Cora was not Sybil's concern.

"Mama does –Mary not quite so to me…"

Sybil politely left one sister for the other.

"Mary – are you feeling well?" Despite being able to see that there was something not quite right with her eldest sister, Sybil's excitement meant she was not quite able to contain the next questions. "What do you think of Matthew? Do you like him?"

"'What did I think of him' darling…. There is only so much I can think of a man who has so far said a grand total of six words to me." Mary sighed with slight exasperation as she sought to walk with her mother.

Sybil returned to Edith and finally, they all made their way into the Abbey.

X x x

Tea was pleasant and to the surprise of no one, Matthew was at the centre of it all. More than once there was a desire in Sybil to pull the others away and tell them to give Matthew a rest after his journey, something which she hoped he was going to get a chance to do before dinner. But it would be for her and not for him.

On the contra, he seemed to be coping rather well.

He was more than happy to talk about his job as a company lawyer. He spoke about his life in Manchester as well as his mother. It was clear he had got a good education and he was plenty eloquent enough for her father, who dearly like him. She was well aware that her papa liked to think he could hide his feelings. That he was an English gentlemen but if the truth was known, she had always found him to be rather emotional. No, the only one she was not able to read was her sister Mary. When she did not like someone, it was not like her to spare their feelings.

But the fact of it was Mary just looked bored by it all.

Still in a bad mood from the rough words she had had with Patrick she had no desire to be there. Sybil was not usually embarrassed by her sister but just then she could not help but feel that.

Luckily her father continued to be the opposite and tried to make Matthew as welcome as could be.

The topic of discussion soon turned to their mutual surname.

"Yes it is an odd kind of coincidence," Matthew admitted as he and Sybil smiled over at him.

It had of course been one of their first topic of conversation when they had introduced themselves.

"So are we actually related then?" Edith asked.

"Certainly – but lets just check exactly how." Robert replied as he went to get Burkes Peerage.

Sybil felt herself flush. It was not the sort of thing that mattered to her and if she had her way then they would not be getting that book out.

What little Matthew already new of Sybil told her that so he sent her was reassuring smile. He was not out of his depth and he was more than willing to play along with her father if that was what it took to gain his approval. He wanted it more and more.

She only hoped that they were not going to bore him too much with it all.

But then they were not used to entertaining a man who had a real life she thought to herself. Let alone an actual job.

But Matthew was game and went over the trough through the pages with her father. She stayed for a moment where she was listening to her sister and her mother discuss a new dress for Edith when she heard her father exclaim… "Good god in heaven!"

That was it. She decided then and there Matthew had been at her father's mercy for too long. It was time to save him.

"What is it?"

Cousin James, who had previously been nowhere near, also went over to where Robert stood with Patrick and Matthew but it was not long until she got the feeling he had grasped the situation a whole lot easier than she did.

"Papa?"

It was then he begun to point out the way in which they were indeed related to Matthew. It was a lot closer than either of them knew.

Their connection went back to the time of the fourth Earl, yet it was the repercussion of the lack of males born into the family of late which seemed to be the cause of the most discussion.

"So for now – he is Patrick's heir," she spelt it out simply.

That Sybil did not see coming and nor did Matthew thought Mary as she looked as him, doubting he was that good of a liar.

"Only for now. I am sure that is not going to be the case for long," James said in a manner which set his daughter in laws teeth on edge at the nerve of the implication.

Yes, they'd have a baby but truly she saw no need to discuss it with the family en masse.

"Well- what a turn up for the books," Matthew said at last.

"I'll say," James agreed.

The silence was beginning to drag on for too long and if there was one thing in the world which Cora Crawley hated it was an awkward silence.

"Well now we are all even more pleased you have to come to see us,. Cousin Matthew."

"Here, here," Sybil agreed with her whole heart and gave thanks for her mother once more.

Please review!