Stole part of the Mary/Matthew/Robert scene in this chapter from 'The Open Secret' - thanks again :) And I'm not sure about the ending for this, but you've waited long enough already :P Enjoy!

As Matthew's words died away, the group standing in front of the Abbey stared at him, open-mouthed. Sybil, as ever, was the first to react.

"Mary!" she shrieked, flinging herself towards the car and into her older sister's arms, clasping her so tightly that Matthew wondered for a moment whether she'd ever let her go again.

To Mary's credit, she showed none of the fact that she was slightly taken aback the ferocity of Sybil's response and merely held her youngest sister just as fiercely, burying her nose, just briefly, in Sybil's hair. As Sybil exclaimed, "You're home! At last!", she murmured something in response, something so low that even Matthew couldn't hear it, though it sounded suspiciously like, "I'm home, darling, and I will never leave you again. I promise."

"You always manage to land on your feet, don't you? Did even banishment to Manchester not strip you of your guardian angels?" The half-bitter sniff came from Edith, as she followed Sybil at a far more sedate pace. Matthew tensed as all the stories Mary had told him of her catty relationship with Edith came flooding back into his head and he feared her response.

"Oh it did," Mary chuckled, voice uncharacteristically soft, "But Lady Love saw fit to grant me another, even better one. Which is more than she's done for you, I notice."

Edith's face clouded momentarily at Mary's last waspish jibe, and Matthew moved his hand up to Mary's arm, silently preparing to ask her to make peace. Robert was going to be challenge enough, without Mary and Edith at each other's throats before they'd even got in the door. However, Edith's lips curving into a brief smile despite herself and her quick leaning over Sybil to brush her lips against Mary's cheek suggested to him that their spiteful banter was something automatic and that, beneath it all, Edith was actually highly relieved to have her older sister back at Downton.

Robert and Cora, however, were another story, "Matthew, a word, in the library, if you please?" Lord Grantham ground out between gritted teeth.

"Of course, Cousin Robert," he replied smoothly, "Just let me see my mother and daughter settled in their rooms and freshen up and then Mary and I shall be yours directly."

That got Robert's attention. Matthew, used to reading every nuance of his opponent's body language in a courtroom, saw the shudder of anger than passed through the older man before he regained control of himself, mindful of not wanting to cause any more of a scene in front of the servants.

"Of course you must freshen up before we speak, but I would prefer it, Cousin Matthew, if we could talk alone."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, then, Cousin Robert. Mary is my wife and will be my Countess. I will not hold as important a conversation as ours is bound to be without her being present."

Matthew's voice was cool, but his gaze was one of steel. The two men stared one another down for a few instants before Robert turned on his heel.

"If you insist. The library, when you are ready. I trust you still remember where that is, Mary."


"This is a betrayal of everything Downton and the Crawleys stand for! The future Countess must be of unimpeachable virtue and Mary, whatever sob story she may have spun you to deceive you into marrying her, is hardly that, Matthew!"

"Mary spun me no story, Cousin Robert. My eyes were wide open when I proposed to her."

"How can you say that? When you know the truth of what she did?" Robert gasped, "Are your middle-class standards so bereft of integrity that you would have a fallen woman as your wife without concern?"

"Mary isn't a fallen woman, not in my eyes. And I know the truth of what happened to her, unlike you," Matthew retorted. Robert gaped at him, momentarily struck dumb. Mary drew herself up, waiting for him to pounce on Matthew's words, to demand proof of what her husband was claiming.

However, for once, her father surprised her, instead turning to interrogate Matthew, "Be that as it may, we found no record of your marriage to a Mary Crawley. Only to a Marianne Boughton. Surely the marriage cannot be valid, since it was not made under Mary's true name?"

"Actually, it can. It's a common misconception that one needs to file papers to change one's name. In fact, anyone in England can change their name whenever they wish, though it can be problematic the longer it goes on. Mary, afraid of what you'd do if you found out she planned to wed, only agreed to marry me if she could change her name in order to keep her true identity a secret."

"I chose to use Granny's maiden name as my surname."

Robert opened his mouth to question her choice of Christian name, but Matthew interceded, holding up a hand, "Hence, the marriage papers that Murray found, the ones proving that Matthew Crawley married Marianne Boughton and not Lady Mary Crawley. However, once Helena was born and we knew exactly when we were planning to arrive at Downton, we filed the appropriate deeds to change our marriage licence to reflect Mary's true name. If Murray was to search the records, indeed, if he had done so any time in the last two months, he would find that Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary Crawley were married in Manchester on December 20, 1911."

Robert's jaw worked as he tried to find a way to refute Matthew's logical argument, but he couldn't. Matthew held out his hand to Mary, "I think we're done here, darling."

She rose, taking his outstretched hand and striding to the library door, proud to be at his side in this, her childhood home. As they reached the threshold, Robert cleared his throat.

"Mary. I have to ask. Why choose that name over any other?"

"Boughton was Granny's surname. I thought it was a common enough one that you wouldn't know whether I was any relation to her branch of the family or not. And as for Marianne, well, did you not used to call me that when I was little? Was I really that wrong to want at least a tiny part of my family with me on my wedding day, Papa?"

"You're not that little girl anymore," Robert snapped, the pang that her words sent through his heart making him even sharper than he would otherwise have been.

Mary didn't even turn around, and, when she did respond, her voice was as icy as his.

"No. I'm Viscountess Downton now. I'm Viscountess Downton and I will be Countess of Grantham. I suggest you get used to the idea."


"It's preposterous! Surely there must be something we can do to annul their marriage!" Robert snarled, striding up and down around his mother's sitting room. Three quick steps forward, three the other way as he spun on his heel.

"For heavens' sake, Robert, sit down. You'll wear the carpet through," Violet said testily. Her son did as he was told with bad grace. She looked at him steadily.

"Sometimes, my boy, we have to learn to find the strength to bear the things we cannot change. I fear this is one of those things you will have to learn to bear."

"You can't be serious, Mama!"

"Do I ever joke?"

"But, but...Mary's a fallen woman!"

"She is also the only wife your heir will ever accept. I can't say I approve of his blatant displays of affection for her, but I am not blind. If we even attempt to get between them, he will never forgive us. And honestly, surely you can see the positives of this?"

"Positives? What positives? My heir is bound to a scheming bitch of a woman who will never deserve a man as good as him!"

"That woman is your daughter. And whatever her personal feelings towards you, she cares for her younger sisters. Sybil and Edith will always have a home at Downton as long as Mary is Countess. We've trained her well enough in family loyalty for that. Despite your best efforts. And little Helena may not be a boy, but at least she's proof that Mary will have no trouble conceiving. The line may well be saved yet by a child of your blood. Which is more than you could have hoped for twelve months ago."

Violet's voice was steely. Robert opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again, before springing to his feet and stalking to the door like a petulant little boy. At the door, he spoke again, though he didn't bother to do her the courtesy of turning around.

"Mary was always your favourite. I'm hardly surprised you can't see the bad in her, even now, even after all this proof. Well, I won't be won over so easily. If she wants my respect, let's see her make Downton safe first. Let's see her birth a boy to keep this estate safe and then maybe I might consider her as at least having started to redeem herself."