Mary and Rose arrived at the train station early to catch the very first one to London. They waited to board when a familiar voice called out to them.

"Arthur," Rose called and waved back. "You made it."

Mary was surprised to see him there but then realized Rose must've told him they were going to London. She wished she hadn't told Rose early but it was too late now.

"Good morning Lady Mary," Arthur greeted her.

"Blackwell," she forced a response. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to London to visit my mother," he informed her. "And Rose said you were headed to London so I thought I'd join you."

"Does Matthew know you're not working today?" She knew he didn't or he would've mentioned it to her.

"I wrote him a note this morning. I'm sure he doesn't mind because I need to see my mother."

"Isn't it nice that we have company on the trip to London?" Rose asked happily.

Mary didn't quite put it that way but chose to hold her tongue. She was just grateful that she had decided to bring a book with her to read; Matthew had joked about needing it in case Rose got a little too chatty.

Arthur opened the door to let them in before joining them. He sat across from Mary and Rose.

Throughout the journey, Mary buried herself in her book while Arthur and Rose chatted away.

...

"Matthew, where are you going?" Edith asked when she saw him in the hallway.

"I was thinking of going to the nursery to be with William," he replied. "Since Mary is away, he might feel lonely. And what about you, what have you planned for today?"

"Just the usual," she told him. "He told me what you said to him." She knew he understood what she meant without elaborating.

"You know why I had to do it," he said, clearly understanding. "I truly want you to be happy Edith but not the way you are planning."

"Am I never to be happy then?" she said sadly. "Is every man I want be unfit or taken away from me?"

"Edith, your prince is out there," he assured her. "You just need to wait a little longer."

"I've been waiting long enough!"

"Edith, sometimes the right one is worth waiting for. You know how long it took Mary and I to finally be together." He hoped that she understood what he was trying to tell her. He felt her lean against him and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her. He let her cry on his shoulder until she felt better.

"Are you going to tell Mary about this?" she asked after she dried her eyes.

"No, it's between you and me," he assured her. "But you must know that Mary also wants you to be happy."

"Really? Mary, my sister," she asked for confirmation.

"She may not show it, but she truly cares for you. She's quite capable of that you know."

"To you and William of course," she confirmed, having seen it herself. "But not me."

"You'll be surprised at how much she cares for you."

...

"So, when will we see you again?" Rose asked as the train pulled into the station.

"I'll be back in a few days," Arthur said. "Was the book enjoyable?" He directed his question to Mary.

"Quite," she replied plainly.

"Mary, is it alright if Arthur come with us while we shop?" Rose asked hopeful she would agree.

"I'm sure he can't wait to see his mother," Mary replied, eager to part ways with him.

"Actually, I was hoping I could tag along. You see, I was planning to buy my mother a gift but I'm not quite sure what to get her. Perhaps you can help me find something nice for her."

"He can even carry our boxes," Rose suggested. "Won't you Arthur?"

"At your service," he agreed.

...

Mary realized quickly that it was a good idea to let Arthur tag along with them. While Rose kept him preoccupied, she was left alone to shop on her own. She quite enjoyed buying presents for the family and some of the servants. She even ordered some new frocks and accessories for herself as Matthew wanted. She was admiring one particular red one when she saw Rose and Arthur approach from the corner of her eye.

"Look at all the things I got," Rose said. "And I even helped Arthur buy a pretty little brooch for his mother."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Mary said. "Now perhaps we can say goodbye to Mr. Blackwell so he can be home to his mother before tea."

"Oh, I still have one thing to get," Rose said and left quickly before Mary could stop her.

"That looks very pretty," Arthur said, nodding towards the red number Mary had been looking at when they arrived.

"I think I've ordered enough clothes for the day," Mary replied.

"I'm sure Mr. Crawley wouldn't mind getting you one more," he insisted. "I think just because he can't appreciate you in it, you shouldn't deprive everyone else from the pleasure of seeing you wear it."

"You shouldn't presume to know what my husband can and can't appreciate," she warned him.

"Does he appreciate you? Since I've known him, he seems to only care about making Downton great again."

"He certainly does," she assured him, knowing just how much so. She decided to leave it at that because she didn't really care for his opinion. She did, however, like that he thought Matthew would make Downton great again.

"Look at what I got for William," Rose announced when she returned. She showed Mary a horse-shaped baby rattle.

"That's lovely," Mary noted, suddenly missing her son. "So are you ready to go home?" She was pleased when Rose agreed.

...

Matthew cradled William and even allowed him to suck on his pinky finger.

"She'll be home soon," he said soothingly to his son. "Will you be calling her mama or mother?" He wondered which the boy will prefer.

"Of course it will be mama," Mary answered for him.

"You're back," he said raising his head. He didn't hear her approach but was pleased she was home. "I kept him company while you were away." He handed William to Mary.

"Mary, you forgot the rattle," Rose said as she entered the nursery. She handed the toy to Mary who was now seated and cradling William.

"Hello Rose," Matthew greeted her, standing beside Mary. "Did you enjoy your trip to London?"

"It was absolutely fun," she confirmed. "Thanks Mary, I hope we can go shopping again soon."

Mary smiled and watched Rose head out to prepare for dinner.

"Did you have fun?" Matthew asked, hoping she didn't spend the whole day just entertaining Rose.

"Of course I did," she replied. "I hope you don't mind but I bought quite a lot."

"I certainly won't," he assured her. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I hope Rose hadn't worn you out."

"Actually, Arthur joined us on the train and kept Rose engaged," she revealed.

"Arthur? So that's why he suddenly had to visit his mother." He wondered when he received Arthur's note and hoped it was nothing serious to call him away.

"Do you know how long he will be away?"

"No, but it won't delay the work. I think we can manage without him for a while."

Mary was glad to hear it but chose not to tell Matthew.

"So did he behave like a proper gentleman?"

"He tried but he was not even close," she admitted. She looked up at Matthew when she heard him chuckle.

"Will anyone fit your standard of a proper gentleman?" he teased.

"Of course, papa for one." She knew he was teasing her but didn't want him to get his way easily.

"Except Robert." He knew Mary well enough to know he had to keep challenging her until he hears the answer he wanted.

"My godfather," she ventured.

"Except Lord Merton."

"William," she said and cooed to her son in her arms. "You'll be a perfect gentleman won't you?" She was pleased when the boy raised his hands as if in response.

"Except William, who I'm sure will be because of you." He cleared his throat then to indicate he was getting impatient.

"Oh alright," she finally gave in. "You do of course. I wouldn't marry you if you weren't."

...

Idyllic days quickly passed at Downton amid the changes at the estate. The house became a true sanctuary for the family and their servants. Even Arthur's return went almost unnoticed except for him arriving at the house to meet with Matthew. Mary was glad to not have to be in attendance because Tom was with Matthew.

"Mary, I'm thinking of joining Edith on her trip to London tomorrow," Matthew announced when he found her in their sitting room after the meeting.

"Why? Is something the matter?"

"No," he replied with his usual smile. "But unlike you, I haven't done my Christmas present shopping yet."

"Why is Edith going to London? She's not looking for Gregson, is she?"

"You shouldn't be so hard on her," he reminded her. "Why don't you show her how much you care about her?"

"And why would I want to do that?" she challenged him playfully.

Matthew wanted to say 'because you're nice' but then decided to let it go.

"Anyway, I want to know if Edith will be with you at all times while you're in London," she inquired, bringing them back to the main subject.

"I was thinking I'll take Molesley with me," he suggested.

"I don't think he will be very useful to you," she argued against it.

"Why not? He's done pretty well as my valet; always ready to help."

"But I'm fairly sure that I can easily ask him what you bought," she revealed. "Then that would ruin your surprise."

Matthew thought about it and had to agree with Mary. Molesley was eager to please her and would certainly cave to her wishes.

"How about Bates?" she suggested. "I'm quite sure he would be a good companion."

"I wouldn't want to wear him out," Matthew cautioned.

"Let me ask him and Anna."

...

"Anna, would it be possible for Bates to accompany Mr. Matthew to London tomorrow?" Mary asked as Anna helped her change for dinner. "He's planning to do some Christmas shopping."

"Of course, milady," Anna replied without hesitation. "John would love to help."

"You will warn him that Mr. Matthew likes to do things for himself sometimes," she cautioned. "I just want someone to watch over him."

"I'm sure they'll get along just fine. John is quite perceptive you know."

"If you'd like, you can go with Mr. Bates to keep him company on the train ride," Mary suggested.

"Are you sure milady?" Anna wanted to go but had to be sure.

"I'm sure I can manage," she assured Anna. "I just want you to promise to keep Mr. Matthew out of trouble and safely home by dinner." She was quite glad there would be two trusted people watching Matthew in her place.

...

"It's settled, Bates and Anna are going with you to London," Mary declared as she prepared to join Matthew in bed.

"Why Anna?" Matthew inquired. "Won't you need her for the day?"

"If you can be independent, so can I," she replied confidently. "Besides, it won't hurt to have two people helping you while you shop."

"I suppose I can benefit from Anna's opinions when I shop for a gift for you; she knows what pleases you," he teased.

"Are you saying you don't know?" She leaned in to watch his facial expression when he replied.

"I must admit that I'm not pretty good at picking women's clothing," he revealed to her. "But I know that you have an exquisite style that I love."

"So I suppose you're not buying me a new frock then," she speculated, trying to guess what he was planning to get her.

"I'm not going to tell you," he said, catching on quickly. "But I think you'll like what I have in mind."

"Is it something I can wear?" she wondered, still hoping he'd give her a clue to her present.

"I will tell you on one condition," he offered. "If you tell me what you got me."

"You win then," she yielded. "It's only a few weeks until Christmas so I don't have to wait too long."

"Do you think I should invite Arthur to spend Christmas with us?"

"Wouldn't he prefer to spend Christmas with his family," she suggested.

"Of course, you're right."

...

Edith was on her way down when she saw Mary in the hallway.

"You don't have to tell me you know," she began when Mary was in front of her. "I will look out for him."

"Thank you for that," Mary said gratefully. "But I wanted to talk to you about Gregson." She thought she had to before Edith made a decision she would regret.

"I think you made it very clear what you think of him," she reminded Mary.

"I just think you shouldn't settle to be second best. You deserve to be happy."

"I've always been second to you," she replied acidly.

"All the more reason you should not settle," Mary emphasized.

"Mary?" Matthew called out to her. "I'm ready to go downstairs."

"I'm coming," she replied and left Edith with something to think about.

"Who were you talking to?" he inquired when he felt Mary's hand on his arm.

"Edith," she told him.

"You're not asking her to watch over me as well are you?"

"What if I were?"

"Mary, I'm only gone for a day," he reminded her. "And I think I'm already well chaperoned so please don't worry."

"Of course my darling," she replied, trying to sound cheerful. "I expect you to come home with lots of presents."

"I'll do my best." He gave her a quick kiss on the check and headed out to the car.

"We'll keep him safe milady," Anna assured her as she and Bates followed him out the house.

Mary lingered by the door and watched the car fade into the distance before heading back into the house to preoccupy herself until Matthew returned.