Title: An unexpected gift of fate 10/11
Fandom: The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Author: Ceindreadh
Type of Story: multi-part
Characters: Matthew Lawson, Lucien Blake, Charlie Davis, Jean Beazley, Mattie O'Brien
Rating: 15
Summary: An apparently minor incident has major consequences for Lawson
Genre: Hurt/comfort, romance (pairings to be revealed later), friendship
Word count: ~ 2,400
Disclaimer. I don't own the characters, I'm only borrowing them, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Thanks to Tina for all her help and input
Previously - One night Mattie stayed talking to Lawson much later than usual and then left his room in a hurry, somewhat embarrassed after hugging him. Unbeknownst to her, Jean had seen her leave and was concerned about the appropriateness of the situation. Jean spoke to Blake and he agreed that they'd speak to Mattie and Lawson about it.
Chapter 10 – Confrontations and consequences
As luck would have it, it was a full house at Blake's that afternoon. It was Jean's turn to host the sewing circle and she had invited a few of the women to lunch with her beforehand. Mattie's roster of calls had left her ample time to join them at the table although Blake could see from her face when she walked in on the crowd that she might have preferred to lunch out that day. He himself quite enjoyed listening in to the buzz of the various conversations around the table in part because it gave him ample time to observe Mattie and Lawson.
It hadn't escaped Blake's notice that the pair had ended up sitting beside each other. "Hardly surprising," thought Blake as he poured the milk for Jean's tea. "After all, neither of them are exactly interested in the latest advances in cross stitching!" From his vantage point at the far end of the table, Blake couldn't tell what they *were* talking about, but it seemed to be a pretty ordinary conversation. "Jean is overreacting," Blake finally decided. "They're friends, that's all."
The lunch was soon cleared away, Mattie went back to work, and Jean and the sewing circle set up in the living room. Blake saw Lawson about to retreat back to his room and approached him quickly.
"Ah, Matthew, could I have a quick word with you," said Blake with a smile. "It won't take long," he added as he guided Lawson down the hall.
"Everything all right?" asked Lawson as the study door closed behind them.
"Yes, yes," said Blake, as they both sat down. "I just wanted to speak to you..." Blake tried to think of a tactful way to say it. "It's about Mattie...well it's about you and Mattie...but mostly about Mattie...and you..."
"Mattie? What about her?"
"Well, I couldn't help but notice, that is *Jean* noticed..." Blake faltered slightly as Lawson glared at him. "You seem to have been spending quite a lot of time together." Blake tried to phrase his words carefully, "In your room...at night. Now far be it from me to judge what two consenting adults get up to in private but..."
"You think I'm fooling around with Mattie O'Brien?" interrupted Lawson.
"No, no," said Blake hastily. "Of course not..." He hesitated briefly before continuing, "Are you?" He could see Lawson's jaw clench.
"And what if I was?" said Lawson, almost growling the words. "What business is it of yours? Or anybody else's for that matter?"
"Well Mattie is like a daughter to me," said Blake, "And besides, anything that goes on under my roof, *is* my business."
"Then maybe it's time I wasn't under your roof any longer." Lawson pushed himself up from the chair and headed for the door.
"Oh don't be like that," Blake caught up with Lawson at the door and pushed it shut again. "Please, sit back down." He gestured back towards the chair but Lawson didn't move. "Forgive me Matthew, but I'm just concerned, for your reputation...for *Mattie's* reputation. You know that Ballarat thrives on gossip. People will talk."
"Who will talk?" said Lawson, looking Blake straight in the eye. "Jean? She's the soul of discretion. And you only shoot your mouth off when you've got an ulterior motive like trying to bring down Patrick Tyneman. Or when you're drunk!"
"Well, yes," said Blake. "But you know what people have been saying about Jean and I, and without any evidence to back it up. I just don't want you and Mattie to be subjected to the same tittle-tattle and narrow-mindedness. Especially when there are no grounds for it."
Lawson sighed and allowed Blake to guide him back to the chair where he sat down heavily, "Mattie is a friend, that's all," he said finally. "I'm grateful to her for saving my life, and I've certainly enjoyed her company the last week or so. I am fond of her, but the last thing I want to do is damage her reputation."
"Then we both want the same thing," said Blake with an inward sigh of relief.
Jean's conversation with Mattie however, didn't go quite so smoothly.
Mattie had had a busy day, her calls had taken longer than she'd expected and she'd had to stay well past her scheduled finishing time in order to complete the required paperwork. "Serves me right for dawdling yesterday," she'd told herself with a wry smile. To top it all off, when she'd finally left the hospital, she'd found that one of her tires was flat. Fortunately one of the porters coming off duty had been able to change it for her, but all in all it had been a long day and Mattie was looking forward to a good meal, a few hours productive study and then a pleasant conversation with Matthew.
Jean had again kept Mattie's dinner warm for her. She waited until Mattie had finished eating and gone back to her room before following her and knocking on the door.
"Come in," said Mattie, who was seated at the small table in her room, a stack of books beside her. "Oh, hello Jean."
"I need to have a word with you, Mattie," said Jean.
Mattie looked up in surprise as Jean came in and closed the door behind her. "Is everything all right, Jean?"
"That depends," said Jean, trying to choose her words carefully. "On what you and Matthew are doing in his room together so late at night."
Mattie's jaw dropped.
"Now I know you're a responsible adult, and I know that young women nowadays are much more forward than when I was your age. But there are certain standards of behaviour that should be upheld, regardless of the circumstances. You have your reputation to consider, as does Matthew. And while Lucien doesn't care what people think about him, it could still reflect badly on him if he was seen to condone your behaviour."
"My behaviour?" Mattie was dumbfounded. "Jean, I don't know what you think is going on between me and Matthew, but we're just friends, that's all. Yes, I'm spending time with him most evenings, but that's because we like each other's company. And let's face it, with you and Lucien only having eyes for each other; he'd be on his own most nights if it wasn't for me!"
"Are you implying that we're neglecting him?"
"No, no," said Mattie, quickly as she tried to backpedal. "I just...I understand that you and Lucien want to spend time together. I just don't see what difference it makes to anybody outside of this household what's going on inside."
"Then you're even more naive than Lucien," snapped Jean. "Well I've said my piece, and if you're not concerned about your own reputation, then maybe you should think of other people's." She turned and left the room, leaving a dumbfounded Mattie behind her.
Lawson had returned to his room that evening with a heavy heart. He knew that Blake, damn the man, was probably right. A young woman spending time in a – not so young – man's bedroom; would find herself the source of gossip. It wouldn't matter that they were just friends...it wouldn't matter that nothing inappropriate was happening. People would talk and Mattie would suffer as a result, and Lawson was damned if he'd let that happen to a woman he cared that much about. No, the sooner he was fit to leave, the better for all concerned.
Lawson sighed heavily as he settled in for the evening. "I'm going to miss her," he thought as he tried to concentrate on the book he was reading. "Ever since that day at the hospital when I woke up and found myself looking into her eyes. She's been like a shining beacon, keeping me going through the dark times."
After Jean had left, Mattie sat in her room trying to study. Re-reading the same paragraph three times without retaining any of it, she finally closed the book in frustration. Glancing at the clock, she realised it was time for Matthew's cuppa and sighed heavily as she wondered what to do. On the one hand, she was a guest in Lucien's house, and if he and Jean felt that she was compromising her reputation by spending so much time with Matthew in his room, well, she knew they had her best interests at heart. On the other hand, and Mattie's stubborn streak started to assert itself, she was a grown woman; she had a right to choose how to spend her free time. And besides, thought Mattie as she stood, pushing back her chair. "Outside of these four walls, who else is going to know?"
Mattie resolutely tidied away her books before making her way to the kitchen. Jean was there, bustling around, preparing the tea tray.
"That's all right, Jean," said Mattie, "I can take it from here." She deliberately added a second cup to the tray before picking it up.
"On your own head be it," muttered Jean as Mattie walked away. She returned to the living room and sat down on the couch beside Blake, who put his arm around her.
"They're both adults," said Blake, pulling Jean close. "It's their decision and we should respect it." He could feel the tension leave Jean as she relaxed against him. "How about we focus on *our* relationship and leave Mattie and Matthew to their own."
"Is everything all right, Mattie?" asked Lawson as Mattie put the tray down so hard that the teacups rattled.
"Do you ever just wish that people would mind their own business and stop interfering in other people's lives?" Mattie saw the look on Lawson's face, "Oh no, don't tell me Jean had a go at you as well!"
"No," said Lawson, his face grim, "But Blake did. Practically asked me what my intentions were, regarding you."
"Why can't they just leave us alone," said Mattie, pacing up and down the room.
Lawson took her by the hand and stopped her in her tracks. "They only have your best interests at heart, Mattie." He gently guided her to sit down on the bed beside him. "And maybe they do have a point." He hesitated briefly before continuing, "I'll be going home soon, and perhaps that's for the best. You have your studies to think of after all."
"Oh," said Mattie, feeling her heart lurch. "That...that's nice...you...you must be looking forward to it."
"It'll be good to be under my own roof again," admitted Lawson. He cleared his throat, "These evenings we've been spending together...your friendship...I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"I do wish you didn't have to go," said Mattie, impulsively. She saw Lawson smile sadly and his arm found his way around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"I know," said Lawson, "But I'm sure we'll still cross paths."
Mattie pulled away slightly so that she could look him in the eyes, "I suppose," she said, hesitantly. "Just because we're not under the same roof...that doesn't mean we have to stop spending time together. That is, if you'd like to..."
"I think I'd like that...very much," said Lawson, softly.
Mattie reached out and gently stroked the side of his face. Lawson covered her hand with his, before turning it and kissing her palm. Lowering both their hands, he leaned in towards Mattie, slowly enough that she could have pulled away...if she wanted to. His lips brushed against hers, briefly, more like a caress from his lips than an actual kiss, and then he pulled away.
"I shouldn't have done that," said Lawson.
"No," said Mattie, smiling at him. "You should have done this..." She leaned towards Lawson and kissed him on the lips, gently at first but with increasing fervour as the seconds passed.
Mattie wasn't sure how long passed before Lawson broke contact with her, pulling away with a groan.
"Matthew?" said Mattie, opening her eyes, "What's wrong? Are you in pain?"
"No," said Lawson, smiling ruefully. "Just wondering how smug Blake is going to look when I eat humble pie and tell him there *is* something going on."
Mattie put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, but sobered quickly, "And I'm going to have to apologize to Jean. I may have been a bit less than polite with her when she was lecturing me about the impropriety of being in your room unchaperoned."
"She means well."
"I know." Mattie sighed as she leaned against Lawson, her head resting on his shoulder. "I know."
It was with great reluctance that Mattie finally pulled away from Lawson some time later. "I really should go now."
Lawson was equally reluctant to let Mattie go, half afraid that she would slip through his fingers, now that they'd finally found each other. Standing, he walked her over to the door, still holding her by the hand. "You know," he said, kissing her gently on the lips. "By rights, I should be seeing you safely to your door."
"To protect me from ghoulies and ghosties and long legged beasties and things that go bump in the night?" asked Mattie with a smile. "Ever the policeman, always looking out for people, but I think the corridors of the Blake residence are safe enough to travel alone!
"Ever your friend, Mattie," said Lawson, suddenly serious. "Whatever happens or doesn't happen between us, I will always be your friend."
"And I, yours," said Mattie. They kissed again and then Mattie pulled away, "I should go...and you should stay put. We don't want to scandalise Jean more than we already have!"
"Goodnight Mattie," said Lawson.
"Goodnight Matthew," said Mattie.
Cheeks flushed, and lost in her own thoughts, Mattie almost didn't notice Jean who was standing disapprovingly in her bedroom doorway.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Mattie O'Brien," said Jean.
"Sometimes you just have a take a chance on things, Jean," said Mattie, her voice shaking slightly. "Maybe it won't work out, but if we don't try, we'll never know."
Jean's face softened, "You do care for him then?"
Mattie nodded, "More...more than I ever thought I could. Maybe...maybe nothing will come of it..."
"Well nothing is going to come of it in his bedroom!" Before Mattie could protest, Jean continued, "If you do want to spend time together, I'll air out the good parlour for you to use. Lucien and I won't disturb you if you want some privacy."
"Oh Jean!" Mattie hugged her impulsively.
"Now go to bed," said Jean. "You have work in the morning, and no matter how smitten you are, you can't shirk your responsibilities."
"I know," said Mattie, "And thank you Jean, for everything.
To be concluded