"What are your plans for this weekend?" Matthew asked Mary a few days after his visit to Mr Mason with Daisy.
"Richard is coming to dinner on Saturday evening," she said, her voice unreadable, as she wheeled him through the rose garden. "He wants us to set a wedding date."
"Are you excited about it?" Matthew asked.
Mary paused, and stopped pushing the chair. Then she gave a rather odd answer.
"I hope that I might eventually be... but now I can't say that I am to be honest."
"Mary, please come where I can see you," Matthew said gently. She walked around and perched herself on the garden wall on the side of the path, facing him.
"Do you remember what I told you before, when I was in the hospital?" Matthew asked. "The day you had argued with Carlisle, and you weren't sure you had enough in common with him anymore?"
Mary nodded.
"That's still my advice. You don't have to marry him. You don't have to marry anyone if you don't want to!" he said.
He looked at her, and saw pain in her eyes.
"Matthew... I do have to marry him." she said, her voice suddenly hard.
"Why?" he pressed. "You don't look happy about it. And I thought marriage was about wanting to be with someone, not going into something half hearted."
"That may be for the middle classes, but it's not for someone in my position," Mary said with an air of defeat. "Sometimes we must just live with the choices we have made."
Matthew was confused by her reply. He paused and then asked her quietly, "Mary, what on earth do you mean? Why do I get the sense you are hiding something? What is it?"
To his surprise, tears filled her eyes and she said, "I can't tell you Matthew. If I told you, you would despise me!" She stood up suddenly. "Do you mind if we go back, I have some errands I need to run."
"All right," Matthew said, resigned to the fact that she did not want to tell him what was going on.
She grasped the handles of his chair and began pushing him back to the house. They were both silent. When they reached the recreation room door, Mary beckoned one of the nurses for Matthew, and then she turned to go.
"Mary," he said. "Wait."
Mary turned to him uncertainly, clearly uncomfortable and with tears back in her eyes.
He looked at her steadily. "I don't know what you are hiding. And I will not continue to press you to tell me. But please know that I never could, and I never would despise you," and his face was full of care and concern. Mary gulped, and turned, walking quickly away.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Saturday afternoon was wet, so in lieu of their walk, Mary and Matthew were reading each other excerpts from the Saturday papers in the recreation room. Matthew had found the jokes page and had her in fits of laughter over one of them. He started to read her another when there was a call from across the room, and Mary looked up to see that Sir Richard was at the door.
"Richard," she called in surprise. "We weren't expecting you until later!" She arose, and said quietly, "Please excuse me, Matthew," and she crossed the room to him smiling.
"I trust you had a pleasant trip," she said. "Would you like to..." she said, intending to ask him to join her and Matthew for tea when he cut across her.
"I would not," he interrupted, and Mary stiffened at his harsh tone.
"Sir Richard," what a lovely surprise!" came a gushing voice from behind them, and Cora swept in.
Clearly nonplussed, Richard took her hand and kissed it and bowed slightly. "A pleasure to see you, Lady Grantham," he said, his harsh tone immediately replaced by a polite one.
"The pleasure is all mine," Cora continued to gush, and for once Mary was relieved. "Mama, would you like to join us for tea in the small library?" she asked, to which Cora immediately assented, and then said "Mary, do get Edith and Sybil to come. I just saw them both upstairs."
"Please excuse me, Richard," Mary said. "I'll be back with my sisters shortly," and she turned and headed down the hallway for the stairs.
The afternoon, with the constant presence of her mother and sisters, passed pleasantly enough, with Richard forced to make polite conversation with her, enquiring, for the first time ever, about her work.
She told him of the recent changes, how she was now back doing the hospital administration a few days a week, but continuing with a reduced nursing role with her shifts split between the convalescent home and the auxiliary hospital in the village.
"I can't see what appeal such a role holds for you," he said shaking his head in disapproval. "All those broken bodies.. hmmph."
Sybil bristled at his tone and said, "Nursing is a most honourable profession. And it is one that Mary has become extremely competent at. She is well liked and respected by the staff and the patients both here and at the hospital!"
Mary felt a warm glow at her younger sister's praise, and it seemed to soften Sir Richard somewhat for he said "Yes, of course. I am sure Mary is most competent at it. It is just a job that I myself would take no joy in."
The warm glow quickly faded at his next comment, however, when he said, "Of course once we have our wedding date settled, which I very much hope will be this weekend, you'll have to be focused on that and finish up with all of this work. Organising that will be more than enough of a job for you."
The sense of unease Mary had felt several months before when she first visited Haxby with Richard came flooding back. It had never occurred to her that Richard might look to forbid her doing the work she had come to find such purpose and satisfaction from. She said nothing, and looked down at her lap. Richard frowned.
Sybil noticed, giving her a sharp look. Edith also picked up that something was amiss, and she glanced furtively from Richard to Mary and back again.
Cora rescued them all, beginning to ask Sir Richard some questions about his life in London, and how things were being affected by the war. For the second time that afternoon, Mary felt uncharacteristically relieved by her mother's gushing.
Anna was doing Mary's hair before dinner, when Sybil came into the room, and sat down, carefully arranging the skirts of her evening gown about her.
"Mary," she said directly. "What is going on? I see you about to embark on a marriage with a man who clearly does not make you happy. Why is this?"
Anna paused, halfway through her crimping. "M'Lady," she whispered. "Do you need a moment..?"
Mary shook her head imperceptibly. "No, Anna, you know all my secrets. Please just stay," she murmured back.
"Sybil, darling," she said. "Mama and Papa are keen to see me with a position. If I marry Sir Richard, I will be making them very happy," she said tightly.
"But what about you, Mary?" Sybil asked incredulously. "What about your happiness? Are you telling me you do actually love him?"
"What is love, anyway?" Mary said avoiding answering her directly. Her mouth was set in a thin line. "Perhaps affection is enough for people like us."
"I don't understand, Mary," Sybil said shaking her head. "Sir Richard, well, he seems so controlling, and you don't seem yourself around him. Mary, I worry for you in a marriage to him!"
"Sybil," Mary said slowly. "There is something you should know. I am not a woman of virtue. I did something in my past that means I am not in a position to turn down a proposal to a man as fine as Sir Richard."
Sybil gasped. "How can a man who you cannot be yourself around possibly be 'fine' Mary? she said in disbelief. "And what do you mean you are not a woman of virtue! The Mary I see every day is a kind, hardworking and dedicated person, certainly someone I consider to be of virtue!"
"Sybil," Mary said, tightly. "Thank you for your belief in me. I appreciate it, really I do! But this is a reality I must face, and I have little choice but to go through with it."
"No," said Sybil, and she began to speak forcefully. "Whatever your secret, whatever it is, it is not worth it to throw your life away on a man who will not care for you properly! Mary, please! Turn him down while you can!" she urged.
"I cannot," Mary said tightly. She turned back to the mirror, her face impassive again. "Besides. Mama believes he will give me a good position. He is very rich. He has influence, and I will not want for anything." Mary lifted her chin up with a defiant look.
Sybil glanced at Anna, who shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly and then shook her head. Sybil frowned at Mary, and then she stood, wordlessly, and left the room. She was dissatisfied with Mary's answer and determined to get to the bottom of it.
Dinner passed without incident. Robert suggested to Sir Richard that they go directly through with the ladies to the small library, as there were only the two of them, Matthew having eaten earlier with the officers in the mess hall.
At nine o'clock, Robert and Cora excused themselves, and asked Edith and Sybil to come with them, Cora making it clear by the look she gave them both, that Sir Richard needed some time alone with Mary. Sybil dawdled a bit, and Mary could tell she was not comfortable leaving her behind with him.
Mary raised her eyes at her and flicked them towards the door, lifting the corners of her mouth to show her that she would be all right. Sybil rolled her eyes ever so slightly, clearly not convinced, but she bade them good night and left the room.
Outside she said, "I'm just going to check on some of the patients," and left the others at the stairs, going instead to the officer's recreation room. To her relief, both Matthew and Edward were still up, talking quietly with three other officers.
"Sybil," Matthew greeted her. "What brings you here at this hour?" He said smiling and enjoying the pretty figure she cut in her turquoise blue evening gown.
She went over to him and pulled up a chair. "I am uneasy about Mary," she began in a low tone. Matthew and Edward looked at each other, and back to Sybil. "She is in the small library with Sir Richard Carlisle. Do you, well, do you think you could go in there in a few minutes and just check she is all right?"
"Are you worried he's going to hurt her?" Matthew looked at her in shock but kept his voice quiet.
"I, I don't know. It was just some things he said to her this afternoon. And the way he said them. It didn't feel right." She looked down at her lap and smoothed her skirt nervously.
Edward grinned suddenly. Keeping his tone low, he said, "Hey, Crawley, I must admit, I do like a bit of cloak and dagger. How about we make up a ruse of looking for some books, and do what's Sybil's asking? If nothing else it might remind the chap there's a few of us down here who know where Mary is."
Matthew's lips twitched, but he quickly became serious again, sensing just how deep Sybil's unease really was.
"All right. That sounds like a plan. Sybil, we'll check on her shortly, all right? Would you like to join us for cards in the meantime, or do you need to go to bed?" Matthew asked.
"Cards sounds fun, but unfortunately I'm on morning shift," she sighed. She stood and gave them both a smile, "Thank you for doing this!" and she left the room.
Ten minutes later, Edward wheeled Matthew silently towards the small library, both of them smirking slightly, and feeling like schoolboys. Their sense of fun evaporated when they reached the great hall and heard raised voices. Then there was a shriek. Edward broke into a run. He flung open the door of the library without knocking, and wheeled Matthew in, saying, "And you thought you left it in here did you?"
"Yes it should have been on the.." Matthew invented, and then he stopped, feigning surprise at seeing Mary, who was half turned away from him over the fireplace, and Carlisle, who was on his feet and breathing hard and clearly taken aback at the two men entering the room unannounced.
"Good evening, Sir Richard, Mary," said Matthew formally. I.."
"I'm sorry," said Edward, cutting across Matthew and feigning a smile. "Are we interrupting something? Matthew thinks he may have left my copy of Tolstoy's War and Peace in here, and we were just retrieving it."
"Actually, I think I know where it might have been left," Mary said unexpectedly, joining in the ruse.
"Richard, if you don't mind, I'll just help these gentlemen find it. She busied herself looking through the low shelves under the window, and Matthew realised in silent amusement that she literally knew where a real copy of the book was, and she would help them follow it through.
"Richard," he said. "While Mary finds the book, may I introduce Lieutenant Edward Donovan. Eddie, this is Sir Richard Carlisle, my cousin's fiancé."
Edward bowed his head and held out his hand. Richard shook it, and then looked at him twice, giving an involuntary shudder as he realised that Edward was missing half of his other arm.
"So you are in this convalescent home here, along with Crawley?" he enquired.
"Yes," replied Edward, keeping his voice cool and even. There was an awkward silence, and then Sir Richard seemed to realise he needed to fill it.
"So what do they have you do all day?" he asked in an attempt at conversation.
"Physical therapy. The occasional talk from a speaker on some sort of rehabilitation topic. And there's also a bit of entertainment, which Mary's sister Edith kindly organises for the patients," Edward replied.
"I see. Quite the family business isn't it, all of them nursing," Richard mused.
"It is certainly very well run, and the officers leaving seem well ready to return either to the Front or to civilian life. Which is more than can be said for a lot of other similar homes," Edward replied.
"And what is your line of business, Sir Richard?" Edward asked, suddenly aware that Mary had found the copy of War and Peace, and that it might be a good idea to continue to delay their exit from the room.
"I'm in newspapers," he said with a smile. "I own quite a bit of Fleet Street. I…"
Mary spoke suddenly "Found it!" And she handed the book to Matthew saying, "It had somehow ended up on the floor."
"Thank you, Mary," Matthew said formally. She was behaving a little oddly despite joining them in the ruse. She was keeping the side of her face averted.
I wonder if he hit her? he thought angrily. Whatever had happened, Mary didn't want a scene. And he realised it was far safer for all of them if they continued along in the civil fashion that they were.
"Richard, do go on," Matthew said intently. "Eddie's father is a major shareholder in Longman's Publishing. Your newspaper connections will be of interest to him."
Richard was disarmed by Matthew's attentiveness, and looking properly at him for the first time he was genuinely shocked at his appearance. He was a mere shadow of his former robust self, extremely pale and every movement he made took an obvious effort. Mary had been telling the truth after all; her cousin had clearly spent months at death's door.
"Ahem, yes, well getting back to where we were, The Daily Mirror and The News of the World are among the papers I have interests in, plus a range of other more specialised broadsheets," he said with barely concealed pride.
"We've been enjoying a very profitable run these last few years. War's been good for business!"
Edward continued to question Richard, and a while later Mary said suddenly, "Richard, Matthew, Lieutenant Donovan, I might bid you all goodnight," and she stood to leave.
"What shift are you on tomorrow, Mary?" Matthew asked innocently. "Morning," she answered, her voice surprisingly firm. "And night duty on Monday back at the hospital." A look passed between her and Richard at her answer, and it was obvious Richard was not pleased.
"I'll see you then. And thank you for finding my book," Matthew answered, pretending not to notice. He turned back to Eddie and Richard, hoping his guise of formality with Mary would keep Carlisle with them, and allow Mary to escape upstairs.
Eddie picked up on what Matthew was trying to do, and immediately asked Richard another question, sensing he was about to stand up and follow Mary. It seemed to work. Richard settled back in his seat and said "Good night, Mary," in a gruff tone, and he turned back to Edward.
Mary sidled out, again keeping that same side of her face hidden, and Matthew heard her running upstairs, as Edward continued to engage Carlisle in a discussion on the impact of the war on the newspaper business.