Surprise! Didn't think I would be back this quickly, did you? :)
OK, so I wasn't going to update for a couple of weeks because I know that the hen/stag is going to take a while to write given that it's basically one really long conversation between six people, and I have trouble with scenes with more than two people. But yesterday, I sat down to start the chapter and all of this came out really quickly. It's a little bit of an in-between before we really get to the "meat" of the event, but I thought it would be fun to go ahead and post so readers get a small taste of what's coming.
Picks up right where we left off.
By the time Tom and Sybil made it back to the table, dinner had ended and everyone was standing and discussing the following morning's events. Gwen nudged Edith as she watched Tom and Sybil join the family again, not behaving like a couple exactly, but neither steering too far from the other. Cora and Robert invited everyone back to their suite for a champagne toast, at the end of which they let the young people "go have fun" with a reminder not to go too crazy since tomorrow was an important and special day.
Once they all said their goodbyes, Mary, Matthew, Gwen, Edith, Tom and Sybil made their way back to what was now only Sybil's suite, walking along the beach from the patio of Cora and Robert's suite, which was on the other end of the resort.
"So are you two ready to take the big plunge?" Gwen asked teasingly.
Mary and Matthew, who were a few steps behind the rest of the group and holding hands, looked at each other and smiled.
"I think so," Mary said.
"To be honest," Matthew said, "the only thing that will change is the fact we'll live together. In every other way, I've thought of Mary as my wife for so long I don't remember not doing so."
"Really?" Mary said in surprise.
Matthew shrugged. "I've always wanted to marry you, so I guess I always thought of you that way."
Edith laughed. "Well, you're sweet to say that Matthew, but if you think living with Mary is going to be a small adjustment, let me disavow you of that notion now."
Matthew laughed, but Mary only rolled her eyes.
"Oh, I'm not talking about you being hard to live with," Edith said.
"Of course you aren't," Mary answered sarcastically, giving her sister a knowing look.
"I'm not!" Edith replied. "I just mean that loving someone and living with them are two very different things. I'll be honest, there are some days I think Gwen and I should live in adjoining houses instead of sharing one."
"Then I could finally have the gaming room I've always wanted," Gwen said with a wistful sigh, causing everyone to laugh.
"She does have a point, mate," Tom piped in. "I've lived with two women and in both cases 90 percent of the disagreements were over cleaning and wardrobe space."
Sybil laughed. "Well, these two are going to have a housekeeper and his and hers walk-in closets."
"No live-in housekeeper," Mary said somewhat humorlessly. "He nixed that idea."
Matthew rolled his eyes not wanting to have the argument for the umpteenth time—certainly not with an audience. "Sue me for not wanting to have a third party living with us during our first year of marriage."
"I'm an exceedingly good lawyer, so don't tempt me," Mary replied with a smirk. "There's an army of servants living at Downton, and it hasn't affect mum and dad's marriage."
"They live in castle the size of Wales," Matthew said. "We'll have someone come in three times a week, which is plenty. How big a mess can two people make?"
"Well," Tom said, "taking the newlywed factor into account and your willingness to try different surfaces and positions—"
"STOP!" Mary said, letting Matthew's hand go to give Tom a shove. Edith, Gwen and Sybil had all burst out laughing at Tom's words. "OK, we're nipping this conversation in the bud now."
Tom shook his head, laughing. "I guess that's why they call it filthy rich."
"Please," Matthew said, laughing himself. "You always complain about the lousy wages journalists make and you live in a nicer flat than I do."
"It's not that nice," Tom said.
"Well, you've got three bedrooms in Notting Hill, so nice or not, it isn't cheap," Matthew said. "You can give my name to the fairy who's helping you afford that one."
Sybil looked at Tom with a grin, suddenly wondering—given how lucrative T.B Nightingale's career likely was—whether Tom Branson needed to be a journalist at all and whether hiding his success doing something he was terrified to tell people about would always be possible.
"You live in Notting Hill?" Sybil asked him quietly.
"Yeah, I'm still waiting for my Julia Roberts to pop by," he responded with a wink that caused Sybil to blush.
"Syb lives there too," Gwen said. "Maybe you two could shack up—oh wait."
Sybil turned to glare at Gwen, which only cause her to laugh.
"Oh, come on, Sybil," Edith said, "a measure of teasing is allowed."
"Hey, look we're here!" Sybil said over-enthusiastically as she ran up to the patio from the beach.
"I think I'll come help," Tom said, following her into the suite.
"Sorry about that," Sybil said as they both walked into the kitchen. "They're just . . . excited, I suppose."
"About what exactly?" Tom asked as he opened one of the cupboards to look for glasses.
Sybil shrugged. "About the fact that I'm happy."
Tom stopped short and looked over to where Sybil was leaning over the counter. They shared a long look, then Tom looked away with a smile and said, "Glad I could help."
Sybil rolled her eyes. "Who said it was you?"
"I believe you said it, this afternoon, over and over, and quite loudly too. I could go ask the neighbors since they probably heard."
Sybil moved to shove him playfully, but Tom pulled her into a hug and just like that it was a kiss.
Meanwhile outside, the rest of the crew had walked onto the patio just as Tom and Sybil had gone inside.
Matthew took a seat in one of the lounge chairs on the patio and asked, "Teasing about what?"
Gwen and Edith looked at Mary, realizing Matthew wasn't yet in the know.
"You haven't said anything?" Edith asked Mary.
"Said anything about what?" Matthew said looking back and forth among the three.
"When would I have done it?" Mary replied to her sister.
"What are you talking about?" Matthew asked again.
"Mum and Isobel were on either side of us," Mary continued. "Do you really want mum to get after Sybil? There'll be plenty of time for that."
"OK," Matthew stood again. "What in bloody hell am I missing?"
"Hang on," Mary said, rolling her eyes. She went over to the open patio door and cleared her throat loudly as she came in, causing a kissing Tom and Sybil to jump apart in surprise. Smiling, Mary asked, "Is it all right if we tell Matthew?"
"Tell Matthew about what?" Tom asked, confused.
Sybil, though, knew the answer to the question and said, "She means about us."
"Oh, um . . ." Tom looked at Sybil as if eager to take his cue from her.
"If you're kissing with us only a few feet away, you can't possibly care who knows, so never mind," Mary said, deciding she didn't need permission and turning around to go back outside.
Less than a minute later, Matthew came in wearing a huge grin on his face, with Mary, Edith and Gwen following behind him.
"I'd just like to make it known—and remind you," Matthew said pointing to Tom, "that I called this two years ago."
"What are you talking about?" Sybil asked.
Matthew came into the kitchen, as Mary took a seat on one of the bar stools on the other side of the kitchen island and Edith and Gwen sank into the sofa. "I told him I wanted to set you two up, but he said no," Matthew answered Sybil.
"What?!" Sybil exclaimed looking at Tom wide-eyed.
Tom laughed. "OK, at the time my frame of reference for a Crawley woman was Mary, who, while lovely and a perfect companion for dear Matthew, is not exactly my type."
"Right back at you, darling," Mary said with a smirk.
"Why didn't you ask me if I might have liked him!?" Sybil said to Matthew, feeling rather distressed that happenstance seemed to have robbed her of two years with someone she really liked.
"I said something to Mary," Matthew said.
"You did?" Mary said.
"Yes," Matthew said, "and you said she was already going out with T—um . . . well, what's his name."
"It's OK, mate," Tom said with a smile. "I know he's called Tom too. We've decided that was a good coincidence."
"And we've decided that we're just going to be friends."
Mary laughed, thinking of the embrace she had just interrupted. "Good luck with that."
"You're deciding things together already," Gwen said grinning. "How positively couple-y."
"Hush, you!" Sybil said.
"Speaking of couples," Tom said a bit more loudly than was necessary, wanting to draw attention away from himself and Sybil, "there's one here getting married tomorrow and if this is to be a proper hen and stag, they need to be good and pissed, so let's start with a toast, shall we? Sybil's bought a nice selection of alcohol, so I thought we'd start with a whiskey."
"Oh, none for me," Mary said hopping off the stool and coming into the kitchen to go through the wine bottles that Sybil had set on the counter.
"You're not getting out of a toast in your honor," Gwen said, as she and Edith both stood to come over to the kitchen as well.
"I hate whiskey," Mary said making a face. "It always makes me ill."
"Oh, come on," Tom said opening the bottle as Sybil lined up the tumblers along the counter. "It's good luck."
"I'm sure it is," Mary said with a roll of her eyes.
"Just one, darling," Matthew said taking one that Tom had just poured and handing it over to Mary with one hand as he pulled her into him with the other.
Mary took the glass and eyed it warily. "If I'm hung over on my wedding day I will kill all of you," she said, setting everyone to laughing. Looking at Matthew she added, "And don't think you're exempt from that because you'll be my husband."
"I take every threat from you very seriously, darling," he said, placing a soft peck on her cheek.
Once everyone had a drink in hand, they all stood in a close circle, lifted their glasses.
"Let's make this a round-robin toast," Tom said. "I'll start. To Matthew and Mary."
Next to him, Matthew added, "To a long fruitful marriage."
"To everlasting happiness," Mary said.
"To enduring love," Edith said.
"To good sex," Gwen said. Edith jabbed her in the ribs, as everyone else laughed. "What? It's an important factor!"
"To friendship," Sybil finished, closing the circle.
They all clinked the glasses and yelled out, "Cheers!"
The fun was just beginning.