Hello everyone! Thank you so much for over 80 reviews and 35 follows! Your support means so much to me and I'm happy that you guys are enjoying the story. For those of you following my tumblr, you know I've said 3-4 chapters left. I am still thinking that is what is left of this story, however, I cannot be sure. I've loved writing this and it's been a great storyline these last two stories. I am excited for you guys to read the ending. Please review. Enjoy.
"And what will you give me in return, Severus?'
'In – in return?' Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, 'Anything..."
It was one of those days where Matthew insisted on acting as a family should. By that, he meant having Eugenia join him along with Mary on a walk around the grounds. Their daughter's short legs were wobbly, unstable even, but Matthew insisted on walking.
Mary walked silently, letting the grass crush under her shoes. She trailed slightly behind her family. Her family. She watched Matthew bend down to Eugenia and point something out, causing the girl to giggle. It was odd, Mary decided, to think that she had her own family. A family separate from Mama and Papa and her sisters.
"Is everything alright, Mary?" called Matthew. His eyes were bright and the wind tussled his blonde locks.
"Quite," she replied.
Matthew smiled and scooped Eugenia up as they waited for Mary. She hastened her walk, offering a somewhat apologetic smile. Matthew began to speak again as she walked next to her family. Her family.
/
Mary held onto her hat as the wind blew. A hair had fallen out of her twist and she brushed it away in annoyance. She straightened her back and focused on the man speaking.
"Alright, Lady Mary if you could please focus on me. Please lean in closer to Lady Edith. You also, Lady Sybil. That is perfect," said the overly cheerful man. With a flash, their faces were preserved.
It was Edith's wedding day and she had demanded a photographer be present.
"Are you nervous?" asked Sybil, who also donned a hat and lace gloves.
"Not at all. I'm very excited to start my life with Anthony. I do not know why I wanted to marry any other man; I could not settle for anyone less."
Mary scowled. "I hope you are not insinuating Matthew is less of a gentleman than Sir Anthony."
"None of this today, please," said Sybil. "Anyways, Mary we should head inside."
Mary nodded and followed her sister. She quickly found Matthew who had been waiting for her. He held out his arm which she took. "You look upset," he whispered.
"Oh, it has to do with Edith."
"It's her wedding day, the only moment where the attention has ever solely been on her."
"Yes. But you know Granny isn't happy with the union. She's bound to cause a stir."
"I should hope not. Edith deserves this one day. After all, the two have been dancing around each other for the last year or so."
Mary nodded as she glanced at the groom. He looked incredibly nervous, yet pleased in a way. She smiled slightly, "Your future brother-in-law and he is at least twenty years your senior."
"Mary, hush," he whispered. However, a smile graced his face.
Without another condescending word, they joined her family. Cora was overjoyed, but the rest looked reserved with only polite smiles donning their faces. Their reactions were quite different than Mary and Matthew's wedding. Had she married anyone else, she was sure their reactions would be what they were currently.
Mary bit her lip.
Had she married Tom Branson, would they have attended her wedding?
/
Rosamund had made an appearance to see her second niece get married. She stood near Mary after the service, both with drinks in their hands.
"Edith looked quite happy today," Rosamund said.
"Of course. Someone married her. She had everything she has dreamed of," Mary replied. Her tone was a bit too harsh.
"Are you implying you have not gotten your hearts desires? Because, my dear, you have Downton in your grasp. You will be countess. You have a husband who truly loves you and a beautiful daughter who is happy. And," said Rosamund, her voice dropping an octave. "There is a little girl far off in Switzerland who is quite happy as well. Are you saying that you would no longer do anything for her?"
"Absolutely not," hissed Mary.
"So you would still do anything for her?"
"Anything," Mary murmured.
"And that is why we are here and having this conversation," replied Rosamund.
/
The family stood in the hall, slipping on hats and gloves, as they prepared for their day out. They were to visit Locksley, Edith's new home.
It was hard for Mary to imagine Edith as mistress of an estate, a host, a wife. She found she got bitter at the thought that Edith had everything she wanted in life. The home, the lifestyle, the husband.
Mama and Papa got into the first car, the driver closing the door behind them and moving to the front.
The door to Mary's car was opened. Tom stood tall, holding the door opened.
"Why don't we let Eugenia go in first?" said Matthew, bringing Mary back to the situation. She nodded and Matthew helped his daughter into the car. Next Mary got in, followed by Sybil, and finally Matthew. They were quite cramped, but Mary did not dare speak. It had been a while since she had had a proper conversation with Tom and she didn't want to strike one up in a cramped car, her family surrounding her.
The drive was not unbearable and suddenly Mary found herself looking at a rather old, but sophisticated house. Right in front, was an old man with a blonde clinging onto his arm. Mary rolled her eyes. Edith's smile could not have been larger. Her sister held her head high as if Sir Anthony and Locksley were prizes to be shown off.
As soon as everyone was out of the car, Edith pulled their mother into a hug. She began talking about her new life as she went down the row, hugging. Mary stiffened when Edith wrapped her arms around her, her lavender perfume invading Mary's nose. "It is just wonderful to see you, Mary."
Mary's lip twitched, but she only smiled at Edith in return. Understanding her look, Edith pulled away. "Well, let us show you inside."
Edith gave them a short, small tour and Mary found herself unsurprisingly unimpressed. Locksley was nothing compared to Downton. It was nice, she supposed. It had value and Sir Anthony did have a few nice paintings, but there was nothing special. Locksley was just another home in her world of aristocratic homes with similar characteristics.
And as they sat down to tea, it was clear Cora was overdramatizing the house.
"Locksley is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not sure how I was unaware of its beauty."
Matthew nodded politely. "You have a lovely home, Sir Anthony."
"Oh please, call me Anthony. We are family now."
Mary's brows furrowed at the reminder. Her sister the former Lady Edith Crawley, was now Lady Edith Strallan. Now Mary was family with Sir Anthony by association. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the thought.
"Well," said Cora. "This home is just divine. Do you agree, Sybil? Wouldn't you love to live in a home similar to this?"
All eyes shifted to Sybil, who had been sitting quietly next to Eugenia. Her youngest sister licked her lips, eyes wandering around the large room. "The house is beautiful. It would be nice, I suppose. However, I would not wish to be defined just by the house I live in."
Mama looked stricken, but Sir Anthony paid no mind. "I agree with you. There are many things one must do with their life."
Sybil simply nodded as Edith tried to turn the conversation in a different direction. Edith stood straighter as she began to talk the remodeling they might do on the library. Sir Anthony was not particularly enthusiastic, but he smiled at Edith none the same. They leaned in close to one another as she spoke, hands almost touching. It was clear they were comfortable with each other and, in their odd way, happy together. Edith had gotten what she wanted. Every single bit of it.
Mary turned away from the sight of them, sipping her tea, and looking out at Locksley's grounds. The idea that life wasn't fair had been thrown in her face today. She set the tea cup down. It did no good to think of how life had wronged her. It only made her angry and even worse, angry at herself.
/
"What did you think of Locksley?" asked Matthew.
They were sitting in bed, his book resting on his chest. His eyes were focused on her as she twisted her braid. She let her hands fall to her side as she sighed. "It was nice enough. Edith glorified it too much though. And Mama, she was almost no better."
"I think Cora wanted Sybil to take a particular interest in that lifestyle. She only has one daughter left to marry off."
It was true. Cora was also trying to make sure Sybil did something society would approve of. The Crawleys didn't like stepping out of the norm. With this thought Mary said, "Yes, I'm sure that was what Mama was doing. Still, Edith's life is hardly one to brag about."
"Either way I do not see Sybil marrying someone like Sir Anthony."
Mary nodded. She paused a moment before commenting, "I am sure Edith's next aspiration is to be a mother."
Matthew nodded. "Yes, but I do not see how that is our business."
Mary leaned in closer to him. "What if she has a son?"
"I'm not sure what you are getting at, darling."
"She could name him after Papa! That and worse, well, I do not even want to mention what else."
"Are you saying you wish to beat her to it?"
Mary pursed her lips. "Your words sound rather harsh, but yes."
Matthew got a new look in his eye. A smile spread across his face. "Well darling, we must practice."
Before Mary could get another word in, her body was pulled flush against Matthew's, his breath tickling her cheek.
She closed her eyes, desperate to feel some sort of relief.
/
Business had taken Matthew to London. He had left with the promise of a quick return. Mary spent her time in the nursery. Eugenia's hair was exactly how Mary's was when she was young. It curled and the dark stood out against her pale skin. She held her doll close as bursts of laughter broke out. She was always laughing and Mary could not complain. Mary hoped she was doing a good job. She hoped she was a good mother.
It was these rare moments that she would allow herself to think of Maeve. Did Maeve have a small doll in a purple dress with blonde locks? Did she fall asleep after a long day of play? Did her cheeks turn rosy from laughter?
After a minute or two, Mary would stop thinking about her. She had given herself a limit of two minutes to think about the daughter she would never know. Because, after two minutes Mary started to lose her composure. She would begin to get frustrated, tears would form. It wasn't fair to Eugenia either. She had a daughter who was present in her life and it was best to focus on her.
And in the moments she was not in the nursery, Mary was in the library or the gardens. She would sit and stare until she had lost track of time. It was those moments when Mary had never felt so alone. She would stare a moment longer—as if staring for something that couldn't be found—before returning inside as the cool and composed Lady Mary.
And then she would seek out Eugenia to remind herself that there was some part of her left that was not bitter. Not yet, at least.
/
Mary sat across from Sybil. It was a rare moment alone between the two.
Mary sat her book down, gazing at her sister. "Sybil, may I ask you something?"
"Of course."
Her voice was shaky. "How is Tom?"
/
The family was gathered around the fire. It was starting to get cool as they approached the end of November. Papa was on his second glass of whiskey; Mama was sitting at the table in the corner with Isobel as they played cards. Granny was sitting on the couch, closer to sleep than alertness. Sybil sat on the couch, observing them.
It occurred to Mary that there was no perfect moment. She had been waiting for it, for at least a week, to share the news. She had been fatigued more than usual. Her stomach was sensitive and she now had Ms. Patmore making the same meal every day for breakfast. Her body would hurt despite the fact she was not old.
Her hand withdrew from Matthew's as she stood up and cleared her throat. "I need your attention."
Everyone focused on her, Papa's eyes only shifting to his glass for a moment. They waited, eyebrows raised. Mary smiled slightly, "I've recently gone to the doctor and it would appear I am pregnant."
Cora was up within a second, pulling her eldest daughter close. "Oh that is wonderful news."
Isobel was equally excited as she stood to hug Mary and Matthew.
"A boy," said Papa. "It will be a boy."
Mary smiled nervously because she hoped to God he was right. She had cried when the doctor told her. It only occurred to her now as to why the tears had started falling. A part of her was sad at the idea of going through it all again only to not be rewarded with a son. A part of her was tired at the thought of her body going through it all a third time. Her lip had trembled as she thought of Tom. They were broken beyond repair, but a son would be the final blow. She would have it all then and he would think of himself as a memory. God she wanted him. She wanted him. But she also wanted this. She wanted a baby boy. She wanted to hand Matthew his new son, the heir to Downton. Mary was not sure which thought scared her more. The idea that she was becoming content with life or the idea that she would never fully be content.
Thank you guys so much! I know some of you may think there is not enough Brary but there is a reason why. Next chapter is going to have an incredibly huge, important dialogue between the two. I'm going to briefly mention the war and that's all I will say…
Please stick with me, only three more chapters (most likely) after this. Please let me know what you think will happen next. I'm telling you, you will love the ending because there's Brary of course! How do you think it will happen though? Review and tell me because I love reading what you have to say.
Also, I quoted Harry Potter (Snape, on purpose) after the lovely Alan Rickman passed. He was the best Snape. RIP.
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