Another chapter of Crawley everyday life… a scandal… and oh and a couple new additions to the family!
XX
"Isis girl, come on… "He clicked his tongue to get the eight month old puppy's attention. A tiny bit of frustration entered Matthew's voice. The dog was still in the back seat of the Rover. Sleepy and content. Matthew ticked again "Come on little girl. You're home." And, deciding it was not such a bad thing, his hand came to rest on the soft blonde fur, and he took a seat next to the eight month old pup.
She put her head on his lap. Matthew let her stay and idly continued to rub her ears. The purchase of the half lab half mutt had been spur of the moment.
He had been on his way back from the local pub where he had met up with the mayor of Downton village and the head of the RiverFun organization to discuss fishing conservation on Ripon River that flowed between the village and the estate. The mayor and the chair of the recreation association had, to no one at the table's surprise, disagreed on the projected kayak and recreation center to be built by a consortium of local investors with a connection to a franchise of such centers all over England. As the Downton estate encompassed several miles of the river, Matthew's approval was needed before the RiverFun association could go ahead with licensing and building. The mayor had contacted him about the villagers concerns regarding the disruption of river flow, the use of the gates and locks, and the night fishing activities of the local fishermen. The locals were also concerned about noise and trash collection.
The mayor wanted the association stopped and the river left pristine. The association argued for the rights of those who wanted to use the river for other activities and the revenue such a project would generate with the tourism trade.
When he got the call from the mayor, Matthew had already anticipated such disagreement. He had long training in mediation and felt confident that if he could get the two sides together he could force out an agreement. But this first go round had ended in frustration for all sides. He said they'd get together again after the two had put together some real statistical evidence for their case
These were all arguments Matthew was now more than accustomed to hearing. He had such discussions already about the Downton estate with Mason. Mason, cautious and suspicious of any type of disruption to estate undertakings. Matthew arguing that building of a conference center or allowing a triathlon to be run on the estate would do minimal harm to the rhythm of seasonal activities. Mason also called Matthew's attention to his desire to move along with EU Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas directive for Downton.
Matthew, already overwhelmed with the builders at the house, told Mason those issues could be handled by his more than capable hands. Mason, slightly mollified, said he keep Lord Grantham informed about the progress of the consultation with EU officials.
"Good man." Matthew called out, only seconds later horrified that he uttered a phrase he heard far too often come from Robert's mouth. "Shit" he muttered as he walked way. He loved Robert of course, but swore he'd never sound like some posh butter wouldn't melt aristocrat. He'd have to watch that.
Walking away from the meeting at the pub Matthew mused upon the idea that there might be a role here in York for his own skill set. Such an idea had never occurred to him before. Should he set out his shingle in Ripon and open a small legal firm?
As he walked down the High Street he passed the local animal shelter and noticed the sign asking for new owners for a group of pups left by a family who was moving and could not take all of the little ones.
On a whim he walked in to take a gander…. And came out with an eight month old Labrador mix.
He had seen old photos of Mary's great grandfather with his Labrador Pharaoh and thought the name for his new faithful companion appropriate. He hoped Mary would fall in love with the little girl as he had. The pup had toddled right over to him and put her muzzle under his hand ready and eager to be pet. She whined when left the kennel area. So he knew they were destined to be a team from now on.
Eventually with some more coddling and encouragement, the puppy jumped down onto the gravel drive. They walked into the house together, with the puppy at his heel. Matthew called out to the family.
The first person who came to his welcome was Mrs. Patmore. "Oh Lordy what have you brought home now….erm….I mean ….it's a dog my lord… oh …." And she gave up as Matthew was already laughing at her less than pleased response to his arrival home with another mouth to feed. … and clean up after. She looked down at the big eyed puppy and then back to her genial, if somewhat eccentric, employer "Is it house trained?" She inquired as kindly as she possibly could muster, given that most probably, she'd be the one to do the dirty work.
"Yes. She's is." Matthew responded quickly as he had anticipated her inquiry. "She was part of a litter left at the shelter." And he bent down again to pet the girl who nuzzled around his calves. "And we all will help take care of her, don't you worry Mrs. Patmore."
"Come on girl. "And he slapped his thigh and she leapt up and followed him.
Mrs. Patmore was left to mutter, "We'll see…Judas was only trying to help, when he brought the Roman soldiers to the garden."
Oblivious, Matthew walked into the office where he found Mary and Rose poring over some figures on an Excel spreadsheet.
"I'm quite sure these figures are correct Mary." Rose said, in a clipped, professional voice. "I worked over the numbers given to me by English Heritage and I think we can expect an increase of four fold over the course of the next couple of years if we keep up regular publicity and expand some of the private or corporate functions. Maybe even open up the estate to re-enactors or some kind of 'history day' event." She turned expectedly towards Mary, hoping her argument was convincing yet giving the appearance that she was open to suggestions from a more experienced manager of such events.
Matthew could only chuckle at that. He had never garnered such looks of respect from Rose.
The puppy galumphed in after him, barking and squeaking.
"Who is this?" Rose said, losing her professional mien long enough to get up and squeal in delight as the puppy leapt up and demanded to be pet.
Matthew, head bent down to answer Rose, but looked up under his eyelids at Mary. She looked about as pleased as Mrs. Patmore.
"Hello darling." He said, trying to look as innocent as the little puppy below his feet.
"Hello darling yourself…" She said, in a mocking tone. But she could not help the smile that formed at the corner of her mouth. "What do we have here?" And she leaned, as carefully as a nearly to term pregnant woman could, down next to Rose.
"Our newest edition to the family." And he grinned. "Meet Isis." He shrugged his shoulders when Mary looked up again, slightly concerned at the added work a puppy represented.
"She followed me out. I had to take her home." And as if on cue, Isis toddled over and licked Matthew's face. "The tourists will expect it anyway. All large estates need a dog running around." He looked again into her eyes. "I grew up with dogs, didn't you?"
Mary's inner response was that while her father always had a dog around, she never spent much time with it. She could not be bothered. Left its care and attention to Robert and Sybil who doted on and loved it enough for the entire family. But she did not say that aloud. It was obvious Matthew wanted the dog to be a companion, not only for himself, but for their baby boy growing by leaps and bounds if Mary's snuggly fitted maternity dress was any indication.
The pregnancy, one she thought she would take in stride, had become difficult of late. She was very tired much of the time. Her doctor more and more concerned that Mary was not putting on sufficient weight. Her blood pressure was being monitored now at home every evening and morning. They were to go another appointment that afternoon. Edith had returned back to Edinburgh for a short visit with the baby's father's mother. Despite the breakup of the relationship, she had befriended Edith and wanted to stay in her granddaughter's life. Mary could not believe how much she actually missed Edith and looked forward to her return. She missed Sybil as well. Those two had returned to London to finish their coursework at the Fashion Institute ready for graduation in August.
It must be nesting, Mary concluded looking at Matthew cuddling and petting the puppy. It was in the air. He was also the one with the odd food cravings at 3am. And he was putting on a bit of sympathy weight. Their late night cuddling sessions (with some bonus stimulation…) kept their desire for each other strong, but as her time grew close, both were becoming more wary about sex. Despite even the doctor telling her it might even encourage dilation and the onset of labor, they were being cautious.
She felt the baby move. Less like a gentle school of fishes now, more like a martial arts expert practicing kicks. Against her ribs it could be quite painful.
Everyone was on pins and needles as her due date drew close. Perhaps another reason for Matthew's rash decision. Put his mind on other things temporarily.
She tried to stand back up but the effort threw her off balance. Matthew held out his arms and she grabbed his hands. He gently pulled her back up to a standing position. He lightly kissed Mary's enticingly close lips. "I think you like her?" He teased.
Mary could not deny it. "First time for everything, right?" And she returned his kiss with a soft and pleasurable one of her own.
"Good…." Matthew's voice was deep and already lost to Mary's touch. And it might have gotten a bit out of hand, except that Rose coughed politely as if to remind them of her presence in the room. And the fact that the supposedly trained puppy had just christened the plush wool carpeting on the office floor.
"Oh no Isis…." Matthew' voice took on a whining quality. His shoulders sagged and he gritted his teeth.
Mary grinned and back up away from Matthew. "Your dog. Your clean up."
Matthew exited and went in search of Mrs. Patmore.
XX
Despite that setback, remedied by Mrs. Patmore sending Matthew back into town for the necessary cleaning supplies and puppy pads, Isis took to her new home almost immediately. Matthew returned with bedding and a host of other dog treats. The two then took a long walk to get her acquainted with Downton.
He was worried about Mary. Tried not to let her know how much he fretted about every visit to the doctor. He would stay awake on the nights he was home, just watching Mary sleep. How lucky he was. How close he…and they… he knew… had come to breaking all ties with each other. Such irrevocability now seemed impossible to him. Every time he went away on business made him feel hollow inside. And he had been away too often in recent months. Finishing up work in Berlin and Amsterdam had taken weeks. And then there had been the client Fainshawe had asked him to handle personally. Two brothers who had formed a hedge fund operation and needed advice on regulatory compliance and systemic risk options given the still delicate economic recovery. He accepted only because it would bring in a great deal of fees and get Fainshawe off his back during his leave time.
The work had required long stays in the London flat. Alone as Mary's doctor advised against travel. That had been a misery. But now he was home. And he could see that Mary was well and happy. Busy with Downton and her application for graduate school. The nursery was ready, the room a beautifully muted shade of blue chosen soon after the ultrasound confirmed their baby was a boy.
Matthew's mood only darkened when his mobile went off. He clicked on the text first, reading the brief, terse message from Will. He then clicked the indicated link. By that time the owner and his dog had returned through the garden French doors and into the library.
Matthew stood, frozen in place, reading the article sent by Will. Putting one hand up to his face and squeezing his cheek, he used the other to scroll down the screen. Slowly, barely conscious he put one foot in front of the other, he eventually made his way across the hall into his office.
His face blanched white as he finished the hatchet job the Daily Mail saw fit to print as a biography of the new earl in residence at Downton.
And he knew…He just knew… the source behind a particularly nasty quotation. Damn…Congreve was right Matthew thought "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."
"That bitch…" Matthew muttered in a sharp intake of breath. One he thought went unnoticed but then he stopped walking across the floor of the room as Mary and Rose looked up from the work station in the office.
"Matthew!" Mary gave him a shocked, slightly disappointed glare. "I've never heard you say that…"
He gave a displeased groan. Rubbed his forehead vigorously. Kept his head down, though, and kept scrolling through his mobile's screen. He had not the wits yet to take in Mary's reaction. So, without thought, he abruptly thrust his hand out to stop Mary's admonition. To which Mary squinted and narrowed her eyes and gave him a look that should he have looked up at that moment, would probably have sent him back to the stone age where he belonged.
Rose, thinking discretion better part of not getting between these two, pursed her lips and stayed quiet. She bent her head closer to the laptop screen and pretended to work on the excel worksheet she and Mary had started earlier that day figuring out a budget for transitioning Downton from being open only a few days of the year to a regular rotation of spring, summer and fall openings with special tours at Christmas.
Mary pushed her chair back from the desk and moved towards her now pacing the floor fiancé. She whispered into his ear, "What is going on?" Glancing over at Rose not sure how to react to Matthew's visible anger as his hand alternated between gripping the mobile so tight his fingers turned white and pulsating so violently as if it would drop from his hand any second.
"Look at this." Matthew hissed as he handed over the mobile to Mary. She took the phone from his shaking hand even as he continued to act like he wanted to jump out of his skin. Mary's own face flushed red as she scrolled through the article Matthew left open on the screen.
"How do you know who said this?" Mary tried to sound reasonable. "There's no name given."
"It's obviously Lara!" Matthew was spitting his words out now in as whispered a tone as he could muster. "You told me yourself she's a piece of work who was in for the main chance." His lips were tight as he spat out the words.
"Maybe we should go into another room…" Giving Rose another glance.
"What does it matter who hears our conversation? It's all over the media. Will sent it to me as a link from Twitter for God's sake." He threw his hands up in the air. "Rose is family. I want her to be here and know what the truth is." Matthew turned to Rose who gave him a grateful, if confused, expression.
"What exactly am I going to know…" she looked askance at Mary who said in response, "Go to the Daily Mail website. You'll see it." And she rolled her eyes in disgust.
So Rose did and pulled up the article "Newest member of House of Lords Gets Down and Dirty with Blonde at Club in London." As she read she began to understand Matthew's red faced apoplexy. The article claimed that a source 'close to the new earl' saw him leave a London club around midnight with a mystery woman, even as his pregnant fiancée remained alone and abandoned at her family's estate in Yorkshire. The female source was quoted as saying, "Well given his track record with women, this doesn't surprise me at all. He's a known womanizer. I'm surprised his ex-wife even gave him a chance. Must be because of all the inherited money he got. Perhaps they deserve each other."
The article went on to imply that Matthew's job as a corporate mediator included procuring women for himself and clients at a private club in London. In addition it cataloged a host of charges against the young, blue eyed aristocrat including long stays away from his home and supposed loved ones and flaunting his aristocratic connections to allow his friends and work colleagues' entry into the posh and privileged rarefied world he now existed in.
"Who's behind this sh-…" She stopped and bit her tongue. Looked at Mary and said, "uh… rubbish?" Rose wanted to know. She had been through last summer's wedding picture fiasco with Matthew already. He had hated that and it was nothing compared with this right bollocking of his character.
Mary shook her head, not wanting to divulge any names without more proof.
Enraged did not begin to describe the scan of emotions that crossed Matthew's face. "Not one thing! Not one thing is right about this crap article…." Except the lawyer in him knew, in a certain light, reading just the factual information without the quotes or innuendo, it did tell essentially a truthful tale.
One he had not told Mary.
Did that make him culpable? He already had begun to blame himself for keeping secrets, when Cora and Violet's voices could be heard in the hallway. They had been invited for dinner anyway, but it was clear they were already aware of the events being played out on social media sites having been informed by Cora's FB friends.
"Is this an instrument of communication or torture?" Violet demanded of her daughter in law as Cora kept refreshing her mobile's FB page to see new comments. "
"I... I just can't believe…" But the words trailed away as Cora took in Mary's pinched and drawn face. Her daughter had left the office to greet her mother and grandmother. Matthew trailed after her.
"Mary needs to sit down, Matthew." Cora said, drawing his attention away from his phone.
"Hmmm… yes… right…" His mind still playing out the wording of the article. It was written so cleverly, hinting without proof, that he was a despicable cad who may as well be drummed out of the Lords just as he was officially let in.
"Mary?" He finally came out of his own head long enough to glance in her direction. "Mary!" And he reached out and put his arm around her shoulders. She looked white as a sheet. "Come and sit down." And he guided her to a seat in the dining room. Mrs. Patmore and left soup and warm bread on the side board as a starter. He poured a ladle into a bowl and brought it over to her.
"Maybe you should eat something." But Mary pushed the plate away.
"I'm not feeling at all well." She admitted.
"This damned article…." He started in… but Mary stopped him. "No. Not that. I know it's ridiculous." And she gave him a reassuring smile. "I just got tired for a bit that's all. Maybe I will eat some soup." And she started in with a spoon. The enticing smell captured her attention. Despite most women craving eclectic combinations of food during pregnancy, Mary had simply eaten the recommended diet and had felt more than satisfied. Her doctor clucked on about her not putting on more weight, but she argued her body's frame never allowed her to put on weight, and that she was well within the specified limit for her height and trimester.
Now that Mary was eating, Cora also took her seat. Her attention drew towards Matthew. Rose had begged off saying she was meeting her boyfriend. She gave Matthew another reassuring hug and said quite firmly, "no one is going to believe that of you, you know."
Violet, overhearing that snatch of conversation, felt comfortable coming straight to the point. "Matthew before we say anything. I want to know exactly what is truthful in this …this piece of supposed journalism… and what is false." Her eyes directed his towards hers. The grainy image in particular was on her mind. It showed Matthew with his arm around a woman exiting a club called "The Inner Temple."
"Why would you be seen outside such an establishment?" She could not stop the slight tone of disappointment that crept into her voice. "Especially since your elevation to the Lords?" They had all attended the ceremony in early June. She had helped to fit Matthew's robes around his shoulders. He had walked the aisle, and accepted the sovereign's welcome into the House of Lords. She had never been more proud to be a Crawley.
Matthew could only blanch again at even remotely allowing her think him so wicked.
"This isn't what it seems…" He started in….
"But is there room for misinterpretation?" Violet was still trying to get to the essential points.
Matthew took a deep breath. "I think it started when I refused to give them an interview. They wanted to do some puff piece on my "new life as earl" or something. I said no way essentially. And so now this…" and he threw the mobile down on the table. "I guess they're getting their's back or something…"
He looked over the article again, trying to pick out the truth from the lies and how, just by placing a word or phrase in a slightly different context, came out with a contorted version of his life for the past couple of months.
"Well you all know I've been away for the past couple months or so…" He started in, trying not to appear in any way defensive, but even he had to admit it looked bad.
He turned to Mary. "I didn't let on all the details of my work. Not" he hastened to add…. "Not because anything was wrong but because the circumstances were rather sordid. I agreed to take some clients off Fainshawe and give them some legal advice. They needed help on risk management and the leveraged buyout of some their contractual derivatives…. " Oh God he was drowning them in technobabble now… "Anyway" He put his hand to his forehead as if to clear his muddled thoughts, "these guys, the Zeffini brothers for whatever reason, chose to make their private night club in Soho their headquarters for their meetings. When I protested they said they were busy all day and this was the only available time. So yes, I went there on more than one occasion in the past month to settle all their questions."
He stood. "I had some idea that they were … were … Oh God. … procuring prostitutes or whatever." He could not help but notice all the women at the club, especially in the private back room. "But I … well I turned a blind eye to it. I just wanted to get the hell out and I didn't really have any proof."
He was culpable. If not in action than in lack of intent. He remembered thinking to himself at the time, "when this shit hits the fan… I'll be well out of it." His advice was legal and sound. He knew the clients were not always on the right side of the law… but it was part of the reality of the world he existed in. As long as he kept his copy book clean so to speak, he'd never be in trouble.
Had no idea that just mingling "within the ninth circle of hell" would be enough to implicate him.
"So the accusation that I've been away from home and at these clubs does..." he groaned "…on the surface appear true." He felt rotten inside, eaten up with guilt at keeping this from Mary. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, given her third trimester and the preparations being made for the nursery uppermost on her mind.
Violet, however, was still withholding judgment. "The picture…?" She didn't need to continue
"Right." Matthew said, "That's Frank Zeffini's wife. She wanted to go home. God knows why she was there in the first place. I didn't ask. But I offered to give her a lift as her husband had no intention of cutting his night out short." He threw his hands around as he spoke. "I didn't know there were photographers outside. …" He pushed, agitated beyond measure, against back cushioned chair. "I dropped her at her London residence and went home to the flat." He shrugged. "End of story. Except that I look some ridiculous furtive lover escorting her out of that bar."
The bitter quality of that last comment struck home with Violet.
"What I've learned, my dear boy is that life is a game, where the player must appear ridiculous." She turned at patted Matthew's hand. "It just happened to be your turn now. I do hope we don't have to say anything more about it."
"I have finishe with those clients. So there won't be any repeats." He gave a sigh of relief. "And as for what that b-…" he stopped himself and started again. "What I believe to be Lara Shepard's way of getting revenge that I chose another woman over her…." He really could not believe she did that. He thought they both had known the score. That was his fault entirely. He had let his impulsiveness guide his actions. Look where it got him.
Mary gripped his hand tight and stopped him talking. "We know, Matthew. We know."
Her support, her trust! was all he needed. His anger subsided. He searched her face for any signs of condemnation. He found none.
They locked hands on the table. Mary refusing to let go even as his hands shook beneath her own.
"The thing is now… what do we do now?" Cora asked practically. "Some kind of response is necessary. Maybe now is a good time to announce a wedding date."
"Oh mother…" Mary's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I will not give them the satisfaction of knowing I even care about this."
"I agree. Absolutely not." Violet said with firm conviction.
Mary replied. "We should do nothing. Let it blow over."
Cora, not happy but unable to rebuke her daughter's conviction, remained silent. But she had a plan fermenting in her mind. Maybe not a response to that journal, but if she played her cards right, she could see another, higher class of magazine eager to do a photo shoot with the young earl and his family after Mary gave birth. But she'd say nothing to Mary about it. Not until she worked her social network accordingly.
Matthew was equally confused, saying in a questioning voice "So I say nothing?"
Mary continued. "To fight fire with fire in these kinds of situations will only fan more flames. Instead we go on with our life and let it die. And it will. They were bound to have some kind of interest in you, and when you rejected them, they simply found another way to get the piece they wanted in the newspaper."
He rolled his eyes. "I see, yes." He wanted to knock heads together at the headquarters of the Mail, but he would choose discretion.
"You might want to give the Lord Privy Seal a call, however." Violet rejoined. "He will need some mollifying. Such activities in the Lords, however, I must say…." She tried to give an impish grin. "They might welcome the notoriety."
Matthew appreciated her attempt at humour and promised to call Lord Simpson that evening.
Mary, having finished her soup as well as some of the meat dish on the sideboard, said she'd have an early evening. "Do you want to come up with me?" She inquired of Matthew, ever grateful for her excuse to allow them to be together.
"Yes. I'll help you." And he walked with Mary to their bedroom.
He left only to make a couple of requisite phone calls. Once that was done, and he felt fairly exhausted but exonerated in the eyes of the Lord Privy Seal, he returned to their bedroom.
Once inside Matthew sat on the bed, exhausted, still unable to settle down and a bit ashamed. "I'm so sorry for all this." Mary was fussing with the bed covers. He took her hand and she sat down next to him.
"I didn't intend for you to come home only to be confronted by ex girlfriends and scandal. I know you loathe that kind of thing." He said. "I wouldn't blame you for being disappointed." His own emotional state being projected onto her.
"What?" Mary replied, realizing that this really did not bother her. It surprised her, indeed, how little it bothered her. "Matthew Crawley I will hear no more of such talk. As we said in the past we carry a lot of baggage with us. And it's true I used to feel more thin skinned about gossip and such. I hold no grudges towards your past."
She put his hand on her belly. "I now know what is important in life. This is important." And she put her hand over his. "Our child. Our new life. Our love for each other. No stupid rag and false innuendo will change that."
Turned and looked at him. "I used to think that loving you would make me weak. That being vulnerable and open would rip away my identity as a person."
He gasped, knowing she was referring to their late night confessional on Granny Violet's room seven years previous.
"I know better now." Mary smiled. "I can be myself and love you. And love our child. And if our separation did nothing else," and she kissed him softly, "it did that."
Matthew's wisp of a smile was all she needed. They could get through anything now.
"And as for any more discussion of that trash..." Her face turned to one of distaste and dismissal "The baby and I want no more of it!"
"As you wish my lady." Matthew turned back the covers and they snuggled under the duvet and fell asleep spooned together with Matthew's hand protectively guarding Mary's stomach and the child within.
XX
Violet and Mary were proven right in their assumption that saying nothing was the best course of action. After some rude comments on various social media sites, the papers all moved on to the next celebrity getting botched cosmetic surgery, and Matthew relaxed a bit.
He accompanied Mary to her doctor's visit the next where, however, he almost immediately became panicked again with the nurse took the blood pressure and it was well over the recommended systolic and diastolic readings.
"Just to be sure, let's admit you overnight. We'll put a fetal monitor on… see what's what." Her voice was reassuring, even as it was professional.
Matthew's eyes became wide as saucers. "This is all my fault, darling. I'm so sorry about all this crap I've put you through these past days. In trying to protect you from it, I've put us all in it…."
"I don't think that has anything to do with this at all." Mary was getting more than frustrated at Matthew's insecurities regarding her pregnancy and his blame for her health. "These things happen in lots of pregnancies. "
She regarded him pacing the floor. "And basically you pacing around and getting all nervous. Uh…not really helping." She tried to smile. He returned to his chair beside her. "Sorry." But he crossed his leg and his foot started twitching up and down.
"Maybe you should go back to the house. Get my overnight bag, hmmm…"
He got the hint. Once she was admitted and in the room, he left to return to Downton to retrieve some night clothes and other particulars she wanted. The activity was what he needed.
When he returned, with his own bag as well, he was much calmer.
"Do you mind if I stay with you?" He asked, not wanting to interfere or cause more anxiety.
"Matthew love," Mary's hand came to rest in his own. "What do you think? Get over here and kiss me right now."
He grinned and she moved over making some room for him on the hospital bed. It was a bit snug but they made it work. He softly moved his fingers up and down her bare arm. Massaging and tickling. He could feel her skin develop goose flesh under his touch. She put her head on his shoulder.
They fell asleep in each other's arms. The nurses came in later that evening and told Matthew that they needed to shift Mary in the bed to ease her blood pressure readings. They proceeded, against Mary's increased irritation, to move her this way and that, for the next several hours. Each time Mary managed to return to sleep. Matthew marveled at that as he became distracted by the beeping and whirring of the fetal monitor.
Finally falling into a doze, Matthew wakened only when he realized he could not move the left side of his body. It had lost feeling entirely as his arm had come to rest in a contorted fashion in the chair next to Mary's bed.
Suddenly he heard Mary groan.
"Mary…" he inquired nervously. "are you alright?"
"Ummmm…." She shifted around. She felt the baby push against her pelvis. A dull but persistent ache in her back became sharp and like a knife. But it was only when the wave-like motion from the top of the her uterus to the bottom began in earnest did she know for sure.
"I think you need to get the nurse, Matthew." She tried to sound calm. "Now."
"Is the baby coming?" Matthew's voice was concerned. "It's still three weeks early."
"Babies come when babies come. And…" She gave a shuddering cry of pain, "… this one wants out now."
Matthew pushed the call button on the bedside but also ran out into the hallway to get the attention of the night nurse.
The labor, which was on as Mary predicted, was not as painful as she might have expected. Concerned about her blood pressure, she did receive more attention and medication than she might have wanted. She and Matthew had finished the natural child birthing classes at the hospital, and even if she held private doubts as to just how much she'd remember during labor, Mary had wanted to give it a go. But the focus now was entirely on delivering the baby as quickly and as painlessly and as safely as possible.
Matthew, not surprisingly, was jumpy and nervous. He tried not to show it. Instead appearing calm and composed as he held her hand in the delivery room. Mary felt the pressure of the baby crowning and with Matthew's encouragement and the doctor's guidance, within less time than she imagined the baby emerged, bawling magnificently with a healthy set of lungs. Matthew was there to cut the umbilical cord. The tears that formed at the corners of his eyes made him nervous, but the nurse guided his hand efficiently. After the baby was checked and proclaimed perfectly fine, he was placed in his very tired, but very happy mother's arms.
Mary fussed with the hospital blanket a bit trying to see every finger and toe of her little boy.
"Oh my darling…" Matthew said, leaning down next to her. "How are you?"
"I'll manage." She said with some effort. She was still, if truth be told, still somewhat in a daze. "But I think Robert George Crawley will be just fine." And she grinned as she handed the baby over to Matthew.
He took the child carefully in his arms. He was so small. Matthew had questioned the doctors extensively during the hours of the childbirth about preterm labor issues. They had assured him that despite being three weeks early, the baby's lungs and organs were fully developed and he would be fine. Perhaps a bit on the underweight side, but that could soon be remedied by proper feeding and care.
"Hello little chap…." His voice cracked saying the words. The tears flowed without any attempt to hide them down his cheeks. Such happiness. That such happiness was theirs. He could hardly bear it.
Matthew returned the baby back to his mother's arms. Mary noticed that the baby's little finger was poking out from beneath the swaddled blanket. She put her index finger out and he grabbed hers in his own. She gasped in wonder at just how such a little action, an act of instinct on the baby's part made her feel. She was this child's mother. She would do anything for him. This she knew to her bones.
"Matthew." She said, "Maybe you should phone everyone. They'll want to know." She also knew the nurses wanted back in to help her back into a hospital bed and to take the baby away for more extensive testing.
"Of course, darling." He responded, touching the little finger of his child. "Of course." But he made no move to do so. "But right now" and he kissed her very lightly on the lips, she moved ever so slightly towards him, "right now… I want to be with my family."
XX**thanks DAguest for suggestion regarding Mary on the scandal.
So…. Yes. I didn't want to just leave that last bit with Mary in labor and everyone not knowing…And I know it was a bit rushed...but I didn't want to linger on all the pain of labor... So little Robbie Crawley made his appearance. Next up… we've got to get these two married…. Lol.
