A/N Lady Mary is on the warpath. If I was Richard I would be afraid, very afraid indeed.
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The noise had been unbearable, it had been going on for most of the evening. Several times Matthew had needed to restrain John Bates to prevent him running up the stairs to his wife. Matthew remembered that feeling only two well, but at least he'd had the comfort of knowing the twins births were relatively normal. Anna was weak and her cries of pain etched their mark across her husband's face.
John sat in the chair now, his hands gripping the arms so tightly that his knuckles shone white. There was silence... a deathly silence that caused both men to get to their feet and stare at the door. After what seemed an age there was the unmistakeable sound of an infant cry.
Footsteps on the staircase heralded the arrival of Lady Mary. Hair slightly dishevelled and eyes damp with unshed tears, she came into the sitting room as she wiped her hands on a towel.
"Bates... you have a son." She said with a smile.
"And Anna?" He asked nervously.
"She is very tired, but Sybil says she will be fine once she has rested."
A huge smile of relief broke over the valet's face. Matthew held out his hand.
"Congratulations Bates." The older man shook the proffered hand vigorously before turning to Lady Mary.
"Milady, I cannot thank you enough... really, for everything you and Mr Matthew and Lady Sybil have done... Anna and I will never forget it... I am so grateful."
Mary smiled indulgently at the uncharacteristic babbling from the man. "Really Anna did all the work, we just provided moral support. You can go up if you like."
Bates nodded and limped towards the staircase. He did not climb straight away, but rather stood staring up the stairs.
"She really is quite well." Mary said reassuringly.
"It's not that." The valet said with a slight catch in his voice. "I have just realised... I'm a father."
Once they were alone, Mary put her arms around Matthews neck and rested her head against his shoulder. "I don't know how Sybil did it." She said, "The baby was breach, but somehow she managed to turn it. Oh Matthew I have never been so frightened in my life."
He squeezed her tightly. "You did it together."
She lifted her head and brushed her lips against his, their mouths opening to deepen the kiss.
"Did I mention how much I have missed you Lady Mary Crawley?" He said as they paused for breath.
"I don't think you did Mr Crawley," She replied, her nose nuzzling against his until her lips could find their mark again.
"Do you think it is too early in the evening for me to show you properly?" Matthew smiled mischievously.
"I don't think John Bates sitting room..."
He waggled his eyebrows playfully. "I was thinking more of the confines of a country solicitors study."
She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Well it is rather too late for us to have to worry about being careful." He added.
"Do we really have to?" Mary said snuggling down into Matthew's shoulder as he tried to get out of bed.
"Five more minutes." He replied, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a gentle squeeze.
"Ten more minutes." She said into his neck.
Their love making had been urgent but gentle and lasted what remained of the night. A few short hours of sleep and Matthew was trying, unsuccessfully as it happened, to get up.
"There is no rush." Mary said sleepily.
"There is of course the small matter of a certain newspaper article." He said.
She pulled away and sighed. "With all the excitement of yesterday, I had all but managed to put that odious thing completely out of my mind. It is really most tiresome that I do actually care what people think."
"It is of course complete hokum. Carlisle has really dropped the ball this time. He must know that to malign the reputation of two people with no proof whatsoever has to be suicide in his business."
Mary brushed a finger across his cheek. "My knight in shining armour is planning on going into battle for my honour?"
"He will of course claim that the Nanny, Stevens, that she is the one who wrote the article, but I think I can prove that as owner of the newspaper, Carlisle has a duty of care to ensure that the information that he prints is based in fact."
"So what is our plan Sir Matthew, and how can this fair maiden help?"
"The fair maiden is charged with keeping the female members of this family out of this while the male Crawley's actually deal with Carlisle and his lies."
Mary stared at him, her eyes widening slightly. "Oh come now Matthew, we both know that is never going to happen."
Mary absent mindedly slipped on a bangle as Smith finished putting up her mistresses hair.
"How is Mrs Bates my lady?" Smith asked.
"The birth was certainly a trial for her, but Doctor Clarkson is keeping a close eye on her, and she and the baby will be fine."
The younger woman jumped as the door opened to reveal the master of the house.
"You will not believe this." He said brandishing the day's publication.
"I'm sure I won't." Mary said coolly.
"On page five... page five... a mere paragraph suggesting that the newspaper was the victim of a disgruntled employee's revenge. That Stevens had been dismissed and somehow managed to get the piece through without the owners of the paper realising."
"Let me see." Mary said holding out her arm, but remaining still in order that Smith could continue with her hair. She read the small article.
"Carlisle need not think he is going to get away with this." Matthew said crossly.
"It's all smoke and mirrors with Richard, you know that Matthew." Mary said waving the newspaper so that he could retrieve it.
"I am putting a call through to Mr Murray this morning. There most certainly must be some legal precedent..." He was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Begging your pardon Sir." Moseley said, ensuring to keep his eyes averted. "But Mrs Crawley... your mother is on the telephone."
"I will be there directly." Matthew said as the door discreetly closed.
"Oh, just what I need. I suspect she will have seen the newspaper." Matthew said with an exaggerated grimace. "I had better face the music. Still, with luck, news of the baby will distract her?"
"Let us hope so." Mary agreed as her husband left the room.
"Although I don't think we can hold much hope of that." She directed towards the lady's maid.
Smith fiddled with the last of the hair pins as Mary watched her in the mirror.
"Was there something else Smith?" Mary asked.
"It's not really my place my lady." the maid mumbled.
"Spit it out." Mary said patting the side of her hair.
"It's just this nasty story in the newspaper..." The girl tailed off.
"Yes, what about it?"
"It isn't true is it my lady. Why would the newspaper write things that aren't true?"
Mary was impressed how far the young woman had come in a relatively short time to make such a statement.
"Unfortunately, sometimes people tell lies, but don't trouble yourself."
"It's just... Mrs Bird was saying people will believe anything if it is written in black and white."
"Yes." Lady Mary agreed a little sadly. "No doubt they will print a retraction, but people are far more interested in juicy scandal than they are a boring apology in small letters somewhere near the back."
"What I was thinking my lady, was about my cousin Katy."
Mary raised an eyebrow.
"When we were all little together Katy would always be getting into trouble, so before she could get punished she would tell my ma about something one of us other kids had done."
"So you mean deflect attention away from herself onto someone else?"
"I was just thinking. If Miss Stevens wrote all those lies about you and Mr Matthew, could you not tell everyone about the mean things she did here?" The maid looked hopefully. "Mrs Bird thinks she had a fancy man." She added in a hushed whisper.
Mary laughed. "It's a nice idea Smith and I appreciate the thought, but I doubt the romantic liaisons of a nanny is going to grab the public's imagination."
Smith looked crestfallen. She had really only wanted to help.
Mary tapped a fingernail against her lip. "However, they very might well be interested in the exploits of a knight of the realm." She said almost to herself.
Smith caught her mistress's eye hopefully as Mary stood. There was a air of determination about the aristocrat.
"Smith, I think you could be on to something." Mary said and noticed a smile of such utter delight break out on the young woman's face.
"Well don't stand there grinning like an idiot. We have work to do." Mary said, not unkindly.
Cecily Carlisle was not one to be flustered. She liked to think she could deal with any situation that life threw at her, but this whole debacle had become something of a trial. Not only had Richard committed the most heinous media crime, but now he honestly thought he could get away with a half hearted printed apology. It was clear from her interview with the Dowager Countess and her daughter in law that they held Cecily completely responsible for being unable to control her husband. Now to add insult to injury, he was also currently refusing to respond to any of the many messages that Cecily had sent to the London office. There were many things Lady Carlisle would tolerate, many indignities she could bear, but being ignored was not one of them. It was that more than anything which was currently driving her to distraction. She had all but made up her mind to travel to London that very afternoon and dare Richard to ignore her in person, when the bell heralded the arrival of a visitor to Haxby Park.
"Lady Mary Crawley." The butler announced primly. Cecily got to her feet as the younger woman was shown into the vulgar sitting room.
Mary took off her gloves as she glanced around the room, her expression unreadable.
"Lady Mary, to what do I owe the pleasure? Would you care for some tea?" Cecily asked with faux brightness. If the matriarchs of Downton had not been trial enough, Cecily was not looking forward to what the injured party was going to say.
"Yes." Mary said with a smile which did not quite meet her eyes. "Some tea would be delightful."
The butler scurried away as Mary took an invitation to sit.
"How are you?" Cecily began as an opening gambit.
Mary fixed her with a steely stare. "The victim of a vicious and libellous story." She said haughtily. "Let us not beat around the bush and pretend we are friends Lady Carlisle..."
"There was a retraction in the paper today, did you see it?" Cecily asked, looking around for her own copy.
Mary gave a snort of derision. "Yes, a paltry piece which I suspect will be missed by the vast majority."
For her part Cecily wished she were not being made to feel as though this was all her fault. She had no part in it, in fact she was the one who brought it to the family's attention, yet here she was, the focus of their anger.
"What do you people expect me to do!" She asked in sheer frustration.
Mary smoothed her skirts. "I expect you to help me make it right... and I believe that we may also achieve your own aims at the same time."