Chapter 32
For all the trouble it had caused over the last few weeks, Patrick could not help but be glad he had thought to bring Matthew to the country.
He seemed to be enjoying country life, not that the two of them had managed to spend much time together beyond seeing each other at dinner. He had thought he was going to try and get him involved in the estate, but the lawyer wanted to be a lawyer for now. He had to respect that.
He was in the office often during the week and introducing his family to all manners of new vocabulary at the 'weekend' – so by the end of January, Patrick realised he was going to have to let him get settled into his new life and office before they went any further.
Then something else was high in his priority list. And that was Valentine's Day.
He and Mary had had a nice dinner the year before, but they had not had much time for the day as it had been so close to the wedding and they had been so focused on that.
This year was a different ball game.
And he had a feeling due to the year they had had, they should go all out for the day. They should make it special.
It was his opinion they had not made enough special memory's yet in their married life. It had been taken up by silly rows and broken bones and misunderstandings.
Now it was time to change that.
Therefore, before dinner one night in January he went to see her when she was dressing for dinner. Anna was there and his wife was all but ready for the evening.
"You look beautiful darling," he said to her as a way of greeting.
His wife looked up at him with a polite smile, raising her eyebrows as she did so. It was a quirk of hers he had always liked.
"Thank you. Shall we go down? I think mama said she had to talk to me about the events coming up in the village."
"Of course, but in just a moment – I want to talk to you about something quickly," he said in a veiled way.
Anna did not need to be told directly.
"My lady, if that is all, I will go down."
"Of course, I will see you later tonight," she said to her lady's maid as she left the room.
"What is it I can do for you?" she asked as she turned to her husband.
"Well, I – I was thinking about St Valentine's Day," He said to her and her eyebrows rose once more. She did not know why but she had not thought that that event was going to be anywhere on his radar and yet here he was, surprising her.
"Were you now?" Mary replied.
"Yes – and what I was thinking about it was an opera and a trip to London for it." He said with a smile. He hoped she did not think he was running away with himself.
London. It felt a lifetime since she had gone to the city. Any trip away from the abbey right then was going to be a joy she thought to herself.
"I just wanted to enquire to see what you thought about that," he questioned her.
"I think that is a rather lovely thought – and I am very in favour of it." She said with a smile.
To her it sounded as if they had a plan.
It would be a joy to hear her heals clicking on the pavement once more and they had the added advantage of not having to see what Sybil and Matthew were going to be up to for the day. Added to that was if they were in London then Patrick was much less likely to get a card from Edith. She did not think she could see a downside to his plan.
"Well then – that's settled then." He said to her with a nod.
"Indeed."
And with that the two of them went downstairs for a lovely dinner with their family, with the promise of a trip away very soon.
X x x
Robert had been working in the afternoon when there was a knock on the library door. He had thought it was going to be one of the maids or Carson, so assumed they would walk right in.
His visitor however spoke first before they did so, and he learnt he had been wrong.
"Cousin Robert, I hope you do not mind me disturbing you."
A smile appeared on Robert's face.
"Of course not, Matthew!" he said as he turned towards the blond. "Do come in, what can I do for you? It is not often we see you here on a Friday."
"No – no, I was just calling in on my way home from work on the off chance of catching you on your own really. I wanted to ask you something."
"Not here to see Sybil then?"
"Not today though she is part of the reason that I am here," he admitted.
Naturally, Robert thought with a smile. "Well, I am all ears."
"I suppose what I am going to say goes against propriety so, I would not blame you if you said no – but my mother is going to be house on Valentines Days night, yet I wasn't going to ask her to dine with us and…"
Robert could not help but smile. Once more nerves seemed to be getting the better of the lawyer.
"I think - in words of one syllable - you should ask me what you came to say." He said to the young man kindly.
He had to say he was not sorry to be older. When you were young – well, in one way or another everything was hard.
"I wanted to ask Sybil to dine with me – alone – on Valentine's night. My mother will be in the house to chaperone us but – I do not intend her to be in the room. My intentions are entirely honourable as ever, but I was hoping that I might be able to have Sybil to myself for a while." That was something which no matter how close he lived to her he never ever seemed to get.
Robert sighed. As ever when it came to this young couple, he found there was convention and then what they were doing.
Convention he knew would say this was utterly wrong and the thought of his unmarried daughter dining along with a man did not settle easily with the Earl of Grantham. But the thing was at the end of the day he had given his consent to the young couple to marry.
Not so long after Sybil came out, if everything went to plan, then the two of them were going to be man and wife.
"I dare say I should throw you out of here for so much as asking me if that is alright – it should be a straight no but both of us know it is not as simple as that. I will however have to consult with Cora."
Matthew would not dispute that.
"Of course – and I am so grateful for you for even considering this."
Robert gave a nod.
And so, he should be. It did not come easy to him.
And then there was something else to weigh against all the rest and that was that he liked Matthew – he really did.
"So – on to other matters – how are you settling in?"
X x x
Upon hearing that Mary and Patrick were going to go to London for St Valentine's Day, Cora could not help but smile and be proud. It seemed to her as if the two of them were now heading in the right direction.
She thought the children could use this as a new start for their marriage. It would be a rather romantic way for them to spend their first Valentines as man and wife and she was determined to help them do so.
"Where are you going to stay when you are in town?" she had enquired as she had tea with her daughter once day.
"Oh, I was going to write to Aunt Rosamund and see if she was willing to put us up."
"Mary goodness, we can improve on that!" said Cora. She was not going to have them stay with her dear sister-in-law. As much as she was sure she would do everything she could for Mary and Patrick's comfort, she could not shake the feeling that if the two of them were staying with her then it was going to rather impede on the general romance.
"No darling, let me open up Grantham House for you." It was not something they often did during the winter months, but it was going to be worth it she was sure.
"Mama that really won't be necessary." Said Mary as she drank her tea. She did not want to cause such inconvenience to any of them.
"I'll be the judge of that," her mother said with a smile. And Mary knew better than to argue with that.
Mary guessed it would afford her and her husband a certain degree of privacy that they were not going to get if they were staying with their dear aunt. And if the two of them had their privacy then it might well be easier to relax… and so maybe with that setting, they, at last, could get on with the business of making their heir.
And that would be something, she guessed.
X x x
Anna had been steaming Lady Mary's clothes for London when she became aware that there was a presence behind her. It was a job she could pass on to a more junior member of staff if she so chose, yet she still for she only trusted herself to do it right.
Of late, as much as she could she had kept herself to herself.
She had not yet shaken off her embarrassment about being loose lipped.
She had an awful feeling she was about to face it though.
"Mr Bates."
"Anna," the valet begun. He had tried more than more than once to begin this conversation.
She had evaded him as much as she could.
But now - now she knew it was time to end this awkwardness between the two of them.
"I – I wanted to say sorry to you, for offending you," he carried on and the guilt that she had been feeling of late did not leave her at all.
He had done nothing wrong.
"You did not offend me."
"Well – well, whatever happened, I wanted the two of us to clear the air before you go to London."
It had been the talk of the servant's hall of late that not only were Mr Patrick and Lady Mary getting to spend their Valentines in London but so were Anna and Mr Molsley. Lucky pair.
Anna smiled.
"Well – I won't lie, I do not like even going to bed on an argument." She admitted. No doubt he thought that was false as well, the way she had been avoiding him. But that had not been her intention. Yet it was true enough she had trouble of sleeping of late.
"I believe it," he said with a warm half smile.
She did not know why she felt so relieved for hearing that.
"So, we are friends again?" he asked her. They had not much got their friendship off the ground before all of this.
And he suddenly knew that though he had to curb any other feelings, for her sake, a true friendship was what he wanted to exist between them.
She nodded. "As long as you do not think me loose lipped."
"No – no, I do not think that."
"Alright then," she nodded. "Friends."
X x x
In the week before her trip to London, Mary found herself going down to the village to buy a card for her husband.
The last thing in the world that she had wanted to do when she had gone into the village though was run in to her cousin Matthew. She did not know why she had left getting Patrick's card so late. She could have done it in the week when she could have been sure that Matthew was going to be at work. Or she could have made a card for him as she knew Sybil had been doing for Matthew.
But then that was not really her scene.
Yet here she was, popping into the confectionary shop - and there he was.
It was his profile she saw first.
He looked as if he was in deep concentration, looking at the cards she herself had come to seek. It was obvious that this choice here mattered to him and so he won her over more. She knew he cared deeply for her sister. When Sybil had told her of him, she had not been in favour, but she had come round. Still, she could not resist…
"Cousin Matthew," she said as she came up to the side of him. "This seems to be a choice you're not making lightly. I do hope your buying for Sybil," she teased.
"Well, she is my valentines." He blushed slight and there was a sore spot suddenly in her stomach, as if she had been jabbed. "No – but it seems I am not making a choice at all. I've never been very good at this sort of thing." Romance she thought he was referring to. "Valentines," he mumbled almost to himself for clarification. Then he blinked, appearing to return from thought somewhat. "Have you and Patrick got any plans for it?"
"We are going to go to London for a few days." She said with a smile.
"That will be pleasant."
"Yes, and a change of scene," Mary added. She needed that.
"I hope you have an enjoyable trip, Cousin Mary."
"Thank you! I hear you and my sister wish to dine alone for it." Her father had confided in Patrick and so it had come back to her. She was not aware if a final decision had as of yet been made.
"Yes – if we can only convince my mother and your parents her reputation will survive it."
"As long as it does." The words came out coldly.
She knew he had been joking – they had been joking together - but after the worries she had had for her own reputation of later, she was not sure how funny she found it.
"I did not mean anything by it."
"I am sure you did not," she said in a manner which said she was not sure of that at all. "Have a happy time," she wished him and left the shop and her cousin full of regret for his clumsiness. It was only when she got back to the abbey, she realised she had forgotten a card for Patrick.
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