A/N: This chapter contains a sex scene, but that's what the M rating is for. Only the second time I've written it so I hope it doesn't earn too much disapproval.

November 1922

Mary exited the shop, tucking the box away in her handbag secretly before she walked down the street and climbed into the car where Matthew was waiting for her. He kissed her cheek and started the engine, making the drive back to Downton. Their journey was mostly silent, Mary felt too embarrassed to speak even though she knew that she shouldn't be embarrassed. This was a mutual agreement between a husband and wife, a decision that they had made together about their future and their family. It was nothing to be embarrassed about. Times were changing and married couples were moving in a different direction than they had been in twenty or thirty years ago. Mary was sure that if she and Matthew had been alive and married all that time ago, around the time when her parents had been married, they would never have considered preventing pregnancies. They would have had an army of children in the nursery.

But she wasn't living thirty years ago. She was living now. Life was different now.

As they pulled up the drive to Downton Abbey, Matthew slowed the car to a stop and switched off the engine before they both climbed out of the car and entered the house. She took off her coat but kept her bag with her as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Matthew followed, closing the door behind him as he looked at her curiously.

"Did…anyone say…anything…" Matthew mumbled.

"I was given instructions on how to…insert it…to use it…but the shop worker was very discreet. It's like the one we read about, it's Stopes recommended." Mary replied quietly.

She tucked her handbag away in her bedside drawer and turned to her husband.

"Have you thought any more about…your responsibility?" Mary asked delicately.

"I've picked something up…" Matthew said quietly.

Mary crossed the room, wrapping her arms around his neck as she placed her lips to his. Matthew kissed her briefly before pulling away, keeping his arms around her waist.

"Mary, how would you feel about going away, just the two of us?" Matthew asked.

"Away? What about the children?" Mary questioned.

"They would stay here with Nanny and your parents. Of course, mother would be in the village too." Matthew answered.

"I don't know if I can leave the children for a long period of time, Matthew." Mary stated uncertainly.

"Just for a day or two? We haven't…been alone…since Charlie was born," Matthew said delicately, "We've talked about our intimacy like it's a business transaction, Mary. We've got that…contraption…for you to use and I've got my…well that's not the point…I would like to whisk you away for a few days, just to be alone with you…"

"I suppose just a day or two I can manage. I just worry that Charlie and George will miss us."

"Darling, I'm sure they'll be fine. Besides, a few days where we aren't in the house might do George some good."

"How so?" Mary asked sceptically.

"Without us around, he won't have to fight for our attention. He might just learn to accept his little brother. He might accept that we aren't favouring the baby over him." Matthew replied.

"Or he might try and smother Charlie with a blanket." Mary sighed.

Over the past month George was still struggling to accept that Charlie was a permanent fixture at Downton Abbey. Of course, there were moments that George seemed to enjoy Charlie's gurgling and the baby had learned to laugh now, so George was always banging toys on the floor or the window in effort to make Charlie laugh. But at the same time, whenever Mary or Matthew paid the slightest bit of attention to Charlie, George didn't like it. At fourteen months old, George's tantrums were already explosive to the point the little boy would pass out from exhaustion. It didn't matter how many times Mary declined invitations to tea or luncheon to spend time alone with George, or how often Matthew finished at the office early to spend the afternoon with his son, George still competed for their attention.

"I suppose we just have to keep persevering and pray that the time will come when George accepts Charlie is our child just as much as he is." Matthew affirmed.

"He's still a baby himself, Matthew. We just have to keep assuring him that he's loved. We have to keep spending time with him and hopefully by the time Charlie is a year old, George will have accepted him by then." Mary sighed.

"So? Will you consider it?" Matthew asked quietly.

Mary bit her lip. A part of her wanted to instantly say yes for a number of reasons why. Like Matthew had said, they hadn't resumed their lovemaking since before Charlie was born, party due to her waiting eight weeks postpartum to be given the all-clear by Dr. Clarkson, partly due to their researching and extensive discussions about preventative measures to stop her falling pregnant again and party due to the stress and tiredness they both felt dealing with George's struggle to adjust. Before they had both known it, it had been nearly three months, maybe four because Mary couldn't remember the last time that she and Matthew had made love.

"I suppose I should," Mary replied, looking at him heatedly, "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking I could take you to Manchester. I'd like to show you some of the places I spent time with mother before my life changed forever." Matthew suggested.

"Did you have anything else in mind, darling?" Mary asked teasingly.

Matthew groaned, pulled her closer to him and pressed his lips to her neck. Mary sighed as she felt him press his lips to a certain spot which made her jolt with arousal. Her hands went to his chest, toying with his tie as she tried to loosen it. She moaned as she felt his hands reach round to the back of her skirt, trying to shimmy it down her legs until it pooled to the floor around her feet. She striped him of his tie, her hands reaching for his shirt and waistcoat until they ended up discarded on the floor. Mary pulled his mouth back to hers, her tongue meeting his insistently as they kissed hotly. Mary whimpered as Matthew's hands quickly undid her blouse and chucked it on the floor, leaving her stood in only her undergarments and stockings. Matthew's hand found its way into her knickers, touching her intimately as she jolted with pleasure and pressed herself closer to him. His fingers worked their magic, stroking her gently over that sensitive spot – that spot that made her lose all sense of thinking clearly. All she could focus on was Matthew. Matthew's scent. Matthew's lips on her neck. Matthew's hands on her body…

She didn't process that they had moved from the centre of the room standing up to her now lying back on the soft bedsheets. She felt her husband stop touching her, causing her to whimper until she realised that he was removing her knickers and shifting them down her long legs. Her stockings remained – Matthew had always enjoyed her stockings – and she shivered as she felt his hot breath on her inner thigh as he placed a kiss to the right and then the left.

"Matthew-" Mary whimpered.

Matthew grinned up at her before leaning his head down to taste her. Mary's hands rushed to his hair and gripped hard as she bucked her hips against his mouth, taking delight at how he was making her more aroused and needy for him. The tension was rising, pushing her up until his hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her closer to his face, his tongue lapping at her ferociously until she let out a final piercing cry of pleasure. Mary went limp, her hips flopping on to the bed with force that she slightly bounced. Her eyes lit up and she smiled as she watched Matthew strip the rest of his clothing and hover over her.

"God, Mary," Matthew whispered huskily, "I desire you."

Mary looked up at him, seeing his eyes reflect her own desire.

"Show…show me how to…put it on you…" Mary requested shyly.

Matthew nodded, placing a light kiss to her lips before he pulled away from her. She watched as he slowly showed her how to put on the condom before he gently held one of her hands and placed it around his member, letting her feel it so she could get used to the idea of it. Matthew groaned as he felt her touch, her fingers moving upwards and gently stroked the skin where his hips were. She sighed happily as he lay atop her once more, his mouth meeting hers in an urgent kiss. Mary wrapped her arms around his neck and used her legs to pull him forward until they both gasped in satisfaction when Matthew entered her.

"Oh darling…" Matthew grunted.

Mary kissed him hard, wrapping her legs around his hips as his hands gripped her waist as he thrust inside her. The feeling was…strange…and it felt tight…it had been months since she'd been with him like this. Her eyes fluttered as she felt his fingers between their bodies, touching her as he continued to thrust. She groaned into his mouth, tightening her legs around his hips, feeling herself come undone as she let out a moan of his name against his lips and shuddered, smiling up at him as Matthew broke the kiss.

Their pace continued as Matthew sent her over the edge for the third time before finding his own release and collapsing into her arms. Their bodies were joined in heat and sweat, both feeling the other's hearts racing faster and faster as they tried to regulate their breathing pace. Once calmed, Matthew leaned up over his wife, smiling down at her as she ran a hand through his untidy hair.

"Next time I'd like us to try my contraption and yours." Mary whispered.

"Mmm." Matthew agreed in a hum.

Somewhere in the distance, they heard the dressing gong sound and they scrambled off each other to pull their clothes back on. Matthew had just finished buttoning his shirt and Mary pulling on her underwear when there was a knock at the door, and Anna entered.

The maid looked surprised as she cleared her throat and asked if she should help her mistress change for dinner.

"Yes, thank you Anna." Mary said, her cheeks flushing red.

"Very good, milady."

The maid crossed the room acting as if nothing were amiss which only made Matthew chuckle in Mary's ear before kissing her cheek. Mary watched as her husband entered his dressing room, carrying the remnants of his clothing with him.