May 1924
Stepping out of the taxi, Mary thanked the driver and watched as Tom paid the fare and instructed the bell boy to bring their luggage inside. She stared up at the hotel, standing against a grey sky which only made the next few days seem more boring for Mary. She would have much preferred to accompany Matthew to London for the week but he had insisted she travel with Tom to Liverpool for the Northern Landowner's conference about modernising estates.
"The Grand Hotel, Liverpool. I hope it lives up to its name." Mary commented.
Tom chuckled and the two of them stepped inside and headed straight for the front desk.
"I hope that this conference proves informative." Tom said hopefully.
"It's a shame that Matthew couldn't come. But I suppose he's still a lawyer and when a client needs to see him in London for the week, he must go." Mary sighed.
"That's why he's sent you in his place, have some faith in yourself. Technically you are a northern landowner." Tom reminded her.
"A northern landowner's wife, Tom." Mary stated.
"Matthew trusts you to attend in his place. I'm only the agent." Tom said.
"Even so. I hope it's not going to bore me."
They checked in to their rooms, following the concierge up the staircase until they reached the floor where their rooms were located. Their bedrooms were next door to each other as Mary said goodbye to her brother-in-law and entered her room where she would stay for the next two days. It wasn't anything like she was used to, but it would do.
"Good afternoon, Milady." A soft, whiny voice said behind her.
Mary turned and smiled.
"This is Miss Bevan, Milady. She'll attend to you during your stay here." The concierge stated.
"Thank you."
The concierge left as did the bell boy once Mary had thanked him for bringing her luggage to her room and paid him a tip.
"Can I help unpack your things, Milady?" Bevan asked.
"Yes please." Mary replied firmly.
Bevan went about unpacking the clothes from Mary's suitcase and placed it in the wardrobe on the far end of the room. Mary took off her hat, coat, and gloves, staring out of her window and down into the street below. As far as views went, she could have had better but she supposed that she couldn't be fussy. The conference was supposed to give them information on how to manage their estates more economically and how to preserve heritage which she had hoped would prove beneficial to Matthew's vision of the future of Downton Abbey. When she and Matthew had last looked over the accounts, she had been pleased to see that her husband's ideas and productivity had already started paying off, but they knew they still had a long way to go.
"What brings you to Liverpool, Milady?" Bevan asked loudly.
Mary winced. Just the sound of the woman's accent and loud pitch made her feel that a headache was coming on.
"I'm attending the landowner's conference with my brother-in-law." Mary replied politely.
"Are you one of those toffs then?" Bevan asked with a sneer.
Mary frowned.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know…one of those toffs…thinks they're better than anyone else…"
Mary rolled her eyes. Of course, she had to be stuck with a revolting woman who didn't know any manners.
"You certainly aren't afraid to voice your opinion of people like me." Mary said flatly.
"Tis how I was raised, Lady Mary. Me dad didn't care much for propriety." Bevan smiled.
Once her clothes and shoes were unpacked, Mary dismissed the maid and called down to the front desk and ordered some tea. She and Tom had agreed to have some time to settle into their rooms and then dine together before getting a good night's sleep. The conference was tomorrow morning for a few hours after breakfast and then they planned to have luncheon at the hotel before meeting with some other landowners. They would spend tomorrow night at the hotel before travelling home the morning after.
She sat on the bed and laid back against the pillows. It had been nearly a week since she had last seen her husband. His client was having a bit of a crisis and Matthew had been required to spend the week in London to sort it out. Of course, Matthew was staying with Aunt Rosamund at Painswick House, and he telephoned her and the children every day just to speak to her. But a week without him caused her to miss him terribly.
She never thought she could miss anyone as much as she had missed him. They hadn't spent more than a few days apart in their four years of marriage. Of course, she had been used to years without him by her side when he had fought in the war, but they hadn't had much of a relationship then. It was mostly the little things that she missed the most. She wasn't used to not sharing a bed with Matthew in four years, how he would hold her in his arms until she fell asleep. She missed the way she would wake up to him in the morning, his hair a mess, the way his nose wiggled in his sleep, the way he would wake her up if she hadn't woken first… the tiny things meant everything.
As her eyes closed, she drifted off into a light sleep, the last thought on her mind was Matthew.
oOo
The conference was more informative than Mary had originally believed it would be. Tom had been writing down notes extensively, covering topics from farming to building maintenance, to renting and holding events for the local populace, from crop rotation to grain sales. After the talks, Mary and Tom had discussed what they had learned at length and Mary felt happy that they would soon get to share the news with Matthew.
After dinner that night, Mary returned to her room and allowed Miss Bevan to help her dress for bed.
"Have you enjoyed your time in Liverpool, Milady?" Bevan asked.
"I have. The conference was rather informative." Mary replied politely.
Bevan finished helping her and curtsied before leaving the room, letting Mary be alone to braid her hair and climb into bed with a novel. She shifted on the pillows, getting lost in the novel that she didn't register the sound of the door unlocking and it wasn't until she felt a weight on the empty side of the bed that she jumped in fright, the book falling to the floor. She blinked a few times until her vision came into focus. She met the same amused smirk that she had known forever, those piercing blue eyes and blonde hair and the delicate features of his face. Gasping in surprise, Mary wrapped her arms around Matthew's shoulders and hugged him tightly.
"Matthew…what are you doing here?!" Mary asked excitedly.
"My business finished early in London, so I drove straight here." Matthew replied softly.
Mary cupped his face, smiling as she stared into his eyes. She hadn't thought she would be seeing him so soon so the fact he was here in her hotel room delighted her.
"Darling, I missed you." She admitted quietly.
Matthew smirked.
"You missed me?" he whispered, pressing his lips to hers.
She sighed happily into the kiss, shifting into his lap as her arms wound around his neck. When she broke the kiss, his mouth teased her earlobe as his fingers moved to the strap of her nightgown and slipped it from her shoulder.
"Matthew…" Mary groaned.
"I missed you too darling." Matthew whispered.
She fell back on to the pillows, grabbing hold of his tie and pulled him over her. Looking up at him, she smiled and ran a hand through his hair.
"We should get some sleep. We're getting the ten o'clock train to York." Mary sighed.
Matthew chuckled.
"I've already talked to Tom. He'll take the train with your luggage while we drive back to the Abbey." Matthew explained.
"So we're getting rid of Tom?" Mary asked.
"I would hardly call it getting rid of him. He has already agreed that he doesn't mind us driving home. Your father will have someone meet Tom at the train station as it was originally planned." Matthew replied.
"If you insist." Mary smiled.
"Oh I do insist," Matthew grinned, "I insist on showing you just how much I've missed you."
Mary shrieked happily as she felt Mary rid her body of her nightgown and teased her. She moaned lustfully as she felt her husband press his lips to her thighs and pushed her legs apart. Biting her lip, she looked down and grasped his hair.
"Matthew…you know…aaah…how loud…I get…" Mary moaned.
Matthew stopped and looked up at her, a wide devilish grin on his face.
"You could try and be quiet, darling. But we both know how impossible that is!" he whispered hotly.
"B-but Tom is…in the next…aaah room!"
"I don't care. I've been without you in my arms for nearly a week and I intend to make up for that lost time."
He smiled before returning his attention to certain parts of her body which made her gasp and turn her head into the pillow. A while ago now they had dispensed with their preventative measures and were enjoying each other without the added measures. She was yet to conceive but she and Matthew had mutually decided that it would happen when it happened.
For now she was content as her husband spent the next hour showing her just how much he truly had missed her in their time apart.
oOo
The next morning, Mary woke up to her hotel room door opening with a loud crash as Bevan walked in with a breakfast tray. Her brown eyes glared sleepily at the maid, pulling the covers up around her and Matthew.
"Breakfast Milady." Bevan smirked.
Mary rolled her eyes.
"I didn't ring for breakfast." She stated firmly.
"You had breakfast at this time yesterday, Milady. I thought I was being helpful."
"I'm sure," Mary said sceptically, "Go. I'll ring for you later."
Bevan curtsied and left the room, closing the door behind her as Matthew stirred from his sleep.
"What was that about?" he asked with a yawn.
"The maid the hotel assigned to me; she's utterly revolting. No manners whatsoever." Mary tutted.
Matthew stretched out his arms and pulled her into him so they could cuddle up together.
"We'll be home in a few hours; we'll be in time for afternoon tea and some time with the children." He said warmly.
"It sounds heavenly. I wonder if George and Charlie have behaved themselves." Mary mused.
"I'm sure they've been up to mischief with Sybbie. The real question is, how many times has your father been called Donk in the week we've been away?" Matthew chuckled.
Mary laughed.
"I don't see that name ever going away. Papa will have to accept it."
"Give it time I'm sure he will appreciate having a unique moniker by his grandchildren."
"I suppose. Come, we should eat and dress, we have a journey to make today." Mary sighed.
"I suppose we do." Matthew agreed.
Giving her husband a brief kiss, Mary kicked back the covers and rose from the bed, pulling on her robe and crossed the room to sit at the table to eat her breakfast.