October 1925

Mary groaned in frustration as she kicked back the blankets and tried to heave herself out of bed, grunting as she just about managed to swing her legs over the edge of the bed and shift uncomfortably into a sitting position. She whimpered as she felt a sharp pain in her lower back but took some deep breaths and it faded within minutes. The pains had been coming and going all night long, contributing to her lack of sleep. She felt a sharp kick in her abdomen, her hand resting gently over the spot where she felt her baby nudge underneath her skin. As Matthew entered the bedroom from his dressing room, he frowned at her as she tried to stand but collapsed back on to the mattress.

"Darling, let me help." Matthew insisted.

She rolled her eyes as he hurried across the bedroom to her side, wrapping one arm around her back and placing the other in her hand as he gently hoisted her to her feet. Once stood, she quietly thanked him and waddled across to her vanity, sitting on her stool and started to untie her braid. She was yet to make an appointment to have her hair cut, she quite liked the way Anna styled her hair in a short bob by tucking her long hair underneath with pins. She picked up her hairbrush and started to brush through her hair when she felt a trickle pour down her legs. Mary looked down, her eyes widened as she felt the liquid soak her feet and the floor below her.

"Darling…my waters have broken…" Mary said calmly.

Matthew's eyes widened.

"Okay…I'll telephone Mother and Clarkson…where are we having the baby…"

"Just fetch Clarkson and then we'll decide…"

She saw her husband rush out of the bedroom and heard him run down the staircase to the great hall. Anna entered the bedroom with her day dress and stopped in her tracks.

"Milady, is everything alright?" Anna asked.

"You can put that dress away please Anna and fetch me another nightgown." Mary requested.

Anna smiled and nodded her head before turning back out of the bedroom. Minutes later, Mary stood from her vanity and changed into a fresh nightgown when Anna returned to her bedroom. She climbed back into bed, smiling just as Dr. Clarkson arrived at her bedroom with Isobel and Cora.

"Good morning, Lady Mary. Mr. Crawley telephoned and said that the baby might be coming. Would you mind if I examine you?" Dr. Clarkson asked.

Mary nodded, feeling the sharp contraction as she took a deep breath in and out until it ceased. Dr. Clarkson pulled back the covers and examined her. She felt uncomfortable as the doctor did what was necessary and after a minute or two or three, the doctor placed the covers back over her and smiled.

"I don't think you'll be waiting too long, Lady Mary. I think this delivery will be faster than when I delivered Master Charles." Dr. Clarkson informed them.

Mary frowned but nodded. She had hardly felt any contractions yet. Of course, she had hardly slept properly last night, tossing, and turning because of the sharp pains in her back that she kept getting. So she asked the doctor how he knew that she wouldn't be waiting long and then mentioned her back pain and that was when the doctor told her that her back pains were contractions, just that her labour this time had started from the back before they progressed to her front.

She breathed through the next round of contractions, losing count of how many until Isobel offered her a sip of water. Matthew joined her side, holding her hand tightly as she squeezed it over and over and cried out in agony. In the corner of the room, her mother was preparing fresh blankets and towels whilst Isobel wiped the sweat away from her forehead with a washcloth.

"You're doing well, my darling." Matthew whispered.

Mary looked to her left, glaring at him as she gasped out another painful cry. She sat up, breathing deeply, and moaning as she pushed down hard. Dr. Clarkson pulled back the covers and saw the blood on the bedsheets. She felt the doctor's hands there and tried to push the thoughts of it out of her head as she felt her baby being pushed hard out of her body.

"That's it, Lady Mary, keep pushing." Dr. Clarkson instructed.

She felt her mother grasp her other hand and pushed her leg wider to which Mary found the new position easier to push from. She felt Matthew shifting her so she was sitting up, holding her other leg tightly in place as Mary grabbed the back of her thighs, leaned as far forward as she could and screamed through the agony as she pushed once more.

"Gaaaahhh!" Mary screamed.

The pain was overwhelming her. The voices of the doctor, her mother, her mother-in-law faded as all she could focus on was the pain. The burning. She had forgotten about the burning and stinging sensation of childbirth. She could feel her child's head pushing through her body.

"Darling, you're doing well," she heard Matthew whisper, "Keep going."

Taking another deep breath, Mary held on to her thighs and pushed with all the strength that she had. She let out yet another loud grunt and gasp of pain and then fell back on to her pillows, feeling exhausted. Mary could feel the sweat dripping down her face, the cloth that wiped it away by Isobel's hand and the softness and encouragement in her mother's voice.

"Just one more push, Lady Mary, then the baby will be here!" Dr. Clarkson said loudly.

She felt another pain contract inside her as she sat upright once more and held on to Matthew and Isobel. Mary let out another yell, bearing her chin down to her chest as she pushed with all her might and will. If she had been delivering a baby for the first time, she would have sworn that the stinging pain would rip her apart. But she knew better this time, she had birthed twice before, and she knew that in a matter of moments she wouldn't feel it any longer. She felt the pain change to relief as she felt her baby separate from her body as she fell back on to the pillows. Her eyes fluttered blearily from the ceiling to the baby in Dr. Clarkson's arms. Cora was smiling. Isobel was smiling. And as she turned her head, she smiled happily as she saw the tears of joy falling from her husband's eyes.

"Congratulations, Lady Mary, you have a healthy daughter." Dr. Clarkson announced.

A daughter.

She let out a cry of happiness as she sat up once more and took the baby from the doctor. The baby was wrapped in some thick blankets, starting to fuss as Mary kissed her little girl's forehead.

"Oh darling, we have a daughter." Matthew said happily.

Mary looked to her left, accepting the brief kiss from her husband as Matthew leaned over her shoulder and they both looked down at the fussing baby. She resembled her brothers when they had been first born. That mop of dark hair but her facial features were all identical to her mother.

"Congratulations to you both." Isobel smiled widely.

"Thank you, Isobel." Mary said hoarsely.

"Another granddaughter! I'll go down and tell the others." Cora announced.

"Don't tell the children, I'll bring them here when Mary has rested." Matthew requested.

"Of course! Does she have a name yet?" Cora asked eagerly.

Mary looked at Matthew and smiled. They had already agreed on the names they wanted to call their child boy or girl a while ago.

"Catherine." Mary whispered.

"Catherine Mary Crawley." Matthew said happily.

"Lovely. Just lovely."

Cora and Isobel left the bedroom, just as Matthew took the baby and headed for his dressing room so that Dr. Clarkson and the nurse could clean Mary up and change the bedsheets. Once she was in another fresh nightgown and settled back into bed, Matthew returned to the bedroom and handed Catherine back to her waiting arms. Dr. Clarkson and the nurse left the bedroom as Mary pulled at her nightgown and latched her daughter onto her breast.

"How are you, darling?" Matthew asked quietly.

"Sore. Tired. Happy. In love." Mary sighed happily.

She looked over at him, smiling widely through tired eyes as she met his blue eyes filled with such joy and happiness. She had seen that look on three occasions before today. The first had been the day that they had married after so long apart and so many trials. The second had been the moment he had walked into the hospital room after she had given birth to George. The third had been the day that she had given birth to Charlie. And she hoped that she would see that look of purity in her husband's eyes again in the future. It only reassured her of the love that he had for her, how true he was to his word that she made him truly happy.

"Oh Mary. Will you ever tire of hearing me tell you that I love you so deeply? I don't know how I can express it any more than that." Matthew whispered.

She shook her head. She would never tire of hearing just how much her husband loved her.

"I love you too, my darling." Mary replied with a smile.

Matthew leaned in and kissed her deeply. Mary used her right hand to hold on to his collar as she felt his tongue tease hers. It didn't go further, just a deep and sensual kiss which expressed just how much they treasured each other. They broke the kiss as they heard a knock on the bedroom door.

Mary adjusted the baby on to her other breast and then adjusted her nightgown to appear modest as she asked who it was. When Edith's reply came, she looked at Matthew and asked that he give her moment alone with Edith. Her sister entered the room as Matthew headed into his dressing room, leaving the sisters alone together.

"Congratulations. You have a little girl." Edith said with a smile.

Mary patted the edge of the bed, a gesture that she wouldn't normally extend to her sister. Edith hesitated for a moment before accepting her invitation, carefully sitting herself on the edge of the bed as Mary continued to nurse her daughter.

"You called her Catherine?" Edith asked.

Mary nodded.

"Yes. We couldn't agree if we should name her after Mama or Isobel or Granny. In the end, Matthew chose the name. If she had been a boy, she would have been called William Robert." She replied.

"I think it's lovely." Edith complimented.

The baby continued to nurse, her little eyes fluttering open and closed until she stopped feeding and Mary held the baby awkwardly.

"W-would you mind…holding her…while I…adjust…" Mary asked awkwardly.

Edith nodded, her arms taking the baby carefully and her eyes looking away to preserve any modesty that Mary had. Mary was grateful for her sister's action as she adjusted her nightgown and pulled the blankets up to her chest. She watched as her sister looked down at her newborn daughter, the smile that didn't quite reach Edith's hazel eyes. She could still see the pain there, the pain that she couldn't quite claim that she knew what it was to truly be a mother. And Mary wasn't quite sure what the reason was for next words, but she knew that she couldn't stop herself from saying them aloud between her and Edith any longer.

"Edith…I can't imagine…the pain you must feel daily…" Mary said.

Her sister looked at her with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Edith questioned.

"I know about Marigold." Mary answered quietly.

Edith's smile fell and there were a few moments silence between them.

"I…how…when…" her sister stammered nervously.

"A while ago now. Nobody told me if that's what you think. I worked it out on my own. A lot of things didn't add up and then one night, it all clicked into place." Mary explained.

"I suppose you think me a hypocrite." Edith murmured.

"I won't lie. I did think that of you to begin. But we've both caused enough hurt for each other and while I doubt that we'll share a close bond in future, I don't want to feel contempt for you either." Mary replied honestly.

Edith nodded, looking down at her niece.

"Bertie Pelham is arriving in a few days; his cousin is dead and he's the next Marquess of Hexham." Her sister informed her.

"Oh…I'm very sorry to hear that…" Mary said.

"He's quite upset at the death of his cousin."

"Do you think he'll propose to you? You've been spending quite a bit of time together."

Edith shrugged.

"If he did…I would have to think on it…I have to consider how I could still have Marigold in my life because I can't be parted from her again. But how can I tell him the truth? He'd be so disappointed to learn that I'm not…but after everything I went through with Michael…"

"Would you like my advice?" Mary offered.

She was surprised to see her sister meet her gaze and nod.

"Find a way to tell him. Back in 1914 when Matthew first proposed I hesitated and there were a number of reasons why I did. Mama was pregnant again and I wasn't sure of Matthew's position. Aunt Rosamund questioned his prospects and didn't think I would suit the role of a country solicitor's wife. And I wasn't sure how I could tell him the truth about Mr. Pamuk. I wasn't brave enough to give him the answer that I desperately wanted to give so Matthew retracted his proposal and we spent so many years apart and in pain."

"You were good at showing that you didn't feel pain from the separation or from Matthew's engagement to Lavinia." Edith frowned.

"In truth, I didn't want anyone to see me cry. I was utterly devastated." Mary stated.

"But you found your way back to Matthew." Edith smiled.

Mary nodded and smiled too.

"I did and I feel so blessed to have this wonderful life with him. One day, I will the Countess of Grantham but that doesn't matter to me as much anymore. I have the man I love more than anything in this world. I have two beautiful sons and now a beautiful daughter. My children have secured the line to the Earldom, but they are so much more to me than a duty."

"I assume Matthew knows the truth now?"

"Yes." Mary confirmed, "And not once has he brought it up in an argument or asked me anything about it. And if Bertie is an honourable man, then he will be fine with Marigold in the end."

"It's all so…" Edith trailed off.

"Frightening? Of course it is. But if you don't want to be a spinster then don't let this opportunity at happiness slip through your fingers." Mary encouraged.

Edith handed the baby back to her and stood from the bed.

"Mary, I'm curious. Why are you being so nice to me now?" Edith questioned.

She smiled again.

"Maybe it's because I've just given birth and I'm too tired to be sniping at you." She answered teasingly.

Edith rolled her eyes, muttered a thank you and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Matthew re-entered the bedroom from his dressing room, taking his place on the bed once more as Mary held Catherine in her arms and hearing the baby snore in her sleep.

"She's so beautiful." Matthew muttered soothingly.

"She is, isn't she?" Mary asked.

"Just like her mother."

She handed the baby over to Matthew and kissed his cheek before kissing Catherine's little, wrinkly forehead and rested back on her pillows. Letting out an exhausted sigh, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

oOo

She woke hours later to sharp pains shooting down her legs. Her brown eyes opened sharply, her teeth grinding against each other as she tried to breathe through the afterpains. When she had experienced them with Charlie, she hadn't thought they would be worse once she had birthed Catherine.

How wrong she was.

The nurse came over and pulled back the covers, studying the bedsheets between Mary's legs before she changed the padding between them to a fresh one and placed the covers back in their original place. Mary thanked her as she was handed a glass of water and some pain relief and then allowed the nurse to adjust her pillows so she could sit up. The nurse would be with her and the baby for the next two weeks to ensure that they both were getting the rest and care that they needed.

She heard a knock on the bedroom door, and she smiled sleepily as Matthew entered the bedroom with their baby. Catherine was wailing, her little cry filling the bedroom as she took the baby from her husband and started to unbutton her nightgown.

"The family are thrilled with her; I took her down to see them for a while to let you rest. Do you feel up to a visit from our boys?" Matthew asked.

Mary nodded.

"In a while, let her feed first." She yawned.

Matthew sat on the empty side of the bed, watching as Mary placed her daughter to her breast and start suckling. Mary winced at the pressure as Catherine fed, it was evident that her little girl was hungry.

"I think we're going to have to expand the night nursery now that Catherine is here." Mary mused.

"All in good time. I already have mapped out an unused wing of the house for the children to use." Matthew smiled.

"When do you expect renovations to begin?" Mary asked.

"In the next few weeks I hope. But we can talk about that later. Are you hungry? I can ask Mrs Patmore to send up a tray."

Mary nodded.

"Just some soup and bread, I don't feel up to an overly heavy meal."

Matthew nodded and pulled the rope to ring for Anna. The blonde appeared in the doorway minutes later and received Matthew's request of food for Mary and then left as Mary adjusted Catherine on to her other breast.

"Is there anything I can do?" Matthew whispered.

Mary looked up at him and smiled.

"Go and get our sons. It's time they meet their little sister."

Matthew returned her smile warmly and kissed her forehead before getting up from the bed and exiting the bedroom. Catherine finished feeding and Mary placed the baby gently in her lap as she adjusted her nightgown and lifted her daughter into her arms, cradling her affectionately. Her eyes were drawn to her daughter's face, taking in her smooth cheeks, her fluttering eyes and her adorable little nose that wiggled as the baby let out a dreamy sigh. Mary placed Catherine against her shoulder, using one had to support the baby whilst the other gently patted the baby's back until she heard Catherine let out a loud burp.

She continued to burp the baby as she saw the bedroom door fling open widely and Matthew came into the room, each hand holding George and Charlie's. Mary smiled happily at her boys, gently patting the bed as the two boys climbed up and sat at the end of Mary's feet.

"Mama! You had the baby!" George said with delight.

"I did. You and Charlie have a little sister." Mary yawned.

"Are you okay, Mama?" Charlie asked.

Mary smiled.

"I'm well, darling. Mama is just a little tired."

"What is she called?" George asked curiously.

"Her name is Catherine." Mary said softly.

She placed the baby in a vertical hold and leaned forward gently, placing the baby on her lower legs but held on with her hands as tight as she could. George and Charlie looked over the sleeping baby and smiled as they studied their new sister.

It was a sight that Mary would always cherish as she watched George and Charlie gently kiss their little sister on the head and stroke the baby's cheeks. She knew in that moment that she didn't have to worry about her sons adjusting to a new baby.

Catherine Mary Crawley was fortunate to have two older brothers who would love her dearly as they grew up together. She wouldn't need to have anyone else offer her support or protection when George Matthew and Charles Reginald would fulfil those roles to the best of their ability.