Out of the Blue
The missing scene of Matthew's first proposal to Mary.
May 1914
"Oh Matthew, what am I always telling you? You must pay no attention to the things I say."
Mary silently watched as Matthew began to move closer to her. She found herself unconsciously doing the same, closing what little distance remained between them. Then all of a sudden, their lips met.
A year and a half ago, Mary would have cringed at the thought of kissing Matthew Crawley. Then, he was the middle-class lawyer who came to claim her birthright, the man who she was to be pushed at and forced to marry. He became the son her father never had. She was jealous of him then.
But now, she gladly kissed him back. She had come to see Matthew very differently since his arrival at Downton. He fought for her, supported her, cared about her in a way no one really had before.
He broke away sooner than she would have liked. They sat in silence, faces still close to each other. Mary took a moment to process what had just happened, realizing something she hadn't been able to come to terms with yet.
She was in love with Matthew Crawley.
"Matthew-" Mary started to say, before he cut her off.
"Marry me."
Did Matthew just propose to her?
Mary was stunned by the statement. She didn't know how to react-all she could do was stare back at him, speechless.
Matthew quickly tried to explain himself to her. "I know this seems out of the blue-believe me, I didn't plan to propose like this. But after tonight, I have no doubt. I love you, Mary, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Mary wanted to accept him, but she was hesitant. The memory of Kemal Pamuk's death still haunted her. Would she be able to keep that dark secret from her husband-from Matthew?
No, she decided. They weren't like that together. They were open and honest with each other. Matthew was one of the few people she actually trusted, and Mary didn't want to compromise that.
She would have to tell him, eventually.
Mary finally spoke. "I'm afraid I'll need some time to think about it."
That's all she could bring herself to tell him.
"Of course," he said softly, dropping his gaze to his feet. "Take all the time you need. I better be getting home, it's rather late and I don't want Mother to worry." He stood and turned to leave the dining room. He looked back at her when he reached the doorway. "Goodnight, Mary," he said with a faint smile.
Mary stood alone in the dining room. How she wished she could have been free of Pamuk, and just accepted Matthew right then and there! Mary hated seeing him so dejected, most likely due to her vague answer. She figured he at least deserved to know how she felt about him.
Mary quickly ran through the house and out the front door. "Matthew, wait!" she called as she continued towards him. Matthew stopped and turned to face her with a look of surprise. As soon as she reached him, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly.
"I love you, too," Mary said when they came apart.
A/N: I've been attempting to write this missing moment ever since I started these fics, and I think I finally got it how I want it! This is just my interpretation of it, but I hope you enjoy it! Thank you all so much for your kind reviews on the previous chapters, I greatly appreciate your feedback. Thanks for reading :)
-NMB