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Chapter 66
1940s- Downton Abbey
Another month and then another and then another and before Mary knew it, the boys had been away at war for a year. Her eyes glanced at the calendar in front of her, tracing over the date with her finger. How had she and Anna gone over a year without seeing their boys?
Her hands clutched tightly in front of her. Rarely did she show her concerns about the war to those around her. As the mother to the future earl, it was her duty to remain calm and be proud of her son off at war.
Her thoughts went to Matthew. It seemed he filled her thoughts more and more lately. In her dreams, she could feel his breath against her cheek and his hands on her waist. But then they'd turn dark to him once he'd come back from the war, hurt. She'd awake in a sweat, so worried about what news the next day might bring.
Anna wasn't much better. She, too, feared for what they may hear. They had been witness to other mothers receiving letters from soldiers informing them that their sons had been killed.
When Mary couldn't sleep, she'd hear Anna moan in her own nightmares, crying out. However, Anna never awoke with that same terror on her features. She held herself together much better, even around her.
"Mother?"
Mary pivoted on her stool, seeing Pippa standing in the doorway. Over the past year, she'd grown so much. She was no longer a young girl, but was now looking like a woman. Her curls, though, were still unruly and she still could act like a petulant child. For that, Mary was actually grateful. She wasn't quite ready for Pippa to be completely grown.
"Yes, darling?"
"Will you and Mama be taking me to the station?"
"Of course we will. Why?" Mary's heart fell slightly. For a moment, she'd forgotten that she and Anna were about to take Pippa to the station in the morning. She was about to start her second semester at university. They were so very proud, but it had been nice to have her home for the summer.
"I can't find Mama to ask her."
"She's probably out running errands. Plus, you know she'd never miss it."
"Right." Pippa licked her lower lip. "Have you heard from George? He hasn't written me back in weeks."
Mary glanced at the pile of letters she kept on her vanity. She couldn't put them away. She needed them where she could look and have knowledge that her son was still alive, that he had written her those letters.
She frowned.
"No, I haven't heard from him in a while either. I did hear from Johnny a few days ago." Mary lifted the latest letter from Johnny, opening it to scan and see if there had been any mentions of George. She couldn't remember. The two boys were not together, sadly, but every so often they would run into one another. There was no mention of George. Her heart sank slightly.
"Yes, I got a letter from Johnny, too. He sounds lonely."
"Really? That's not what I got in my letter."
Pippa shook her head.
"Mother, do you really think he'd show any vulnerability to you? No, I doubt he does for Mama, either. He doesn't want anyone to worry."
"Does he tell you anything about his fears or concerns?"
Pippa's head shook.
"He isn't going to do that. He doesn't really want me to worry, either. It's just…. he's my brother. I know when he's lonely." Pippa shrugged.
They both heard footsteps down the hallway. Mary tried to see who was coming. It was near time for letters to arrive. But it was only her father walking past the room. He appeared in his own thoughts, not even noticing herself or Pippa.
"I'm sure he'll write soon," Pippa said. She seemed to notice the worry etched on Mary's features. Mary forced herself to smile.
"Yes, I am sure he will."
Mary turned to go back to her vanity.
"Letters!" Anna's excited voice made Mary spin around. Anna held several letters in her hands. "And some from George."
Mary visibly relaxed.
"Oh, thank you." Pippa took her two letters from Anna. Then Anna handed Mary three letters. Two were from George and one from Johnny.
"Where were you?" Pippa asked Anna.
"I couldn't wait for the post to come, so I went there myself." Anna's cheeks reddened slightly at the admission. It only made Mary admire her more.
"Brilliant," Pippa said.
Anna closed the door before the three of them found a place to sit and read their letters. Mary opened George's first. She needed to know that he was alright. The first letter was dated just a little over a week ago. Her heart rate calmed.
"I should write them back," Pippa announced. She exited the room, leaving Anna and Mary alone.
Mary looked at Anna, finding her studying her latest letter from Johnny. It was often how she found Anna reading her letters. She studied every word, trying to determine exactly how the boys were as they wrote to them.
As Mary walked over to sit next to Anna, she placed her arm around Anna's shoulders and rested her head on her shoulders.
"They're alright," Mary whispered against Anna's skin.
"Yes, they are."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Anna's lips probably lingered a moment too long on Pippa's cheek, but she couldn't help herself. It was much harder to tell her daughter goodbye in the middle of such dark times. Sending Pippa away felt like there was a chance something terrible could happen, that they could potentially lose her too.
"Mama," Pippa murmured. She pulled away, glancing around to make sure no one had seen it. "I'm going to be alright. I'll just be at university."
"Of course you will be." Anna struggled to sound upbeat. Mary's hand brushed along her back in support. It was a slight gesture. They were out in the open and had to be careful about their affections, especially here in Downton.
"Are you excited to head back?" Mary asked.
"Yes," Pippa quickly answered. "And the boys in my classes hate it. That is my favorite part. They don't believe a woman can do such work as they can. My top marks prove them otherwise." Pippa's brows danced with happiness.
"That's my girl," Mary encouraged. Anna's lips curled up.
These were the moments when Anna didn't worry so much about Pippa. She'd proven time and time again that she could manage herself. Yet, the looming darkness around them and the darkness of the word still frightened her. She wanted this dreadful war to end already, but it felt as though it had only begun.
They hugged Pippa goodbye. Anna did briefly worry that someone may think it odd, but she remembered that everyone in the village knew she and Mary were 'friends'. Sometimes Anna heard comments on it when she ran into the village for errands. There would be people asking Anna how exactly she'd managed to become friends with her Lady. Anna would always blush and say they'd known each other for years. It only made sense for them to now be friends. Then there would be someone saying something about how perhaps Lady Mary wasn't as cold as they thought. Anna would never comment, not thinking their personal life was really any of their business, but she would think how they really knew so little about Mary at all.
"Goodbye, darling." Mary touched Pippa's cheek. Pippa climbed onto the train, waving to them from every window until she reached her spot.
They remained until Pippa's train had pulled away. Then the worry fell heavily on their chest, once more. Their eyes met. They gave one another reassuring smiles.
"She's going to do great things," Mary said.
Anna smiled.
"She is."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"Lady Mary?"
Thomas stood at her bedroom door, a pensive look upon his features.
"What is it, Barrow?"
Mary stepped forward. Thomas glanced around them before pulling an envelope out of his jacket pocket. Tentatively, he held it up.
"There's a telegram, for Anna." The way Thomas used Anna's first name made everything clear to Mary. If it was a telegram, it was news about Johnny. And likely not good news. "I thought you should read it first."
"Thank you, Barrow." Mary's words were sincere. She carefully took the letter from him. "You may go now."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"Sarah, do watch where you are going," Anna scolded one of the maids. Sarah ducked her head and quickly disappeared. Anna sighed. Sarah newly joined the staff. She was young and full of life, but a bit of a klutz. Anna didn't know how long she'd be able to keep her in service here at Downton.
She turned to head back to the stairwell. Mary stood right on the bottom step. Her face tight and unyielding. Immediately, Anna's heart tightened.
"Lady Mary?"
"Mrs. Bates, a telegram has come for you."
The air left Anna's lungs, and she nearly collapsed forward. If it weren't for a firm hand on her arm holding her up, she may have fallen right over. Her face turned to see that Thomas had been the one to catch her.
"Let's go to your parlor," he suggested. Normally, Anna would have told him no. But she wasn't sure she could make it two steps without his help.
The three of them made the journey into the parlor. No words spoken between them.
When they finally reached the parlor door, Anna paused. She couldn't move forward. Thomas lightly tugged on her arm, giving her just the push she needed to go on. Tears stung her eyes. Thomas led her to her chair.
"Anna," Mary quietly said.
"No," Anna muttered. Mary's hand grasped at hers. Propriety didn't matter when one's son might be dead.
"Johnny has been injured."
"Injured? How… is he…" The word stuck in her throat.
"He's injured," Mary repeated. "The telegram only says what battle and that he's been injured. We'll have to wait for more information. Hopefully a letter from Johnny will come soon."
"But he's not…. he's not dead?" Anna asked. Mary's hand tightened its hold.
"No, he's not dead. We know that at least."
Anna felt a tear escape. The world began to spin around her and everything went dark.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
The last thing Johnny remembered was a loud boom overhead. After that, he blacked out. When he awoke, he felt a grogginess in his head and a pain soaring through his bones. He felt especially sore in his right shoulder. He tried to sit up.
"No, no," a soft voice said into his ear. "Lie back down."
Johnny did as he was told. He attempted to open his eyes. The brightness stung.
"You nearly got yourself killed," the soft voice continued. It was warm and inviting.
Johnny blinked, adjusting to the light. That was when he saw her. The nurse attending him wore a kind smile. Her dark, soulful brown eyes looked right into him through her glasses. And one stray auburn hair had fallen down from her pulled up bun.
"They say you're a hero," she kept talking. "You saved three other men. You look very young. What were you thinking?"
Johnny tried to remember what exactly happened before. He could only recall the loud sound and how he'd jumped to cover those behind him. It didn't make him a hero.
"I'm not a hero," he croaked. The girl's lips curled up slightly, and she let out a small laugh.
"Ah, so you're handsome and modest?" The girl lifted his hurt arm, making him wince. But she didn't pause at what she was doing. Her gentle hands unwrapped his bandage, replacing it with another. "What is your name?"
"Johnny," he answered.
"I'm Molly. Molly Lewis, no middle name because my mum and dad couldn't agree on one. Silly, isn't it? They only agreed on my first name because of Molly Brown. You know her, right? Woman from the Titanic? Of course, her name was short for Margaret. My parents only liked Molly, though, so that's me- Molly."
Molly lifted Johnny's head and held a cup under his lips.
"Take a sip. It's important to stay hydrated, Johnny. Is Johnny a nickname for John?"
Johnny nodded.
"Oh, I love that. It's a classic name. Were you named after your father?"
Again, Johnny nodded.
"Lovely, really lovely! I would've been named after my father too, had I been a boy. But then I'd be Ted. Not that it's the worst name, I just think my parents could have been more creative. But John, that's a good classic, sound name."
"Molly!" a voice yelled across the room. "Stop talking and do your job."
Johnny watched a blush creep up Molly's neck to her cheeks.
"Sorry," she bashfully said to him. "I…."
"Don't. I like your voice. It's a pleasant distraction." Her blush grew, as well as her smile. "Could you write to my mum? Let her know that I'm alright?"
"Of course I can," Molly promised. She blotted his forehead with a towel. "What's your mum's name?"
"Anna?"
"Oh, what a beautiful name. I knew a woman named Anna once….." Molly continued to chatter on. Johnny hadn't been lying. Molly's chatter helped take him away from his pain. Plus, as long as she spoke, she was with him. He liked her with him.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
She received little news about Johnny. Even though Mary tried to use her contacts for her, they didn't get any news. All they heard was that he was in a make shift hospital that they could not visit.
Anna hadn't slept since she'd received the news. They decided against telling Pippa, which Anna hoped they wouldn't regret. But there was little Pippa could do and it would only worry her.
"Oh darling," Mary said, coming into the bedroom. Anna sat on the edge of the bed, lost in her thoughts. "Look, there's a letter for you. I don't recognize the hand writing."
Anna took the letter from Mary. The hand writing was new. It couldn't be worse news, could it? If her son were dead, another soldier or set of soldiers would have come, right?
She opened the letter. Inside was a note written by a young woman named Molly. She said she was writing this letter for Johnny. Anna's hand clutched over her chest.
"It's from the nurse who is at Johnny's bedside. He's alright." A cry escaped her lips. "He's hurt, but he's going to be alright."
"I knew he would be," Mary said. She wrapped her arm around Anna, drawing her close and kissing her temple. "I knew he would."
Fall 1971
She felt shaky and uneasy on her feet, but Mary could not tell the others that. They should keep the energy on Anna, who was losing herself more and more each day. Sometimes, the light would shine in Anna's eyes and Mary would believe Anna could see her for who she was.
"Mother, sit in the wheelchair," George said. Mary glanced down at the contraption.
"I can very well walk," she argued. He huffed.
"You are so stubborn."
"Yes, and I can walk." They were taking a family walk around the gardens. Anna sat in a wheelchair. She hardly walked anymore. It was almost as though she'd forgotten how. Mary hated being treated like an invalid. She would walk, even if she felt weak.
"Mary! Mary!" Anna called out. Mary looked down beside her, brushing her hand over Anna's cheek.
"Darling, I'm here," she promised. Anna clasped at her hand.
"Is the war over?" Her eyes searched Mary's intensely. Mary assumed all her talks with Jack about the war now filled Anna's head.
"Yes, darling. It's over. Our boys are home."
Anna smiled. Mary patted her cheek.
"We're all together, darling. All of us, right now."
"The boys are home?"
"Yes, darling. The boys are home."
To be continued...
