A/N: Thank you for your lovely reviews!

From York to New York

Chapter Twelve

Mary's final dress fitting was at noon and Tom had an important errand to run that day, so they walked several blocks together before going their separate ways, agreeing to meet at the fountain in Central Park once they were through. They wanted to spend as much time away from chaos they had created as possible.

Mary admired her new wedding dress in the mirror at her shop. It was a little more modern and daring than anything she would think to wear in Downton with its shorter skirt and lower neckline, but she felt it worked quite nicely for a quick marriage in New York City. At any rate, she liked it very much. She had a feeling Tom would, too.

Tom was already waiting for her by the fountain when she was finished, sitting on the park bench. He stood when he saw her approaching. "All done, then?"

"It's ready. A few more adjustments, but I'll just need to pick it up before our big day." Mary thought ahead, finding it hard to believe it was only four days away. Four days and she would be married again... What a peculiar yet lovely thought.

"Are you ready to head back yet?"

Mary shook her head. "You know... I don't think I am."

Tom smiled. "I'm relieved to hear you say that. I'm not looking forward to another row."

"Neither am I," she said. They had only been gone an hour or two, and knowing Papa, he was likely still fuming. It would be best to wait a while longer to avoid getting caught up in his wrath. She paused before adding, "We really haven't had much of a chance to explore the city. We ought to take advantage as long as we're still here, since we won't be much longer."

"Why not?" Tom offered her his arm and they strolled through the park before wandering through the city. They stopped at a café for some lunch, where Mary compared the cuisine to that she had in France and regaled Tom with stories of her trips to Paris.

"I've never been," said Tom at one point.

"Well, it's absolutely marvelous. We'll have to go sometime. Maybe as an anniversary trip in the future," mused Mary, already able to picture it. She wanted to travel the world with him...

As halfway through their meal, Mary said, "I was surprised Edith stuck up for us, after that production she made yesterday."

Tom shot her a look, one she knew was meant to chasten. "She loves us both and wants us to be happy. You can't deny that she had been given plenty of shocks... and in rapid succession, at that."

Mary sighed. She supposed that was fair enough.

"And I like to think what I said to her brought her around to the idea of us," Tom continued.

Mary was intrigued. "And what did you say, pray?"

"I told her what's it like with us." Tom met her eye. "I told her how much you meant to me. How much I'd tried to hide it, even from myself... and how much I love you."

Mary's heart swelled from within her chest. She knew what he was saying was true and yet it still seemed so unbelievable to her. "Heavens," was all she was able to manage, "you'll make me blush."

"Then I'd consider it quite an accomplishment. I've never known you to be embarrassed about hardly anything," said Tom with a grin.

After they paid for their meal, Tom flagged down a cab. "I haven't had a chance to see the Statue of Liberty yet," he explained when Mary asked where he planned to take them.

The driver dropped them off to it as close as he possibly could, allowing them to admire it from a distance away. "Mama saw it when it was brought here," she murmured to him as they stared up at the impressive monument, hand in hand.

"Did she really?"

Mary nodded. "She was copper back then, though. The statue, not Mama," she quickly clarified needlessly with a wry smile, causing Tom to snort.

"Do you think she'll come around?" asked Tom. Then, with a small smile, he said, "Your mother, not the Statue of Liberty."

It was Mary's turn to muffle laughter now, even though she could tell Tom's question was a perfectly serious one. "I don't know. Probably. Especially once we tell everyone about the baby. You know how much she loves her grandchildren."

Some of the tension started to leave Tom. "That's true enough."

"She might come around in time for the wedding, but I'm not sure. And if she doesn't, Papa certainly won't," she admitted to him. Her eyes were fixed on the glittering waters but she knew his were fixed on her as she spoke. Mary didn't wish to upset him, she really didn't, but she found it so refreshing to be wholly honest. "But even if they do come, I know I won't be wholly forgiven."

"You don't need forgiveness," insisted Tom, his hold on her hand growing tighter. "You've done nothing wrong. We'vedone nothing wrong."

"That's not how they see it. They only can see their eldest daughter stealing away the widowed husband of their youngest daughter."

"But that's not how it is."

"I know that. But I know that must be what they're thinking."

"I think they're putting more of the blame on me than you," said Tom, chuckling without any humor.

"Well, I don't think they're none too pleased with me, either."

Tom was silent for a few moments, likely ruminating on the reactions they would receive once they returned. Then, "I don't think she would be angry with us. Nor Matthew. Not when things have turned out the way they have."

She was somewhat surprised by his pivot in topic. "Nor I, really," said Mary, glancing over to him, relieved to hear him say it all the same. "I think they would want us to be happy... and I think that's all that matters in the end."

Tom smiled at her, gaze soft and tender. "I think you're right." He let go of her hand only to wrap it around her waist, pulling her close to him as his lips went to her temple. Mary let her eyes fall shut. It was such an intimate touch in such a public place, but Mary was surprised at how little she minded. If she had learned anything in her life, it was that life was too short to not take full advantage of love.