To the Guest Reviewer who was ecstatic for a continuation of this series, I absolutely love your enthusiasm! Moreover, you'll definitely get some more student reactions. And, though it won't be quite apparent in this chapter, we will definitely get more hints of different talents this time around!
Author's Note: Thank you so very much for your continued patience! Definitely a longer chapter than normal, if only to help further the set-up of the story. Don't be surprised if there's some similarities/references to ISNSIV as well as Dashing ;)
To add a little more resolution on the Mrs. Butte front, there'll be a mentioning of that here among other things. Heads up for law-based readers: I totally took some liberties on those proceedings. And, in regards to college/uni internships, liberties were also taken!
Technical Note For Reading: Thinking will look like this. Singing will "look like this". Text messages will look like this. - RC
_._
Monday, the 6th of January, 2020
5:41 a.m.
It was just the start of another day for Elsie Hughes.
That it, it was just the start of another except for a few key differences:
Instead of absorbing a dull and faded room, she could breathe in the beautiful sensation that came with the sun greeting her. Instead of vaguely stirring to life and wondering what she was doing with her life, she could wake up to the sight of Charles Carson by her side –– a sight she would happily hold onto for as long as she could.
Subconsciously glancing down at her ring, the alexandrite gleaming in the morning haze, she smiled to herself as she brought that same hand up to cup her fiancé's cheek. But upon realizing that it would be far more delightful to do something more than merely caress, Elsie brought her lips to his in an effort to tenderly wake up her man.
Besides, they could afford to stay in bed for a little while longer.
_._
7:17 a.m.
"Mary, we're going to be late! Come on, already!"
It was such a pity, in the eyes of the eldest Crawley sister, that Sybil was so enamored with Tom Branson she no longer walked with them to school. It meant that Edith and Rose were Mary's only companions on days like today.
Did you get an email from Mrs. Hughes today? - MC
She had sent this more than five minutes ago, having been awaiting his response for three of those. But it seemed Matthew Crawley had better things to do with his time than actually respond to her inquiries, apparently.
Right. Just as she was resigning herself to coldly taking to the stairs, knowing that her sister was getting impatient, the soprano felt a familiar vibration from her phone. Refraining from smiling to herself, having been eager to get his opinion on this for quite some time, she glanced down with bated breath.
SO, APPARENTLY, WE MIGHT BE DOING A SONG FROM RENT! - RM
BUT I'M NOT TELLING YOU MORE UNTIL YOU GET OUTSIDE. WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING IF WE'RE LATE - RM
She didn't want to kill Rose, not really.
But the idea of seriously maiming or injuring the young woman suddenly felt appealing.
_._
7:19 a.m.
It was with a faint sense of curiosity that Violet Crawley approached her institution. While she did agree, somewhat begrudgingly, that change would be necessary for the choirs she still felt a sense of trepidation about the path they were on. It didn't help to feel sidelined by a lack of consultation, but that was neither here nor there.
Now was the time to publicly support Mr. Carson and his fiancée in their music endeavours as best as she could.
If only she felt fully assured that she could.
_._
7:37 a.m.
"I can't believe they're actually going to do it!"
Lavinia jolted from eyeing her cell phone as Rose MacClare continued to squeal about, the second soprano quite clueless as to what her friend was chattering away about. They made the unlikeliest of friends, having accidentally bumped into one another at lunch last semester, but it somehow balanced out.
"What's going on, Rose?" The blonde curiously asked, knowing that her friend needed a moment to calm down. However, instead of continuing to elaborate, Rose opted to hold up her phone and show her. But, seeing as how it was Rose, a verbal explanation came out anyway: "Gladys just sent out a picture –– the music's finally come in!"
It was all true. Gladys Denker had indeed sent Rose a picture that contained stacks of brand-new music. And barely glancing at the top of the stacks in the image, they could already tell what genre these new pieces were for: musical theatre.
"But, wasn't there budget cuts last year? How can we afford to pay for new music?" Evelyn Portillo, shamelessly eavesdropping nearby, decided it was worth it to insert herself into the conversation. Fortunately, Rose didn't care either way.
"Didn't you hear, they kept getting money after we fundraised! Mrs. Hughes forgot to deactivate the GoFundMe page." Here, Rose grinned as though she'd had a hand in this forgetting, "So, people kept donating to our cause after we paid for the trip."
"You mean, we're actually going to do this?" Evelyn asked, having not really believed that Mr. Carson would commit to putting on a musical theatre showcase.
Rose's grin only widened, the infectious expression quickly spreading amongst the young women, "We're actually going to do this."
_._
9:48 a.m.
Chords of all kinds blanketed the air as the young woman made her way up a staircase that had taken far too long to find. The sound of fingers twirling down the keys of a piano lingered in the distance, the quality of performance informing her the current pianist was a budding student.
Oh, who was she kidding? Linda Vance considered herself to be a "budding student" after all this time. And yes that was with more than a decade of musical experience at hand. But, luckily, uni had deemed her worthy enough of interning at Downton and helping the choirs pull of their showcase.
Yup. She had the backing of her uni and enough experience she felt she could pull off her first chance of assistant teaching.
If only she wasn't atrociously late.
"Are you late, too?"
Linda turned to the sound of a light-haired student making her way up the stairs. It only figured a student would be witnessing her fumble about.
"We're not really late," The younger woman continued, "But, Mr. Carson's version of on-time is most people's version of really early. But, you're a transfer, so I'm sure it'll be fine."
Oh, great. Day 1 and it was all probably over for her now. And, no, Linda didn't have the courage to correct the situation: if this student thought her a transfer instead of an assistant teacher, she wasn't going to correct her anytime soon.
"Excited for the new semester?" Although Linda didn't want to correct the younger woman, that didn't mean the teaching assistant wanted to ignore her.
"More like nervous." The light-haired singer confessed, "I've never even touched musical theatre before, I wouldn't know where to begin."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll be brilliant!" Her vibrant energy alone had Linda believe this student could do quite well with musical theatre.
"I dunno, I think I know who's getting all the solos anyway."
At this, the teaching assistant shook her head in disbelief, refusing to give credence to that thought.
"Well, I think you won't know till you try. But, if that's too cliché for you," The singer gave a sheepish smile at this, letting Linda continue, "Try this on: the only difference between nerves and excitement is a smile."
The student looked surprised by this sentiment, the pair of them carrying on in silence as the younger woman began to comprehend the meaning of the message.
"Cheesy, I know," Linda continued once it seemed appropriate, "But, I really find it to be true."
"Miss Vance, I presume?"
Oh, dear.
"Good morning, Mr. Carson!" The student beside her cheerfully greeted, oblivious to Linda's growing anxiety at the unexpected appearance of the choir director. "I'm afraid I'm the reason she's late –– we were chatting about the new semester!"
"Were you now?" Reigning in what semblance of serenity she had left, Linda met the gaze of the imperious man with a hesitant smile. She couldn't read anything in those brown eyes of his, nothing other than an aloof wall that shielded whatever was on his mind. "Yes, well, I'd like a word with Miss Vance, Ellie."
The unspoken command deeply embedded in his statement, Linda could only detachedly watch as Ellie quickly carried herself up the steps to the second fourth floor. Though, reminding herself of the advice she'd only just offered to Ellie, Linda held on tightly to a small smile.
"So, you're our volunteer teaching assistant, then?" He already knew the answer, but wanted official confirmation. No doubt as to begin a lecture on punctuality and why she would be soon getting the boot.
"That's right. Mr. Carson, I presume?" In retrospect, her hint of cheek was in poor taste. It certainly was the opposite of smooth, that much was evident. But, if nothing else, at least she tried to be friendly despite feeling terribly off-balance.
"I take it you enjoy being late to your duties?" At this, Linda decided to squarely meet the choir director in the eye. By this point, she'd accepted her fate of a stern lecture if not leaving altogether, and was going to hold her ground as best as she could.
"Not exactly, Mr. Carson, no." She wouldn't tell him that this was the most exciting opportunity she's had in ages –– he probably wouldn't care by now. But, she did need to confess as to what held her back this morning: "There was an accident on the motorway this morning, one I hadn't planned for."
And then there was getting lost in the building because she thought there was no time to ask for directions. She wound up bumping into some English teacher who gave her a knowing look and shooed her in the direction of this stairwell. Yet, somehow, Linda had a feeling that Mr. Carson didn't care about her struggles in this labyrinthe of a school.
"I'm sure there was." Judging from his cordial tone, Linda was not winning any favours with the man. But, since he wasn't demanding she leave the premises at once, there was hope.
Of course, the day was young and she has a special knack for catastrophe.
"Well, it's too late to help with attendance." Linda leapt back into the present moment as Mr. Carson began to speak, "So you can help this next period by filing some music away. There's some sheet music from the previous semester that hasn't been dealt with yet."
"Right." Inwardly thanking her lucky stars she still had an internship, "I promise that this won't happen again, Mr. Carson."
"See that it doesn't, Miss Vance."
_._
10:51 a.m.
Normally, Phyllis Baxter was all for spending her lunch period with her significant other, Joseph Moseley. However, what with the mysterious invitation she received this last weekend, her mind was far from her
"You mean, Mrs. Hughes sent you an email about some singing thing?"
"Through our official school emails, yes," The alto was still confused by the whole thing, having re-read the message about four times by now. Joseph tried his best to look away from the phone screen at the sight of the email, but eventually she handed over the device for him to peruse.
"You sure?" While Phyllis wasn't the most private of people, she didn't hand over her phone to anyone. She never explained why privacy was important and he never asked. But that just meant this was even more important than he anticipated.
"Yeah." Of course she trusted him with her phone. In her mind, that only made perfect sense.
Taking a glimpse at the device in question, Joseph began to quietly read.
Dear Phyllis,
I would appreciate it if we could meet after-school to discuss a singing opportunity I have in mind for you. There is no pressure to agree to anything, but I would like to chat. Please let me know when you've received this email and if you are available to meet.
Best,
Mrs. Hughes
"I personally think it's sweet she's cool with us calling her 'Mrs. Hughes', to the point where she signs off with it." He eventually offered this comment because he had no idea what else to say. Phyllis snorted a bit, smiling at this adorable quality of her boyfriend's. That he wanted to help and that he was willing to say something even when he didn't know what to do, all of that brought her a lot of joy.
"I just wish I knew what was going on, you know?"
"Of course I do, Phyll," The young singer blushed a little at the nickname, still not used to him calling her that but enjoying it very much. "But, whatever's going on, I'm here to help."
And that was only one of the many reasons she was grateful to be dating him.
_._
1:27 p.m.
As the bell began to signal the start of the seventh period, Elsie Hughes felt a weight drop within her. This time last year, there had been more than sixty young women participating in or the Treble Choir. Today, she counted not more than thirty before her.
Charles wasn't lying when he spoke of low registration rates. Something the teacher knew going into this school year, but something she found to be disheartening nevertheless. Especially when she could tell that the scars from the older students had latched onto the younger ones, the ones who never had to deal with Mrs. Butte.
This was a reality Elsie had already had a semester to get used to. And while she had essentially made peace with this fact, today seemed to be a day wherein peace was not quite possible.
"Good afternoon, ladies!"
But, the silver lining was that these young women before her had long since started to let go of their trepidation about singing. That, they had begun to trust her to an extent that she felt they were quite ready for the semester ahead.
Now it was only a matter of reassuring them that they did have this all well in hand.
_._
2:22 p.m.
"Just like last semester, there will be one opening and two finale pieces that involve the entire choir. However, as you already heard earlier, every choir will have only three songs to perform." Mrs. Hughes kept a light air about her, looking to be intentionally oblivious to the excitement Edith felt from the entire room.
"Now, each song will have costumes and there will be stage-blocking when we're ready for it," The Scot continued on, explaining that the rehearsals for the a cappella choir would be similar to the other choirs: in the beginning they'd be focused on purely learning the music. The focus would then shift to staging the production in the auditorium and ensuring that the choir segments of music were solidified. Once that occurred, there'd be a few mandatory after-school rehearsals so the choirs could work with the band and orchestra - the goal being to get the entire department involved.
"Are there any questions–– yes, Rose?" All heads turned in exasperation to the soprano in question, knowing she could barely contain her excitement.
"Mrs. Hughes, what are the songs we'll be working with this semester?"
Snickers and chuckles broke out at this, all the students well aware that the older woman was going to get to that part in a minute. What would be the point otherwise?
"Before we discuss that, are there any other questions?" Rose blushed at this but continued to boldly hold the gaze of her teacher until it was clear there were no other questions to be had. "Right."
_._
2:23 p.m.
Discreetly sparing a glance in the direction of Mr. Carson's desk, Mrs. Hughes approached her own desk with an unusual sense of trepidation. Unbeknownst to the choir, this first song they'd be working with was not one of her own selection. Nor was it her fiancé's, much to his frustration.
It was entirely thanks to Cora Crawley that this particular song was being performed.
"We will only be looking at one piece today," This is what she got for being abnormally indecisive about what the a cappella choir should perform. Everyone else had been fairly easy; there were far too many possibilities in this realm for her to make a simple decision. Consequently, the rest of the a cappella music was still being shipped to Downton. "It is a barbershop arrangement, so there won't be an official solo."
But, just what is the song, Mrs. Hughes? She could hear that question fervently buzz around the room, though none of them would dare to speak up.
Gripping the stack of music in her hands, Elsie hoped this wasn't a mistake and reminded herself that she had once enjoyed this musical. Or, at least, Beryl had and she'd gone along for the ride and walked away unable to get it out of their heads. It was catchy, that was for sure. And she had eventually found herself singing some of the bits, willingly, when she was well out of her friend's earshot.
_._
2:24 p.m.
Edith watched as Mrs. Hughes brought all thirty-five copies of some sheet music to the piano, the writer getting the vibe that something was off. When the older woman proceeded to turn back to them without another word, as though they could read her mind, she knew this was not going to be their normal bit.
"Mrs. Hughes?" Bless Sybil for being one of the few who could break the confusion and find out what was going on. "Is everything all right?"
"It is." Looking to regain herself, "Our first song we will be performing is 'Summer Nights' as from the musical Grease ."
The reaction to this news was, suffice to say, mixed.
_._
4:13 p.m.
"And how did you fare today?" Madalynn Thorn had been a little surprised to see that choir teaching assistant trudge down the stairs this late in the day. She figured most teaching assistants would've bolted as soon as possible, which would've been about an hour ago.
"Pretty all right. Though I do have one question." Madalynn smiled in amusement at this, not necessarily feeling that she was the best person to answer a choir-related question.
"Wouldn't it be more suitable to ask Mr. Carson or Mrs. Hughes about any questions you have?"
Here's where the teaching assistant looked a little sheepish, "It's about them, actually."
"Oh?" Madalynn prepared herself for the worst, thoroughly ready to defend her friends' honour if need be. If this woman thought she could besmirch the name of some of the finer teachers in this school, she had another thing coming.
"Are they engaged?" The younger woman blurted this before she could think it through, the words fumbling out without a trace of eloquence.
The whole thing sent Madalynn straight into snickers. And when she finally did recover half a minute later, much to the confusion of the woman before her, she only had one question for the assistant:
"Did the rings not give it away?"
_._
4:37p.m.
"Finished with the day have you?"
Beryl made sure to keep a good eye on Elsie, knowing that her smile was already far more weary than normal. But, it made sense: there were a lot more responsibilities this time around, both for the choirs and for themselves.
"Beryl, You know as well as I that these days are never quite finished." The redhead dryly chuckled at this, being quite familiar with the feeling.
"Have you found us a tenor at least?" After talking to their friends from the other pond, it'd been suggested that –– to increase the presence of barbershop singing at Downton –– there should be a faculty barbershop quartet. Interestingly enough, Clar had little to do with this suggestion: it'd been mostly thanks to Liam, Elena, and Joylin.
Problem is, it was hard to form a proper quartet on top of directing a showcase and planning a wedding. Luckily, Phoebe had volunteered to step in for the role of baritone, citing that it'd be the perfect reason for Carlisle and Downton to collaborate. It'd even inadvertently led to their other brilliant idea, a collaborative idea still in the works but one that would hopefully pan out.
In any case, with Phoebe's help, they now only needed to find a tenor and figure out the music in order to make this work –– something that, in theory, wasn't all that too difficult to orchestrate.
"I haven't had the time," Elsie confessed darkly, frustrated with herself. "You'd think, having gone through this before, it'd be easier the second time around."
But, with every decision came a pang. A pang that reminded her of what had once been. A nibbling concern that spoke to the fear that it would all repeat –– that they would be happy, so very happy, but something would happen and she would lose Charles just like she did Joe. It'd been enough of a worry she'd been flinging herself into this showcase more so than the wedding. She even mentioned the worry to Charles, but that'd been months ago. The fear still lingered, bringing her to focus on all of this.
Except, this showcase was as stressful as the wedding –– it was only for entirely different reasons. Working with the trauma left behind by Emma Butte, carefully picking pieces that everyone would adore, focusing on the details necessary to keep them going, understanding what went into hosting a competition, it was more than its fair share of work.
"Els, you know weddings are always gonna be stressful. Absolutely worth it, but absolutely stressful." Beryl sharply reminded her, not wanting to see that self-beration continue. And, knowing that the subject had to be positively shifted if sanity were to remain, "The budget's been finalized, right?" Although the Scot nodded in relief, Beryl wasn't finished yet, "And I do believe you've got the perfect cake topper!"
Outright snorting at the fond memory, "We do indeed!"
Archie Philpotts, Beryl's dear nephew, had been so kind as to volunteer his services for that. The end result was an incredibly endearing hand-made cake topper. Adorned with colorful scrawls only a child could make, Archie had cut out and glued together a topper that read as, "MR. AND MRS. HUGHES" –– something that never failed to crack Beryl, Elsie, or even Charles up.
Which, speaking of the choir director, "I still can't get over the fact that he was the one who said we simply had to use that topper in the wedding!"
"I suppose that's just life for you," Elsie said, not having been too surprised by it. Tickled and absolutely agog with delight? Undoubtedly. However, having gotten to know her fiancé more and more, that moment had come as less of a surprise and more of an affirming joy.
"Oh, sure, it's 'just life'." Beryl began to snicker, "Or, perhaps, it's 'just' a change in the bedroom?"
Fully distracted by the implications, as was the hope of her friend, "Beryl Patmore! Might I remind you that..."
_._
Thursday, the 9th of January, 2020
3:42p.m.
"So, you're telling me," It was a habit of his to walk back home on the phone and briefly chat with Danny at least a few times during the week. They did make a habit of texting when they could and Snapchatting as well. But, with the time difference, the pair had learned to become accustomed to contact that wasn't as frequent as other couples. "That you just found out your evil teacher from hell–– I mean, from the last few years," Thomas couldn't help the guffaw that escaped at that, pleased Danny understood what Mrs. B had been like. "Can no longer teach, like, at all. And, not only that, she's even gonna serve a sentence now that the verdict's been determined?"
"Yup." It'd been something that had been in the background of the fall semester, something that none of the students would ever broach in front of Mr. Carson or Mrs. Hughes unless they had to. But, the teaching duo had announced as such earlier this week and now Thomas was getting a chance to briefly update his boyfriend.
"So, you guys can put it all behind it you now?"
Sighing a bit, "I'm not sure how long it'll take for that to happen, but it's officially done with, yes."
"Well, that's something! And, your former friend's run off to do a program in India?"
The baritone nodded, having been relieved that O'Brien was out of the picture these days. But, when he remembered Danny couldn't actually see him, "Right."
"Annnddd was I wrong in seeing that you got a chance to do some special singing?"
Thomas chuckled at this, remembering the text he'd sent before meeting with Mrs. Hughes earlier this week, hardly believing the time that'd flown since then "Honestly, I still have to say yes to all of that."
"And why wouldn't you?"
The baritone sheepishly paused, ruminating over the email and discussion he had with the Scot from before. It certainly been intriguing, but he needed to think about it a little more before saying anything for sure. Besides, he didn't know for sure who he'd be working with. And while that wouldn't make or break his decision, it would have an impact.
But, before Thomas could explain " Oh, I am so sorry, but my next class is about to start so I gotta go. We'll talk later, all right?'
"Of course!" These phone-calls were one of the highlights of the week; he wouldn't miss them for the world.
"Love you!"
Now past the point of caring about being overheard in public, "Love you, too!"
And, holding onto a small smile for himself, Thomas hung up the call and looked around the snowy landscape. They were crawling into the worst of winter, but somehow that didn't phase him. Mrs. Butte was gone for good, Mr. Carson had actually loosened up and allowed Mrs. Hughes to put on a musical theatre showcase, his relationship with Danny was still going strong even with the distance, and he'd be graduating in a few months.
All in all, it was really smooth-sailing as of late. To the point where he found himself warily eyeing the outside world for a beat, waiting for some form of bad luck to suddenly befall him because it all felt too good to be.
But, all the world contained for him today was peace.
And, if Thomas had learned anything from this last year, it was to take advantage of these kinds of days.
Because they certainly didn't last forever.
_._
5:03 p.m.
Francesca Barnes, the head of choral studies at Carlisle Institute, was not nervous, per se. Rather, she was hesitant. Cautious, quite possibly to a fault. Still, caution and not-nervousness aside, she could acknowledge that Phoebe Miller's plans tended to succeed.
Or, at least, the plans that didn't involve Emma Butte tended to succeed.
Nevertheless, "You do realize that there's a lot of pressure for success with this one, yes?"
Phoebe Miller calmly met her director's stare, knowing that this plan would change a lot if it succeeded. That, it would quite possibly begin to bring a kinder reputation to Carlisle's doors. That, at the very least, it would begin to form an alliance many thought impossible.
"I do."
"Right." She still didn't like the sound of this. "Carlisle has agreed then?"
"We've got permission, yes." Phoebe Miller took a glimpse at her phone, hoping for an interruption. She really did like her boss and friend, she also happened to be quite uninterested in stressing out about the situation until it was time to do so. And, contrary to what Francesca was liable to say, that older woman was quite the worry-wart. "Which reminds me: I'm actually to meet with Mrs. Hughes tomorrow to discuss some more details. Will you be all right handling part of the rehearsals without me?"
Francesca nodded, "We'll manage. You just make sure Downton sticks to their agreement."
"Of course."
Granted, it wasn't Mrs. Hughes that Francesca was worried about. It was the choir director that Francesca suspected of backing out, Mr. Charles Carson. Still, the key in this instance was to maintain good relations. So long as that occurred and Downton began to realize that Carlisle did not have to be a rival Francesca would be satisfied.
Or, at least, that's what she told herself.
Truth be told, the director of Carlisle Institute was still floored by the fact that they were getting this opportunity. That this unexpected gift fell into their lap and it wasn't some sort of trap, as far as she could tell. It felt like it was only yesterday that she was hearing about the whole thing, even though it'd been weeks in the making now.
_._
Thursday, the 12th of December, 2019
3:14 p.m.
"Phoebe? Francesca Barnes was all for admiring her colleague's determination to excel at teaching, but the director of the choral program at Carlisle Institute hardly felt that late hours needed to be kept, what with the Winter Choral Concert being over for more than a week. "What are you still doing here? It's getting late."
"Is it? I hadn't noticed." Now, that was a bit alarming for the director to hear. Phoebe Miller was one of the more punctual and attentive individuals within the school. Her rehearsals always ran right on schedule, the timing usually being quite impeccable. "Oh, I see what you mean."
Now that her subordinate was taking the time to glance at the closest clock in the room of 144, Francesca took a moment to closely observe her colleague. The woman had been showing signs of stress lately, and not just the kind that came with pulling off a successful show. It wouldn't be obvious to the outside world, but Francesca liked to believe that she had known Phoebe long enough to see the tell-tale signs.
In short, something was up and Francesca was determined to find out just what.
"Phoebe," Maneuvering over to the table that her colleague had currently taken over, setting aside the music sheets delicately laid out –– already, her friend was prepping for the springtime shows and competitions. "Is everything all right?"
However, Francesca didn't stop there. Leaning against the table slightly, the woman kept her posture fairly relaxed and positioned so as to seem unassuming. She then went on, upon seeing her friend struggle to speak, to tilt her head at a slight angle. It was an old tip that a communications teacher had taught her –– a cue that normally coaxed people into being a bit more open than normal.
Because sometimes taking care of your friends meant that you had to do less talking and more subtle action. You couldn't always ask them what was on their mind, you needed to show that it was truly all right.
"Actually," Phoebe was still hesitant, but she looked more willing to talk than normal. "I had an idea about the spring. Well, it wasn't just my idea. But,"
When realizing that her colleague needed a little more encouragement, "Go on."
"Well, it's a bit unorthodox, really." Francesca refrained from letting any obvious sense of emotion appear on her face. She kept her demeanour reassuringly calm, imagining herself to be in the midst of a musical piece that demanded the most considerate expression she could possibly give. "And, it involves Downton Academy."
"Does it now?" Well, now she had to know everything.
And, little did Francesca Barnes know, soon enough she would indeed know everything.
_._
Author's Note: No worries, I won't be stringing out the suspense for much longer!
But, on a note of curiosity: Since Matthew and Mary are distant cousins, I don't know how I feel about their being together in a Modern AU. They're definitely a classic pairing of mine on the show, but somehow the context feels different in this setting. Any thoughts?