After watching Tom disappear into his room Mary continued up the staircase and looked down the hallway for a moment. Instead of going towards her own room, she knocked on her parents' bedroom door. "Come in," her mother answered. She entered and found her mother in bed, reading a magazine, and her father was sitting in a chair, looking over the evening paper.
"Mama, Papa," she acknowledged, entering the room.
"Is everything alright?" her mother looked concerned.
"Yes – no – I don't know. There's just something I wish to discuss with the two of you," she sat on the edge of the bed. "Something happened and I just do not know what to think."
"You sound so serious, Mary," her mother said, putting down her magazine. "I hope it's not bad news."
"No, not bad. Surprising, though. You see, I just received a proposal."
"Really?" her mother smiled.
"That Mr. Talbot certainly moves quickly, I'll give him that," Robert observed, standing up. "Why on earth didn't he stay for dinner then?" He picked up a cigar and lit a match.
"It wasn't Henry Talbot," Mary said, calmly. "It was Tom."
"WHAT?" her mother's jaw dropped.
"The devil it was!" her father said, almost dropping his lit match on the floor.
"Tom? Mary, Tom? Sybil's Tom?" her mother asked.
"He's not Sybil's Tom anymore," she answered patiently.
"He has asked you to marry him?" her mother seemed both delighted and amazed.
"Yes," Mary said, quietly pleased at the reaction.
"Tom – Branson? As in your brother-in-law?" Robert asked.
"Yes, Papa."
"This – this couldn't have come out of nowhere. You must have had some clue as to his intentions?" her mother pressed.
"I don't know," Mary shook her head. "I suppose I must have known – but it was still very surprising."
"It's stunning," her father said, sitting down and taking a large sip of brandy.
"How did you answer?" Cora asked.
"I said no," Mary breathed. "But he didn't accept it."
"He didn't accept it?" her mother repeated in amazement. Mary was surprised to see how tickled she was at this news.
"No," Mary answered. "He insisted that I needed more time to consider," she looked at the bedspread and traced the pattern with her fingers. "He said he'd be patient." Neither of her parents spoke, as Mary was clearly still thinking to herself. She continued to look at the bedspread. "Of course there's George and Sybbie to think about…"
"Two daughters married to the chauffer, my God," Robert said aloud.
"Robert!" Cora fixed him with a hard stare.
"I haven't accepted him," Mary insisted. Her frosty exterior rising. Her mother noticed it with concern.
"Mary, you mustn't let your father's rather rude comment shake you. I remember very well when we sat in this very room together after Matthew first proposed. You weren't sure whether to accept him. Do you remember what I asked you?"
"You asked me if I loved him," Mary answered with a distant smile.
"Do you love Tom?"
Mary didn't answer.
"He could have jolly well asked my opinion on the thing," Robert huffed.
"Do you blame him? Especially when you just referred to him as the chauffer?" Cora countered.
Robert grumbled and took a puff on his cigar.
"I don't want things to change," Mary thought aloud. "We're so happy. He and Sybbie, and me and George… why did he do this and upset everything?" Mary asked.
"Because he's in love with you," her mother answered.
Mary looked at Cora in surprise. "He did say that," Mary admitted.
"Well it all makes sense," Cora said. "He wouldn't have asked you if he wasn't."
"Just a moment now, who's side are you on here?" Robert asked Cora.
"I'm on Mary's side," Cora answered calmly. "And whoever it is that will make her happy."
"But what about Henry Talbot?" Robert asked, dropping his cigar in the ashtray. "He's a nice enough chap, and for one thing, he wasn't married to your sister."
"Robert!" Cora looked at him with real annoyance.
"Well," Mary took a deep breath, "to answer your question, Papa, there are two things wrong with Henry Talbot. One, he hasn't asked me, and two, I doubt he ever will."
"You sent him away?" Cora asked.
"I did, yes."
"Why on earth would you do that?" Robert asked. "Surely you know that incident with George was not his fault at all."
"No, it wasn't that. Honestly, I don't even know why I did it," Mary confessed. "He showed up, out of the blue, and started to hurl accusations at me, and I just had no interest in ever seeing him ever again. And I told him so."
"Could you have sent him away because of your feelings for Tom?" Cora asked.
Robert stared at his wife in frustration but Mary just closed her eyes. "I don't think I have an answer for that. At least not tonight." She rose to her feet.
"Mary, what are you going to do?" Cora asked with worry.
"I have no idea," she admitted. "I do not know what to do."
Robert looked as though he had a lot to say, and yet Cora stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "It's probably best to just sleep on it for now," Cora advised.
Mary started nodding before she spoke. "Yes, that's wise. Goodnight Mama. Goodnight Papa." She went to the door.
"Sleep well, Mary," Cora smiled as her daughter left the room.