Mary had left Aunt Rosamund's as soon as she received the telegram from her father. It was early morning when she arrived at Downton again. All the servants were scrambling about the house, trying to get everything ready for the arrival of Downton's new heir.
"Do you even know anything about him?" Mary asked Robert as soon as she was home.
"Not very much. I know his father died when he was very young, so it will just be him and his mother. He is a lawyer in Manchester, but he works in London from time to time. It's where he grew up," Robert explained.
"A middle class lawyer? That's who gets to inherit Downton?"
Robert stopped walking and turned to face his eldest daughter. Sighing, he gently put his hand on her arm. "Mary, you know I would do anything to let you have the estate…"
"Anything but try," she snapped. Robert sighed again.
"I have tried. I did everything I could."
"Everything must not have been good enough," she said. With that, Mary left him with nothing but his thoughts.
Robert wished Mary could accept that he had done his best to win the estate for her. He wasn't sure why it only meant so much to her after Patrick's death. She must have been as nervous about the unknown heir as he was. Robert had immediately jumped to the worst conclusions when he discovered the lawyer. What if he was hardly respectable, with no manners and an unpleasant personality? What if he was greedy and power hungry, and allowed his new status to get to his head? What if he put his own personal desires ahead of running the estate, the estate which generations had worked so hard to maintain?
Robert did everything he could to keep these possibilities from his mind. He might be terribly polite. He may be genuinely concerned for the estate. He could be a completely respectable person. He was a lawyer, and like all members of the middle class, he was a self-made man. Surely a self-made man would be a decent man.
Lord Grantham's mood improved greatly when the new chauffeur arrived. He had found it difficult to prepare for the lawyer's arrival without a form of easy transportation. Tom Branson's first job was to drive to the station to retrieve the heir and his mother and bring them to Crawley House. Robert had decided to give them a house on the estate, so they would be closer to Downton than if they stayed in town. They planned to meet them that evening at dinner.
Matthew couldn't keep his hands from sweating as he and his mother were driven to Downton that night. He had to dig through his clothes for quite some time before he could find his dinner jacket. He had never had a use for it, but he was glad he had it now. Isobel sat across from him, trying her best to hide her nerves. She was doing an exceptional job, or perhaps she didn't have many nerves that needed hiding. Of course the situation was all easier for her. She didn't have to worry about pleasing the Crawley family the way he did. If they didn't find her to be a desirable person to be around, then it would hardly matter. Matthew and his distant cousins would have to put up with each other for who knows how long. He was determined to make a good impression.
Matthew couldn't control his reaction upon seeing Downton Abbey for the first time. It was the largest home he had ever seen. It was too big for a family of five, and he was expected to run it. He couldn't be sure how large the grounds were, but they must be infinite. There would be farms too, and other servants that worked on the estate. For the first time since he was told he would be Downton's new heir, Matthew was absolutely overwhelmed.
The car pulled up to the front of the house, and Branson stepped down from his seat to open the door for Matthew and Isobel. Isobel stepped out first, and was immediately greeted by Lord Grantham and Carson. "I do apologize for the absence of my family and the servants," Robert explained. "They servants are busy preparing for dinner, and my wife and daughters are still changing."
"Don't worry about it, Lord Grantham. Your presence is greeting enough," Isobel smiled.
Robert waved his hand is dismissal. "Please, call me Cousin Robert, so long as I can do the same."
"Of course you can!" Isobel chimed. She was thrilled to be called "Cousin" by the Earl of Grantham.
"Shall we go to the drawing room? We can wait there for the rest of the family."
Robert led Matthew and Isobel to the drawing room where he was surprised to see his mother. "Cousin Isobel, Cousin Matthew, this is my mother, Lady Violet Crawley. Mother, this is Matthew Crawley, the new heir, and his mother Isobel."
Isobel held her hand out in greeting. "What shall we call each other?" she asked Violet.
The Dowager Countess was completely taken aback. She stared at Isobel with mockery. "Well we could always start with Mrs. Crawley and Lady Grantham," she said matter of factly.
Matthew and Robert tried to ignore the tension between Violet and Isobel. They were relieved when the family entered to room to provide a distraction.
Mary trailed behind her mother and sisters, mentally preparing herself to meet the man that would be taking what was rightfully hers. She didn't want to pretend she liked him. All Mary wanted to do was make sure he knew how much she disapproved of him. The last thing she wanted to do was smile and make polite conversation with him, like she had no reason to despise him.
Her mother and sisters didn't have to pretend. Cora was ready to be the most hospitable hostess, and Edith was hoping he would be a possible suitor. If Mary was going to turn him down, Edith was ready to step up to the plate. She saw no reason to rule out the heir to the estate.
Cora, Sybil and Edith entered, smiling graciously, and Mary followed suit. But Mary's smile faded immediately when she laid eyes on the lawyer for what was supposed to be the first time, not second.