A/N: Thank you very much to everyone who has taken an interest in this fic :) and a happy belated holidays to you all!
Chapter 2: Matthew and Mary spread their good news.
The following morning, Mary awoke unreasonably early. She had hardly slept through the night for excitement, and resolved to wake at first light to catch Carson and ask that he bring everyone together in the library before going through to breakfast. She hoped Matthew wouldn't mind, but she couldn't fathom the thought of sitting through an entire meal with her family without letting the news slip.
The servants had barely begun their morning duties. Mrs. Hughes was doling out instructions while Mrs. Pattmore and Daisy were already bickering over the preparations for the day's meals.
It of course came as a complete shock to them when suddenly in the doorway appeared Lady Mary Crawley, in her nightgown and dressing robe. The bustling staff froze completely, even Anna was unsure what to do in the situation.
"Why, Lady Mary, is everything all right?" Mrs. Hughes asked, ignoring decorum in her own surprise.
"Quite all right, Mrs. Hughes. I'm just looking for Mr. Carson, is he nearby?" she asked, her tone calm and collected. It only made the staff more curious.
"Mr. Carson? I believe he's in his office, m'lady. If you could follow me I'll direct you in."
"Excellent." Mary smiled contentedly and followed Mrs. Hughes down a small corridor. The servants watched in stunned silence.
"Well that's not something you see every day," Mrs. Pattmore said.
"What do you s'pose it's about?" Daisy asked.
Anna took this as her cue to deflect speculation.
"Who knows, Daisy, but finding out isn't going to clean the fireplaces any quicker. Now let's get a move on," she said, stern but still the warmest of any of the head servants. Daisy nodded and fell in line, following Anna up the stairs to the main floor. As she ascended, Anna smiled to herself, feeling a small sense of excitement at the fact that as far as she was aware, she was the only person in the house that knew of Mary and Matthew's secret.
"Lady Mary to see you, Mr. Carson," Mrs. Hughes said, entering his office. Carson stood in both surprise and obligation as Mary peaked her head into the room.
"I was hoping I could have a word with you before breakfast," she began.
"Certainly, m'lady, please, have a seat. Thank you, Mrs. Hughes."
Mary smiled at Mrs. Hughes as she exited the office, still in a bit of a daze at the bizarre event of the morning.
"How can I help you?" Carson asked. He noticed Mary did not take the seat he had offered her, preferring to stand. She seemed a bit jumpy. It took everything in Carson not to betray a smile at his understanding of her excitement.
"I wondered if you could do me a favor."
"Almost certainly, m'lady."
"When the family all gathers for breakfast, I wonder if you could usher them all in to the library before we sit down to table. You see…there is a matter of rather great urgency that I must discuss with my family and I suspect it will not be able to wait until after breakfast."
"I understand perfectly, Lady Mary. I will alert the ladies' staff as well to inform your aunt, sister and mother."
"Oh and if you wouldn't mind sending someone round for Granny and Mrs. Crawley after breakfast, I should also like to inform them as soon as possible."
"Very good, m'lady. Will that be all?"
"Well…I suppose so, yes. Thank you…" she began, but was a bit perturbed at his formality.
"Something the matter, m'lady?"
"No, it's just…aren't you wondering what I'm calling them together for? Surely you find this out of the ordinary."
Carson could feel himself on the verge of sweats. He may have at one time been a professional of the stage, but he feared his skills would not be enough to fool her.
"Well certainly, but of course it isn't my place to pry into such matters."
"Carson…I think we've known each other long enough for you to know I don't believe that. I've confessed my secrets to you, I've cried to you like an infant. I think you are entitled to pry when it comes to my circumstances."
"Fair enough, Lady Mary…" Carson gulped in nervousness. Mary noticed. He only grew more uncomfortable as her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she took a step toward his desk.
"Do you…know something?" Suddenly she became keenly aware of the reminder that Carson had been alone in a room with Matthew last night.
"On what score?"
"Carson…have you spoken to Matthew?"
Finally, Carson had to give up.
"Please don't be cross with him, it was my own fault. I admit I may have pulled the information out of him. I left him with very little choice but to confess and I now own up to this fault, it was highly unprofessional of me. Do forgive me and please spare Mr. Crawley any blame…"
"So you mean you suspected it?" Mary asked, ignoring his pleas for forgiveness because of course he didn't need any. Carson ceased fretting and his nervousness was replaced by a warm and knowing smile, the kind that made her feel so at ease confiding in him. He stepped around the desk so he was standing beside it.
"My dear, I have known you since you were a very small girl. And I have never once seen you smile as you did last night. Surely you'll forgive me the understanding that it could only have meant one thing."
Mary laughed in spite of herself, a small blush of embarrassment in her cheeks. She felt very much like that small girl in this moment.
"Oh, Carson!" she gasped, and flung her arms around the gentleman in a great hug, relieved to have yet another person to express her joy to. He was taken aback at first but joined her in contented laughter, offering a warm, almost fatherly embrace. One of them had to retain some sense of propriety. But he couldn't deny his happiness for her and she knew it.
"As long as you promise that he makes you happy." Carson said as they separated.
"He does." There was no doubt or hesitation whatsoever in Mary's voice. Only assurance and pride in the fact. At that moment, Carson looked up at the clock.
"Not to be the one giving orders, Lady Mary, but if I might suggest you seek out Anna, the day is soon to begin, no doubt. If my estimations are correct she should be close to your bedroom by now. Perhaps you should catch her…after all you've got a busy morning ahead." He said with a smile.
"Thank you, Carson. And if you are attending to Mr. Crawley this morning, please do inform him of the plan." She headed for the door, but stopped as she remembered one last important thing, "And if you could, I would like you to be present when we make the announcement as well…for moral support."
"It would be my sincere pleasure, my dear girl."
Mary nodded to him in satisfaction and disappeared from the office.
Elsewhere in the house, Matthew was just waking up. As his eyes opened, a rush of memory at the previous night's events came over him, filling him with energy. Almost like a child on Christmas morning, he pulled the covers from him and sat up from the bed. In one fluid motion, he strode to the edge of the room and rang for a servant.
Downstairs, Mrs. Hughes' ears perked to the sound of the bell, looking to the wall to see that it had come from a guest bedroom. Curious, she was glad to see Mr. Carson walk past her right at that moment, no doubt on his way to attend to whoever the mysterious guest was.
"Mr. Carson, who is it that's ringing? I wasn't aware we had a guest last night."
"That would be Mr. Matthew. He stayed late last night and Lady Mary felt it unwise that he walk home in the cold."
"Lady Mary did? Heavens. What is that girl up to these days. One day she's ready to walk down the aisle with Sir Richard, the next she's shoving him out the door and ordering rooms for Matthew Crawley, not to mention wandering downstairs in her night clothes at the crack of dawn. I know we've never seen eye to eye on her, but you must admit she's nothing if not fickle."
This was her way of trying to work him up into telling her what he and Mary had discussed in his office.
"Lady Mary Crawley has had to face difficult decisions as of late. It is not our place to judge the worth or logic of such decisions."
"I suppose so. It's just all a bit strange to me. I don't think I'll ever quite understand the two of them. I still say she's a fool for rejecting him those years ago."
She knew this would strike a nerve with Carson. Judging by the look on his face, she was correct.
"I'll thank you not to speak ill of her in that regard, Mrs. Hughes. You should know better than to speculate on matters in which you are decidedly under-informed."
Mrs. Hughes feigned some offense at this.
"Well then perhaps you should enlighten me. It seems whatever you two discussed this morning has made you quite unsettled."
Carson opened his mouth to retort, but after a few moments of thought, he stepped into an isolated corner of the hall and beckoned Mrs. Hughes to follow him.
"What I am about to say is not to leave our confidence until after breakfast, understood?"
Mrs. Hughes nodded eagerly in agreement.
"Last night…Lady Mary and Mr. Matthew…became engaged."
Despite all of her feelings toward Mary, most of which were negative, Mrs. Hughes couldn't help but gasp and smile. News of any engagement could never be bad, even if it concerned a woman she felt didn't deserve all of the support she had. As she thought about it, Mrs. Hughes realized that this was indeed the first choice Mary had ever made that she approved of entirely.
"Well…we've waited long enough for that, haven't we?" She said decidedly.
Anna was just finishing helping Mary put on her jewelry for the day. The two women had spoken giddily of what the morning would promise, lots of good news to be delivered throughout the house. Mary could hardly wait, and Anna was glad to be the one at her side in what was clearly the happiest moment of her life.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Anna and Mary looked to each other, curious. Anna moved to the door and opened it just enough so that whoever it was could not see all the way inside.
"Good morning, Anna," said Matthew Crawley, standing in the doorway, his hair neat but informal, dressed in a tweed suit. Anna entertained the funny thought that one day she would probably be serving this man as the Earl of Grantham.
"Good morning, Mr. Crawley," she replied. Mary's ears perked up.
"I wondered if Lady Mary is ready? And if so would she care to accompany me downstairs?"
Anna looked back at Mary, who nodded for her to open the door. She did, inviting Matthew to step in. She watched in delight as the pair took each other in, clearly fighting the urge to rush to one another in an embrace. Anna marveled at their ability to honor decorum even now.
"Good morning, Mary," he said pleasantly, folding his hands behind his back.
"Good morning," she replied, sporting the same grin she had had when he proposed. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, Matthew glancing back and forth between Anna and Mary.
"Oh, it's all right, Matthew. She knows." Mary said. He sighed in relief and immediately relaxed himself. He strode slowly toward Mary and gave her a small, sweet kiss on the lips. Anna politely looked away.
"Good morning." Matthew said low, their faces hardly an inch apart. Mary smiled in response. He stepped away, but took her hands in his.
"Carson has informed me of the schedule for the morning."
"I hope it's all right. I just couldn't see myself being able to keep silent through breakfast, and I wanted the whole family gathered at once."
"Quite all right. I would have woken the whole house last night if I could've." Matthew said, his face glowing with warmth and love. Mary gave him another small kiss. Suddenly, she remembered Anna standing beside them. They separated and Matthew moved toward the door.
"Shall we, my darling?" he said, holding out his hand to her. Mary chuckled and took it, glancing back at Anna who smiled at her encouragingly before they disappeared through the door.
Once in the corridor, Matthew looked left and right, checking that no one was nearby. When he decided all was clear, he pulled Mary to him for a deep, long kiss. She was utterly taken aback by it, but of course responded in kind. When they parted, she could hardly breathe.
"What was that for?" she gasped. He shrugged, a satisfied look on his face.
"Because I can."
With that, he held out his arm for her to take, which she did, and the pair seemed to float down the corridor toward the stairs.
Naturally, they found themselves the first to arrive in the library. They stood just outside it and shared one more kiss, this time for confidence and encouragement.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Aboslutely," she replied, "But why don't you wait out here for now. Enter with the family so we don't give the whole game away."
Matthew laughed a little. This was a side of Mary he had never seen before. She had never been quite so mischievous, but he liked it. The image of their faces upon being surprised by the news was too sweet to ignore. Clearly Mary felt the same.
"You're a little minx, aren't you?" he said playfully. She laughed and kissed him on the cheek. They parted toward their separate ways, she into the library, he to the outer hall to await the arrival of her family.
In no time, Carson was ushering Lord and Lady Grantham down the stairs, followed closely by Edith and Aunt Rosamund. Robert was clearly very unsettled by this odd turn of events and was hounding Carson for more information.
"Is she all right? Do you know what's the matter, Carson?"
"I do not, your Lordship, I couldn't say."
Matthew smiled at Carson's efforts. He knew how difficult this must be for him.
"Darling, there's no need to assume the worst." Cora cooed.
"If this has anything to do with Richard Carlisle I shall have his head, I tell you." Robert fumed. His wife simply laughed at him. Edith seemed a bit underwhelmed by the whole thing, probably most upset that her sister was delaying her from starting her day properly. She was hoping to see Sir Antony later that morning.
Finally, Lord Grantham noticed Matthew standing silently outside the library.
"Matthew? What on earth are you doing here? Tell me she hasn't called you all the way from Crawley house so early."
He chuckled. "No, no, certainly not. I stayed here last night. By the time I was ready to go home it was quite late and snowing. We thought it best that I spend the night here."
" 'We?' " Robert said curiously. Matthew looked to Carson quickly in panic. He knew if he named Mary it might be too much of a clue.
"Carson and I. You see, I contemplated sending round for a car but he dissuaded me, thankfully."
"Quite right," Robert decided. "Well, apparently Mary has some grand announcement to make that couldn't wait until after breakfast. To be honest I'm a bit worried. Do you have any idea what it could be?"
"Unfortunately not, m'Lord, but I imagine it must be urgent if she's called us all together."
"That's what's got me worried." Robert groaned.
"Well the longer we stand out here talking about it the more our imaginations will run away with us." Cora said, gesturing them toward the door. Carson moved ahead and opened it, entering ahead of the family.
Mary turned at the sound of the doors opening.
"Your family is here to see you, Lady Mary, may I escort them in?"
"Please do, Carson."
He nodded and opened the double doors wide. The four of them entered, Robert and Cora the quickest. Matthew sauntered in and took his place at the back of the room, sharing a secret look with Mary.
Robert rushed toward her. "Mary is everything all right? Are you ill? Are you pregnant?"
"Oh for heaven's sake, Robert," Cora scolded. Mary only laughed.
"Goodness no, Papa! Please just…have a seat, everyone."
Robert looked to his wife and she nodded, taking his hand and escorting him to a sofa to sit beside her. Edith and Aunt Rosamund took their places in armchairs, pondering why Matthew was still standing at the back of the room, keeping oddly to himself.
"Forgive me for calling you all so early. I promise this will be brief."
"Oh for God's sake Mary, just tell us the meaning of this." Robert simply could not contain himself.
"All right, then…" but suddenly she hardly knew how to begin. "Mama, Papa, dear Edith," her sister did a double-take at the fond address, "I have something very important…and very wonderful to tell you all…" she looked up at Matthew, almost in tears of joy. "Actually," she restated, "WE have something to tell you."
At this, Matthew took his cue to join his fiancée. Robert and Cora followed them with their eyes as the pair met together at the front of the room. They recognized the looks on the young pair's faces and slowly began putting it together.
Matthew took Mary's hand in his and addressed his audience.
"Last night…" Matthew now looked solely to Robert and Cora, "I asked for your daughter's hand in marriage."
The parents gasped. Matthew looked to Mary now, his eyes full of love.
"And I accepted." Mary concluded for him, not breaking eye contact with him. It felt like they had just re-enacted the proposal itself.
All at once, the family leaped from their seats, even Edith, who was beaming just has her parents were. Cora rushed to her daughter and embraced her, Robert to Matthew. Rosamund stood with poise, not overly excited, both in response to her own troubles of the last few days and a certain sense of remorse at the understanding that had it not been for her, this happy event would have probably taken place long ago. However, she did not let her guilt get the best of her.
"Congratulations, my dear, dear fellow." Robert said, shaking Matthew's hand vigorously and patting him on the back. Edith followed, giving him a friendly hug and wishing him well.
Cora and Robert exchanged places and the Earl embraced his daughter.
"You said you wanted a good man for me, Papa." Mary said in his ear as they held each other. "But I don't think any cowboy would have quite measured up."
They parted and he gently took his daughter's face in his hands. "He's the only man I would have ever chosen for you, my darling. You love each other. There's no one more worthy."
She embraced her father again before moving away toward Edith. Despite their past quarrels, they laughed as Edith took her elder sister in her arms, wordlessly communicating how happy she was for her. Rosamund offered her congratulations politely, which was all either Matthew or Mary were expecting. She was not the warmest of their relatives.
Suddenly, Cousin Violet bustled into the room, highly perturbed. She was soon followed by Isobel Crawley, looking more curious and amused than flustered.
"What is the meaning of all this? I was told to hurry over because Mary had something to announce. I hope it's as urgent as the timing would suggest." said the Dowager Countess in one breath. Robert and Cora made way for Matthew and Mary to approach her.
Mary looked to Carson.
"Apologies, Lady Mary. I know you said to wait until after breakfast but I felt the occasion called for a bit more swiftness."
"It's perfectly all right, Carson. Thank you," she replied with a small laugh.
Isobel moved beside the Countess.
"I received a similar message to Cousin Violet. Matthew? Mary? Is something the matter?"
Matthew took the lead here, but brought Mary's hand into his own.
"Well, mother. I took your advice. Mary and I are engaged."
Isobel yelped in delight and threw her arms around the both of them before moving exclusively to her son, who she overwhelmed with kisses.
"Mother, please…" he said, a bit embarrassed but still so happy. Mary looked to her grandmother, who didn't move. She simply stood, smiling quietly to herself.
"Have you anything to say on the matter, Granny?" Mary asked. Matthew and Isobel parted to await her response. After another moment of thought, she spoke.
"Nothing, as a matter of fact," even she was surprised by it, "Only…it's about time, my dears!" and the elderly woman chuckled, politely embracing her granddaughter and Matthew.
The morning wore on. Once everyone had exhausted their congratulations, Robert and Carson ushered everyone on to breakfast. As Robert closed the doors behind him, he smiled back at Matthew and Mary who wordlessly thanked him for granting them a moment alone.
Matthew moved to Mary and wrapped his arms around her. They held each other in silence for a long moment.
"I love you," he said into the crook of her neck. His voice felt hot on her skin, it sent a shiver through her.
"And I love you," she replied, not breaking their hold. Soon, Matthew pulled his head away to gaze into the eyes of his betrothed. He kissed her sweetly.
"It feels real now," Mary said. "Not that it didn't last night, but…I'm not sure how to express it…it's just, now that we've told them…"
"I know exactly what you mean."
She smiled at this and brought a hand to his cheek.
"Of course you do."
She leaned up and kissed him, tender and warm. He squeezed her close before releasing her. The couple stepped apart and Matthew held out his hand to her, inviting her to follow him into the dining room. She took it, astounded even by the simple joy of the fact that they could now enter a room holding hands. At this realization, which she could see he shared, she knew with certainty that neither of them would take one moment of this for granted.