A/N: A few notes on this chapter: 1. I have no idea the specifics of a Catholic wedding, especially not one between British aristocrats in 1920, so forgive me for skimping on some details there. But I'd rather be vague than wrong haha. 2. I got a bit emotional writing the end of this chapter, so forgive me if I got a little carried away with the shmaltz :S Just...sometimes my shipper heart gets overwhelmed by their perfection. You understand.
Chapter 5: The wedding.
Mary stood before the long mirror and took herself in. The dress was long and white, with elegant sleeves and a high lace collar. Her rich hair was gently pulled into a bun, covered partially by a veil. She wore her grandmother's best jewelry.
Cora, Edith, and Sybil sat around the room, observing her. All were silent. This was a moment that none of them wanted to cheapen. Edith was surprised that she could feel so happy for Mary, but all their fighting aside, when it came to Matthew, Edith knew her sister deserved her support. She would never forget the moment when she told Mary he had gone missing in the war. Seeing her face, that immediate devastation, it humanized Mary in a way Edith hadn't thought possible. She knew that her love for him was the most important thing in her life, and far be it for Edith to think less of it.
Sybil was beside herself with excitement. She remembered the joy of her own wedding, and how glad she had been to have both of her sisters there. She had not begrudged her family not for coming, it was the choice she had made, but she was glad to be with Mary in this time of such long-awaited joy. She recalled Mary in the hospital, tending to Matthew and caring for him almost every waking moment. Sybil had been frustrated when, as soon as Lavinia returned, Matthew seemed to have forgotten that Mary had hardly once left his bedside and assisted him at his most gruesome moments. She could see how it had upset Mary, hard as she was to read. But she knew that none of it mattered anymore, this wedding would right whatever wrong they had done in the past.
"You look beautiful, darling," Cora said, tears in her eyes.
"Mama, are you crying?" Edith asked with a small laugh.
"My eldest daughter is getting married, I think I'm entitled to some tears, thank you, Edith," she answered. The women all chuckled.
Mary had to keep herself from crying as well. She could hardly believe it was all really happening. A few hours from now, she would be calling Matthew Crawley her husband. She would be the next Countess of Grantham. The thought was so surreal it almost seemed ridiculous.
Though all eyes were on Mary, they shifted slightly when the door opened, and sheepishly, Anna stepped into the room, dressed in a gown she clearly had never thought she would ever be allowed near, let alone wearing.
Mary had insisted, despite objections from almost every member of her family (except her father) that Anna be made a member of her bridal party. It defied protocol in every way, but then, that was quickly becoming what Matthew and Mary were known for. Mary simply could not imagine Anna being anywhere but immediately at her side on this day. Anna had been taken aback by the gesture, as it solidified a long understanding between the two women that they were indeed each other's closest friends. In many ways, Anna was more of a sister to Mary than Edith or Sybil had ever been.
"Oh, Anna, you look beautiful!" Sybil exclaimed. Edith's expression agreed. Mary and Anna caught each other's eye in the mirror and smiled at each other, Mary silently acknowledging how glad she was to have her there.
"I think they're just about ready, m'lady." Anna informed.
Mary took a deep breath and turned to face her family. It was almost time. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face if she tried. Edith, Sybil, and Anna filed out to leave the mother and daughter alone together.
Cora approached her daughter and put her hands on her arms.
"Are you ready, dear?" she asked with warmth.
"Eight years. I'd certainly hope so." Mary answered in her characteristic sarcasm. Cora laughed and exited after her daughters.
"We'll be right outside."
Mary was left alone. She examined herself once more in the mirror and inhaled as one would before diving into deep water.
Matthew stood in front of the mirror with his arms outstretched as Moseley brushed his jacket. His hair was slicked back and he wore a new tuxedo. He had a soft smile on his face, both excited for what awaited him today but also deeply relieved. He knew that once they were married, a great weight would be lifted off of them. The wait would finally be over. They could begin their lives together at last.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It opened slightly and Robert's head poked through.
"Might I intrude?" he asked. Moseley finished up his task and welcomed the Earl into the room.
"Certainly," Matthew answered. Moseley quietly exited with a slight bow to the Earl. Robert took a seat in a chair by the window. Matthew continued checking himself in the mirror, making sure everything was properly groomed.
"So here we are," Robert began. "I feel as if just yesterday we were sitting over cigars in the library…trying to figure how all of this would play out."
"It's hard to believe how much time has gone by." Matthew said thoughtfully.
"Indeed."
There was a small silence as the two men contemplated all that had happened during that time. They had survived a war, even if it was just barely. They had survived trials and hardships that years ago they would have never even imagined. It had made them all so much stronger.
"I must tell you, Matthew…" Robert began, he spoke very seriously, "It's what we've always wanted. Not just for Mary, for you as well."
Matthew only smiled at this.
"Of course we would have supported you no matter what path you chose, but it was always clear…at least to Cora and I…you and Mary belong together."
"I agree." Matthew wasn't sure what else to say. He felt odd exclaiming to his father-in-law how desperately in love he was with his daughter, so he refrained, though not without some difficulty.
"When I married Cora, it was for her wealth. The love came afterward. Thank heavens it did. Decisions like this can seem so practical when they're first made. On a wedding day, it's hard to think beyond the immediate benefits. But after decades with that person, raising children…I can't imagine going through that life with someone I didn't truly love."
Matthew had never heard Robert speak of his relationship with Cora in this way. He appreciated the honesty and was reminded of what Cousin Violet had told him that night, when she had burst into his bedroom and tried to convince him to propose to Mary again.
"What I'm saying is…I couldn't be happier for you both. You make her happy, and as a father that is all I could ever want for her. But more than that, I see how deeply you love one another. I may be many years older than you, but I know a man in love. And whether she were my daughter or not, I don't think I could, in good conscience, let you inherit this life with anyone besides Mary…for you and she are the only ones truly worthy of each other."
Matthew was overcome with emotion. He was so grateful to hear Robert give his blessing (though he had never doubted it) but he echoed every word of Matthew's feelings toward Mary. How could he have ever thought he could spend the rest of his life without her at his side? The idea was so miserable he could hardly imagine it anymore, let alone remember that there was a time where he was determined to make that a reality.
"Thank you, Robert," he said. "I only want to take care of her. As she's taken care of me."
"There's no better man for the job." With that, Robert clapped Matthew on the shoulder and stood. At that moment, Moseley re-entered the room.
"It's time, sir."
Matthew took a deep breath.
"Thank you, Moseley."
Matthew stood. This time Robert took in the appearance of the young man. He was proud, to say the least. He gave him a quick brush of the shoulders.
"I think you're ready, my dear fellow."
And with that, Robert let Matthew lead the way out the door.
Matthew stood beside the vicar in the grand hall. He looked out at the faces before him, both familiar and strange. His mother and Cousin Violet were beaming up at him with pride. Tom Branson sat a few rows behind them, giving a look of approval to his soon-to-be brother-in-law. His and Sybil's baby, Patrick, was being cared for by a nanny elsewhere in the house. All the guests were arrived, and it was time for the ceremony to begin.
Matthew felt his breath catch as the music began playing. One by one the bridal party marched in, he smiled at the sight of Anna, proud of Mary for staying true to her wishes. Finally, the march sounded. The room made a collective sound as it stood for Mary's entrance.
Suddenly, she appeared. Matthew felt the air escape his lungs and his heart quicken in pace. There she was. His bride, his partner. Looking more beautiful than he had even imagined. Her face was shrouded by a veil, but he could have seen the smile on her face from more than a mile away. His expression mirrored hers.
Mary was grateful to have the arm of her father. She was sure she might have fainted right then and there, so overcome was she with the pure joy of this moment. How long she had waited for it, how deeply they both deserved it.
When she reached Matthew, Robert ceremoniously draped her veil behind her face, so she and Matthew could get a proper look at each other. He could see every tear she tried to fight back, and she could see every one of his.
Robert gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek, happier for them than he could even express.
What Matthew would have given to have been able to kiss her right there and then. But they simply smiled quietly to each other, understanding that words were almost pointless now. All they could do was simply let it happen.
The vicar welcomed the guests and spoke a series of prayers. Finally, Matthew and Mary turned to each other, and one after another repeated the holy vows which the vicar dictated to them. The words were so formal and archaic, but they filled them with their own feelings of pure love and warmth. At last, at long last, they kissed.
It was chaste, and gave the effect of closing a book. This chapter was over, a new journey was now to begin. When they parted, Mary and Matthew could not look away from each other. They wanted nothing more than to hold each other, not only out of love, but a deep sense of pride at having finally made it here.
"I love you."
Matthew barely heard her say the words.
"I love you," he whispered back.
Amidst their joy, they remembered there was an entire crowd of people watching them, applauding the young couple. Even Cousin Violet was on her feet. They knew they owed her a special thanks, she had never given up the cause of bringing the two of them together, even when things looked their most dismal.
As they looked out at their family, their loved ones, they came to a mutual realization. No matter how bad things had gotten, no one had ever truly given up on them. Everyone had seen it from the start: they were meant to be together. And now, standing here as man and wife, they understood that they had never truly given up on each other either, even if they had at times given up on themselves.
Matthew could have married Lavinia and led a content and peaceful life. But even she had known she would always be second best. Mary could have had the powerful and exciting life she had imagined as a girl with Carlisle, but it would have been a lonely life. No matter how much they had tried to fight it, their lives, and above all, their love, would have always led them to this place.
It would be a struggle. They would argue, they would disagree, they would probably hurt one another with or without meaning to, but they would rather face a lifetime of good days and bad with each other than a life of constant ease and safety with anyone else. They had made it through a war. They had proven how much they could withstand without each other. Eight years of constant questions, constant doubts and dashed hopes, only to finally stand here, understanding they could never have settled for anything less than each other. As Matthew had told her, they had lived their lives. They were different people than they were those years ago, they were different people than they had been even a day ago. Whatever the future had in store for them, it could never be as difficult as what they had already endured, for the simple fact that no matter what they had left to face, they would be facing it as husband and wife.
Matthew and Mary reached for each other's hand at the same moment. With one last glance at each other, Matthew led his bride up the aisle, toward whatever lay ahead.
A/N: Unfortunately due to my schedule over the next few days, the earliest I will be updating is Sunday night, most likely Monday. Sorry for the delay! I promise I will do my best to write a wedding night chapter worthy of the wait.
You readers are wonderful! Thank you for sticking with it :)