Author's Note: Thank you so much for all your encouraging reviews! So far I've really only written Romance, but now to live up to to the other genre Drama...

Special thanks to namelesspanda for correcting bad grammar and spelling as well as offering excellent suggestions and advice!

Chapter 5: 'Male or female?'

Five Years Earlier

When Mary was seventeen, she babysitted a five year old girl a few times. Her parents were Turkish and they had immigrated to England when the father had lost his job.

The father, Kemal Pamuk, was handsome, dashing, and charming, and Mary soon found herself attracted to him. Sometimes she wondered how his dull, gormless wife had won him over.

The night of her eighteenth birthday, Kemal robbed her of her virginity.

Kemal and his wife had been kind enough to host a birthday party, and she had been able to invite her best friend, Anna as well as many of her other friends from school.

She had been drinking champagne while chatting with a friend when Kemal beckoned her over. She walked with him into a secluded room, heart pounding. Before she knew it, she was undressed and he was inside her. She would never forget that birthday, the first time she had ever had sex. With a married man nonetheless.

After that night, she let herself be persuaded by him, and they met each other a few times and made out in a hotel. The last night they made love, Mary realized how horribly, how terribly stupid she had been. She had had an affair with a married man. And his wife had always been so kind to her! Without another word, she had run out of the hotel, never to meet the Pamuks again.

Present

'Mary!' Matthew cried. They had been kissing at the club while dancing, when she had suddenly pushed him back, muttering curses, and ran onto the street. 'Mary!' he yelled again, grabbing hold of her arm. She flung him off.

'Let go of me! I don't deserve you, you don't know who I am! Please Matthew, I beg of you let me go!'

He then succumbed to her pleading and watched her run off and climb into her car, before driving off.

She had left. Or more likely run away. He still couldn't believe it. She had refused the job from the London Times, and was now working at the New York Times. And Matthew still couldn't believe it. When he had heard from Robert about it, he had been shocked. They hadn't seen each other since that fateful night at the club. Why had she gone away? What was she running away from? Him? But the point was, that she was gone. And he still couldn't believe it.

'Mary is coming next week!' Robert happily announced at dinner. Isobel, Matthew and Violet were also there. Matthew because of an important meeting that was held at Downton. 'She is bringing somebody with her.' Robert continued.

Matthew felt like he had been stabbed in the stomach. Was it her boyfriend? Only a few months after the kiss?

Violet looked up, her curiosity aroused. 'Oh? An American, I would assume?'

'Yes,' Robert replied, and that fact didn't mix well. 'She says that her friend goes to NYU with Sybil, and that's how she met this 'someone'. Sybil won't be able to come; she has school unfortunately.'

'Does she mention whether her visitor is male or female?' Cora asked.

'No, She only says that she is bringing somebody,' said Robert. 'I asked her but she was determined for it to be a surprise.' He said with a resigned sigh.

'Curiouser and Curiouser, said Alice,' Violet said with a raised eyebrow.

'Thank you for having me here, sir!' the American boy said enthusiastically. Mary smiled and kissed her father's cheek.

'Hello Papa! This is Brian.'

'Well, it is a pleasure to meet you!'

They filed into the dining room where Violet, Isobel and her son joined them. Since they were in London, Matthew and Isobel had bith been abie ti join them as well. Matthew and Mary avoided each other's eyes.

'I do so love having American guests!' Violet gushed. 'When I am with them, I am reminded of the virtues of the English!'

'Granny!' Mary exclaimed, shocked.

'And what exactly,' Violet continued sharply, 'is your relationship with our American visitor, Brian?'

'He-' Mary said, unable to meet Matthew's eyes, 'he is here as my boyfriend.'

TBC

Well, there you go! The bombshell has been dropped! Don't worry though I'm not going to pull this drama for as long as Julian Fellowes did:) Please review, as I've said about a million times already, they are the only things that keep me going!