Isobel's worry for Matthew's wellbeing had reached its limit she simply couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't take anymore.
One of the things that she had prided herself on was how close of a relationship she had with her son. It had been somewhat of a boasting point for her that, that her and Matthew had always been able to talk to each other about anything and everything.
They had always been able to help each other whatever problems they had, with most of his advice to her being something along the lines of "back off", especially when it came to the Dowager Countess.
But she simply hadn't been able to get through to him this time, he wouldn't let her in and it frustrated her so. She hated to see him so confused, she just wished he would let her in and tell her whatever it was that Mary had told him, which has made him so confused.
Isobel had thought of going to the source itself and ask Mary to tell her whatever she had told Matthew. But she couldn't bring herself to do it; she couldn't go behind Matthew's back. If it were anyone else she probably would have but this was Matthew and she simply couldn't bring herself to break his trust like that.
It had been two weeks now since Mary had told him whatever it was that has got him so confused. Robert, Cora, Isobel, and the girls all went up to London for the summer season, as they do every year. Isobel and Matthew had meant to go up with them but Matthew had said that he had lots of work to do at the law firm he worked at and would join them in a two weeks' time. On his insistence Isobel had joined them, yet the worry she had held for him over the past weeks had increased enormously with not being able to see him every day.
She didn't bring up Matthew's demeanour with anyone else she didn't want them to worry as she had been doing for weeks.
But Isobel had noticed a change in Mary while she had been staying at Crawley house with the others though. Mary had taken to barely speaking, in fact she almost didn't speak at all unless spoken too, with the one exception of when she would talk to her lady's maid, in hushed tones away from everyone else.
Isobel also noticed other things, small things but they were there, Mary didn't smile which wasn't exactly an oddity in itself but Isobel noticed that things that she knew would normally smile at, if only for a moment now seemed to receive a curt nod. Her eyes seemed duller almost as if they had the life sucked out of her.
But it wasn't just Mary's own changed behaviour that she noticed. As time went by she began to notice how differently everyone else acted around Mary, in the house. They all seemed to avoid her.
When normally you would see her and Edith bickering and sniping at each other after dinner, you would see them make polite comments to each other, in the rare moments that they interacted.
Cora didn't talk to Mary at all in the house at all in fact they avoided each other, they were almost like two imposing magnets, but when they were out you would see the commenting to each other about other people in the room.
Sybil tried to talk to her but after getting a few curt comments from Mary, she would give up and walk away.
Robert and Isobel on the other hand that seemed to be able to get normal conversation with Mary for a few moments before she would give them a few curt comments as well or she would simply excuse herself saying that she had a head ache and take her leave for the night.
Isobel didn't try to interact with Mary at all, preferring just to watch and observe what was happening. It had seemed that Mary's own demeanour reflected that of Matthew's somewhat.
It did worry Isobel so, to see these two young people so held by this darkness that was close to consuming them both.
No one seemed to ask how Matthew was, except for Robert who would often ask if Isobel had heard anything from Matthew and whether or not he would be joining them soon, to which Isobel just replied that Matthew was very busy with his work and hadn't had a chance to talk to her. He would then go on to ask her something about how Matthew hadn't helped him in the village for a while before going on to talk about how exhausting he found all the parties that the summer season brought.
If anyone else was worried about Mary or Matthew's behaviour of late, they didn't show it in the slightest. It was either that they were all so good at covering their worry or it simply didn't exist within them.
Isobel so wanted to help Mary and Matthew through this but she felt so powerless to do anything, so she resigned herself to keeping watch and hoping that it would all soon end for both of them.