Chapter 10

The following day, despite the disturbance in the middle of the night, the servants rose at the normal hour and behaved professionally – as if nothing had ever happened. Although everything had been sorted out, Mary and Matthew decided that they would still go to London, but that they'd leave after breakfast instead of as soon as they woke up. The fire had been put out and things were back to normal. Apparently it was just an electricity fault in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mary still wanted her time alone with Matthew, but she was grateful for that time she had already had the previous night in the dark gardens of the estate. Mary loved their intimate moments together. She longed for them and always thought she could live off those moments if she had the chance. She loved her husband and she wasn't afraid to show it to him or to anyone else. Soon, Mary and Matthew were off to London. It was a warm day, and they were glad to be out of the house and away from the hustle and bustle of the normal Crawley lifestyle. "Are you sure you're alright, Mary? You're being awfully quiet," Matthew worried, when they had reached their destination.

"I'm... yes, I'm fine," Mary said quietly, as she got out of the car, trying to hold back her emotions for as long as possible.

"Mary, I can see right through you. You are not fine," Matthew insisted, walking to stand in front of Mary to force her gently to make eye contact.

"I am, Matthew, why wo..."

"You are not," Matthew interrupted. And Mary knew he was right, and this time was willing to admit it. "A walk may help. Do you want to do anything in particular or do you just want to wander around – maybe go and have some tea?"

"Tea sounds nice," Mary answered, simply.

Matthew smiled, "Come on, then," as he took her hand and lead her around the corner to a shop that he knew well and that they had visited together before. Once they were inside Mary cheered up a little and was more willing to talk. Matthew asked, "So, what's wrong? Why have you been so upset recently?"

If anyone else had asked Mary she'd refuse to tell them and swiftly change the subject, but as it was Matthew, she was happy to open up, "I don't know, I really, really don't," Mary answered truthfully, "But I do know that I need some time with you alone."

"Well, I've no objection to that, but do you really have no clue why?" Mary simply shook her head as an answer to the question. "Oh well," Matthew continued, sort of dismissing the topic, but keeping it at the back of his mind, "I hope you don't mind, but I need to get a gift for my cousin's birthday," he added.

"No, of course I don't mind. Actually, I'd like to get a little something for Anna's birthday, too," Mary replied. "Just something small, but she deserves it."

"I agree," Matthew said. "She works so hard for you. Is she ever going to become your full-time lady's maid?"

"Well, weeks ago, when I was ill, we decided to get Anna to get a few extra things to do when Sybil and I were gone, but it looks like we'll be staying for much longer than we thought and Sybil wants to wait a little longer for Harriet's sake before she and Tom go back to Ireland, so she hasn't had a huge amount of change."

"Why don't we see if we can make her your lady's maid, instead of a house maid. We can hire another house maid, can't we? We have the money, and I think it'd make Anna happier," Matthew suggested.

"I'll ask papa this evening if we're back early enough," Mary responded. They continued to talk and finished their tea. They soon were outside wandering around looking for things that would suit as gifts. Neither of them had any idea what they wanted to give as gifts, only that they wanted to give gifts. So they drifted aimlessly around London until they spotted something they thought might fit, stopping and looking, but then moving on, realising that they needed something perfect and that they weren't likely to find it easily. After hours of searching they finally found what they were looking for. Mary managed to get Anna a gorgeous necklace that she knew her father would say was too much for a housemaid, but she didn't care. She just knew that the poor woman deserved it and more. Matthew also managed to get his cousin a set of books that she'd been wanting for years and that nobody had been able to find. It was a rather expensive present, but he thought she was worth it. They ended up stopping to have lunch and then decided on a walk, but they both agreed that London was too crowded. After a little discussion the pair chose to drive back to York, which did take what seemed like forever, but it meant they could take a long country walk, without the family knowing they were back. They went where there were only a few people and where it was quiet. There were a few horses around as it was a gorgeous day, with gorgeous light and a nice temperature, but on the whole the couple were alone. They spent the entire time talking – well, the time they didn't spend with their lips locked together. They stayed for hours and it took the dark for them to realise how long they'd been out. "Is it worth going back to Downton for supper?" Matthew said, wondering where to go.

"I would like to go back to Downton, rather than go out to have food, but they'll be finishing now. We'd only get sandwiches," Mary thought aloud.

"But honestly, Mary, my thinking at the moment is that sandwiches at home are better than the grandest meal somewhere else. Why don't we go home, have a bite to eat and go straight to bed?"

"You know, Matthew, actually, that sounds like a perfect plan," Mary said, asking in her tone of voice for a kiss – and she got one.

Once they were back at home they were greeted by Tom, who asked Mrs. Patmore to prepare a few sandwiches for them. They were sent up to the dining room, where Mary and Matthew were waiting together. They didn't take long to eat as they both just wanted to get in bed as quickly as they possibly could. Once they'd eaten what they wanted to they practically made a bee-line for their room, only passing Sybil and Tom, who happened to be heading to bed, too. It seemed an early night for the young ones of the house. Mary and Matthew were soon cuddled close in bed, with Mary buried in Matthew's chest and his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder. "I love you, Mary," Matthew stated, "So, so much." Mary repositioned herself so that she could kiss her husband, and that was all he needed to know that what he had just said was reciprocated. His love was returned to him in a way that no words could ever say. With the first kiss he had with her – before the War, he knew he loved her, and that first spark had never been totally put out. The pair didn't talk for the rest of the night, but they ended up falling asleep with their fingers intertwined in each other, and they woke in the same position.

I know this is a relatively short chapter, but it's got to the point where I'm truly beginning to think that this is hopeless. I haven't had a plan the whole time I've been doing this, but the ideas I've had whilst writing have flown quite nicely, but this chapter just feels really clumsy to me. I'll write another few chapters and see if I can feel my way back to something that makes sense, but any tips to make it flow better would be wonderful. Anyway, I also want to do a Downton Christmas fan-fiction before Christmas, so if you're interested, that she be up at some point in the next week. Please review if you can spare the time.