Author's Note: Well, better late than never, hm? This chapter is un-betaed so any mistakes are my own. My lovely betas are not to be blamed :D

I've loved all your comments and messages. They keep me going when writing is tough and real life brings me lemons. Please know that I treasure each and every one of them and love to hear from you. Thank you all for staying with me on this journey and for sharing your thoughts.

Since I'm sure that you're much more interested in the chapter than my musings and excuses, let's get on with it…

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Chapter 14 – Lady of the House

By mid November, Mary had settled in completely in her new role. The running of the house went as smooth as always, and the meals were delightful, especially with the new additions from the Downton Abbey cookbook.

Mary glanced at the clock as she finished her last entry in the journal, documenting the upcoming week's menu and amendments to the cleaning schedule. It was late afternoon, and it would be at least another hour or two before Matthew and Isobel would return. It was therefore a surprise to hear the door open and Isobel entering.

"Is everything all right?" Mary stood and approached her mother-in-law.

"To tell you the truth, it's been a dreadful day." Isobel sat down on the sofa and let out a heavy sigh.

"Let me ring for some tea." Mary stepped over and pulled the cord.

"Thank you, Mary. Tea would be nice."

"What happened?"

While waiting for their tea, Isobel told Mary how a middle-aged woman had come in to the hospital earlier in the day. Apparently the woman had slipped and broken her hip. She had been in agony until the morphine set in.

"Do you know this woman?" Mary inquired in a gentle voice.

"No I don't." Isobel sighed. "Once she came to, about an hour ago, I sat down talking to her. She's a spinster, without any relatives."

"How sad."

"Isn't it? Anyway, she is a teacher, and she was telling me about the children in her class."

"What will happen now?"

Isobel shrugged. "It will be months before she can go back to teaching. I suppose that they will have to hire someone else."

"That seems reasonable," Mary agreed.

Isobel looked at Mary for a long moment. "Perhaps you should consider it?"

"Me?" Mary exclaimed with an amused laughter. "I can't teach."

"And why not? You've had an excellent education, from what I can tell, and you certainly have learned much more about culture and art than most school teachers here in Manchester."

"That's true, but I've never taught anyone before."

"Mary, I've seen you with Sybil, you're very good with young children. If nothing else, you could teach them art and music for a few weeks until they find someone else, should you not want to continue."

"How can you be sure that they would even want me? I'm sure there are many other candidates who have better credentials."

"Perhaps, but I think that Lady Mary Crawley would at least get an interview."

Mary rolled her eyes at the mentioning of her title. "I'm sure they would be thrilled to have an earl's daughter in the classroom," she said sarcastically.

"I know they will."

"How old are these children?"

"Eight and nine."

"How darling."

"I know," Isobel grinned. "It's a lovely age.

"Let me discuss it with Matthew tonight, and I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

"Wonderful!" Isobel turned at the sound of Ellen entering with their tea. "Ah, Ellen, thank you."

~ O ~

Matthew had thought it a splendid idea and he encouraged Mary to apply. So two days later, Mary found herself in the headmaster's office, interviewing for the position.

"Why do you want this job, Lady Mary?"

"I enjoy children, and I think that I can be of use to you." She smiled and looked down at her hands. "I have knowledge and experience that I would love to share with them. Perhaps my upbringing appears sheltered and privileged to you, but consider the exposure I have had to art and culture, not to mention history."

"I will not argue your point." He leaned back in his chair and looked at her for a moment. "To be completely honest with you, Lady Mary, you are the best qualified candidate for this position."

"But?" Mary's eyebrow inched up a little.

"Forgive me for saying so, my lady, but you are very young. Teaching working class children is hard work, and most definitely not the same as being a governess. I'm simply not convinced that you're prepared for the level of commitment it entails."

"You think that I'm not a hard worker; that I will quit once the novelty wears off."

"Your words, not mine."

"Duly noted, Mr. Thompson. You should know that I am very stubborn, and once I take on a challenge I see it through. I will not quit on these children, Mr. Thompson."

He chuckled at the sight of her, chin up, glaring defiantly at him, every bit an earl's daughter. "Well then, when can you start?"

"How about Monday?"

~ O ~

It was a somewhat stunned Mary who entered the house that afternoon, carrying a stack of books, given to her by the headmaster, matching the detailed list of subjects that Isobel had procured from the injured teacher the day before, in preparation of Mary's interview.

Handing over the books to Ellen, Mary was relieved to get out of the cold. Snow was in the air, and the wind was biting cold. The maid took her coat and Mary thanked her. Picking up the books she continued into the parlor to prepare.

~ O ~

Matthew drew lazy circles on Mary's bare stomach as he listened to her talk about her new job. "It will be great experience for you, darling. For when we have children of our own."

"I'm not beyond admitting that I feel in over my head, Matthew. What if they won't listen to me? What if they laugh at me? Perhaps they will ask questions I can't answer."

"I'm sure they will do all of that, from time to time."

"You're mocking me." Mary glared at him and pushed his hand away.

Matthew pulled her closer and kissed her. "Don't tell me that you were hanging on every word from your governess?"

"Of course not," Mary huffed and rolled her eyes.

"So?"

"Can we change the topic please?"

Matthew chuckled and kissed her again. "I thought you'd never ask, darling."

Mary hummed and smiled as Matthew brushed his lips against her neck, leaving a damp trail down to her breasts. There he nipped gently, teasing and now and then flicking his tongue until she was squirming under him. She ran her fingers through his hair, sighing softly as he drew her nipples to firm points, sending bursts of heat through her body. Bracing her feet against the bed she pushed up, rubbing against him, grinning when he hissed as her hair tickled him intimately.

"God, Mary."

"Please Matthew."

She opened her eyes and met his clear blue ones. He smiled and kissed her stomach, all while rubbing a sensitive spot on her lower body, right above her hipbone. Mary whimpered when he pushed her legs apart to dip his head down so he could flick his tongue over her.

Matthew cupped her buttocks and pulled her closer. Mary eagerly pushed against him, opening up for him to touch her deeper. He dipped his tongue inside, teasing her there for a moment before switching to his fingers. Mary moved against his hand and gasped loudly when he pushed two fingers inside her. Inching up so he could look at her, Matthew eased his finger inside again and again, now and then rubbing the pad of his thumb over her little spot. She gasped and whimpered as she grabbed the pillow under her head and the headboard, pushing to meet his achingly slow strokes.

Overcome by need, Matthew pulled his fingers free and pushed her legs up, then lowered himself until he could enter her. Mary let out an almost purr like moan as he entered her, shivering and desperately reaching for him.

"Yes!"

Matthew groaned as he sank inside her. As always Mary felt hot and slick, and unbelievable good. They fit so perfectly together like this. He looked up at her when he felt a tug at his arm.

"What is it?" he gasped.

"More," she whimpered.

With a nod he lowered her legs and rolled them over until she was on top. Mary sat up and he steadied her with a firm grasp on her hips. She pushed and ground down as she circled her hips, now and then squeezing him. Matthew felt his head start to spin, it felt so incredibly good. Letting go of her left hip, he eased his hand between their bodies and cupped her, rubbing his fingers against her. Mary whimpered and instantly contracted around him. Matthew groaned with pleasure and pushed up to meet her downward stroke.

"Oh God."

He could tell that she was trying to be quiet. It still felt strange to vocalize their passion the way they had during their honeymoon, with his mother sleeping further down the hall. Still, the need to hear Mary cry out was so powerful, he could not resist increasing his teasing between her legs while pushing his hips up to meet her strokes until she came with a series of soft cries. When he felt her start to teeter he let go of her and rolled them over again, this time pounding into her in a couple of furious strokes until he gasped as he crested.

~ O ~

Mary pushed her shoulders back and opened the door to the classroom, entering in a few quick strides to the sound of scraping chairs as the children stood up to greet her. She placed her stack of books on the teacher's desk and faced the class.

"Good morning, class. My name is Lady Mary Crawley, and I'm your new teacher. You may call me Lady Mary, or my lady."

Twenty five pairs of eyes just stared at her. Mary removed her hat and gloves before hanging her coat by the door. She smiled at the class again.

"Shall we try this again? Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Lady Mary."

"Much better. Please be seated."

Standing in front of her desk, she glanced around the room, taking in all the little faces. They appeared to be clean scrubbed and neatly groomed, she was pleased to note. A hand shot up in the air and she nodded to the little boy. He stood up next to his desk.

"Are ye a real lady?

"I am. And the question should be: are you a real lady, my lady?"

He grinned and nodded. "Sorry." Mary's eyebrow inched up and he shuffled his shoes a little. "Sorry, m'lady."

"Very good… what's your name, young man?"

"Martin." Mary's eyebrow started to inch up again and there were a few giggles as the other students noticed. "Martin Collins, m'lady."

"Very nice to meet you, Martin. You may sit down."

He was quick to take his seat again, glad to be out of the fire and no longer the victim of Lady Mary's eyebrows.

Mary started to tell them about the day ahead when she quickly realized that several of the children were just staring at her. She sighed and stopped in front of a little girl up front.

"What is it?" she whispered.

The girl blushed and blinked a few times. Mary smiled at her and she slipped out of her seat to stand by her desk.

"You look like a princess," she whispered. "Your dress is so beautiful, m'lady."

Several of the boys groaned and rolled their eyes. Mary shot them a warning glare and they instantly sat up straighter in their seats.

"Thank you, my dear. I'm afraid that I didn't have anything else warm enough that would be better suited. "

"It's very posh, m'lady."

Mary chuckled and nodded. "I suppose it is. I will try to find something more suitable next time."

"Oh, please don't, m'lady." The girl's eyes widened and she shook her head. "It's ever so pretty."

"All right. What's your name, my dear?"

"Daisy Jones, m'lady."

"We had a kitchen maid at Downton Abbey called Daisy. She's very nice and she's training under the head cook now. It's a pretty name." Mary gestured for the girl to take her seat. "You may sit down, Daisy."

Daisy slipped back into her seat, beaming at Mary. Mary passed her, and stroked her cheek.

"Since there appear to be some interest in me personally, why don't we start with a little game?"

Laughter and cheerful 'yeses' echoed in the room. Mary smiled and held up her hands for silence.

"The rules are, you get to ask me a question, and if I answer it, I get to ask you one. If you don't answer, you don't get to ask again. Fair?"

"Yes, m'lady!"

"And you need to tell me your name as you ask your question."

The morning passed quickly as the class and their new teacher shared stories and learned about each other. By lunchtime Mary knew that she had made the right decision. Glancing around the room where twenty five heads were bent over their books doing math problems, she was pleased.

~ O ~

Patrick Crawley smiled at his beautiful fiancée and patted her hand which rested on his arm. She glanced up at him, blushing at the intensity in his eyes.

"You shouldn't be looking at me like that, Patrick."

"And why not? I adore you, Annabelle."

"It makes me forget to breathe when you do."

Patrick chuckled and she smiled at him, her eyes twinkling.

"Perhaps that we should have a seat for a moment," he suggested in a hushed whisper. "So that you may catch your breath."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Patrick."

He steered her towards a small bench under a tree. They were in a secluded part of the garden, enjoying a little alone time. It was rare that he was allowed to be with Annabelle without a chaperone present, so Patrick was determined to make the most out of it. Helping his lovely fiancée take a seat, he sat down next to her, taking her hand.

"Lord Grantham wrote to me the other day, extending an invitation to visit them at Downton for the holidays."

Annabelle nodded. "Mary wrote to me saying the same thing. She and Matthew will be at Downton for Christmas and the New Years Eve ball. I could tell that she was most eager for us to come."

"So will you?" Patrick looked expectantly at her, stroking her fingers encouragingly.

"Mama has been unwell lately." Annabelle looked away and sighed heavily as she shared what he already knew. "Papa told us yesterday that she will not be going abroad this winter." She turned her head, smiling sadly at Patrick. "I would very much like to spend Christmas with my family here at home, but perhaps that Papa will allow me to join you at Downton for New Year's?"

Patrick smiled and patted her arm. "Of course. If you so desire, I will come here myself and bring you to Downton. It's dreadful to be travelling alone, especially in winter."

"That would be lovely." Annabelle's eyelashes fluttered a little. "He might be concerned by the thought of us all alone in a carriage, bundled up together to stay warm."

Patrick burst out laughing and tugged her closer, kissing her cheek. "Perhaps we shouldn't share that part with him then?"

Annabelle giggled and nodded. She looked up at him, and her cheeks flushed as their eyes met, Patrick's once again an intense blue. She trembled a little in the chilly air as he leaned closer. His lips met hers in a heated kiss and her heart fluttered and heat spread through her body. Patrick held her against him, his hands resting on her slender hips.

"Annabelle?"

Annabelle tore her lips away from Patrick's at the sound of someone calling her name. She quickly smoothed out her dress as Patrick moved away until they were sitting at a respectful distance from each other. By the time her brother rounded the hedge the two looked calm and collected to the point that Evelyn's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Patrick, I do hope that you've not been taking liberties with my sister?"

"Certainly not, old friend." Patrick grinned and got up, offering his hand to Annabelle. "I have behaved as a perfect gentleman who is happily engaged to an enchantingly beautiful woman."

"That does not ease my worries at all," Evelyn muttered.

"Oh, Evelyn," Annabelle huffed and rolled her eyes. "We kissed, but that's all. After all, we are engaged."

"Kissed, hm?" Evelyn's eyes narrowed as he glared at Patrick.

"Stop it!" Annabelle stomped her foot and made a face at her brother.

Evelyn burst out laughing and gave Patrick a friendly punch on the shoulder. Patrick grinned and then turned to Annabelle, smiling fondly at her.

"I think your brother is jealous, that's all. Soon there will be a young woman hanging on his arm, and then it's our turn to tease him."

Evelyn rolled his eyes as his sister and her fiancé laughed together.

"If the two of you are done making fun of me, I'd like to remind you that it's almost time for tea and Mama asked for you."

"Oh dear." Annabelle's eyes widened in surprise.

"We should be heading back anyway," Patrick said gently to her. "I don't wish for you to get cold."

Evelyn rolled his eyes as his sister smiled adoringly at her fiancé. Tossing his hands in the air he turned around and headed towards the house.

~ O ~

As Matthew made friends at his new place of work, he and Mary started to attend evening events in the city. Mary welcomed it with open arms, even though these events were far from the elaborate ones she was used to from growing up at Downton. Still, the middle class clearly knew how to entertain and throw a jolly good party as Matthew would say.

In the beginning she had been treated as an outsider, the only aristocrat in the crowd. Though she was still addressed as Lady Mary, and not Mrs. Crawley, Mary felt more at ease with Matthew's friends and work colleagues. As she embraced them, she slowly started to make friends on her own. The class divide seemed to be impossible to bridge completely, and as much as she appreciated the companionship of her new friends, none of them had taken on the position of closest friend and confidant.

Mary's work at the school seemed to change things. It appeared as if their friends and acquaintances had a new respect for her. It was therefore a gutting experience to overhear two women speaking about her one evening while attending a soiree at Matthew's employer's home.

"I wonder how long this newfound interest will last."

"Certainly not very long."

Mary frowned at the two women's snide comments. She was about to take a step forward when she heard her name mentioned.

"I don't think it right at all that someone like Lady Mary should take work away from decent people who actually need the money."

"I agree. Once the novelty wears off, I'm certain that she will return to her needlepoint and garden parties."

The two burst out laughing again and Mary bristled. Shoulders back and chin up she rounded the corner and faced the two. She instantly recognized one of them as the wife of Matthew's colleague, Bernard.

"If you have something to say to me, I would prefer it if you said it to my face," she said icily. "I've found from experience that only people who have something to hide, usually speak ill of others behind their back."

"We did no such thing!" The woman glared at Mary, and her face was starting to turn red. "We were merely questioning how someone like you would understand working for a living. I can't imagine that you ever have, or ever would have to work to earn a living."

"You know nothing about me, and I see no reason why I should have to enlighten you on the matter. As for my devotion to my class and my qualifications as a teacher, I cannot see why I would allow you to be the judge of my sincerity and knowledge."

"I beg you pardon!" The woman, whose name Mary could not remember, started to turn red in the face.

"I prefer to be addressed as Lady Mary, or my lady. Any person with manners would've remembered that by now."

"Bertha…" The other woman gently grabbed her friend's arm and tried to pull her away from Mary.

"You're out of line!"

"I'm out of line?" Mary let out an amused chuckle, but her eyes were dangerously dark. "I am not the one who speak ill of others behind their back. Nor have I failed from being courteous to you, Bertha, even though I don't see any reason why."

"Mary?" Mary turned around at the sound of Matthew's voice. He frowned at her. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing, darling. Simply a misunderstanding." She turned her back at the two women, taking Matthew's arm. "Did you get me a glass of that lovely punch you promised?"

"I did, but I left it in the other room when you took so long."

"Well, let's hurry back and join the delightful company in the parlor."

Without another glance at the two women, Mary smiled at Matthew as they returned to the party, determined to enjoy her time with him.

To be continued…