A/N: wow, we've passed the 100-reviews mark! Thanks so much, guys. I'm really glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. I won't say much about this chapter- I'll let you read it and form your own opinions!

…

Matthew looked over at the clock again. 7pm. Dammit.

It was Wednesday, and he hadn't been able to see Mary since Saturday. They'd had a brilliant day, and it was the most time they'd spent together as a couple, but he missed her. He wanted to be able to see her everyday, but with the great distance between their respective living-quarters, his busy work schedule and Mary's busy social schedule, they'd been able to see each other only three times since they got together.

He'd been hoping to leave the office by 6.30pm at the latest, so that he could meet Mary for dinner near her house. As luck would have it, though, his department meeting was still dragging on, and it didn't look like he'd be able to leave for another half an hour. It would be too late, Matthew realised disappointedly.

"Actually, I think we only need the partners in for this last bit." The partner who was chairing the meeting said, some time later. "The rest of you can go."

Matthew hurriedly checked the time again- 7.10pm. He hastily made his way back to his office, which was empty, as the other associate was away on sick-leave, and took his phone out to call Mary.

"Hi, where are you?" Her voice asked concernedly as she picked up. Matthew had promised to call her at 6.30pm and let her know where to meet. She'd been waiting by the phone for forty minutes!

"I'm so sorry," Matthew apologised, "that bloody meeting just wouldn't end. But I'm done now, where do you want to go for dinner?" All annoyance at his dreary office life dissipated at the thought of seeing Mary soon.

"I don't know if I can do dinner anymore…" Mary said regretfully.

"What? Why?" The prospect of meeting with Mary is what had gotten him through this blasted day!

"I need to be home at 8pm- the daughter of one of Dad's associates is coming over, they want to talk to me about my job because they're thinking of going into journalism. Dad says I'd be doing him a favour if I spoke to her." She said wearily. Although they'd met more over the last ten days than they normally would have had they just been friends, Mary felt like she'd hardly seen Matthew. At any given moment, her overwhelming emotion was guaranteed to be the need to see him. She felt out of place if she wasn't with him. "So if you came to Belgravia now, I'd probably only be able to see you for about twenty minutes, maximum."

"That's alright, I'll still come!" Matthew said enthusiastically. Twenty minutes seeing her, holding her, kissing her, would be infinitely better than spending the rest of the evening on his own, even if it meant he'd have to travel for another hour in total while he was exhausted.

"You're sweet." Mary said appreciatively, "but I know you must be tired and you've got your presentation tomorrow. You should go home and rest."

"But-" Matthew began to protest.

"I insist." Came the firm reply.

"Alright…I probably should prepare a bit tonight, actually. I meant to go over some of it today but fucking Simon kept asking me for help with his claim form. I'm not even in his department!"

Mary had to suppress a laugh at hearing Matthew's complaints. "You do know that you're allowed to say 'no' to people?" She asked rhetorically. He was a naturally hard-working man, but he did give himself too much to do sometimes."You're too nice, darling."

Matthew felt his heart burst into a shower of confetti. "What did you call me?" He asked, the wide smile on his face conveyed through his voice.

"What?" Mary asked, confused. She suddenly realised what she'd said. Oh, the hypocrisy. "Oh. Erm…I…"

"You called me 'darling'! Do you think I'm a darling?" Matthew decided to milk this for all it was worth. It wasn't everyday you caught Mary Crawley uttering endearments to people- even to people she loved.

"Shut up." Mary replied stubbornly, causing Matthew to laugh.

Deciding not to embarrass her further, Matthew changed the subject. "By the way, Mum texted me today. She still doesn't really know how to text properly, so it was a bit of a struggle to read It, but I think she wants you over for dinner tomorrow. She apologises for the short notice, but it's the best day for her this week."

"I've got to go to Brighton tomorrow for work, remember? I'll be back quite late."

"Crap, yeah, I forgot. Hold on a sec." Matthew took the phone away from his ear momentarily so that he could re-read (or re-decipher) his mother's message. "She says she could do Friday too, but she won't have as much time to cook properly."

"Oh, I'm actually busy on Friday night too." Mary replied as breezily as she could.

Matthew picked up on the slight change in her tone. "You are? What are you doing?" He asked slowly.

Mary could tell that he was on to her. He knew her too well. She briefly considered lying to him, but decided against it. If there was anything she'd learned from the whole Lavinia episode, it was that keeping secrets was a sure-fire way to damage a relationship. "I'm…going on a date." She answered quietly, recoiling as she awaited the answer. There was silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry, what?" Much to Matthew's concern, Mary hadn't sounded like she was joking, but he very much hoped that he'd misunderstood her. They hadn't talked about whether they were 'exclusive' or not, but surely, after all they'd been through, that wasn't necessary? They were madly in love!

"My mum…" Mary trailed off. Sensing that that wasn't sufficient explanation for Matthew (as it would have been for Edith or Sybil), she elaborated. "On Saturday, my Mum told me that she'd bumped into an old friend of hers while she was shopping. They talked and the woman mentioned that her son had recently moved to London- they lived in Texas before. They're one of those rich oil families." She paused for an affirming sound from Matthew, like he always made when she was telling him stories, but she was met with silence. "So, anyway, my Mum saw an opportunity to set me up with someone and she told me I had to meet him for dinner on Friday. And you know how she gets, she won't take no for an answer. And Dad's not here either, so it was even more difficult to object."

Matthew had to pause to make sure that she had actually finished her explanation- it hadn't clarified a great deal. "And you didn't tell her that you're seeing me because…?"

Mary swallowed nervously. She'd naively hoped that Matthew would understand her predicament, but of course he didn't. His girlfriend had just told him that she was going on a date with another man- he should be bouncing off the walls! "Because…" She faltered- how was she supposed to explain this to him?

"Mary, whatever it is, just tell me." Matthew prodded. He'd never heard Mary sound so unsure of herself, and it was terrifying him.

Mary took a deep breath. "This might be hard for you to understand."

"OK." Came the curt reply. He wanted her to get on with it so that he could stop worrying about whether he was really her boyfriend or not.

"Basically…you know how my sisters and I are all expected to marry a certain kind of person?" Mary thought this might be easier if she could hear his voice intermittently, to give her an indication of how he was responding to her words.

"Yeah…" Matthew currently sounded confused.

"Well…you're…" Mary closed her eyes tightly, knowing these next few words were going to hurt. "You're not that kind of person." She said quickly, treating it like she was ripping off a band-aid.

Matthew was lost for words. In some ways, he could take that as flattery- most of the boys Mary was made to date were out-of-touch, over-privileged slimeballs, but he didn't think it was meant to be a compliment. "What does that mean?"

Mary detected the hints of pain and anger in his voice, and it made her want to cry. "You know I love you." She reassured him. "It's just, my parents probably wouldn't approve of us."

"Your parents know me, they love me!" Matthew cried, frustrated that Mary was making so little sense. "I always got the feeling they were trying to push me onto one of you. No other client of mine has invited me to all of his parties and asked me to stay the night with their unattached daughter!"

"I don't think that's what they were trying to do, Matthew." Mary said gently. "They see you as being like a brother to us."

"A brother?" Matthew was as disgusted as Mary was upon hearing of this concept. "But why? Why wouldn't they see me as a potential suitor? I know I wasn't single when I met them, but I am now. Well, as far as they know. You know what I mean." He was beginning to confuse himself now.

"Matthew." Mary sighed, putting her head in her hand. Please don't make me spell this out for you. "They don't see you as a prospect for me, or my sisters, because you don't tick all their boxes." That was the most sugar-coated way she could say it.

"Mary, please just speak plainly." Matthew pleaded.

"My parents want sons-in-law who are from a specific sort of background. They need to be wealthy and well-educated." She paused to think about how to phrase her next sentence.

"I'm well-educated. I'm not exactly wealthy, but I rent a place on my own and have a car, which is more than most people our age can say, and I work in a City law firm." Matthew argued, interrupting her.

"Yes, but, Matthew…"

"But what, Mary?" Matthew's voice was growing stern. There was something she wasn't telling him and it was infuriating.

"Your family." Mary said meekly. "People from my family are expected to be with people from similar families. My ancestors were aristocrats and my parents are still clinging onto that. They don't want me to settle for anything less." She immediately regretted her choice of words.

"So you're settling for me?" Matthew didn't bother trying to hide his hurt. She was making it sound as if they were the Princess and the Pauper!

"I don't see it that way, but my parents would." Mary frantically tried to explain.

"But you do see it that way, otherwise you wouldn't be keeping this a secret. If you disagreed with your parents, you'd tell them. You've had no qualms about arguing with them before." Matthew said firmly. It killed him to think that Mary, the woman who he already thought of as the love of his life, saw him as something to be ashamed of. "So what were you going to do, hmm? Just tag me along as long as you wanted and keep me hidden from your parents forever? Shove me into your fucking wardrobe everytime your wealthy relatives came over so you wouldn't have to admit that you were seeing someone whose parents actually had to work to make ends meet?" Matthew was losing control over the volume of his voice.

"Matthew!" Mary cried, horrified that he was so upset. The last thing she'd wanted was to make Matthew feel inadequate. She hadn't kept their relationship a secret because he was lacking in any way whatsoever- he was perfect! It was all down to her narrow-minded family and friends, and her desire to keep him protected from their judgment. She tried to stop crying and steady her voice. "That's not what I meant. Please, darling-"

"Don't call me that." Matthew cut her off sharply. "And I know perfectly well what you meant. I'm an embarrassment to you." He could feel tears threatening to fall, and he didn't want her to hear him cry. "I've got to go."

The line went dead.

…

The next couple of days were probably the most difficult of Mary's life. She'd always thought that finding out she'd been cheated on, or having malicious rumours spread about her, would be her lowest points, but this was far, far worse. Knowing what it was like to be blissfully happy, to love and to feel so loved in return- and then to potentially lose it all, through your own fault…it was heartbreaking.

She'd called Matthew three or four times on Wednesday night, after their argument, but the calls had all been cut off prematurely, not even allowing her to leave a message. She'd resorted to sending him a text, asking if they could speak so that she could explain, but there was no reply. Wednesday night had given her no sleep at all.

Realising she couldn't call in sick on Thursday because she was needed in Brighton, she struggled to get by at work, her thoughts always of Matthew. Her colleagues noticed her lack of productivity, but seemed to attribute it to an ability to handle the pressure of their assignment. This only made Mary's mood worse- how dare they think her incapable! All this meant that she felt she couldn't call in sick on Friday either; she forced herself to get some sleep on Thursday night, so that she could go back to her usual self on Friday as much as possible, to prove everybody wrong.

Now, it was Friday evening. The night of her date. That afternoon, she'd sent two messages- one to her mother, explaining that she'd be going to dinner straight from work, and another to her date, explaining that she was very sorry but she was unwell, and she'd get in touch when she was next free (which would be never). Jumping onto the tube as the doors shut, she headed to Clapham.

…

Matthew slammed his office door shut behind him, startling on-lookers. He didn't care. He was in the worst mood of his life and people could think whatever they wanted of him. He stormed outside, and the world greeted him with a torrential downpour of rain. Brilliant.

He'd considered calling in sick on Thursday, and then again on Friday. But he realised that staying at his flat alone would probably be the least sensible option- it would only give him time to mull over the things Mary had said to him. Plus, now that she'd been at his flat, albeit relatively briefly, everything reminded him of her- his kitchen, where he'd made her help him cook, his little dining table, which they'd eaten at, his sofa, where they'd laughed over an episode of Family Guy, his bed, where they'd…

He'd seen her calls, but had cancelled them before it reached the answer-phone. I don't want to hear her try and excuse what she said, he thought. Yet, he still missed her terribly. He'd picked up his phone a few times, on the verge of calling her, before mentally slapping himself. She basically said you were beneath her, and you're still running behind her like a little lap-dog? You'll only confirm her opinion of you.

"The Northern Line is operating with severe delays." Said the voice over the tannoy in the tube station. Fucking great.

Eventually, he arrived home. At least the universe had the good grace to make it stop raining during his walk from the station. Searching for his keys, he stomped up the stairs to his flat. He walked over to his door, and froze.

Mary rose to her feet awkwardly. She'd knocked on Matthew's door, but there'd been no answer. He either isn't home yet, she reasoned, or he knows it's me and doesn't want to see me. Still, he has to come outside at some point, she'd thought as she'd settled herself on the floor.

They stared at each other in silence, each trying to read the other.

"How long have you been here?" Matthew asked, for want of something to say. He saw that her hair and coat were wet.

"A couple of hours." Mary replied softly, beyond relieved that he didn't seem to be angry.

"How did you get through the front door?" Matthew was still stood a few yards away from her.

"I was standing outside for a while and then the people who live below you arrived and let me in."

Matthew only nodded in response. She'd been standing outside in the rain for goodness knows how long. He noticed her shivering slightly. It was a pretty cold evening, for July, and the flats had awful insulation so it was always chilly. "Come in." He gestured towards the door before walking over and opening it, letting her in first. "Sit down." He said, as they entered the living room.

Mary watched him move towards the kitchen and did as he said, surprised at the lack of hurt or anger on his face. She'd fully expected to have to fight her way through the door. He returned a few minutes later with two large mugs in his hands- he handed one to her.

"Matthew, you didn't have to make me tea." She said gently, but was very pleased that he had- she was freezing and had been soaked through after standing outside in the rain. But it made her feel even worse that he was being so sweet and considerate to her when she didn't deserve it.

"It's fine." Matthew said shortly, shrugging off his blazer and taking a long sip from his mug.

They sat silently as they drank. Mary waited until he'd finished his tea before speaking. "I wanted to talk to you about…you know." She said tentatively. Matthew's head only nodded lightly at this. "I want you to know- I could never see you as an embarrassment, or as something to be ashamed of. Never, ever, ever." She emphasised, shifting towards him. "The reason I think my parents would object- it has nothing to do with you 'not being good enough'. It's entirely to do with their delusions of grandeur, their need to maintain their 'status' and 'reputation' in society. I know it must have sounded hurtful and ridiculous, but please don't be offended. You were right- I should have just told my Mum about you when she told me about that date. Actually, I should have told both my parents about you the day after we got together. But I was worried…people in my social circle are unreservedly judgmental, and I didn't want you, as well as myself, to be exposed to that if it wasn't necessary. I know what it's like to be scrutinised by my parents, and I know what it's like to be the subject of gossip because I've fallen short of society's standards in some way, and I don't want either of those for you. I think the only reason I'm so worried about what everyone would think is because I love you so much." She bravely took hold of Matthew's hand. He didn't move it away. "I really, really love you. You're wonderful." She tenderly stroked his cheek, glad to see him looking into her eyes. "I don't care about your family, or money, or any of that. In fact, I'm glad that we're from different backgrounds. I like that you tease me about boarding school and the housemaid and eating pâté all the time." She said affectionately. "I honestly don't think I could bear to be with someone who had the exact same life as me. I couldn't bear to be with someone who wasn't you." Her heart lightened immeasurably upon seeing Matthew smile at her. But there was still one more thing she needed to say. "I'm sorry. I hope you're not still angry."

Her answer came in the form of a searing kiss. She was almost knocked backwards with the force of it. The feel of his lips, and all the love that they carried, was nothing short of glorious. She felt herself being pulled onto his lap and she happily obliged. The kiss deepened, both of them releasing all the pent-up worries and anxieties that they'd been feeling for the last two days, and rejoicing in the confirmation of their love for one another.

Needing breath, Matthew broke away. Mary's stomach somersaulted at the sight of his blue eyes, filled with adoration. It had almost been a week since she'd last seen him, and she realised now just how much she'd missed him.

"Thank you for that. I think I needed to hear it." Matthew said softly, leaning his head into her hand, which was still caressing his cheek.

"So you forgive me?" Mary asked hopefully. She was fairly sure that the kiss had been an acceptance of her apology, but she wanted to make sure.

"I think I forgave you as soon as I saw you sat on the floor in the corridor." Matthew chuckled. "You must have been freezing." He said sympathically, holding her close and nuzzling her neck.

"I'm warm now, thanks to you." Mary smiled into his hair as she ran her fingers through it. "You know," she said more seriously. "I am going to tell my parents, and everyone else, about you. Soon."

"I know." Matthew said, pulling back to look at her. "And I want you to know that I understand your concerns about your parents- and everyone else. You've been telling me for months now about what they're like and what's expected of you, so I get it. I just never really gave much thought to how they viewed me and my background…I presumed the fact that I'm a lawyer would be enough to make me an equal amongst your circle. I suppose I didn't realise that family history and all the rest of it was so important."

Mary frowned slightly, concerned that he was still offended. It would be understandable if he was. "I don't think they understand what it's like for me, or Edith or Sybil. My parents only ever met people who were from privileged backgrounds, so finding a partner from a suitable family was never a problem, because all they knew were 'suitable families'! But it doesn't matter- I'll make them understand." She quickly assured him. "Besides, you're right when you say that they love you, so hopefully it won't take much persuasion to bring them round to the idea of us being together. And even if they didn't love you- even if they hated your guts- it wouldn't matter. Because I would still adore you." She kissed him sweetly, finding it difficult because his lips were spread across his face in the broadest smile.

"Congratulations." Matthew said as she leaned back.

"For what?" Mary lovingly brushed the hair away from his forehead.

"You managed to freely express your emotions at length without spontaneously combusting. That's got to be a first for a Crawley, isn't it?" He goaded, suppressing a laugh at her unimpressed expression.

"Just for that, you're not getting any lovey-dovey talk for the next month." Mary said firmly, standing up from where she'd been perched on Matthew's leg.

"Your punishments are too cruel." Matthew grinned, holding onto her leg so that she couldn't escape. "By the way, how expensive is this skirt?" He asked, sliding his hand up her stockings to touch the hem of her sleek grey skirt.

"Pretty expensive. It's Dolce, I think. Why?"

"There's a rat problem in the corridor. They have fleas too. Did you put something down on the floor before you sat on it?"

"No…" Terror dawned on Mary's face. This was one of her favourite skirts! Had she just ruined it by sitting on rat-faeces and fleas?

"Oh dear…" Matthew said ominously, his face dead serious. "Oh wait, I think I can see a hole here, round the back. The fleas must have bitten through it!" He pointed to a part of her skirt that was out of sight for her.

"What? Where?" Mary frantically tugged her skirt around her waist, pulling the back to the front so that she could inspect her precious garment. There was nothing there. She looked up, to see Matthew fighting to keep his laughter in. She was an idiot.

"You're such a knob." She slapped his arm as he ducked away from her swooping hand. "That's the last time I'm being nice to you." Leaving Matthew in hysterics on the sofa, she turned to walk to the kitchen.

"But you said you liked it when I tease you!" Matthew called. She merely narrowed her eyes at him.

On the inside, though, she was on cloud nine. Things were back to normal with Matthew, and she'd resolved to tell her parents about him soon, which meant they could stop sneaking around. She even had a little plan concocted.

…

A/N: what do you think? This was originally going to be two separate chapters, but I didn't want to leave you guys with 'the line went dead' as the end of the chapter! Only one more to go!