A/N: the version of the chapter title song by Paul Rodgers and Nil Lofsgren is recommended. For those of you who hang around and read the credits after a movie ends Reader mail is answered after the end of this very short chapter.

Abandoned Love

July 18, 1913

"Private Crawley reporting as ordered Sir!" Matthew held his salute until the major returned it and then snapped back to rigid attention. He had no idea why he had been summoned into the presence of so august a personage. He wasn't aware of any outstanding disciplinary issues.

"At ease"

Matthew assumed a rigid at ease stance and stared at the line where the opposite wall met the ceiling.

"I have been reviewing your training records Crawley" the major said in a conversational tone "You have done quite well. Good physical shape. An excellent shot. Pick up things quickly. Mix well with the other troops. No obvious vices. There's just one thing about you that troubles me. Your instructors were quite surprised with how intelligent you proved to be considering that the test you wrote when you enlisted had you pegged on the slow side of dull. Any idea why that would be?" the major gave Matthew a sharp look, which reminded Matthew of the looks the Dowager Countess had given him.

Matthew had heard that the army did not want soldiers who were too smart so he had purposely blown several of the answers on the test. Too many it seems. "No, Sir"

"Well we are going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were badly hung over when you took that test. Now my clerk is gong to administer the test to you again and you are ordered to do your absolute best on it. You understand what an order is?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good. Be back here at 2:00 o'clock to review the results."

"Yes sir!"

-0-

"Sit down"

Matthew sat at rigid attention. The major had Matthew's test in front of him. Matthew could not see what the result was.

The major continued. "The results of your new test confirm the conclusions of your instructors. You are an intelligent man. In recognition of that intelligence I am going to invite you to speak freely. Oh and drop the manc accent, you don't quite have it right which leads me to believe you are a gentleman." He looked at Matthew.

"I'm middle class sir"

"And drop the 'sirs' for the duration of this interview"

"Yes s.., Yes."

"On your application you said you had worked in an office, what sort of an office?'

"A law office"

"As?"

"A solicitor"

"So what education do you have?"

"An Arts degree from Oxford"

"In?"

"Modern History"

"So if not a gentleman, upper middle class. Close enough for government work. Why did you enlist? And do not tell me an overwhelming love of King and country came over you. In my experience gentlemen enlist because they are running away from the law, their creditors or a woman. Which is it?"

Matthew hesitated. A woman. Mary. She haunted every moment of his that the Army did not claim for its own. He finally answered. "The last"

"I do not want to know the details. Is it over?"

Over? When he breathed his last it would be over. "Yes"

"Good. Now we can get to the point of this whole exercise. You know that war with Germany is inevitable?"

"No?"

"Come now, you don't think our respective governments have been building all those dreadnoughts these past few years just to let them rust away in harbour. No, there will be some casus belli, the Royal Navy and the Imperial Navy will pound away at each other and then the army will have to go in and actually win the thing. Just like with Napoleon; Nelson and the Navy get all the glory, but it was Wellington and the Army that beat him, ten years after Trafalgar. And that's where you come in. When the war comes there is going to be a massive expansion of the Army and we going to need officers accordingly. You are the kind of candidate we are looking for. So you are ordered to report to the Officer Training Depot on Salisbury Plain on August 5th. You are granted leave until then. Go home, see your mother"

"But I don't want ..."

The major held up his hand "Crawley haven't you learned in the last three months that the Army doesn't care what you want? Now get out of here and enjoy your leave."

Matthew stood up, snapped to attention and saluted "Yes sir"

A/N: My own worst critic tells me I should have made it clear from the start of this storey that it is definitely AU. In additional to the AU elements you have already come across there is no letter to the Turkish ambassador nor is there a Vera Bates, murdered or otherwise. This is not a storey of blackmail.

And now to the Reader mail:

hess: Bert Hastings plays a minor role in this storey. He will play a prominent role in 'The Curse of the Broken Entail' coming to a fanfiction site near you at Christmas time.

Audrey C: A grass widow is a woman whose husband is away for extended periods of time (eg. on military service). Please don't tell Mary that Matthew has joined the army. A major plot point depends on her not knowing for awhile.

Lady Etiquette: I wish could I take credit for the names of the ladies but I cannot. They are Bertie Wooster's aunts. When they heard of Patrick's death they were going to push Bertie at Mary but news of her pregnancy put an end to that.

adrielmoonstar / hess: The money / investments will be dealt with in a later chapter.

Guest who wants Matthew to be crippled: I was trying to avoid the whole Lazarus rising from the wheelchair thing but I'll see what can been done. It will involve scrapping the tragic death scene on the last day of the war though.

circa1910: We're just getting started with the sad and tragic.

Kavan: Next chapter Matthew starts digging out of the deep hole he has dug for himself. I'm sorry for everything. Please come back.