A/N: the version of the chapter title song by Luther "Guiter Jr." Johnson and the Magic Rockers is recommended.
Pledging My Time
Tuesday, November 9, 1915
Mary floated. He lives. He believes me. He loves me. She sang to herself.
The only fly in the ointment was the handwriting of the letter. It was young and pretty handwriting. She had smelled the paper. There was no residual smell of any perfume. She had questions but still...
He lives, he loves me. La la la. She sang to herself as she floated.
-0-
"Rosamund is coming for a short visit this weekend." Robert announced at dinner that night. "And she is bringing a gentleman friend. It seems that he is interested in acquiring property in this vicinity."
"And she is no doubt interested in acquiring him" Violet sniffed.
"Did she say whom this gentleman friend might be?" asked Cora.
"No she didn't, she just said it was an old friend of hers and of Mary's"
They all looked at Mary. She just shook her head and then stared at her mother. They both were thinking the same thing: 'Rosamund wouldn't, would she?'
She would and she did.
Friday, November 12, 1915
Rosamund introduced Sir Richard to Robert and Cora. "And where is Mary? Sir Richard is anxious to renew their acquaintance."
Sir Richard gave them a smarmy smile. It was all Cora could do to keep her lip from curling at him. "Oh she had to run an errand, she'll be back shortly."
As the footmen were leading Rosamund and Sir Richard up to their rooms Cora linked her arm with Robert's. "We have to talk" and she lead him into the library where Mary was waiting.
"Mary, tell your father what transpired between you and Sir Richard and your aunt while you were in London."
Mary went through the whole storey. She finished by showing her father the letter Matthew received and the letter to her mother from Rosamund which clearly showed they were in the same handwriting.
The more he listened the angrier Robert got. "This is outrageous.. to have such a man under our roof..and my sister..I am going upstairs and throwing them..."
Cora grabbed his arm. "Not yet. We have to see what they plan to do."
"But Mary's safety..."
"Don't worry, we have a plan of our own..."
-0-
Mary did not come face to face with Sir Richard until she came down shortly before dinner. Sir Richard was waiting for her in the hall.
"Lady Mary! I am so delighted to see you again" he said and he put out his hand to her.
Mary had no choice, she had to extend her own hand and Sir Richard took it. He did not let go right away and Mary almost had to wrench her hand away from him.
"How are you Sir Richard?"
"Very well and you Lady Mary?"
"Fine thank you" Mary looked around Sir Richard, desperate to escape to the company of someone else but no one was down yet. The only other person in the hall was Carson standing beside the dining room door.
Sir Richard stood with his back to Carson and spoke to Mary in a quiet tone, almost a whisper. "I was so disappointed when you did not keep your appointment"
"I made no appointment sir!"
"You took my card did you not? But let us not argue. What pleasure you missed that afternoon you will experience tonight."
Mary recoiled from him. "What on earth you mean?"
"I mean that tonight at midnight I will come to your room."
"You cannot! I will..."
Sir Richard held his finger to his lips. "You will not scream; you will not make a scene. If you do and we are found out I will say you invited me there. And I will be believed; after all, you, with the help of your bogus husband " he sneered " have already established the looseness of your morals. I won't be the first man who was ever seduced by a slut. No, you will welcome me with open arms. If you would just think it through you would realize that I am the best thing that has ever happened to you. Within the next year your sham of a marriage will be annulled, we will be wed and you will be dining at 10 Downing Street. You will be fabulously wealthy and powerful. That is the role you were born to play, not the wife of a country solicitor who might be an earl in twenty or thirty years time. Assuming he even survives the war"
They could hear someone coming down the stairs so he stepped back but not before whispering "We will plant the seed of all that tonight. Until then" and he leered at her.
All Mary could do was stare at him in shock. This was much more that she and her mother had thought could happen.
-0-
Cora could tell something was wrong with Mary. She was just picking at her food. She hardly looked up from her plate. On the opposite side of the table Sir Richard was not bothering to make conversation with either Edith who was one side of him or Violet who was on the other. He was staring at Mary. Cora decided that action must be taken.
"Mary, you look like you are getting one of your headaches. Come and I'll give you one of those headache powders my mother sent from America." She stood up and Mary stood also. "Excuse us".
As they were leaving Cora asked Carson to have Anna attend on Mary.
Watching them go Violet sniffed "I don't doubt that they have powerful headache powders in America, living there would be enough to give anyone a headache."
Once upstairs Cora asked Mary what was the matter and Mary told her what Sir Richard said he was going to do.
Cora thought for a minute and then rubbed Mary's back. "I think he's in for a surprise."
When Anna arrived Cora instructed her to pack a small overnight bag for Mary. When Mary looked askance at her she explained "It's not safe for you here. I want you to slip down the back stairs and then go around to the front of the house and have Branson take you to Crawley House. You can hide out with Isobel until we are rid of this loathsome Sr Richard and my sister-in-law." She thought for a moment. "Will Branson keep quiet?"
"I'll ask him not to say anything" volunteered Anna.
"Good. Now hurry I want you out of here before dessert is finished"
Cora went downstairs and rejoined the diners. "Mary has gone to bed." She saw Rosamund and Sir Richard exchange glances and Rosamund give a small nod. Hmm, she wondered if Rosamund knew Mary had changed bedrooms. Just to make sure she told Rosamund "You know Mary has moved into the Dowager Countess' old bedroom, she finds it so much quieter there."
"I hadn't known that" Rosamund said and gave Sir Richard another glance "How convenient for her."
No one seemed to want to visit much after dinner and so by eleven everyone had retired to bed which suited Cora fine, she had to get her pieces in place.
-0-
Shortly before midnight Rosamund lead Sir Richard to the short hall which lead to Mary's new bedroom. She pointed at Mary's door and held up a finger to her lips. Quiet. He nodded to her. This was observed by Carson and Anna who were hiding in an alcove off the hall.
Sir Richard went to Mary's door and did not knock. Instead he turned the knob and pushed open the door.
"Go away" said a female voice from inside the room.
Sir Richard stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He could see her standing in front of the window, backlit by the moonlight. In that soft brogue of his he said "You've teased me enough, now I'm going to tease you until you moan for more." He took a step forward.
"I don't think so" the voice said.
Then the lights came on.
Sir Richard saw it was Cora in the room. And then behind him he heard Robert.
"You have abused our hospitality sir."
Sir Richard spun around. Standing there were Robert and the crippled valet, Bates was it?, who was holding his cane in a menacing manner.
"Mary invited me. That slut..."
"Don't you dare say another word sir if you wish to leave here with any teeth" warned Robert.
Bates brandished his cane at Sir Richard.
Sir Richard shut up.
Just then there was a knock on the door. Bates opened it and Carson ushered in Rosamund.
"I see your accomplice has arrived." observed Robert. "The two of you are going to go back to your rooms and get dressed and packed. Branson will then take you to the train station to wait for the milk train. Make sure you dress warm, it gets pretty cold out there in the early morning". Robert glared at his sister. "Why would you try to hurt Mary like this?"
Rosamund was defiant. "It's for her own good. There's no need for her to be tied to that loser of a husband when she could be married to one of the richest and most powerful men in Britain! You should have seen her acting as Sir Richard's hostess. She was brilliant! That's her destiny, not wasting away here in Downton running the flower show."
Robert stared at her. "Mary has decided what life she wants and we all here respect her decision. You can think what you want but you will think it from afar. Neither you nor your friend are welcome at Downton Abbey anymore. Now begone"
"You haven't heard the last of this" hissed Rosamund "Wait until I tell Mother!"
"Tell me what?" asked Violet as she stepped out of Mary's dressing room. "I suspected that you were a stupid silly woman and now it has been confirmed. I second your banishment" Looking at both her daughter and Sir Richard she said "I would suggest you both keep very quiet about this, I hesitate to wonder what my gossip circle would make of this if I was forced to tell them what has transpired."
Sir Richard knew when the battle was lost, not the war mind you, but the battle, and so he nodded at them and left to get dressed and packed.
Rosamund tried to blubber but when it had no effect on the stoney faced people glaring at her she left also.