"Lady Mary, this is a surprise," Dr. Clarkson greeted her when he entered his office. "Can I help you with something?" He hurried from his rounds when he heard that Mary was waiting in his office.
"Yes, actually you can," Mary acknowledged. "I was wondering if you can tell me how long it would take for someone to recover from eye surgery."
"You think Mr. Crawley had eye surgery?" he asked in surprise.
"Why else would he have gone to Moorfields?"
Clarkson pondered on it a moment and came to the same conclusion. "If I recall, it's still experimental so the recovery time might be unknown."
"Is it possible for you to find out? Perhaps one of your books has the answer. I just have to know how much longer Matthew intends to be away."
Clarkson stood up and pulled out a thick volume and pored over it for a while. He hoped he had an answer but came up empty.
"Then perhaps a colleague might have heard or learned about how long it takes?" Mary wasn't about to accept unknown for an answer.
"I could try and ask Dr. Duke-Elder."
"He's not at Moorfields but maybe as a doctor you can find out from the nurses or other doctors there," she supposed, remembering how unhelpful the staff was to her but hoping a doctor may get better treatment.
Clarkson had picked up the phone and ready to make that call when the nurse came to call him away for a patient. He was quite torn as to which to do first.
"It's alright," Mary assured him. "I can wait for you and if you don't mind, may I look at the book."
"It may be a little gruesome," he warned, knowing some images in the book might be difficult to view.
"I'll be fine," she reassured him and started to skim the pages of the book.
...
Edith was waiting outside in the car for Mary. She wanted to go in with her but Mary convinced her otherwise, promising to be quick about it. She started to worry when Mary took longer and got out of the car to find her sister when from the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Blackwell. When she turned to take a better look, there was no one there.
"Edith," Tom called out to her when he noticed her from across the street. He hadn't expected to see her in the village so crossed over to check on her.
"Tom," Edith called back and waited for him to reach her.
"Is something the matter?" he asked with concern, looking into the empty car. "What are you doing here?""
"Mary wanted to come see Dr. Clarkson and she's been in there for a while now," she explained, looking around trying to ascertain what she thought she saw.
"What's the matter?" he repeated, noticing her unease.
"I thought I saw Blackwell," she said. "But I could have been mistaken."
"Let's go find Mary," he said, preferring to be sure than sorry.
"Shouldn't we call the police first?" she suggested.
Tom agreed and asked the driver to find the local constable to meet them inside.
...
Mary was quite fascinated learning about the eye anatomy that she didn't notice when someone passed by the room through the open door. She was startled when the phone rang beside her and that's when she noticed Blackwell standing by the door approaching her.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "You are no longer welcome here." The phone rang unanswered for a short while.
"I could be welcome again with one word from you," he said, turning to close the door.
Mary looked around the room to find a way to escape. Seeing no route, she decided to stand her ground. "And why would I do that?"
"Because you need me now to help you keep Downton alive. I'm your only hope now."
Mary was stunned by his delusion of grandeur. She decided she could use it to her advantage at least until help could arrive. "Why did you come back?"
"I learned that Mr. Crawley has gone away and I wanted you to know that I'm here and I would never leave you."
"Mr. Crawley hasn't left me," she insisted.
"Then do you know where he is or when he's coming back?" he asked with a triumphant smile.
"I don't know where he is exactly because he is travelling but he will be back in a few weeks," she lied convincingly.
"Are you sure?" he asked, suddenly unsure of himself and started pacing in front of her. "That's not what I heard."
"You shouldn't believe everything you hear."
"But it appears that he has abandoned you," he postulated out loud.
Mary wondered where he was getting his information and more importantly what was taking Dr. Clarkson so long to return. "You've been misinformed because Mr. Crawley will never abandon me or Downton."
"Maybe I should find Mr. Crawley and ask him for you," he said finally.
...
"Dr. Clarkson," Tom greeted him when they met him in the hallway.
"Hello Tom, Edith," he greeted in turn. He was confused when he saw a constable arrive right behind them.
"Where's Mary?" Edith asked.
"In my office, she said she was going to wait for me there," he informed them.
When they arrived, Dr. Clarkson was surprised that the door was closed and locked. He quickly pulled out his key to open it. They entered just in time to see a man jump out the window.
"That was Blackwell," Mary confirmed before the constable set off to chase the man.
"Are you alright?" Tom asked when he got near her.
"Yes, I'm fine but the police need to catch him," she said with alarm. "He said he is going to find Matthew and who knows what he'll do when he does."
"Don't worry, we'll get him before it comes to that," Tom assured her. "But first let's get you home."
Mary nodded her agreement and leaned on Edith as they headed out.
"Lady Mary," Clarkson called her. "If you'd like, you can take this book with you in case it has the answer you were looking for. I will also call when I hear back from my colleagues later."
...
Matthew walked into the jeweler's shop and was happily greeted by the shopkeeper. He mentioned what he was shopping for and was shown a varied selection. He instantly saw what he wanted to get Mary for Valentine's. He gently picked up the heart-shaped ruby surrounded by diamonds pendant with a white gold chain and imagined her wearing it around her neck.
"What do you think Molesley," he asked, trying to get a second opinion though he really didn't need one.
"It is lovely sir," Molesley managed to say, quite mesmerized by the exquisite gem.
Matthew handed it back to the shopkeeper and had it wrapped for him. "Did you find anything you'd like to get?"
"This is far too much for me, sir," he stammered. "I could never afford anything."
"I'll buy it for you," Matthew offered, wanting to help him impress a lady that he might fancy.
"I'm afraid not, sir," he declined again and walked out of the store to get a breath of air. He was still trying to gain courage to confess to Matthew what he had done.
"Will that be all sir?" the shopkeeper asked.
Matthew decided to get his valet something anyway just to reward him for his valiant effort and putting up with him all this time as he recovered his vision.
...
"Who were you talking to?" Mary asked when Edith joined the family in the library.
"Papa," Edith replied and walked over to sit beside Tom across from Mary and Violet.
"What did he say?" Mary prompted her when she didn't continue.
"He said they haven't located Matthew yet but that they'll keep trying."
"Did you tell him what happened in the village today?" Mary asked, hoping that she didn't as she was requested earlier.
"No I didn't," Edith confirmed with a hint of annoyance. "I still don't see why we shouldn't."
"Because they'll want to come home immediately and abandon their search," Mary explained again with equal annoyance towards Edith. "If there is a time we most needed to find him that is now."
"Why didn't you scream when he cornered you in Clarkson's office?" Edith asked finally.
"What would that have accomplished?" Mary asked in return. "I knew I just have to stall until you got restless and came looking for me preferably with help. I should ask you what took you so long."
"Do the police have any idea where he might be?" Violet asked, trying to change the topic to dispel the animosity between the sisters.
"They've posted a man at the station in case he travels by train," Tom reported. "But they think he'll find other means to get to London."
"It's quite obvious what he will opt for unless the man at the station falls asleep," Violet noted.
"But that's such a long way to go," Edith pointed out, noting that it was long enough by train to choose an alternative.
"To a man wanting to avoid arrest, I think that's his only route," Mary noted. "I just hope we find Matthew or he comes home before they cross paths."
"Do you think he will harm Matthew?" Edith asked with concern. She had thought Blackwell was merely a nuisance but not violent.
"I don't think he could," Tom said. "Matthew is quite capable of defending himself and won't let Blackwell get near him to cause harm."
"You seem to forget that Matthew can't see him coming," Mary reminded him, showing signs of worry.
"Well, I'm sure Molesley will warn him if he spots Blackwell," Tom said, trying to assure Mary of Matthew's safety.
"I hope you're right," Mary replied. Once again it was up to Molesley to look out for Matthew which worried her. She prayed he was up to the task and was willing to accept him back to Downton with open arms if he kept Matthew safe.
...
Matthew stared at the picture of Mary from their wedding day. He thought he had that image seared in his mind but looking at the photo, he appreciated recovering his vision more now. He was quite happy that medicine had progressed enough to give him a chance to see the world again.
"Sir, I'm done packing," Molesley announced.
"Good, don't forget this though," Matthew said, handing him the framed photo. "I can't wait to get home. What about you?"
"I look forward to it," he replied nervously. "I just hope to be able to still serve you sir."
"Don't worry," Matthew assured him with a pat on the back. "I'm on your side and I'm quite sure I can make Mary come around to letting you stay on."
"I would appreciate that very much sir," he said, truly grateful of Matthew planning to keep him on. But he knew he had to come clean before they reached Downton.
"By the way, I got this for you," Matthew said and handed him a small black box. He watched Molesley's eyes widen when he saw what it contained.
"This is very generous sir!"
"In war time you would have gotten a medal," Matthew explained. "I wanted to show you my gratitude for accompanying me on this journey. I consider you my batman on this battle to regain my sight you know. Thank you."
Molesley was speechless and couldn't get around to telling Matthew the truth just yet.
...
Mary felt drained by the time she was preparing for bed. She was quite disappointed that Clarkson couldn't get a more accurate answer for her and the police came up empty in their search for Blackwell. She prayed for better news in the morning.
"Are you alright milady?" Anna asked, noticing Mary's tired look.
"I will be as soon as Mr. Crawley comes home," Mary replied wearily. "I just wished he would hurry up."
"I'm sure he is quite eager to return but rushing might not be an option; healing takes time."
"I was hoping to learn exactly how long that would take from Dr. Clarkson today," Mary explained. "At least I learned that it is possible for him to recover his vision."
"Was it worth the risk of encountering that man?" Anna asked trying to make light of what probably was a harrowing meeting for Mary.
"I don't know why Blackwell is back when clearly he is no longer welcome here and he has nothing to gain."
"I suppose he thinks he has nothing to lose," Anna postulated. "He must think that Mr. Crawley's absence means he had successfully driven you apart."
"Considering that I don't know where Mr. Crawley is presently, it must seem that way. Molesley hasn't called back recently has he?"
"I'm afraid not," Anna confirmed sadly. "Perhaps they have no access to a telephone since his last call."
"Then I have no way to warn Mr. Crawley about Blackwell," Mary said with frustration.
"Given that Mr. Crawley is pretty good at playing hide-and-seek with people actively looking for him, I think he may be home before that man finds him." Anna thought it was a long shot for Blackwell to encounter Matthew given he was trying to evade arrest.
Mary was glad for Anna's contagious optimism and nodded her agreement. When she was alone, she picked up her teddy bear and sat on the bay window to look out at the dimly lit sky. She quietly made a wish for Matthew to come home safely soon.
...
Matthew took one last opportunity to thank Dr. Gonin before they left in the morning. He knew he was extremely lucky to have met the man who pioneered the procedure and had it successfully performed on his eyes. He was headed towards his room when he saw Molesley intently looking at a glass of wine.
"Are you planning to get drunk?" Matthew inquired, knowing the effect of wine on his trusted valet.
"It might be the only way I can tell you the truth sir," Molesley said sadly. "Or perhaps forget your anger after you learn of what I've done."
"You don't need this," Matthew said and snatched the drink away from him. "Just tell me what it is and I'm sure it's not as bad as you make it sound."
Molesley took one big breath before confessing the truth. "I lied about not being able to reach anyone at the house. The truth is when I called I was able to talk to Anna and she told me that Master William was sick."
"What?" Matthew asked loudly, trying to keep his panic in check.
"He is fine, sir," Molesley quickly assured him. "I called the very next day and Anna said he was well again just as Dr. Duke-Elder predicted. I called the hospital daily as well until the nurse told me when Dr. Clarkson declared Master William completely well." Once he started, the truth came spilling out of him.
"Why didn't you tell me then?" Matthew asked angrily. "You shouldn't have kept that from me."
"But I was afraid of how the news might affect you sir especially since you were going into surgery."
Matthew realized how ignorance was bliss but now had to make sense of what was just revealed to him. "Mary must think I've abandoned her."
"I take full responsibility sir," Molesley offered, knowing that he was out of a job anyway.
"Let's just hope that Mary is more forgiving than that," Matthew said. "Now come along and show me where I can find a telephone to make a call to make sure everything is well at home." He believed Molesley but thought it would be prudent to check again on his family since it's been a while.
...
Mrs. Hughes was making her final rounds downstairs when she heard the phone ring in Carson's office. She hesitated before entering to answer the call.
"Hello," she answered quite informally.
"Hello, Mrs. Hughes?" Matthew said on the other end. "It's me Mr. Crawley."
"Oh my, Mr. Crawley," she greeted him. "How are you? When are you coming home? We've all missed you here especially Lady Mary." She realized she was babbling and tried to be silent to let him speak.
"I am doing well thank you for asking," he replied. "And I will be home soon. I just called to see how my family is doing."
"Shall I fetch Lady Mary?" she asked, realizing he probably wanted to speak with his wife personally.
"It's late, let her sleep," he replied. "I just wanted to know if they are well." He choked up when he thought about how much he missed them.
"Master William had a short spell with the fever but he has recovered marvelously thanks to Lady Mary. And as for Lady Mary, she's a rock."
Matthew felt proud of both of them and was glad to hear they were well.
"When shall I tell them you are to be expected home?" she inquired again.
"Please don't tell Mary just yet. I'd like to surprise her but it will be soon. I begin my homeward journey tomorrow."
"She will be very glad especially after her ordeal this afternoon."
"What do you mean?" he asked with concern.
"She had an encounter in the village with Blackwell but she is safe now and the police are looking for him," she quickly related. She didn't want Matthew to worry needlessly.
"I'm glad to hear she's safe and please keep an eye on her until I return."
"Don't you worry Mr. Crawley, we are all looking out for her and Mr. Carson has made it his personal mission to do so after today."
"Thank you Mrs. Hughes and goodnight," he said before ending the call.
Mrs. Hughes was glad to know that Matthew was well and on his way home. She walked out of Carson's office only to bump into Mrs. Patmore.
"Who were you talking to?" Mrs. Patmore asked.
"Mr. Crawley," she informed her friend. "And he's on his way home."
"It's about time he came home. Did he say when so I can prepare his special dessert?"
"He said he'll be here soon," she replied. "And I suspect he is well aware Valentine's is coming."