Mary was writing letters when Matthew returned and found her in their sitting room. He hid the bunch of Calla lilies he picked behind his back as he approached her.
"Hello" he greeted her trying to gauge her mood from her response.
"Hello," she said setting down her pen and looking up to him. "Where have you been?"
"I saw these in the field and picked them for you," he said presenting the bouquet to her.
"Are you trying to soften the blow of my defeat?" she asked as she accepted his offering.
"It's not a competition," he told her. He watched her stand up and placed the flowers in a vase before taking a seat on the sofa. He sat next to her when he asked him to.
"I'm still not convinced it's a good idea," she began. "What makes you so sure it is?"
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "But it's quite obvious that he can't stay here where he could possibly cause any more mischief."
"How can he cause more harm if he's in prison?" she insisted.
"You know how charming he can be," he reminded her. "He needs only to get someone to sympathize with him to do all sorts of things."
"Can't he do that while he's in exile?"
"It would be more difficult and I think he may find life in India suitable to his mercenary ways."
"Or terrible that he would blame you for it," she said playing devil's advocate. "Didn't Mr. Pullbrook die there?"
Matthew was quite surprised that she finally remembered the man's name. "Not everyone who goes to India dies there. I think he has a pretty good chance if he applies himself."
"What if we decide we'll visit Cousin Shrimpy in India someday?" she supposed. "Rose might want to go and we might have to chaperone."
"I'll arrange for the local police to keep him away from us," he replied. "We will have probable cause since he would have to confess to the attempted murder."
"And you think he will admit to that?"
"The offer of freedom by exile is contingent on that, Murray and I will make sure of that. It will be an iron-clad agreement."
"And if he returns, he will be arrested and put in prison?" she asked for confirmation.
"Yes," he confirmed. "That's where I'll need Robert's help with the Home Secretary."
"You seem to have thought of everything," she said.
"You did say I overthink things," he said with a smile. "So what do you say?"
Mary looked at him thoughtfully and knew she had no further argument to his plan. "Alright, we'll do it your way." She finally agreed and silently prayed he was right.
"Remind me never to go against you in a court of law," he teased. "You would be a formidable opponent."
"Aren't you glad I'm on your side then?" she teased back.
"Always," he said and leaned in to kiss her. "Do you think we can excuse ourselves early after dinner tonight again?" He looked at her with an inviting look.
"About that, we've been invited to dinner?" she revealed pushing him slightly away. "Edmund wants us to dine with him at Locksley."
Matthew frowned and tried to think up an excuse for them to decline. "Can't we tell him that we have a family matter to attend to?"
"He wants us to meet his new lady friend," she explained. "I suppose he wants our help."
"He wants your opinion of her," he guessed correctly. "Why couldn't he have arranged for tea or luncheon instead?"
"You were the one who wanted to help him with his quest by letting him stay at Locksley," she reminded him. "If he were still here, he would have just invited her here and we could have stayed home to retire as early as you want." She tried to stifle her laughter as she watched him start to pout.
"I should have sent him to London," he said. "So he can't just pop in whenever he wants to invite us to dinner."
Mary couldn't hold back any more so she giggled beside him which got him laughing along with her.
"And where would he stay?" she asked. "You're not considering offering up Grantham House; papa will definitely object to that."
"No, of course not," he assured her. "Maybe you can convince Cousin Rosamund to let him stay with her. Doesn't she like to play matchmaker?"
"Too much," she replied. "Anyway, if you agree to sacrifice some of our time tonight I will make it worth your while." She saw him perk up with the promise of a reward for his effort.
"I can be persuaded to go," he supposed and leaned near her to whisper something in her ear that made her gasp.
"If that's what you want," she yielded. "But I must warn you, I can be as ardent."
"What time is Edmund expecting us?" he asked with a wide grin. He stood up and looked at the clock when she told him and extended his hand to her with an even wider grin. "That gives us just enough time to get changed for dinner."
"It's quite early for that yet," she said also looking at the clock but following where he led nonetheless by taking his hand.
Matthew looked both ways to make sure it was clear before stepping out into the hallway. He was obviously trying to avoid encountering anyone as they made their way upstairs. Maybe it was the time of day or just sheer luck, they made it without incident.
"Now what?" she asked once they were in their bedroom.
"Anything is possible until Anna comes to help you change," he said with a mischievous smile.
...
Matthew and Mary arrived at Locksley House promptly for dinner and were led in to the sitting room where Edmund was waiting for them.
"I'm so glad you could come," Edmund said when he saw them arrive. As the host he made the proper introduction of his new lady friend. "Eliza, this is Lady Mary and Mr. Crawley."
"It's nice to meet you Lady Mary," the young lady said quite amazed to meet her. She didn't know whether to curtsy or shake her hand and ended doing neither successfully.
Mary gracefully waved her hand to assure the other woman that it was not necessary.
"Wallace is a Scottish name isn't it?" Matthew noted. "Is that where you're originally from?"
Before she could respond, dinner was announced so the quartet moved to the dining room.
"How did you two meet?" Mary asked when they were seated and having dinner.
"It's quite an interesting story," Edmund began. "She came looking for Sir Anthony and found me instead."
"Oh and how do you know Sir Anthony?" Mary asked.
"I don't," Eliza clarified. "My father was an acquaintance of his and I thought it would be nice to come say hello."
"You must be terribly disappointed because you just missed him," Matthew noted.
"It doesn't matter, I made a new friend in the process," Eliza said with a smile and quick look at Edmund.
"And how long will you be in the area?" Mary asked.
"I haven't quite decided yet. I am truly falling in love with the area so I may stay a little longer and see what it has to offer."
"So where did you grow up?" Mary asked. "I can't quite place your distinctive English accent." From the corner of her eye, she could see Matthew giving her a subtle warning not to pry.
"I'm afraid I have a hodgepodge of accents because my father and I travelled quite a bit when I was growing up. I have a little bit of every place we've been to I suppose. Have you done much travelling Lady Mary?"
"Yes I have but all I learned was to recognize the different accents and not acquire them for myself," Mary replied. "I suppose Edmund's English accent has waned a bit by staying in America for so long." She decided to draw him into the conversation.
"Does the accent really matter?" Edmund challenged Mary. "As long as we can understand each other, I think it's enough to establish a relationship with someone."
"I agree," Matthew seconded and expertly diverted the conversation to recent negotiations between America and England regarding debts incurred in the aftermath of the war.
Mary and Eliza contributed a little to the conversation but mostly Matthew and Edmund talked.
...
"So what do you think of her?" Edmund asked Mary when they were alone. "Do you like her?"
"I can't say yet," she admitted. "My first impression of her might be wrong."
"Since when have you been wrong?"
"I have been proven wrong a few times and I wouldn't want to be quick to judge your new acquaintance."
"Is this because of Matthew?" he asked showing disappointment by her restraint.
"Not at all," she said. "I can clearly see that you're quite fond of her so I would like to give her a chance by getting to know her better."
"Well thank you for that," he said appreciatively. "When would you like to have dinner here again?" He obviously was eager to have an excuse to have Eliza over again.
"Perhaps tea or luncheon instead," she suggested as an alternative. "Matthew prefers to have dinner with the family to catch up on their day."
"Alright, I'll come up with a plan to get together again soon," he agreed.
...
Matthew knew Edmund was eager to speak with Mary in private after dinner so he excused himself to head to the library after Eliza went to freshen up. He was scanning the shelf until a book caught his eye and he pulled it out to leaf through its pages. He was so engrossed in his book that he didn't notice someone arrive.
"Hello, I seem to be lost and can't find my way back to the dining room," Eliza said from the library entryway. "What's that you're reading?" She decided to approach Matthew instead of rejoining Edmund.
"Just an old book I read a long time ago," he said. "I just thought I'd reacquaint myself with the tale."
"Homer's Odyssey," she read aloud when she looked at the book in his hand. "I remember my father telling me that story. Didn't Odysseus spend ten years to find his way home?"
"Your father was a well-read man," he noted. "It may have taken him that long but he did find his way home to his beloved wife and son."
"Wasn't he enchanted by Circe and stayed with her?" she asked touching his lower arm to be able to see the page he was on. "He might never have gone home and forgotten all about his wife."
"And by Calypso but enchantment can never keep a man from his true love," he noted. "I believe he always longed for his wife and only stayed until he could break free and find his way home."
...
Mary was looking for Matthew when she ventured into the library. She saw Eliza holding his forearm and wondered what would prompt her to do so.
"Matthew, are you ready to head home?" she asked to interrupt them.
"Certainly," he agreed looking up eagerly and moving towards her after returning the book back in the bookshelf. "Where is Edmund?"
"He's waiting out in the foyer," she told him raising a brow at Eliza before turning. She led the way out as the two followed her.
"There you are," Edmund said when he saw Eliza. "I thought you had gotten lost."
"I did," Eliza confirmed. "Mr. Crawley was kind enough to rescue me."
Matthew looked like he was about to object but decided against it. He just thanked Edmund for dinner and led Mary to the waiting car.
"She seems cold towards him," Eliza noted after they had left. "Have they been married long?"
"No, not long at all," Edmund replied. "But I'm sure they are quite fond and warm towards each other. You just have to know her better to see her true self."
...
"Did you enjoy the dinner?" Anna asked as she helped Mary get ready for bed.
"If by that you mean was she nice, I can't say for sure," Mary replied looking at Anna through the mirror.
"Why not?" Anna was surprised since she knew Mary usually had an opinion of a person and was usually right.
"I think she is hiding something," she said. "But I can't tell what it is."
"Would you like me to make some inquiries? I'm sure there are a few people in the village who may know something about her."
Mary smiled and was glad she could rely on Anna to find some information about Eliza. "Can you make the inquiry subtly?"
"When am I never subtle?" Anna said with a smile before picking up Mary's discarded dress and heading out.
...
"What did you think of her?" Mary asked when Matthew sat on his side of the bed to join her.
"She seems nice and obviously her father educated her well even if they travelled a lot," he observed. "What about you, what do you think?" He was interested to know what she thought of Eliza.
"You always tell me not to be too quick to judge," she reminded him. "So I'll take your advice and get to know her better first."
"And Edmund was fine with that?" He knew the whole purpose of the dinner was to get her input about Eliza.
"Well, if he values my opinion then he will have to wait," she said.
"I value your thoughts," he said. "Do I also have to wait?"
"I know why Edmund has a vested interest but why do you? Is it because she has an obvious crush on you?"
"What?" he said in surprise. "What makes you think that?"
"She seemed to prefer talking with you," she pointed out. "How else did she end up in the library with you?"
"She couldn't find her way back to the dining room," he clarified settling in next to her. "And I think she was hiding from you because you were quite an intimidating inquisitor."
"How else am I supposed to get to know her?" she challenged him. "I'd like to know her roots to form an opinion of her."
"Not everyone has an extensive family tree or stay rooted to a place for generations," he reminded her. "I'm still a relative newcomer to Downton in case you've forgotten."
"But your roots makes you who you are," she insisted. "You are the way you are because of your Crawley blood."
"Don't let mother hear you say that," he chuckled. "She will insist that she had something to do with it both by her blood and by her rearing."
Mary thought about it for a moment before continuing. "I wonder what Eliza's father did that required them to move around a lot and where was her mother?"
"Maybe her mother died when she was very young," he speculated. "But clearly she is quite close to her father and he read books to her. She was familiar with the book I was holding in the library when she joined me."
"What book was that?" She instantly recognized the tale when he told her the title. "Why did you pick that book?" She was curious why of all the books in the room he picked that one.
"I suppose because I could relate to Odysseus making the journey back home to reunite with his wife and son; how he always longed for them."
"And how many enchantresses did you meet along the way?" she teased wondering how he would respond to that.
"I think I have immunity to any enchantress," he said quite confidently. He watched her reaction from the corner of his eye before continuing. "And I think you know why. I'm quite surprised there was not a long line of suitors outside Downton trying to win your hand while I was away." He couldn't help but tease her back.
"And how many were you expecting?" she continued their banter.
"Probably a dozen," he said eyeing her carefully. He wasn't quite prepared with the idea of her entertaining another suitor.
"Only a dozen, am I not appealing enough to be considered a good catch?" she asked trying to appear offended by the turnout.
"I wasn't gone that long," he noted slightly irked. "I'm sure you would have as many suitors as Penelope did but Odysseus was gone for twenty years."
"Well, news travels faster now," she told him trying to keep a straight face. She could tell from the look on his face he was not very pleased so decided to end his misery with reassurances. "Darling, you must think me fickle if you think I'd entertain suitors so quickly. You know my character, I wouldn't and I couldn't."
Matthew looked relieved and turned to kiss her. But then something dawned on him and he looked serious again.
"What's the matter?" she asked sensing the change. "You do believe me don't you?"
"Of course," he assured her and lay back down. "Cousin Violet once told me that our sort stay married for forty to fifty years. But if anything should happen, I want you to find happiness with someone." He still found It difficult but was intent to have her happy.
"Matthew, you're being morbid," she complained. "Nothing is going to happen to you." She hoped that by saying so it would be so.
"We can't be sure of the future," he reminded her. "And I want to make sure you'll be happy."
"I know we can't but I certainly want to prove granny right," she said trying to change the mood of their conversation. "Promise you will help me try."
"Only if you promise you will do what I ask," he repeated. "Given that both your grandmothers and my mother have outlived their husbands, I want to make sure you'll find someone to be happy with."
"And what makes you think I can't be happy on my own?" she challenged and rose to look at him. "All of them did including Aunt Rosamund. Are you saying if the tables were turned that you'll find someone else to become your Countess of Grantham?"
"You will be my only Countess of Grantham," he confessed. "I can't possibly be happy with anyone else."
"Then there, it's settled," she said. "Neither of us can be happy with anyone else so we'll just have to make a lifetime worth of happy memories starting with you dropping this subject."
Matthew knew that determined look on her face all too well and decided that maybe that was not the time to convince her otherwise. And at that point, he didn't feel like it anyway. "Alright, you win."
Mary smiled before giving him a consolation kiss. She was glad to get that out of the way and settled back next to him.
"You haven't forgotten about my reward for suffering through dinner have you?" he hinted.
"How could you call that suffering?" she asked in surprise.
"Because it was quite a lengthy dinner," he explained. "That was time that I could have been spending alone with you." Before he could go on with his justification she kissed him and everything was alright with them.
...
"Anna hasn't arrived yet?" Matthew asked when he returned to their room after he had changed and saw her getting changed on her own.
"No and I'm worried," she replied. "I hope she's alright because she's never late. If she's not downstairs, I'll go visit her in their cottage."
"Do you want me to come with you?" he offered. "I can ask Carson to have the car brought around."
"That will be nice," she accepted. She was preparing to walk out with him when their door opened and Anna came in carrying a food tray.
"I'm so sorry for being late milady," Anna apologized seeing that Mary had already gotten changed.
"Are you alright?" Mary asked with concern. "And don't worry about being late." She gave Matthew a quick nod when he tilted his head towards the door to signal he was giving them some privacy.
"I must've caught a bug or something," Anna explained. "I was feeling a bit nauseous this morning but I'm feeling much better now." She quickly went about her task while Mary watched her.
"Perhaps you should go see Clarkson just to be sure," Mary suggested. "We can ask him to come see you."
"There's no need to bother the doctor," Anna declined the offer.
"Well, I was thinking of going to the village later anyway so why don't you come with me then? If I go alone, Mr. Crawley will insist on coming with me and I'd rather he didn't."
"What about Lady Edith or Lady Rose," Anna wondered knowing that Mary was just making up an excuse so she would go see Clarkson.
"But neither of them needs to go see Clarkson," Mary revealed her true intent. She smiled when Anna finally agreed.
...
"Mr. Crawley," Eliza called out to him when she saw him walking past her.
"Miss Wallace," he greeted back and lifted his hat. "Where is Edmund?"
"Oh I don't know," she replied. "He's probably off doing what he does best."
Matthew merely smiled in response and looked around to see if he could find Tom.
"What brings you here to the village?"
"I'm looking for my brother-in-law," he said turning to look at her again. "I thought we might ride home together."
"Is he Lady Mary's brother?" she asked trying to catch his attention when he once again scanned the area.
"No, her brother-in-law as well," he corrected. "He was married to Lady Sybil."
"Was?" she asked. "What happened, if you don't mind my asking."
"She died in childbirth," he said sadly.
"That's so sad," she said touching his forearm to try to express her sympathy.
"Matthew," Tom called out when he saw the pair on the sidewalk. He noted that the woman with him was acting quite familiar with him by holding his forearm.
"Tom," Matthew greeted back and made the introductions.
"It's so nice to meet you," Eliza said with a smile. "Well, it was so nice to see you again Mr. Crawley. I hope we get to see more of each other." She took one more liberty of touching his arm before saying goodbye to the two men.
"Why will you be seeing more of each other?" Tom wondered behaving like a protective brother-in-law in Mary's absence.
Matthew chuckled recognizing Tom's behavior. "She must think that Mary and I have a great influence on Edmund whom she seems to be interested in."
"She seems interested in you as well," Tom cautioned him. "I'd be very careful around her." He drew from his previous experience with Edna.
Matthew considered what Tom said considering what Mary had already pointed out the night before. "I will be more vigilant; thank you."
"What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be having tea with Mary?"
"I thought I'd give you a ride home," Matthew offered. "But if you'd rather walk, then I'll be going now." He laughed when Tom made a face when he jokingly withdrew his offer.
...
"Where did you go this afternoon?" Matthew asked when he was waiting in bed for Mary to join him. "I missed having tea with you."
"Didn't mama tell you that I went to see Clarkson?" she asked looking at him through her vanity mirror. She watched his reaction at the mention of the doctor's name.
Matthew sat up before asking why she went to see the doctor. "Is everything alright?" He was obviously concerned.
"I took Anna to see him actually," she corrected. "She wouldn't go if left to her own devices."
Matthew remembered Anna's uncharacteristic tardiness and wondered what was wrong.
"It's not confirmed yet but I think she's pregnant," she revealed. "You must promise not to say anything until we're sure."
"What makes you think she is if Clarkson hasn't confirmed it yet?"
"Because darling I've been through it already," she said matter-of-factly. "And a woman just knows."
Matthew tried to mask his disappointment with a weak smile. "Bates will be over the moon if you're right."
"We will have another child," she said to ease his discouragement. "Just not yet."
Matthew cheered up and extended his hand to her. "Come to bed to make me feel better."
Mary smiled and obliged.
Author's note: I was looking for a name for a character and conveniently found one of a con-woman in the 19th century - wiki/Eliza_Wallace, so you can tell where I'm going with that character. Also, I found out a little info about the WWI Foreign Debts Commission Act that I inserted here a bit - wiki/World_War_Foreign_Debts_Commission_Act.