Matthew studied Tom who appeared crestfallen after learning that they would be playing a polo match against Mary. "Cheer up chap; I'm sure it would be a learning experience."
"It's terrifying to think that we'd lose to her team," Tom noted quietly. "Why couldn't you have turned her down?"
"When have you ever known me to turn her down? For that matter have you been able to? Besides, if we lose to her then we are certainly not ready to face Edmund."
"Who else is playing on Mary's team?" Tom took a sip of his drink hoping it would fortify him.
"Edith, Rose and Robert," Matthew informed him.
Tom let out a sigh upon hearing Robert's name. "It's going to be an easy win for them because Robert knows my weaknesses."
"Better to find out our weaknesses to strategize for a win against Edmund," Matthew pointed out. "Anyway, why are you so sure we will lose?"
"Well, I'm not very good at it for one thing," Tom began. "And wouldn't we hurt Mary's feelings if we win?"
"We will hurt her feelings if we don't do our best to win," Matthew reminded him.
...
Mary sat next to Edith while they were waiting for the men to join them after dinner. "Have you spoken with Gregson lately?"
"He hasn't learned anything new about her," Edith said.
"I wasn't going to ask about that," Mary clarified but glad for the update. "I just wondered if you would like to invite him to come when we play polo against Matthew and his team."
Edith brightened up at the opportunity of having Gregson visit that she would agree to anything Mary had in mind at that moment.
"So, are we really going to play against Matthew?" Rose asked as she joined the sisters.
Mary turned to Edith to get confirmation that they were and glad to see her agree to it. "I think it's just a matter of asking papa if he would play with us."
"Can I tell him?" Rose offered happily. She jumped up when Mary nodded.
...
Mary decided to visit Anna before she turned in for the night. She gently knocked on the door before entering.
Anna was tucked comfortably in bed and reading a book. She put it down and greeted Mary warmly.
"How are you feeling?" Mary inquired sitting on the edge of the bed facing her.
"Much better," Anna said. "I'll be up and about in no time." She was eager to get back to her routine.
"You mustn't rush and take as much time as you need," Mary advised. "Besides, I quite enjoy Mr. Crawley's attention."
Anna smiled and appreciated it. "Mr. Crawley might put me out of a job seeing how well he's done." She could see Mary looked impeccable as always.
"You don't have to worry about that because Mr. Crawley is not only fond of you but he really can't replace you."
Mary stayed a little while until Bates came to check on Anna. She said goodnight to both of them and headed to her room.
...
"So did Edith agree to play on your team?" Matthew asked as he joined Mary in bed. He had no doubt she could convince her sister to do so but was curious to know how she did.
"Of course," she replied with a smile knowing exactly why he was asking. "She couldn't possibly decline the opportunity to show Gregson how good she is on a horse."
"He's coming to Downton? What for?"
"Darling, if we're to have a proper charity event, we'll need his help to make people more generous by putting them on the social pages," she explained.
"What does Cora say about all this? I assume you've told her about your plan."
"She thinks it's a wonderful idea and fully supports it," she replied. "She has already drawn up a list of people to invite. I'm considering making it an annual event like the cricket match."
"Well, let's not tell Tom just yet," he cautioned. "He's nervous enough playing against you."
Mary chuckled as she rested her head on a bent arm so she could look at him. "Should you be telling me this? I could use it to my advantage you know."
"He already thinks you have an advantage over us," he revealed. "He doesn't want any of you hurt during the match."
"Surely it's not because we are women is it? I thought he considered women as equals."
"He does," he confirmed. "But it doesn't mean he can't worry about you."
Mary smiled and played with Matthew's hair with her free hand. "I'll speak with him in the morning to allay his concerns."
Matthew rose to kiss Mary to show his appreciation. "Will you be teaching Rose how to play tomorrow?"
"Yes, why? I think the field is big enough for us to share with Tom and papa."
"Well, Tom and I have to go meet with the tenants to discuss some estate business," he informed her.
"Did you tell papa? He might think Tom is avoiding him if you didn't."
"Of course we did," he said. "Tom definitely wouldn't want Robert to think he is giving up."
"Well, please be back before tea so we can welcome Evelyn when he arrives."
"I will try but you know how unpredictable these meetings can be." He saw her expectant look and knew he would have to do more than try.
...
Mary slowly opened her eyes when she didn't feel the familiar warmth next to her in bed. She looked around the dimly lit room to find him. When she didn't see him, she got up and was about to go into the dressing room when the door opened.
"Good morning darling," Matthew greeted cheerfully. "I didn't wake you did I?"
"Why are you up so early?"
"I've decided to head out early so I can get back early," he said and kissed her forehead. "But you can get back to bed until breakfast." He led her by the hand back to her side of the bed.
"But who will help me get dressed for the day?" she complained jokingly. She saw Matthew hesitate from the corner of her eyes as she got back into bed. "Don't worry; I'm sure I'll manage."
Matthew let out sigh of relief. "You know I would love to be here to help you if I could but there is much to be done."
"Go," she gently encouraged him. "I'll be fine." She received a warm kiss from him before he headed out for the day. She was starting to lay back down when Matthew popped back in the room.
"I hope you have a good day," he said then closed the door.
Mary smiled before rolling over to his side of the bed to catch a few more minutes of sleep.
...
"Evelyn, it's so nice to see you again," Mary greeted him when he arrived.
"It's so nice to see you as well," Evelyn greeted back. "And can I say that marriage and motherhood looks good on you."
"Ah, Evelyn," Matthew greeted from behind Mary. "How have you been?" He shook the other man's hand to welcome him.
"I'm doing well and so glad to be back in England," Evelyn replied. "I hope I hadn't missed too much since I've been away."
"Aside from missing my wedding and the birth of my son, nothing much," she teased.
"Which is why I brought a peace offering," Evelyn revealed as James pulled in shiny pedal car in. "I thought since Matthew has a car, young William should have a small version of it as well."
"Evelyn, he is much too young for that; he isn't even walking yet," she informed him.
"Considering that I'm only now meeting him and it might be a while until I return again, I wanted him to have something to enjoy when he is much older."
Mary turned a concerned look at Matthew before composing herself to graciously accept the gift. "Let me see if William is ready to come down and meet you." She climbed up the stairs and left the two men behind.
"Is something the matter?" Evelyn asked Matthew when he noticed Mary's uneasiness when she saw his gift for William.
"I was recently involved in a terrible car accident and Mary is still unsettled by it," Matthew explained. He hadn't brought up the subject but seeing her reaction to the pedal car made him sure it was much too early to discuss it further.
"She never mentioned it," Evelyn said, suddenly worried that he may have caused harm by reminding her of it. "I'm truly sorry; you must think me insensitive."
"No, it will be alright," Matthew assured him. "It is a nice gift; thank you." He then walked over to James and gave him instructions on where to take the car to before inviting Evelyn into the library.
"So Mary mentioned that you're modernizing and expanding the estate," Evelyn said. "How is that going?"
"It's kept me very busy indeed," Matthew confirmed. "But I must admit that with each passing day, I learn to love what I do more."
"I'm glad to hear that," Evelyn said. "And it's really nice to see you both happy."
"What about you? Have you found the future Mrs. Napier?"
"I may have if I can convince her to come live in England," Evelyn hinted.
"Is she American?" Matthew guessed given Evelyn's long absence. "Interestingly enough Edmund is here looking for the future Mrs. Danforth. Are you acquainted with him?"
Evelyn nodded in response. "So are you playing matchmaker now?"
"No but we're lending him a hand to impress a lady he fancies," Matthew said. "Speaking of which, I wondered if you might help me along that front."
Evelyn was equally intrigued and willing to help as he listened to Matthew explain how.
"Look who's here to say hello," Mary interrupted them when she joined them in the library. Behind her was the nanny carrying William. She took her son into her own arms before formally presenting him to Evelyn.
"He's a fine looking chap," Evelyn noted touching William's head gently. "I can see both of you in him but who's temperament has he inherited?"
"I suppose you'll have to find out when he is much older," Mary suggested extending the invitation to be part of William's life to him.
"I think he takes after you in his tastes for finer things," Matthew teased.
"Should he be denied the best?" Mary countered with a gentle warning look.
"He deserves nothing less," he agreed.
Evelyn watched the couple with an amused smile. He knew that was what he wanted to have when he got married and now believed anything was possible.
...
"So did you manage to recruit Evelyn for your polo team?" Mary asked when they were in bed.
"He's all for it," Matthew replied. "I get the impression that he is eager to compete against Edmund; were they competitive growing up?"
"We all were," she replied with a smile. "But I'm glad to hear that Evelyn is on board to win this for you."
"He said he'll have his gear sent over and start practicing with Tom," he informed her. "In the meantime, I thought I'd take him out tomorrow to tour the estate."
"You're not taking him to see Edmund are you?"
"Shouldn't I?" he wondered.
"It might give you an advantage to keep your team a secret," she suggested.
Matthew considered her advice and decided to follow it. "Alright, what would I do without you?"
Mary was quite pleased he listened to her and looked forward to seeing Edmund's surprised look when he came for the match.
...
By the time Julian was expected at Downton, Tom and Rose have both improved enough for the family polo game. Between Robert, Evelyn, Mary and Matthew who took turns showing them the proper ways of playing, they both eagerly looked forward to playing for real.
"I can't wait until we actually play a match," Rose said excitedly as she walked back to the house with Tom.
"I'd like to apologize in advance," Tom said gently.
"Apologize for what?" she asked in confusion.
"When we defeat you," he joked. "I hope we'll still be friends after the match."
"What makes you think you'll defeat us?" she said with a serious look.
Tom swallowed hard hoping he hadn't hurt her feelings. He didn't know how he could undo what he had said.
Rose studied him for a moment before squeezing his arm. "I was just joking and I think I'll have to apologize in advance as well for when we defeat you."
Tom let out a breath of relief seeing that she was as playful and competitive as he was.
...
Carson escorted Julian into the library where the family was waiting for him. He was surprised at how young Matthew's friend was but remembering how many young men went to the front, he was glad he was one of the lucky ones to return safely.
"Julian, welcome to Downton," Matthew greeted warmly shaking the other man's hand. He gave Carson a quick nod of gratitude for ushering his friend in.
"I hadn't realized you meant a really big house when you described this place," Julian said clearly amazed by it.
Matthew grinned and made the formal introductions to the family who received him cordially especially by Rose. She eagerly engaged him in conversation and the two didn't notice when Matthew left to sit next to Mary.
"What do you think of him?" Matthew asked for her impression of Julian.
"I think he has more in common with Rose than with us," Mary said watching the two across from them. "Have you mentioned our polo match to him yet?"
Matthew was glad she reminded him of that and got up to quickly amend that oversight. "Rose, may I speak with Julian a moment?"
Rose reluctantly agreed and exchanged seats with him. "Isn't he dashing?" she said more than asked Mary.
Mary had to agree with her observation but knew she had to counsel her eager cousin to be less enthusiastic in her interests.
...
"Good morning Mr. Crawley," Murray greeted him when he came out after breakfast.
"Murray, you should have come in and had breakfast with us," Matthew invited. "I'm sure we can still find something for you to eat."
"I've already eaten Mr. Crawley," Murray gently declined the offer. "Besides, I'm sure you would want to get Blackwell on his way as soon as possible."
"Of course," Matthew agreed. He knew he was taking a risk setting the man free but hoped his benevolence brings them peace of mind.
"Will Lady Mary be joining us?"
"Am I late?" Mary asked announcing her approach down the stairs.
"You're just in time," Matthew said. "We were just about to leave and get Blackwell on his way."
Murray decided to wait for the couple outside at the car. He, too, wanted Blackwell well on his way to no longer pose a threat to his patron.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Matthew asked knowing that she had reservations before.
"You made a good point about showing him that he has no effect on us," she said. "I intend to make that absolutely clear to him."
Matthew offered his arm to her as they headed out to send away the man who almost got between them.
...
Blackwell was waiting in a room for his release from prison and subsequent banishment from England. He just prayed that it won't be withdrawn at the last minute. As he waited past the appointed time, he started to worry that Mary may have convinced Matthew to do just that.
Murray opened the door and Matthew came in right after him. He reread the terms of his release to make sure that Blackwell knew what he was getting into.
"I accept it," Blackwell repeated thankful for a second chance. "And I thank you very much for showing mercy Mr. Crawley. Might I ask if Lady Mary feels the same way?"
Matthew and Murray exchanged looks before Murray spoke up. "This isn't a proper place for Lady Mary."
"You may ask her once we get to the train station," Matthew offered.
Blackwell cheered up when he heard that and looked forward to seeing her one last time.
...
"Lady Mary," Blackwell greeted with a wide smile when they arrived at the station. "I'm so glad to see you again; thank you for coming."
Mary waited stoically to hear what else he wanted to say before he boarded the train with his escort.
"I regret what I've done and hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me," he continued.
Mary couldn't believe he would dare to ask; she had already made up her mind that she wouldn't. "Mr. Crawley had chosen to give you a second chance; I hope you won't disappoint him."
"I won't," he promised earnestly and turned to Matthew who by now was standing next to Mary. "But I was hoping you would also give me a second chance." He looked hopefully at Lady Mary for any signs of her forgiveness.
"You have one in India now," she replied. "You can rebuild your life there to the best of your abilities."
Blackwell could clearly see that there was no getting back into her good graces so he resigned himself to starting over in a new country. He said his goodbyes and got on the train without another word.
"I'll let you know as soon as I hear from my man when they have arrived in India," Murray said as the train pulled out of the station.
"Thank you Murray for all your help on this matter," Matthew said. "Do you have any other matters in the area or would you be free to have lunch with us?"
"Actually I was wondering if you would have some time to show me around the estate," Murray requested. "I'm quite curious to see the changes you've made besides just the numbers."
"Certainly," Matthew agreed. "Would you like to join us?" He was glad when she nodded her agreement.
Murray excused himself to make a quick telephone call so Matthew and Mary decided to wait for him in the car.
"Have I told you how much I admire your bravery?" Matthew asked after he took a seat next to Mary.
"Is this because I came to face him?" she guessed correctly what he meant.
Matthew nodded. "I know how unpleasant that was for you but you certainly made it clear there was no coming back for him."
"I'm glad that chapter is over," she noted. "Now there won't be anything else on your mind except our polo match tomorrow."
"I look forward to it," he said with a wide grin. "Should we invite Murray to stay and watch?"
"Perhaps you should ask him to come and watch when you play against Edmund," she suggested. "I fully intend to win and I wouldn't want him to think less of you if I succeed."
Matthew chuckled and knew it would be an interesting match indeed.
...
Mary was waiting for her dinner dress to be delivered to her when through the door in came Anna. "Anna, shouldn't you be in bed?"
"Dr. Clarkson gave me a clean bill of health," Anna said with a smile. "I'm ready to get back to work." She handed Mary her dinner dress.
"Are you sure? We've been managing without you so there really isn't any rush for you to get back to work."
"Please Lady Mary, I don't need this from you as well," Anna pleaded. "It was tough enough convincing John to let me come up here instead of heading home."
"Alright but you must promise to take it easy," Mary relented but obviously still concerned. She allowed Anna to resume her work.
"Anna," Matthew greeted with surprise. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He could tell that question had already been answered and looked to Mary for some guidance as to how to proceed with Anna.
"Anna wants you to take a break," Mary said. "I hope you're not too disappointed."
Matthew walked over to her side of the bed and sat down. He was a little disappointed but decided not to express it in case it made Anna feel bad.
"Are you ready for the polo match?" Anna asked trying to change the subject. "It's all anyone could talk about downstairs."
"I think we are, aren't we darling?" Mary replied.
"As ready as we can be," he agreed.
...
Gregson was ushered into the dining room as the family was finishing breakfast. "Hello, I'm sorry if I'm too early for visitors."
"Hello Gregson," Mary greeted. "You're just in time for us to discuss the charity event." She turned to Edith to make sure she would wait her turn to speak with him.
Edith understood and gave Gregson a subtle nod to greet him. She got up and followed Martha out of the dining room.
"Edith, you mustn't let Mary monopolize his time like that," Martha said.
"What do you mean? Mary invited him for her little plan so she can monopolize his time as much as she wants." Edith said mustering enough indifference so as to throw her grandmother off the scent.
"Is that so?" Martha wondered sensing more to it than that. She decided not to press the matter and wait for Edith to tell her when she was ready.
...
The family started gathering outside as the time came for them to play polo. Robert was eager to get it started and looked around for his teammates. He saw Edith and Rose but couldn't find Mary.
"Where is Mary?" Robert asked Matthew and Cora who had just arrived.
"I think she is still discussing a few more things with Gregson," Cora replied for them both. She saw Matthew flash a smile of gratitude for that before heading to chat with his teammates.
"Well, she'll be late for the match," Robert said impatiently. "It may not be a real match but I would like to start as if it were."
"Are you always this impatient or do you just want to show me how good you are?" Martha teased as she took a seat near a table that was set for them.
"Mama, Robert is quite patient," Cora defended him. "But you know Mary; she sometimes pushes tardiness to its limits."
"Am I late?" Violet asked when she joined them. "I would hate to miss anything."
"You're just in time mama," Robert informed her. "Ah, there they are." He was glad to see Mary and Gregson finally arrive.
"I hadn't realized there would be such an audience," Gregson said.
"This is just a sample of what it would be like," Mary joked. "Anyway, perhaps you can commentate for mama and my grandmothers."
"Actually we might need you to officiate, Gregson," Robert countermanded her. "Are you familiar with the game?"
Gregson nodded eagerly and accepted his role.
...
Mary and Matthew's team faced each other while waiting for Gregson to throw-in the ball at the midfield.
"You won't be distracted will you?" Mary whispered to Edith.
Edith gave Mary a frown before joining the melee that began as soon as the ball was on the ground.
To show just how competitive the two teams were, it took quite a while for the ball to escape the mallets trying to gain control of it. Tom finally managed to hit it past everyone and headed for their goal. He soon found himself being chased on both sides by Edith and Rose so he hit the ball as hard as he could to pass it to one of his teammates. Mary was able to hit the ball back towards the other end of the field only to be intercepted by Matthew who hit it quickly and strongly towards the goal mouth. With no defender there, it was an easy goal for Matthew's team.
"That was a good start darling," Mary said as they rode back to the midfield.
"It's still early in the game," Matthew said and knew it would be a fun match.
On the next throw-in the ball once again was headed towards Matthew's goal but Robert was there to hit it back towards the other end and the girls managed to outrun the male defenders to score a goal to tie the game.
"Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a tied match all the way to the end?" Evelyn joked when Matthew was beside him.
Matthew chuckled and knew it certainly would be a close match.
...
Dr. Clarkson arrived late and the match was already half-way through. He had agreed to officiate but with the sudden emergency, he had to call and pull out from the match. "I'm so sorry Lady Grantham if I disappointed anyone."
"Come now, Dr. Clarkson, as you can see we've managed to find someone to step in for you," Cora said.
"Why don't you just join us and enjoy the game?" Martha suggested.
"Maybe you can take over on the next chukker," Violet noted. "The way they're playing, I think Gregson may need a break soon."
Clarkson gladly accepted the invite and sat with the ladies while the current chukker came to a close.
...
"You shouldn't let him intimidate you," Matthew advised Tom when they were mounting their ponies for the last chukker. "I noticed that Robert likes to hook your mallet when you try to take a shot. Maybe you can use that to your advantage to draw a foul from him."
Tom thought about what Matthew said and knew he had to prove he wasn't the weak link on the team. So on the last drive towards Mary's goal; he rode alongside Robert hard enough to throw him off the line of the ball so he could hit it the other way. In so doing, he did elicit a foul and earned a penalty shot.
"Tom, you can do this," Evelyn called out to him as he rode up to take his shot.
Tom knew the score was tied and if he made the shot, he would have earned a win for his team. He took a deep breath before urging his pony on to hit the ball. With one final stroke the game would be over and so he went for it.
...
"What was the result?" Carson asked when the footmen returned. "Who won the match?"
"No one did," Alfred said quietly. "It was a tie. Mr. Branson missed the last shot."
"How could he have missed it?" James asked. "It wasn't like he had other players flanking him."
"I suppose you are a better polo player than Mr. Branson," Carson said towering over him.
"No Mr. Carson," James said apologetically. "I don't know anything about it but it was an easy shot."
"I believe Mr. Branson did his very best but trying to hit a small ball while on a horse at full gallop is no easy task. Speaking of tasks, get on with yours immediately." Carson watched as the two footmen hurried off to get ready for dinner.
"I never thought you would ever come to his defense," Mrs. Hughes said when Carson turned around to find her behind him.
"I always defend the family," Carson said. "Now if you don't mind, I need to get upstairs to make sure dinner will be ready on time."
Mrs. Hughes watched with a suppressed laughter as he climbed up the stairs.
...
Matthew could see that Tom was crestfallen for missing the shot. He caught up with his brother-in-law and tapped him on his shoulder. "That was a good game."
"Except I missed the winning goal," Tom said sadly. "I don't know how I could miss such an easy shot." He still couldn't believe what happened.
"Don't feel so bad about it," Matthew said trying to comfort him. "I think it's the best possible outcome and thought you did it intentionally so as not to hurt Robert and Mary's feelings."
Tom turned to look at Robert and Mary behind them and saw how pleased they look. It seemed only he was upset by the loss after Evelyn and Julian also tap his shoulder and say he did well.
"We can practice more on your swings tomorrow but for a first game, I'm quite proud of you," Robert said with obvious paternal approval.
Tom followed Robert and listened to his pointers on what he did well and not during their game.
"So did you get everything settled for the event?" Matthew asked Mary.
"What do you think?" she asked with a wink. "I wouldn't have asked Gregson to come unless I had it all worked out."
Matthew knew if anything that she was thorough. "Well, Robert is just glad that he came to step in as umpire. He was quite disappointed that Clarkson couldn't make it in time."
Mary knew that it wasn't the doctor's fault and considering he came as soon as he could just showed how much Clarkson wanted to be there.
"So, do you think we're ready to play against Edmund?" he wondered when they were near the house.
"I'd like to see Edmund try and beat you," she teased.
Author's note: Took longer to post an update because I had a bout of writer's block ... perhaps the dread of trying to write a polo match made it difficult. But I think I've gotten past it and hope you enjoy this latest installment. And just so you can visualize what the pedal car I wrote in this chapter go to www dot 1920-30 dot com slash toys (sorry for that but URL gets messed up here). The picture of the boy in the toy car in his sailor suit ... enough said. Ok, on to the next chapter.