Rose realized as she watched the dancing that her season really was a magical time. She had been presented to the Royal family, she had been introduced to several young men who were charming. Best of all, her secret plan seemed to be working. As she watched, Matthew took Sybil's hand and led her to the dance floor. Matthew looked smashing of course, in his formal uniform and Sybil was as pretty as a picture as well. Oh please be true, Rose thought happily, please let this work.

Madelaine Allsop came up beside her. "So she's the one who has stolen the widowed heir's heart," She gave Rose a knowing look and a slight smile. "You might have warned me, Rose."

"I wasn't sure," Rose admitted. "I'm still not sure. They might just be friends but… wouldn't it be so lovely if it was more?"

Madelaine grinned broadly. "Oh you're such a romantic but I dare say, so am I. Do you really think they could be falling in love?"

"Yes… and no…" Rose found herself suddenly tongue tied. "It's just, if it was anyone other than these two, I'd be certain but it is Matthew and Sybil and there's so much…"

"There's so much hideous backstory," Madelaine helped. "And they live in the same house and have suffered the same tragedies. It's like a novel by Bronte. But look at them…They look lovely together, like they're actually enjoying themselves."

"I know," Rose said, feeling happy for both of them. "Even if it isn't what I am hoping, I think it does them both good to get out of York and at least enjoy themselves." She watched with pleasure as Matthew twirled Sybil on the dance floor, not realizing that Isobel Crawley and Lady Cora had come up beside her.

"Who is Matthew dancing with?" Isobel asked, a smile coming to her face. Cousin Isobel, Rose recalled, had pleasantly surprised that Matthew had agreed to attend so many functions without an argument from him. It was fair, Rose thought. Matthew had been so depressed, and then he had thrown himself back into his law work and the new businesses with the estate, Isobel had made the point to Lady Cora more than once that she worried Matthew was working himself into a frenzy in order to avoid living. Cora worried as well, and while Robert was more pleased to see Matthew getting up and out of the house daily. Isobel's cheerful smile tightened just a little when she realized it was Sybil that Matthew was dancing with. "He's with Sybil. Again."

"I'll have a word with her, Isobel," Cora said easily.

"Don't be harsh," Isobel gave her a nod. "I'm sure she thinks she is helping him." Isobel then made her way over to the small table where the Dowager Countess was holding informal court at the ball.

That allowed Rose to ask the question swirling in her mind. "If I didn't know better," she said carefully to Cora, "I would think that Cousin Isobel is annoyed that Sybil and Matthew are enjoying themselves."

Cora nodded as she watched the dancing, clearly considering her words. "It's awkward, Rose. Cousin Isobel was hoping that Matthew was…. Moving past his grief by agreeing to attend the Season. She's not anxious for him to remarry but she was hoping that he would at least be open to meeting some other women. And instead, he's dancing with Sybil." Cora sighed. "I'm not pleased with Sybil either. She's always been contrary about men, but I admit, Tom suited her. I know she's been worried about Matthew but she's not helping him by letting him…. Hide himself away from all of the possibilities. And she's too young to be ignoring all of her own options."

"Maybe," Madelaine said, giving Rose a conspiratorial wink, "they aren't ignoring their options at all. Rose tells me they're as thick as thieves at home."

Cora's eyes widened in surprise, and Rose couldn't help but smile. "You see it, don't you?" Rose asked, laughing. "I know you do!" Madelaine laughed as well, and after a moment so did Cora.

"I didn't see it," Cora admitted as her eyes followed the pair, "and Cousin Isobel might still have the right of it, that they're turning to each other to avoid finding new partners but… Oh, as much as it was never right when they first met, they do suit each other." Cora turned to Rose, her expression intent. "Rose, you mustn't talk about this. If it is what we hope, then we must let it happen on its own. If we force it, we'll ruin it."

"I understand, and I promise I won't discuss it," Rose said easily. Inside she was jumping with glee. It has to work, she told herself, it has to.

0o0o0o0

Violet waited until she was alone with Isobel to press her friend about what had her so flustered.
"Why have you been glaring at your son all evening? He seems to be having a lovely time." It was surprising, Violet had to admit. Matthew had been so bereft, she knew Isobel had been deeply concerned. Little George kept Matthew from just fading away, from taking the romantic but ultimately tragic path of following one's love to the grave. His grief had been so overwhelming, Violet knew Isobel had been desperate to help him, not wanting to treat him like a child but becoming increasingly worried as he shambled through his days, grief stricken and morose. Then over the last few months, Matthew had… passed through the worst of the storm. He began to take an interest in his work, and in the estate. Violet knew Robert had agreed to Matthew's ideas mostly because he'd been simply pleased Matthew wanted to do something other than ponder the depths of his sadness. Violet was surprised that he had agreed to come to London, and that he was smiling and dancing with various young ladies was almost too much to expect.

Isobel gave her a sour look. "Who is he dancing with?"

Violet looked. Matthew was twirling Sybil about. "I believe he's dancing with my granddaughter, who seems to also be having a lovely time." Another good thing. As much as she hadn't approved of Sybil marrying the chauffeur, it had been a love match that couldn't be denied and it grieved her to see Sybil alone after knowing such happiness.

"They have been joined at the hip all evening," Isobel said, her voice rolling with irritation. She sighed. "I didn't expect him to find another wife here. I'm realistic, Violet. He's barely past the worst of his grief. But I did hope that he would at least… try to see that there were possibilities out there. And instead, he's dancing with Sybil."

"Yes how awful," Violet said, rolling her eyes. "What a nightmare he's in…"

"Oh, you know that's not what I mean," Isobel snapped. "Sybil is a wonderful woman and frankly, I'd think you would be annoyed as well. She's not likely to find anyone if she spends all of her time with Matthew. It's not healthy for either of them. They spend all their time together at home. I know they've been supporting each other in their grief but it worries me that they're retreating, using the excuse of each other as a crutch to avoid meeting new people."

Violet watched the couple dance. A thought occurred to her, a pleasant thought. "Isobel, I do understand your concern. But… let's be honest between ourselves. Sybil could have married anyone after her season, she just didn't want any of the men who took an interest. She was already in love with her chauffeur. The men attending these soirees? Are the same men she turned down before, only now there's fewer to pick from. She's not meeting anyone new. And you said yourself, you didn't expect Matthew to find a wife here." Violet waited a long moment. "Have you met anyone you'd care to have as a daughter in law?"

After a moment, Isobel chuckled. "I must admit, no," she agreed. "I've met some charming young ladies here but none that I think would suit Matthew at all. It's unfortunate really. He's too old to find these young girls enticing simply because they're young girls, and too young to appreciate that it will only get harder the older he gets." Isobel sighed again. "And he's too young to be alone, Violet. It's been over a year since Mary passed. He's too young to spend all of his time working, and I worry I've set the wrong example when we're very different people in different situations." She looked down at her hands. "Matthew chides me that I didn't remarry after Reginald passed but… Reginald and I were married for thirty years. And we were a couple alone for nineteen of those years. Matthew was married for a year and a few months. And marriage suits him, and if Mary had lived, I have no doubt that they would have had a long, lovely marriage, but she didn't. And while I won't pretend to know Mary's mind better than you, I think you agree that she would have wanted him to be happy."

That was wishful thinking indeed, Violet thought, but she didn't correct Isobel. Mary would have grieved as hard, if the roles had been reversed, and it would have been as worrisome as Matthew's grief had been, but she knew Mary too well to agree with Isobel on what Mary would have wanted. Mary would have been rather enchanted with the idea that Matthew couldn't be happy without her. At least at first. She would have thought better of it eventually but that was how Mary always was, and for a moment Violet felt her own grief fresh.

She pushed it away. "Of course she would want him to be happy. And he seems to be, Isobel. He's smiling quite brightly at Sybil and she's smiling back and that's good to see." She waited a long moment. "They make an attractive couple, Matthew and Sybil. I'm sure we had a reason, back in the day, to never consider the two of them together…"

"She was a child," Isobel said quickly. "If she had been just a little older… It might have been different." Isobel smiled slightly. "I remember thinking it was too bad that she was so young, and that they were both so besotted with other people, but they were…. And now they're both widowed, with children. You just never know how things will go."

She either wasn't taking the bait, Violet decided, or trying to ignore the obvious solution just to spite me. "Things have changed for both of them. They enjoy each other's company, they share fond memories of each other's partners… is there a reason we're avoiding the obvious?"

Isobel's eyes widened in surprise. "I never… but… I think they're just friends, Violet."

Violet watched the couple move across the dance floor. "Would it be so awful if they were more than friends, Isobel?" The idea warmed in her mind. People would talk, but they always talked. Sybil had never wanted a man that was more interested in her title and inheritance than her, and unlike a number of the young girls looking for husbands, she wasn't going to be put off by the idea that Matthew worked. Not after marrying the chauffeur. And Matthew… Matthew didn't need to marry well, he didn't need to marry at all, and Isobel was right, it was unlikely that he would find a wife during the London season. The girls were lovely but they were girls. Mary had her girlish moments, but she and Matthew had been intellectual equals, and she had taken a keen interest in the estate, sometimes even disagreeing with Matthew.

Sybil would disagree with Matthew, Violet realized, a slight smile coming to her face, Sybil had openly argued with Matthew before they left, over how the women making their jam deserved higher pay than the workers picking the fruit. As much as Violet didn't care for the cheese and jam business that Matthew had begun, she had kept an eye on how it was doing and what Sybil's role in managing it really was and not only was it successful, Matthew was trusting Sybil with significant decisions.

She began to like the idea. It was a pairing born of tragedy, Matthew and Sybil had both been happily married and very much in love with their partners. Without the tragedy of Tom's car accident and Mary's death in childbirth, Violet knew that both would have remained happily married. But there had been dual tragedies, tragedies that Matthew and Sybil had comforted each other over. That alone wasn't going to build a new relationship but she remembered all too well thinking it was a pity that Sybil was too young to be in contention for Matthew. If there's no romantic love there, she thought carefully, then there wasn't, but watching them dance, she wondered. "Perhaps, Isobel, we shouldn't discourage them."

Isobel pursed her lips angrily. She managed a smile as both Matthew and Sybil gave them a wave, and then sighed. "I don't… want to discourage anything that would bring either of them some happiness. I do mean that, Violet. And… there was one time that I saw something… spark between them. And Mary saw it as easily as I did and turned his head back to her as quickly as she could. But I don't want either of them hurt more. Matthew and Tom were friends, and Sybil and Mary were sisters. It might be too much to get past, and then what do we do?"

"We let them set the pace, and we make sure to encourage but not to press them." Violet nodded. "It does not escape me that they both have the Crawley stubbornness in spades. If they think we want them together then they will see to it that they end up at each other's throats."

0o0o0o0

"Is Mother still glaring at me?" Matthew asked as they danced. "I have half a mind to grab the silliest girl at this ball, and introduce her to Mother as my new fiancé just to get her to stop. I swear I have danced with every young woman here at least once." He knew he was exaggerating but only a little. "Do you need to rest? I feel like I've had you on your feet all evening." He actually was beginning to feel guilty about their bargain. As soon as he let go of one young lady, it seemed like there were two more waiting to have the opportunity to sink their claws into him.

"I'm good, and you can't see it but Larry and Tim Grey are both lying in wait," Sybil rolled her eyes. "That you're the belle of the ball while they are frantically trying to attract a woman, any woman, should tell you how awful they are."

"I know Larry is odious," Matthew said easily, "but what's so terribly wrong with Tim?" He had to admit, on looks alone, he didn't understand why the young ladies were avoiding one of the younger, better looking highborn males.

"He's actually quite sweet when he's not around Larry, but you're not considering him with a woman's eye, as a marriage prospect," Sybil said easily. She seemed to realize that he wasn't understanding. "I begin to suspect you have utterly no idea why all these girls find you so worthy of attention."

"It does surprise me," Matthew agreed. "Particularly since I am apparently so old fashioned about music and parties." It hadn't escaped him how disappointed any number of young ladies were to hear that he wasn't much for the new jazz scene.

"Yes, and I think you've driven a few of them off by mentioning how you like nothing better than reading a book by the fire at night." Sybil laughed. "But you're sought after for several reasons. You're old but you're not sixty, the smarter girls have realized that your being clever isn't the horror show their mothers tell them it is, you're quite dashing to look at and you have a romantic, tragic story. Trust me Matthew, I know you've never been a young girl, but being the girl who heals the sad, handsome, widower's broken heart would be quite the coup. But most importantly, you don't have any brothers to share your fortune with. Larry Grey is an odious toad, we agree, but a huge part of why you're waving off ladies while he's desperately scrambling is because we all know just how much he'll inherit, and that he'll be taking care of his brother as well. And Tim… have you ever had a conversation with Tim Grey, Matthew?"

He considered it for a second. "I can't say I have. It's always Larry or Lord Merton who do the talking." He waited for her to fill him in.

"He's almost dimwitted," Sybil confided. "Someone, his mother I suspect, taught him to not say a word unless his brother or her or his father are there. So he gives the appearance of being Larry's assistant with their estate but really, Larry will need to support him." She sniffed. "As much as I don't like Larry, I will give him credit in one respect, and that is that he's very devoted to Tim. But trust me, one dance with Tim tells you all you need to know. Sweet but dim, and he's not the heir so he'll linger on the vine."

"It occurs to me that you probably know all of the people here." It surprised him for some reason, although as he thought about it, it really wasn't a reach. "I just… Mary always knew who everyone was, so I always had a source of information, but I just… assumed you never took an interest."

"Oh Matthew, you don't grow up the way I did without being forced to take an interest in things you don't like. Do you really think my mother or grandmother, or my two sisters for that matter would allow that? Trust me, Mary used to quiz me on these things." Sybil laughed as she spoke. "That reminds me, Mabel Lane Fox was asking me about you."

"Should I care?" He wasn't even sure he could put a face to the name.

She gave him a sharp look. "I'm beginning to see why your mother finds you to be a trial, Matthew. She was the one with the dark hair, that my mother introduced you to yesterday at lunch."

That helped. "She seemed nice, if a bit overly catty. Frankly I thought I put her off by asking her opinions on the news from Germany." A bit older than the young ladies being presented, and quite pretty. Like Mary, only unmarried. Too pretty to give up and marry lower, but cursed by the fact that she had come of age just before the war had gutted England of its crop of young eligible men.

Sybil frowned. "You didn't like her? That's too bad. Mama actually thought you might like her." She smiled up at him. "I suspect though… she reminded you of Mary, didn't she?"

He nodded, surprised that Sybil so easily diagnosed his discomfort. "I don't know how to describe this except that… I loved Mary despite how she could be, because from the moment I met her, I knew that she had a very warm heart that she only rarely let people see. That meant… accepting things that I wouldn't have intentionally sought out in a wife. Miss Lane has all of Mary's flaws and none of her better traits." He struggled to put it into words. "I didn't fall in love with Mary merely because she was pretty or because she looked good on my arm and enjoyed witty word play at parties. There wasn't… a set of things that I was looking for. And… I'm not sure I want a woman who reminds me of Mary. If Mary was alive, there could be no one else, but she is gone. Mother thinks I am refusing to move on and that's not true. I just… know that what I had with Mary was very special and if I think it's possible that I could have something that special again, I know it will be different, and I want to allow for the difference. I don't want another wife to be like Mary because that will always make me compare and that's unfair. And it wasn't the superficial things about Mary that I fell in love with." He sighed. "I'm explaining this badly."

Sybil shook her head. "No, you're explaining it perfectly." She laughed again as he spun her around. "At the dinner party at the Cliftons, the one you didn't attend, Mama and our host took great care to seat me next to a perfectly nice fellow. His name was Henry Talbot, and he was born high enough to please Granny, but apparently common enough for the Crawley daughter who married badly to like and… Oh Matthew, all he did was talk about his racing car and how he loves cars and racing. And I know exactly why Mama thought I would like him, because Tom liked cars… and that's not what I fell in love with."

"What did you fall in love with?" Matthew asked. He had always liked Tom and respected him, but he had wondered what the spark between them had been.

Sybil smiled shyly. "He was a bold, brave man who made no apology for being who he was. His life wasn't easy, everything that came easily to people like us, like schooling and money, he had to fight for those things. For all that everyone looked down on him here, he was a hero to his family, getting a good job, sending money home. And when they were angry that he wanted to marry me, he defended his decision and told them that he loved them and cherished them but they could accept his bride or not. Tom fought for me, more than I think my family realizes. I'm like you, Matthew. It wasn't about the surface things. And my next husband doesn't have to be Irish or a laborer… He just has to be worthy of Tom's memory. You're right, you know. New love will be different. We mustn't expect the same, we must be brave as well. We're very lucky in a way, we have our children, and we have each other." She hesitated. "I was dreading this, for all I put a good face on it to Rose. You make this easier, Matthew."

"As if you don't make this easier for me," he said with a laugh. "I wish my mother would arrange for me to be introduced to someone like you." He regretted it as soon as he said it, especially since it brought a blush to her cheeks. Yet a part of him didn't regret it. It was the truth, made worse that Sybil was one of the few women he couldn't consider, however much he might want to.

She let go of his hands as the dance music ended. "I… need to freshen up, excuse me…" and then she ran off to the exit. I'm such a lout, he thought worriedly, it's a wonder Mary ever wanted to be with me, and now I've upset Sybil who has done nothing but be kind to me. Matthew sighed and tried to put a brave face on as several hopeful young girls perked up at the reality that he had no partner. He'd need to put in a few more dances before he could beg off the rest of the evening. It was worse that his mind was rolling with what he had said. Worse, he wasn't sure he'd been honest at all.

He didn't want to be introduced to a woman like Sybil. Not when he already knew Sybil.