It wasn't entirely unusual to see Matthew in the cemetery early on a Saturday morning, but Isobel knew it was out of the ordinary. He usually visited the gravesite in the afternoon, fortifying himself by walking through the village and fetching flowers so that he could circle through the graves, tricking himself into visiting Mary's grave. She herself preferred the early morning time as it was quieter but she understood Matthew's method. He went in late afternoon, after he came home from work in Ripon, so that he would be tugged to leave and not let his grief overwhelm him for hours. It was a part of his day. Not per functionary, she would never say that, but a step towards moving on. It was a step towards accepting, a difficult step she knew all too well, and seeing him off schedule made her wonder if something was wrong.

She took a seat beside him on the cold stone bench. "You're here very early, Matthew," Isobel said carefully.

He nodded and smiled at her. "I know, I'm often a creature of habit. I couldn't sleep, I was pondering some decisions, and I remembered that someone else in my life is a creature of habit so…. Here we are."

Interesting, Isobel thought. "Are you looking for advice from your mother, Matthew?"

He chuckled. "Not exactly. Approval, I think. And perhaps advice." His eyes moved from her to the grave in front of him. "I still miss her terribly."

She patted his knee. "I still miss your father. It eases but it never fully goes away. It can't, because it is love. It can be bittersweet. But it does ease, and the reminders become less painful and more joyful." Isobel waited a long moment. "You are so much like your father. Not just in your looks, but in your kindness, your thoughtfulness. It's like an echo. One day, you will see or hear little George doing something and you'll see Mary. I already do."

He chuckled again, more ruefully. "I'm afraid I don't see it at all. He looks very much like me."

"Oh, I see it in his expressions, in his eyes. When he's cross, he furrows his little brow and gets that firm, irritated look, that look Mary gave you the first time you met." She found herself laughing at Matthew's sudden surprise. "I think he has her temper, her spirit. You'll need to be firm but gentle in directing him. He's like Mary, he'll want his way."

"When you said it, I suddenly see it as clear as day, his cross face when Nanny decides he's ready for a nap, and he doesn't agree," Matthew said, chuckling more. "Oh, thank you, Mother. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see the resemblance. Poor Robert was remarking the other day that it's as if George sprung from my forehead while little Kate has Sybil's hair and coloring but Tom's eyes and face. And he thinks Edith's little Marigold looks like Mary, much to Edith's surprise." After a moment though, his good cheer faded back to pensiveness. "I must admit, that's not what had me tossing and turning. I… may have found someone, Mother."

Good, she thought suddenly. She didn't say that out loud because she didn't want to scare him away from the topic, particularly when she was fairly certain she knew who the someone was. "You certainly don't need my permission to court a girl, Matthew. And you don't need Mary's. She wouldn't have wanted you unhappy." She sighed suddenly. "Cousin Violet and I disagree on this point. She thinks Mary would be quite entranced with the idea that you loved her so that you never considered another after her death."

"You don't agree, I take it?" He smiled wryly at her.

She gripped his hand reassuringly. "I think the idea would have pleased her because she was a woman and deep down we women all like the idea of being so beloved. But once she saw the reality of it, she would change her mind. Your happiness meant a great deal to her." She hesitated, wanting to be honest but also wanting to be kind. "I won't say I was always pleased that you and Mary fell in love. I worried, that she was shallow, that she loved what you represented and not you. But I was wrong. She loved you more than she loved herself, and since she loved herself a great deal, that means she loved you a great deal more. She would be happy that you were happy. She knew how deeply you loved her, and if she's looking down on you, and not ruling Heaven's social scene with an iron fist, she would be happy to know that you've found someone to share your life. Even… even if it was someone she knew."

He smiled and nodded. "You know. You know that it's Sybil."

"I suspected. And hoped, despite my initial worry." He is so like Reginald, Isobel thought again, he doesn't realize just how long we've all suspected it. It was another bittersweet echo. The likeness did make her wonder though. He shared one of Reginald's flaws. "Have you talked to Sybil? About how you feel about her?"

Matthew nodded, which relieved her. "She thinks that… we're chasing something real, and that we'll need to grant each other some grace because new love will be different. I worry that perhaps we know too much… I remember her with Tom and how he was always following her with his eyes, even before they were married. He was a braver man than I realized. Did you know his family didn't approve of his wife? He stood up for her, he stood up for me at my wedding, and now I'm considering taking his wife…I should feel like a lout and yet I don't, and I don't know why."

"Because you're in love with her, Matthew, and he was your good friend and you know, deep down, that he wouldn't be angry, much like you know Mary wouldn't be angry." She gave him a knowing smile. "Have you considered how you will discuss this? With the family?"

"Not really. It's… something of a new topic to begin with." He laughed again. "I'm afraid I don't know the polite way of telling Robert I'd like his permission to court another of his daughters, although Sybil assures me he's likely to take it better than when Tom asked him." He seemed to consider it more seriously. "If we go forward, if this goes to conclusion, I'll be raising Tom's child as my own."

"And Sybil will be raising George as her own," Isobel reminded him. "And perhaps they will both have half brothers and sisters. You should consider discussing this at the upcoming Christmas dinner party." She smiled, enjoying the notion that she had her own surprise. "I'm coming, and Lord Merton will be escorting me. He's asked a particular question that I intend to answer then. It might distract everyone from you and Sybil."

Matthew's eyes widened in surprise, and she was glad to see, happiness. "Did he ask you to marry him? Are you going to say yes?"

"He did, and I think so." She looked him in the eyes. "I wanted your opinion… since he'll be your stepfather."

"Goodness, won't that be a jolly announcement?" Matthew beamed his pleasure at her. "I like him, Mother. I like him a great deal so if he makes you happy then I think it's wonderful." He grinned with amusement. "That means you'll be a baroness. I can't wait to see Cousin Violet's face when she hears the news."

"I don't think I raised you to be so spiteful," Isobel chided. Then she grinned happily. "But I confess, I can't wait to see her face either."

"I like Michael," Sybil said as she brushed her hair in front of the vanity mirror. She turned to Edith. "He suits you. You're both clever and modern, and he's so very much in love with you." They were dressing in what had become the ladies dressing room after Mary had died. It was a small bedroom between her room and Rose's and it just seemed silly to make Anna run back and forth between their rooms. Edith had seen the sense of the arrangement immediately. It was almost like when they were little girls sharing a room, getting ready for a dinner party, with Anna helping them with their dresses and hair. Except of course, that Rose was there, and Mary was not. "It's so strange, getting ready like this."

Edith sat down next to her. "It is. Like old times. There's a holiday dinner, and we're getting dressed and…" She sighed. "I keep expecting Mary to insist I look frumpy and dowdy."

Ironic, Sybil thought suddenly, that Edith had blossomed into such a fashion maven. "Nonsense, Edith. If I know Mary, she'd be seething with jealousy over your dress."

Edith laughed. "Yes, and she'd be making catty remarks at Michael, until Matthew chided her." She smiled at Sybil. "And I feel so silly admitting that I miss that. And then I find myself wondering if she's watching us, looking down on us."

"Oh come now," Rose said. "Mary liked holiday parties. And she would love that dress and you look lovely in it, Edith."

And Rose blunted some of Mary's edges when she had first come, Sybil realized. It had been a new dynamic when Rose had come to them, Sybil thought, we'd all been grown up but not ready to move past our childhoods despite our marriages. Rose being there had forced them all to play nice for once. "She's right, Edith. You look lovely, and Mary did love holiday parties. And this will be a good party, I think." She blushed suddenly. Matthew had talked to Robert earlier that day, he'd told her as much, and things would be announced. Not an engagement, not yet, but a courtship. So that they could see how it felt to be considered a couple and not the grieving widow and widower. "There will be some… news."

Rose almost lept up from the vanity and turned to her. "What kind of news, Sybil?" She grinned suddenly. "Oh, do tell! Don't make us wait!"

"It's a surprise," Sybil insisted, struggling not to laugh as both Edith and Rose rolled their eyes at her. "It's not even that much of a surprise." But, she decided, it would be nice to have some allies other than Papa. She didn't expect anyone in the family to be upset at her, she had gotten the sense, from some of Edith's comments, that she and Matthew weren't existing in secret. Edith had hinted gently that she was well pleased. Her worry was that there were guests for dinner, Lord Merton and his sons and several other families and couples from surrounding estates. It wasn't forbidden, but it was unorthodox and she did worry it would be a problem. A minor problem but one that could ruin the party. "I'll tell you but you can't let on that you know. Matthew has asked Papa if he can court me and Papa said yes."

Rose literally jumped for joy while Edith beamed. "I knew it would work!" Rose cried out joyfully. "I knew it! Oh Sybil, I am so happy for you. You don't know how long I've been trying to match you two. Do you remember when we went book shopping for Matthew? That's when I knew I had to try! Everyone will be so pleased!"

"You've… been trying to match us?" As she said it, and as Rose nodded in delight, she suddenly realized just how many times Rose had suggested outings and events.

"I think Mama and Granny may have been helping," Edith added helpfully. "As soon as I raised the question of what was going on, Mama was all 'don't stare, you'll startle them'." She hesitated only a moment. "I know, because I know you, that you won't consider a man simply because you've been told to. I know you know your own mind. And I feel like I should tell you to be careful… except that I threw caution to the wind and found exactly what I needed and wanted with Michael in Germany. You decided on courting not because you're uncertain but because you want to let us get used to the idea and that's admirable but… Oh Sybil, don't worry about us. Go at the pace you feel is right. And do know how glad I am for you."

"Are you really?" Sybil asked. "I admit, I think I'm more worried about how people will react to Matthew than to me. It is frowned upon, you know."

"It's not so frowned upon since the war," Edith said quickly. "And Papa hasn't invited anyone who isn't a friend and Mama hinted to me that Cousin Isobel might have some news of her own to tell."

Rose chuckled. "I do hope she and Lord Merton are decided. They make a nice couple."

"Lord Merton? But…" Then Sybil laughed herself. "Oh, I shouldn't say it because we're not decided but…. This reminds me of right before Tom and I decided and I was in such a daze of delight that I wasn't paying attention to anything or anyone…. Cousin Isobel and Lord Merton?"

"Oh, it's absolutely delightful!" Rose chimed. "Tonight will be so much fun!"