August 28, 1918
Downton
Finally they arrived at the hospital. Mary went inside to find Sybil while Matthew stayed with the still sleeping Patricia.
A few minuted later Mary came out with a young woman whom she introduced as her sister Sybil. Matthew was impressed. Her beauty was not hidden by her drab nurse's uniform. And her smile when they were introduced rivalled the August sun.
"Mary tells me you have a scratch you need looking at"
"It's more in the nature of a dressing which needs changing"
"Well come in and we'll take a look at it"
Matthew looked at Sybil and then at Mary and finally at Patricia. " I'll have to take my charge with me" and he picked up Patricia, who still did not awake, and faced Sybil. "Lead on"
Sybil looked at him and then at Mary. "A hospital is no place for a baby"
"We'll cover her eyes if need be."
Mary gave a resigned nod to Sybil. Sybil shrugged her shoulders and went in. The three followed her.
Sybil lead the way down a hall to a small examination room. "Where is this scratch?" she asked.
Matthew gave Patricia to Mary. He nodded his head at the window. "The two of you should watch the scenery until we're done."
He took off his jacket. There was a small dark red stain on the right side of his shirt. He took off his shirt. There was a large dressing on his side. There was a large dark red stain in the centre of it.
He held his right arm over his head while Sybil peeled off the dressing. There was a bullet wound on his right side just below his rib cage. It was oozing a clear red liquid.
Mary peeked and wished she had not. The sight made her feel ill. How could Sybil be so matter of fact about what she was doing?
"When was the dressing last changed?" Sybil asked.
"Two days ago"
"Didn't they tell you to have it changed every day?"
"Yes, but I was travelling"
"So that is how you got leave!" Mary interjected. "Father was wondering how you managed to get a long leave this time of the year"
They both looked at her. She could feel herself blushing.
"Yes, I am on convalescent leave."
"Getting back to the matter at hand. This doesn't look or smell infected so you're lucky. If you've been travelling for two days you probably haven't had a chance for a full wash."
"No"
"Well I think we had better get you cleaned up before we put a clean dressing on"
"We? Matthew said with a leer.
Mary was shocked, but Sybil was used to dealing with wounded soldiers and she batted the remark away "In your dreams. Bath or shower?"
"Definitely a shower. The army has taught me to hate baths"
"Follow me."
"What about..." Matthew looked at Mary and Patricia.
Sybil sighed. It was a truly stupid rule her parents had laid down. "You two had better follow me"
Sybil lead them to the shower room. She gave Matthew a towel and some carbolic soap. "Wash around the wound carefully but try not rub too hard. We don't want the stitches coming out. And I'll warn you right now, that soap is going to sting. I'll bring you a clean shirt and smalls and socks."
Matthew entered the shower room and Sybil turned to go back down the hall. She looked at Mary "Are you coming or are you staying for the show?"
"Oh ... ah" Mary was flustered. "Yes of course" and she and Patricia followed Sybil down the hall.
When they came back ten minutes later they could not hear the shower running.
"Well he's either finished or he never started." said Sybil "Here give me Patricia" and before Mary could think it through Sybil had taken the baby and thrust the clean clothes at her. "Give him these" and with her free hand she pushed Mary through the door.
Matthew was standing with his back to her. He had the towel wrapped around his waist. He had a network of angry scars on his back especially one which ran down his back, under the towel and then appeared to continue down the back of his left leg. He was combing his hair. He must of seen her in the mirror. He slowly turned around. He did not leer or even smile at her. He walked slowly towards her. He had a very serious look on his face. Oh no. He is going to kiss me. He is going put his arms around me. He is going to embrace me. His towel is going to drop...
Matthew reached down and took the clean clothes from her hand. "Thank you" he said. Mary turned and fled.
Five minutes later Matthew joined them in the examination room. He was still naked from the waist up.
"It looks like you did a good job of cleaning it up but I want to have Dr. Clarkson look at it before I put the new dressing on" Sybil said and then she left in search of the doctor.
While they were waiting Matthew and Mary ignored each other. Mary looked out the window while Matthew studied a chart of the human muscular system.
Finally Sybil came back with the doctor. Sybil introduced him to Matthew. He was quite cordial with Matthew but Matthew noticed a certain coolness between the doctor and Mary.
After pronouncing the wound healing properly Dr. Clarkson instructed Matthew to come back each morning to have the dressing changed. He then left.
"If you like you can walk with me when I come to work in the morning and get it changed first thing. Now I have to be here at 7:00 am, is that too early for you?"'
"Yes, I would like that and no, I'm usually up an hour before dawn anyway"
"You can shower here as well, the Great House doesn't have a shower yet"
"That would be really nice" Matthew smiled at her.
Mary listened to this exchange with a frown.
While Sybil applied the new dressing Matthew stared at the back of Mary's head. She kept staring out the window. She did not turn around until Sybil had finished and Matthew was putting on his shirt.
"Do you need help...?" Mary asked.
"No, I don't think so. Thanks anyway."
Sybil felt as if she had become invisible. The two of them were looking at each other like there was no else in the room. The world maybe.
"Well we had better be going before Carson sends out a search party." said Mary.
"Yes" agreed Matthew.
Sybil thought she almost heard an unspoken 'dear' at the end of that last.
"Could you tell telephone this Carson and let him know that it'll be ninety minutes before we're there" asked Matthew.
"But it's only a thirty minute walk at most." said Mary.
"Yes, but there's still something we have to do" replied Matthew, He did not elaborate.
After she said goodbye to them at the hospital door Sybil watched the three of them head down the street to the road to Downton Abbey. She watched longer then she thought Mary thought she would watch because when they were almost to the corner she saw Mary tuck her arm inside Matthew's arm. Sybil smiled to herself.
Matthew stopped by the wall by the millpond where they had had their little picnic earlier. He motioned to Mary to sit down and he parked the pram so the sun was not shining in Patricia's eyes. He sat down beside Mary, close enough that if she closed her eyes she can still feel his presence although they were not touching.
"Well that answers that question" he said.
"What question?"
"How good a sleeper she is. She's still sleeping." He looked at Mary. "You know we still have that chocolate bar. Should we have it now... or later?"
The pause in his question gave her pause. What was he implying? Was he implying anything? "Much later"
"Before we go any further..."
What was he saying now she thought. What did he mean 'go further'.
"I want you to tell me what is going on with you and Patricia" he continued.
"It's a long storey" she said but she did not continue.
"I'm here for two weeks" When Mary did not speak he went on "Look, when your father came to see me in France he made it clear that the estate and the title came with a moral obligation to take care of his six ladies. Now in the ordinary course he expected that your two younger sisters would marry and
your grandmother and your mother would inevitably pass on. But he seems to think that, because of your unending grief for your husband, you will never remarry and thus I will be responsible for you and Patricia forever. Fine if that is the case, but if it is, I would like to think that you are not going to murder Patricia the first time you are left alone with her".He stopped and waited for her to speak.
She sighed but did not say anything. A long time passed.
He noticed that she was starting to tear up. He took his handkerchief out of his inside jacket pocket and handed her. She dabbed at her eyes and then started wringing it in her lap. He reached over and took her hands in his."Tell me" he commanded in a low quiet voice.
"It all starts with my cousin Patrick" she started and then the floodgate opened.
She told him the whole storey, the storey only she knew, the storey she had told no one else. She was not always coherent, she backtracked, she went off on tangents, but she got the storey out. By the time she finished he had his arm around her and she was crying on his shoulder. He let her cry herself out.
When she had finished she pulled back from him. She wiped her eyes and cheeks and gave him a small smile. He started filling in the blanks her narrative had left.
"Let me get this straight. You and Patrick were intended for each other from birth" She nodded. "Everyone thought you married Patrick Jekyll but you actually married Patrick Hyde instead" She smiled and nodded "Who managed to get himself killed even though he had a safe staff job leaving you to find out that he had burnt through all your money. And incidentally also leaving you with child. But all is not lost then if the child turned out to be a boy, but of course it turned out to be Patricia. Thus leaving you with no prospects except a long, poor and bitter widowhood. So you fell into a great black whirlpool of melancholia which you would have probably pulled yourself out of in a week or two if that interfering busybody Dr. Clarkson hadn't brought up the notion that in your funk you were going to smother Patricia or something." She nodded. "And because you are so stubborn you thought if that's what they think so be it and you've been playing the part of Queen Victoria ever since, although I think she could probably be left alone with her children"
"That is about it".
"So you've been grieving for yourself all these months"
"Yes"
"Well if you are to remarry and live happily ever after, and incidentally relieve me of my moral obligation, we are going to have to get you out of mourning and lift the spell the evil doctor cast over you" He thought for a minute. "Do you still have any clothes from your pre- black period?."
"Of course"
"Well dig them out of mothballs. And smile. When we were having lunch and you were holding Patricia I watched you smile and it made you beautiful." She started to object but he held up his hand. "Oh you're beautiful even when you're frowning but in a cold marble way like one of those Greek statues in the Louvre. When you smile you are as beautiful as one of the models sitting for those Greek sculptors"
Those nude models? she thought.
"Can you manage that much?"
"Yes"
"Good that's the easy part. I want you to start taking care of Patricia. Dress her, feed her, change her, bathe her, read to her, carry her, put her to bed."
"But my kind do not do that. We have people who do that, like Beth"
"Most of your kind don't have parental restraining orders against them. We want everyone, especially your parents, to see how much you love Patricia. Then when we have them onside we will haul you off to some specialist on Harley Street that has more letters behind his name than Dr. Clarkson has, and he will pronounce you perfectly sane and you can have your daughter back"
"What if he pronounces me insane and has me committed?"
He smiled at her. "That is a chance I'm willing to take" He stood up and held his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her up. "Come your Ladyship, let us wind our way to Downton Abbey"
"Please do not call me that. Please call me Mary." and she gave him a beautiful smile. He keeps saying 'we' she thought. Are we engaged already? Has he proposed and have I accepted? He has kept me off balance since I first set eyes on him. I need time to think.
As they walked along he asked "Please tell me about your sisters. In particular I would like to know if your father is right to be concerned about their prospects of being married."
"He told you that?" Mary was surprised.
"No, not is so many words. But he strongly implied it."
"Well you met Sybil. What did you think?"
"I found her to be a very beautiful, warm, caring person. I can't believe she doesn't have suitors lined up out the door."
"You didn't notice anything wrong with her?"
Matthew thought. In the short time he had been with Sybil he hadn't noticed anything untoward. "No"
"She is a nurse."
"So?"
"My kind do not work. We may do charity things but we do not work"
"You are lilies"
She tilted her head at him in enquiry.
"They toil not, nor do they spin" he quoted.
"Exactly"
"So young gentlemen of your kind are put off by the fact she works as a nurse"
"Yes"
"The more fools they are. Perhaps it will take someone not of your kind to appreciate her for what she is and not focus on what she is not"
Mary looked at him with concern. Surely he did not mean himself. She must forestall that. "I fear that she may have already given her heart to someone."
"Fear?"
"Will you promise that you will not tell my parents or grandmother"
"I so promise"
"I suspect that Sybil has formed an attachment to our chauffeur"
"Branson whom I met at the station?"
"Yes"
Matthew considered what he could remember of Branson. He seemed presentable enough. "Irish is he?"
"Yes"
"Why isn't he fighting?"
"He has a heart murmur which exempted him"
"So what is the attraction? Other than that he is a fine looking young man with I presume the gift of the blarney?"
"He is a socialist and Sybil fancies herself one as well"
"Well I see" Matthew replied but he made a mental note to see for himself. "And your parents don't know?"
"Heavens, if they knew Branson would be dismissed at once"
"How old is Sybil?"
"She is 21"
"She is of age, what is to stop her from running away with Branson?"
"Father would cut her off, she would be penniless"
"So she is caught between love and wealth."
"Yes"
"Which would you choose?"
She was stunned at the sudden change in the direction of his questioning. It took her time to answer. "Love, I married once for wealth without love and look what happened."
"So in order to marry you off we must find someone who loves black lilies."
"Not black after today" she smiled at him.
"What about your other sister?"
"What can I say. Edith is 23. She likes to farm."
"And your kind does not like farmers"
"Well they are so boring"
"So are there no boring farmers in Yorkshire for her?"
"There may have been one ..."
"And he was killed in the war?"
:No"
"So what happened?"
"Someone may have told him some hurtful things about him which Edith had supposedly said about him."
"But didn't"
"No"
"Has this someone has made amends and tried to mend things between Edith and Mr. ...?
"Sir Anthony Strallen. No she has not. She has been wrapped up in her own problems for too long."
"Is she still?"
"No" she will have to in order take Edith off the table she thought.
They had been walking and now they were at the ruin of the Gothic arch which was the last vestige of the abbey which gave the estate its name.
She stopped and turned to him. "Around that corner we will see the Great House and they will see us."
"So how do we play it?"
"What do you mean 'play it'?"
"Are you going to frog march me down the grand avenue? Or should I follow you a servile three paces behind? Or should ..."
She laughed at him. "We are going to play it straight. You are going to push the pram and I am going to walk along side you with a big smile on my face."
He held his left arm out and she took it. And off the three of them went.
-0-
Mary was right about the watchers.
Mrs. Hughes and Carson were watching from the entrance hall window.
Mrs. Hughes snorted. "I did not think the Ice Queen would ever thaw enough to start a family again"
"You should not say such things!" Carson remonstrated.
She knew he was referring to the epithet and not her conclusion. She knew of his despair that his beloved Lady Mary would never be happy again.
"Come let us call the staff to greet Lord Grantham's heir" he commanded.
-0-
Cora and Edith watched from a upper storey window.
"It is not fair!" Edith whined. "Mary got Patrick. Now it is my turn!"
"You know it does not work like that Edith" Cora comforted her. "Life can be unfair, we will have to make the best of it"
Cora had to restrain the joy she felt inside at the sight at the sight of her smiling eldest daughter, her arm linked with the arm of the handsome soldier as he pushed the pram up the drive, as she did not want to aggravate Edith any further. Watching them walk towards the house she wondered what exactly they had been up to for the last 3 hours.
Just then they both heard Robert bellowing at them to come down to meet Matthew.
"Come dear, let us go down and meet the heir whom has our fates in his hands"
-0-
Mary watched her father bounding towards them, no, towards his heir, no, son, Matthew. The sight brought back her ancient resentment of the entail but she forced it back into its trunk. Now was not the time, she must smile. She squeezed Matthew's arm and then let her hand fall away. "I will take Patricia from here. Good Luck"
"Will I need it?"
"I hope not" and then they were gone, leaving Matthew to meet Robert on his own.
"Welcome to Downton Abbey Matthew!" Robert greeted Matthew with a handshake and a big smile. "I trust you had a good journey"
"Thank you, yes it was excellent"
"Well I see you have already met Mary" three hours ago thought Robert, what have you done to her in that time to make her smile so, but he continued "let me introduce you to my wife, Cora"
Matthew took her outstretched and bowed over it. "Howdy Ma'am"
"Please call me Cousin Cora"
"And my daughter Edith'
Matthew took her outstretched and bowed over it. "Ma'am" Edith did not suggest he called her 'Cousin Edith'.
Robert frowned at her.
Robert then introduced Matthew to the staff and in particular Carson and Mrs. Hughes. Matthew was careful not to offer shake hands. He noticed Carson's deep look of appraisal. The servants will be the hardest to win over he thought. Maybe they should get a vote as well.
"Well Matthew, you have had a long journey I imagine you would like to freshen up before dinner" he gestured with his hand for Matthew to enter the house.
"Father, Matthew has not had a proper meal in the last two days and so I was wondering if we cannot get him some tea to tide him over until dinner"
"Certainly, Carson?" Carson nodded and left.
Matthew smiled at Mary. "Thanks for that. Oh, what about my package? I left it in the pram"
"Do not worry. I will take care of it"
"Thanks again. Don't start the chocolate bar without me."
"Maybe just a nibble"
Cora watched this byplay between Mary and Matthew with interest although she could not hear what they were saying. When Robert had taken Matthew inside she intercepted Mary who was taking a package out of the pram. "So that is what took you so long. You were shopping" she smiled at Mary.
Mary smiled back at her mother. "Among other things. I will talk to you later but now you will have to excuse me, I have to ask Anna to get a red dress ready for dinner tonight".
Cora watched her leave in amazement. First a smile and then a red dress. Where was the real Mary and what had Matthew done with her?