September 4, 1918

Downton Abbey

"You spent the whole day at Sir Anthony's?"

"Yes"

"And what did you do?"

Matthew told Mary what he did as they walked back from the hospital.

"Edith and Sir Anthony spent most of the day together unchaperoned?"

"She is of age."

"Yes but still". Good for Edith, good for me, Mary smiled to herself.

Matthew spent the day with Robert and the Estate Steward. Matthew was impressed by the interplay between the two men. The Steward was not afraid to disagree with Robert or give him bad news. Matthew hated officers who demanded sycophancy. He also hated officers who did not know what they were doing. Robert knew the cost of growing a bushel of barley, what could be done to reduce that cost, and for what that barley should sell.

Matthew realized that day that being an earl, a successful earl, has not simply a matter of waving one's hand and saying 'make it so'. When he inherited, no, if he inherited, no point in tempting fate, he would have his work cut out for him.

When Robert and Matthew returned they were greeted by Cora and Edith with the news that there would be company for dinner.

"Edith has invited Sir Anthony" Cora said as Edith blushed. Robert nodded, he had always liked Sir. Anthony. "And I invited Sir Richard Carlisle" Robert's face fell at that.

"You know I detest the man" said Robert.

"I could not help it. We ran into him in the village and he practically invited himself"

Robert shook his head. "He is a newspaper baron who bought the Haxby estate just south of here." he explained to Matthew " He is nothing but a parvenu who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. He is also all knowing and not afraid of letting you know it. Is mother coming?" he asked Cora.

"No, she has developed a convenient illness."

"Well that is a small mercy. There would be blood on the table if she were required to break bread with Sir Richard."

Matthew went up the stairs to visit Patricia and Mary in the nursery. Edith went with him.

"Sir Richard is your rival"

"Rival?" Matthew stopped and looked at Edith. "How can he be a rival? Mary has only just come out of mourning"

"I think he met her when Patrick still alive at one of Aunt Rosamund's soirees" she saw the look on Matthew's face. "I am not saying they were lovers, just that he became enamoured of her. After Patrick died Sir Richard bought Haxby. He observed all the proprietaries during the year of mourning which seems to be the standard nowadays but when the year was up, even though Mary stayed in mourning, he started dropping hints of his interest if you know what I mean. I am not sure that Mary even noticed, He must have heard that Mary has come out of mourning and so he is coming to press his suit."

"What does he have that I don't have?"

Edith smiled at him. Matthew smiled back to show he knew. Money. Loads of money. Currently spendable money. Not money that might be inherited sometime in the future.

Mary was feeding Patricia some kind of mush.

Matthew waved at Patricia. "I bet you wish I had a sausage roll on me." Patricia held up her arms to Matthew. "Oh no, not until you're cleaned up." He turned to Mary "I understand we are having company tonight?". He took the spoon from Mary and started feeding Patricia.

"Yes"

"I've met Sir Anthony, what's this other Sir like?"

"He is quite charming". Mary had a neutral look, like she had put on a porcelain mask.

Charming? That's all she is going to tell me about him?

And that was all Mary did tell him.

Together they finished feeding and bathing Patricia. Matthew told Patricia the legend of how the coyote learned to howl although he kept the sound effects down. Patricia fell asleep as Matthew rocked her.

They heard the dressing gong.

Mary stood up. "You had better put her in her crib and go get ready."

Matthew did not get out of the rocking chair. "You know I didn't get to nap to today, I'm pretty tired."

She was not sympathetic. "You can go to bed right after dinner"

Matthew made it downstairs just before they went into dinner. Robert introduced him to Sir Richard. Tall, good looking he supposed although he sensed a hardness beneath the well tailored exterior. He could take him if he weren't wounded, it would be tough, and Sir Richard looked like he knew all the dirty tricks. But he could do it, if he had to.

Matthew sat on one side of the table between Edith and Sybil while Sir Richard was on the other side between Cora and Mary. Robert was at the head and Sir Anthony was at the foot.

Matthew's position gave him time to study the interaction between Mary and Sir Richard. On one side of him Edith was giving all her attentions to Sir Anthony and on the other Sybil seem to be preoccupied. Matthew hoped that Sir Richard would commit some faux pas but he navigated the shoals of a Crawley family dinner without mishap. He was deferential to Robert and Cora, very attentive to Mary and ignored the rest of them. Certainly his manners were more polished than Matthew's. Mary maintained her porcelain look.

Matthew had been worried that he would have to verbally joust with Sir Richard but he soon learned that he need not fear. Sir Richard's opinions were polished and he rolled them out on the table like pearls. The war. Politics. Taxes. The Irish. The harshness of Sir Richard's solution to this last surprised Matthew. He was surprised that Robert agreed. Out of the corner of eye he could see that Sybil was on the boil. Just as Mary had been not that many days ago. He kicked Sybil's foot. She started. He leaned over and whispered to her "it would not be a good idea to disclose your particular interest in the Irish question just yet".

She smiled her thanks at him.

"Matthew, have you no opinion on the war?" asked Mary in a cool tone "After all you are the only one of us with any direct experience of it"

"My mother taught me it was better to keep my mouth shut and be thought a fool then to open it and remove all doubt"

Mary narrowed her eyes at Matthew.

"Quite right" Sir Richard interjected "the common soldier is too close to the action to have a proper overview, it is only us privileged few with access to the full intelligence "he preened at this "who can form the correct opinions"

It took an interminable time to finish their port so they could join the ladies in the drawing room. Sir Richard had a knack for asking Robert for advice about how to do this or that at Haxby but always trumping that advice with the solution he, Sir Richard, had arrived at, always at great expense. Sir Richard ignored Matthew.

When they finally did enter the drawing room Sir Richard gravitated to Mary. Matthew took up station in the opposite corner of the room. He sat next to Sybil.

"So what do you think of your competition?"

"He seems to hold all the cards with money as trumps."

"Money is not everything."

"Maybe not to you. You seem to be willing to walk away from it. But what about Mary? She lost a small fortune once, she may be looking to recoup her loses."

"Do not give up, you have a lot going for you, you are younger, you are..."

"I'm not even that young anymore, I just turned thirty you know."

"Patricia loves you"

"I am sure she will grow to love Sir Richard once he showers enough toys upon her"

"We will see"

Just then they heard Edith.

"You cannot go to Haxby the day after tomorrow, that is your day with Matthew"

Edith and Mary were glaring at each other.

Matthew stood up. "I heard my name mentioned?"

"Sir Richard has asked Mary to tour Haxby" Edith told him. "On her day with you"

"You are certainly welcome to tag along Crawley" said Sir Richard in a way that indicated Matthew was not.

"You are too kind Sir Richard" replied Matthew "However I have an engagement with another lady that day so I cannot accept."

"Another lady?" asked Edith.

"Yes, I have promised to take Patricia on a picnic. I had assumed that Lady Mary would tag along but she is not bound to do so. She has probably already spent too much time in my company. I'm sure she would have a fine time on Sir Richard's tour."

Sir Richard was puzzled. "Patricia? Isn't that Lady Mary's baby?"

"Yes"

"You cannot make a promise to a baby"

"I have"

"A baby cannot hold you to a promise"

"She does not have to, I hold myself."

"That is preposterous. That is surest way to spoil the child. What will she be like if you indulge every idle promise you make to her?"

Before Matthew could reply Sybil asked "If Patricia were your child how would you raise her Sir Richard?".

"I would hire the best nursemaid and governess. They would raise her until she was twelve then she would sent to the best boarding school. In due course she would be married to a suitable man of high standing and given a handsome dowry."

"I heard no mention of parental love." said Sybil.

"I would of course expect her to honour her father and mother. Whether she loved her parents would depend upon whether she appreciated the advantages she had received."

"I meant the other way, would you love her?"

Sir Richard sensed the trap closing on him. He blustered "Of course I would love her, how could I not"

"Indeed, you would be spending all that money on her" Sybil gave him a sweet smile.

Matthew saved Sir Richard from further abuse. "If you will excuse me I must get some rest" and he went up to bed.