AN: Here comes another chapter! I hope that you enjoy it!
It's been two months since the last chapter took place, and is now mid-summer 1918
"Oh Edith, you look so lovely!" Mary smiled as Edith's bridal was fitted to her. "I can hardly believe that this is happening to me!" Edith giggled as she looked at her reflection in her white bridal gown. "You'd better start believing it Edith, you'll be married in two weeks!" Sybil giggled as she stepped out from behind a changing screen in her light pink bridesmaid dress. "Sybil that suits you so well!" Mary complimented her youngest sister sweetly. "And so will you, if you'd just put on your dress." Edith insisted.
Mary grimaced slightly, afraid her dress wouldn't quite fit any more, as her figure had started to change, her chest rounding, and her abdomen expanding as the child within her grew. "I'm sure the dress will still fit you Mary, you may not be as skinny as you were two months ago, but you're by no means too fat for your dress." Sybil insisted, as if reading her sisters thoughts. Mary nodded and stepped behind the screen, and with Anna's help quickly stepped into her dress, which wouldn't quite button up the back. It would have if she'd have worn a corset, but she'd stopped at her future brother in law's suggestion.
"I was quite right, it doesn't button over my chest." Mary sighed as she stepped out in her soft draped dress. "Oh- well, don't worry Mary, we can have it taken out easily." Sybil was a little ashamed of being wrong. "I'll have it done for you, Lady Mary, it won't take long I'm sure." Anna smiled. Mary nodded and looked at her reflection. She couldn't help but think she looked so different, yet Matthew didn't know… it seemed impossible.
"I think we should change, Mary looks tired." Edith Smiled gently at her sister, who she'd been trying to be much kinder to recently. "Oh, dear that's very kind of you." Mary smiled gently as she stepped behind the screen and changed back into her most comfortable dress and handed Anna her brides maid dress and then sat down on a cushioned seat as she suddenly felt a pain in her heart. "Mary, are you alright?" Sybil asked, coming to her sister's side in an instant.
"I… don't know, I'm fine, I just felt something strange." Mary's voice trembled. "Mary, is everything alright with your child?" Edith Asked as she stepped out from behind the screen. "Yes, it's fine, honestly, it seemed like it was all in my head. It's passed now, I'm fine." Mary smiled. "Are you sure?" Sybil asked. "Yes, honestly, get dressed. I'll just sit here until we're ready to go, then I think I'll go to bed." Mary smiled at her sister reassuringly. "And you won't want dinner?" Edith asked surprised. "No, well… I'm sure I will, but I'm perfectly capable of ringing for a tray." Mary laughed as Sybil went to change. "Are you sure you're alright though Mary, I don't want you to overdo it." Edith took her sister's hands. "Yes, Yes Edith, I'm fine, I promise you that. But I'm so glad that you and I are getting along now." Mary stroked her sister's face softly. "So am I." Edith smiled. "And just in time for your wedding." Mary gestured to Edith's silver engagement ring.
"It all seemed to happen so fast… four months ago I didn't know Gregory existed, then I did and we fell for each other so quickly… I'm afraid he'll tire of me quickly." Edith admitted. "He won't. Because you're not marrying a wealthy snobbish lord, you're marrying a middle class doctor, who has no real reason to find a wife, he dosnt need an heir. He loves you, and well, not every love story takes years to unfold as mine did Edith, sometimes there is true love at first sight, and you're the luckiest one of us to find it so truly." Mary insisted.
"Well, shall we go?" Sybil asked as she stepped out from behind the screen. "Yes, please." Mary smiled as she was helped up by Anna, who kept her arm under Mary's to keep her from falling. "I'm really alright Anna." She protested. "If you think we're taking any chances My Lady, you're wrong." Anna said firmly. Mary nodded thankfully, and allowed herself to be led to the car.
The car ride was silent, and Sybil never let go of Mary's hand. When they pulled up to the house and got out, Anna came to help her out of the car, and then quickly led her inside "Anna, if you would help me undress, and then see if you could bring up a tray of biscuits, and milk for me?" Mary asked as she had another craving. "Of course Mary, I'd be happy to." Anna smiled when they were inside the house. "Mary, you look pale, are you alright?" Cora asked when she saw her daughter walk in. "She's just tired Mama, she needs rest." Sybil explained for her. Cora nodded in understanding and watched her daughter go up the steps.
"Anna, if you could also bring up something chocolate-anything if it's at all possible." Mary asked quietly, ashamed to have such a lavish craving in war time. Anna smiled sympathetically as they entered her room "I'll see what I can do." She pulled out a soft silk nightgown, and dressed Mary in it, and sat her at her vanity to begin brushing out her hair. "Thank you for your help earlier Anna." Mary smiled at her as she removed the jewelry she'd worn that day. "It was nothing Mary, I want only to keep you healthy. After all, it will be wonderful to have a babe around here." Anna smiled. "Anna, I haven't asked you in a while, but how are things with Bates?" Mary asked sweetly. Anna frowned. "Not the best they could be, but good enough to get by." Anna answered honestly. "I do hope everything will be alright for the two of you, you're a friend to me Anna, and I'll do anything I can to help." Mary smiled at Anna in the mirror.
"There you are Mary, ready for bed, I'll go down and bring you up biscuits, and milk and something- anything chocolate." Anna teased. "Thank you, I appreciate everything you've done for me Anna." Mary thanked her sincerely as she climbed underneath her covers, and reached beneath her pillow case, pulling out her bundle of letters from Matthew that was slowly growing larger. Each one laden with war stories, and I love you.
But she'd not received one in reply to the last letter she'd sent him, telling him of the woes of pregnancy. She knew that meant the war must be growing worse, or her Matthew would have replied. She tucked them back under her pillow and lay back. As she lay flat on back with her hands folded over her swollen abdomen, she felt that little stirring motion again. She smiled and started talking to the baby softly as she found herself doing when she couldn't sleep.
"Hello there little one. Do you know that I love you? Of course you do. Your papa loves you too… he hasn't been around yet, because well, he's at war. But when you're born, he may be back. And when he holds you the first time, I just know that he'll adore you, boy or girl. I know I do. I'll always love you. I mean if you're a boy, it would make your grandfather very happy… but it doesn't matter. You're someone I'll protect to the end of time. Your aunts already love you. There's my sister Edith, she's getting married in a few weeks, and you'll have an uncle who loves you as well, then there's my sister Sybil, and she's going to teach you to be a little political genius, and then there's Anna… by law she's not my sister, but I love her like she was one. I know she's excited for you to come. And she'll know how to take care of you better than I will I'm afraid- but I'll learn, I promise."
Mary stopped when there was a knock on the door, and Anna stuck her head in "Mary, I've got your food." She said quietly. "Oh, thank goodness, please, come in." Mary sat herself up, and straightened out her nightgown. "Milk, Biscuits, and one chocolate éclair." Anna smiled triumphantly and set the tray on her lap. "Anna, oh that looks amazing, you're a saint!" Mary grinned as she smelled the sweet chocolate dessert. "Don't thank me. Thank Mrs. Patmore. I told her that you just needed chocolate, and she dipped into the test food for Edith's wedding." Mary grinned, and took a sip of milk. "I'm so spoiled. Look at me, sitting here, drinking milk, eating chocolate. And where's my husband? At the front. Who knows how he's faring! Oh I am a terrible person!" Mary felt suddenly horrified.
"No, no, Mary, you're not! Matthew would be happy to know you're being so well taken care of, you deserve it after all, and you're doing the hardest work any women has to do." Anna said soothingly. Mary nodded and took a bite of a soft biscuit. "Is there anything else you need?" Anna asked as she stood up. "No, thank you, you've been too kind." Mary smiled as Anna left.
Anna smiled as she walked out of the room, and felt her eyes fill with happy tears. "By law she's not my sister, but I love her like she was one." Those words touched her heart more than anything, and she vowed that she would make sure that the Lady Mary was always looked after, and cared for, because well, in truth Anna had always thought of Mary as her sister.
"There's an important telegram, for Lady Mary Crawley." The man in uniform said when Carson opened the door, in the early hours of the morning. "Oh, yes, thank you sir." Carson said formally as his heart dropped to his stomach. If it'd come so early, it must be important- and it was for Lady Mary, who as Matthew's wife was his nearest of kin… "Oh God." Carson sighed, and dabbed his forehead nervously. He quickly went above stairs, to Lord Grantham's door and knocked on it.
"Bates I thought I told you- Oh, Mr. Carson, why are you here?" Robert asked in confusion as he opened the door. "I'm sorry sir, I wouldn't wake you if it weren't urgent. But this telegram has just come for Lady Mary… it's from the war offices sir, I knew you would like to see it first." Carson said loyally. Robert took the telegram and his heart twist painfully as he saw the telegram… it looked like…
"Oh dear God." Robert exclaimed in horror as he read the telegram. Carson looked to the ground, he'd been expecting the worst since Mr. Crawley had left, and saw that it must have come. "Carson, if you would rouse Anna, and ask her to wake Lady Mary, and tell her to come to our room." Robert instructed, and Carson nodded "Of course sir, right away." And he hurried back the way he'd come. Robert hurriedly pulled on his robe and tied it and ran a hand through his hair. "What is it Robert?" Cora asked, sitting up sleepily. In answer he handed his wife the telegram. She squinted in the dim light to see it, and then gasped. "No, surely, this isn't right!" Cora insisted as she rose from the bed and put on her own dressing gown. "I'm afraid so." Robert sighed as he went to turn the lights on. "I don't know how Mary will handle this." Cora shook her head sadly as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "She will handle it whatever way she needs to." Robert said surely.
They sat with clasped hands in silence, until they heard footsteps in the hall, followed by a light knock. "Papa?" Mary's voice came through the door. "Come in my darling girl." Robert said back, his hand reaching for the telegram. Mary entered in a red dressing gown, with Anna, who'd come at Mary's instance, right behind her.
"What is it, it's still really the middle of the night- it must be important." Mary said as she nervously stroked her stomach. "There's a telegram that came for you a few moments ago my dear one, and it's terribly urgent." Cora answered. Mary's heart pounded quickly. "Oh?" She asked as she reached for the telegraph, her voice breaking. She took it, and as she read it a single sob broke through her lips. "Lady Mary, are you alright?" Anna asked, coming forward to stand by her side. "Matthew's been wounded, and badly!" Mary's hand flew to her throat as more tears fell. Anna stroked Mary's hair gently to calm her, "It says that he… is in a stable state… and will be brought…to the hospital here in… a matter of…days." Mary managed to say between choked breaths.
"My dear, we're so sorry." Robert rose and kissed her on the forehead. Mary nodded but the tears kept falling "If you…don't mind I think…. I'll be going back to bed." Mary got out, and then quickly left, with Anna following behind her again. "Anna, would you please wake Sybil, and Edith, and tell them I need them. Please." Mary asked, afraid she couldn't handle it alone. Anna nodded, and went to do as she was told immediately after getting Mary tucked into her bed. Mary stared at the telegram she still held with trembling fingers.
"Well, my darling child, we're going through a bit of a rough spell here, I'm afraid. You see, Papa's been wounded… and badly, I don't know what has happened to him. But he will be home soon. And I know he will be in pain, and devastated. It will be up to the two of us to bring him cheer again." She felt the child within her flutter again, giving her a little smile before the tears began to fall again.
"Mary, are you alright?!" Sybil asked as she came in without knocking, followed mere seconds later by Edith, who wore an equally worried expression. "No… I'm not." Mary managed, and she held out the telegram to her sisters. Sybil grabbed it, and Edith read over her shoulders, both sisters looked upon it with horror, and sorrow. Sybil and Edith shared a look, and climbed into bed on either side of their sister, instantly wrapping their arms around her, and letting their big sister sob. "It will all be alright Mary, I don't know how yet… but I promise I'll make it so." Sybil insisted, making Mary smile for a moment. "He is alive Mary, he'll be in your arms again before you know it." Edith whispered to Mary as she soothingly rubbed her back.
Mary nodded but couldn't bring herself to say anything. Her husband was wounded… seriously wounded, but how? It hurt not to know. She sobbed, and sobbed until her she'd exhausted herself, and fell asleep. "I- I've never seen Mary so distraught." Sybil whispered to Edith over Mary's sleeping form. "I haven't either. But she deserves one night to show her pain. She'll need to be strong for her child, and for poor Matthew." Edith whispered back. Sybil nodded in agreement, and both settled comfortably next to Mary, afraid to have her wake alone. "Good night Edith." Sybil sighed as she tried to sleep. "Good night Sybil." Edith smiled and pulled Mary's covers up. Soon the three of them where all in an uneasy sleep, each one hoping that dreams would hold something better than reality.
AN: so, a more sad chapter than I've posted before, but I promise happier things are coming quite soon! I hope that you enjoyed!