AN: Greetings again my loyal readers! Thanks for the reviews and responses to the previous chapter! I'm so sorry for the delay between updates! Here we are!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Downton Abbey!
"How long have we got darling?" Matthew asked.
"Less than an hour until all hell breaks loose." Mary responded with a small laugh. Matthew took his wife's free hand as they walked up to the doors of Downton. The young couple carried in their arms the young Catharine, and William Crawley, hoping the presence of the young children would help calm everyone once the announcement had been made.
"Everyone is prepared?" Matthew asked. "Yes, Grandmamma should be here, as well as Edith and Gregory, and your mother. Everyone should be prepared to fight for Sybil." Mary said, determined for the plan to work. Matthew nodded as they were let into the abbey, there to have luncheon with the rest of the family.
"Matthew, Mary! You've brought the children! Wonderful, I feel as if I haven't seen them in ages!" Cora smiled as she approached them, and held out her arms to take Catharine. "Hello my angel, Grandmamma has missed you." Cora cooed quietly to her. Mary, whose arms were now free, embraced her very pregnant younger sister.
"Edith, don't you look wonderful!" Mary smiled. Edith was beaming. "You don't need to lie Mary, I know it, and I'm as huge as a whale." Edith teased, recalling Mary's complaining those months ago. Both sisters broke out in laughter.
"How is my favorite nephew?" Gregory asked as he came up behind Edith. "He's doing well, he's growing quite quickly now!" Matthew explained, knowing the doctor was worried about how small the child had been when he was born.
"Would you like to hold him?" Mary asked. Gregory hesitated, and then nodded, taking young William in his arms, and cradling him gently. "You're a natural." Matthew complimented his brother in law and old friend. Gregory smiled up at them for a moment, and then looked back down at the face of his nephew. "It won't be too long until you've got your own!" Mary commented, gently patting her sister's belly. "Three months." Edith exclaimed happily.
"It seems the entire family has decided it best to spend the afternoon in the entry way." Violet Remarked as she came to see what all the fuss was about. "Oh, yes, of course. Shall we move to the sitting room?" Cora asked, and left without receiving an answer, but everyone followed wordlessly.
"Do you suppose Mama is going to take it well?" Edith whispered in Mary's ear as they walked.
"No, I don't. But I do believe she will take it better than Papa." Mary decided and whispered in her ear.
"Mary?" Sybil whispered from behind them.
"Oh, there you are darling. How are you?" Mary asked her casually.
"Um- I'm well I suppose… a bit…nervous." Sybil whispered.
Mary fell a few steps behind everyone else and quickly joined her sister, hugging her tightly. "Be brave Sybil darling. It won't be long until you will be with your true love." Mary assured her with a quick kiss to the cheek. Sybil smiled at her older sister, feeling somewhat reassured, though her heart was pounding furiously, and her palms where drenched with sweat.
"Mary, darling are you coming?" Matthew asked after her. "Of course Matthew." Mary smiled at him. "Come along Sybil dearest. We mustn't be late for luncheon. We wouldn't want to upset Papa now, would we?" Mary asked, her dry sarcastic tone setting in as she went to take Matthews hand. "Is she alright?" Matthew asked as he bent down to whisper in Mary's ear. "She's a bit nervous, obviously, but she should be fine." Mary explained.
Luncheon was full of energy that day, As Mary and Edith tried very hard to keep the focus on anything but Sybil. Violet and Isobel kept everyone entertained with their bickering. Sybil remained oddly quiet, unable to speak, though she left a relatively convincing smile on her face throughout. Robert and Cora remained entirely unaware of any of the unusual behavior, as they remained in constant conversation.
"Shall we move to the sitting room?" Cora asked, ever the hostess. "That would be lovely Mama, Matthew and I will go fetch the children, we know you would love to see them." Mary responded, taking Matthews arm, and pulling him along with her. When they had exited the room to make their way up to the nursery, Matthew pulled his bride to a stop and kissed her full on the mouth.
"What was that for?" Mary asked, somewhat surprised as her mind had been so invested in the task at hand. "Luck. We're going to need it." Matthew laughed and led her up the steps to the nursery. "Our children. They're so perfect." Mary sighed as she held Catharine gently to her chest. "Absolutely flawless. Thank God they take after you." Matthew laughed as he held his son. "Soon Edith will have her own." Mary smiled. "And unless we rejoin our family, Sybil may never marry." Matthew laughed nervously. "Right, we ought to go downstairs." Mary agreed as she began to leave the room. "Thank you for looking after the children Anna." Mary smiled at her maid as the two left. "It wasn't any trouble Mary, I was glad to do it." Anna laughed.
The couple quickly rejoined the rest of the family in the sitting room, but a moment too late. "Mary, Matthew, did you know about this?!" Robert bellowed as he gestured to Sybil and Branson who were holding each other tightly. "Yes Papa." Mary said calmly. "And you did not think it suitable to tell me? After all I've done for you?" Roberts's voice thundered. "Papa, it was not mine to tell." Mary insisted, holding Catharine to her chest and breathing deeply.
"You all knew didn't you?" Robert asked his voice thick with fury. "Now darling, I am just as surprised as you are at this… sudden turn of events, but you mustn't get so angry." Cora insisted. "Angry? I'm not angry Cora, I'm furious! Sybil, step away from that man this instant!" Robert demanded. "Papa, I love him!" Sybil cried angrily. "No. No daughter of mine will marry a chauffeur!" Robert yelled back.
"Then I am not your daughter." Sybil said calmly, her resolve made. "Stop this nonsense at once all of you." Violet Crawley, who up to this point had been silent, demanded. "Mother, this isn't your place to" Robert was cut off when his mother looked at him angrily. "Sybil, take back what you've said, this instant." She demanded. "But Grandmother, he said" "Yes I heard very well what he said my dear, I may be old, but I'm not deaf." Violet laughed. "Now take it back."
"I'm sorry Papa. It was not right of me to say." Sybil apologized bitterly. "Now Robert Crawley, listen to them sensibly. You may not like this, but you must accept it." Violet insisted. "Papa, I'm going to marry Tom, and go to live with him in Ireland." Sybil said cooly. "IF you think for one moment that I will accept any of this, you're fully wrong!" Robert bellowed. "Papa, we never expected you to accept, or to like Brans- Tom. We only ask that you give them your blessing." Mary said quietly.
"You. You're the one who put this idea of crazy love matches in your sister's heads!" Robert accused. Mary's jaw went slack in shock. "Excuse me Papa?" Mary asked. "You would've married Matthew with or without my approval that day. You said so yourself. You put it in Sybil's head that it was her choice!" Robert growled. Mary handed her child to Edith before standing. "Is that not what you wanted Papa? You wanted me to marry the heir to your estate! You would have forced me to marry Patrick; you'd have forced me to marry Matthew if you could have! You know full well that you we're pleased that I married Matthew! You know you were pleased that I had a son to assure the continuation of the Crawley line! I've done nothing wrong!" Mary insisted.
"And that incident with The Turk, that was not wrong?!" Robert yelled. "Enough! That's enough!" Matthew yelled, now full of rage. "I will not have my wife, the mother of my children spoken to in this manner!" "How dare you, I am her father!" Robert shouted. "I am her husband! She's my responsibility sir. You're damn lucky that she and Edith were lucky enough to make love matches, and now you'd try to prevent Sybil from doing the same. It's a shame you are so shallow and blind. Mary and I will be going now. Come now, darling." Matthew felt ashamed of the way he'd let himself become so angry, however it had felt necessary.
Mary didn't protest. She took her now crying daughter from Edith's arms, and kissed her sister on the cheek. "Goodbye everyone. I hope everything works out pleasantly. Sybil, you're always welcome in my home." Mary said as she followed out her husband. As soon as they were out of the house, Matthew wrapped Mary in his arms the best he could while they held their children. "I'm sorry darling; I shouldn't have let my anger blind me." Matthew apologized.
"Don't be sorry darling. I'm pleased you would stand up for me." Mary sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Of course I would my love. I would never let anyone say something like that to you. You're my treasure." Matthew smiled and kissed her forehead. "I only feel sorry for Sybil. That didn't go nearly as well as we hoped." Mary sighed as they began to walk away from the house. "He will come around Mary. Your father is a sensible man, when he isn't blinded by anger. You'll see, he will apologize to you, and he may not approve of Sybil's husband, but he will accept Sybil as his daughter again." Matthew assured her as they began to walk.
"You seem so certain of it." Mary sighed. "That's because I am darling. You see, you're simply too wonderful to stay angry with for long." Matthew told her. She smiled up at him, and stopped walking. "I do love you Matthew Crawley. Very much." She stood on her toes, and kissed him rather roughly, too roughly for a kiss shared by even married folk in public, and pulled away only when Catharine began to coo. "Oh, I'm sorry little Catharine, I'd nearly forgotten you were there." Mary laughed as she kissed her daughters forehead. "Is she smiling?" Matthew asked, with a smile of his own. "I do believe she is. How precious she is!" Mary laughed. "How precious they are." Matthew corrected as he gestured to the little boy he held sleeping in his arms.
"Yes… We will be okay. Wont we Matthew?" She asked him nervously.
"Yes darling, we'll be more than okay. We'll be simply wonderful."
AN: I'm so sorry that it has been SO long since I've updated! I'll try to get up more soon! We're getting close to the end! Thanks for your patience! Reviews are always nice!