Previously:
Downton Abbey, England, October 1912
"Well I can't very well devote my time to you without an explanation. It makes no sense for two people who don't like each other to spend time together."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Matthew smiled at her. "I think Matthew Crawley, heir presumptive to the Earl of Grantham, could be convinced to not hate you as much as you think."
Mary smiled. "Then that shall be your task, Matthew. Yes, I think you putting in the effort to try to win me over would work quite nicely actually."
"Challenge accepted."
Mary blew him a kiss then left the small library, walking quickly from the larger library so they would not be seen leaving close together. She ran into Bates as she came into the Great Hall.
"Ah, Bates. Cousin Matthew is in the library. Apparently he was looking for Papa. Could you go and find his Lordship, please? You know I would hate to do any favours for Cousin Matthew."
"Of course, Milady," Bates nodded. Mary walked away, a smirk coming to her lips.
Chapter 3:
Painswick House, Eaton Square, London, England, November 1911
"Remind me whose home we are invading again, exactly?" Matthew asked his companion.
"Don't be so middle class, Matthew. For once you're at an aristocrat's home as an invited guest, rather than when you were at that Baron's home in Manchester working as the help," Alex replied.
"I was 16! Will you never let me forget that story?"
"You have been cursed by my photographic memory."
"A memory that seems to forget that you're the one who got me that catering job in the first place," Matthew pointed out petulantly.
"If you weren't so hell bent on financing the purchase of that cricket bat, you wouldn't have needed the job, and I would never have been the wiser," Alex said smugly.
"I am not having this conversation again."
The two young men nodded to the valet who took their coats and scarves and they immediately headed to the bar. Finishing their first drink, they scanned the room for their client.
"When did you say he would be arriving?" Matthew asked.
"He should be here already. We were to meet in this room at a quarter past eight," Alex answered, looking around the room casually.
"It's eight-twenty now."
"My clients are notable by the size of their problems and their even larger chequebooks, Matthew. Being impeccably on time is optional under such circumstances."
"Ah, there you are! Alex! Matthew!" A voice called out to them.
They turned and smiled as an older nobleman greeted each of them with a vigorous handshake.
"Gentlemen! So good to see both of you this evening!" he said in his deep baritone.
"Our pleasure, Viscount Branksome," Alex replied. "Matthew was desperate to leave Manchester. The winter has not been kind thus far."
"Oh, indeed. Indeed. I wanted the both of you to meet my son Evelyn; he's around here somewhere," Viscount Branksome said, looking this way and that.
"It's a lovely home," Matthew noted.
"Oh, yes, it is. Yes, it is. It belongs to Lady Rosamund Painswick. She was dear friends with my late wife of course. She always hosts a grand affair during the winter. She prefers it to the garden parties during the Summer Season; something about it being easier to keep the insects away and the fires roaring, and such."
They wandered the room with Viscount Branksome, ostensibly to look for his son. However, the search quickly became a series of introductions to his old friends, the telling of war stories, and, much to Alex's delight, a number of referrals for work.
"I had no idea that estate planning was so important," a clueless Baron asked him quizzically.
"Well it isn't important if you would rather leave your fortune to His Majesty rather than to your children," Alex mused. "The truth of the matter is that no one pays particular attention to it until it's rather too late, I'm afraid."
"Intriguing," an unknown Earl replied. "And you specialize in this type of work, Mr. Lewis?"
"My law firm does, yes," Alex answered confidently. "I like to keep the pulse of a number of areas – estate planning, company law, litigation. I find I rather enjoy a good argument, regardless of the subject matter."
Matthew was enjoying himself so much he didn't care if they never found Evelyn Napier. Following Viscount Branksome about the ballroom was proving both entertaining and lucrative. He wondered if moving his practice to London would not do him a world of good. It would put him closer to Alex, and benefit from all of his connections. Then again, it would also put him further away from Yorkshire, he thought wryly. He shook himself at the idea. His proximity to Yorkshire was hardly a valid consideration. What was the use of thinking of…
"Lady Mary Crawley."
Matthew's eyes widened upon hearing her name. He looked up suddenly and saw Viscount Branksome speaking to another older gentleman.
"Of course, you know her, don't you, Julian? That's the eldest daughter of the Earl of Grantham. His wife, Cora, was very good friends with Beatrice. Lady Grantham is from America, you know? Yes, Robert went over there, found her, and brought her back like some cavalier from the Middle Ages!" Viscount Branksome's deep laugh would have made Matthew smile if he wasn't suddenly very nervous.
"Evelyn seems rather taken with Lady Mary," Julian noted as they both looked somewhere over Matthew's shoulder.
Matthew suddenly became very engrossed in his drink as he looked to his left and tried to peer to the side as he brought the glass to his lips.
He saw Mary out of the corner of his eye. She was a vision. She wore a navy blue dress and her hair was pinned up perfectly, accessorized by a diamond barrette. She was listening demurely to the conversation of a rather handsome young man standing before her.
'That must be Evelyn Napier,' Matthew thought. As he looked at the picture of the two of them, he felt a slight pain in his chest. They looked very well matched, he thought dejectedly. Evelyn looked like a nobleman; there was no other way to describe him. Perfect suit, perfect hair, perfect teeth, and from the looks of the way he smiled as he spoke to Mary, a perfect suitor.
"Yes, he writes to her, you know," Viscount Branksome said with a strange sadness to his voice. "It's a shame that nothing will ever come of it."
"Why do you say that? If you don't mind my asking, my Lord," Alex interjected.
"Oh, not at all, Alex. Well, you didn't hear it from me, but Lady Mary is already spoken for. Robert intends to wed her to Patrick Crawley at the end of next year."
Matthew almost choked on his drink. He struggled to catch his breath. He caught Alex's gaze, and his friend was looking at him with an amused expression.
"James' boy? Why that would be a rather fine match indeed," Julian replied.
"Robert and James certainly think so. It's all very secret you see. Nothing is official yet. Lady Mary made her debut last summer of course, and was quite popular in fact from what I am told. If she receives a better offer, Robert would consider it possibly, but just the same he and James are making plans to protect the Grantham Estate. Only a handful of people are even aware of this understanding. I wanted to deter Evelyn from pursuing a fruitless exercise, but I can't betray any confidences, of course."
"Fair enough. She and Evelyn appear rather well matched, but if Robert and James need to protect the Estate, then of course she needs to do her duty."
The two men nodded in agreement. Matthew looked at the floor, trying desperately to mask his chagrin and ire at this new revelation.
"Viscount Branksome, it has been a pleasure," Alex bowed. "It appears your son is otherwise indisposed at the moment. Matthew and I would be pleased to meet him another time. I'm afraid we have some rather boring lawyer business to discuss, so we'll wish all of you a very good night."
"Always a pleasure, Alex. I believe we have dinner scheduled for next week, do we not? You are joining me for the races beforehand aren't you? Splendid! Matthew, good to see you. Safe travels back to Manchester. Keep up the good work."
"Thank you, your Lordship," Matthew mumbled. They all shook hands before Alex practically dragged Matthew away and back to the bar.
Matthew finished his drink without a care for how it looked to anyone else. He rounded on Alex and glared at him.
"You knew!" he snarled. "You knew she would be here and that's why you arranged all of this!"
"I don't have the faintest clue what you are talking about," Alex answered calmly, his face annoyingly serene. "Just as I had no clue that Lady Mary would be coming to a party hosted at her aunt's house."
"Her aunt!?"
"Lady Rosamund Painswick. She's the sister of Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham. Didn't you know?" Alex smiled.
Matthew groaned and turned back to the bar to order another drink. Alex shook his head at the bartender. The bartender acknowledged the instruction and went to assist another guest, leaving Matthew with an empty glass. Alex pushed Matthew to another corner of the room.
"Why did you do this?!" Matthew demanded. "It isn't enough to tease me on a regular basis, now you would add torture to your list of favourite pastimes as well?"
"The only thing I am doing is helping you open your eyes," Alex replied, all playfulness gone from his tone.
"To what? To the fact that the woman I love lives in a world where I clearly don't belong and is surrounded by suitors who could probably buy and sell me ten times over? Oh yes, thank you for enlightening me."
"No. Rather to the fact that if you don't get your arse moving, Lady Mary will end up betrothed to another man and you will have to forget her forever," Alex answered.
"What would you have me do?" Matthew said angrily, trying to keep his voice low. "Throw her over my shoulder and drag her back to my cave in Manchester? You of all people know how hard it was for me to say goodbye to her last summer! She's engaged, Alex! You heard Viscount Branksome! Her family already has a match lined up for her! It's too late. It was too late before it even began!"
"Have you heard of the Grantham Family Trust, Matthew?"
"The what? No. Do I even want to know what that is?" Matthew asked, exasperated now.
"Many nobles establish a family trust to hold certain assets, generally cash and sometimes small properties that are not otherwise encumbered, for the benefit of their children. Usually the trust is only accessible when the beneficiary reaches the age of majority, or in the case of women, when they marry," Alex stated as a teacher might speak to a slow pupil.
"Yes, I've heard of such instruments. I would not be surprised if the Earl of Grantham established one for Mary, Edith, and Sybil as well. What does that matter?"
"How it matters, Matthew, is that even though Lady Mary cannot inherit her family Estate, she will nonetheless stand to inherit a significant sum when she does wed," Alex said.
"How do you know the details of Mary's settlement?" Matthew asked, frowning.
"Because I drafted it."
Matthew's mouth opened in silent shock.
"The Trust was recently amended, and I assisted a lawyer here in London with some of the finer details that he couldn't write himself. It wasn't particularly difficult, actually, when you know how to properly structure these things."
"What difference does that make? I'm not interested in Mary for her money. Do you think me a fortune hunter?" Matthew asked tersely.
"I think you utterly useless, but that doesn't stop me from being your friend," Alex replied, not missing a beat. "From where I stand, the only difference between you and any of Lady Mary's supposed suitors is a title and money. A title you cannot get very easily unfortunately, but the money aspect of it, and in turn your ability to keep Lady Mary in the lifestyle she is accustomed to, is more within your grasp than you realize."
"I don't see how any of this helps. Surely the Earl of Grantham will look very angrily upon any young man seeking to court his daughter with no prospects of his own."
"That would be an issue if you had no prospects, and if you intended to court the Earl of Grantham, rather than his daughter. It seems to me that the only person you need to convince is Lady Mary, and you were well on your way to doing that this past summer if your misplaced sense of honour had not intervened."
"It's a fool's errand," Matthew muttered, looking back across the room as Mary and Edith were now speaking to three other young ladies and Evelyn Napier had disappeared. "What right do I have to take her away from all of this? I can't offer her anything of value, Alex. I can't ask her to marry me and use her settlement to support us. She deserves more than that. I can't ask her to break off her engagement for me."
"First, you would be surprised how many of the Peerage rely upon their wives' fortunes. Second, it would be a rather easy thing to break an engagement that is not official, has not been announced and for all intents and purposes, does not exist," Alex suggested. "You heard what Viscount Branksome said, Matthew. Lady Mary's engagement is only an idea. A contingency plan, call it. So long as it is not official, it can be changed, or ignored."
When Matthew did not reply and continued to stare at Mary across the room, Alex sighed. "Matthew, I can only show you a path. It is you who must pursue it. But I would think a man rather stupid to willingly give up the love of his life because he thinks himself unworthy when compared to a complete stranger. After all, Matthew, you do not determine the measure of a man. Lady Mary does. And I would think you a coward if you didn't at least fight until you received her answer."
Matthew turned back to Alex, looking rather confused and speechless.
Alex patted Matthew on the shoulder and left him to go greet another client.
Downton Abbey, England, November 1912
"I would very much like you to accompany us, Matthew."
Matthew paused before looking up at Robert. "That's very generous," he said carefully.
"I'm sure Matthew must be busy, Papa," Mary pointed out. "He does have a job that keeps him occupied, after all. Taking time out to come to London for the Winter Season is hardly on his list of priorities." Her voice was tinged with condescension.
Matthew turned to her and his eyes narrowed. Their exchanges were not as bitter as back in September. To the rest of the family, it seemed that Matthew had graduated to the same level as Edith when it came to barbs from Mary.
"Can't you take any time away from the office, Matthew?" Cora stepped in quickly. "London during the winter is so much fun, and it would be a wonderful opportunity for you to meet some of our friends."
Matthew smiled and nodded towards Cora. "Yes, I shall find the time, Cousin Cora." He turned back to Robert. "Thank you, Cousin. I will try not to embarrass you."
Robert laughed. "You'll do just fine, Matthew. I am certain of it."
"Won't they miss you at your office in Ripon though? How will they manage without you?" Mary asked, ignoring the frown from her Mama.
Matthew turned to her and stared her down. "They'll make do, I'm sure. How could I possibly in good conscience pass up the opportunity for you to show me London Society at its festive best, Cousin Mary? I've been rather looking forward to meeting all of your friends, and to be introduced to them, formally."
His emphasis on that last word escaped everyone's notice but hers. Mary's eyes widened before she quickly looked down at her plate. Edith and Sybil smiled at each other. It was rather fun to see Mary put in her place, and they learned over the past months that Cousin Matthew was fearless when it came to attempting to do so.
They all resumed eating, Matthew's witty rebuttal still hanging in the air.
"You'll enjoy London, Matthew," Robert beamed. "During the holidays, the City is simply brilliant."
Painswick House, Eaton Square, London, England, November 1911
"That dress is stunning, Mary."
"Thank you, Charlotte," Mary replied as the party continued to buzz around them. "It arrived just in time last week."
"Edith, getting any ideas? It is your Season next summer and you'll need a number of outfits."
"No, Ellen. I've decided to ignore everything until March at least."
"Don't believe a word she says," Mary teased. "She's probably taking notes on every gown in this room."
Edith glared at her sister.
"Edith, let's go find Rebecca. It's her Season next summer as well of course. The two of you can share ideas!" Lady Cheryl pulled Edith gently by the arm, looking back at Mary and Charlotte with a frown.
Mary and Charlotte gave Cheryl their best fake smiles before resuming their conversation.
"Mary, I couldn't help notice that you were having a rather animated conversation with Evelyn Napier earlier."
"He was rather animated, at least," Mary replied drily. "It was actually rather boring. He was talking about some foreign affairs work that he was doing."
Charlotte's gaze travelled across the room. "Who is that? Does your aunt have a new footman, Mary? I don't remember that fellow from last year's party."
"Charlotte, don't be so rude! Can't you tell from the cut of his tails? He isn't the help," Lady Katharine chastised her.
"You mean he's a guest? Well whoever is he?"
"That's Alexander Lewis," Katharine replied. "He's the lawyer for Viscount Branksome, among others here. I've seen him at a number of events in fact, even during the last Season. He seems to know everyone."
Mary frowned as she sipped her drink. Alexander Lewis. She had heard that name before but could not place it.
"A lawyer? He seems rather young," Charlotte answered.
"He has a practice in London. He's apparently quite brilliant. Mama told me that he helped Viscount Branksome with a court matter a year ago and since then he's been working for everyone. He's here with a colleague in fact. I saw them talking to Viscount Branksome and Papa earlier. His colleague is quite handsome, actually, for a lawyer that is," Katharine laughed. "Ellen, what was his name? The other lawyer?"
"Funny enough, it's the same family name as yours, Mary," Ellen replied. "Crawley. Yes, Matthew Crawley."
Mary coughed as she almost choked on her drink. "Matthew?!" she exclaimed before composing herself.
"Yes, Matthew," Ellen repeated obliviously. "Matthew Crawley. Do you know him?"
"No, of course not. I've never heard of him. George Murray is our family solicitor. He's the only lawyer that I know," Mary said quickly.
"Ladies, if you'll excuse me, I must find my Mama. I forgot to talk to her about our dinner plans this weekend," Mary declared as she walked away briskly.
"Strange," Ellen said, looking in the direction where Mary had disappeared to. "Lady Grantham is right over there," motioning to the opposite side of the room.
Mary walked quickly down the hallway. She felt she could not breathe and she needed to get away from the crowd of the party so she could think properly. Matthew was here? How? Why? She knew her Aunt Rosamund was well connected and that all manner of business was conducted at these parties, but for Matthew to come all the way from Manchester to this party in particular? Whatever for?
She escaped into the parlour and closed the door behind her. The lights were low to deter anyone from using this part of the house during the party. Mary leaned back against the door and sighed. "Oh, Matthew."
"At your service."
Mary nearly jumped out of her skin. She closed her hand around her mouth to stop herself from shrieking. Matthew rose from a chair by the window and stepped into the light, his hands rubbing together. He always fidgeted when he was nervous, she remembered.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed.
He stopped and stood still, trying to keep a comfortable distance between them.
"Entertaining clients. I had no idea you would be here, or that this was your aunt's house, I assure you. Alex organized the entire thing."
"Well I suppose it merely a strange coincidence then," Mary replied, not quite sure if she was disappointed or relieved that Matthew had not come to the party specifically to find her.
"You seem to be popular, as always," Matthew said evenly, searching for some subject to keep them talking so he wouldn't stare at her body as much. "I saw you chatting with Viscount Branksome's son."
"Yes. Well, Evelyn is a friend of the family."
"And have you had anyone else call on you since you've been in London?" Matthew asked, not entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer.
"No one of consequence," Mary replied quickly. "And Evelyn hasn't called on me, specifically. We knew that Aunt Rosamund invited his family to the party, but that's all."
"Well he looks like he would very much enjoy paying a call to you," Matthew said, regretting how scornful his voice sounded. Mary remained silent, looking down at the floor.
"Where's Patrick?" he asked, changing the subject, although belatedly thinking that he perhaps had not selected the most appropriate segue way.
Mary's eyes shot back up at him and went wide in shock. "How do you know about him?"
Matthew shook his head. "I don't know anything about him. I just heard his name, that's all." He looked up and met Mary's eyes. "Something about him being the son of your father's cousin, and that there is an understanding regarding your future, and his."
"How could you know about…" Mary rolled her eyes and sighed. "I don't know what you've heard but it's simply an idea for now. Nothing's official. Papa and Mama are obsessed with finding matches for us and Patrick's always been…around, as it were. He is the heir to the Grantham Estate, so he'll be the head of our family one day."
"And what do you think of this idea?" Matthew asked softly, daring to step closer to her.
"I haven't paid it much attention, to be honest," Mary replied, stepping forward herself. "It seems somewhat far away. Patrick and Cousin James are going to America in the Spring. I suppose I won't need to think seriously about him until he returns. He hasn't asked me, if that's what you're wondering."
The thought of Mary and this unknown man caused Matthew to swallow as his mouth had run dry. He did not like where this conversation had turned and he tried to back track and steer it elsewhere.
"I must admit that I've rather enjoyed myself tonight. I've had a wonderful time mingling with the Viscounts and Earls and Barons. It's almost as if I belong here." Matthew smiled. Mary could not help but smile along with him, before she steeled herself and resumed her neutral expression.
"Almost, but not quite," she said pointedly. "The fact is, Matthew, you aren't a Viscount, or an Earl, or a Baron. And you aren't what Patrick is - the heir to my family's Estate. When this party ends, you won't be able to invite yourself back, or call upon any of us. You'll go back to Manchester, back to your life." She knew it sounded cruel, but she needed to be fierce in this moment, to try and guard against her resolve failing her in his presence once again.
Matthew breathed as he took another step closer, undeterred by her reply. If she wanted to turn him away again, he would not do her work for her. Alex was right. He needed to fight, if only so he could have a few more moments with her.
"But I am here, with you, right now."
Mary swallowed. "Yes, you are." He was right there, with her, now; and he looked gorgeous.
"So if this is to be my last taste of London Society before I am banished back to my exile in Manchester, I would be a fool to not indulge myself as much as possible, wouldn't I?" His eyes darted boldly across her body, and Mary felt warm under his gaze.
"Yes," she whispered. "It would be very foolish indeed to not take advantage of this unique opportunity that fate has given you."
They should have stopped. They should have each walked away. Their minds screamed out how insane it was that two perfectly rational people could behave so brazenly and uninhibited around each other. As her hands framed his face and his arms circled her waist, they both sighed, in resignation and absolute anticipation. Their lips finally met in a familiar and yearning kiss.
They descended to the settee without any real idea how they got there. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and ran her hands under his vest, feeling his warm skin through his shirt. Their tongues duelled, pulled back, caressed lovingly, then duelled again. She wantonly broke the contact and kissed his face, his neck and nipped at his exposed skin, drawing a moan from him.
Their lips came together again, tasting each other and smiling, smiling widely between their kisses. It was surely wrong for them to be doing this because it felt far too good to be permissible.
Matthew finally pulled away from her lips and held her against him, struggling mightily to control himself. Her hand moved delicately down his body.
"Mary!" he groaned as her touch grew bolder.
She blushed fiercely as she continued undeterred. His hand moved along her side, then around, caressing her through her gown and corset. Mary's arousal blazed delightfully under his fingers.
"Stop, Mary," he gasped.
"I don't want to stop," she answered.
"I don't want to either," he breathed. "But, we must!" Matthew reached down and pulled her hand away from him. They sat there for several moments, holding each other and trying to compose themselves.
"How long are you here in London?" he whispered, kissing her forehead.
"Papa has opened Grantham House for the holidays. We'll be in the City for another week, perhaps two."
"I took holiday from work," he began, chastising himself for his foolishness in voicing this train of thought. "I'm staying at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair. I know its ridiculous Mary, but may I…"
"Yes!" Mary answered immediately, looking up into his eyes. "Oh Matthew, it's very stupid of both of us, but yes, please see me again this week. Everyone expects me to go shopping the rest of our time here. I'll find time to steal away, I promise."
"There's a café across the other side of the park from Grantham House," Matthew said, his hopes rising. "I'll be there tomorrow at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. That should give you time to have luncheon with your family and then take the afternoon for yourself before dinner. If you can make it, please come to me. If not, I'll be waiting for you the next day, and every day after that for the rest of the week."
"I'll be there," Mary said with confidence.
They kissed again and she caressed his cheek with her gloved hand when she rose to leave. He stayed on the couch, watching her as she went to the door. Before she opened it, she looked back at him and they shared a smile. She left and closed the door behind her. Matthew sat back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. He could not stop himself from breaking into a silly grin.
He eventually put himself back together and exited the parlour. When he returned to the ballroom, the party was beginning to thin out. He did not see Mary or any of her family among the remaining guests. He walked over to the bar, and Alex appeared next to him, handing him a drink.
"Club soda with lime," Alex said with a smile.
Matthew gave him a wry smirk. They clinked glasses and sipped in silence. Finally, with Alex looking at him curiously, Matthew rolled his eyes and gave in.
"It makes me angry when you're right," he said ruefully.
"Then you must be full of rage virtually all of the time," Alex replied. "Don't feel too badly, Matthew. I am older and wiser than you."
Matthew gave Alex a knowing look and sipped his drink.
"How is she?"
Matthew lowered his voice, not even wanting to use her name among the crowd. "She is very well, thank you."
"And will you be seeing her again during your stay in London?" Alex smirked.
"I don't know. It's looking promising." Matthew smiled back.
"Well that's an improvement on what it would have been mere hours ago. Come, let's do one more circuit of the room before we make our excuses."