Previously:
Downton Abbey, England, November 1913
"Everything is arranged as you wished," Robert said quietly.
"Excellent," Matthew said. "Thank you, Robert."
"I will admit it is going to be strange seeing Mary's bedroom empty," the Earl sighed. "But a newlywed couple should have a place of their own," he said firmly.
"I agree," Matthew smiled. "I know she'll adjust to it."
"I hope so, for your sake," he laughed.
The Earl of Grantham and his heir walked inside Downton Abbey together.
Chapter 17:
Office of the Attorney General, Palace of Westminster, London, England, June 1913
"Alexander Lewis and Matthew Crawley," the secretary announced, ushering them into the inner office.
"Alexander Lewis, as I live and breathe," a thin man smiled and walked out from around his desk, shaking Alex's hand firmly. "And who might this be?"
"Lord Reading," Alex nodded. "Matthew Crawley, one of my lawyers."
"Lord Reading," Matthew bowed his head, shaking the hand of the Attorney General for Great Britain.
"Ah yes, the heir to the Earl of Grantham," Lord Reading smiled, looking Matthew over. "Welcome, please sit."
Matthew and Alex took seats opposite the Attorney General's desk as Lord Reading went back to his office chair.
"Now, Alex, I know your time is far too valuable to waste paying me a visit to talk about old stories, so what can I do for you?" Lord Reading asked.
"It's actually Matthew who is in need of your assistance, Rufus," Alex smiled.
Lord Reading turned to Matthew. "Very well, young man, what would you like?"
"Your Lordship," Matthew began.
Lord Reading raised his hand. "Please, call me Rufus. Alex has called me far worse than that."
"Only in the courtroom, Rufus," Alex held up his hands.
"Thank you, Rufus," Matthew said nervously. "I don't mean to take up your time, but I was looking for some advice on how to approach the Lord Chancellor with a law reform matter."
"A legal reform?" Lord Reading smiled. "Well, why not? Viscount Haldane thinks he's done the impossible by reforming the Army, so reforming the law will seem like child's play. Which law are you interested in exactly?"
"The law of property," Matthew replied. "Dealing with the abolishment of entails and the transfer of land by deed in particular."
Lord Reading looked at Alex and the two of them shared a conspiratorial smile.
"That's rather ambitious of you, Matthew," the Attorney General said. "I'm wondering what interest you have in such a large project. It seems to me that you are the beneficiary of the current system and would want to keep it that way."
"I thought that the law was moving more towards a progressive system of land ownership," Matthew replied. "The tax laws in the budget of 1910 that your government pushed through would seem to put us on the road to abolishing entails completely."
"And if memory serves me correctly, Lord Grantham was one of the more vocal opponents to that budget," Lord Reading smiled. "Does he know what you're trying to do?"
"Not exactly," Matthew admitted. "It's a bit of private matter."
"And what does your fiancée, Lady Mary think of your private matter?" Lord Reading smiled.
Matthew's eyes widened.
"I read the Times like anyone else does, Matthew," Lord Reading smirked. "You didn't think that the engagement of the Earl of Grantham's eldest daughter would go unnoticed here in Westminster did you?"
"Erm…she isn't aware of it either," Matthew stammered.
"What are the chances that such a project could be successful in the next year or two, Rufus?" Alex asked.
"Always so direct, Alex," Lord Reading smiled. "Well I'm sorry to tell you that while we are moving in the right direction, it will be some years yet before entails are studied seriously in Parliament. Is the Estate in any grave danger such that a Private Member's Bill could assist you?"
"No," Matthew replied.
"Then you have your answer."
Matthew nodded and rose from his chair. He and Alex each shook hands with the Attorney General and turned to leave.
"A new law will come someday, Matthew," Lord Reading noted. "How soon it comes depends on whether there is anyone with enough courage and determination to keep pushing for it."
Matthew met his eye and nodded in understanding.
"Good luck to you, Matthew," Lord Reading said.
The Crystal Palace, London, England, March 1911
"I'm sorry, Mary, I have no right to inquire as to your family matters," Matthew apologized.
Mary sighed and looked up at the glass ceiling. She remained quiet for a while as they continued to walk.
"It's practically public knowledge, at this point," Mary finally replied. "Just talking about it becomes rather frustrating."
"You don't need to explain," Matthew said quickly.
"At one point it was decided that not only could women not be trusted to manage the affairs of our House, but that we could not be trusted to handle our own money either," Mary said. "So as a result, generations later, Mama's money is tied to the Estate, so only the men of our line will be able to use it."
"Do you believe your father is a capable manager?" Matthew asked carefully.
"Of course," Mary replied automatically. "Papa has a great responsibility, you know. It's simply that if each generation of your family is raised to believe that only the men are allowed to make important decisions, then…"
"Then the danger is that the women end up believing that's the proper way to do things," Matthew finished.
Mary's eyes widened and she looked over at him. "Yes, that's it."
"My Mother was always in charge of our house," Matthew laughed. "Father was very busy at the hospital, and championing various causes outside of it. He left the day-to-day affairs to Mother. He sometimes would not even want to know the details. 'Just tell me where to go and what to do and I'll do as you say' he would tell her."
Mary smiled. "Mama runs our House with a firm hand. But it's one thing to oversee the staff and plan parties, and quite another to deal with tenants and decide what direction your family will take in the coming years."
"Have you discussed your ambitions with your parents at all?" Matthew asked.
"No," Mary sighed. "There's no room for us to have our own ambitions or opinions, at least not in public anyway. We're to focus on getting married."
Matthew frowned. Mary's hand squeezed slightly tighter on his arm as they walked.
"So life for you will begin when you marry then?" he asked.
"In some ways," Mary agreed. "Make no mistake, I am looking forward to the Season and being settled afterward. But I often wonder if I'm merely trading one overseer for another."
Matthew looked into the distance and frowned once more.
"I'm sorry, darling," Mary smiled gamely. "This conversation has become rather dull. I told Taylor to pick up Edith first this afternoon, so I'll have some spare time after class is over."
"Whatever shall we do to pass the time?" Matthew smiled.
"I'm sure you'll think of something to entertain me," she smiled, raising her eyebrows playfully at him. "Just the two of us in an empty classroom raises all manner of delightful possibilities."
Office of the Law Firm of Harvell, Carter & Lewis, Ripon, England, November 1913
"Mr. Crawley, everything has been organized in the boardroom as you requested. Mr. Lewis has arrived and he instructed me to tell you he intends to take the first train after luncheon to go back to London."
"Thank you, Michelle," Matthew replied, nodding quickly before looking back over the documents on his desk. He frowned as he flipped the pages. Sighing, he got up and walked out of his office and down the hall to the boardroom.
"You're only giving me two hours?" Matthew huffed as he shook Alex's hand.
"If you have anything to discuss with me that takes longer than two hours, you either are not being succinct enough or whatever you have to say is of limited value," Alex replied easily.
Matthew rolled his eyes. He looked over the large map spread out across the boardroom table. "Then let's get on with it."
"The areas marked with a blue pin are the most productive farms by crop yield over the last five years," Alex explained.
"What about livestock?" Matthew asked.
"Those are the green pins. Rather small number for such a large property, to be fair."
"What are all of these red pins?"
Alex smiled. "Those are the tenants who are currently in arrears on their rental payments, according to the rolls filed with the tax authorities last year.
"That's a lot of red," Matthew frowned.
"The black pins are the farms that Lord Grantham currently owns and manages as part of the Estate. The rest are lands leased to tenant farmers."
"We hardly manage any of the land ourselves," Matthew noted.
"No, you don't," Alex agreed.
"All right, it's not great, but it's not as bad as I thought. Where is that one farmer's land? The one we met at the wedding?"
"The Drewe property is here," Alex pointed.
"And where's the statement of what he owes?" Matthew asked, looking at the documents spread across the map.
"Here," Alex handed it to him.
Matthew frowned again when he read the rent statement for Mr. Drewe.
"And the other tenants in arrears?" he asked.
Alex handed him another set of papers.
Matthew flipped through them quickly, shaking his head before setting the documents down on the table.
"And do we have a list of Robert's investments?"
"It's here," Alex said picking it up off the table. Matthew reached his hand out and Alex held it back.
"I would recommend you sit down before looking this over," Alex said.
Matthew sat down. Alex handed him the document. Matthew read it carefully, frowning all the while.
"If he's lucky, he may end up doing quite well," Alex suggested.
"And if he's unlucky, and his gamble doesn't pay off, we'll all be ruined," Matthew retorted.
"Well, not all of you will be ruined," Alex noted.
Matthew threw the document back on the table.
"I'd rather not have to test that theory," he sighed.
"Then let's move on to more important matters," Alex replied, picking up another set of documents.
Downton Abbey, England, November 1913
"We can talk about it after dinner," Sybil smiled.
Mary looked away.
"Mary?" Sybil frowned.
Mary sighed. "I won't be here for dinner, Sybil."
"Why not? You've just gotten back!"
Mary closed her eyes briefly, then smiled as she looked back at her youngest sister.
"I'll be dining at Crawley House, I expect, Sybil. We haven't seen Isobel yet and Matthew was kind enough to bring me here first. Now that luncheon is over and I've had a chance to see you all, I need to pack my things and go to my husband's home, to my new home."
"But surely Cousin Matthew will allow you to dine with us tonight?" Sybil asked. "He wouldn't deny you anything, Mary. Just ask him, please?"
"No," Mary shook her head firmly. "I won't take advantage of him, Sybil. The honeymoon, all of it, he arranged all of it for me, with barely any concern for himself. We did everything I wanted to do, he took me to the places I wanted to see. Some afternoons I spent more time shopping than I did with my own husband, for God's sake!"
"Then just invite Cousin Isobel here for dinner," Sybil suggested. "That's a compromise that Cousin Matthew could live with, surely."
"That's not the point," Mary huffed.
"I haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about," Sybil frowned.
"Darling, try to understand," Mary said patiently. "I'm married now. I'm Matthew's wife. I have a duty to him, and to his family. Since the day he arrived here, he's been pulled in whatever direction we wanted him to go. Whether it's learning about the Estate with Papa or becoming more comfortable with the servants or following us to London for the Season, everything he's done has been at our direction, Sybil."
"Yes?" Sybil shook her head in confusion.
"Matthew isn't a placeholder," Mary replied. "He's not just supposed to stand around and wait to inherit Papa's title. He has his own life, his own aspirations, and he needs someone to be on his side for once, someone besides his mother."
"And that someone is you?" Sybil asked.
"Of course it is me!" Mary snapped. "That's what marriage is, Sybil! My husband deserves my support, and I am going to give it to him."
"But Mary, even in the brief time that Cousin Matthew has been here, he must know that you are rather…" she hesitated.
"Yes?" Mary's eyes narrowed.
"Strong willed," Sybil said diplomatically. "He married you knowing full well who you are. He knows you love Downton. He can't expect you to change now."
"He wouldn't expect it, he wouldn't even ask for it," Mary shook her head. "We will be Lord and Countess of Grantham one day and at that time we will run this House and manage the affairs of the Estate and make all the decisions together for the future of our family. But right now, Downton isn't our responsibility, and I won't choose this House over him, Sybil. Everyone probably expects me to, and that's exactly why I cannot."
"I don't see how coming to dinner tonight will have such dire consequences," Sybil rolled her eyes.
Mary smiled. "It won't, darling. Matthew wouldn't think twice about it. But you see, that's the problem. First it's insisting we have dinner here rather than at our actual home. Next, it's bringing Anna with me as my lady's maid. After that, it will be coming here every morning after breakfast so I can go riding while Matthew is at work. Eventually, nothing will be different, Sybil. It'll seem as if I've never left."
"Well isn't that what you want?"
"In a way, yes," Mary smiled. "But more importantly, I want to have a strong marriage and I want Matthew to be happy. And constantly making him forget himself for my sake is not a means to achieve either of those things."
Sybil giggled.
"What?" Mary frowned.
"Apparently my sister is still in France and Cousin Matthew has brought back some sentimental impostor in her stead," Sybil teased.
"Don't be silly," Mary smirked.
"Has Cousin Matthew told you that he expects you to move everything to Crawley House today? You've only been back in England for a matter of hours."
"He hasn't mentioned it," Mary answered, picking up her tea cup. "But wherever we're going – Crawley House or somewhere else – I need to be ready to go, rather than whine to him about how I don't want to leave my parents' home."
Crawley House, Downton Village, England, August 1913
"Mary's always wanted to go to Paris and Venice," Matthew said.
"Paris will be a bit cold in October. Venice could have a fair bit of rain," Isobel noted.
"I agree," Matthew nodded. "That's why we aren't going to either of those places."
"And have you discussed these plans with Mary?" Isobel asked.
"No," Matthew replied. "It's going to be a surprise."
"Your fiancée doesn't strike me as someone who likes surprises, Matthew," Isobel smiled.
"Didn't you tell me that most women don't?" Matthew smirked. "I think she'll enjoy this one. I've found somewhere that has all she could want in either Paris or Venice, but with warmer temperatures and less tourists."
"Well I hope it all comes off for you, dear," Isobel nodded. "Four weeks is a long time to spend with a disappointed wife."
Matthew rolled his eyes.
"Did you get a chance to look at the plans for the renovations that we're doing?" Matthew asked.
"I did," Isobel nodded. "They seem fine. Are you quite certain we need them?"
"I think it'll open up the place," Matthew said. "The upstairs hallway is too narrow and your bathroom could use an update."
"Mrs. Bird told me she requested a new oven," Isobel smiled.
"She did," Matthew huffed. "I had a man look at it and there's nothing wrong with the oven. It's the floo. Far easier to fix that, and less expensive."
"Will the work be done by the time you return from your trip?"
"Yes," Matthew replied. "It needs to be ready for us to move our things around when we come back to England. I'll have to speak to Molesley about it as well so he knows what changes are coming."
"Are you ready for all of this, Matthew?" Isobel asked. "This new life of yours, with Mary?"
"Certainly," Matthew smiled. "I've been waiting for it for quite a while, you know."
"Well life with Mary certainly won't be dull," Isobel noted.
"No, it won't be," Matthew laughed. "She's more capable than people give her credit for, Mother. She isn't just an aristocrat. She's been raised on how to run a home since she was a child."
"She was raised on how to run a Country Estate since she was a child," Isobel corrected him. "I only question her ability to adapt to change."
"Are you saying that I'm not easy to live with?" Matthew smirked.
"You aren't," Isobel said kindly. "Your father wasn't either, and I suspect that Mary isn't as well."
"Mary and I are lucky then that we're so well known for having great amounts of patience," Matthew teased.
Isobel laughed. "Well one of you will have to be," she said pointedly.
Downton Abbey, England, November 1913
"There you are, darling," Mary smiled, coming into the library.
Matthew looked up and smiled back. He placed the book down on the coffee table. Rising from the sofa, he took her hands and kissed her softly.
"Hello," he smiled. "Have you had your fill of your sisters yet?"
"Edith was smart enough to not say very much to ruin my mood," Mary smiled. "Shall we go? I should speak to your mother about what we're having for dinner tonight."
"I'm sure Mother has it under control," Matthew replied.
"Well then that gives me some more time to organize my things. I asked Anna to pack some of my clothes. The rest can follow when we have our rooms set up."
"Good idea," Matthew agreed. "I think I'll come upstairs with you."
"That's hardly necessary, darling," Mary said.
"Why not? Don't I get a say on what clothes you're packing?"
"If you're referring to the particular clothes you bought for me in Monaco, they need to washed," Mary replied. "And some of them need to be mended," she blushed.
"I'm surprised that some of them survived," Matthew smirked.
"Some didn't," Mary said pointedly. "I had to leave the more damaged garments behind."
"Then I'll have to buy you some more to replace them," Matthew said, raising his eyebrows at her.
"Matthew," she frowned, blushing again at the memory of him tearing some rather flimsy negligees off her body when they were in Cannes.
"Just the same, I'll come up with you," Matthew smiled. "I need to hide from your father. He's been asking me about the car for the past hour."
Mary laughed as she took his arm and they went out into the Great Hall and up the stairs.
When they reached her bedroom, Mary gasped in spite of herself.
"Mary?" Matthew asked in concern.
"It's nothing," Mary swallowed. "I wasn't expecting my room to be so empty. I guess Anna already packed up my things."
She walked slowly around the room, frowning slightly at the bare mantle above the fireplace, the empty vanity table, and the mattress where her blankets and pillows had already been removed.
"Are you all right, darling?" Matthew asked.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Mary smiled. She swallowed and blinked several times as she took in how empty the room looked and felt.
"Milady," Anna said quietly as she knocked on the door.
"Yes, Anna?" Mary said with a shaky voice, turning towards her.
"I've laid out your clothes for you to look over. Her Ladyship told me to set them out in one of the spare rooms."
"Right," Mary said curtly. "Leave it to Mama to have me practically out the door before I've even come home."
Matthew smirked and looked at the floor as Mary followed Anna out into the hallway.
The three of them walked to another wing of the house and into a large dressing room.
"I haven't been here in ages," Mary remarked as she began looking at her dresses on the rack.
"Does this part of the house get much use?" Matthew asked.
"No," Mary replied. "We don't even use it for guests. It was the wing of the Third Earl I believe. When Papa decided not to use it, we left it alone."
"I don't know if I'll ever wrap my head around the idea of having so much empty space in such a big house," Matthew shook his head.
"Well, it's nice to have it if we need it, but I'm sure the servants appreciate not having to clean entire parts of the place," Mary smiled as she looked over several gowns. "Isn't that right, Anna?"
"Mr. Carson thinks we have our hands full with the rooms the family does use, Milady," Anna smiled.
"Where's my blue skirt, Anna? It seems to be missing, together with the matching jacket and hat," Mary frowned.
"I put them out in the adjoining room, Milady," Anna answered. "Together with some of your other things."
"All right," Mary sighed. "I don't think I'll need most of these gowns right away. Let me go see the rest of it."
"Right this way, Milady," Anna bowed her head and motioned to the door.
Mary stepped into the large adjoining room and froze.
Matthew stood in the doorway, watching her intently.
The adjoining room was last used as the Third Earl's bedroom, Mary recalled, but it was entirely unrecognizable from the last time Mary had been here as a child. The rugs and tapestries had all been cleaned and restored. A large four poster bed was set against one wall, and some of Mary's photographs from her old bedroom were placed above the fireplace, mixed in with newer portraits from their engagement party and wedding day. An ornate and restored Louis XIV marble vanity table with a large mirror stood near the newly cleaned windows. Two large chairs flanked a table adorned with fresh flowers in delicate oriental vases. Mary walked over and laughed when she saw her perfumes, creams and other toiletries organized neatly on the vanity table.
"Welcome home, my darling," Matthew whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him.
"Matthew," she breathed, bringing one gloved hand up and stroking his cheek as she continued to look around the room. It was much larger than her old bedroom and she smiled as she saw candles from the Hotel du Paris on the nightstand.
"You did all of this?" she sighed happily.
"Well, I arranged it," Matthew smiled, kissing her neck. "I hired the contractors and your parents helped me schedule it all so the work would be done before we got back. What do you think of the colour and the decor? Do you like them?"
"I love them," she smiled, taking in the deep green walls, the white moulding and accents and the sophisticated furniture.
"What's through there?" Mary asked, looking over at another door on the far wall.
"My dressing room," Matthew smiled. "And there's more beyond that."
"More rooms?"
"Come," Matthew smiled, taking her hand. "Let me give you a tour."
He led her from their bedroom back out into the hallway. Walking past his dressing room, they came to a set of double doors.
"This was a nursery, if I recall correctly," Mary said.
"Not so much anymore," Matthew smiled.
He opened the doors and Mary smiled as they walked in. The room was very large and was entirely bare, save for a table in the centre, covered with fabric swatches and wallpaper samples.
"This will be our own private sitting room," Matthew declared, escorting her to the table.
"It seems lacking in something," Mary mused.
"Really? What would you suggest?"
"Actual furniture to sit on for starters," Mary smiled.
"Well we're in luck because I know just the person talented enough to decorate this entire room and make it as beautiful as she is."
Matthew motioned towards the swatches and samples laid out before her. Mary picked up some of them and looked at them thoughtfully.
"There's still some old furniture in storage," Matthew continued. "You can choose from those pieces and have them restored, or see what you can find here or in London that meets our purposes."
"This is very generous of Papa to allow us all of this," Mary said.
"It is generous of him to let us use the rooms, yes," Matthew agreed. "As for the decorating and the furniture, you don't need to consult him for any of that. We'll pay for that ourselves."
Mary turned and hugged her husband.
"Thank you so much, Matthew," she smiled at him. "Are you sure? Of course it would please me to live here, but I did not marry this house, Matthew. I married you. We don't need to live here if you don't truly want to."
"Darling, I have waited years to be able to go to sleep with you each night and wake up with you every morning. You love Downton, and I know you will be happy here, and that's all that matters," Matthew smiled.
"Matthew," Mary said seriously. "That isn't all that matters. Where do you wish to live? We're married, Matthew. I'll do my duty to you and to your family, and wherever you decide for us to live, I'll be happy there with you. We'll have Downton someday. I don't have to have it now."
"Mary, you are indeed lucky that you are able to have us both," his smile was infectious and she smiled back at him, her worries appeased for the moment. "This home will be ours to run someday, after all. It's isn't terribly efficient to leave only to move back in down the road. Besides," he smiled at her wickedly and lowered his voice. "I must say I find it rather exciting that I'll be carrying you to bed under your parents' noses."
"Matthew!" she hissed, frowning at him.
"One of the benefits of having our own wing of the house, darling," Matthew smirked at her. "Is that we do not need to be concerned who may hear us. I assure you that our privacy is quite protected here."
"Well, in that case, since we have the afternoon to ourselves, would you like to show me our bedroom once again?" she smiled sultrily at him.
Mary began backing away towards the door, pulling Matthew by his hands teasingly.
"One moment, Mary," Matthew smirked. "There's a tradition that we need to observe first."
"Tradition?" Mary frowned. "What would that be?"
"There's something I've been meaning to do since we left the Church on our wedding day," Matthew smiled.
"And that is?" she asked.
Mary shrieked as he quickly scooped her up in his arms and carried her out the door and down the hallway. She laughed and kissed his face and neck as he stepped over the threshold of their new bedroom with her in his arms.
"Can I look forward to you sweeping me off my feet and carrying me to bed each night, Matthew?" Mary drawled in his ear, kissing his neck.
"Count on it," Matthew said confidently, kicking the door closed. "Although we may need to break in some of the other rooms as well," he smirked as he lay her down on their new bed and kissed her soundly.