Previously:

Downton Abbey, England, January 1914

Matthew gasped as Mary quickly undid the sash of his robe, casting it to the floor and smiling as her husband's bare chest was exposed to her lustful gaze.

She kissed his neck, then his shoulder, her hands pushing him backwards towards their bed. Matthew's legs came up against the foot of the bed. With a firm shove, Mary put him on to his back. She was quickly upon him, kissing his chest and holding his arms at his sides when he tried to reach for her.

"Hands off, Matthew," she growled in his ear. "Lay back and receive your rewards."

Matthew groaned in pleasure as his wife moved upon him. He closed his eyes and breathed out as desire flared across his body.

1914 was off to a tremendous start, he thought fleetingly before a fresh wave of sensations overtook him.

Chapter 19:

Downton Abbey, England, February 1914

"Papa, I needed to talk to you about…oh, excuse me," Mary frowned in surprise as she realized the Earl was not alone.

"That's all right, Mary. We were just finishing," Robert smiled politely. He nodded to his two guests. "Gentlemen, thank you. Carson will show you out."

Robert shook hands with both men, each of them bowing to him and giving him a gracious "Good day, Your Lordship," before the butler ushered them out. Mary watched them leave, her curiosity piqued.

"Who were they?" she asked with a smile, turning back to her Papa.

"Just men here to discuss some business," Robert waved his hand dismissively, going through the mail with exaggerated focus. "Was there something you needed, Mary?" he asked, not looking up at her.

"I just wanted to let you know that the furniture for our sitting room will be arriving later today. Carson already knows but I didn't want you to be surprised when the movers showed up," Mary said.

"Thank Heaven," Robert smiled, looking over at his eldest daughter. "You've been going back and forth over your choices so much that I feared that room would sit empty until Spring."

"Well I would have chosen some old things from the attics, but Matthew said I could shop for pieces in London and I found some rather darling items," Mary said defensively.

"I am very pleased that your husband is paying for them. Whenever your Mama tells me she's found a darling item, I get chest pains," Robert said, pursing his lips.

Mary smiled. It was rather generous of Matthew to let her decorate their new sitting room, and to fund her purchases as well. She was careful with what she selected, but some of the pieces she found in London were simply too perfect to resist.

"Matthew has been very kind," Mary agreed. "Business must be good for him to be able to afford all of this," she thought aloud.

"Must be," Robert smiled. "He's doing better than Murray, certainly."

"Excuse me, Lady Mary," Mrs. Hughes called from the doorway. "The movers have arrived."

Mary nodded to her Papa and turned towards the Great Hall.

Robert put down the mail and looked at the documents given to him by his guests. He frowned and took a deep breath.

Grantham House, St. James Square, London, England, July 1913

"Tell me about your father," Mary asked, stroking his hair with her fingers.

Matthew opened his eyes. He had almost fallen asleep resting his head across her lap. The family had all gone out for the afternoon, leaving them remarkably alone. With the engagement reception days away, this was the first time they were by themselves since arriving in London.

"I'm sorry that he's not here," Mary said softly, looking at him with a patient smile. "I would have liked to have known him."

"He would have loved you," Matthew said quietly, smiling as his eyes looked beyond her and up at the ceiling. "He would have loved your wit, and your brilliance, and your ambition. Father always loved those who fought to rise above their circumstances."

"Are you so certain?" Mary said softly. "I can be cold, and heartless, and impatient and off-putting when I want to be. Would your father be so eager for such a woman to ensnare his only child?"

"We can all be heartless when we want to be," Matthew replied easily. "Do you know that I spent the better part of a day last week chastising another lawyer because his client's position was utterly ridiculous? The lawyer eventually had to remind me that it was his client's ridiculous position, and that the lawyer himself was not ridiculous at all, and I had to give a rather sheepish apology."

"I don't know what's more shocking; that you admit you can be heartless as well, or that you actually apologized to someone," Mary teased.

"They are both rare unicorns indeed," Matthew laughed. "But Mary, it should not surprise anyone that we are capable of showing the world our best and worst sides. How could we have it in ourselves to be selfless and kind and to seize all that life has to offer if we did not know the opposite? How could we appreciate the joy of simply being happy without also being able to choose to be miserable?"

"That's rather philosophical of you, darling," Mary replied.

"But no less true," Matthew winked at her. "I believe that one can choose to be horrid and cynical and negative as easily as one can choose to be supportive and caring and happy. So Father would love you, I am sure of it. He would see in you what I see – at your best, there is no one like you."

Mary smiled. "That's very kind," she said. "Was he ambitious as well?"

"No," Matthew replied. "He was entirely happy with our home in Manchester and his life there. He never cared for doing the Season, or moving within the right circles. He didn't resist when Mother wanted to entertain, or go into London, or hold events for the hospital patrons, but he was perfectly happy with his work and his family, and he never wanted anything more."

"That can be an admirable quality," Mary said. "Knowing one's limits, and not trying to reach for too much can be a satisfying way of living, rather than constantly wanting more and always thinking about what one does not have."

"I don't think he ever would have imagined I would have a life like this," Matthew chuckled. "Managing an Estate, dealing with a large property, tenants, rents, servants, it all would have seemed daunting to him. He would have understood it all in a moment. Father was brilliant, you know. But, he would have asked himself if it was all worth it, whether keeping all of this going was worth the effort."

"Interesting," Mary said. "Papa never questions whether we should live more simply or not. He just moves forward and does what he can."

"Robert is a creature of duty," Matthew declared. "This life is all that he knows, and he feels an obligation to preserve it, to live up to his forebears and surpass them even. The reality though, is that times are much different than even when your Grandpapa was Earl. It's not so easy to fund an Estate the size of Downton, let alone try to grow it."

"Well then Papa is lucky that he has such a brilliant heir to assist him," Mary smiled.

"I don't think he wants my help," Matthew laughed. "He likes to soldier on alone, your father."

"Nonsense," Mary scoffed. "He adores you. You're the son he's been waiting for."

"He likes having another man around to call his son, certainly," Matthew replied. "But we're not much different to him, Mary, you and I. His happiness and pride in each of us is directly related to how long our opinions mirror his own."

Mary laughed. "Papa can be set in his ways."

"So can his daughter," Matthew teased.

"Is that a complaint from my fiancé?" Mary raised her eyebrow.

"Never," Matthew smiled.

"Well, this is your life now, darling," Mary said. "Do you think it's worth it?"

"You're worth it," Matthew smiled, meeting her gaze. "I admit that sometimes living more simply appeals to me. But while your Papa is the Earl, we have certain responsibilities, and those responsibilities come with a cost. So, there's no point debating whether any of it is worth it or not. Downton is very much our life, and we must find a way to keep it."

"Spoken like a true heir to an Earldom," Mary smiled, leaning down and kissing his lips.

"Hardly," Matthew scoffed, giving her a rueful smile. "I just don't see the point in bemoaning circumstances beyond our control. Father was pragmatic just as he was brilliant. He would have told me to not dither and just get on with it."

"I wish he could be here," Mary said. "Not for my own sake, but so that he could see you, so he could see all that you have become."

"Mmm," Matthew smiled, reaching his hand up and pulling her down to him. "I wish he was here also, so he could see how amazingly lucky I am to take you as my wife."

Mary laughed as they kissed once again.

Downton Abbey, England, January 1914

"Matthew! I'm afraid your wife has not yet returned. Mary and her sisters are still in London," Robert said, looking up from his desk as Matthew came into the library.

"Yes, I expect she'll be back closer to dinner," Matthew replied, taking a seat on the nearby sofa. "She's shopping for furniture for the sitting room."

"Still?" Robert smiled. "Perhaps giving her free reign over the operation was not a wise choice, Matthew."

"Better to have her in charge from the off than have to change everything later," Matthew laughed.

Robert smiled in return.

"Robert, I was wondering how you were getting on with catching up on the past due rent payments from the tenants?" Matthew asked. "I know we were talking about it a bit before the wedding."

"Yes," Robert sighed. "I've had discussions with some of the men. The last harvest wasn't as profitable as we would like, so they need more time. Don't trouble yourself with it though, it will all come good eventually. It always does."

"Of course," Matthew smiled gamely. "I was wondering though, whether you ever considered taking back management of some of the farms? When I looked over the ledgers it appeared that we're rather heavily weighted in crops, with not much use for livestock."

"My father never believed in it," Robert said curtly. "Animals are unpredictable, he would say."

"Would you mind if I looked into it?" Matthew continued. "Some of the land is ideal for grazing, and it may be helpful to balance things a bit more."

"There's no need, Matthew," Robert said dismissively. "You're newly married. Enjoy these early days. Estate matters will be waiting for you when it's your time to take over. For now, I have it all under control."

Robert looked intently at the papers spread before him, keeping his back to Matthew.

Matthew frowned, looking at the Earl in confusion.

"Well, I think I'll go up and wait for Mary to return. I'll see you at dinner," Matthew said, rising from the sofa.

"Very good," Robert said plainly as Matthew left the room.

Downton Abbey, England, February 1914

"Darling, I'm home," Matthew declared as he came into their sitting room.

"Matthew, you need not announce your presence each afternoon," Mary smiled, looking up from her desk. "I am well aware of when my husband has come home."

"How? Does your heart beat faster?" Matthew teased.

"Actually, it's because I can hear your clumsy footsteps down the hall," Mary said with a raised eyebrow.

Matthew laughed, kissing her lightly before sitting down on the sofa.

Mary resumed writing her letter.

"Papa is in London on business until tomorrow, so we'll likely eat early tonight," Mary said.

"Did he mention what business he had to attend to?" Matthew asked.

"Does he ever?" Mary smiled, keeping her eyes on her letter. "Why?"

Matthew hesitated. Practising this speech the past few days had given him very little confidence.

"I've now looked over the ledgers for the Estate, and I've found some rather disturbing items," he began.

"How so?" Mary frowned, looking over at him.

"Well, it's the tenants. Some have gone months or longer without paying their rent, others are being charged far below market rates, and crop yields and profits are down across the board," Matthew explained.

"Papa mentioned there was a dry spell last Fall," Mary reminded him.

"Yes, that's true, but some of these problems have been going on for far longer," Matthew said.

"You're not accusing Papa of anything, are you?" Mary asked, her eyes narrowing.

"No," Matthew said immediately. "I don't really care who is at fault. I'm just saying it's a problem that needs to be fixed."

"Darling, you do realize that this isn't a City business," Mary said patiently. "Our family goes back generations with some of these tenants. You can understand that Papa would be lenient in collecting rents when times are difficult, can't you?"

"Certainly," Matthew nodded. "But it doesn't do anyone any good if a bad situation is allowed to linger."

"Well, if you feel that way, then you should speak to Papa," Mary said, turning back to her letter.

Matthew rolled his eyes at his wife's reaction. He hated being right when it came to predicting when Mary would be cross with him.

"I've tried speaking to him, darling. He doesn't want to listen. Truth be told, I don't think he believes it's my place to mention these matters," Matthew said, trying to keep an even tone.

"Well, is it?" Mary turned back to him. "Matthew, you are the heir, but you're not the Earl. Not yet."

"No, of course I'm not," Matthew replied.

"Then you'll just have to leave it to Papa, darling," Mary concluded, turning away again. "It's as you said before, Papa won't tolerate our opinions being different from his. He's the Earl and he has the final word. There's no getting around that."

Matthew frowned.

"Have you seen Matthew? I thought he would be in here," Mary asked.

"He left about an hour ago," Edith replied, not looking up from her book. "He was going to meet with one of the tenant farmers, a Mr. Drewe I believe."

"For someone who is not yet the Earl, he spends more time with the tenants than Papa does I think," Mary smiled, walking over and sitting down next to Edith.

"I don't think Papa spends any time with the tenants, except for the monthly meetings. He usually just has Jarvis deal with them for him, doesn't he?" Edith replied.

"Yes, that's true," Mary nodded. "What are you reading?" she asked.

"Papa's History of Downton book," Edith replied. "Mama wanted me to add the pages from your wedding and I found myself going back and reading some of it again."

"You find our history far more engrossing than I do," Mary sighed. "But then again, having to memorize where each piece of art in the house came from and which Earl bought it has made me numb to some of the other details."

"Matthew seems rather interested in it," Edith said. "His name is on the borrower's list more than anyone else's."

"He probably reads it to help him get to sleep at night," Mary laughed.

"I thought that was your job?" Edith looked at her pointedly.

"Oh don't worry yourself," Mary shot back. "I ensure he is quite worn out by the time we go to sleep. My husband does have a rather large amount of stamina however."

The two sisters looked at each other for several moments before they both laughed. Edith rolled her eyes and smiled. Mary quirked her eyebrows in challenge.

"I'll leave that one alone," Edith said.

"Anyway, what could you possibly find of interest in that book?" Mary asked.

"Well it seems that there's a somewhat alarming pattern if you go over the line of Earls," Edith said.

"And what is that?" Mary asked.

"They all were rather terrible at managing their affairs properly. The third Earl almost went bankrupt. The fourth Earl would have if he had not died first. Even Grandpapa was saved from ruin by Mama's settlement."

"You think this is a pattern?" Mary asked, frowning.

"I'm simply stating that at one point or another, the family needed a rather large amount of money to pay off debts and keep the Estate running. We've never truly been self sufficient and able to rely on ourselves."

"So you're now a modernist?" Mary noted. "You don't believe in the old ways of doing things the way that Papa does?"

"Not if it's clear that the old ways don't work," Edith huffed. She closed the book and got up to replace it on the shelf. "In the end, it's not my concern. I won't be Countess of Grantham."

Edith breezily walked out of the library, leaving Mary sitting on the sofa, thinking over her sister's words.

Office of Harvell, Carter & Lewis, Ripon, England, November 1913

"Here's the latest report from Abadan," Alex said, handing a document to Matthew.

"I didn't think such capacity was even possible," Matthew said, looking over the numbers. "And what does the First Lord intend to do with all of this supply?"

"He plans to commission a squadron of battleships next year. They'll be the fastest in the fleet, superior to the Iron Duke's in every way. And, they'll all have gas powered engines," Alex replied.

"Mmm," Matthew frowned, looking over the document again before putting it down. "He seems to be preparing for a rather significant conflict."

"Winnie is the First Lord of the Admiralty, Matthew," Alex said patiently. "It's his job to prepare for conflict. Once the conflict arrives, it's usually too late to start preparing at that point."

"Fair enough," Matthew answered, picking up another document.

"That's as of close of the market yesterday," Alex said. "You're still intent on following the same schedule?"

"Yes," Matthew nodded, looking up at him. "I have to be ready in case things don't work out."

"But you will talk to Lord Grantham first, and to Mary?" Alex asked.

"I'll try, but I think I can already predict what their reactions will be."

"You don't think you'll be able to convince them?"

"Mary will see what I'm trying to do eventually. It's Robert that I'm not so sure about. He doesn't take well to meddling, as he would call it. He needs to be shown it's the only way forward before he'll concede that he has a problem."

"That sounds rather drastic," Alex said.

"It is," Matthew nodded, looking at the map of Downton once again. "I can only hope I'll never have to follow through with my plans."

Downton Abbey, England, February 1914

"This is quite lovely, Mary," Cora said, coming into the sitting room and glancing about.

"Thank you, Mama," Mary smiled proudly. "We just received the last piece yesterday."

"The ottoman, yes," Cora smiled, looking at the small stool. "It's a good colour."

"I think there's a soothing quality to the place," Mary said, looking around. "I'm hoping it will help Matthew relax when he comes home from work."

"I think that's partly your responsibility, isn't it Mary?" Cora smiled.

Mary blushed and quietly nodded.

"Your Granny is on her way. I'll call the girls in when she's here and we can have tea in your new room," Cora said.

"Perfect," Mary nodded. She hesitated before looking up at her Mama again.

"Mama, I've been meaning to ask you about when you first arrived at Downton. Were you involved much in managing the affairs of the Estate? Discussing it with Papa perhaps?"

"No, definitely not," Cora laughed. "Your Papa and your Grandpapa dealt with it mostly. I was dealing with adjusting to life in a new country, running the staff and having children."

Mary nodded with a polite smile.

"Why do you ask?" Cora looked at her inquisitively.

"It's nothing. Just something Matthew told me the other day. He has some ideas for changing the way things are managed around here, and he said Papa wasn't particularly open to them," Mary said.

"That sounds like your Papa," Cora chuckled. "Still, Matthew is very smart. The cottages he had renovated were all very well received."

"I don't want to have to get between Papa and my husband," Mary said. "I'd prefer if Matthew just left things alone."

"Your husband doesn't strike me as the type to leave things alone once he gets an idea in his head," Cora smiled.

"Don't say it's because of his mother, Mama, that's horrible," Mary scoffed.

"Well you must admit that they both share a rather large sense of curiosity," Cora said diplomatically.

"I'm sure that Granny would call it something else," Mary laughed.

"I'm sure she would," Cora smiled. "Mary, you have to learn that your husband deserves your support. It may be that Matthew just needs someone to talk to. Nothing may come of it, but at least let him know you're in his corner."

"He knows he has my support, Mama," Mary rolled her eyes.

"He probably does, yes," Cora nodded. "But if you don't understand for yourself what he's talking about then it's hard to truly support him."

"Your Ladyship, the Dowager Countess has just arrived," Carson announced from the doorway.

"Excellent, bring her through to this room and have Edith and Sybil join us for tea," Cora nodded.

"Right away, Your Ladyship," Carson nodded and departed.

"I met with Jarvis today," Mary said lightly as she rubbed cream into her hands.

"Really? And what did you have to discuss with him?" Matthew asked, looking at her quizzically from the bed.

"I wanted to look into this rent issue you mentioned last week. Since Jarvis is the one who deals with the tenants directly, I wanted to hear from him why some of the tenants are behind in their payments," Mary explained.

"So why didn't you just talk to your father?" Matthew asked.

"For the same reason you were reluctant to," Mary said, looking over at him with a knowing smile. "Papa would likely have shooed me away and told me to focus on my marriage and leave Estate management to him."

"Well aren't you supposed to? He is the Earl isn't he?" Matthew said.

"Being the Earl doesn't mean he has all the answers," Mary said plainly, looking back at her vanity mirror. "Besides, just because Papa makes all the decisions doesn't mean I can't take an interest in the Estate. It will be mine to look over someday."

"You will make a fine Countess," Matthew smiled.

"Well someone needs to keep you in line when you rise to power," Mary teased.

"So what did Jarvis say?"

"What I expected him to – times are hard and when crop prices increase and things get better, the rents will be caught up and we'll have nothing to worry about," Mary sighed.

"He's probably right," Matthew said cautiously.

"I'm not so sure," Mary said, causing Matthew to frown at her. "Just because rent is caught up doesn't mean we're secure necessarily," she continued. "We may need to look at the way that we do manage things around here."

"Whatever do you mean?" Matthew asked.

"I don't know for certain but not much has changed since I was a child," Mary explained. "We've mostly the same tenants, the same crops, and so forth. And that was barely adequate back then."

"Well it isn't as though we're lacking for anything," Matthew noted, testing her train of thought.

"Not yet, no," Mary replied, rising from her vanity. "But I think we may need to keep an eye on things rather than allow Papa to do as he pleases."

"That's rather bold of you, darling," Matthew smiled as she approached the bed. "He may question if you're against him or not."

"I'm never against him," Mary scoffed. "I do love him, but the family needed Mama's money to save us before, and I would prefer for you and I to not have to be put in the same position down the road."

"I agree," Matthew grinned.

"After all, darling, you can't go to America and find a young bride with a large dowry," Mary smiled.

"The thought never crossed my mind," Matthew laughed.

Mary smirked at him, then undid the tie of her dressing gown, allowing it to fall down to the floor at her feet. She smiled at her husband's audible gasp as she gracefully came to bed beside him.

"Did I ever thank you for my Valentine's Day present?" Mary asked smoothly, running her fingers over the lace strap of the negligee her husband had bought her.

"I think I'm receiving ample thanks at the moment," Matthew whispered, struggling to control his breathing as his eyes roamed his wife's body.

Mary eased the blankets off of him and framed his face with her hands, pressing her silk covered body against his bare chest.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Matthew," she smiled.

The future Earl and Countess of Grantham kissed ardently.