A couple of days later, Mary is alone in the bedroom standing by her dressing table. She reaches for Matthew's photo, looks at it lovingly, and opens a dressing table drawer, as if to put it inside. Since it is time to get changed for dinner, Henry comes in, and begins to head toward his dressing room, carrying his jacket and unbuttoning his vest. He notices what she is doing.
Henry walks over to her. "Mary, you do not have to put Matthew's picture away. On the contrary, if you don't mind, I'd like you to keep it out."
Puzzled, Mary asks, "Why? I do not want you to be uncomfortable…"
Henry explains, "I'm not, and you needn't worry I will be. Keep it out, for two reasons. First, for George. This may sound odd, but I find myself looking to the picture... to inspire me, if you will, to be a better stepfather to George. To get a sense of what Matthew would do for his own son." Mary, nodding slightly, "And the second reason?"
Henry looks at Mary intently, "For us."
"Whatever do you mean?" Mary is baffled at this discussion over a picture of her deceased husband.
"Have you rung for Anna yet?"
"No-I was just about to."
Henry, states, "Good, because there's an elephant in the room that we need to face."
Mary is even more confused, "You'll have to explain, please."
Henry looks at his wife in a way that is almost challenging, but not in a mean way. "Look, you have told me about your trysts, but it is time we talk about your love."
Mary doesn't know what to say, "You know about Matthew-"
Henry interrupts her, "Please, humor me?"
As he is saying this, Henry gestures for Mary to sit down on the stuffed chair near her dressing table, while he pulls her stool to face her and sits down. He leans in to speak to and listen to her.
Henry starts, "Close your eyes. Now, tell me about your first impression of Matthew."
Mary takes a deep breath to show that she is going along with it only because Henry asked her to, "Well, I was angry at him even before he got here. It wasn't his fault, but it did not seem fair that someone we never had met would be inheriting the title and estate."
This does not surprise Henry in the least, but she hasn't really given him the information he requested. He pries a different way, "But you were attracted to him when you finally met?"
Mary is surprised by his assumption, "Certainly not-I am not even sure I could tell you if I thought he was handsome or not upon our first meeting. I overheard him telling his mother that the family would likely try to throw one of us daughters at him, and that infuriated me even more. No, I was not fond of him initially."
"So tell me how that changed."
Mary seems lost in memory for a moment. It was so long ago, she thinks. Then she answers, "Well, it didn't happen overnight. He was here, learning about the estate, seeming to accept the role that was to be handed him. In spite of my haughty behaviour and unwelcoming attitude, he just began to fit in well. He was gentlemanly, intelligent, charming, and caring. I don't believe he was trying to court me, per se. That is, until it became clear that something had developed between us."
With the change in tone of her voice, Henry thinks, Now we are getting somewhere. To Mary, he asks, "And when was that?"
Mary is almost wistful as she says, "When we first kissed. Matthew had helped get Sybil out of a dangerous situation, and I was teasing him about being careful with her feelings. He gave me the strangest look and told me not to play with him. Then we kissed, and we realized we were in love. It seemed at the time to have come completely out of the blue, at least for me: I was young enough that I never saw it coming. Someone once said that Matthew captured my heart before I knew I had one."
Rather than be jealous of the apparent love and affection for Matthew Mary is showing, Henry is touched at the depth of her love. I want to be worthy of that love, he says to himself.
Recalling Mary's story on the train ride, Henry presses, "But you were apart before he went to serve in the war: why?"
A fleeting look of guilt passes on Mary's face, "At one point, his becoming heir was called into question, and he made plans to leave and resume his other life. I rejected him then, not knowing if I loved him enough to give up everything else for him. I knew very quickly that I had erred, but it was too late."
"And then the war, Miss Swire, Carlisle, his injury…and all the while you loved him."
"Yes, and I believe through all that he loved me, too."
"Eventually, you married."
"Yes-but by then, we were such friends and knew all of each other's secrets, so there was nothing to fear."
Henry is a little doubtful, "There must have been something. What did you fear?"
Mary isn't sure how to answer, since their doubts and fears were not about their love for each other, but all the other difficulties they had gone through. "There were so many other things going on, with the estate, and Matthew's guilt about Lavinia's death. But we did not doubt each other's love. When we had difficulty having children, I worried about Matthew's happiness and my being able to fulfill his expectations. When George was born, we were the happiest ever. Then...he was gone." Mary pauses and continues in a whisper, "I thought I would never be happy again."
They are both silent for a moment,then Henry stands and pulls her to her feet, embracing her tightly. "Thank you," he says softly, kissing her on the top of her head.
Mary opens her eyes, which are glistening with tears. Henry pulls out his handkerchief and gently pats at her cheeks.
Mary sniffs, "I know you are not trying to be cruel, but I am not sure what difference it makes."
Not releasing her, Henry explains, "Mary, Matthew is not just in that picture-his memory surrounds us here in the house, in George, and (gently touching her on the chest over her heart) in you. Is it not right that I know him, too?"
Mary begins to understand, but is worried that Henry will feel like he is wrestling with a ghost. "I suppose. But please know that you have no reason to be jealous of his memory."
Henry tries to reassure her, "I don't think I am. Have I ever given you the impression otherwise?"
Mary smiles a little as she thinks on this question, "No, like him, you have self-confidence," she answers, "without too much cockiness."
"It does seem he and I have much in common…"
Mary pulls away so that she can look at her husband in the face and voice her disagreement, "Some personality traits, perhaps, but little else. He was a barrister while you race cars, and physically you are very different."
Henry puts his hands on his hips and challenges her a little more, with a smile, "Hmmm, he was a outside usurper who upset things. With me it was only about grouse hunting, but still, you gave an unpleasant welcome and didn't like him at first. You toyed with him until you both were willing to admit your feelings. Then even though you were in love with each other, you spurned him because he lacked money and a title. Doesn't it all sound rather familiar…?"
Mary is annoyed with the way he made those connections, and to show her disagreement, she declares,"It is not the same at all!"
Henry, still smiling, questions, "Oh?"
Mary says, in a rationalizing tone of voice, "Well, first of all, I was attracted to you immediately-I just did not want you to know it. You do realize you are very handsome, don't you?"
Henry looks down and shakes his head a little before smiling back at her, "Thank you, but that is such a small thing..."
At this, Mary gets a little more hot under the collar. She does not want Henry to have the impression that she was trying to find someone to simply replay her love story with Matthew. "Let me continue, then: I did not toy with either of you, but especially not you. We courted in our own way, you and I. Neither of us like to be bored-we enjoy repartee and being challenged, and we did that with each other right from the start. Also, it took years for Matthew and I to fully trust and accept each other, but somehow with you it just happened. I was young and naive about love and marriage with Matthew whereas I've gone into it with you knowing fully what I am doing and what is at stake. Last, I did not reject you because of standing, I was terrified of losing you in a car wreck just like I lost hi-"
But Mary cannot finish her sentence because Henry has gone to her and covered her mouth with an impassioned kiss, capturing her in his arms and pulling her close. She is surprised but accepts it and returns the affection with equal fervor. Henry whispers between kisses on her cheeks and neck, "You see? That is why I do not need to envy Matthew's memory."
Mary suddenly understands what Henry has just done, that he wanted her to see that he trusts her love for him. She whispers, "Oh, how do you know me so well?"
Henry, not releasing her, says, "God, how I love you! I hope you are not too hungry...we are going to miss dinner tonight."
Later, they snuggle in bed. Mary gives Henry a kiss, breaks the embrace, gets up and begins to put her day clothes back on. She explains, "He may be asleep already, but I am going to go say goodnight to George."
Henry turns over and gets up as well. "I'll go down and see about a dinner tray for us."
As he is dressing, Henry looks as if he is considering something. With the speed of their marriage, he realizes that they never actually discussed some important things. With Mary's comment about having difficulty conceiving, one of them comes to mind. Gently, he asks, "Mary, do you want more children?"
Mary looks up in surprise at his question and almost laughs out loud, "Well, we are certainly not doing anything to prevent it!"
Henry interprets that to mean she would not mind bearing more. He is pleased, but does not want to pressure her. They are both getting on in years, after all. He returns her non-answer in similar fashion, "And I suppose everything to cause it. It would be nice, I think, but if it doesn't happen, that is fine as well. Don't worry about my having expectations in that regard. You and George are all the family I need."
Mary, coming over and touching his cheek: "That is sweet of you to say."
She leaves the room, heading to the nursery. Henry quickly follows out the door, intending to go downstairs. He encounters Mrs. Hughes in the hallway coming toward their room, carrying a loaded dinner tray.
Mrs Hughes sees him and says, "Ah, Mr. Talbot, this is for you and Lady Mary."
Henry is impressed that he didn't have to go downstairs, and only a little embarrassed that their absence was that obvious. He offers to help, "You are a savior in our moment of need! Here, let me take that from you! "
Mrs. Hughes shakes her head slightly, "It is quite alright, Mr. Talbot, but if you could get the door." She enters the room and puts the tray down for him on one of the side tables. "You have joined a well run house, sir, and we take care of its inhabitants."
Henry still feels the need to explain, "Our apologies for missing dinner. It was, um, unexpected." Hughes smiles scoldingly as she is leaving the room at the same time Mary comes down the hall, "Mr. Talbot, if I may be so bold as to remind you that I am a recent newlywed? There is no need for explanations or apologies!"
