October 1928
Mary leaned lazily against the front doors of the Abbey; her brown eyes fixed on the lawns in front of her. Despite the cloudy day and the hints of drizzle, her husband was determined that today was the day that he would be teaching his eldest son to ride a bicycle. She watched as Matthew held the bicycle in his hands on the very back of the seat with George sitting, his feet on the pedals and his hands holding tightly on to the handlebars. She smiled as Matthew encouraged George to move his feet and look straight ahead.
"Don't let go Papa!" George begged with fright.
"Keep going Georgie!" Matthew cheered.
She continued to watch her husband run behind the bicycle and watch her son keep pedalling until Matthew let go of the bicycle and stood still as George cycled under the tall trees, getting smaller into the distance. Matthew cheered with pride and Mary found herself walking from the door and clapped her hands as George turned the bicycle around and came back towards them. when Mary reached her husband, she wrapped her arms around his left and leaned into him. Matthew kissed the top of her head until George came back to them.
"Well done, George!" Mary praised.
"Did you watch me, Mama?" George asked brightly.
"I did. You were brilliant darling." Mary smiled.
George beamed brightly and announced that he was going to cycle back to the house by himself. Matthew allowed him to go on ahead and fell into step next to his wife as Mary linked her arm through his.
"You know Charlie was a little jealous that you were spending some time with George." Mary commented.
"I have every intention to teach Charlie to ride a bicycle too, he's a little impatient." Matthew stated.
"I hope he grows out of it."
They continued to walk on a little further until Mary stopped in her tracks. She felt her stomach grumble and started taking slow, deep breaths. The nausea swept through her quickly as she rushed to a nearby oak tree and vomited behind it. She closed her eyes and persevered through the sickness until she felt her husband's hand gently rub her back. When Mary felt slightly better, she stood up and took the handkerchief that Matthew offered to her.
"Thank you." Mary muttered, wiping her mouth.
"I think we need to call Dr. Clarkson when we return to the house." Matthew stated.
"He's already confirmed the pregnancy. Morning sickness is normal." Mary replied.
"You have never had it like this. You're barely keeping anything down." Matthew said worriedly.
Mary rolled her eyes. She was now sixteen weeks into her last pregnancy and ever since it had been confirmed, her husband had been trying to convince her to take life easily. Matthew had tried taking over some of her responsibilities as Agent which had caused tension between husband and wife. He was constantly telling her to rest and coming to her side if she looked tired. She knew he meant well, but it was starting to get irritating.
"Darling, I know that you are getting tired of my worry, but I do believe it would be best to see the doctor." Matthew said softly.
Mary exhaled heavily.
"If I agree, will you allow me some breathing air?" Mary questioned.
"Alright." Her husband agreed.
They reached the house and ushered George upstairs to his tutor for his schooling. Mary headed straight for her bedroom whilst Matthew telephoned Dr. Clarkson. When she entered her bedroom she stood in front of her vanity, looking at her reflection as she noted the changes. At fourteen weeks in her previous pregnancies, she had just started to swell in her abdomen. With this pregnancy, she already had a defined bump, albeit a small one. Mary ran her hand over her abdomen, resting it on top of her bump. In the mirror, her eyes averted to Matthew who had just entered the room and closed the door behind him.
"Dr. Clarkson is on his way, he's requested that you change into a nightgown, he says he needs to examine you." Matthew said.
Mary nodded and crossed the room to pull out a nightgown. She allowed her husband to help her undress, smiling as he stood behind her and rested his hands over her bump. She turned her head to look at him, his blue eyes sparkled at her until he lowered his head, closed his eyes, and met her lips with his. Mary turned in his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. She kissed him eagerly, as if it were a promise of something to come later. Matthew groaned against her lips as his hands held her tightly against him. She broke the kiss, running her hands into his hair.
"Later." Mary promised.
Matthew nodded, taking a step back and helped her into her nightgown. She was just about to climb into bed when Anna announced the doctor's arrival.
"How are you feeling, Lady Mary?" Dr. Clarkson enquired.
"Fine, I'm just nauseous." Mary replied politely.
"Mr. Crawley reports that you are struggling to keep down food and drink?"
Mary quickly glanced at her husband before returning to the doctor. She sighed and nodded her confirmation. Dr. Clarkson instructed her to lie back and lift her nightgown so he could listen to the baby. The stethoscope was cold on her bump, but she relaxed as she got used to the sensation. Dr. Clarkson spent a few moments listening before taking a Pinard Horn out of his bag and placed it on her abdomen and listened intently. The air was thick with worry as Mary tried to stay calm, the facial expression not changing on Clarkson's face.
"Is something wrong?" Matthew asked worriedly.
The doctor put the horn away and Mary covered up once more, pulling the blankets up to her waist before sitting up. Clarkson looked concerned and Mary knew that the news was going to be grim.
"Ha-have I lost the baby?" Mary asked quietly.
"No, Lady Mary. My concern is that I heard two babies. I believe you are carrying twins." Clarkson said delicately.
Mary felt her jaw drop.
Twins.
Two babies.
She was carrying twins.
"A-are you certain?" Matthew stammered.
Dr. Clarkson nodded.
"Given Lady Mary's increased sickness that she had never experienced in her three previous pregnancies, how early she is showing and the detection of two lots of movement in her womb, I am very certain." the doctor confirmed.
Mary inhaled sharply, feeling her heart beating faster as she listened to the doctor. Twin pregnancies came with higher risks to herself and the babies. Her blood pressure for starters which meant increased risk of eclampsia. Premature birth was a concern, and the babies would be small and sickly. Her mind rushed to thinking about the delivery of two children, would she be able to cope with birthing two children at once? Would there be complications? If there were, would one of her babies die during the birth? What if she did?
During her pregnancy with George, the whole family had been fearful of losing her just as they had lost Sybil a year prior. Now those fears had returned and were intensified now that the doctor had confirmed she was carrying two children and not just one.
"Mary? What is it?" Matthew asked softly.
Her husband's voice brought her out of fearful thoughts. She looked at Clarkson and cleared her throat.
"What do you recommend going forward?" Mary asked quietly.
"Relieving your duties, rest, I'll prescribe a medicine to help with the sickness. I will visit you every fortnight to check on the babies and when the time comes to prepare for the birth, I will discuss the options then." Dr. Clarkson replied.
"Thank you, Dr. Clarkson."
She sat back against the pillows as Matthew saw the doctor out. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel at the news that she was having twins. She had agreed with Matthew that they would have one more child which would complete their family, so that Catherine would have a sibling closer to her age. But to learn that she was going to give her daughter two siblings closer to her age, Mary felt overwhelmed.
Minutes passed until Matthew entered their bedroom once more and closed the door behind him. He sat next to her on the bed and reached for her hand.
"Twins." Matthew smiled.
She looked at him, worry filling her eyes.
"I never anticipated this." Mary said quietly.
"I know. It's shocking but thrilling at the same time." Matthew chuckled.
How could he think it was thrilling? It was her who would have to undergo all the risks associated with a multiple birth. The very thought of undergoing childbirth to two children at the same time made her nervous. As she pondered more on the risks of her pregnancy, it appeared that her husband had noticed her silence.
"Darling? What is it?" Matthew asked.
She looked up at him, giving him a small smile.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Mary replied, a little too quickly.
"Mary. Tell me what is bothering you." Matthew pressed delicately.
Mary exhaled sharply and sat up a little straighter.
"I agreed to one more child and now I'm going to birth two at once." She sighed.
Matthew squeezed her hand gently, as if trying to reassure her that everything would be well.
"I know it's not what you anticipated but surely this is a blessing? We've been given the gift of two more children." Matthew smiled.
Mary rolled her eyes. Of course, Matthew would find the happiness in the situation. He wasn't thinking about the risks that came with carrying multiple babies inside her.
"Matthew…i-it's a lot to take in…" Mary muttered.
She felt her husband's hand cup her cheek and gently tilt her face until their eyes were locked together.
"Darling, everything will be okay." Matthew assured her.
"You can't promise me that." Mary uttered.
"We will take every precaution necessary to keep you and the babies well." Matthew promised.
Mary took a deep breath and nodded her agreement. She knew that whilst her mind was taking her down the path of worry for the children she was carrying, Matthew would ensure that every precaution possible was taken so that she would get through the rest of the pregnancy and birth as smoothly as possible. She met his lips in a brief kiss before they parted.
"Perhaps you should get dressed and we go downstairs and tell the family?" Mathew suggested.
"I wonder how they'll react." Mary mused worriedly.
Matthew gave her one last kiss to the forehead when he pulled the rope to ring for Anna. Mary kicked back the covers and sat on the bed, looking out of the window as she saw her children taking a walk in the distance with Nanny. Her fears and worries intensified for the few moments that she sat alone in her bedroom, contemplating if things took a turn for the worst, how would George, Charles, and Catherine cope without their mother in their lives?
oOo
As Mary entered the library, she took a deep breath to calm her nervous, beating heart as it thrummed over and over against her chest. Her parents, Isobel and Dickie were all seated with Matthew, finishing their conversations as they saw her enter the room and take a seat next to her husband.
"Ah there you are," Robert greeted, "Matthew said that the two of you had something to tell us."
Mary nodded, taking another breath.
"Mary? What is it?" Cora asked, concerned.
She looked at her mother and felt Matthew squeeze her hand supportively.
"Matthew called Dr. Clarkson to the house to check on me and the baby, he had some concerns about my health and the pregnancy." Mary began.
Mary smiled weakly at her mother who had reached out to grab her free hand fearfully. The other three adults shared looks of fear and worry on their faces, all not wanting to ask if she had miscarried.
"The baby is well," Matthew said reassuringly, "However, Mary will need to rest and take care of herself because-"
"Dr. Clarkson stated that I'm carrying twins." Mary interrupted.
There was a pause as the family processed the news and Mary knew that Isobel was thinking about the risks of a twin pregnancy, having worked as a nurse, and having attended many births of children during her career. But she smiled and congratulated them along with Robert, Cora, and Dickie.
"What did Dr. Clarkson recommend?" Robert asked.
"He recommended fortnightly visits to check on the pregnancy and he's prescribed a medicine to aid my sickness. When the time comes for the birth, he will discuss what the options are." Mary replied.
"Oh darling, this is wonderful news." Cora gushed.
"Thank you, Mama." Mary smiled.
"It's certainly a surprise," Isobel added, "But you're strong and I believe you can get through this dear."
"The risks are high?" Robert queried.
Matthew nodded.
"Twin births rarely go to full term." Isobel informed him.
"And there's a high risk of eclampsia, complications during the birth, the babies being sickly…" Mary muttered without thinking.
The mention of eclampsia darkened her parents faces. She hadn't even thought about keeping her thoughts silent, it had just come out. Her parents would never forget the horrendous death of their youngest daughter eight years ago when Sybbie had come into the world. When she, herself, had birthed George a year later, her parents were always expressing their concern and opinions on how to avoid another dangerous birth of one of their grandchildren. However, over the last eight years, her parents had been blessed with Sybbie, George, Charlie, Marigold, Catherine, Peter and now were blessed with another two to be born in the Spring. They had even been happy at Tom and Lucy's news that they were expecting a baby together in the Spring. But now that Mary had shared her fears for her upcoming birth in a matter of months, she knew that her parents' thoughts had turned back to the devastating loss of her sister eight years ago.
"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." Mary apologised.
"We'll take every possible precaution." Robert vowed to her.
"Thank you all for your support." Matthew said with a smile.
"It'll be alright, darling." Cora tried to smile.
With the news now shared with their parents, Mary and Matthew announced their intention to share the news with their children and left the room.
When they did share the news to George, Charles, and Catherine, they received mixed reactions and arguments between the three of them. Catherine wanted two sisters to outnumber her older brothers for a change whereas the boys wanted two brothers to forever outnumber their sister.
As Mary watched her children debate what sex the babies would be, she found herself envious of her children's ignorance to the burden that pregnancy and childbirth brought. Although, she knew that one day her daughter would experience the struggles that women endured. George, Charlie, and Catherine were oblivious to her inner thoughts and struggles over this pregnancy. Now that she herself knew that she would have double the pain and double the agony during the delivery, she found herself silently wishing that she could engage in a happy debate about what the babies would be and who would love them the most when they did come into the world.
She felt a strong hand rest on her stomach and another wrap around her shoulders. She felt her husband's lips press softly against her cheek and then his lips moved to her ear.
"All will be well, Mary." Matthew whispered in her ear.
Mary rested her hand over his, closing her eyes to sound out her thoughts and listen to the voices of her arguing children locked in a heated debate.