Downton Abbey Garden Party, 1914.

Outside, preparations are in full swing, everything is in place and the food is starting to be brought out. Mary cannot stand the sight of this, she had been dreading this ever since her argument with Matthew. She knew she would have to face him, she also knew there was a very small chance of it going well since he seemed determined in his point of view. Then she saw him, striding across the grass to...their bench! No, her bench! It had been her place to cry as a child and now it was poisoned by all the memories she had of Matthew joining her reading or just discussing anything they could think of. How could it have gone so wrong? She kept trying to tell him, but couldn't quite manage it and now she had ruined it.

Anna moves swiftly to help Lady Mary get ready for the garden party, but there is something wrong, she can tell.

"Anna, I'm not sure I can bring myself to do this, there is nothing I can do to make him listen! I didn't want to burden you but I can't hold it in much longer, I'm not even sure I can look at him, let alone face him telling me that...oh Anna" she dissolved into tears, not for the first time that week.

Anna responded quickly, embracing her, if there was one thing that Anna had learnt this week it was that Lady Mary was desperately lacking in people to hug her when things went wrong, it may not be proper but it was necessary. She was going to get Lady Mary to this garden party whatever it took.

After some consolation, she was just about ready to go down, but with a steely determination which was probably bad news for Edith more than anyone else.

Anna decided to speak to Lady Sybil about it, she would know what to do,

"Sorry to disturb you m'lady, but I have a message from Lady Grantham"

"Thank you, Gwen, that will be all"

"What does Mama want?"

"I'm afraid I don't actually have a message, but I don't know who else to go to about this..."

"Go on, I may be able to help"

"I am worried about Lady Mary, she is distraught over Mr Crawley, he won't let her explain why she took so long to answer his proposal and now she thinks she had ruined any possibility of reconciliation"

"I have been wondering about this, I didn't want to intervene, but if what you say is true I absolutely must. Goodness, I have had an idea but I could get in quite a bit of trouble! Maybe that makes it better..." Sybil smirked.

"What is it m'lady?"

"I am going to lock them in a room during the garden party! There will only be a few servants moving food, it's perfect! They will be forced to talk it out"

"Mr Matthew will have to listen! Brilliant m'lady"

"We had better get plotting then!"

At the party

"Matthew! I need to show you something, it is absolutely urgent!" She grabs him by the wrist out of a conversation with Robert who stands there, stunned, not even able to shout after them, but making a note to scold her later.

"Sybil, where are we going?"

"The small library!"

"Why exactly?"

"To show you this" Sybil showed him a great mess of papers (which she had masterfully created in one corner of the room) with a guilty look on her face.

"These are Papa's very important papers and I need your help to re-organise them , I wouldn't know where to start!"

As she was begging for his help, she planted herself close to the door.

Meanwhile, Anna was waiting patiently to pull Mary away, she found her opportunity when Mary made her way to her bench.

"M'lady, sorry to disturb you"

"Don't apologise, I'm glad you are here, sit" Mary gestures towards the seat next to her.

"Actually I have been told to fetch you, Lady Sybil wants to speak to you in the small library"

"Does she? I suppose it could be important" Mary sighs as she makes her way back to the house.

The Small Library

"Goodness Sybil how did you manage to make all this mess?" Matthew had already started to organise.

"They were all in a pile and I was just trying to stop myself from falling and they all flew everywhere !"

Sybil slipped out of the door, mumbling about keeping Isis out, locking it very carefully so Matthew couldn't hear.

Mary was almost at the other door when Sybil got there.

"Mary! I'm over here"

"Sybil what was so urgent?" Mary sounded exasperated, but Sybil could see a familiar caring look in her eye.

The keys behind her back jangled a little and Mary looked at her carefully.

"What was that?"

"Probably Mrs Hughes overseeing the food to the party" she pulled the most innocent face she could and somehow got away with it.

"Ok, but what was so urgent?"

"I have to tell you something about Matthew, I will follow you into the library"

"Alright, why the small library?" Mary questioned just before Sybil closed the door and locked it with masterful speed, standing back to admire her work.

"Because it had two lockable doors and no one needs it today dear sister!"

"Sybil! What have you done? Why is it locked? Sybil Cora Crawley I will kill you as soon as I figure out how to get out of here!" She shouted to no avail except alerting Matthew from the other corner.

"Mary? What are you doing in here? And what do you mean it's locked?"

Mary didn't answer him at first, running to try the other door, but she already knew it was useless.

Mary almost let a tear well up as she acknowledged Matthew, but decide to be entirely practical.

"She's locked us in, God knows why!" Mary exclaimed.

Sybil answered through the door.

"I am not letting either of you out until you sort yourselves out and listen to each other, I am targeting that last bit at you Matthew!"

Matthew pondered that for a second before his gaze landed back on the mess at his feet.

"Do I still have to clear these papers?" Matthew asked hopefully.

"Oh, actually you do, they are really Papa's important papers and he will kill me before Mary has the chance if he sees that" Sybil tries to force her plan into action.

"We had better get cleaning then" Matthew said, finally looking at Mary in a way that made her want to magically transport anywhere else. He was clearly dreading having to spend any time with her.

A tear slipped out, and a few more followed to make sure her dignity was well and truly obliterated, Matthew's facial expression softened with guilt and he said something she didn't expect.

"Or maybe I should start listening..."

To be continued...