Author's Note: Before we begin I'd like to advertise that Anne O' The Lake has posted her story inspired by my first plot bunny. The story is Miracles Happen and I 100% endorse it and think it is a great read. Please check it out!
Early August 1912
He'd honestly forgotten when Robert sent the letter. He knew it had been coming, of course, but didn't know exactly when and thus had to forced himself to stop acting like a puppy waiting for his master to come home every time a message arrived at the house. He'd done his best to just live his life, even if he found it almost painful to go through the motions and constantly pretend that there was nothing different. He found there was very little he could do to keep himself occupied. Work was too easy because he remembered each case, once he already read up on his carefully made notes, and thus knew what would and wouldn't work. And even then compared to the horrors of war and the minefield that was the social niceties of high society dealing with trade agreements between two small companies simply didn't challenge him as they once had.
People always believed, when they heard he was a lawyer, that he was in court all the time, wearing those silly wigs and talking to old men in black robes who also wore funny wigs, delivering long drawn out monologues concerning justice and the power of the human spirit. The fact of the matter was that Matthew's job dealt more with contracts and deals; a lumber mill would want to gain logging rights to a patch of land and Matthew would draw up the contract that ensured the mill got what they wanted but didn't take or damage anything else, thus ensuring the owner could use it for farming or regrowing the trees. Two businesses might want to come up with a plan to sell to each other needed parts and Matthew would work with both, hammering out the details. It has been challenging work, interesting work, but now was dreadfully dull when he already knew the answers. Part of what made him a good lawyer was that he was able to remember details quickly and in vivid detail (except for when Robert's letter had come, much to his own annoyance), thus allowing him to work faster than those who had to constantly check and reference things. This gift became a curse though when he was now faced with clients he'd already helped and thus knew exactly what they needed. In his original timeline his work should have lasted right up until the first of September, with him rushing the final contract so it could be done before the move. Now however he'd gotten everything done and simply handed them out when the time was 'right', creating the illusion of hard work. That meant he spent most of days sitting in his office, throwing wads of paper into a trash can and trying desperately to seem busy.
He'd debated buying a new book but then he'd have to explain to his mother what was wrong with the three he'd bought only days before the sinking, the ones he'd told her he'd heard wonderful things about and wanted to read. He couldn't just come out and say 'Well, I remember reading them in my first time living this life and while the first two were fine 'The Woman in White' bored me to tears and I ended up tossing it away rather than even look at its cover…'. No, that simply wouldn't have passed so Matthew was forced to spend the last few months rereading the books (or in the case of the third pretending to do so while imagining he was wringing the author's neck) and finding other ways to pass the time. The days seemed to crawl and blend together and Matthew felt like a child waiting for Father Christmas to arrive with presents as he lay in bed.
Sleep hadn't even offered him relief. His dreams every night were of his past, of the life he had led and would be allowed to live once more. Sometimes they were pleasant memories, ones that made he wake up with a sad smile for what he'd had and what he wished he could have once more. Sometimes they were mundane but he found even dreaming of just sitting at a table watching his family eat was good enough. And sometimes he dreamed of things that had never come to pass. He didn't know why he'd dreamed of Carson performing a dance number for them all while they ate, or why he dreamed once that the family had decided to swap clothes and all the women had wore tails while the men wore the finest dresses money could buy, but dream it he did, along with a thousand other thoughts in the dusty recesses of his mind.
So his days became ones of boredom and waiting, of the same routine he feared to break or could not find a way to shatter, because he did not know when the letter would come. But time decided to mock him and thus it was a complete shock when, during what felt like yet another breakfast with his mother where he ate toast and eggs and tried orange juice (an American thing to do, really, but his mother had read about it and thought it interesting to try), his mother had taken the post Ellen had given her and passed it to him. He briefly wondered, not for the first time, what Cousin Violet would think to see him opening letter at the table, with a kitchen knife no less. He didn't recognize the handwriting on the envelope at first; it was Murray's handwriting he'd later realize and Matthew had always allowed Robert to handle the family lawyer and his messages. But the pages in his hands, the ones he'd just pulled from the envelope… those contained words written in a hand he knew all too well.
To Mr. Matthew Crawley
From Lord Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham
I confess that I am not confident in how to convey this message and thus if it is blunt I apologize.
"Matthew? Who is it from?" his mother asked, her own letter forgotten.
A recent tragedy has found our orbits to have collided. The sinking of the Titanic has saw the death of my heir, my first cousin James Crawley, and his son, Patrick. As I have no sons of my own that makes you, my third cousin once removed, my closest male heir.
"It's… from Lord Grantham," Matthew said, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth. The first time he hadn't been nearly so moved but then he hadn't known just how much this letter would alter the course of his destiny.
I have been informed by my solicitor that you are a lawyer yourself and thus won't insult your intelligence by explaining how this has come to be.
"Whatever does he want?"
I would ask that you contact me so that we might arrange a time to meet, perhaps in London if you are available, to discuss the entail and begin to plan for your coming to Downton so you might better know the lands and people that you will one day be held responsible for.
Matthew forced himself to speak while at the same time did all he could to keep the tears from leaking from his eyes. "He wants to change our lives."
~A~O~O~O~F~
London, One Week Later
"Are you alright, my lord?" Bates asked as he finished running his brush along Robert's pant legs, gathering the last bit of fuzz from them and leaving the Earl of Grantham looking as if he'd stepped from a painting where the world was forever perfect and no blemish or imperfection would ever be found.
Robert looked at Bates and mentally sighed, chastising himself for making things so much harder on his valet. When he'd been hired in he'd been concerned that Bates couldn't handle the position but had been desperate to make it work. Thus he'd not treated him as he would any other valet, thinking he must step in whenever there appeared to be even the smallest amount of trouble and assist the man. Only now did he see how wrong this approach was on so many levels. Bates was a fine valet who knew how to handle himself and worked with such a steady hand that it was easy to forget about his difficulty. And even when it did cause difficulties the man was quick to find workarounds. Thomas had complained that Bates couldn't handle luggage when needed but Bates had proven them wrong and, when it came that a bag might be too heavy, was able to find other tasks that eased the burden of others that stepped in to assist. While Thomas was loathed to swap places with him William had shown himself able to and Bates didn't mind humbling himself by performing the duties of a footman for a few minutes while William dealt with a tricky piece of luggage.
His attitude had also affected both Bates and the staff. For his valet what Robert had thought was kindness had ended up being seen as pity and Bates, a proud man, had been silently shattered by it. Oh, he'd never said the words but Robert had seen it in his eyes. In fact that was why he'd finally chased down the car when he'd almost fired Bates; the look in the man's eyes that said "I'd rather you have screamed at me than killed me with kindness". As for the staff Robert had learned, after discussing with Carson a few noticed looks several of the staff (mostly Thomas and O'Brien) shot Bates' way that a rumor had spread that Bates had been brought in to act as a spy, whispering the goings-on of the downstairs in his ear. Robert had been aghast. He also quickly came to see just how such a tale could get started. Robert had never been close to Watson, his previous valet; oh, he saw the man as able and appreciated his work ethic but he'd been selected for Robert when he'd been a youth and had always been his father's man; the valet hired to keep an eye on 'foolhearty Robert'. A good valet, just like a good lady's maid, should have been their employer's most trusted confidant. Watson could never become this for him, as it was known to all that whatever was said to him went instantly into the ear of Robert's father. Thus Robert had kept the man at arm's length, even after his father had died, developing with Carson the bond that should have developed with him and Watson. He knew that this aggravated the old man, who had assumed that when Robert became Earl that old sins would be forgotten, as if all his spying could be cast away. But Robert could never forget or forgive the man that had searched out in him faults and failings so he could scuttle back to Robert's father with the news. When it had become clear that Robert would never trust him Watson had become more and more tiresome until finally it was a relief when the man announced he was leaving. His relief had turned to annoyance and a touch or anger when he'd learned from Carson the state of Watson's room. Having already made inquiries to Bates about him joining them Robert had demanded to see the room himself and nearly demanded the car be brought around so he could chase after Watson and throttle him for the mess he'd left, a final bitter parting gift from a bitter man.
Looking at this relationship with Watson and what he now had with Bates it was quite easy to see how some could believe him too close to his valet. Most of them had only saw him with Watson and assumed that would be how he would treat any man who served him. Carson, bless him, had offered to nip things in the bud but Robert had waved him off; while he would never claim to be an expert in how to run a house staff he did know that any word from Carson would have the opposite effect than what he desired; Carson had ruefully admitted that to be the case as well and had been pleased he didn't have to carry out a command he knew would only create more trouble. No, it was better for him to just continue on as was and hope that Bates could manage for himself.
"My lord?" Bates repeated again, pulling Robert from his thoughts.
"I'm sorry Bates… lost in my own thoughts." He dimly wondered how he had gotten on the track of thinking about Bates only to realize that it mattered little how but rather why.
Bates, it seemed, was on the same track as him. "If I might be bold enough to ask, my lord… are you nervous about meeting Mr. Crawley?"
Robert sighed as he looked himself over in the mirror. "Is it that obvious?"
"Not unless one knows you as I do," Bates stated in his matter-of-fact way. He went to get Robert's jacket, allowing the Earl to look himself over in the mirror. "My mother used to say that sometimes it helped to speak your thoughts aloud, as if you allowed them to always rattle around your head without escape they would swell and grow until they crowded everything else out."
"Mama says we'd all be better off with we just stayed silent about all things save the weather," Robert said with a playful smile.
"I don't think our mothers would get along."
"Bates, I would pay a decent part of my fortune to see Mama and your mother forced to have tea together."
"I wouldn't," Bates said with a slight grin. "They'd become friends just to spite us both."
Robert chuckled at that, imagining his mama and Bates' Irish mother becoming thick as thieves, gossiping about the two of them and whenever Robert walked by they would chuckle then refuse to say what they found so funny. "Thank you, Bates, I needed that." He slipped the jacket on and allowed Bates to see to the final touches. "I… am troubled, I admit. I am troubled about just what sort of man I will encounter. My legacy, all that I have built and all that my forefathers did before me will now rest in the hands of a man I've never met."
"Is it that you've never met him… or that he isn't a gentleman of your standing?" Robert glowered a little at that but Bates merely raised his eye brows, a challenge in his eye. That's what also made Bates the perfect valet for him: he could challenge him without stepping over the line, to get him to talk about things he should without ever getting thoughts beyond his station. It was something Robert needed.
"…a bit of both, to be honest," Robert said with a sigh. "I know it sounds wrong, Bates, and makes me come off in not a fine light, but I cannot help but feel as I feel."
"And I don't blame you for doing so," Bates said, going over to retrieve Robert's hat. "It isn't easy, facing the unknown. Mr. Crawley is a man you've never met who you will entrust Downton in. To make matters worse he is part of a class you know very little about. Honestly it is a class I myself know little. I was born poor and rose into a life of service. I have no aspirations to become a lord in some castle-"
"Though you would make a fine one, had things been different," Robert stated with a chuckle.
Bates joined him before continuing. "But I have not had much to do with the middle class. The same as with you. For all of us in Downton this man is a mystery and what he comes from is a mystery. It is only natural to be nervous. It is odd to consider that this Matthew Crawley is closer to you than I am in terms of wealth but you know more of what to expect with a stable boy than you do with him. It's only natural my lord, and you shouldn't feel guilty about it."
"Well, you've made me feel better about my feelings though not told me how to deal with them."
"Oh, that is simple enough," Bates said as the two of them prepared to leave Robert's room. "Find something to relate too."
"To relate too?" Robert said. "I'm afraid I might find that hard to accomplish."
"But it will have to be done," Bates said gently. "No matter who he was Mr. Crawley WILL be your heir. Unless you choose to keep him from Downton before he takes the title-"
"Heavens no," Robert said, horrified by the thought. "That would lead us all to ruin! To thrust a man unknowing of how such a great estate works." He held up his hand. "I know you aren't suggesting that Bates. You're merely acting as the devil's advocate and while what you speak of is a touch bitter I do appreciate it. And you're right. For the good of Downton I must find a way to work with Mr. Crawley, to find a way for us to become like family, to be family, so that we might work together in managing the estate."
It was easy to declare that but once he left Bates and got in the hired car Robert was left with only his thoughts and he found that Mother Bates was quite right: allowing one's thoughts to rumble in their head caused said thoughts, and fears, to grow and twist and swell. Robert found himself dreading what he could find, what he would find, waiting for him at the club. Robert was suddenly hit with the vision of a man wearing ill fitting clothing, his face black from coal soot, elbows up on the table as he loudly smacked his lips and ate his food like Pharaoh tore into an evening meal. For all he knew Matthew Crawley could be like the illustrations one found in papers of the poor buggers in the American South, bare-chested with their filthy feet on the table, a whiskey jug in reach if they needed a drink or to play a song. He knew that was nonsense, that there was no way this Matthew Crawley could be anything like that, but that didn't stop his traitorous mind from conjuring up such images.
'Nothing that can be done with it now, even if he does look like some barefoot bootblack from one of those Dickens novels,' Robert thought as he finally stepped out of the car and nodded to the doorman before stepping into Boodle's. The area was thick with the sound of muted conversations, spoken low enough so that he couldn't actually hear what was said. Instead all the words blended together so that it sounded like constant thunder rumbling across the quiet farmlands. 'No matter how bad this might be at least I can enjoy the company of other men for a change'. Since Patrick and James had passed Robert had found himself outnumbered by the women in his life, with only Bates and Carson for him to turn to for male companionship. And even then that wasn't the same as it had been when he could rely upon James and Patrick to help draw him away from the awkward conversations of women and engage in the talk only men could have amongst themselves. He'd even half thought of trying to convince Carson to join him for a drink, he was so desperate for male companionship. Tonight would allow him an outlet for that need. And it was a comfort that Robert needed, if his fears of what he was about to deal with were proven true.
"Lord Grantham," the club's head waiter said with a slight nod of his head. "Welcome. Mr. Crawley has already arrived and is waiting for you." Another attendant quickly darted forward and took Robert's coat, hat, and gloves. "If you will follow me?"
"Thank you, Simon," Robert said, following the man as their weaved their way through the different overstuffed chairs, the most powerful and noble men of England giving him only a passing glance before returning to their conversations. A few nodded politely and Robert returned their greetings but his focus was to a set of chairs in one corner, his favorite spot, where a tall blond man was waiting for him.
'My word,' Robert thought, staring at the young man, 'certainly this can't be Mr. Crawley!'
When Robert had learned that his heir was a middle class lawyer he had envisioned someone much like Murray: a man who, at best, lived on the fringes of the upper class but could never be mistaken as one. Oh, his lawyer could hold a conversation and eat dinner with the family like any of Robert's ilk could but he would never be one of them. Robert tried to picture Murray in a set of tails and while possible to envision such a scene even then there seemed to be an… aura… about him, one that told all that he was not of noble birth or upper class breeding.
He had expected the same with Matthew Crawley. At best he'd expected to see another Murray and at worst a pretender, someone who tried to dress and act as an Earl or a Duke would. Robert was too used to that, even from the children of those who Robert considered peer and friend. 'Like Larry Grey, the little twit,' Robert found himself thinking of the young man Cora was desperate to get Sybil interested in. 'The boy tries to pretend he is a king when I doubt very much he will be able to match Lord Merton on his worst day'. He had hoped that the news would not go to Mr. Crawley's head but had steeled himself just as much for fop who thought his train had come in as he had for a middle class man who didn't know his tails from his buckle.
But the man who stood and greeted him with a warm smile was neither. When Robert looked upon him he found himself staring at a man who held himself as if he'd been an heir all his life. There was an ease to his movement but a politeness to his gaze that made Robert's heart reach a more normal rhythm and the ball of tension that had been forming in his stomach clear away. Had he met Mr. Crawley at a dinner at an estate he'd have accepted without second thought that this man was one of his peerage.
"Lord Grantham," Mr. Crawley said with a smile. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, though of course I wish it wasn't under such a dark cloud. My condolences on the passing of Mr. James Crawley and Patrick… I wish I had known them."
Robert managed a slight, tight lipped smile at that. "Yes… it is easy to forget that they were your family as well, Mr. Crawley."
The young man waved him off. "Please, my lord, call me Matthew. We are not only family but will be getting to know each other quite well and it feels only proper we treat each other with a touch of familiarity."
Robert could see the man's point. And while he hadn't originally planned to be so personable so soon with him Robert found himself saying, "Then I insist you call me Robert in return."
Mr. Cra…Matthew smiled in acceptance. "As you wish."
The two of them lapsed into easy conversation. They discussed their upbringing, their families, and a few other simple topics. While Robert could handle small talk easily, having learning from his mother how to say many things without saying anything at all, he found his conversation with Matthew quite enjoyable. Robert had shared stories of Downton, of his lineage starting with the first Earl to him and Matthew had listened attentively, never showing signs of boredom or faked interest. For his part Matthew talked of his parents, including his departed father the doctor and his mother who had been a nurse before becoming pregnant with him. Talk had turned to schooling and Robert and Matthew had swapped stories of childhood antics.
It was during a story about one of Matthew's professors getting into such a sneezing fit he ended up scattering all his lecture notes that Robert was struck with the oddest thought. Rather than this feeling as if he were meeting a stranger it was as if he'd found an old friend he hadn't seen in years and they'd lapsed back into a comfortable routine. It made him smile all the more and his laughter grew all the more genuine.
It was when they'd talked of Matthew's job as a lawyer that things took an awkward turn.
"Robert," Matthew said after a few moments, swirling his brandy before continuing, "I know that soon enough we will properly sit down and go over the true details of my being your heir… but there is something I wish to talk to you about."
"Oh?" Robert asked. "And what is that?"
"I… well, before I begin I'd like to say I ask this of you now because I wish there to be no misunderstandings between us, or between myself and your family. I understand how what I am about to question you on could sound rather brash and rude and thus would like to discuss it with you before making any formal plans."
"Well, this sounds like rather heavy conversation," Robert said dryly.
"A bit it is." Here Matthew paused again, considering his words. "I suppose the best way to start would be to ask you what you would see as my daily duties at Downton."
Robert's brow furrowed at that. Of all the things he'd expected Matthew to ask it hadn't been that. 'I thought he'd ask for money or when he'd be moving into the Abbey. Daily duties though?' Robert rather liked that Matthew called them 'duties', as this was how he himself saw the running of Downton, as his duty rather than a job or a perk, but still didn't quite get what Matthew was getting at.
"I'm not quite sure I know what you mean."
"What exactly did Cousin James in his role as your heir? Day to day."
"Ah. Well, he would assist me in the running of the estate. He'd sit in during meetings, occasionally run errands for me, visit tenants, and of course attend events."
Matthew nodded. "As I assumed." He leaned forward a bit. "Robert, I was raised to believe that a man must work hard to achieve things in life. And I fear I could not do that at Downton." Robert held his tongue at that but was prepared to get rather testy with Matthew's insinuation that he himself didn't work hard only for the younger man to blast his annoyance away. "I mean, look at all you do. You must manage so much, meet with so many people, raise your family, help with charities and the local village, converse with your agent and your solicitor and I am sure many other people I don't even know about. I imagine there are things even your wife doesn't realize you do, in the name of Downton. It is different work from what I am used to but it is still work nonetheless."
Robert puffed up a little at that. Too many times he'd heard people, mostly the lower class and those that had clawed their way up from those levels of society to his own, complain bitterly that all Lords and Ladies did was sit in their giant homes and do nothing but get fat off other people's work. To hear that Matthew understand that it wasn't that easy and while not physically hard could be mentally so was a true treat.
Matthew, seemingly not noticing how pleased he made Robert with his little speech, continued on. "The thing is, I fear that I will not find enough to keep me busy… at first." He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I am used to long days pouring over contracts and sitting in meetings with my clients. I fear that should I give that all up I will rapidly become bored at Downton and worse become a pain for you."
"How so?" Robert asked, intrigued that Matthew had put so much thought into this.
"I understand that there will be a period of us getting to know each other, as you learn to trust me and we develop the relationship we will have. While I imagine you will want me to learn how to run Downton, and I look forward to learning that very much from your hand, I also imagine you will not want to give me free reign or full power to do as I please, not until I have proven myself to you. After all, one does not hire on a man to be a footman and within a week make him butler."
"That is… a rather wise deduction," Robert said. He hadn't considered that point himself but now that Matthew had brought it up it made complete sense. With James it had been easy, as the man had already run his own estate, though it had been much smaller than Downton. He'd come with much of the knowledge and skill already in place and the trust had been there due to the two of them knowing each other already. Matthew would be a foreign entity and Robert could see pushback from many if the other man simply walked into Downton and tried to behave as James had during his final days.
Matthew continued on, encouraged by Robert's comment. "I would also like to keep a lifeline to my old life, a way to ease myself into this new one. I… I suppose the best way to think of it is as such: your wife is from America, is she not?"
"Cora? Yes, from New York."
"What if tomorrow she received word that the two of you had inherited from some unknown uncle a cattle ranch in the American West. One worth more and with more standing that even Downton."
Robert snorted. "I find that hard to believe."
"It is merely a scenario," Matthew said with a smile.
"Ah. Well then, if we are to journey to your land of make believe so be it. Cora and I have inherited a cattle ranch that would make the king envious."
Matthew chuckled at that and Robert joined him, both tickled by how absurd that scenario was. "Quite. You are told you must come right away and within a month you find yourself on a farm with thousands of steer, expected to wear one of those big cowboy hats and those ridiculous brown trousers… chaps I believe they are called?"
"Oh, now that is a sight that would horrify many," Robert laughed.
"Yes, but do you see that such a change for you is the same as this change will be for me?"
Robert quickly caught on. "And in that case I would like to have something to remind me of home, of the life I had led, so that I might not be like a ship without anchor."
"Exactly!" Matthew said happily. "What I am suggestion is this: there is a partnership, in Ripon, that has expressed interest in me. I would go to work for them for several days, four at most but preferably three. The rest of my time would be served learning how to manage the estate. After 6 months or so I'd slowly begin to ease back on work until we both decided I was ready to leave it all together and focus fully in assisting you in the running of the lands. During that time I imagine you'd give me small projects, allow me to demonstrate my handling of things to you. I'd say that within two years I would be ready to work with you fully and we could begin a true partnership of sorts to truly strength Downton and ensure it thrives for another hundred years or more." He leaned forward once more, clearly excited. "This would allow me to learn from you without getting underfoot. This is a time of upheaval and I imagine the last thing you or the tenants need is me nipping at your heels like a puppy. You will need days by yourself, to handle things that would be harmed by having me ask a thousand questions I'm not ready to hear the answer to. I do want to learn under you… I want to see how things are handled that way, many years from now, when your time is at an end you can go to God knowing that Downton is in good hands."
Through Matthew's speech Robert found himself fighting back his emotions, startled by just how stirring the other man's comments were. He'd feared so much about meeting Matthew but to hear him speak it was as the Fates had selected the perfect man to become his heir. By the end Robert could only smile and whisper, "I think I'd like that very much."
Matthew grinned. "Then I suppose the only thing left for us to consider is when I'll make my arrival and where I'll live."
As the two of them discussed Matthew and his mother moving to the village and all that would entail Robert found himself feeling lighter than he had since James and Patrick had been lost. Perhaps even before that. So much worry, so much fear… and now, having finally met this young man, this family he'd barely know, Robert felt the burden lift from his shoulders.
With Matthew… Robert saw Downton's future already brighten.
~A~O~O~O~F~
Author's Notes: Alright, time for some commentary.
Matthew's ability to recall information he'd read nearly a decade before was never brought up in the show but I felt fit is character. This is a man that can identify architecture in a church, after all. It also helps explain him dealing with upcoming events and remembering thing that, for most people, would have seemed minor and not worthy of remembering.
The Woman in White comment is my own. I love to read and in school I would devour almost any book I was assigned. Heck, I had to read Hindu Relgious texts for one class and enjoyed them (I disagreed with them for reasons I won't get into here but still enjoyed it). But The Woman in White? It is the only time I never finished a book and failed a test, which shocked my college English teacher. When he asked why I didn't read the book I told him that he could think it was a wonderful tale but I found it the most boring, bland, driest story I'd ever read and I had no urge to read it again. I've even tried to read the Wiki page and stopped after the first paragraph because I was so bored. So yeah, Matthew's comments here are my own.
Time is a funny thing on the show. Between the first and second episode we jump roughly 4 months, then by episode 4 we've jumped another few months into the next year. It can be confusing at times when one has to go and figure out what the relationships are like during the inbetween scenes, such as here where Bates has now been on the job for a few months.
We know absolutely nothing about Watson so I thought he would be a perfect character to fill in some of the gaps when it came to Bates in the first episode and how people saw him: why Robert wanted his old friend as his valet, why Thomas instantly jumped on him being a spy… and it also calls back Violet's comment about Tom helping to run the estate and that for Robert the previous man always been his father's man and never Robert's. We also know that Lord Patrick crawley (robert's dad) was a man that liked to control things so I could see him spying on his children even when they were grown, feeling that it was proper to keep an eye on them. We also know that Watson left his room in 'such a state', and I felt that would only make sense if the man left on negative terms. If he had left happily Robert would have ensured Bates was there to pick up right where Watson left off, rather than Thomas having to step in as he did.
That said I like to image that 'the state' he left his room was that the bed was unmade and he left a glass on the table without a coaster. And Carson nearly had a heart attack seeing that!
So I spent WAY too much time figuring out what club Robert would meet Matthew in. I know it wasn't needed but for some reason I decided to go down that rabbit hole, researching 20th century gentlemen clubs to figure out where to stage their meeting.
One of Matthew's flaws on the show, especially in the beginning but visible throughout his run, was that he had an ego mixed with stubbornness. That is to say that he wasn't boastful but rather he believed that when he settled on a point it was the right one and no one could talk him out of it. And in the first season Matthew believed that being Earl was an outdated, silly affair created by people who didn't understand true work. As such he did things just to be contrary and as a result a lot of issues arose because of this. Not just with Mary, though that is the most obvious, but with Robert as well. Matthew didn't show him respect in certain things and made decisions that, to me, were designed purely to tweak Robert's nose.
Here we see a Matthew who has learned to play the game. There is a quote from Ian McKellen that sums it up best: The young lion roars and throws up a fuss to get his way while the old lion knows how to slink and slide and get what he desires. The same thing here. Matthew is almost 10 years older now and he has gained wisdom in how to operate. The anger of youth is gone and he knows how to use the right words and to play up what others want to get them to agree to things that will make life easier for him. This here, with him starting out as a lawyer but part time, is him testing his skills and now that he knows it will work we can see him begin to push towards getting what he wants.
So what is going to be a tradition with this series is I am going to try and put one plot bunny at the end of each chapter. If someone wants to grab it, as Anne O'The Island did with Miracles Happen, wonderful. If not then at least you guys get some bonus entertainment.
This plot bunny is a wonderful little For Want of a Nail tale that begins with a prologue when Matthew was born. Reginald Crawley steps away from seeing his son for the first time at the hospital (as I imagine he would want Isobel taken care of with the best the hospital had), takes out a cigarette… only to see a man in a hospital room coughing and gasping for air. And as he thinks of his son he crushes the cigarette and throws it away, vowing to never smoke again. As a result Reginald doesn't die. Smash cut to the first episode but with a MAJOR difference: Robert went on the Titanic with James and Patrick as he needed to deal with something involving the Rail Line Investment. And Robert is listed among the missing and presumed dead.
And Reginald Crawley is now the Earl of Grantham.
The story would deal with how things would suddenly be VERY different if Robert was gone and a simple doctor, his wife, and his lawyer son, moved to Downton. Cora and the girls would know that soon they would have to move to Crawley house, as it would be unseemly for them to live with the new earl. Matthew is struggling with his new life and would actually become an ally of Mary's, as he would WANT to somehow undo all this and go back to his life. Violet would be torn between honoring tradition and the fact that her son is dead and these usurpers have taken her home. You'd have altered fates for the staff… I see Carson refusing to leave Cora and the family and thus goes with them to Crawley House with a much reduced staff, allowing Bates to become butler (and maybe even Reginald sees Bates' limp and agrees that he can operate and fix it) and thus we get a bit of a rivalry between Anna and Bates at first as they are on opposites sides of the family. I see Molesley becoming Reginald's valet and his trusted confidant while Thomas would work to get in on the new family while O'Brien ends up stuck trying to decide what to do.
It would also allow the writer to make Reginald whoever they wanted him to be. Me personally? I would write him as even more radical and freethinking than Isobel… yes, she is the CONSERVATIVE of the family. I see him hiring Tom, learning he is an Irish Nationalist, and encouraging him and his goals. I see him butting heads and firing Clarkson as he feels he is outdated and bringing in a new doctor who is very modern. I see him ripping the money out of the rail line deal and trying new and interesting things with the cash. And even though he knows Matthew is meeting with mary trying to help her figure out how to get her family's money back he would encourage it because he would realize Mary and Matthew are perfect for each other and the family would finally be united with their wedding right before the war.
And then, during said war… an old Canadian general, injured from shelling, arrives… and everyone realizes it is Robert, who lost his memory and had no idea who he was.
Now THAT would throw some chaos into the works!
Again, I leave this for anyone who wants to play with it.
