Cora did her best to smile. She knew she should be happy… the dinner was a complete success. There was no denying that. Yet joy was the last thing she felt. No, all she felt was a mixture of annoyance and frustration.
She knew, of course, that she had no right to be upset. From any way of keeping score the dinner had been a complete and utter victory, proving to what few doubters there might have been that Downton had not just recovered from the tragedy of James and Patrick's deaths but had actually flourished. They had proved to the world that the Old Crawleys and the New could blend together and build upon each other's strengths to make a more grand future. Matthew's bold influx of new faces mixed with the old guard had made it a lively affair that had taken the dry conversations that one could rattle off in their sleep and injected new life into them. But not too much life... Cora knew that Robert's mother had worried for the briefest of moments that Matthew would allow Isobel to set the guest list and they would find themselves overwhelms by radicals and the night would end with the family barricading themselves in a bedroom while Isobel and the leftists tried to recreate the French Revolution. Thankfully those fears had been put to rest quickly as Matthew had selected guests who had ties to Downton but had never been invited; not through fault of their own but simply because the ties were too far stretched or it just had never occurred to Robert and or her send an invite. Friends of friends, neighbors whose circles were still dignified but ran differently from theirs.
General Lothrop had been the most brilliant choice; he reminded her very much of an older Matthew, able to straddle the line of the upper middle class while also being heir to a grand estate (Cora had been utterly shocked to learn the modest and plain spoken General would one day be Lord Oakwood, as that family had gotten a horrible reputation for being wild and scandal-prone). Robert had naturally gravitated to him and Cora suspected the two would soon become fast friends, which was good because Robert needed more men in his life that he could talk to other than Matthew and the help. Even more impressive was how Gen. Lothrop had managed to charm the Dowager by simply not trying to charm her. Where others would have complimented her or tried to get on her good side the man had been utterly frank and honest without being insulting and that had won Robert's mother over.
Of course that wasn't to say that the other guests were bores. Rosamund's guests had been a delight as well and were only overshadowed by the General purely because of a force of will. But they were people Cora would happily welcome to Downton again and showed that sometimes even Robert's odd duck of a sister could manage to bring about change in the best of ways.
No... the dinner so far had been a success by anyone's count.
'So why do I keep trying to find reasons to call it a failure?' she thought to herself as she nibbled on a piece of tender lamb, dripping with a delicious sauce that complimented the meat very well. It was one of her favorite meals and normally she'd be quite pleased with it but tonight she found herself annoyed because it was so familiar.
Even as the guests murmured their delight over the dishes Cora fought not to scowl at the fact that Mrs. Patmore had refused to listen to her and had stuck with the tried and true meals. She'd asked her to cook some new dishes, something special for their winter dinner, but the cook had shook her head and refused. It didn't matter that one in particular Cora wanted was a pudding that Sir Anthony so loved and Cora was desperately trying to make the man feel welcomed and pleased with Downton… no, Mrs. Patmore had claimed it was too late to change the menu and she couldn't work under such conditions. Which was rubbish because Cora had changed the menu far later before and the cook had never complained. But this time she had informed Cora herself that she simply couldn't do it, her tone as she had argued against the alteration getting to the point that it had bordered on insubordination. Honestly, if Cora hadn't feared putting the dinner in untested hands she would have spoken to Robert about sacking Mrs. Patmore right then and there.
'Even if Robert wouldn't have done it,' Cora thought to herself. For all his bluster and posturing of being a firm hand when it came to the estate her husband was actually a very light touch when it came to the running of Downton. More than once he had complained about this person or that, like his valet before Bates, but had always backed down after a word from Carson or Mrs. Hughes in the person's favor. And he never fired people himself… no, Robert liked to leave that in the butler's capable hands. 'Oh, stop grousing about it,' she told herself, her face never betraying her internal argument as she looked about the dining room. 'He's a good man with a good heart and you love him for it so stop acting like it is such a negative thing!' She stabbed another piece of meat with her fork and sighed ever so slightly, 'besides, it is good I never went to him about this. Everyone loves the meal… the only one not happy with it is me and even I am finishing all that is on my plate!'
She just couldn't stop herself. While everyone else was happy and satisfied with the evening she kept finding reasons to pick it apart. All the women had complimented Mary, Edith, and Sybil on their dresses, telling them how beautiful they looked; she was annoyed with what her daughters had decided to wear, thinking that they had been far too daring. Sybil's was for a woman grown, not a child who hadn't had her first season. Edith's was too tight and the slit cut far too high. And the neckline on Mary's was just obscene. Yet Cora seemed to be the only one who thought so. The fact that even Robert's mother had stated how beautiful all three of them looked showed how off she was in that assessment. Many had complimented her on the decorations and while that was the area where she had been given the greatest control she still felt like more could have been done. She hated how Mary and Matthew stuck so close to one another throughout the pre-dinner drinks, as they should have been mingling separately, but no one batted an eye and Isobel had called it young love with a breathy pleased sigh. Mr. Bryant had even offered the chair Cora had selected for him to Mary so she and Matthew could sit next to each other… that simply wasn't done but Mary happily took it! And no one said a thing! The conversations at dinner flashed through a wide array of topics and many times Sybil spoke up and gave her opinion and despite Cora shooting her dark looks her youngest continued to talk when she should have been silent… yet it didn't matter. Mrs. Bryant seemed quite charmed with Sybil and Rosamund had even declared that Sybil seemed far more mature than women twice her age and wished to have her at some of her tea parties rather than her usual circle!
Had the whole world gone mad?
'Or is it just me?" Cora thought with a sigh, watching as Sir Anthony tried once more to strike up a conversation with Edith… only for Edith to return her focus to Sir Michael.
Oh, Edith wasn't being rude at all; she wasn't brushing the man off or actively ignoring him. But it was clear to Cora that Sir Anthony wanted to engage with Edith far more than out of mild politeness… but her daughter simply wasn't interested. Not in him, in any case. Sir Anthony was having better luck talking with Matthew, who seemed to sense what was going on and would jump in to ask the owner of Loxley House about how he was modernizing his estate and offering his own suggestions. Cora grit her teeth at that, annoyed beyond reason that Matthew was helping Edith ignore Sir Anthony only to in seconds catch herself and realize how foolish she was being. Matthew was being a good host, chatting with a guest and making him feel welcomed. Mary too, for she had even once engaged Sir Anthony so that Edith and Sir Michael could resume their conversation. Cora suspected that Sybil was, in her own way, working to steer Edith away from the match that Cora was trying to set up.
'And that is the problem,' Cora mentally told herself. 'I am the only one that wants to set them up. Robert was utterly against it and when I told his mother she flat out called me a fool. "He is too old for Edith. She would be playing nursemaid before she was thirty and a widow before forty. Is that what you want for your child, Cora?".' The Lady of Downton mentally rolled her eyes. 'Of course I don't but can't they see that Edith needs to be settled… Sybil too! Matches must be made now!'
'Why?' a traitorous voice in her head asked. 'Why rush?'
'Because it is expected.'
'Maybe if it were Mary who had no prospects but Edith and Sybil? Edith still has plenty of time and you just said that Sybil was still a child… can't have it both ways.'
Cora took a sip of wine. 'They need to be settled,' she thought to herself stubbornly.
'You didn't mind Mary taking her sweet time. She wasn't even engaged to Patrick.'
'It was official enough.'
'Oh?' the voice in her head taunted, sounding more and more like Violet. 'Funny how when it is Mary you are willing to wait but with the rest you can't wait to push them out the door. Had Patrick left Mary four years ago and selected another woman to be his bride would you have pushed her to marry within a month? Or would you have told her you would find a better match, one that would make her happy?'
Cora couldn't even fight against herself as any argument she could think of she already had mentally countered.
'You have made your life all about Mary… your focus has always been on her. No wonder so many whisper that Mary is a brat… don't deny it, you saw and heard it when Matthew first came! How she felt she could scorn tradition because she was Lady Mary Crawley! You let her get away with murder! And you've forgotten you have more children than her… and even after you remembered you still have fallen back into old habits: Mary is settled so let's rush Edith along so it is done. You would have her be in a miserable marriage just so you could be finished quick!'
"Thank you, Thomas," Cora said out loud, taking a piece of fish from the plate he offered. She listened to the conversations swirling around her: Robert and Richard Grey discussing a proposed hunt at Cavenham Park; Matthew and Violet the a Sherlock Holmes story that had come out the previous year (it seemed that Matthew had gotten the Dowager hooked on the detective's adventures); Mrs. Bryant asking Sir Anthony about his sister; Mr. Bryant, Rosamund, and Isobel chatting about the man's most recent trip to America, working for one of the Roosevelts; Edith and Sir Michael chatting about Sir Michael's paper, The Sketch, and his decision to include more in-depth reporting targeted towards women.
'I've never seen her so happy,' Cora thought suddenly and a wave of great shame filled her. How very sad was it that the happiest Cora had ever seen Edith… was when she got a bit of attention from a man she'd just met. And what did that say about her as a mother that her daughter was truly coming alive in front of her and all Cora cared about was throwing a mental fit because the man she had already decided Edith had to marry hadn't been selected? 'This is my daughter's life… how can I be so petty?' She blinked her eyes, tears stinging at the corners, as she realized just how cruel she had been. Not just to Edith by ignoring her and deciding what she needed instead of actually asking… but to everyone else by deeming the dinner a failure only because she wasn't getting her way!
"Mama, are you alright?" Edith asked suddenly and Cora realized that her sorrowful epiphany had been witnessed by several people.
"Quite… quite," Cora coughed, reaching for her wine glass.
"Are you sure?" Edith asked, concerned. "You looked as if you were ready to fall to pieces."
"Oh, nothing like that!" Cora said with a weak laugh. "It is silly… I think I swallowed a bit of this wonderful meal badly and I didn't want to make a scene by coughing."
Violet raised an eyebrow at that. "Well now, one can commend you for trying to keep decorum but we wouldn't think less of you for trying to stop yourself from choking!"
"Are you sure you are quite alright?" Isobel said.
Cora waved them off and took another sip of wine. "I feel more foolish than anything else. I was attempting not to draw attention to myself and here I am doing just that. Let us move on. Edith dear, I saw you quite engaged just a moment ago… I dare say you've barely eaten a thing." Edith cringed slightly at that, her cheeks turning pink as she clearly waited for Cora to admonish her right there at the table. It made Cora's heart ache all the more. "What has drawn your attention away?"
"Oh… nothing, Mama."
"Hardly nothing," Cora said, trying to keep her voice as open and light as possible. 'I'm not going to scold you, my darling…' she mentally pleaded, 'I just want to know about you. Truly.'
Edith shifted before finally saying, "Sir Michael and I were discussing his beliefs in the power of women in shaping society."
Sir Michael nodded, dabbing his lips with his napkin as William took away his plate, Thomas doing the same for Edith while Carson switched Cora's wine glass with something better suited for dessert. "Indeed, Lady Grantham. It is my belief that we can never truly grow as a society unless we listen to all voices. Wealthy and powerful men will commonly create scholarships for the less fortunate because they know that sometimes greatness hides in the lowest reaches of society and all it takes is a helping hand to bring it to the forefront. But while we do this for men we so rarely do it for women and I for one wonder how much better our lives would be, how more advanced we'd be, if we allowed all to have a voice. What great… writers-" he glanced at Edith who smiled shyly, "or medical professionals-" his eyes seemed to stop for a moment in Sybil's direction, "-or others are we losing out on?"
Sybil, clearly listening, nodded her head in agreement but didn't say a word, instead merely gazing at Sir Michael with a curious look. Mary too had been drawn into the conversation and while Matthew was still talking with Lord Merton Cora could tell that he had one ear towards this topic.
"Take my profession, for example," Sir Michael continued. "There are many stories that could have been more easily broken if women had been allowed to be reporters far sooner… and even now, with some barriers being finally moved aside, they aren't on equal footing as with men and that is quite foolish. I have met plenty of male reporters who are lazy and or unimaginative… but I have never met a female reporter who was like that."
"Most likely because they knew if they were they'd never be given the chance," Cora stated.
"And you don't find it sad that women must deal with such standards every day of their lives?"
Cora did, actually, though she didn't voice that out loud. And the fact that she didn't speak, as she was concerned about appearances, only quietly proved Sir Michael's point as she knew that if she were a man she would have been able to say such and few would have thought much of it. 'Larry Grey can make such a mess of our dining room and if we were to invite him back people wouldn't gossip all that much… but if it had been Mary to do so in the Grey household she would find herself shunned from all aspects of society within a day!'
"I must say, that is a rather daring world view," Violet stated and Cora quickly realized that the small, quiet conversations that had been going on had ended and now everyone was joining in on this conversation. "But don't you think it is rather unlikely to occur?"
"Only because there will be plenty of women who decide they'd rather stay in the shadows," Sir Michael stated.
"Out of fear?" Isobel asked.
"Out of intelligence. Women begin showing they can wield power and suddenly men will realize whose actually been in charge the entire time."
Robert, Richard Grey, and Mr. Bryant muttered at that while all the women shared secret smirks. General Lothrop merely chuckled and when Mary glanced at him the old solider shrugged.
"I've known for decades that I am lord and commander in the field… and Mrs. Lothrop is the general in the house," he told Mary, who nodded in approval.
"But what of the men who don't agree with your comments?" Sybil chimed in.
Sir Michael rotated his hand about while Thomas brought in dessert; Cora bit down her annoyance that it wasn't Sir Anthony's favorite pudding, the one she'd tried to get Mrs. Patmore to make, but at least it was one of the cook's best desserts and would work well enough to end the meal. "I have found that the men who bellow the loudest about women becoming independent are the ones most likely to be cast aside by someone better." Robert opened his mouth only to snap it shut, catching on to the trap Sir Michael had laid. Edith, for her part, giggled lightly and soon everyone, even Robert, were chuckling over Sir Michael's verbal chess playing and how the Lord of Downton had nearly stumbled into it.
"Well, I for one believe Sir Michael is merely ahead of the curve," Sir Anthony said, dipping his spoon into his pudding.
"Yes," Edith began, "I do believe-"
Whatever Edith was about to say was cut off by Sir Anthony's bellow of "OH GOOD GOD!". Cora whipped her head about, watching in shock and horror as the man brought his napkin to his mouth and for a moment she feared that he was about to have some episode that would require a doctor.
It was nothing of the sort as it was quickly determined that the pudding had been so heavily salted that it was simply inedible. Carson quickly whisked away the offending dessert, Thomas and William assisting before their scurried off to the find something more palatable, and dinner continued on as it had been with only a few comments.
It was only Cora who noticed Matthew and Sybil share an amused look and for a moment the mother's intuition that Cora held from raising three strong-willed girls reared up and screamed that this had been a rather poorly done prank. But just as soon as she thought that she pushed it aside… it made no sense. Ignoring the fact that Matthew had put so much work into this dinner that ruining it with a salty pudding was a foolish move… how would they have even done it? The pudding could have only been made, at most, a few hours ago and Cora had been with Sybil the entire time and Matthew had been with Mary welcoming guests. Mary was a rebellious sort at times but she would never cover for Matthew so he might sneak down to tamper with the dessert; not if it meant ruining the reputation of Downton. Her eldest would rather cut off her own hand than do that. And if he had disappeared she'd have made mention of it. And then there was the fact that it would have been near impossible to get down to the kitchen without someone noticing; all the girls had, in their youth, snuck down to try and sneak sweets and each and every time someone had seen them and reported back to Robert or herself. She would have known…
'No, this was Mrs. Patmore. Revenge for my demanding she make Sir Anthony's pudding? Or something else? Robert will handle it, that is for sure.' Cora watched as Matthew and Mary chuckled about something… and Sybil caught Matthew's eye and smirked. 'What is going on?'
~A~O~O~O~F~
John Bates had no delusions that the dinner he and Anna were having was anywhere near as grand or wonderful as what they were having up at the Abbey. And in all honestly it wasn't as good as one of Mrs. Patmore's basic but filling meals. The woman knew how to cook and while the staff would never get the same complex dishes as those upstairs she still worked to make their own meals rather wonderful. That said though, the meal at the Grantham Arms was rather delightful. He'd gotten them the private room and other than the few times the cook's assistant had come in with their plates he and Anna had been left alone, able to dine in peace with only each other's company.
Thankfully the dinner conversation had been rather loose and free-flowing, not at all as awkward as it had been when the two of them had started having their little alone times together. When the two had first begun to court each other (and John was man enough to admit that while he had been the first to make it official Anna had been the first to take the steps towards turning their relationship from 'people who work in the same estate' to 'people who care for each other deeply') it had been awkward and bumbling.
Anna had later admitted that John was the first person she had truly cared for… even when she'd been a young girl she had assumed that she would never find someone to be with. When Gwen would speak of finding husbands Anna would merely go along with her rambling conversations while mentally answering that for her there would be no husband or squirming pink babies or little house to call her own. He didn't know yet what had happened that had made her decide never to become involved with a man but Anna had been firm that she would never love someone like that.
Until she met him.
As for John himself he too had sworn off love but for different reasons. Partly because he respected the vows he had taken with Vera… and partly it was penance for his actions when he had been with her.
'Of course, knowing what I know now… Vera got off far better than she deserved.' He mentally slapped himself though before he could think about his now ex-wife. 'You will not ruin this by dwelling on her. She is gone, at worst hiding in America for the rest of her days and at best about to be shot dead by the Pinkertons. Leave it be.'
The fact remained though that when he and Anna had first begun to see each other as more than friends it had been… awkward. They had fumbled about, trying to be casual without being too casual, overthinking things at times and stressing out about little details that now, with hindsight, John could safely say didn't matter. It was humorous now to think about it but back then it had been anything but. He had been so scared of doing the wrong thing, not realizing that Anna had been feeling the same way. That each had worried that one little slip up would ruin all for them. Only now, having grown to know Anna and who she was, did John see how foolish such a thought was. It would take far more than saying the wrong thing and ruining a mood to drive her away. The same was true for him.
So the two of them sat and ate and they talked. They spoke of many things, from the mundane to gossip about the staff (while never as bad as Thomas and O'Brien even they would find humor in the wild claims that spread about this member of the staff or that) to tales of their own pasts. Sometimes they would exchange quick back and forths and other times one of them would go on for long periods, weaving tales and stories while their companion listened. John in particular loved to listen to Anna talk as it was so rare to see her get excited back at Downton. There she was friendly and pleasant but there was a sense that she had to remain on guard, to be proper and obey the expectations set for her. Could never truly be herself because of the role she was expected to play. Here though, at the Grantham Arms? She could be as open as she wanted, getting excited or frustrated as much as she wanted without Mr. Carson or O'Brien looking down their nose at her or the likes of Thomas or Mrs. Patmore shaking their heads and wondering why she was so happy. She laughed openly and smiled a true smile, not the slight one that barely tugged at her lips that she had to don amongst everyone at Downton.
It made his heart ache, how beautiful she looked when she was truly and completely free to be herself.
John took a sip of his wine; one of the reasons he knew he'd never be able to replace the likes of Mr. Carson (despite what some in the house believed) was that he had a palette that was utter garbage when it came to wine. He'd had a sip or two of the wine served at Downton when Mr. Carson wanted a second opinion and he'd always gone with the butler's opinion because honestly wine was wine. Robert had once told him that you could taste 10 to 20 different flavors on your tongue when you had a truly fine wine but for John it was just one taste and so long as he didn't spit it out in disgust it was good.
"You know the Grantham Arms was built just after Downton was finished?"
"Was it?" Anna asked, surprised. "It doesn't look that old."
"They've renovated and repaired it often." John cut into his dinner, a fine piece of honeyed ham, and continued on. "It was actually the son of the Earl who completed Downton, I believe the third Earl but I could be wrong, who asked that it be built. He remembered a similar building during his youth, before the Crawleys came to Downton, and he wanted to be able to slip away from his duties and go get a pint. He was a simple man who had never expected to become an Earl as he was the third son but his brothers both died and he was left with Downton. Or so the story goes." John looked around the simple room and smiled. "This building is as much a part of Downton as the Abbey, don't you think?"
"Why do you care so much about this place?" Anna teased as she buttered a roll.
"I merely find it interesting," John said.
Anna leaned forward, a playful smile on her lips and her eyes sparkling with amusement. "No… it's more than that. You've brought up the hotel several times now… wanting my opinion, it's history, it's layout… what has you so interested in it all of a sudden? You rarely visit… in fact other than tonight I can't remember the last time you were here."
The sounds of Pamuk thrashing as he died from his forced overdose filled John's head but he refused to allow that rapist to ruin his evening and banished the man to the same dusty corner of his mind that he'd sent Vera.
John shifted uneasily in his chair, the nerves he had been working so hard to keep under control rearing up and making him jittery. He'd been trying to think of the best way to do this, to address this, and hadn't even decided how to broach the topic let alone handle it once started. But now Anna was looking at him waiting for an answer and every second he didn't say a word made her stare at him with even more confusion and the tension was building and-
"You know about what Vera did to me… framed me and tricked me into confessing."
"And you were proven innocent of all charges," Anna stated. "Your record was cleared."
"More than that, Anna. It seems my case caught the attention of some powerful men and they not only restored my rank but gave me a promotion to Major."
"That's wonderful!" Anna declared before pursing her lips. "I assume though they won't try and get you to reenlist?"
Bates waved her off, patting his bad leg. "No… even if it weren't for this I doubt they'd bring me back. What matters though is my pension."
"You got one?" Anna asked, delighted. "John, that's-"
"I didn't just get my pension instated," He said, cutting her off. "They paid me back for what I should have made had I retired instead of been sent to prison."
"That's… that's… over a decade's worth…"
He nodded, still amazed himself at the thought of just how much money the government had given him. When he'd gone to London to finalize the entire agreement his lawyer had been forced to call a doctor after John had become lightheaded from the news of the government repaying him for all the damage done. He'd just wanted to be free of Vera and having his record cleared had been a bonus. But the payment? That had been beyond his wildest hopes to the point he'd never even considered it! Hell, with how the government was he wouldn't have been surprised if they had found a way to make HIM pay THEM. And yet there were the pounds now sitting in his bank account…
"What… I just can't…" Anna shook her head. "I can't even process how much money that might be." And then she began to snort and laugh, John staring at her with concern as she held up her hand. "I'm sorry… it's just… we work for Lord Grantham and yet it is your pension that seems like so much money to me."
John shook his head and joined in with the laughter. "Believe me, I understand. It's easy when it is them but for one of our station?"
"What do you plan to do?" Anna asked. "It's a lot but I gather not enough to retire."
"No… not with it just as it is." John reached over and gripped her hand. "Anna… I've bought the Grantham Arms." She blinked, clearly processing what he said. "I bought it Anna… that's why I wanted to know what you think! The sale will take some time and Mr. Lorrings has agreed to stay on at a salary and manage things well into the new year so I can get everything in order and understand all that needs to be done… but I've bought this place!"
Anna just gaped at him before squeezing his hand. "That's… that's wonderful, John."
He swallowed hard. "Is that a yes?"
"A.. a yes?"
He closed his eyes. "Remember when we talked about our dreams? What we wanted out of life?" He shook his head and growled. "I'm doing this all wrong. All nervous and bollixing things up." He released her hands from his and reached into his pocket, selecting the box that he'd gotten in London three weeks back, when Robert had decided to take Matthew to his club. Only Mr. Molesley knew, as he had gone with him while their employers were out, and the man, while a bit rattled at times, had been very helpful as John had made his selection. The box had been sitting in the back of John's sock drawer, hidden away lest the likes of Thomas come sneaking about, and every day John had looked at it and gripped it in his hands and told himself that it was REAL. "You'll… you'll forgive me if I don't get down on one knee…" he pull the box out and held it out for Anna to see," as I think it would ruin things if you had to help me up."
And with that John opened it to reveal the small but tasteful diamond ring.
"Anna Smith… will you-"
"Yes," Anna said, cutting him off as she both laughed and cried at the same time. She leaned over the table and pressed her hands against his cheeks, her lips touching his with a spark and fire that reminded John of mortars going off… but in the best possible way. "Yes… I will marry you."
~A~O~O~O~F~
Author's Notes: So for those thinking this was merely a filler chapter…nope. Not only did Bates fulfill his dream of buying a hotel… but he and Anna are engaged!
Much quicker than canon, too!
One fun fact: John's rather bumbled proposal? Based on how my father proposed to my late mother. He told her "(his brother) says Spring would be a perfect time to build a house" and when she said "Okay?" (confused) my father asked "Is that a yes?" Only when she said she didn't understand that he revealed the ring.
…my parents weren't overly romantic types, for as much as they loved each other (if you don't believe me my father spend nearly a year living in a hospital room so my mother wouldn't be alone… the last month of her life he slept in a chair beside her bed in the ER and refused to leave).
Now then, onto the plotbunny.
This time I'm going with something very simple: what if, in Series 2, Matthew had never gone back to the front and stayed touring Britain? And what if there was an accident with a deranged and dying soldier in Downton and when Mary attempted to stop him… he shoved her over the second story balcony and she fell to the ground, breaking her back?
Basically, what if the wheelchair arc in Series 2 had happened to Mary? What if she woke up unable to walk? How would Sir Richard handle it? Matthew? The family? Mary herself? Because for how terrible it was for Matthew… a women in the 1910s and 1920s being paralyzed? Unable to have children?
Yeah, that would cause problems.
