June 28th, 1914

London

Mary's arm snaked around Matthew's as they walked along the finely manicured pathway of one of London's finest parks, enjoying the rare bright and sunny summer's day. She knew that so many on the continent looked at England as something out of a Holmes novel ('Damn Matthew getting me addicted to those stories!' Marry thought with a silent chuckle): a foggy city forever in twilight, with only the quiet sounds of echoing footsteps and the light patter of drizzle upon the cobblestones. And for the most part they were right, especially in the spring and the fall where it felt as if there was no escaping the overcast unless one was willing to burn candles from dawn to dusk before letting the darkness take them as sleep came upon them.

But during the summer there were moments where Providence gave all good English men and women a boon. The skies would clear, the air would be warm, and the sun would bathe them all in its glorious rays. Sometimes she didn't know how the French managed with so many sunny days as, in her opinion, one needed the cloudy days to let you truly appreciate the beautiful summer hours. After all, wasn't it all the dark moments of her life that let her truly see how precious and wonderful her current happiness was?

Mary felt as if this day was one that truly would go down in the memory of all those that were lucky to be a part of it as something quite magical. There was almost an otherworldly feeling that permeated the air, making her feel as if she had set a picture book upon the ground, pressed one of her toes against a page, and fallen into a world where all was right and perfect. The grass was a deep green and finely trimmed, the path she and Mathew were walking on perfectly cared for, and the only clouds in the sky were white fluffy ones that knew not to block the sun and instead just merrily floated along, taking the shapes of bunnies and puppies for the sky gazers. The light breeze was scented with rose petals and every time Mary breathed in she couldn't help but smile.

Of course Mary also knew that the world wasn't truly perfect. But it felt like it was when you were with the right person, the one being in all of existence that could chase away, even for her, the dark thoughts and cynical preconceptions and let her see the world like an innocent would.

"You've never done this before?" Mathew asked, turning and taking them along a side path towards the smooth calm pond that lay under the shadow of a truly great maple tree. The only others to share the spot with them were a pair of splendid white swans who moved silently along the surface, leaving little ripples in their wake. "Seems very odd... like a childhood rite of passage you never completed."

Mary shook her head, the corners of her lips quirking slightly. "Downton does not have many ponds and certainly not ones such as this. The river is far too muddy for a little girl to go scampering about and the bridge is too high to see much below the water. At most I would play pooh sticks with papa but that was about it."

"No wonder you seemed so startled when I bought these," Matthew said, pulling a paper bag, the top of which had been bunched up in a wrinkled mess. It crackled as Matthew unrolled the edges, the sound almost thunderous in her ears compared to the silence of the park, and he motioned for her to cup her hands, which she did so with a playful roll of her eyes, bread crumbs tumbling into her upward turned palms. She must have been scowling because Matthew began to chuckle. "Come on now, it will be fun."

"I'll take your word for it," Mary said, trying to be nice but already preparing to be gentle when she let Matthew know how utterly bored she was. The walk was just lovely and she didn't get why they couldn't just continue that. From the moment he'd stopped at the small bakery and asked for a bag of bread crumbs Mary had been resisting the urge to roll her eyes and tell him to stop being silly. They were adults and didn't go about tossing breadcrumbs about.

"No, you will enjoy it. I know it. Feeding fish may sound rather simple and bland but once you've done it you find it a calming delight."

"Matthew, the only fish I like to interact with has been in one of Mrs. Patmore's pans with a nice sauce and a sprig of asparagus next to it."

They'd neared the edge of the pond and Mary looked at the still water, clear enough to see the bottom near the edge but rapidly growing dark as she peered further off. The swans paid them no heed and continued their lazy bobbing. It was a picturesque place and Mary would have much rather spent her time having a picnic with Matthew than standing there looking like a fool with scraps from a bakery in her hands.

Still, no matter how silly she felt, she wouldn't trade this moment for the world. Ignoring the fact that she got to spend time with Matthew, which was always a delight, it was nice to be away from the drama that was Downton. When Matthew had told her that he needed to head to London to discuss with some merchants contract details for buying from 'The Downton Brand' (as he and papa had become fond of calling their project to see the estate financially secure) she had convinced him to bring her along so they might have some time together without everyone constantly watching them and wondering their reactions to all that was happening. Even just having a few hours to sit and read a book or get some new gloves was helping to settle her overtaxed nerves and get her back onto equal footing. From the way Matthew was holding himself Mary could tell he was feeling the same way.

Her sisters had found it all the much easier to get away from everything that had come up over the last few months. Edith made the trip to London nearly every two weeks visiting Sir Michael's paper. She of course spent her nights with Aunt Rosamund but from what Mary had gathered from her sister much of her days were spent at The Sketch, talking with the reporters, learning about how Sir Michael put together the paper, and even writing a few articles herself. Mostly opinion pieces but Mary couldn't deny that her sister had a knack with the written word. It was all rather curious. Ask Edith to talk to a group of people, even ones she knew rather well, and she became awkward and a pain to listen to. It always seemed to Mary that Edith tried to be cunning and smart but it always failed horribly and made her out to be rather pathetic. Desperate. At times Mary swore her sister plotted ahead with what she wanted to say, writing out scripts and practices her grand speeches so that they sounded off the cuff. But then Edith would open her mouth and turn himself into an embarrassment. Looking over her articles though saw the woman that sister wanted to be finally revealed. Where her own tongue could not get across what she wanted to say (or if it did it came off as a weak imitation of the strong women in Edith's life) putting her fingers on a typewriter's keys led her to be witty, charming, cunning, acidic yet captivating, and truthful without being harsh. Paper Edith… was someone Mary would have been friends with. Or at the very least seen as a worthy rival.

Now that was a stunning revelations!

As for Sybil she had her entire focus on her pet project: the maid Gwen. Mary knew that Mama had come to think that Sybil had been focused on helping the maid get a job as a secretary purely because of the secretiveness of it all. Sneaking around, clandestine meetings, whispering plotting… that had been the thrill. Bring it all into the light and after a month or so Sybil would grow tired of the struggle and would pull away. Thus mama had suggested they just allow Sybil to get it out of her system. Papa had been heartened by that as he assumed that without Sybil driving Gwen on the girl would give up her dream and he wouldn't be forced to hire new help. Papa so hated interviews.

Sybil, ever one to buck the expectations the world placed on her, had proven them wrong though. Worse, or better depending on if one was watching just to enjoy the chaos that Sybil seemed to manifest as easily as others breathed, rather than the revealing of the truth causing her sister to stop her actions it had seen her tackle it with all the more gusto and force. Where beforehand she might have only talked with Gwen about it during quiet moments when the maid was assisting her in changing for dinner she now openly brought it up whenever she saw her and had no problem shooting dark glares at anyone, be they Carson or papa or anyone else, who dared to linger too long with judgmental glares. On Gwen's days off Sybil would openly declare that she was riding with her to this town or that for an interview; the maid herself could never have taken the car but if she just happened to be going where Sybil was going her parents had no choice but to allow her, sighing to themselves and, Mary guessed, cursed O'Brien for ever getting her beak in Gwen's business. One time the family had walked into the library to find Sybil had roped Matthew into giving Gwen a mock interview with Branson the chauffer taking notes; Granny had merely stared before turning and hurrying out, declaring they would never talk about it again.

But for Mary there was no way to escape. Not the interview but life at Downton in general. She was engaged to the Heir of Downton and many of the issues that had arisen in the last 6 months connected to her (at minimum tenuously). She couldn't go scurrying off easily, as it was expected of her to take a stronger hand in the running of the estate and all that happened. Which mean that she had to-

"Goodness!" Mary exclaimed, nearly leaping back into Matthew's arms. She'd barely thrown the first handful of breadcrumbs onto the pond's surface when a truly massive fish, dark orange in color and nearly longer than the length of her arm from elbow to fingertip, swam up and opened its mouth to practically inhale the baked offerings. Matthew let out a laugh and she whirled around, slapping his chest. "That is not funny!"

"It's a little funny," Matthew teased.

Mary turned and watched as more fish swam up and began to feast of the spreading bread crumbs. "Those… those are goldfish! How are they so big?!" She had seen goldfish before at the village fairs, but those had always been tiny things that happily swam in small glass cups that looked like they might die any moment. The monsters before her looked like they could be leviathans that would hunt down maidens and be slain by heroes.

"I think they might be koi, actually," Matthew said.

"I don't care what they are, they are huge!" Mary exclaimed. "…do we have more breadcrumbs?" Matthew laughed and handed her the bag, Mary, crouching down and tossing another handful to the hungry fish, smiling in delight as they attacked their meal.

As she watched the large fish gulp down their treat Matthew moved to squat down beside her, holding the bag so she could reach inside and retrieve more crumbs, her mind drifted to all of the problems she was trying to forget about that waited for her at Downton. Well, not problems so much as drama. It felt like her life had suddenly become some complex play with multiple subplots all running at the same time and that was hilarious for those watching but not for those living it.

Matthew and her engagement had been the first tremor upon the foundation of Downton but it was a rather pleasant one… at first. There had been cheers and well wishes when she'd said yes and for several days afterwards Mary had gone to bed with her cheeks hurting from all the smiling. The servant's ball had become their first event as a couple and everyone from both upstairs and downstairs had demanded to break with tradition and allow Mary and Matthew the first dance. After that they'd separated to share dances with the servants, Matthew being a good sport and dancing with O'Brien and then Mrs. Hughes while she got Carson and then Thomas (with Bates sitting out the whole thing for obvious reasons and Branson being nabbed by a grinning Sybil who had most likely talked about Gwen again to the blushing chauffer). Thomas had given her casuall well wishes while Carson had spoken of his joy and while he felt no man would be worthy of her Matthew come the closest.

It had all been wonderful… until the holidays had passed and suddenly everyone in Downton found themselves snowed in and needing something to pass the time and her wedding was the ticket.

'I don't mean to be ungrateful… I want my wedding to be special and the fact that so many want to see Matthew and I get our dream wedding is heartwarming… but goodness sake it can wear on one!'

It seemed every day there was a new decision to make. A week like that may have been fine. A month perhaps. But nearly half a year? Mary was beginning to think Matthew had the right of it that they should just find some small church and ask the minister to marry them in a quiet ceremony. That was what Bates and Anna had done back in May, with only William and Gwen as their witnesses, and they seemed happy enough. There had been a celebration downstairs after they'd returned from their one-night honeymoon at the Grantham Arms and Mary had even joined them briefly so she could make a toast towards their happiness but that had been all. No debates about 7 courses or 8 courses for the meal. No going through so many floral samples her eyes had watered. No multiple visits to the seamstress to get her wedding dress fitted and fearing that if she had even a nibble on a biscuit she would no longer fit into the beautiful white garment and she'd have to start all over. Years later, when she was old and gray and surrounded by her grandchildren she was sure she would look back on her wedding and see it only with rose-tinted glasses but now she was just worn down from the planning. So much planning. She didn't realize there would be so much to do to just commit yourself to another. Wasn't marriage a commitment to God? Why did the church always make God and faith so complicated? Christ had wandered cities and perched and protected and saved… yet she spent more time debating how many tiers her wedding cake should have! Ridiculous!

'Still, at least that is merely a tiresome task and one that distracts well. Keeps everyone's minds off all else.'

For most people it was the war. There continued to be rumblings on the continent, tensions rising and minor conflicts spiking. At first her family did their best to pretend that everything was okay, that these were just the normal saber rattling and that the blood ties of the royal families across Europe would ensure that no true conflict would burst forth. Granny had claimed it would be like Mary fighting with her sisters, which considering how she had bickered with Edith didn't give Mary much confidence. Papa felt that if there was any fighting it would be rather small and rather quick… perhaps half a year at most and between two of the smaller eastern countries, the ones whose names sounded like someone had a mouthful of peanut butter. Mama was far too focused on the wedding to pay attention while Cousin Isobel believed that cooler heads would prevail. It had been Matthew who had proven to be the pessimist, telling them all when asked that this was not merely men trying to intimidate and impress others. That this was long seated arrogance and bruised egos finally revealing themselves and pushing the world over the edge.

"This is a festering wound that on the surface looks only red and slightly risen but all it will take is the smallest bit of pressure to make it burst and spew forth pus."

Thankfully Matthew HADN'T told that analogy at dinner.

Sybil had quickly come to agree with Matthew and joined him in pestering papa and mama in preparing for the war they believed would come. Hording food, securing money, those kinds of things. The older generation of Crawleys had waved off their concerns but it was getting harder with Edith independently adding her voice to the calls to prepare. Apparently Sir Michael had come to believe what Matthew did, hearing reports and rumors and tips of a 'war to end all wars'.

As for Mary herself… she just didn't know. She couldn't believe that so terrible a war would truly come. Even if war did come she'd heard tales of her father's time serving and they were nothing like what Matthew envisioned. For papa war was a pulp adventure… a chance for dashing English lads to claim glory. She knew that some servants even quietly wished the war would come, believing that it would allow for them to claim better lives. Now they were hallboys and gardeners… but in a year they would be conquering heroes in bright crisp uniforms who had flowers tossed at their feet by blushing maidens. Yet Mary heard what Matthew said and his conviction…

Most of Downton worried about the war. But for papa it was a different shake up that was causing him stress. When Mary had learned from Anna that Bates had asked for her hand she'd gasped and hugged her close (though Sybil tried to claim she squealed which was a lie and Mary would say so to her dying day). When papa had heard he congratulated Bates… until he found out that the man planned to leave service. He'd become quiet for days after that, brooding in the library, never saying a word to Bates of course but finally, when Granny had pushed him to actually speak and stop "sitting there like a toad on a very coarse log" he complained that Bates was abandoning him, betraying him, and he simply didn't know how the man could do this. Mary had been horrified as her father whined like a child about how Bates owed him so much and while he wouldn't demand the man not marry (though she had a bad feeling if he could stop the marriage he would) to leave was a disrespect to all they'd been through. Granny had said that papa was being a fool and mama hadn't truly minded because Mary got the sense she'd never really cared for Bates be it for good or for ill. But papa felt as if Bates leaving was a far greater shake up than any potential war. When he and Anna had finally left a week ago to take full control of the Grantham Arms papa had fell into a black mood that made him at times utterly intolerable. She honestly pitied poor Thomas, who had taken up Bates' role once more.

'It now hurts my head to talk to papa. He is either brooding like some gargoyle or excited about my wedding. My wedding…'

Mary paused, her hand held over the water, the bread crumbs clinging to her fingers.

'…or the baby.'

The news that her mother was pregnant had startled Mary. Her father and mother had sat her and her sisters down, just as they had the last two times, and told them the news. Her father awkward, shifting, alternating between joy and nervousness; he was always like that when it came to matters of life. Her mother sitting there clearly wanting to be an American and blurt out the news but also knowing that to be a proper Englishwoman she had to be in control. The first time Mary had gotten that talk she had been confused, far too young to understand. Or, at least, that's what Mama had told her as Mary honestly didn't remember. The second time she'd quietly accepted the news while wondering if this baby would be better than Edith. When her parents had told her for a third time that she would have a younger sibling her first reaction, well hidden so her parents didn't see it, was revulsion.

The idea that her parents still… did…

Even now it made her shutter.

After that she hadn't thought much about it. At least, not until she began to hear the whispers. 'What if it is a boy?' 'What will they do if they finally have an heir?' 'What will this mean for Matthew?'

Mary refused to think about it. She wouldn't. It didn't matter. It didn't.

"So, willing to admit you are enjoying this?" Matthew asked, his head over her shoulder, his breath warm on the back of her neck.

"No. not at all. All rather bland, really."

"Liar."

"I never lie. It isn't my fault the world refuses to accept reality."

"Reality or only what you yourself see as reality?"

"Why can't they be both?" she teased before standing up, Matthew doing the same, their fingers entwined together.

"You know what I'd love?" Matthew asked. "An outdoor wedding."

Mary scoffed. "Don't let granny hear that. She'll think you are turning into some Wildman heathen who wants to be blessed by the trees."

"I know, I know… we are expected to put on a show. It isn't so much our wedding as it is all of Downton's." He said it with good humor, without a trace of bitterness. It was one of the many reasons she cared for him so.

"Perhaps something private after the fact?" she offered. "The estate we are going to for our honeymoon has a private beach… a little piece of shoreline all our own. We could have our own little ceremony, just the two of us. You might even convince me to remove my stockings and shoes and stand in the sand barefoot."

Matthew raised an eyebrow at that, a saucy little smile on his lips that made her stomach tremble in the most delightful of ways. "Rather daring of you."

"And as daring as I will be… outside, of course."

They walked about the park for another fifteen minutes before finally separating, Matthew hailing a taxi while Mary took the car her aunt had provided for her and Matthew back to Rosamund's townhouse. Mary greeted the man that opened the door for her and was about to head for her room to begin changing for dinner only to hear Aunt Rosamund call for her from the sitting room. Changing directions Mary blinked when she saw it wasn't just her aunt waiting.

"Granny, what are you doing here? I didn't know you would be visiting."

"I wasn't planning to," Granny said, taking a sip from her teacup. She looked utterly calm but Mary detected that an edge to her words and steel in her spine. That, combined with Aunt Rosamund trying and failing to hide her clear annoyance and Mary knew that this wasn't going to be a nice and sweet visit among three generations of Crawley women. "You know how I loathe London. Much too noisy and messy. It is a young person's city, I suppose, and I am hardly spritely anymore. That said-" she stirred her tea and clicked the spoon along the edge of the cup, "-when I heard what your aunt was planning to ambush you with I knew I needed to come and provide you some support." Granny, without even glancing at her daughter, rolled her eyes. "And don't give me that look, Rosamund. You think you are far more clever than you really are and you forgot that I have lived longer and inspired far more loyalty in people than you have. You babbled your distaste and doubts to the wrong people and now you must contend with me."

"I am merely doing what is best for the family, mama. As you should."

"Hmmm, that would be the first time, wouldn't it? You actually trying to help the family. Though I suppose the fact that you are utterly wrong in this course of thought proves that sadly that first will remain uncompleted."

"Just like you finally learning that you aren't correct in every thought and opinion, mama. I am still waiting for that one."

"I never claim to be correct in all things. Just last week I went half a day wearing a hat that clashed with my dress. Still, I could be wrong nine times out of ten and still be on the right side of things far more than you."

Mary let out a huff and sat down. "As enjoyable as it is to see you two banter with each other until someone finally decides to storm off in a fit I'd like to know very much what you two wish to talk to me about."

Granny shrugged in Mary's direction. "Well? Go on Rosamund. This is you're mad plan you should be the first to deliver your case to the jury."

"Oh mama, stop trying to make me out to be the villain when I am the only one who is thinking about Mary." Turning to her Aunt Rosamund did her best to smile but to Mary it was like the smirk on a corpse: false and forced and with no emotion and completely out of place. "Too many people have been dancing around the topic and you are someone who prefers bluntness so I will give you just that, my dear: your mother is pregnant and that changes everything when it concerns your engagement."

Mary stared at her aunt for a moment before letting out a tittering laugh. "Oh… I wondered who would be the first to force this issue. No offense, Granny, but I was wagering you or mama rather equally."

"None taken," Granny said. "Though I can't say I'm entirely happy that I was your first pick. I would hope that you would see that your happiness is what is most important to me."

"But you aren't putting her happiness first, are you?" Rosamund said, jumping back into the conversation. She set her cup down and leaned forward. "Of all of you Sybil would be most happy in a cottage. Edith next though if things go along with Sir Michael I doubt very much she'll need to worry about that. Him sleeping in his office is more likely but from what I've gathered from our talks you sister is most likely to join him. But not you, my dear."

"I would hope I wouldn't be in Sir Michael's office when I'm engaged to Matthew."

"No need to be vulgar, Mary," Granny chided.

"You don't know that the baby will be a boy," Mary pointed out, getting back to the topic at hand.

"Exactly. You do not know. A fifty fifty chance. Good odds when flipping a coin to determine who takes white on a chess board but not so good when it comes to your entire future."

"I'd say the odds are more in my favor than you make them out to be," Mary retorted. "When one looks at the sample size the answer is clear: mama has produced three daughters. It seems very likely that she will produce a fourth."

"Others would argue that she is long overdue to have a son and your father finally having an heir."

"He already has an heir," Mary said, her voice flinty. "Matthew. And if we ignore archaic gender laws I am his heir."

"But we can't deny such laws, can we? No one else will. There is a bomb growing in your mother-"

"Oh come now," Granny complained but Rosamund continued on.

"-and it threatens to blow up your entire future. You aren't thinking about this, Mary. You aren't taking this seriously."

Mary narrowed her eyes. "I assure you when it comes to my relationship with Matthew I take it VERY seriously."

Her aunt shook her head. "No my dear, you are not."

"So you would have me cast Matthew aside on a hunch?"

"Yes," Granny said acidicly, glaring at Rosamund. "Yes she would. The fool that she is and the fool you would be to listen to her."

"No," Rosamund countered, her smile a bit more genuine this time. "No. Your wedding is scheduled for September, is it not?"

"It is. On the anniversary of Matthew's arrival at Downton." She smiled as she thought about it… oh, what a story that would be to tell their children and grandchildren. 'Gather round, gather round… now, I know it will be hard to believe but when I first met your grandfather I didn't like him at all! And I made quite a silly fool of myself…'

"Some would say that is rather quick," Rosamund stated.

"Others far too long," Granny retorted. "Especially for those who've wished those two would finally see reason."

"Might I finish, mama?" Mary's aunt turned back to her. "What I am suggesting is you ask Matthew to wait until the child is born. If it is a girl you can wed him happily and all will be as it is now."

Mary shot an icy look her aunt's way. There was no quiver in her voice, no tremble as she sternly replied, "Assuming I could ever be so heartless a delay would prove to Matthew that I only care about the estate and not him."

Rosamund rolled his hand about dismissively. "Then don't tell him that is the reason. Tell him you merely want to ensure things are perfectly settled. You are a young woman, after all and should it go through one would hope it to be your only wedding. You can't be faulted for wanting it to be perfect."

"Meanwhile you send the gossipers fluttering about with news that Mary only cares about the title and bring annoyance and anger to all those we've already worked with," Granny said firmly. "You forget, Rosamund, that much has already been settled. Flowers are being grown, food prepared-"

"All that can be shifted around. Throw a fall party. That which you can't use buy anyway. Downton can afford it."

"Ah yes, the solution for the woman that doesn't have to actually pay for it."

"And we can afford it thanks to Matthew," Mary reminded her. "And Matthew will see right through me if I am so… flippant. He isn't a fool."

"Then tell him that it's because of the unrest in Europe. Robert tells me Matthew is a ninny about the whole thing… simply tell him you are concerned and he'll probably join you in fretting away."

"So you'd have me start my married life with a lie."

"I would have you be happy."

"And I am happy with him! So what if he isn't the heir in 9 months time! He is charming and sweet and so very clever… he could become Prime Minister or Lord Chancellor!"

"Or he may not," Rosamund stated.

"And I love him," Mary added. "And he loves me. Not Lady Mary, not Robert Grantham's daughter… me. He loves me. My faults, my virtues… he loves all of me and I love all of him." She rubbed her temple. "Why are we even discussing something I won't do?"

"It is something you must do," Rosamund said fiercely. "Be sensible. Can you really see yourself dawdling your life away as the wife of a solicitor?"

Granny tisked. "Must you be so overly dramatic?"

Rosamund spun and glared at her mother. "Why is it you are in this lawyer's corner? You debased me for marrying Marmaduke but Matthew gets your praise?"

"I felt it was wrong but I allowed you to make your choice. Just as I felt it was wrong that Robert marry Cora purely for her money. Luckily on both counts you proved me wrong, the both of you. But let us be clear… Matthew is not your late husband."

"Yes, because Marmaduke had wealth already."

"No, because Maramduke was all he would ever be the moment he married you. You were the highest he could achieve. He lacked ambition and drive and the cunning to rise above his station. Matthew has all three. With Mary even if he isn't the heir he will still rise to great heights."

"You know this?"

"I know this," Granny said and Mary wanted nothing more than to hug her grandmother close and whisper her thanks. "I support Mary in this. And so does the rest of the family."

Granny was right. Everyone was being wonderful about this. Mama was careful never to bring up the subject and Papa had told Matthew that he had a place at Downton no matter what. Edith had worried Mary the most but rather than call her naïve or find a way to mock her Edith had clasped her hands and promised to support her and Matthew no matter what. Sybil had been a bit odd when the news struck, looking rather more startled than the rest of them and Mary had sworn that she heard her sister murmur, "It's too soon" but other than that Sybil had remained firm in her support for her and Matthew (or at minimum Matthew… at times it was easy to forget that Sybil was HER sister and not Matthew's!).

"Rosamund… if Mary takes Matthew now when his whole future is at risk, he will love her to the end of his days."

"I never took you for a romantic," Rosamund stated.

"I have been called many things… but never that."

"But Mama-"

Mary stood up suddenly. "No. Enough of this. Granny, I beg your forgiveness for what I say next. All my life I have been told that because I was born a woman it was my duty to find a rich husband with a title so that I could be passed off on him and not burden papa and mama anymore. Oh, it was dressed up as 'what I deserve' and 'it will make me happy' and the truly sad thing is that I came to believe it myself. But now, thanks to Matthew, I have come to see that I didn't know what happiness was until he came into my life. And even if the choice was being the Queen herself or being with him in squalor I would happily stand on a floor made of dirt while barefoot and wearing rags than take up the crown! Because I'd rather have Matthew than any damn title! And to any that question that or think they are helping by trying to make me turn away from him? To hell with them."

The sound of the door opening cut off any retort her pale-faced aunt may have made and Mary turned to see Matthew walking in. "Well, that was much quicker than I thought. He agreed to everything… honestly I don't know why he asked me to come at all, we could have handled it by the post. Anyway, I might even have time to properly change so we could head out… Mary?" He hurried over to her, his hands going to her cheeks as he rubbed his thumb along her face and it was only in that moment she realized she'd been crying. "What is the matter?"

"Nothing," she said with a watery smile. And then, manners be damned, she kissed his gently on the lips. "Nothing at all. But I do believe it is rather good that you are here now as we can still catch the last train."

"Train?" Matthew said dumbly. "What-"

"I want to go home, Matthew," she said quietly, reaching up and squeezing his hands with her own. "Please." He locked eyes with her before nodding.

"Mary…" Rosamund began.

"Granny, I assume you'll be staying the night? If you would be so kind as to arrange for Matthew and my trunks to go with you when you leave it would be wonderful." Without even looking at her aunt Mary moved forward, clasping Matthew's hand in her own. "We'll see you in September for the wedding." She didn't hear what her aunt or grandmother said as she breezed out of the house, Matthew following after her a touch confused.

"Are you alright?" he finally asked once they were a block away from her aunt's home.

"Other than learning just what family love means to some people I am wonderful." She looked around and, spotting a clock, suddenly spun around and grinned. "Do you remember when we first met? Back in your drawing room, me in my riding outfit all smug and superior? Remember how you claimed the middle class have more freedom than the elites?"

"Well yes," Matthew said, bemused. "I hope you know I was only joking…"

"No, you weren't and I don't want you to have been."

"You don't?"

"I don't. It is still early… the last train doesn't leave until 8, if I remember correctly." She took his hands in her own and clasped them tightly, a manic giddy smile on her lips. "We are to be married soon and with that will come all the shackles that come with us being the future Lord and Lady of Downton. But it just occurred to me that while you know so much about my way of life I know none of yours. So, for the next few hours… let's just pretend we are a middle class couple who are madly in love and have come to have a delightful time in London. Can we do that? Have an adventure?"

Matthew, clearly startled but intrigued by her suggestion, grinned and quickly nodded. "Well then, I think the first thing we should do is find a street vendor. We middle class are able to eat treats in the middle of public, you know."

"Yes, I as a middle class woman have always known this," Mary said, barely fighting a laugh.

So absorbed in each other neither of them saw the newspapers, fresh off the presses, declare in great bolding typeface "ARCHDUKE FERDINAND ASSASSINATED".

~A~O~O~O~F~

Author's Notes: And welcome to the final arc of Series 1. We leap ahead to the summer, with Matthew and Mary engaged, Sybil more openly working with Gwen (and using that to get closer to Tom), Edith and Sir Michael spending time together,Bates and Anna already gone, the war brewing, and Cora pregnant.

…and that final one might be a touch earlier than canon. Hmmm.

With Matthew having better established himself with both the family and with Mary we get the dilemma of the baby but different reactions. Granny is more willing to consider Matthew worthy of Mary because Mary is far happier in this timeline… so happy that she won't hear of turning away from Matthew.

When we return we head to Downton to check in with Sybil and Tom… and move closer to some canon-shattering events. If you think you know what is coming… think again.

Now, onto the plotbunny. And it ties in rather nicely to what we just had here.

But before that I'd like to make a small challenge to you guys… if any of you have a plot bunny that would come from a small event changing in MY STORY, include it in your review! I might add it to a chapter as a challenge… or even do an omake to explore it between Series 1 and 2.

Our bunny takes place in the final episode on Series 1 and Mary has just arrived back at Downton and tells her mother, sisters, and Granny about what Rosamund has suggested, about asking Matthew to postpone the wedding. Sybil is against it, Edith makes her snide remarks, Mary is unsure, Cora quiet, and Granny makes her comment that should the baby be a boy Mary could break it off with Matthew. But here is where things go off canon… before Mary can answer the door to the drawing room opens… and Matthew is there, having heard EVERYTHING. He came early to see Mary but has heard the women plotting against him (or in Cora's case saying nothing in his defense). It was Violet's mad scheme and Mary's hesitation to answer her (he comes in seconds before Mary was going to rebuke Violet as she does on the show) that seal the deal. Matthew tells them that there is no need for whispers and sinister plots… that he is a middle class lawyer and people of his low birth have no taste for such ruses. He tells Mary he takes back his proposal and leaves. Mary gives chase but Matthew utterly ignores her and she is left crying his name from the doorway of Downton.

Cora and Violet state that they will talk sense into Matthew the next day (as he's clearly not coming to dinner), planning a full Crawley assault on him. Robert is left in the dark. But when they arrive at Crawley house the next day they find Matthew and Isobel gone. Molesley gives them two notes, one from Matthew and one from Isobel. Matthew's is to the point: the dream is over and he is done. Isobel's is utterly scathing and attacks all of them, chastising them for how they have been treated since the moment they came to Downton, laying out everyone's sins. The message is clear though: Matthew isn't coming back.

Robert of course is ENRAGED. Cora, Sybil, Mary (and to a lesser extent Edith) don't get much of his anger but Robert informs his mother she is to leave Downton and never return, that he is tired of her meddling and that this time she has ruined everything (he also cuts Rosamund completely off and issues the same decree). They later reconcile after the baby dies (yes, that still happens) but their relationship is now very much damaged and Violet knows it… she for once is the one trying to make amends but Robert is firm (especially with Matthew confirmed to be the heir) that Violet has ruined everything.

The war happens. Life continues on. Mary's prospects are worse now as it has been revealed by someone (who would be up to you) how she was going to break off the engagement so no one trusts her. Thus when she meets Sir Richard he makes it clear when he finally proposes their wedding will be FAST… and it is. Mary can't afford not to agree and neither can Robert. Thus probably around the 2nd episode of Series 2 Mary and Richard and married. Meanwhile Matthew never returns to Downton. He meets Lavinia and because of what happened with Mary he also wants a quick engagement… and he gets it. By episode 3 to 4 he is married to Lavinia, something Robert and the family learn about only from reading it in a paper. Mary tries to be happy for him but Robert mourns what could have been and at one point coldly tells his mother that most likely none of them will ever meet Lavinia as Matthew will only return to Downton when all of them are dead and gone.

Matthew is shot. But because he isn't sent to Downton he goes to a different hospital, let's say in France, and the doctor there is an expert in spinal injury. He figures out VERY quickly what is wrong and thus Matthew knows he'll be out of the wheelchair soon. The false Patrick happens but he disappears when Robert goes to have his fingerprints checked.

The war ends… just in time for the Spanish Flu. And this time it is Sir Richard who dies as well as Lavinia. Mary gets Sir Richard's entire empire and Matthew gets Lavinia's money but feels no guilt about taking it, as this time he did marry her and love her.

And thus we finally get to the meat of this plot bunny. Rosamund, the cause of all this pain, happens upon the news of Lavinia's death, and perhaps already having learned that Reggie Squire is rich and near death's door,contacts Violet with a mad plan: Correct what went wrong. She feels this is the angels sending them a message… Mary and Matthew both lose spouses at the same time to the same disease? And they both inherit wealth? It is a sign. They belong together.

So Violet and Rosamund decide to work together to try Mary and Matthew together.

It would be an interesting love story, about two people who fell in love while young, broke up because of misunderstandings and weak wills, who have now lived and lossed and no longer need Downton or titles… Mary has more wealth than Downton and her own estate and the same with Matthew. What would this new courtship be like, especially with all the people (because of course the rest of the family would get involved) working to try and make up for their mistakes?

I see classic romantic comedy plots. Mary and Matthew almost bumping into each other but just missing each other. Mistakes and confusion. Silly schemes. And then when they do meet awkwardness, a try at friendship, a blossoming romanace, perhaps a backslide… and then love finally repaired.