Even knowing what was going to happen in his life hadn't stopped Matthew from making mistakes.
He wasn't perfect, nor was he smart enough to be able to see every action's natural course, how it would ripple through not just his life but all those around him, changing everything that existed and causing new events to play out that he was forced to react too.
Some of the mistakes were honestly innocent, silly ones. Coming through a door without looking and spilling tea on Mary, which left her standing there blinking in utter shock before she'd quietly gone up to her room as he stammered apologizes. Or mistaking the pepper for the salt and ending up nearly burning his mouth during one dinner and being unable to do much about it other than force himself not to gag. And the time he and Mary had gotten a bit too… playful… in their love making and ended up falling off the bed so that his tailbone had ached for a week while Mary thought it was the most pleasurable round of sex they'd ever had. He would never live that one down.
But there were some big mistakes that he had made. Misjudging how Robert would react to his decision not to fight in the War was the biggest one. How he'd handled the Rutter situation… the man was a thief, sure, but he hadn't wanted him to take his own life and when he'd found out about that it had gnawed on his conscious greatly. Letting Mary continue the cold war that was her feud with her parents for as long as it had gone on; yes, he loved having her in London and found their life there to be sublime, but having now spent time with Robert he wondered if perhaps if he'd just tried other methods to help Robert see reason they could have patched things up far quicker.
But the biggest failure he'd made was being unable to properly shift William away from his dreams of going out and fighting for King and country. He'd saved Thomas. He'd saved himself. But William had been a failure. The lad was too loyal to Robert yes but Matthew also felt that he'd given up far too quickly when it came to convincing him not to enlist. A thousand options had flooded his brain since he'd learned that William had fled into the night, shamed by the accusations of cowardice, and signed up. He could have gotten Violet involved. Or through Tom spoken with Mrs. Hughes. Or Anna and John… they had been friendly with the staff even while Robert had frozen them out so why not get them to talk to William. John's bad leg might have moved William even more to consider. Matthew didn't know what it looked like but if there was horrific enough scarring…
But no… he'd failed and William had gone to war.
And now Robert had called him to a meeting and Matthew knew in his stomach that it was going to be terrible news.
In the small journal that he kept, the one that now held his list of all he'd wanted to do and fix with his second life, there was a single date that he kept looking at. August 9th, 1918. That had been the terrible day when he'd led his final charge, moving to take the Germans at long last. It had been desperate and foolish now, he saw that with the wisdom of a man removed from the chaotic nature of war. It had nearly cost him his life and had gotten William slain.
Today was August 12th.
And Robert had summoned him.
Not to the drawing room, or the small library. No, Robert had requested he come to his private study, the place Matthew had never been in before. It was simply Robert's place, his domain, where he might be himself and not worry about what others would say or think of him. It didn't look like anything special but the few times he'd seen it, if only from the hallway, the room had radiated a strange energy that made him feel like he was being repelled. It was as if there were magnets in his pockets and Robert had patched all the walls with opposite ends to drive him off.
'Except opposites attract with magnets,' Matthew thought to himself as he knocked on the door. 'It would be similar ends… and I'm so bloody worried I'm focused on magnets!'
"Matthew," Robert said, trying to smile and failing and Matthew knew this was horrible news. "Come in." He gestured for him to enter and when he did so he saw Carson and Violet and Tom sitting there, causing his heart to sink to his feet. Carson… William's employer. Violet, who oddly enough seemed to take an interest in the servants when it struck her fancy. Tom, who had been friendly with William and now occupied an odd position in Downton. The only one missing was Sybil and when he voiced as much Robert and shaken his head. "She is doing her rounds and besides… I thought this news might be better coming from you than I, considering our relationship at the moment."
Robert and Sybil were at least talking but it was still terribly awkward, with neither knowing how to bridge the divide between them. Matthew knew how, of course: Mary. She was the obstacle. She was the ogre guarding the bridge and as he thought that he realized he must banish that comparison from his mind lest Mary ever find out.
~MC~MC~MC~MC~
"Mary, are you all right?" Cora asked, looking up from the stitching she was doing. Mary was on the floor, playing with Lillian… though for the youngest of the Crawley girls 'playing' was far different for her as it mostly involved carefully setting up her dolls and blocks then stepping back and admiring the order that came from the former chaos.
"Quite fine, mama," Mary said, a puzzled look on her face. "I suddenly had the strangest image of me guarding a bridge… and slamming Matthew against it for being a fool."
~MC~MC~MC~
"I truly wish that I had brought you all here for better news," Robert said solemnly, bowing his head for a moment.
"Well Robert, please don't leave us lingering in fear," Violet said; it was only the way she'd tensed up, gripping her cane, that showed how truly worried she was about the topic at hand. "Best to just get it over with."
"Right. Yes, you're right." Matthew found himself twitching nervously, feeling like he'd been struck by lightning and then give the most overly sugared dessert Mrs. Patmore could churn out of her kitchen. Tom actually reached over and placed a hand on his knee to get him to stop bouncing it rapidly. "I've received word from France. William's battalion led a charge against the Germans."
Matthew could smell the stench of gun smoke and wet mud and corpses that had died too far from the line to be dragged back and left to rot. Hear the screeches of ballistics racing in the air and the rapid tat-tat-tat of the guns and the screams of the wounded and the dying and the scared. He tasted blood in his mouth and felt not the couch he was sitting on but the cold French earth that got everywhere and left you forever unable to get clean. And the heat… that terrible heat as the grenade went off near him and he was sent flying through the air, the wind cold and biting at his exposed skin and he knew in any second there would be the horrible crunch-
"William was injured. He has been sent back to England… and I'm afraid the doctors are not painting the best…" Robert paused then rallied. "They aren't painting the best picture for his recovery."
It was Carson who spoke first, a show of how shaken he truly was by that information. "But… he will recover, my lord."
"I I don't kn… I don't know Carson," Robert whispered. "The man I talked to was a friend of mine. He didn't coat his words in sugar and sweetness."
Tom swallowed. "Robert… would you mind terribly if I poured us all a drink?"
"I would be grateful if you would," Robert whispered, finally sitting down in his chair and looking so much older than Matthew had ever seen him. Where once, in his first life, Matthew would have made a quiet joke about Tom only making the drinks because he wanted to corrupt the English Nobility with his Irish drinking, now he quietly accepted the glass Tom poured from the brandy bottle set up on the table near Robert, giving him a small nod before he took a healthy sip of it. Mostly because he didn't want to risk spilling it all over himself with how his body was fighting the shakes. Robert was next, giving a quiet thank you.
"One for me as well," Violet said to their surprise. "I think for this I can ignore decorum. And get poor Carson a drink."
"My lady, I don't-" the butler began.
"Carson," Violet said coolly and firmly, "when you are commanded to sit down and drink I expect you to do so." Nodding and swallowing Carson all but collapsed on the sofa next to Tom once handed his drink. All of them quietly sipped from their glasses, letting the liquor steady their nerves. "Now then Robert… what can you tell us?"
"Not much more than I have, I'm afraid. I was only informed about all this because William's paperwork went through my friend's office; he is stationed with a company that is on the shore and William's name was on the list of patients. I'd asked several people to keep an eye out on William so he knew that I would want to know about this."
"Very good," Violet said.
"My lord," Carson said, "do you know when William will be arriving home? I imagine there are a few people Downstairs that will want to make the visit to his farm… Daisy in particular, since they are engaged."
"Right, of course," Robert said. "That's the thing of it though, Carson… he isn't returning to his home."
"Why ever not?" Violet complained. "Has he not earned the right to recover in a familiar locations?"
Matthew though shook his head, already knowing the answer. "If his injuries are as bad as Robert's friend believes them to be they might not want to risk him returning to his home."
"But if it is as hopeless as they say… if the poor lad isn't meant to be long for this world… all the more reason for him to return home. One shouldn't meet their end in a strange place surrounded by faces they have never seen before." She tapped took another sip of brandy.
"Do we know where he is being sent?" Carson asked.
"A military hospital up North, near Durham."
"Durham!" Violet exclaimed in shock. "Why not just send him to the Arctic while they're at it!"
As she complained bitterly about the idea of forcing William to recover so far from home Robert walked up to Matthew and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Chin up, Matthew… there is still hope for him."
"I am glad you think so because frankly I can't bring myself to hope," he admitted. He wanted to set his drink down and just cradle his head in his hands and squeeze his eyes shut and hope against hope that eventually when he opened them again the world would be different and all would have changed and none of this had happened.
"It isn't your fault," Robert said softly, squeezing his shoulder gently.
"I should have tried harder."
"If it is anyone's fault it is my own," Robert said glumly. "It was my foolishness at the concert that drove him to enlist."
"He would have done so no matter what," Matthew admitted before finally looking up at Robert. "And yes, I realize the same applies to me but I still feel I should have done more to drive the thoughts from his head that this was a wise course of action."
"All of us should have done that… not just for William but all the young men who became convinced that the War would be some noble thing." He sighed, shaking his head in mourning. "I remember how shocked I was when the news was announced. I knew it would be a terrible thing, that it would mean such a great upheaval for all our lives… but then within hours I forgot that fear and saw it as some grand old time, like taking a steamer to America or traveling to India and eating in a palace. How did I forget so quickly?"
Matthew honestly didn't know. He never had forgotten. He still had nightmares about the Somme. And while the Boer War hadn't been nearly as violent as the Great War it still had been battle where men died. Yet Robert had forgotten that somehow… it was something Matthew would never understand. Or, honestly, forgive. Someone like William who'd never been to War? He could understand seeing it in some beautiful golden light. But Robert knew it wasn't a fairytale yet still had treated it like a storybook.
"And what of his father hmmm?" Violet said firmly, drawing Matthew out of his thoughts. "William's father must be able to be there for him. They are the only ones left of their family and it would be cruel to have William suffer while Mr. Mason is unable to see his son."
"Surely he'll be allowed to visit," Carson said.
Robert nodded. "Yes, he will be able to visit but the trip might cost far too much for him to make, even if he wanted to. A parent's love is great but sometimes the bank is far greater."
"Oh, there is no concern about that. I'll pay for Mr. Mason to stay at a hotel." Matthew looked at Violet, startled by her generosity, but the old woman merely squared her shoulders and offered a tight-lipped smile as her own challenge to his surprise at that gesture. "No, my concern is his farm. There is no telling how long it might take William to recover." Matthew noticed that she never considered a moment that William would perish; for her it was always getting him healed up. He didn't have it in him to dash her hopes, even if he had a reasonable way to explain why that would never come to pass. "His farm can't be left now, not with the crops in the field and the animals to care for." She sighed and looked at her son. "Is there no one we could send to assist? A farmer's son looking for a chance to prove himself on his own?"
"I have inquired, mama," Robert said. "Yesterday when I got the news I quietly asked Jarvis and he said the farms on our own lands are barely holding together with so many young men off to war."
"A soldier here?" Tom asked. "One recovered enough?"
Matthew though was the one that had to shoot that down. "If they are well enough to leave Downton to tend to a farm then they'd be well enough to send to the front. None would risk that."
"I also talked with Sir John and while sympathetic to William's plight he will not allow Mr. Mason to be lax on his payments to his estate."
"Why that money hording…" Violet stopped herself. "Well, I nearly said words that no lady of refinement should say but they still stand."
"I get the sense mama that he wishes it didn't have to be this way," Robert said. "He was very apologetic."
"I don't care if he got down on his knees and begged you forgiveness he is still putting his wealth in front of a young man's life and a father's love. It is… disgraceful."
"Believe me, mama, I wasn't happy when he told me his response. I doubt very much that Sir John will be inviting us to any dinner parties soon, based on how I left things. He certainly won't be coming here."
"I'd only sit at his table if the Lord himself demanded it and even then I might have to consider my other choices," Violet replied.
"So there is truly nothing we can do?" Carson asked glumly. "Nothing to get William's father to him."
"Nothing, I'm afraid."
"Then the solution is simple," Violet declared. "If we can't bring the world to William we bring William to the world."
"To Downton?" Matthew asked, even though he knew this would be their course of action. He'd only found out from Sybil that, in their previous life, Violet had used her connections to blackmail Dr. Clarkson into allowing the transfer and even then it had been to a private room with nurses that Sybil convinced to help of their own free time to care for the man. Matthew had been gravely upset that he'd been rushed to Downton while the man that had ended up giving his life for Matthew's own had been toyed with so cruelly; yet another reason why at times he wasn't keen on Dr. Clarkson.
"We are a hospital, are we not?" Violet charged. "And do we not have one of the men in charge of it sitting right here?" She waved her hand at Matthew. "Can you not bring William here? It is certainly closer than Durham."
Matthew thought about it. He hadn't considered stepping in himself to bring William to Downton because it had felt like he was giving up on the lad when he was still healthy and whole. Like a jinx against him. A curse. But now he wished he'd had the strength and will to do that so he might already have a plan in place.
"I can talk to Allen, see if he might be able to get a transfer. But there will be plenty who aren't pleased with this… Downton is for officers, not the mere enlisted men."
"I don't care if William stays here," Robert charged. "Isn't that good enough?" Matthew opened his mouth but at once Robert held up his hand, asking for a moment. "No, of course not. Pardon me Matthew. Just as they would speak against you so too would they speak against me, seeing it as yet again us Crawleys trying to play favorites."
"Which you are," Tom said. The others shot him a look and he shrugged helplessly. "You are playing favorites. There are plenty of soldiers who won't get to see their parents who are right here at Downton right now… it is only because you know William that you care. I'm not saying it is a bad thing, I am all for us helping him, but let's not delude ourselves that this is purely altruistic."
"Hmmpf," Violet said, seeing his logic and thus refusing to say a word to agree with it.
"My lord," Carson said, breaking the silence. "A thought occurs to me. The issue at hand is William's rank, is it not? That would be what would cause the fuss with him coming here?" Robert nodded. "How was William injured? In the battle? Was he fighting? Fleeing?"
"No. Of course not, Carson. William wouldn't flee." Robert shook his head, a proud little smile forming on his lips. "He honored himself and all those that have seen him reach manhood. His commanding officer was hit by a blast and William rushed out of safety, dragging him away from the German fire. If it hadn't been for the grenade…" He trailed off, eyes widening as he looked at Carson who smiled before looking at Matthew. "That sounds rather heroic to me, does it not?"
"Very heroic," Matthew agreed, cottoning onto what Robert was thinking. "Something that should be rewarded."
"A promotion or two…"
"A higher ranker," Violet said before smacking the arm of her seat. "Of course… of course!" She looked to the two of them. "And with you two applying the pressure we could have it done within a day. Then there would be no fuss with an officer coming to Downton to recover! And then there is Barrow and Sybil… all four of you, coming at different angles, making the requests… why they'd have to listen."
Matthew thought it over. He could call Thomas to talk to the General… no, Mary. Have her speak for William with the General. Better that Thomas be at the ready, should he be asked his opinion on the matter, so that he could appear as a separate party. And Thomas was sly… better to leave him as their secret weapon to charm someone who might throw a fuss when Mary could convince Allen of this move; though considering the General it was likely he'd only be offended they thought he might say 'no'. Sybil would go through her channels, perhaps get his mother involved, Robert and Violet could call in favors owed to them, and Matthew could make his own case. It would work… and not only that but should William pass it would give Daisy, should the two marry before he passed, a higher pension than that given to merely an enlisted man.
"Yes… that would work." Matthew rose. "I'll call now, if that's agreeable to you Robert. Get everything rolling."
"If you might wait a moment," Robert said to Matthew's surprise. "I think we should wait a day."
"A day?" Violet said, startled. "Whatever for? That is one less day of him being here, where he belongs!"
"Yes but I think we can help William's case even more." He then turned to Tom of all people. "You told me over lunch yesterday that you were unsure of what to make the subject of your next article." That surprised Matthew; Tom and Robert had had lunch together? And he said it so causally… as if it were a regular occurrence.
"I did," Tom said slowly, reaching up and rubbing his chin in thought. "I've discussed many officers… but not the plight of the enlisted men. The Privates and others of lower rank who keep the army going."
"A series of articles, perhaps," Robert stated, "covering first William's time at Downton and how that shaped him. What inspired him to fight for England when he could have remained safe. And then another about his time on the Front, and finally how he has been treated returning home."
"Pull on the heartstrings, get the nation behind him," Tom said, quickly warming to the idea. "And in turn it would allow me to put a focus on others like William, who don't have champions like us."
"Exactly."
Carson sat up even straighter than he had been before, if that were possible. "Mr. Branson, I would be honored to talk to you about William and how he has grown since he came to us. Mrs. Hughes as well."
"If we talk now I can have the article done for tomorrow's printing," Tom said, rising.
"Tom, would Sir Michael mind terribly if I mentioned your article before it was published?" Robert asked. "If we began to make calls tonight, dropping that bit of information, it would allow the army to get ahead of the game…"
"Before the firestorm of public opinion comes upon them?" Tom finished. "Yes, I think that would be the right way to handle it. The moment the public begins to spit flames at William's poor treatment the Army can reveal they were moving to assist and we merely beat them to the announcement. And Sir Michael wouldn't mind as it would generate attention for the article. Army men do love to talk, I have found."
"Then we have an accord," Violet stated. "Carson and Tom will go and get this article together while the three of us will craft exactly what to say and in whose ear in order to get William his promotion." She rose. "Now, if you'll excuse me… I think I will pay Mr. Mason a visit to offer my sympathy and to let him know that we are working to right this wrong." With that she left, not even bothering to give a proper goodbye.
"She was quick about that," Robert said once his mother, along with Tom and Carson, left the room.
"War does strange things to people. Rattles them and affects them in ways we can't foresee." Matthew shrugged and gave Robert a smile and a nod. "Well, I best be off."
"Matthew, a moment," Robert said softly, catching his arm. "There is something I didn't tell the others."
"And that is?" he asked, heart filling with dread.
"The captain of William's company arriving shortly to Downton."
Matthew furrowed his brow, confused. "I fail to understand why you wouldn't tell the others."
"It was by his command that William was injured," Robert reminded him.
Matthew could see where Robert's concerns could have come from. It was so easy to blame the decisions of others for the harm they caused. But the problem with that was one simply couldn't judge how one reacted during the heat of battle. The screams of the artillery, the smoke and soot and the stench of death in the air, knowing that if you didn't press hard enough it would mean weeks or months in the same position… but pressing too hard could result in the deaths of your men. It was the most bitter of meals a man could consume. Everyone believed that they could do better, that if they were the ones in charge then events would play out better. The battle would be one to finish it, the War over sooner, more boys making it back home. But the moment you were there with your heart pounding in your ears and the taste of metal on your tongue from the blood on your teeth and the bile bubbling from your gullet… you realized just how foolish such thoughts were.
"Matthew?" Robert said, giving him a slight shake. "Matthew?"
"I'm… I'm sorry Robert. Did you say something?"
"Yes but it matters little. Are you okay?" He looked down at him, concern clearly written on his features. "I thought for a moment you were about to collapse."
"I'm fine," Matthew managed to say with a smile, though he didn't feel any joy in that moment. The nightmares of the war and all he had experienced there had suddenly come flooding back and he had to make sure he kept his hands firmly on his knees because if he didn't they'd begin to tremble. He'd managed to do very well so far, not letting his first life taint this new existence, but William… it was bringing it all back to him in such startling, brilliant clarity. It was like it was only moments ago he was on the Somme, feeling the cold mud get everywhere, his eyes stinging from the acidic air, knowing that before he went to bed another of his men would be dead-
"Matthew!" Robert said, sitting down next to him and wrapping an arm around him in a show of affection and compassion that was so utterly out of character for him. Matthew swallowed but that only made him cough because his throat was so utterly dry. "My god, man, should I get Dr. Clarkson?"
"No… no, I'll be-"
"You are NOT all right!" Robert exclaimed in fear. "You look half ready to topple over!" He reached over and took the glass of brandy Matthew had only half finished and forced it into his hands. "Drink, please."
Matthew nodded and used both his hands to raise the glass to his lips, taking a slow, steady swallow while Robert held him, keeping him up. It was utterly undignified and he really should ask the man to stop but in that moment Matthew soaked in the support Robert gave him and used it to steel his own shuddering nerves.
"William's injury has affected you greatly, has it not?" Robert asked gently. "Don't deny it… it affected me too. To be honest I'm surprised I managed to get through this meeting without draining the decanter dry."
He smiled weakly at that, unable to explain to Robert that it wasn't merely William who was causing him such grief.
"It isn't your fault," Robert repeated and Matthew knew that. How could he tell the man that he was troubled not merely because of William but because he was remembering events he should not? That he had once done as Robert asked and gone to war and it had left him so utterly damaged that there had been days even after he was healed and could walk that he wondered why he hadn't died. And before, when he'd been crippled? Not even Sybil knew of how he'd come so very close to stealing a knife and opening his own wrists. In his despair and his delirium he'd thought that if he did that somehow it would balance the universe and other men that deserved life would be brought back.
But he couldn't tell Robert that. Couldn't say a word. He could only smile weakly and finally rise, managing to walk without tripping over his own feet.
"Thank you Robert. I… I think I will retire to my room for a short while. To gather my strength."
"Would you like me to inform Dr. Clarkson that you've taken ill?"
"No, there is no need for that," he said, waving off the offer. "I think a few moments to gather myself will be enough."
"Do not force yourself to continue on just to prove that you are strong, Matthew. No one will think less of you."
He smiled, far more easily than the last time, at that comment. "I will remember that. Thank you."
But rather than make his way to his room Matthew found himself walking down the stairs to the great entryway of Downton Abbey, watching as the soldiers were brought in. And he found himself wondering what it had been like when he himself had been brought it. Had Mary waited for him, anxiously staring at each face wondering if he'd limp in and the news that he was grievously hurt was wrong and she could get upset with him for making her worry? Who had been the first to lay him in his bed and settle him in place, fearful that any jolt might break him all the more? Which of these poor lads did he resemble? Had one of them taken his place and they too would fear that their life was over? He was already making mental notes to have Sybil check over any diagnosis Dr. Clarkson made, so no one would receive-
"Looking for someone in particular?" a tall, dark haired soldier asked him, breaking him from his thoughts much as Robert had done only minutes earlier.
"No," Matthew admitted. "Merely seeing who came in. The man I know who was with you all won't be arriving today." He took in the soldier, who was leaning on a set of crutches, his left leg wrapped in heavy plaster so that he couldn't help but lean that way even as he stood motionless. His long, drawn out face had some bandages applied to it but Matthew knew, based on what Sybil had told him about injuries, that he'd have at worst some faint ghostly scars and nothing more. He was a tall fellow, making Matthew actually feel small and he'd only felt that way with Alfred the footman yet in this case it felt oddly different. There Alfred was just tall but with this soldier Matthew fought the urge to raise himself up slightly. He didn't know why… he just suddenly felt like he was in competition with the stranger. Which was so very odd considering he'd only just met the man.
"What was his name?" the soldier asked, shifting to try and find a more comfortable position. "If I knew him…"
"William… William Mason," Matthew told him.
The soldier shook his head. "Sorry. I can ask around…"
"It's fine. I know where he is." He watched as the line of soldiers continued on. "Poor lads."
"That we are," the other soldier said. "Never should have been there, any of us. Pinned down in the wrong spot… for a month it felt like any chance we had at finally breaking free would suddenly turn to rotten mush."
Matthew knew what he meant. When he and William had ended up trapped behind enemy lines there had been plenty of moments were Matthew felt as if the Fates were toying with them both for the amusement of some flick creature. They would believe they had finally found a way to break through to the English side only to stumble upon a patrol or a German camp and be forced to head back the way they'd come and attempt once more to break through.
"That final battle…" the soldier said, shaking his head. "That one makes no sense. It seemed like everything became twisted and gravity reversed."
"The fog of war," Matthew said quietly.
"Perhaps," the soldier stated, clearly wanting to say more but not willing to do so. Matthew didn't know if it were merely because of him outranking the fellow or some other hesitancy. "I wasn't conscious for much of it. I was driving a truck… that's what I did, I drove the supply tuck… when we got hit by tank fire.
Not sure how the tank snuck up on us, the commander said that route was safe. Doesn't matter in the end, I suppose; we were hit and sent rolling. I got pinned-" he nodded towards his leg, "-but luckily the Germans weren't interested in me. Other lad, Johnson, he came away with only scratches. Not sure who was the lucky one… they tell me with how bad the break is I'm done as far as the war is concerned."
"Will you fully recover?" Matthew asked, hating that he needed to get so personal but wanting to know.
"Oh, of course, will just take a long time and they are worried another blow could do worse damage."
"Still interested in driving?"
The soldier grinned. "That is like asking a fish if he loves to swim. I was born to be behind the wheel."
"I might have some work for you then, to help out around the hospital. Once your leg is a bit more healed up. We always need someone to drive supplies to and from Ripton… and there are sometimes visitors who would appreciate a lift rather than walking."
"Would appreciate that greatly. I'll feel better with a wheel in my hands again." He paused, looking away from Matthew and for the first time the man's face twisted into a scowl. "There he is. Was wondering if he'd be sent here too."
"Who?" Matthew asked only for his eyebrows to raise in shock at the sight of Larry Gray being brought in on a stretcher.
"The commander. Piece of work, that one," the soldier muttered. "I'm sorry, sir, but that's how I feel about him. He always made life hard for the boys… he treated me poorly until he found out Lady Shackleton is my aunt and then he gave me enough respect that I might have only been insulted. But to the sons of farmers and factory workers? They were no better than cattle to him. That's why I call him commander and not 'captain'. Captain is a rank you earn… commander is what you try and force yourself to be. Again, my pardons but those are my thoughts."
"Of course," Matthew muttered darkly; he'd never thought for a moment it would be Larry who took his spot in- "Do you know what's wrong with him?"
"Spine is shattered," the soldier stated. "He got blow away by an explosion and struck a tree. Doctors say he might be able to use his arms but his legs… too much damage." Matthew forced himself not to wish that Larry would end up in the damned chair. He knew how horrid it was, of course, to be crippled… but on the other hand Larry Gray was such a bastard that he honestly felt the world would be better off with him confined to a chair, forced to brood in sullen silence for the rest of his days. "His batman dragged him to safety… lad was injured."
'William,' Matthew thought. 'Poor sod. At least in my last life he died saving…' he was going to say 'a good man' but stopped short of that. Out loud he said, "Well, when he wakes up we'll keep an eye on him… if what you say is true then he may take it poorly."
"Right," the soldier said before looking to where the others were being taken. "I should go… I don't want them coming out fussing about me not being where I should be."
"Just tell them you talked with me. My name carries weight." He held out his hand. "Matthew Crawley."
"Henry Talbot."
~MC~MC~MC~
Author's Notes: I have teased it in responses to reviews but we finally see it revealed- Henry, Mary's second husband in the first lifetime… comes to Downton.
…and no one remembers who he is because no one who came back ever met him.
So no risk of love triangles. Or jealousy. Or… anything. Merely a chance to now see Henry in a different role as he joins the supporting cast!
And for a plot bunny, since we haven't had one for a while, let's change something major… what if the War never happened? What if Germany and England reached a peaceful agreement and the War never occurred.
How would the world have changed for Downton?
-Violet then asks if they might transfer him to Downon and Matthew says he can speak to the general about it… and then suddenly comes up with an idea. He asks Robert if he heard if William committed acts of bravery; he did, pulling his commanding officer to safety before his wounds robbed him of strength. Matthew states that between the two of them they have enough power to force Willaim to get a promotion… enough to make him of high enough rank that he can come to Downton. Granny instantly agrees, pointing out that with the General and even Barrow and Sybil they will have enough cloat to get it done. Matthew states he'll go down and call right away but Robert asks for him to wait a moment as he thinks there is something else that will help, turning to Tom and pointing out that he covers the stories of the common soldier… so why not tell William's story? Tom thinks it over and agrees it would serve as a great series of stories, of a young man who never stopped believing in the war and has given up so much for it. If he writes an article right now he can get it in the issue due out in two days. Robert states that if he reveals that the article is coming the army will even more give in. Matthew is impressed and they all agree.
-As he comes down he hears that new arrivals from the battle William was in arrive… including Larry Grey, William's superior officer who has suffered spinal damage and will never walk again.
