Downton Abbey: The Risk Of Love

Her Departure

Downton Abbey
Late-May 1920
Evening.

Matthew came downstairs to the drawing room where Sir Philip Tapsell was standing with Robert while Cora and the Dowager Countess were sitting down — but Matthew's mind was still upon Thomas. He still saw those joyous tears in his lover's eyes from the words he had shared, but Thomas truly was the love of Matthew's life — and he had needed to make that perfectly clear this evening.

There was too much bliss for Matthew right now, and he was thriving from it. Cottages were being mended, and he had laid out a proposal to offer free cottages to those who could no longer work the lands. Matthew felt like the estate was finally being saved — if Robert didn't fight him on this as well. Then there was, of course, Thomas and if Matthew squinted his eyes he could pretend that he was standing there next to him, in the drawing room, and in his mind he could imagine them being accepted and recognised in everyone's eyes.

Tom, Edith and Mary all entered the room and Matthew was brought out from his evening-dream. He greeted his friend and they stood in silence together while the discussion of Doctor Clarkson still took place. Matthew found it odd that no one had bothered asking for Sybil nor Tom's opinion — they were married after all and Sybil was the one giving birth. Luckily Edith ended the discussion and Matthew sensed that she had some newfound confidence after her publication in the newspaper that had led to her being asked to write columns for it on a regular basis. It made him happy to see the Crawley sister, so often overlooked, finally finding her footing after the heartbreak of April — and Matthew knew all about April-heartbreaks.

"So, Cousin Matthew — " Violet Crawley said " — with all of this happening, a child about to be born, you must be eager to find a wife yourself and start a family."

Matthew opened his mouth and let out a little exhale but he gave Old Lady Grantham a polite smile. "It'd rather stay focused on securing the future of the estate before securing an heir for the estate, Cousin Violet."

"Oh yes yes." Violet said and nodded her head as if she agreed — but her tone said otherwise. "How very wise of you." She did not think it wise.

"I'm afraid we might have been too obvious in inviting daughters of upstanding families around." Robert said and gave Matthew a pat on the back. "We have just been eager to see you settle down."

"I appreciate the concern, but let us make sure the estate is settled first." Matthew said to Robert.

"Yes — well, we will talk about the changes at another time." He said, which was Robert's go-to answer whenever it was brought up.

Not even that was enough to sully Matthew's mood because when the evening would come to an end, his eyes would behold Thomas Barrow once more.

Thomas came down to a kitchen in disarray with Daisy freaking out over the hollandaise sauce. He took his seat by the table in the servants' hall and lit up a cigarette and reached for the newspaper from this morning. Thomas skimmed his eyes over the reports of the Prince of Wales' arrival to Australia on his tour of the Commonwealth in King George V name to show the goodwill to the support they had given in the war — that's when Jimmy came hurrying into the kitchen.

Dinner had been suspended.

Thomas dropped the cigarette into his lap. He jumped to his feet and brushed the ashes from his trousers when Mr Carson entered. Thomas had already understood why dinner had been suspended, but the butler confirmed it — Sybil was having her child, and it all seemed wonderful at first.

Even if there was no reason to worry, Thomas was, he knew that women gave birth every day — though he did not have a great knowledge of it. So why was he already on his fifth cigarette in the span of barely an hour? It was unbearable to just wait, and down here he could get no information. That was, until Anna came back down and Thomas overheard her speaking to Mrs Hughes — everything was not alright.