Downton Abbey
August 1920.
Day Of The Cricket Match.
"Are you packed and ready for your trip, papa?" Edith asked during breakfast.
"Yes, dear Edith, we are — " Robert informed his daughter and spread marmalade on his toast " — I must say I think your mother deserves a trip far away for a while."
"How long will you be gone for?" Tom asked and reached for the newspaper Robert had just finished.
"Two months, I believe." Robert said "Or for as long as Cora wishes to stay."
"You're awfully quiet today, Cousin Matthew." Mary said and looked at Matthew who had barely touched his food. "Are you nervous about running the estate in papa's absence?"
"Nonsense, Mary, Matthew will do brilliantly." Robert defended his heir apparent.
"And he won't be doing it alone." Tom declared and all eyes turned to him.
"Tom — " Matthew said in surprise "Does this mean you'll stay?"
Tom nodded. "I have given it a lot of thought, and I don't think it's fair to take Sybbie away from her family — " he wished to say that he also had contemplated staying to continue aiding Matthew in other matters; to be a friend like Matthew had been for him. Though he, of course, thought better of it.
Edith and Mary were both beaming.
" — but we shall be living in a cottage, for some independence, but we will stay and I will take on the duties of being the estate agent."
Even Robert was smiling; everyone knew that, despite giving Tom a hard time, deep down he had begun seeing the man as family — and that meant that his only grandchild would be near.
"Marvellous! Such marvellous news, and needed after all this grimness." Robert stated.
Matthew's face fell again and his gaze went back to stare at his untouched breakfast.
"So papa, the village is about to gossip, is it not?" Edith asked.
"Your grandmother has taken care of that, but luckily the Chief Inspector has been kind enough not to let any information about Mr Barrow slip, nor that he is in custody —" Robert sighed " — but I suppose it's only a matter of time, if he is not released of course."
"So did the police find anything the other day?" Mary asked from behind her teacup with her eyes piercing Matthew's.
"Of course they didn't!" Matthew snapped at her and Tom shot him a warningly glare. They had not found a single thing and yet they were keeping Thomas — Matthew was slowly losing it. From lack of sleep to his shattered heart, he found it immensely difficult to keep his emotions in check — to be a proper gentleman.
"Oh honestly!" Mary exclaimed and forcefully put her teacup down. "Why on earth do you keep defending him, Cousin Matthew?"
"Mary — " Robert said sternly.
"No, I need to know — how can you keep defending him, Matthew? Regardless of what is right or wrong; it's the law, is it not?"
"You don't know what you speak of!" Matthew slammed his hand down on the table and stood up; his eyes darkened at Mary and this was truly his breaking point. "Do you truly wish to know Mary, do you truly wish to know why I defend him?"
"Matthew — " Tom said and stood up, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
Matthew took a deep breath and then gathered his thoughts for a moment but spoke quietly, but not less agitatedly; "Because that man, that everyone thinks so horrid, is the reason I am standing here."
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Downton Abbey: The Risk Of Love
Fanfiction| The Sequel to 'All Is Fair In Love And War' ||Thomas Barrow/Matthew Crawley || Their secret doesn't just exist within Downton Abbey, now it lives and breathes within its walls. During the days they have to pretend that they don't meet in each othe...
