Pairing of your choosing: 99. “We’re in an abandoned lodge in the middle of nowhere. Sure, you’re totally right, nothing bad could ever happen here.”
Matthew was against it from the beginning, something he made sure to point out later.
“Mary, I’m really not sure this is a good idea. I don’t know if my back is up for it, and even if it is…” he lowered his voice into the telephone, glancing around to make sure that neither his mother nor Molesley are in earshot, “I’m not sure any of our parents would be too pleased we’re going off on an all-day horseback ride alone.”
He could almost hear Mary’s eye roll over the phone. “Really, Matthew. It’ll be fine. Didn’t Clarkson say you could ride, as long as you’re careful? So we’ll be careful. And besides, if anyone asks, we’re going out to inspect some of the cottages further out on the estate. Papa will be delighted that you’re taking an interest in it, he won’t think on it anymore.”
Matthew sighed and shook his head. It was so hard to not give into his beautiful fiancee. “Alright. I’ll be up to the house in an hour.”
He sighed and put the phone back down on the receiver, setting off to find Molesley to change into something more suitable for riding.
An hour later he found himself in the stables, watching Mary get up on Diamond’s back as he waited for Lynch to saddle Osiris, the horse he was going to use for the afternoon.
“Interesting name for a horse,” Matthew commented, as Mary guided Diamond beside him.
“All of the horses have names from ancient Egypt. Just like the dogs. My father was fascinated with Egypt, and so he just kind of stuck with the naming trend eventually,” Mary explained.
“Except for Diamond?” Matthew took Osiris’s reins and carefully mounted him.
Mary laughed. “Diamond was my horse. I got her when I was eleven. And I insisted on having a horse named Diamond. My father tried and tried to convince me to give her an Egyptian name, but no, I was insistent on Diamond. So eventually he gave in.”
“Was eleven-year-old you very stubborn then?” Matthew questioned.
“Only as stubborn as I am now,” Mary easily replied.
They rode out onto the grounds of Downton, and Matthew had to admit, he was enjoying the freedom. Ever since he proposed to Mary, he felt that every moment he was with her was being watched. Either by her parents, his parents, or a discreet servant. He couldn’t remember a time since that snowy night that he and Mary had been really, truly alone.
The late February air still was chilly, but not unpleasant, and the trees were just beginning to barely bud. They would be beautiful in a few weeks, hopefully just in time for the wedding. The wedding… it was in just a few weeks and Matthew felt a thrill course through him as he thought about it
They started out slow, but gradually, both their horses picked up speed. Eventually, the trees were a blur, Mary skillfully weaving between them, Matthew not quite as skillfully.
It was fun, though, he had to admit. He had been concerned about his back, unsure of how the jolting of the horse would affect it, and also concerned about the fact that he hadn’t ridden for years, and even then, he hadn’t been particularly good at it. But it was going surprisingly smoothly, and Matthew found himself beginning to relax as they got further into the grounds.
They rode for two hours, enjoying the beauty and serenity of the day, until Matthew felt his horse jolt strongly under him. This was not like what it had been earlier, something was wrong. His hand went immediately to his lower back and he winced. He tugged on Osiris’s reins, but every movement seemed to cause Osiris pain. “Mary, can we please stop?”
Mary pulled on Diamond’s reins and turned back to Matthew. “Of course, what’s the problem?”
Matthew frowned and slid off the back of Osiris. “I think something is wrong with him,” he said. “He jolted me very suddenly, and then he won’t really move.”
“Let me see,” Mary said. She noticed Matthew’s wince as his feet touched the ground. “Are you alright?”
“Jolted me a little, but I’ll be fine,” Matthew replied.
Mary didn’t look convinced, but she got off Diamond and went over to Osiris. She patted his mane and looked him over. “Are you alright?” she asked gently. She bent down to look at his legs.
“What if he kicks you, Mary?” Matthew asked, panic coming over him as he remembered stories of people killed by the kicks of horses.
“Osiris is the most gentle horse we have, that’s why I had Lynch saddle him for you,” Mary said. “He won’t kick me.”
She inspected all of his feet and frowned looking at one of his front feet. “He’s thrown a shoe.”
“You’re not going to be able to ride him back…” Mary replied. She turned to him, and noticed he was sitting down, his back against a tree, legs stretched out, trying to find any relief. “Will you be able to walk back?”
“I will be, this should dissipate soon enough,” Matthew assured her. “It might take a while for us to make it back, though. Your parents will not be happy, and my mother won’t be either.”
Mary rolled her eyes and patted Osiris’ nose. “Oh Matthew, stop worrying. They won’t die of shock.”
He shook his head. “Perhaps not, but still…” He glanced up at the sky, frowning as he noticed that dark clouds were gathering. “It looks like it’s going to rain on us.”
“Lovely,” Mary replied sarcastically.
“I told you this was a bad idea.”
“Alright, this was a bad idea. Happy now?” Mary asked, annoyance rising in her voice.
“No, because we’re still stuck out here and it’s going to take us ages to get back and we’ll probably return soaked to families that are angry with us for worrying them because we were out here so long,” Matthew continued. The anxiety rising in his voice was subtle, but there.
Mary turned around and looked to him. “You know what, Matthew, you’re not being very helpful. At least do something, if you’re going to complain.”
“I don’t know what to do to be helpful!”
“You practically lived outside for four years, you should know how to do something!”
Mary turned around as soon as she said that, saw the haunted look on his face, and immediately regretted it. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive…”
He frowned. “No, you’re right, I…” He glanced around anxiously as he felt the first raindrops fall on his face. “And now it’s started raining. Lovely.”
“We should start heading back, then,” Mary said.
He pushed himself up from where he was sitting and took a few steps toward her gingerly.
“Are you alright?” she asked, her voice full of concern for him. She could see the tension in his face, and she was not sure if it was from physical pain or the memories she had just brought back up.
He nodded. “I’m fine, it’s getting better already,” he says. “Between me and Osiris though, it might take us a while to get back… we’ll be lucky if we don’t get hypothermia by the time…”
“Well, what do you suggest we do, then?” Mary interrupted.
“Look for shelter and wait it out. But I have no idea where we would find anything,” Matthew replied.
Mary looked around. “If my memory serves, there’s a hunting lodge near here. We’ve used it for luncheons during hunts a few times.”
“Any idea how close it might be?”
“We passed the bend in the creek about five minutes back. there is, or at least there used to be, a path from there to the lodge,” Mary said. “It shouldn’t be too far.”
Matthew took Osiris’s lead and gestured to Mary. “Lead the way, then.”
Leading the horses, they slowly made their way to the creek, then to the path that Mary had predicted would be there. Matthew was very grateful to see that, after a few minutes of walking, a hunting lodge indeed did come into view. “Is that is?” he asked.
“Yes,” Mary replied, quickening her pace. “Hopefully it’ll be unlocked but…” she walked up to the door and tried opening it. “Dammit.”
“Here, let me try,” Matthew said, tying Osiris to a post of the lodge and coming up the steps. He tried the handle and sighed. “Do you have a hairpin?”
Mary nodded, raising an eyebrow. She pulled one out of her hair and handed it to him. “What are you doing?”
He smirked and put the hairpin into the key slot. A minute later, he tries the handle and it opens.
Mary had to fight to keep her jaw from dropping. “How do you know how to do that?”
“Little army trick,” he replied, grinning at her. “Come on inside, then.”
Mary smiled back and followed him into the empty entry hall. “There’s no electricity in here, we ought to find candles before it gets dark.”
“Are we going to spend the night here, you think?” Matthew asked.
“I don’t know how long the storm is going to last,” Mary replied. “And I’d at least like to stay here to dry off. I’ll see if I can find some candles and matches. There might be some wood in the fireplace, we can get a fire going.”
Matthew almost laughed. “Do you know how to start a fire?”
“…no,” Mary said sheepishly. “But do you?”
“Lucky for you, I do,” he replied. “You’d have a better idea of where everything is than I do, you should look for candles and matches.”
Mary began to walk away from him when she noticed the worried expression on his face. “Matthew,” she assured, “everything’s going to be okay.”
He pressed his lips together. “We’re in an abandoned lodge in the middle of nowhere. Sure, you’re totally right, nothing bad could ever happen here.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “It’s not abandoned, my family owns it. We’ll be fine. Now, are you going to come?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Matthew replied.
She nodded and disappeared down a staircase at the back of the entry hall, presumably toward a kitchen. Matthew walked slowly down the entry hall, peeking into rooms until he found a drawing room. He sunk down into a chair and breathed a sigh of relief.
As much as he tried to hide it, his back was hurting. He didn’t want Mary to know, though, because she would blame herself when really, it was his decision to come out and ride. The cold wasn’t helping either, and he was already nearly soaked through, as the rain had picked up considerably while they walked to the lodge. Besides that, he was trying to ignore what Mary had said to him earlier. He forgave her, of course, but there was still a tension between them. Perhaps if he hadn’t complained so much… after all, he had gone along with her plan. And he had been an ass about it all. Of course he had. And now they were stuck waiting out a rainstorm, sure to face the wrath of their parents when they got back.
He was miserable at the moment, but maybe there was something good that could come of it. Something that would make up for him being an ass to Mary.
A realization struck him. This was his chance to spend time alone with Mary, with a guarantee that no one was watching them.
He heard Mary’s footsteps coming up the stairs, and he grinned.
“I found a few candles and some matches, hopefully they’ll work,” she says as she peeks into doors, finally finding him in the drawing room.
“Good work darling,” he says. “Come here.” His arm is outstretched toward her.
“You need to get the fire started, we’re both soaked,” Mary replied, shaking her head.
He reached for her more insistently. “I’ll get to it,” he said, pulling her onto his lap as she got closer. “But this is more urgent.” He leans in to kiss her gently.
Mary pulls back from him, trying to hold back a smile. “Lovely as that was, why was it so urgent?”
“Because, if you haven’t noticed, we’re all alone. No one around to watch us, to clear their throats when we kiss a little too passionately, or to glare at us when we get a little too close. We haven’t been alone like this since we got engaged.”
Mary cuddled closer to him, enjoying the warmth of his body despite the wetness of his clothes. “Of course I’ve noticed, you idiot,” she said, lovingly. “I just didn’t want to …try anything, because I was afraid I had upset you.”
“You did, I’m afraid, but it’s alright. I was being a bit of an ass.”
“It’s just.. I don’t want to use what you’ve gone through against you, and I feel awful for doing just that.”
Matthew kissed the top of her head. “I don’t ever want to use what you’ve gone through against you. I know we agreed to bury our ghosts, and we’ve done that, but if something… comes up, sometimes that can’t be avoided. And it’s alright.”
“I’m so lucky to have such an understanding fiance,” Mary whispered. “Now, you better get this fire started.” She climbed off his lap and stood next to the fireplace.
He nodded and pushed up from the chair. Mary was concerned when she saw him wince when kneeling down, but he held up a hand. “I’m fine, it’s fine,” he assured her.
Mary frowned but said nothing. Clearly, he was remembering things he didn’t want to remember, and asking about it would make it worse.
Soon enough, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace and Mary and Matthew sat in front of it, enjoying the heat from the fire as it dried their clothes. Mary brought sandwiches out of the picnic basket that Mrs. Patmore had packed, and ate them. They didn’t speak much, simply preferring silence together.
Eventually, though, their clothes were dry and they could tell the rain outside was slowing.
“We have to go back soon,” Matthew said, sighing. “They’ll be sending out a search party if we aren’t home by dinner.”
“Part of me wants to let them come, but you’re probably right,” Mary said. Her head was draped across his lap as they both relaxed on the couch, watching the fire. “Are you ready to head back?”
“Physically, yes,” he said. “But now I’m not so sure I want to.”
“Well, at least kiss me again before we go. Who knows if we’ll get another chance until our wedding?”
It was nearly an hour later when they finally left the lodge and made their way home.
