The lady and the lawyer. {ON HOLD}

The secret garden.

It had been a few days since the fire and everyone had recovered well. The house itself however was proving to be quite a task for the builders and it was currently an unsolved puzzle with quite a few missing pieces. Therefore it was going to be quite a while until the house was fixed and so Matthew and Isobel were temporarily staying at the abbey.
This was a tiresome job for Matthew and his mama, always changing for everything and small talking at each and every cocktail party.
Back at their humble home they used to live a much more simplified life. And they missed it.
It was strange for Robert and Cora to have two new members of the family around. Even seeing them at breakfast was queer.
That morning as everyone was eating breakfast, Mary had received a letter from lady Rosamund.
She had then run out crying and Matthew had followed her.
Carson shook his head sadly knowing quite well she had heard that the rumours of the Turkish diplomat had got to her. How could someone spread such lies?
Mary had ran to the secret gardens at the end of the estate. She turned the heavy metal key in the lock, clunk, and stepped inside this isolated paradise. She glided in, wiping the tears from her eyes, past geraniums and roses and daffodils. In this walled garden there was a scent no perfume contained and Mary was in love with it.
Trickling water could be heard from the water fountains and water features, the buzz of nature played it's symphony.
Mary's father had took her here when she was a child, an only child, and he had read fairy tales to her. She missed those days, where reality was but a mixture of princesses and princes who always lived happily ever after. Apparently the world was not quite like that.
Mary leaned against the wall, the letter still in her hand, and wept amongst the ivy.
Just then a prince did arrive, carefully shutting the door behind him and coming up close to mary. He put his forehead against hers and wiped her tears away.
Without saying a word Matthew put his arms around her waist and kissed her against the wall. Mary didn't resist, she couldn't, and her hands moved from his chest to his hair. And so madly they kissed, in this secluded garden, in their own happily ever after.
"What was that about?" Robert queried after the two had left the room and silence had swirled in as their replacement.
It seemed everybody else knew about the rumours except Robert.
Isobel knew they had spread but not much else.
Mary had told Matthew all of it and all she had left out was the key part; that they were true.
Cora knew everything and was still finding it hard to withhold the secret from her husband.
Edith was the cause of these rumours and so it would be expected she was quite in the know.
Sybil knew of these unkind words and wished they would stop.
Carson was aware of the rumours but not much else.
And that left Robert, who apparently knew nothing.
"Well you see dear, " began Cora, "some unkind words have spread in London about our eldest daughter."
Everything seemed very awkward and Cora felt strange breaking into the silence with such news.
Just then the phone rang. It was the dowager. Of course! No one had told her of the house fire.. Or anything!
"What do you mean the house is on fire?" The dowager shouted down the phone in distress. For some reason lady Grantham did not seem to think the person at the receiving end could hear her unless she shouted.
"No mama, it WAS on fire." Robert explained for the second time. This was becoming quite tiring for Robert. His mama never really got the message the first time and would ask extreme questions until she narrowed down the answer. Because if it wasn't so extreme she would ask a different question like
"so the house is not on fire?" Which is what she was asking now.
"No mama, it WAS on fire and now it is not. Isobel and Matthew are staying with us temporarily until their house is fixed."
"What do you mean? 'Fixed'?"
"It was damaged in the fire mama."
Cora came from behind her husband and wrapped her arms around him as he was on the phone. She was listening to his struggles, how funny. She had to stop herself from laughing.
Robert smiled down at the hands which had appeared around his waist and held one of them with his free hand. Then he had an idea.
"Mama why don't you speak to Cora?" Robert smiled at Cora mischievously who had now appeared at his side making various signals and mouthing the word "no" repeatedly.
"But aren't Americans always very.. Exaggerating?" Replied the dowager who was contemplating the idea of coming round for luncheon that afternoon so she could investigate this strange matter.
"Well how better to hear the story from an exciting point of view?"
Robert replied as Cora was practically jumping on him but secretly they were both laughing.
Robert did love to tease Cora.
"Never mind Robert, I shall come over for luncheon this afternoon and interrogate you all instead."
She hung up.
"Robert!" Cora shouted cheerfully as he ran up the stairs expecting to be jumped on by his playfully furious wife. She ran up after him laughing.
Mary was enveloped in Matthews arm on the marble bench in the secret garden.
She was sat on his knee as well and her head was on his chest. She was crying.
"We know there's no truth in it mary! It's fine."
Mary felt a pang of guilt. He didn't know the truth..
"Can I kiss you before I tell you this?" Mary asked and Matthew smiled agreeing.
She leant in for a kiss, which could be her last and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Then she broke off early, surprising Matthew.
Mary stood up opposite Matthew, looking like a naughty school girl about to be told off by the headmaster.
Matthew looked up at her and then stood up taking her hand and standing next to her. She pulled away.
Matthew was confused.
"I have to tell you this Matthew." She began, shakily as fresh tears began to spill down her pretty face.
Matthew wiped them away.
Mary moved away.
"It's true." She said and could already feel this beautiful garden in which she stood dying and loosing it's magic. The walls seemed to block the sunlight and the flowers seemed to wilt.
Matthew was taken aback, but to him the flowers still bloomed and the sun shone. That was until his angel ran out of the garden crying, And left him next to the cold marble bench.
Perhaps it was solitude that made the garden begin to die.