1927

"Darling, Mrs. Duper wants to know how we are related." Mary said. They had been invited, Mary, Matthew and the children, to stay the weekend at Evelyn's fiancé's family beach house to celebrate their engagement. Even Henry Talbot, Bertie Pelham and Edith had been invited.

The adults were sitting on the patio under an umbrella sipping lemonade and American Martinis, while Mary and Matthew's children were being watched by the nannies; minus Andy, who was just a year old was inside taking a nap.

"and I've told her it's much too complicated for me." She was bemused, anticipating to watch him explain, because she hated doing so.

"It's not a bit complicated. Your great grandfather and my great grandfather...no, wait one minute, sorry." He stumbled on purpose, catching her smile. "The third Earl, our great-great-great grandfather's youngest son, Paris Crawley was my great-great grandfather."

"So you're third cousins. Got it."

Evelyn interrupted, clearing his throat and tapped his glass. "If I could have your attention, I believe my lovely fiancé has arranged a game of tennis for us. You'll draw a name from this hat. The name on the raffle will be whom you're paired with."

"I wish you could play with me." Mary turned to Matthew. She still didn't like the fact that he had to sit out on such things. It felt like he was left out of a lot of things. It really didn't seem to trouble him anymore. "I hope Bertie isn't the show off type." She stated. Bertie was whom she'd been paired with.

"I think we established who the show off is." He nodded toward Henry, already on the tennis court showing off his practice shots. His female partner did not look amused. "No worries. I'd rather watch you win." He kissed her cheek, his beard tickling her flesh. He was trying a new look, while most men were clean shaven these days, with the growing popularity of Gillet's more convenient razors.

She wished that he would shave it; not because it was an old fashioned style. They had made a sort of pact, that he'd shave after their love making and once the stubble started growing back, they would make love again.

Would he want to though? With her being four months pregnant? If they lost this one, it would be too much. Their marriage had suffered after the death of their infant daughter, had almost destroyed it. They had just put back the pieces. The notion that it could survive anything, was foolish to hope, wasn't it?

That night, in bed with him, covered in sweat and tears, everything felt so at peace. They fell asleep in each other's arms, listening to the crashing waves and gentle breeze.


Once they arrived home, he decided to shave it off.

The door opened. He assumed it to be George. George always watched him shave.

"Whatcha doing?" A little girl's voice.

He turned in his chair. To his surprise it was Katie.

"I'm trimming it so I can shave it. Want to watch papa take it off?"

She silently nodded, sucking on her lower lip while watching in interested. She climbed onto the counter top.

"Why you take it off?"

"It's a surprise for Mama. And I sort of made a promise."

She grabbed a comb and started imitating him. He put some shaving cream of her face and she used the comb to scrape it off.

Once he was finished, she looked at their reflections then back at him and started to giggle.

"What's so funny, eh?"

"You look silly."

"I look silly?" She reach her arms from the counter so that he could help her back down. He set her on his lap. He grabbed a towel, wet it with water to clean her face.

"Are you still daddy?"

"Of course I'm still daddy."

She climbed down and began to help clean up the hair.

"Can I keep it? So in case you want to grow it back."

"You know what? I'll do one better."


Mary was down in the nursery with the children and the grandmothers, when the door burst open. Katie came running in, her arms outstretched like an airplane, zooming about the room.

She was wearing a mask held up by some string of some sort, tucked behind her ears. She stopped in front of her mother.

"What have we got here?" She realized that the mask had hair plastered to it.

"I'm daddy."

"I promised I would shave it off." Matthew said, proudly as he came into the room.

She took off running again, circling her Granny Violet. She turned this way and that in her chair, trying to keep track of her granddaughter, before the three year old, ran out the door.

"Why, I never..." Granny gasped, appalled.

Mary and Matthew laughed. Isobel joining in.

What a weird little family they had. Mary though. But she wouldn't have wanted it any other way.