Fic - Downton Abbey - "The Fox Hunt" - part 5
Part five of The Fox Hunt
It was a surprise to have both Matthew and Tom pop into the servants hall but John Bates had to admit, it was a blessed relief as well. It had been worrisome that Matthew had slipped out of the house, presumably to go on the shoot with the others. In order to please Robert, most likely, it wasn’t subtle that Robert was wanting and hoping that things would return to normal by having the party. Both he and Tom looked pale and worried as they waved their hands for everyone to sit down.
“No need for anyone to get up,” Matthew said easily. “Mr. Branson and I got turned around in the shoot and ended up quite far afield. Are the others back yet?”
“Not yet,” Carson said, “but likely soon, within the hour.”
“Please have someone sent out to the field to let Lord Grantham know that Mr. Branson and I aren’t dead in the woods, Carson. I wouldn’t want his lordship to worry. Bates, may I have a word?”
“Of course,” he said. He followed Matthew into the hallway.
“Tom, you know your part. And thank you again for driving me. I’ll need a little more practice before I’m comfortable with it.” Matthew waited until Tom was gone before he began to speak. “I need you to do me a favor, Bates. I am expecting an Inspector Marsh within the next two hours. He’s driving in from far west of here. Please make sure to let me know when he arrives and make sure he’s kept out of sight of the guests. He knows to use the servants entrance but please make sure he’s provided some hospitality. He should arrive before the main dinner. I also will need to know when Lord Grantham returns from the shooting. Finally, the Duke of Crowborough’s valet is likely to be watching me closely. Is there someone you can trust to keep an eye on him so that the Duke has no warning about Inspector Marsh?”
Oh dear god what are you going to do, Bates thought. “I can certainly assist. I’ll ask Mr. Barrow to keep an eye on Mr. Hightower,” since that had been arranged already, “but… if I might ask, what’s going on?”
Matthew stood firmly. “The odds are that I am going to ruin this otherwise delightful party, Bates. I’m going to be giving Lord Grantham some very unpleasant news that will embroil the family in scandal. I’ve done my best to see to it that the worst might not hit the newspapers but frankly, it’s going to be a mess. Please let Anna know that Lady Mary will probably need her support later this evening. Do you know where Lady Mary is, by any chance?”
“Your memory…. You’ve recalled something, haven’t you?” Of course he had, the question was what he intended to reveal.
“I’ve recalled everything, Bates.” Matthew said. “And I have to thank you for being discreet about what I asked you last night. I assume you put some clues together and have some idea of what might come out tonight.”
“Yes… are you quite certain you want to make an accusation?” There was no way that Bates could see that Matthew Crawley didn’t end up ruined if he accused the Duke of Crowborough of raping him. As he and Barrow discussed it, he’d seen the unpleasant truth. Matthew would at best see the Duke prosecuted but would also bear the stigma of having been with a man sexually. If people didn’t blame him, it would be because they assumed the accident had turned him simple in the head. And since he no longer seemed dazed or easily tricked, most would assume he was a homosexual who was taking revenge.
“It’s already done, Bates… but it’s not the accusation you think. In fact, once Lord Grantham is available, please ask the Duke of Crowborough to join us. And Mr. Blake. If Mr. Blake balks, tell him I said it was time to be a brave man… but I don’t think he’ll balk. You should come as well. His grace might find your experiences in prison helpful to a decision he’ll need to make.”
“Do you not understand that he will ruin you?” Bates couldn’t help it, Matthew was acting so nonchalant about it. He didn’t understand it. If nothing else, he knew the man was clever, certainly clever enough to know that the Duke would take him down and destroy his reputation just for spite.
Matthew shrugged. “Yes. There’s a good chance I will at best become a pathetic laughingstock. If it happens, it does. It already has, really. I’m not deaf, I’ve heard the muttering how I’m not a gentleman since the first day I walked into this house, years ago. Now, after a year where I dug ditches, worked in the field, and waited tables, where I even was incarcerated in several workhouses, I can hear the muttering even more and it’s not coming from just the servants but any number of guests. But there’s something bigger going on. When you see what happens tonight, you’ll understand why I couldn’t simply hide the unpleasantness.” He paused. “For what it’s worth, there’s a very good chance the Duke will handle his arrest without a word about my more unpleasant duties in his household.”
That raised his curiosity. “Why would he stay silent?”
“You’ll see. Now please do as I asked. And,” Matthew took a deep breath, “Do you know where Lady Mary is? I have something difficult to tell her, before this starts. She deserves to know before this… all blows up.”
“I believe she’s in the library.” Bates wondered again if anyone ever considered how lucky Matthew was. As difficult as the topic was, his wife was going to accept it and treat it the way it deserved to be treated.
~*~
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Mary said again. She made a point of not letting her rage enter her voice. He would misunderstand and that was something she didn’t want to happen. “You have done nothing wrong, Matthew. The only people I am angry with are the ones who treated you so brutally.” She regretted not going out to the shooting and ‘accidently’ blowing the Duke of Crowborough’s face off.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. He was looking down, like he couldn’t face her.
“For what? For being held down in a field by six cruel bastards and sodomized against your will?” She almost laughed. She didn’t, because it would certainly make it worse. “That’s like… like blaming you for being shot in the war. Or for the car accident.”
He looked stricken. “I was driving too fast. I was too excited and I wasn’t paying attention. This nightmare you’ve been through is because of me. And now… even if my plan works, there will always be rumors. You should have divorced me.”
She wanted to slap him. Instead she grabbed him and pulled him into her arms. “The car accident was an *accident*, Matthew. A comedy of errors all around. It was an accident that you were hurt and that Dr. Clarkson made such a terrible mistake. That is all it was… and everything that came after is because of the cruelty of others.” She could feel him trembling in her arms. “You weren’t to blame for what those men did. I don’t blame you because I know how badly hurt you were. I also know that if this was reversed, if I had been violated against my will, you would insist that I wasn’t at fault, and you’d be right. I love you, and I do not blame you for…. For not being able to fight six men off when they were all attacking you.” And if I know it was more than that, she thought as she held him, it can wait, and it doesn’t matter anyway. It was over, it was never going to happen again. As awful as it was, she knew it was worse for him, having to admit it. I have to be very careful, she thought. “There’s nothing for me to forgive, Matthew. You didn’t betray me, you didn’t choose for this to happen, you certainly didn’t want to have a terrible car accident the day George was born, and you certainly didn’t want to …. Be used in such a terrible way.” She let go of her embrace, so that she could look him in the eye. “I have thanked God every day since you returned to me, Matthew. Every single day, I find myself wondering what I did to deserve such a miracle. I never want to be without you again. The only thing about the awfulness that you’ve described that upsets me is knowing that if your plan works, the Duke of Crowborough won’t be punished for *all* of the awful things he did.”
It did burn at her, that the bastard would be strung up on the gallows but not for all of it. That and the cold reality that the only reason Matthew would get any justice at all was due to his recalling something even more unspeakably awful.
“It might not work…. The plan, I mean.” Matthew looked at her, his eyes intent. “The worst could get out.”
“You would have stood by me if our roles were reversed. What is the worst, Matthew? A scandal over what, that you were forced to have sex with a man? While you were so dazed from a head injury you didn’t even know your name?” Mary waited a long moment.“ If this unpleasantness is revealed, anyone who judges you or mocks you won’t be welcome here as long as I live. You never judged me over…. Over Kemal, and I was far less innocent in that than you were in this. I love you, and that will never change even if god forbid you slept with the Prince of Wales.”
“I didn’t…. I don’t think I slept with the Prince of Wales,” Matthew said after a moment. “I suppose your father will be pleased to hear that.” Then he laughed. He actually laughed and after a moment, so did she. It was so madly awful.
“Your plan is brilliant,” she said simply. “It will work, I have no doubt. But you should get dressed for dinner.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “I will be at your side tonight, and every night, no matter what is or isn’t revealed.”
“I don’t deserve you,” he said easily.
“Yes, you do. I’m the one who doesn’t deserve this miracle.” It was easy to say because it was true, she thought as he left the parlor. If the worst came out, she would still have everything she wanted, but truth be told, she didn’t want Matthew to face that sort of public scorn, not on top of everything else. She waited a moment and then began to step towards the door, when suddenly Tony Gillingham entered the room.
“Lady Mary,” Tony said as he blocked her exit and closed the door, “I was hoping to have a word with you.”
She bit back a curse. “Tony, this is quite possibly the worst possible time for you to do this.”
He managed to look hurt. “Mary…. I just want to hear it from you, that you think…. That you’re happy with a man who is barely able to hold a drink and who doesn’t seem to know which end is up unless you tell him. Does that really make you happy, Mary?” He cocked his head. “I can’t blame you for choosing him. Your father’s heir and handsome to boot. I can even imagine when you married him that he might have been a catch, but now? He spent the morning throwing up and the afternoon getting lost in the woods. Tonight at dinner, when you sit right beside him, will you be reminding him to not use his fingers?”
She slapped him across the face. “Damn it, Tony! I understand that you feel hurt and betrayed, and I do feel badly that I unwittingly caused you to break off an engagement, but Matthew is my husband, and I love him and you have no idea how much difficulty he’s had. Tonight’s dinner, “ and she laughed again, despite herself, “I’d tell you to get out of this house right now, I’m that angry with what you just said, but I hope what happens tonight opens your eyes to how marriage is about far more than looks and appearances and why you and I would never have lasted in marriage. Grow up, Tony.” She shoved him out of the way and stormed off. The last thing she needed was his dramatics.
~*~
Robert sat down heavily. “I’m… going to need a moment, Matthew.” He didn’t realize until he sat down that Mary was firmly at Matthew’s side. At least there’s that, Robert thought. If there had been a fear in his mind when Matthew began telling him his horror story, it was that Mary would react badly.
“Would you like a drink?” Matthew asked with concern. He walked over to the bar and poured a drink for him. “I’m very sorry that this is all coming to a head right now. Unfortunately in order for my plan to work, it had to be done before the Duke has time to think about the implications of my remembering him.”
“Your plan is mad,” Robert said after a long moment. “It may not work.” He wanted it to work, he had to admit it. After the sickening story Matthew had just told, what he wanted most was to take the smarmy Duke of Crowborough out to the barn and personally horsewhip him to death.
“It is mad, and it could fail,” Matthew agreed as he handed him the glass of brandy, “but the alternative can’t be allowed. “
“I somehow knew you’d say that. And I agree.” Robert stood up. “And the family will stand behind you if your plan fails.”
“So we’ll all go down together,” Matthew said.
“You’re family, and this was not of your choosing,” Robert said easily. “If standing by you means we’re shunned, then at least next year’s Christmas season won’t be as expensive. Mary?” He didn’t anticipate a problem, Mary had proven herself a steady hand with what Matthew’s apparent death and return had thrown at her. But it was ugly and it would hurt her to know just how terribly Matthew had been treated.
Much to his surprise, she smiled. “I think the plan is brilliant and his grace is going to react exactly as you think he will, Matthew. And if he doesn’t, he’s still going to pay, and I still have my husband.”
“In fairness, I have given you ample reason to divorce me,” Matthew said, a touch of humor entering his voice, despite it all. “Although technically inviting the men you were dating while you thought I was dead to this party was a bit odd.”
“Are we fighting?” Mary said, smiling more.
“I think so, but I suspect we shouldn’t be smirking, and giggling when this starts,” Matthew said.
“I agree,” Robert said. He didn’t want to chide them too much, it was too heartening to see the two of them happy despite the awful things Matthew had just described. But it wouldn’t do to have them giggling with delight like two children getting extra dessert. There was a knock at the door, and Charles Blake entered, followed by the Duke of Crowborough. Blake looked worried and pale, while the Duke managed to not look surprised.
He gestured to Matthew, his entire stance betraying his amusement. “Are we to have a confrontation, Crawley? I genuinely didn’t think you were that foolish… but then you did have that blow to your head. Are you sure you want your lovely wife here?”
Matthew set down the glass he’d been holding. “I think we both know how little concern or respect you hold for my wife. However, I don’t think you realize that this is more of a courtesy than anything else. I’ve already spoken to the police. There’s an Inspector Marsh here to arrest you.”
Robert was pleased to see the flash of fear that crossed the man’s face. The Duke covered it quickly, but it was there. “Oh Crawley… or perhaps, just for old times sake, I should call you John? Don’t you understand that this won’t hurt anyone but you?”
“No,” Matthew said pleasantly. He smiled slightly. “Why don’t you explain it to me?”
“You’ll have your moment of embarrassing me, that I don’t deny,” the Duke said it easily, “But I outrank you in the peerage, and even before your… adventures in ditch digging, you were the bottom of the barrel, inheriting because there was nothing left in the Grantham line but the middle class dregs. And what an accusation you’re going to make, that I am a homosexual and I sodomized you at my estate. Only, you don’t see that even if you have Mr. Blake here join you in disgrace and back up your story, all of my servants and anyone you happen to remember as a guest will vehemently deny they even saw you in my home, let alone in my bed.” He made a point to reach out and adjust Matthew’s shirt in a way that was almost affectionate. “You always did manage to look good in clothes. It’s a pity your father in law here has no idea how pretty you look in footman livery. Robert, I trust you understand, even if your dolt of a son in law doesn’t, that I will ruin all of you.”
“Oh, I doubt that, your grace,” Robert said evenly. He realized suddenly that Matthew was right. The Duke’s arrogance was going to seal his fate. “Matthew, why don’t you explain?”
Matthew nodded, the slight smile still on his face. “Thank you, Robert.” He eyed the Duke, his eyes suddenly cold and steely. “I think, your grace, that you’ve badly misunderstood the situation. The inspector isn’t here to arrest you for forcible sodomy. They’re here to arrest you for murder.”
“Murder?” the Duke said. It was noticeable, Robert thought with no small amount of satisfaction, to see the smarmy little worm begin to squirm.
“And attempted murder,” Matthew said. “My attempted murder, to be clear. Also unlawful assault, and I have whip scars for proof, and since I was never paid a cent, the inspector intends to add unlawful enslavement as a charge, but really, it’s all the murders that caused Inspector Marsh to insist on driving out to arrest you. I know you think I’m quite daft in the head. Frankly, that I have had memory problems works against me. That’s why I called the police near your estate and directed them to the ravine where you left me that night. So that my story could be proven before you had a chance to clean up the evidence.” He chuckled darkly. “The truth is that until the last day or so, I didn’t remember your name but I did remember that last night, where you stood over me and kicked me and told me how lucky I was to not be killed. As soon as you were gone…. I looked around, and I realized exactly how lucky I was. I told the inspector that he’d find at least six bodies, that’s how many I counted that night…. But you know he found fourteen, don’t you?” Matthew waited a long moment. “A few of them were still in the remains of their livery. I’ve already told the inspector how I was beaten, whipped, and left for dead, and Mr. Blake here intends to testify that he saw me in your home serving you as a footman. If you *want* to mention that you also sodomized me… well, you certainly can, but you’re a monster who likes to beat and kill your servants and you’re going to hang for it. Your accusing me of homosexuality will, of course, titillate, but most people will see it for what it is, a murderer desperately trying to drag down an innocent man. If this was just my word against yours, you’d win. But fourteen dead men on your property and a fellow peer, admittedly lower ranked, able to testify just how he almost joined the pile, with the scars to prove it… You’re going to hang.”
The Duke seemed to internalize it. He drew himself upright. “If I am caught, I can still destroy you. So I’ll hang. You’ll still be an accused homosexual. Before I’m done, everyone will know that I had you, and so did almost every man who visited my estate.”
“Of course,” Matthew said agreeably. “You might want to remember though, that between the trial and your appeal, before you hang, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in prison. I have no intention of accusing you of any sexual misconduct. So as much as you might enjoy bragging about how you sodomized and raped me, the unpleasant reality is that you’ll be in prison as an admitted ponce.” Matthew gestured for Bates to step forward. “My valet, Bates, has spent time in prison. Bates, would you let his grace know what happens to known homosexuals?”
Bates smiled. “It wasn’t my taste, but the ones who made it known? Were passed around like whores every night. The guards didn’t care. I saw two guards just walk away when one poof was dragged into a cell. They don’t care. They especially won’t care about a murdering queer waiting on an appeal.” He nodded to Matthew. “Mr. Crawley is doing you a favor. A murdering duke will get a bit of respect… a peer who likes to have sex with men would be fair game.”
“It’s your choice,” Matthew said.
“And if you think this family won’t stand behind Matthew on this,” Robert said firmly, “you can put that idea out of your head.”
The Duke glared at him with hard, furious eyes. For a long moment, all the Duke did was stare at them, his facial muscles twitching. Finally, he stepped up to Mary, and smirked at her. “You know he liked it, don’t you? I’m sure he’ll make a show of protesting, but he used to beg me for it. It was quite sweet really, my pretty little fox asking what my pleasure was, made all the more delightful knowing that as he bowed and scraped and made himself a whore for me, you and your whole family was weeping over his grave. “He laughed. “Oh your expression just now will keep me warm in prison, Lady Mary.”
“That’s amusing, your grace,” Mary said coldly. “So amusing, my personal inclination is to tell Matthew to describe in detail the terrible things you did so that you will be handed around the prison yard like a fresh new whore. It’d be worth all the talk just to know your last few days before you were publically executed were spent face down in a prison bed getting exactly the same treatment you gave my husband.” She looked him in the eye, her rage well controlled. “You might be amused to know that I had entertained the idea of murdering you this afternoon. Accidents happen…. I’m quite convinced, and so is Matthew, that had he not left the hunt that you were planning a similar accident for him. Mr. Bates convinced me not to risk prison over you. So this will have to do.” She snatched up the brandy bottle on the bar and smashed it into the side of his face, sending him to the floor.
The Duke scrambled to his feet, blood running down his face. It was, Robert thought with no small amount of pride, a well landed blow. The man’s face was going carry those scars for as long as he lived, which was at best a year. “How dare you!” The Duke sputtered.
“I thought it appropriate,” Mary said coldly. “Just in case you do feel like telling stories, you can look in the mirror and remember why it’s not a good idea.” She turned to Robert. “Are we to the point where we can have the inspector take this piece of filth away?”
Robert nodded. “Bates, please fetch the inspector.” As Bates left, Robert turned to the Duke. “Feel free to make as much of a fuss as you like.”
“Yes,” Matthew said pleasantly, “we’ll need to explain why you’re being led away in handcuffs, regardless. But do remember, you can make your time in prison as pleasant or as painful as you want….”
“I should have killed you,” the Duke snarled. He dove at Matthew and punched him in the face. In seconds Robert was pulling the Duke away while Blake was holding Matthew back.
“I say, that’s enough,” said a new voice. It was the inspector, Marsh, a tall, older man with a Scottish accent. Robert gripped the squirming man tightly while Blake waited a moment before letting go of Matthew. The inspector took out his handcuffs. “I don’t blame you for wanting a word with this monster before I arrest him, Crawley, but I can’t let you beat him to death in front of me. More’s the pity.”
“You can’t arrest me!” the Duke protested wildly, his voice suddenly desperate.
“After what I found in that bloody ravine,” Marsh hissed as he roughly handcuffed the man, “I should let Crawley beat you to death. You might as well stop protesting. Bill Murdoch at the workhouse is already under arrest and he’s already confessed that he sent Crawley and the others to you.” The inspector gestured to Matthew. “After all I’d heard about him, I wasn’t keen on taking directions from a man who couldn’t even remember his name but by god, I’m glad I did. Fourteen dead men… “Not only did he had a Scottish accent, Robert realized, the man had a voice that carried and the door to the library was now open. Some of the guests were starting to watch the spectacle, and that only seemed to make the inspector get louder as he began dragging the Duke out into the hallway, almost shouting that the Duke was being arrested for multiple murders and attempted murder.
There was a tense moment as the Duke saw the guests pouring into the entrance hall. Robert held his breath. It was the best time, the best opportunity the Duke would ever have, to ruin Matthew. Once the man was jailed, the admission would lose its power, as Matthew had said. Then, it would look like a desperate attempt at revenge. Now, it would be a heat of the moment utterance, something that would stick in peoples minds and stay.
The Duke’s face twitched again. He opened his mouth, and then closed it. His shoulders slumped and he lowered his head. Oh thank god, Robert thought. It worked. It was going to be unpleasant beyond belief and there would be the trial, but Matthew wouldn’t be ruined. The inspector had brought a man with him, who quickly arrested Hightower as an accomplice. Within the space of ten minutes he had the entire household milling about in a controlled fashion, looking quite shell shocked. “Everyone, I know this is all quite shocking. Carson, have the footmen bring some drinks to the parlor. Dinner will be delayed for a few moments and then we’ll give you all a detailed account of what just happened.” He waited until the crowd dispersed a bit to ask, “Matthew, are you up for this?”
“I have to be, don’t I?” Matthew said, his voice shaky. “Don’t look so worried, Robert. Remember, this is exactly how I wanted the evening to end, my explaining to a large group of people how I was almost murdered.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s not difficult,” Mary said quickly. “I will be right at your side.”
“Holding a bottle of brandy to strike people with if they get too forward?” Matthew said after a moment. “That was a surprise. “
“So was your brilliant plan,” she said. She put her arm around him and kissed him. “Now, let’s get your eye some ice and get you a clean shirt so you don’t look too frightful when you tell our guests about how unpleasant this all was.”
Unpleasant, Robert thought, was an understatement. And truth be told, he was still worried. What the Duke had said to Mary, it had cut her to the quick, he’d seen it on her face. Once this nightmare of a weekend party is over, he vowed they wouldn’t have another.
~*~
It was a surprise to have both Matthew and Tom pop into the servants hall but John Bates had to admit, it was a blessed relief as well. It had been worrisome that Matthew had slipped out of the house, presumably to go on the shoot with the others. In order to please Robert, most likely, it wasn’t subtle that Robert was wanting and hoping that things would return to normal by having the party. Both he and Tom looked pale and worried as they waved their hands for everyone to sit down.
“No need for anyone to get up,” Matthew said easily. “Mr. Branson and I got turned around in the shoot and ended up quite far afield. Are the others back yet?”
“Not yet,” Carson said, “but likely soon, within the hour.”
“Please have someone sent out to the field to let Lord Grantham know that Mr. Branson and I aren’t dead in the woods, Carson. I wouldn’t want his lordship to worry. Bates, may I have a word?”
“Of course,” he said. He followed Matthew into the hallway.
“Tom, you know your part. And thank you again for driving me. I’ll need a little more practice before I’m comfortable with it.” Matthew waited until Tom was gone before he began to speak. “I need you to do me a favor, Bates. I am expecting an Inspector Marsh within the next two hours. He’s driving in from far west of here. Please make sure to let me know when he arrives and make sure he’s kept out of sight of the guests. He knows to use the servants entrance but please make sure he’s provided some hospitality. He should arrive before the main dinner. I also will need to know when Lord Grantham returns from the shooting. Finally, the Duke of Crowborough’s valet is likely to be watching me closely. Is there someone you can trust to keep an eye on him so that the Duke has no warning about Inspector Marsh?”
Oh dear god what are you going to do, Bates thought. “I can certainly assist. I’ll ask Mr. Barrow to keep an eye on Mr. Hightower,” since that had been arranged already, “but… if I might ask, what’s going on?”
Matthew stood firmly. “The odds are that I am going to ruin this otherwise delightful party, Bates. I’m going to be giving Lord Grantham some very unpleasant news that will embroil the family in scandal. I’ve done my best to see to it that the worst might not hit the newspapers but frankly, it’s going to be a mess. Please let Anna know that Lady Mary will probably need her support later this evening. Do you know where Lady Mary is, by any chance?”
“Your memory…. You’ve recalled something, haven’t you?” Of course he had, the question was what he intended to reveal.
“I’ve recalled everything, Bates.” Matthew said. “And I have to thank you for being discreet about what I asked you last night. I assume you put some clues together and have some idea of what might come out tonight.”
“Yes… are you quite certain you want to make an accusation?” There was no way that Bates could see that Matthew Crawley didn’t end up ruined if he accused the Duke of Crowborough of raping him. As he and Barrow discussed it, he’d seen the unpleasant truth. Matthew would at best see the Duke prosecuted but would also bear the stigma of having been with a man sexually. If people didn’t blame him, it would be because they assumed the accident had turned him simple in the head. And since he no longer seemed dazed or easily tricked, most would assume he was a homosexual who was taking revenge.
“It’s already done, Bates… but it’s not the accusation you think. In fact, once Lord Grantham is available, please ask the Duke of Crowborough to join us. And Mr. Blake. If Mr. Blake balks, tell him I said it was time to be a brave man… but I don’t think he’ll balk. You should come as well. His grace might find your experiences in prison helpful to a decision he’ll need to make.”
“Do you not understand that he will ruin you?” Bates couldn’t help it, Matthew was acting so nonchalant about it. He didn’t understand it. If nothing else, he knew the man was clever, certainly clever enough to know that the Duke would take him down and destroy his reputation just for spite.
Matthew shrugged. “Yes. There’s a good chance I will at best become a pathetic laughingstock. If it happens, it does. It already has, really. I’m not deaf, I’ve heard the muttering how I’m not a gentleman since the first day I walked into this house, years ago. Now, after a year where I dug ditches, worked in the field, and waited tables, where I even was incarcerated in several workhouses, I can hear the muttering even more and it’s not coming from just the servants but any number of guests. But there’s something bigger going on. When you see what happens tonight, you’ll understand why I couldn’t simply hide the unpleasantness.” He paused. “For what it’s worth, there’s a very good chance the Duke will handle his arrest without a word about my more unpleasant duties in his household.”
That raised his curiosity. “Why would he stay silent?”
“You’ll see. Now please do as I asked. And,” Matthew took a deep breath, “Do you know where Lady Mary is? I have something difficult to tell her, before this starts. She deserves to know before this… all blows up.”
“I believe she’s in the library.” Bates wondered again if anyone ever considered how lucky Matthew was. As difficult as the topic was, his wife was going to accept it and treat it the way it deserved to be treated.
~*~
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Mary said again. She made a point of not letting her rage enter her voice. He would misunderstand and that was something she didn’t want to happen. “You have done nothing wrong, Matthew. The only people I am angry with are the ones who treated you so brutally.” She regretted not going out to the shooting and ‘accidently’ blowing the Duke of Crowborough’s face off.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. He was looking down, like he couldn’t face her.
“For what? For being held down in a field by six cruel bastards and sodomized against your will?” She almost laughed. She didn’t, because it would certainly make it worse. “That’s like… like blaming you for being shot in the war. Or for the car accident.”
He looked stricken. “I was driving too fast. I was too excited and I wasn’t paying attention. This nightmare you’ve been through is because of me. And now… even if my plan works, there will always be rumors. You should have divorced me.”
She wanted to slap him. Instead she grabbed him and pulled him into her arms. “The car accident was an *accident*, Matthew. A comedy of errors all around. It was an accident that you were hurt and that Dr. Clarkson made such a terrible mistake. That is all it was… and everything that came after is because of the cruelty of others.” She could feel him trembling in her arms. “You weren’t to blame for what those men did. I don’t blame you because I know how badly hurt you were. I also know that if this was reversed, if I had been violated against my will, you would insist that I wasn’t at fault, and you’d be right. I love you, and I do not blame you for…. For not being able to fight six men off when they were all attacking you.” And if I know it was more than that, she thought as she held him, it can wait, and it doesn’t matter anyway. It was over, it was never going to happen again. As awful as it was, she knew it was worse for him, having to admit it. I have to be very careful, she thought. “There’s nothing for me to forgive, Matthew. You didn’t betray me, you didn’t choose for this to happen, you certainly didn’t want to have a terrible car accident the day George was born, and you certainly didn’t want to …. Be used in such a terrible way.” She let go of her embrace, so that she could look him in the eye. “I have thanked God every day since you returned to me, Matthew. Every single day, I find myself wondering what I did to deserve such a miracle. I never want to be without you again. The only thing about the awfulness that you’ve described that upsets me is knowing that if your plan works, the Duke of Crowborough won’t be punished for *all* of the awful things he did.”
It did burn at her, that the bastard would be strung up on the gallows but not for all of it. That and the cold reality that the only reason Matthew would get any justice at all was due to his recalling something even more unspeakably awful.
“It might not work…. The plan, I mean.” Matthew looked at her, his eyes intent. “The worst could get out.”
“You would have stood by me if our roles were reversed. What is the worst, Matthew? A scandal over what, that you were forced to have sex with a man? While you were so dazed from a head injury you didn’t even know your name?” Mary waited a long moment.“ If this unpleasantness is revealed, anyone who judges you or mocks you won’t be welcome here as long as I live. You never judged me over…. Over Kemal, and I was far less innocent in that than you were in this. I love you, and that will never change even if god forbid you slept with the Prince of Wales.”
“I didn’t…. I don’t think I slept with the Prince of Wales,” Matthew said after a moment. “I suppose your father will be pleased to hear that.” Then he laughed. He actually laughed and after a moment, so did she. It was so madly awful.
“Your plan is brilliant,” she said simply. “It will work, I have no doubt. But you should get dressed for dinner.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “I will be at your side tonight, and every night, no matter what is or isn’t revealed.”
“I don’t deserve you,” he said easily.
“Yes, you do. I’m the one who doesn’t deserve this miracle.” It was easy to say because it was true, she thought as he left the parlor. If the worst came out, she would still have everything she wanted, but truth be told, she didn’t want Matthew to face that sort of public scorn, not on top of everything else. She waited a moment and then began to step towards the door, when suddenly Tony Gillingham entered the room.
“Lady Mary,” Tony said as he blocked her exit and closed the door, “I was hoping to have a word with you.”
She bit back a curse. “Tony, this is quite possibly the worst possible time for you to do this.”
He managed to look hurt. “Mary…. I just want to hear it from you, that you think…. That you’re happy with a man who is barely able to hold a drink and who doesn’t seem to know which end is up unless you tell him. Does that really make you happy, Mary?” He cocked his head. “I can’t blame you for choosing him. Your father’s heir and handsome to boot. I can even imagine when you married him that he might have been a catch, but now? He spent the morning throwing up and the afternoon getting lost in the woods. Tonight at dinner, when you sit right beside him, will you be reminding him to not use his fingers?”
She slapped him across the face. “Damn it, Tony! I understand that you feel hurt and betrayed, and I do feel badly that I unwittingly caused you to break off an engagement, but Matthew is my husband, and I love him and you have no idea how much difficulty he’s had. Tonight’s dinner, “ and she laughed again, despite herself, “I’d tell you to get out of this house right now, I’m that angry with what you just said, but I hope what happens tonight opens your eyes to how marriage is about far more than looks and appearances and why you and I would never have lasted in marriage. Grow up, Tony.” She shoved him out of the way and stormed off. The last thing she needed was his dramatics.
~*~
Robert sat down heavily. “I’m… going to need a moment, Matthew.” He didn’t realize until he sat down that Mary was firmly at Matthew’s side. At least there’s that, Robert thought. If there had been a fear in his mind when Matthew began telling him his horror story, it was that Mary would react badly.
“Would you like a drink?” Matthew asked with concern. He walked over to the bar and poured a drink for him. “I’m very sorry that this is all coming to a head right now. Unfortunately in order for my plan to work, it had to be done before the Duke has time to think about the implications of my remembering him.”
“Your plan is mad,” Robert said after a long moment. “It may not work.” He wanted it to work, he had to admit it. After the sickening story Matthew had just told, what he wanted most was to take the smarmy Duke of Crowborough out to the barn and personally horsewhip him to death.
“It is mad, and it could fail,” Matthew agreed as he handed him the glass of brandy, “but the alternative can’t be allowed. “
“I somehow knew you’d say that. And I agree.” Robert stood up. “And the family will stand behind you if your plan fails.”
“So we’ll all go down together,” Matthew said.
“You’re family, and this was not of your choosing,” Robert said easily. “If standing by you means we’re shunned, then at least next year’s Christmas season won’t be as expensive. Mary?” He didn’t anticipate a problem, Mary had proven herself a steady hand with what Matthew’s apparent death and return had thrown at her. But it was ugly and it would hurt her to know just how terribly Matthew had been treated.
Much to his surprise, she smiled. “I think the plan is brilliant and his grace is going to react exactly as you think he will, Matthew. And if he doesn’t, he’s still going to pay, and I still have my husband.”
“In fairness, I have given you ample reason to divorce me,” Matthew said, a touch of humor entering his voice, despite it all. “Although technically inviting the men you were dating while you thought I was dead to this party was a bit odd.”
“Are we fighting?” Mary said, smiling more.
“I think so, but I suspect we shouldn’t be smirking, and giggling when this starts,” Matthew said.
“I agree,” Robert said. He didn’t want to chide them too much, it was too heartening to see the two of them happy despite the awful things Matthew had just described. But it wouldn’t do to have them giggling with delight like two children getting extra dessert. There was a knock at the door, and Charles Blake entered, followed by the Duke of Crowborough. Blake looked worried and pale, while the Duke managed to not look surprised.
He gestured to Matthew, his entire stance betraying his amusement. “Are we to have a confrontation, Crawley? I genuinely didn’t think you were that foolish… but then you did have that blow to your head. Are you sure you want your lovely wife here?”
Matthew set down the glass he’d been holding. “I think we both know how little concern or respect you hold for my wife. However, I don’t think you realize that this is more of a courtesy than anything else. I’ve already spoken to the police. There’s an Inspector Marsh here to arrest you.”
Robert was pleased to see the flash of fear that crossed the man’s face. The Duke covered it quickly, but it was there. “Oh Crawley… or perhaps, just for old times sake, I should call you John? Don’t you understand that this won’t hurt anyone but you?”
“No,” Matthew said pleasantly. He smiled slightly. “Why don’t you explain it to me?”
“You’ll have your moment of embarrassing me, that I don’t deny,” the Duke said it easily, “But I outrank you in the peerage, and even before your… adventures in ditch digging, you were the bottom of the barrel, inheriting because there was nothing left in the Grantham line but the middle class dregs. And what an accusation you’re going to make, that I am a homosexual and I sodomized you at my estate. Only, you don’t see that even if you have Mr. Blake here join you in disgrace and back up your story, all of my servants and anyone you happen to remember as a guest will vehemently deny they even saw you in my home, let alone in my bed.” He made a point to reach out and adjust Matthew’s shirt in a way that was almost affectionate. “You always did manage to look good in clothes. It’s a pity your father in law here has no idea how pretty you look in footman livery. Robert, I trust you understand, even if your dolt of a son in law doesn’t, that I will ruin all of you.”
“Oh, I doubt that, your grace,” Robert said evenly. He realized suddenly that Matthew was right. The Duke’s arrogance was going to seal his fate. “Matthew, why don’t you explain?”
Matthew nodded, the slight smile still on his face. “Thank you, Robert.” He eyed the Duke, his eyes suddenly cold and steely. “I think, your grace, that you’ve badly misunderstood the situation. The inspector isn’t here to arrest you for forcible sodomy. They’re here to arrest you for murder.”
“Murder?” the Duke said. It was noticeable, Robert thought with no small amount of satisfaction, to see the smarmy little worm begin to squirm.
“And attempted murder,” Matthew said. “My attempted murder, to be clear. Also unlawful assault, and I have whip scars for proof, and since I was never paid a cent, the inspector intends to add unlawful enslavement as a charge, but really, it’s all the murders that caused Inspector Marsh to insist on driving out to arrest you. I know you think I’m quite daft in the head. Frankly, that I have had memory problems works against me. That’s why I called the police near your estate and directed them to the ravine where you left me that night. So that my story could be proven before you had a chance to clean up the evidence.” He chuckled darkly. “The truth is that until the last day or so, I didn’t remember your name but I did remember that last night, where you stood over me and kicked me and told me how lucky I was to not be killed. As soon as you were gone…. I looked around, and I realized exactly how lucky I was. I told the inspector that he’d find at least six bodies, that’s how many I counted that night…. But you know he found fourteen, don’t you?” Matthew waited a long moment. “A few of them were still in the remains of their livery. I’ve already told the inspector how I was beaten, whipped, and left for dead, and Mr. Blake here intends to testify that he saw me in your home serving you as a footman. If you *want* to mention that you also sodomized me… well, you certainly can, but you’re a monster who likes to beat and kill your servants and you’re going to hang for it. Your accusing me of homosexuality will, of course, titillate, but most people will see it for what it is, a murderer desperately trying to drag down an innocent man. If this was just my word against yours, you’d win. But fourteen dead men on your property and a fellow peer, admittedly lower ranked, able to testify just how he almost joined the pile, with the scars to prove it… You’re going to hang.”
The Duke seemed to internalize it. He drew himself upright. “If I am caught, I can still destroy you. So I’ll hang. You’ll still be an accused homosexual. Before I’m done, everyone will know that I had you, and so did almost every man who visited my estate.”
“Of course,” Matthew said agreeably. “You might want to remember though, that between the trial and your appeal, before you hang, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in prison. I have no intention of accusing you of any sexual misconduct. So as much as you might enjoy bragging about how you sodomized and raped me, the unpleasant reality is that you’ll be in prison as an admitted ponce.” Matthew gestured for Bates to step forward. “My valet, Bates, has spent time in prison. Bates, would you let his grace know what happens to known homosexuals?”
Bates smiled. “It wasn’t my taste, but the ones who made it known? Were passed around like whores every night. The guards didn’t care. I saw two guards just walk away when one poof was dragged into a cell. They don’t care. They especially won’t care about a murdering queer waiting on an appeal.” He nodded to Matthew. “Mr. Crawley is doing you a favor. A murdering duke will get a bit of respect… a peer who likes to have sex with men would be fair game.”
“It’s your choice,” Matthew said.
“And if you think this family won’t stand behind Matthew on this,” Robert said firmly, “you can put that idea out of your head.”
The Duke glared at him with hard, furious eyes. For a long moment, all the Duke did was stare at them, his facial muscles twitching. Finally, he stepped up to Mary, and smirked at her. “You know he liked it, don’t you? I’m sure he’ll make a show of protesting, but he used to beg me for it. It was quite sweet really, my pretty little fox asking what my pleasure was, made all the more delightful knowing that as he bowed and scraped and made himself a whore for me, you and your whole family was weeping over his grave. “He laughed. “Oh your expression just now will keep me warm in prison, Lady Mary.”
“That’s amusing, your grace,” Mary said coldly. “So amusing, my personal inclination is to tell Matthew to describe in detail the terrible things you did so that you will be handed around the prison yard like a fresh new whore. It’d be worth all the talk just to know your last few days before you were publically executed were spent face down in a prison bed getting exactly the same treatment you gave my husband.” She looked him in the eye, her rage well controlled. “You might be amused to know that I had entertained the idea of murdering you this afternoon. Accidents happen…. I’m quite convinced, and so is Matthew, that had he not left the hunt that you were planning a similar accident for him. Mr. Bates convinced me not to risk prison over you. So this will have to do.” She snatched up the brandy bottle on the bar and smashed it into the side of his face, sending him to the floor.
The Duke scrambled to his feet, blood running down his face. It was, Robert thought with no small amount of pride, a well landed blow. The man’s face was going carry those scars for as long as he lived, which was at best a year. “How dare you!” The Duke sputtered.
“I thought it appropriate,” Mary said coldly. “Just in case you do feel like telling stories, you can look in the mirror and remember why it’s not a good idea.” She turned to Robert. “Are we to the point where we can have the inspector take this piece of filth away?”
Robert nodded. “Bates, please fetch the inspector.” As Bates left, Robert turned to the Duke. “Feel free to make as much of a fuss as you like.”
“Yes,” Matthew said pleasantly, “we’ll need to explain why you’re being led away in handcuffs, regardless. But do remember, you can make your time in prison as pleasant or as painful as you want….”
“I should have killed you,” the Duke snarled. He dove at Matthew and punched him in the face. In seconds Robert was pulling the Duke away while Blake was holding Matthew back.
“I say, that’s enough,” said a new voice. It was the inspector, Marsh, a tall, older man with a Scottish accent. Robert gripped the squirming man tightly while Blake waited a moment before letting go of Matthew. The inspector took out his handcuffs. “I don’t blame you for wanting a word with this monster before I arrest him, Crawley, but I can’t let you beat him to death in front of me. More’s the pity.”
“You can’t arrest me!” the Duke protested wildly, his voice suddenly desperate.
“After what I found in that bloody ravine,” Marsh hissed as he roughly handcuffed the man, “I should let Crawley beat you to death. You might as well stop protesting. Bill Murdoch at the workhouse is already under arrest and he’s already confessed that he sent Crawley and the others to you.” The inspector gestured to Matthew. “After all I’d heard about him, I wasn’t keen on taking directions from a man who couldn’t even remember his name but by god, I’m glad I did. Fourteen dead men… “Not only did he had a Scottish accent, Robert realized, the man had a voice that carried and the door to the library was now open. Some of the guests were starting to watch the spectacle, and that only seemed to make the inspector get louder as he began dragging the Duke out into the hallway, almost shouting that the Duke was being arrested for multiple murders and attempted murder.
There was a tense moment as the Duke saw the guests pouring into the entrance hall. Robert held his breath. It was the best time, the best opportunity the Duke would ever have, to ruin Matthew. Once the man was jailed, the admission would lose its power, as Matthew had said. Then, it would look like a desperate attempt at revenge. Now, it would be a heat of the moment utterance, something that would stick in peoples minds and stay.
The Duke’s face twitched again. He opened his mouth, and then closed it. His shoulders slumped and he lowered his head. Oh thank god, Robert thought. It worked. It was going to be unpleasant beyond belief and there would be the trial, but Matthew wouldn’t be ruined. The inspector had brought a man with him, who quickly arrested Hightower as an accomplice. Within the space of ten minutes he had the entire household milling about in a controlled fashion, looking quite shell shocked. “Everyone, I know this is all quite shocking. Carson, have the footmen bring some drinks to the parlor. Dinner will be delayed for a few moments and then we’ll give you all a detailed account of what just happened.” He waited until the crowd dispersed a bit to ask, “Matthew, are you up for this?”
“I have to be, don’t I?” Matthew said, his voice shaky. “Don’t look so worried, Robert. Remember, this is exactly how I wanted the evening to end, my explaining to a large group of people how I was almost murdered.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s not difficult,” Mary said quickly. “I will be right at your side.”
“Holding a bottle of brandy to strike people with if they get too forward?” Matthew said after a moment. “That was a surprise. “
“So was your brilliant plan,” she said. She put her arm around him and kissed him. “Now, let’s get your eye some ice and get you a clean shirt so you don’t look too frightful when you tell our guests about how unpleasant this all was.”
Unpleasant, Robert thought, was an understatement. And truth be told, he was still worried. What the Duke had said to Mary, it had cut her to the quick, he’d seen it on her face. Once this nightmare of a weekend party is over, he vowed they wouldn’t have another.
~*~