#branson x Mary

[gaitwae]

Hey! Where Cupid’s Arrow Lies updates every Friday! Hope to see you there! Special thanks to @angelswing236, @megthemewlingquim and @ask-the-almighty-google for your help!

Pairings: Tom Branson/Mary Crawley, Matthew Crawley/Lavinia Swire

Rating: Mature for mentions of Kemal Pamuk

Summary:

When his wife Sybil dies of the Spanish Influenza in April, 1919, Tom Branson is left in Downton Abbey with no way back to Ireland and no money to start over again. He’s essentially trapped.

When Matthew leaves for America in June, 1919, Mary has to reevaluate her character, her life, and what she wants when her fiancé becomes the earl. She’s got no one to lean on.

They’re left alone in that big house with nothing but a stack of books and a yearning for memories. So, what’s a pair to do?

[such-g00d-luck]

you know it hits hard

[autumnrose11]

For ship ask: Mary/Matthew and Sybil/Tom

First of all, I would like to say a great big SORRY for answering this so late! I’ve finally got round to answering this.

So.......Mary/Matthew.

What made me ship it: Strangely, this question is difficult to answer because I don’t know where to begin. I suppose.... what made me really ship them in the first place was that they are so healthy, and both during their convoluted courtship and their married life, it’s so obvious that they respect each other. They bring out the best in each other. They complement each other and accept one another just the way they are, flaws and all. They enjoy each other’s company. They share the same sense of humour. Their love is unconditional, their chemistry explosive and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Their adoration for one another is so beautifully GENUINE and believable. More than anything, though, I think I ship them because they made me believe for the first time in true love.

So all of those factors morphed together and made me fall hopelessly in love with them, both individually and as a couple :)

Favourite things about the ship: All of the things mentioned above, plus some other stuff. Such as the fact that when they do fight and argue, the fights are always, always healthy. They get into a furious argument and still get into bed with each other. They hold their love above everything. There’s also the fact that they can be emotionally vulnerable with each other. They are the only people who can access the other’s heart and they know the deepest core of each other. There’s such a deep level of intimacy they share which is so beautiful to watch. I love the way they work as a team, they are in a partnership together and they are really good friends who are so comfortable around each other. All of this in addition to being physically attracted and having spades of sexual chemistry. They can be silly and goofy around one another which is adorable! (MATTHEW’S BED FLOP. AGH. And Mary’s silly miming during charades in the S2CS. She looked so cute!)

Unpopular opinion I have about the ship: An unpopular opinion.... Hmmm. I don’t know if this counts, but.... I just think Lavinia should not have been killed off. She should have broken it off with Matthew, leave and marry a man whose heart was hers and hers alone. That’s the only sort-of unpopular opinion I have about this ship. Other than that, no.... I love everything about them, even the angst and heartbreak and pining and when they are both being idiots!

Now for Sybil and Tom.

What made me ship it: I think they’re interesting together, but no, I don’t think they’re a truly good couple.

Favourite things about the ship: I like that they overcome all odds to be together... the daughter of an earl marrying a chauffeur was, needless to say, a massive step down in society and I admire Sybil for having the guts to do it. I also like that (in the first season) they have a shared interest in politics and women’s rights and the way Tom encourages her :) Also, BABY SYBBIE. That moment between them after the baby was born was very sweet.

Unpopular opinions I have about the ship: Now for the unpopular opinions. I have a few. (To all the S/T shippers.... I’m really sorry, I don’t mean any offence :))

During S1, I liked them and I thought their slowly burgeoning love was cute and sweet. During S2, though... I didn’t care for them much. Much of the season was spent by Tom being a bit pushy, badgering Sybil and trying to convince her to run away with him, and on some occasions even putting her down, showing his resentment towards her family and acting like he knew better than her, which sort of rubbed me the wrong way. The adoration and tenderness was missing in S2.

I also got the feeling that Sybil didn’t fall in love with Tom for the person he was. While agreeing to marry him, she says, “I’m ready to travel..... and you’re my ticket.” It sounds like the only reason she married him was because she wanted a way out of her life, not because she genuinely cared for him as a person.

Plus, there’s the fact that compared to the other main developing couples on the show in the first three seasons (Matthew/Mary and Bates/Anna) Sybil and Tom are the couple that gets the least amount of screen time. They spend S1 being friends, with Tom slowly developing a crush on Sybil. They receive permission to marry near the end of S2. We don’t get to see their wedding. They briefly return in 3x01 for Mary’s wedding. They’re absent in 3x02 and play a minimal part in 3x03. 3x04 is completely overshadowed by Tom’s exile from Ireland. That’s the last episode they’re together before Sybil dies in 3x05. So we don’t get to see much of their married life, which is another reason why I couldn’t fully get behind them and ship them wholeheartedly.

Apologies once again for taking so long to answer this! :D

[magiiicath]

— like or reblog if you save any.

[angelswing236]

"It's not your fault."

Fictober 2023

Category: Fanfiction

Fandom: Downton Abbey

‘Oh, God. I can’t believe this,’ Mary muttered, resolutely not looking behind her as she settled in her seat. ‘Mabel is glaring at me, isn’t she? I can feel her eyes burning a hole in the back of my head.’

Tom flicked a quick look at Mabel Lane Fox across the room, looking none too pleased. ‘I wouldn’t say she’s glaring, exactly. She doesn’t look happy, though.’

‘Of course, she doesn’t! She thinks I’m after her man again. I know she does.’

‘Do you want to leave?’

‘No! We can’t do that! She’d think she was right! Oh, this is a disaster.’

‘It’s all right, Mary. It’s not your fault,’ Tom said, soothingly.

She looked up, glaring at him. ‘No, you’re right. It’s your fault!’

Tom’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘My fault? How is it my fault?’

‘Because you wanted to come here!’

‘Er, hang on a moment, you said we should go out tonight and not just lounge around at Rosamund’s again,’ Tom said, indignantly.

‘Yes, but you chose the restaurant!’

‘Yes, but I didn’t know Tony would be here, did I? I’m not a mind reader.’

Mary groaned, rubbing her forehead. ‘Oh, Tom, I worked so hard to get rid of him, but now after bumping into him this afternoon and again this evening, he thinks I’m sniffing around him again! I can see it in his face! And so does Mabel!’

‘Well, just tell him you’re not interested again. That should do the trick,’ Tom said, confidently.

‘Will it? It took Charles Blake pushing me up against a wall and kissing me to get the message through last time.’

Tom glanced up, seeing Tony Gillingham threading his way amongst the tables towards them. ‘Oh, stand by your beds. He’s coming over.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ Mary muttered, blowing out an irritated sigh.

‘Do you trust me?’ Tom said in a low voice, an idea occurring to him.

‘What? Of course, I do,’ Mary said, crabbily. ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’

‘No time to explain. Just follow my lead.’

‘What?’ Mary said, puzzled, and then pasted a smile on her face as Tom got to his feet, shaking hands with Tony.

‘Good to see you, Tom,’ Gillingham said, pumping Tom’s hand.

‘You too,’ Tom replied, smiling.

‘Mary, you’re looking as lovely as ever,’ Tony said, beaming at Mary, his eyes dipping to the hint of cleavage showing at her neckline.

‘Thank you,’ Mary said, ‘one does try.’

‘Would the two of you like to join me and Mabel for dinner?’ Tony continued, still gazing at Mary.

‘Oh, that’s very kind of you, but no, not tonight,’ Tom said, politely declining the offer. ‘I’ve got a bit of making up to do, haven’t I, Mary?’

‘Er, yes, you absolutely have,’ Mary agreed, going along with whatever Tom had planned to get rid of her former beau.

Tony smirked a little. ‘Why? What have you done?’

‘Oh, we’ve just had a bit of a lovers’ tiff, haven’t we, love?’ Tom said, putting his hand on Mary’s shoulder in a way that drew Tony’s gaze. ‘You know how it is sometimes. You open your mouth and say completely the wrong thing at the wrong time and your lady takes offence.’

Gillingham stared at the familiar way Tom was rubbing his thumb gently over the curve of Mary’s bare shoulder and flicked his gaze between the two of them uncertainly. ‘Lovers’ tiff?’

‘Yes, Tom’s blotted his copybook, haven’t you, darling?’ Mary said, running with Tom’s on-the-fly strategy. ‘He’s trying to wine and dine his way back into my good graces.’

‘Are you two… together?’ Tony asked, his eyebrows rising up his forehead.

‘Yes, we are,’ Tom replied, looking adoringly down at Mary.

She reached up, putting her hand over Tom’s, smiling up at him.

‘I… I didn’t know,’ Tony said, forcing a smile on his face.

‘Well, it’s very new,’ Mary said, brightly. ‘Nobody knows really.’

‘Hmm, right. Well, congratulations. I’ll have to tell Mabel. She always said you two would be perfect for each other.’

‘Did she?’ Mary squawked, taken aback by that revelation.

‘Oh, yes. Right from when she first met Tom and saw you together,’ Tony said, looking like he’d eaten something that disagreed with him.

‘Golly. She’s… um… she’s on the ball, isn’t she?’ Mary managed to say.

‘She’s usually right about these things,’ Tony said, sounding disheartened. ‘That’s why she said she’s so sure about us getting married. You know, despite… everything.’

There was an awkward silence.

‘Well, you’d probably better get back to her and let me get back to my grovelling,’ Tom said, trying to get rid of Gillingham.

‘Yes. Yes, I suppose I should. Good luck, Tom,’ Tony said, nodding half-heartedly. ‘Good night to you both.’

‘Good night,’ Mary said, her hand still over Tom’s, his thumb still rubbing her shoulder.

Tom took his seat again as Gillingham departed back towards his table, catching sight of Mabel with a face like thunder.

‘Well, that seemed to do the trick,’ he said, shooting Mary a small smile.

‘Yes. Except that now it will soon be all around town that you and I are now… well, you know.’

‘Do you care? We’re hardly down here anymore.’

‘What made you tell him that?’ Mary asked, curiously.

‘It was what you said about Charles kissing you. I thought he might back off if he thought you were spoken for. And it seemed to work.’

‘Did you believe that about Mabel? About what she thought about us?’ Mary continued, her heart thumping a little harder.

Tom shrugged, his eyes locked on Mary’s. ‘Why would he lie?’

‘But why would she think that?’

He shrugged again and glanced over at the Gillingham/Lane Fox table.

‘They’re looking over. Give me your hand.’

Mary put her hand in his and Tom raised it to his lips, keeping his eyes on hers. As his lips touched her skin, a frisson danced down her spine. Oh, she thought, her stomach somersaulting.

[panic-in-the-multiverse]

DOWNTON ABBEY

Warnings = **

x teen!reader / x child!reader / x daughter!reader / x gn!reader / x reader / x sibling!reader

I don’t own Downton Abbey or any of the characters in it , I only own the imagines that I have created in tumblr or wattpad.

Main Masterlist

DOWNTON ABBEY CHARACTERS

IMAGINE

The Rebel Crawley ** - Thomas Barrow x teen!crawley: being the youngest Crawley sibling and Thomas is your best friend + the one you come to when you face confusion about your sexuality

The Other Sister ** - Matthew Crawley x Crawley!sister: Matthew got turned down by Mary and in desperation propose to you, which you turn down knowing it was only because Matthew got turned down. Matthew however realises that he loves you and not Mary and is now desperate to prove it to you

The Matchmaker ** - Thomas Barrow x teen!Ellis!reader, Richard Ellis x teen!Ellis!reader: You are Richard Ellis little sibling and encourage Thomas and Richard to be together

SERIES

The New Worker ** - Thomas Barrow x teen!reader: Thomas Barrow has a soft spot for the new worker (platonic)

HEADCANNON

[lupine-phoenix]

Title: Fortnight Pairing: Tom Branson/Mary Crawley Summary: Tom Branson has some thoughts about his relationship with Mary Crawley.

[this-is-krikkit]

mary crawley 💕

ooh thank you for this one!!

favorite thing about her: her wit and killer lines, including at the worst of times (aka being brutally honest with her one sister left when Sybil died lmao we love a heartless (sometimes, often, but not always) Queen)

least favorite thing about her: her hipocrisy about being so privileged and thinking everything is owed to her, although i'm conflicted about it bc i sort of get the frustration: if she was a man half as smart as she is she wouldn't have struggled that much and everything truly would have gone to her with no efforts or marriages needed

favorite line: "YOU MUST PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE THINGS I SAY" AAAAAAH (oops sorry i get emotional every time)

brOTP: i have an antibrotp? as in i can't stand her friendship with tom. i hate that guy so much i wish he would have died after his kid was born instead of his wife 😭

OTP: MARY X MATTHEW FTW I LIVE IN DENIAL BYEEE. also if i absolutely had to pick a post-matthew otp, you already know how hard i ship her with mabel lane hehehehe

nOTP: flat faced 1 dimensional henry 🤮🤮 snake faced pale-copy-of-early-matthew-banter charles 🤮🤮 pretty but shallow forgothisname sexfriend 🤮

random headcanon: no man deserved for her to give them the time of the day after matthew died and she was actually attracted to mabel lane, but too formated by her stereotypes and traditions to cross that barrier. a Shame™️

unpopular opinion: she should never have gotten along so well with tom, when he was always so overly critical of their family, when she knows how pushy he was with her sister at the beginning of their relationship. although it was a good idea to not let him leave with sybil's kid bc fuck if i trusted that dickhead to raise a kid.

song i associate with her: i can't find one!! she's too good for a song i guess

favorite picture of her: the one post-matthew era thing i did like was her makeover (which i think matthew would have gone NUTS over) + look at her in this gif, side-eyeing the shit out of Mabel with her Period Dyke haircut & outfit & riding a horse aaaaah im gay

[things-keeping-me-up-at-night]

Just wanted to say I fully agree with your take on Mary/Tom from Downton Abbey. Felt like the show totally lost the plot around both characters after Matthew and Sybil died and one of the few good things that gave Mary in particular any growth was her relationship with Tom. Honestly wish they'd gone there

Absolutely! Julian Fellowes even said he considered putting them together later on in the show, so it makes sense how romantically charged the tension between them feels during that part of the show.

They share a genuine connection and motivation for the future, they are each other’s allies, they truly trust each other, and, again, have great chemistry, all of which wasn’t the case with their respective love interests by the end. It would have been a more powerful statement at the end of the show too; that someone neither of them would have related to (or even necessarily respected) at the beginning of the show would end up becoming the person they want to spend their life with.

(I also think Mary’s guilt over her feelings for him would have made a much more believable motivation for her behaviour in season 6 than her poorly written and executed relationship with Henry and it would explain why Tom was so adamant about getting them together as well- for the same reason. I know many fans would not have agreed with that, which is why I honestly thought they would both end up alone and just running Downton together as family in the show, but that didn’t happen either. That big “aha” moment they were building up to being that, despite nothing pointing to that, Mary actually did want to be with Henry (again, one of the “least” of her love interests) just felt disappointing to me considering all the directions they could have gone with this.

Considering one of the main reasons I kept watching the show at that point was their relationship (as friends, family or romantic partners), I haven’t really rewatched that part of the show which makes it a lot easier to convince myself that the show actually did go there in the end lol

Anyway, it was really nice to see someone else share that opinion, so thank you!

[nowtsoqueerasfolk]

I've shipped Mary and Tom post s3 since the show aired. I understood why it never came to be, much to my disappointment. I loved Mary and Henry in the series and I adore Tom and Lucy. It kills me though, that Mary was written a love story that saw zero development in the films. It makes the Mary and Tom potential so much easier to visualize.

[gaitwae]

Chapter Summary: Tom begins to learn how to move on after ending his affair with Mary.

[kehlana-wolhamonao3]

Story: Ambulance Driver

A miracle: a fluffy, romantic, happy and hopefully sexy chapter of Ambulance Driver. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

[thephantomcasebook]

Downton Abbey Murder Mystery (Concept) - Part II

Agatha Christie/ Pulp Detective Murder Mystery in which Lady Mary Crawley and all of her past love interests - including Matthew. (plus Adult!George who is the Great Detective character) are trapped in a mysterious booby trapped Scottish Castle and are being picked off one by one.

Keep in mind that each decade bring a different character to help as George's assistant.

In the 1930's George would be accompanied by Sybbie as his partner.

in the 1940's Sybil and Tom would be in the story - who would be having a forbidden and passionate affair and end up at the castle by pure and unfortunate accident.

and in the 1950s Ronin Crawley (George's son) would be his dad's sidekick - the Robin to his Batman.

So it really depends on what dynamic you want to see. In the 30's Mary would still be getting used to Matthew and Sybil being alive again. in the 1940's Mary and Matthew as well as Sybil and Tom would be finding their way back to one another. and in the 1950s Mary and Matthew would be long remarried and are now extremely involved Grandparents in their young grandson's life.

Age also plays a role in George's characterization.

in the 1930's George would still be young, brash, and swashbuckling

In the 1940's he would earn the nickname "The most dangerous man in the Empire"

and in the 1950's he would be at his prime both physically, mentally, and intellectually.

[polikszena]

Ficlet advent calendar - December 12

Title: Skates Fandom: Downton Abbey Characters: Mary Crawley, Tom Branson, Lucy Branson, Jack Barber Word Count: 599 Rating: General Summary: Following the advice of The Christmas Ghost, Mary Crawley goes to the ice skating rink in London where she reunites with a friend. Sequel to Chapter 1.

December 12 - Skates

Dear Lady Mary,

It’s time to put on some skates! There is nothing better to in a cold winter day like this than hit the skating rink! Spending some time outside is always a good idea, and skating is a perfect activity for that.

Mary Crawley took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold December air as she stood up from the bench, wearing a pair of skates and a little flared, navy-blue skirt with a matching short coat. She hoped she wouldn’t fell on her face in the moment of setting foot in the ice rink. Tom and Lucy Branson were already inside, taking the first laps. Mary was happy that they were also in London, so she didn’t have to go skating alone. It wasn’t something she regularly did nowadays. When they were children, they had a small rink on the estate and they used to skate a lot – their late cousin, Patrick Crawley loved it, but since his death, the Crawley sisters rarely put their skates on.

Stepping on the ice, Mary slowly began to slide, trying to avoid the people who skated with high speed. She took a few rounds and was about to join Tom and Lucy when she heard someone calling her name. Turning around she saw a man skating towards her, smiling. Her face lit up as she recognised him: it was Jack Barber, the director who made a film in Downton – The Gambler -, on which they worked together. She had to admit that she grew quite fond of him, but she hadn’t seen him for months.

“Mr Barber!” she exclaimed. “What a pleasant surprise,” she added when he finally reached her.

“Please, call me Jack,” he said, unable to wipe off smile since he had spotted her in the rink. “It’s so good to see you. How have you been?”

“Fine,” she replied with a nod, and she meant it.

She found it surprising, but the letters she received from The Christmas Ghost did help. Despite her previous scepticism, they made her feel better, and now she was waiting for a new one every morning. She was wondering who could have written those letters to her, but she couldn’t find it out yet, which only made her more and more curious. However, she decided not to tell it to Mr Barber as it sounded somehow stupid to be excited for letters sent by someone unknown.

“I’m glad,” he said. “I heard about your divorce. It must’ve been hard for you.”

“It’s getting better now,” she told him. “What about you?”

“I’ve recently finished a film, so I’m great,” he said.

“I didn’t know you skated,” Mary admitted.

“I love it,” he told her as they began to skate together. “I come out here almost every day. Going round and round helps me think. Do you skate often?”

“I used to as child, but I am out practice now.”

“It’s never too late to start over. If you need someone to skate with, just let me know,” he offered.

“Of course,” Mary nodded, and she had to admit, now skating felt a lot more appealing.

Tom and Lucy Branson were watching her going round and round in the rink. The former chauffeur was happy to see Mary enjoy herself, skating arm in arm with Mr Barber.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Lucy asked with her lips curling up.

“If you’re thinking about talking to Cora that we should have one more guest this Christmas, then yes” Tom said.

“You are, then,” Lucy nodded, and they shared a smile.

(Read it on AO3)

[wild-lavender-rose]

Hey it’s dream anon! Alright buckle up friend because this is kind of a lot lol. But here’s what I remember: AU where Downton Abbey actually takes place in modern day and The 1920’s-30’s setting is a result of Mary’s vivid delusions that have started sometime in her adult years. To her, everything looks different and feels real. The design and layout of her house, the clothes people are wearing, how phones work, etc. One of the only things that remains constant is people’s names and faces. But for example, she has a cellphone but whenever she uses it, she treats it like a candlestick or rotary phone and never leaves a message because voicemail wasn’t a thing in the 1920’s. So if no one picks up, she just hangs up. Her family becomes aware of her condition and especially become concerned when she claims to start seeing and hearing people in her life who have died (Matthew and Sybil). These apparitions seem to pop up especially when Mary is conflicted between what she now wants for her future and feeling like she doesn’t deserve happiness after all the things she did in the past that she may now feel ashamed of. (For example, She wants to marry Henry Talbot but Matthew keeps popping up whenever she thinks about moving on. Sybil pops up whenever she thinks about having another child after George or after she reveals Edith’s secret about Marigold to Bertie. Matthew and Sybil show up because they both died on the same day as the birth of their child.) Tom at this point is now remarried to reader (who in my dream was the youngest Crawley sister, 2 or 3 years younger than Sybil, but if that’s too weird for you, you can imagine reader is an unrelated woman). Mary’s family sticks by her and does everything they can to help her cope with her condition. Cora and Robert refuse to disown her no matter what people say, and Tom and reader work closely with her one on one, to try to gently get her grounded in the reality of modern day. Slowly and carefully they get her familiarized with present day, and work with Mary to eventually forgive herself for her past misdeeds and leave the 1920’s/30’s behind, even if only for brief hours or minutes some days. With doctor Clarkson’s help where it’s needed, they work at Mary’s pace to make sure she’s comfortable and has what she needs during this very difficult transition. It was a very strange dream and may not make much sense, but dreams don’t run by logic. This isn’t meant to be offensive to anyone who has a condition that causes delusions of altered reality, etc. it wasn’t a nightmare, and the cause of Mary’s delusions was never specified from what I can remember. Just a very interesting AU my brain cooked up.

Anon I’m so sorry I thought I responded to this! This…this….this is utterly incredible. You came up with this while you slept??? I’ve been writing for nearly ten years and this is something that would have probably taken a couple weeks for me to construct. Personally I love the thought of reader being a sister (was unashamedly rooting for him to get with Mary while watching it the first time) and just, this is insanely cool. And everyone is so in character too! But yet it’s so sad because it means that the downton we know isn’t real :( thank you so much for sharing, anon! Let me know if you have other dreams, I love the way your mind works <3