Nothing like a Crawley family dinner - even many years later. :D I really loved the character development of a staunch ally (Granny Violet, a wonderful connection to the DA we all know :) and a bitter enemy (Patrick). :) This story does a fantastic job of proving all family business is personal, and that was SO true of Patrick - how you had his economic policies speak to his values. I feel the idea that he likes to use information against people will be important in the future. ;) Love to see Matthew discovering Eddie, and the scene with all your strong women congregating together was a delight. :D Can't wait to see what happens next - please update SOON! :)

This chapter was great! You really captured the "modern" crawley dynamic fabulously. The whole Patrick/Edith backstory is so interesting and it is refreshing to see the 3 sisters getting along since we rarely see that happen on the show. Also LOVE Matthew 2.0! Can't wait to see where you go from here!

oh I was extremely happy to find there was a new chapter. And a very emotionally loaded one. I want to know more about Eddie and her story - Patrick *is* a useless fuck, and I can't believe he'd use her against Mary. He has no shame. And I was stunned at what Matthew understood so easily - he's there, and Edith is not. I hadn't thought about it in these terms. But he's right, and it's unfair. Charlotte entranced Rob completely, or maybe he's always been an ass, who knows. Matthew Crawley the Original is probably rolling in his grave.

Aw, Mary called Reggie her Perseus! I was so moved by the glimpses to Violet's past, and therefore M/M's future. How she talked about her parents, and brothers, and education. Matthew is a very good listener - he has the rare quality of the man who listens because he actually cares about the things that are being told to him. And Mary - who's not used to it - is starting to love him for it. Unconsciously.

I loved Percy. How he jumped to defend her cousins against the horrid Patrick, how good-humored he was...at least there's someone on their side. Interesting that Patrick would try to use the interest between Mary and Matthew to his advantage. I wonder if they have a company policy against relationships among colleagues. Or if he'd insinuate that Mary only got the job because she's slept her way to it - god that's awful, but we know how these spineless men attack women. Hm. And aw, Matthew knowing there is a "us". Hehe. Also - will he be the one to realize who ides behind EC? Little genius.

I love all the financial, literary and artistic references throughout the story. It's a superior, elevating work of writing. Thank you for the fast update! Can I look forward to next Monday? :)

Well this just made me want to weep. Mary's mother! And the way Matthew looks at her! And EURGH Patrick. I have no idea where this is going, but I', excited! :D

What an interesting story! Mary hit the glass ceiling rather early in her life, but that's more true-to-life, even in this day & age. So Matthew is to be the 'savior' of not just the company, but Mary & the entire family. Not that I'm complaining, just interested in how the story will play out. In the canon storyline there were a few plotlines that I didn't really care for - but then again, I'm not a writer, let alone a writer of a saga. So I don't have a clue about how to keep the readers on the edges of their seats! Thanks for a modern AU, I'm loving it!

Your chapters can't come quickly enough. I am addicted to your writing and your story. The story is so rich with all the characters and generations and backstories... just like DA!

My favorite moment in this last chapter was the last scene with Violet seeing Matthew. I'm a puddle with emotions - sadness of thinking of our original Matthew gone, sharing Violet's sadness thinking of father!Matthew, and sappy warmth at Matthew 2.0 being instinctivley protective. Let me pinch myself and remember that they are all fictional.

Some of my favorite lines:

Mary liked difficult.

"He listens," she finished softly. "And you know how rare that is."

Was it the drink, he wondered, or something else that made her do that? For a moment, everything was quiet, the crackle of the fire filling his ears, and something else filling his chest as he watched the light flicker across her eyes.

***

But my favorite part had to be the end as Granny Violet (the new Granny Violet) looked at Matthew Crawley (the new Matthew Crawley) and saw her father in him. It was written beautifully and it was sad and hopeful all at the same time. It made me feel like I was a Granny, my father long dead, remembering what it was like to be daughter, looking at my father again. It had me holding my breath.

Well done.

I don't think a simple review can describe how much I love this story. I forgot to check up on it for a little while because of life issues and came back to find two chapters awaiting me, and it seriously made my week. I love how it's such a wonderful mix of the new and the old, and the characters are simply fantastic. I think I'm in love with Eddie. Or Greg. Definitely Greg. The walking sitcom and French chat show lines from last chapter made me giggle aloud. These are interesting, fascinating people with a rich history, and the amount of empathy here, with all of the awful things that have happened to them (particularly Eddie), is astounding to see. To hear that chapters should be coming even faster is just icing on the incredibly scrumptious cake, and I should probably go before I melt into a puddle of fangirl goo. Thank you very much for the Monday pick-me-up.

Aahhh so much goodness in this chapter! I adored the perspective on Mary/Eddie's relationship - and particularly Eddie's differing points of view as artist and sister. Gorgeous. "Don't shit where you eat" is just, BRILLIANT (as is the thought of Matthew in bed, ALWAYS).

I must say how much I appreciated Violet just observing Matthew, and the slight differences between him and canon Matthew - just enough to BE different, and still essentially the Matthew we love - I am totally picturing THAT picture, you captured it so well. UFFF. Can't wait for the dinner! :D

This is the first time I've actually posted a review on this site and I think it's telling of how much I'm enjoying this story. I'm a news junkie, but finance was never my chief interest and I commend you for making the financial world so interesting and also understandable with just a few pointers in between sentences.

Here's how much I'm in love with this story: I got a piece of paper, outlined a family tree and now am happily going to spend the rest of the chapters you regale us readers with filling out the blanks! I love what you've done with the Crawleys, the hints you offer us of Matthew's future, going beyond JF's character development (I never thought Matthew as the type who wouldn't bear the thought of being reached, for instance, although with his disappearance from Downton in between the first seasons, who knows). And you add so much with the characters you've created into the extended family. There are so many layers added to their ancestors: Rob having a cousin James (ironically Violet's son) with a son of his own (name also starting with the letter P) who Mary is friends with, sort of like a positive, even more platonic idea of the original Patrick Crawley... at least Mary seems to really care about this "Patrick"; Patrick Thorpe's promotion being not attributed to the fact that he's a man, but to the influence of Rob's new wife (a manipulative slut), and whose role in Eddie's life is still unclear (apart from the information we already have). I'm intrigued by Alastair and Rob's relationship. He's not a Crawley, but he's Violet's brother-in-law, so why is he not at the dinner, as he's practically family? Anyway, we're left with so many questions and you feed us tiny answers to them every time, adding even more questions.

And I love what you've done to Edith's story. An Edith who doesn't have her own voice anymore and who's ignored by her father. It's taking original Edith's issues in the first season to a sad but interesting extreme.

Anyway, I'm sorry for being so chaotic. It's only excitement. I'm very happy that the chapters will be coming in faster now.

I can't believe I hadn't read this story yet, nor did I know of its existence. But since last night I've read it three times, so I'm making up for my blunder.

That said, I think it's splendid. I love your storytelling, it's involving, it's rich, full of references and it has the beautiful quality of making me feel right in the middle of a story.

I love this one because it's so different from anything I've read when it comes to fanfictions in any fandom. It's not quite a Modern!AU, because our Mary and Matthew existed in this universe, and we have glimpses of their life (Matthew making MARY inherit the estate directly! Aw); at the same time, even if the 'new' Mary and Matthew are their own people, they're wonderful and passionate characters, and yet they have the distinctive traits that made us fall in love with the Original Mary&Matthew.

I particularly love how you've worked in some iconic references to the canon - except for the hand-holding, my favorite is the "What about it?" "Why not?" in the last chapter.

Edith's backstory was very touching - how Patrick "sank down" the company, how Mary's alleged scandal (love it that it's the 'German affair', lovely choice of words, but it has nothing to do with sex. It's what really matters in this world, Mary's world: it's business.) has influenced her life, Sybil's work and Mary's relationship with Alastair (and I know I should probably envision him as Carson, but if I have to be honest ever since I've read about him I have mentally cast Michael Caine in his role so...er. I'll let Carson be the butler lol); but in all this, Edith's story is the most surprising - because she has been mute, overlooked and crippled on the show, in a way, and how this translated in the modern setting, so tragically...well, it was beautiful. I want to know why Rob seems to deny her existence, what truly happened, and why was she with hideous Patrick?

I don't know if it was on purpose, but the scene in this chapter in which Mary is sipping at her wine while Eddie is in the kitchen, disfigured, reminded me of that "Changing Faces PSA" that Michelle Dockery made, and I loved it.

I can't wait to discover more - about the firm's past, about this new and extended Crawley Family, about Eddie, about Mary, and how the Matthew/Mary relationship will evolve...it won't be easy, as Alice said (and I love Moonstruck. Who doesn't. "Get out of it!") you don't shit where you eat and they both know that the business situation of the firm is too precarious and too important to let personal feelings play a role in it...aw. It's a truly wonderful story. Damn, I wish I had only found out about it when it had been completed, because I already can't wait for chapter6! :)

Oh, I have a question. I'm trying to understand the family tree and the various connections between characters. Can you help me? Violet is MM's daughter, she married Martin's eldest son (Alastair's older brother? Has he got any children?) and had - okay, I'm lost here. You said Rob's was Matthew's only grandson, but Violet must've had a son (James) if Percy's surname is to be Martin? Or Sarah is Violet's daughter and happened to marry another Martin?

Then there's Reggie - who I assume died during WW2? I've had this impression.

Then, if it's not Reggie, there's Rob's father who was the "heir". Does Rob have sisters/brothers? He had three daughters, one married.

What confuses me is also the Thorpe's family. How is Mary's stepmother connected with the Elder Thorpe? And is Patrick the son of this woman's brother? Because I was wondering why there was no Thorpe beside him on the board.

Sorry for the questions, but I was trying to wrap my head around it to understand how the shares of the firm are distributed among the descendants etc.

Anyway, I can't wait to read more - Mary's assistant is fantastic, and Matthew wearing leather trousers and ruffling his hair...aaaa literary Dan Stevens porn. Ahem.

Thank you for writing this!

Serena

fabulous job again! Love where you're going with the Edith character; specifically her and Mary's relationship. It's refreshing to see them bonded rather than at each others throats. bravo. Also, very excited about the whole, " Expect the chapters to come much faster now." Makes me giddy.

I am enjoying this story far more than I ever expected. The characters are just similar enough that you know you're reading a Downton story, but different enough that you're not sure exactly where it's going to take you. I can't wait to meet the rest of the supporting cast and I especially love where you seem to be going with Edith.

This is my only drop everything fic right now and I'm looking forward to the next update...

Ahh, I absolutely LOVED the Mary/Eddie scene - just love what you've done with her character. I was particularly taken by the glimpse inside her head - the painter's and sister's perspective! Beautifully done. :D Also interesting to hear about their mother - another "foreigner" (albeit French), aww. More interesting background about "the German affair"...very curious about that! :) The start of the family dinner was great, with M/M's grandson and oh, Granny Violet and Matthew! :D Two generations of strong women named after their grandmothers! :D Can't wait for ice cream- er, dinner. ;) Please update soon! :)

What an absolutely fascinating story. I think I understand how Granny Violet felt as she came into the library and saw people she recognized but were different. I am looking forward to reading about the changing relationship between Mary and Matthew 2.0, but for some reason it is the relationship between Mary and Edie that has particularly touched me. Thanks for Mary and Percy's imitation of Debrett's Peerage. I had sketched out a family tree and it helped me to fill in the blanks and draw some parent/children lines - the three families seemed well on their way to rivaling the aristocracy in terms of intermarriages to keep the company within the family.