Lady Mary Crawley and Matthew Crawley Esq‪.‬

This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.

‘There’s an independence about Mary,” says Michelle Dockery, the actress who plays her. “She’s not influenced by anyone and she’s very much her own person, she makes her own decisions. I understand her because I’m one of three girls too and I’ve always been defiant that I didn’t want to do what they did.’

Having her heart both broken and put back together by her true love, Matthew, has rounded the edges off Mary. Now, we find she has her backbone of steel but she is kinder, nicer and altogether more forgiving of human fallibilities – even her own.

Matthew is a lucky man to have survived the war. What’s more, he has the possibility of gaining a large fortune, and is due to marry the woman he loves. Yet, he is not a man at ease. His conscience is easily pricked by the requirements that lie ahead of him in the role of Earl of Grantham.

Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton.

Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.

About the author

Jessica Fellowes is the No. 1 bestselling author of The World of Downton Abbey. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Country Life, she has also been a columnist for the London Paper – her columns formed the basis of her book Mud & the City: Dos and Don'ts for Townies in the Country. Jessica also writes for the Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Weekend, The Lady and Sunday Times Style, and lives with her family in London.

Matthew Sturgis is a freelance writer and critic who has written art criticism for Harpers & Queen, travel pieces for the Sunday Telegraph and football reports for the Independent on Sunday. He is the author of Passionate Attitudes: the English Decadence of the 1890s and the highly-praised Aubrey Beardsley. He lives in London.