![]() I think Mary's sentiments about her position as the first child and expected heiress of the estate and title are complex. I do wonder how much of Edith’s love for Patrick actually came from her wanting Mary’s position rather than wanting Patrick. The real life Earl of Chatsworth spent a good chunk of his life in Egypt exploring pyramids while his wife was at home. If they didn’t get on too well then they would have stayed married but basically lead separate lives. There is no way that she would ever have allowed Edith to take that place. Mary was raised for the job of Mistress of Downton. Her father wanted the prestige that came with a daughter being married to the gentry, Robert’s father was desperate for cash. Marriage was about securing legacies not about love. Mary grew up knowing that Patrick was to be her husband so I don’t think she ever considered anyone else. The two would have been unofficially engaged from as soon as Cora stopped having children. I mean this in as much as there was no expectation, they knew she would because there was already a plan for her to marry Patrick. Mary must’ve been jealous of Edith not having all these pressures on her. Obviously he only wanted her money, but surely other dukes or nobility must’ve pursued her before). ![]() I just feel like if Mary wasn’t so pressured by marrying to secure the estate, she would’ve found someone she actually loved (not talking about Matthew here), and probably with a title as well (we see Duke of Crowborough or something wanting to propose to her. ![]() And I think Mary must’ve sensed Edith’s feelings for their cousin (we know she’s quite sensitive about these issues, eg: Tom and Sybil). Mary was set to marry her cousin who sank in the Titanic (cant remember his name now), but clearly she doesnt love him as much as Edith loves him. Edith, on the other hand, may not be pressured to do so. So Mary, as the first born, is naturally expected to marry good and hopefully secure the estate and Cora’s money. She eventually succumbed to the wear of constant travel as the Vicereine of India, which finally took its toll on her fragile health, and she died in 1906.This might have been told by someone somewhere else, but this thought came to my mind and I decided to write it anyway. At the age of 34, Mary suffered from a serious illness leading to a miscarriage, comparable to Cora’s, and nearly died from the Spanish flu. Much like Robert Grantham in Downton, it was only after their engagement that Lord Curzon came to love and respect his wife, who, as in the series, gave birth to three daughters and was never able to produce a male heir. Their wedding marked the beginning of a new era of the transatlantic marriage more money, grander titles and greater publicity were the new steadfast rules. After being rejected in his marriage proposal to Lady Grosvenor and in dire need of funds, Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, met Mary Leiter at the Duchess of Westminster’s ball. Mary Victoria Curzon was a descendent of the Chicago millionaire, Levi Zeigher Leiter. When World War II broke out, however, Highclere was converted into a home for evacuee children and teachers, and the whole estate was turned over to the war effort.Īnother potential inspiration is the life of Lady Mary Curzon and her three daughters, which bears remarkable parallels to the characterisation of Lady Cora and her daughters, Mary, Edith and Sybil. Ironically, everyone admired Catherine except her husband, who, as Catherine began to realise, did not love her. ![]() To make matters worse, her new husband gradually revealed himself to be a scandalous flirt, who squandered their money and pursued women across London. Indeed, the demands of running such a large household were greater than Lady Catherine had expected. ![]()
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