rightly | open post.

The announcement of their engagement had gotten some mixed reactions so far, though no one seemed too shocked or surprised. Steve had no doubt that Martha had expected it to happen sooner or later, after all the time Mary had spent with Steve, and how often she brought him along to lunches, dinners, and all sorts of other social gatherings. There was no hiding the way they looked at each other either, their love for each other practically etched onto their faces.

Her American family hadn't reacted too strongly, in the end. Martha seemed a little skeptical about whether they'd be very lucky when they brought these news back to Downton, but it was as though she knew there was no talking Mary out of it, not now. Besides, if she knew about their sexual escapades as they suspected, then she likely thought that not getting married would be even worse. More chance of a scandal or something. Not that Steve cared either way; he wanted to marry Mary because he loved her.

The date of their departure was drawing nearer, and by now Steve had already packed most of his belongings. They still had a bit of free time to enjoy what they could of New York before leaving, and they likely wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, so he didn't want to miss anything. They'd visited a few museums, gone out for lunches and strolls in parks, and today they were finally visiting Coney Island, just like Mary had asked him once. Later he had arranged for an airplane flight, which should be a fun, exciting way to end their day.

Arrived in Coney Island, they strolled across the walkway along the bridge. It was sunny and still warm, and it was beautiful out. Steve glanced at Mary, his fingers weaved through hers as he held her hand. "Pick the first ride."

Both her grandmother and her uncle were happy for her about her engagement to Steve, probably because they could tell that she was deeply in love with him. To them, it wasn't as much of a concern as it might be for her family back in England. That was where the real challenge would lie. Martha was content to let the chips fall where they may, though she hoped that she would not take any sort of blame for what had happened between Mary and Steve. Stopping love was nearly impossible.

Mary was very excited to be at Coney Island. It was a bit like Brighton, with so many colors and lights and the beach close by. She hoped they would have a fun day.

"The roller coaster," she said with a smile. Hopefully that would help her prepare for their flight later, which she was admittedly a bit nervous about.

Steve rose his eyebrows at that, letting out a surprised hum. It wasn't what he thought she'd choose for a first ride, but he certainly wasn't going to stop her. "Feeling daring today, are we?" he winked playfully at her, tugging on her hand lightly and turning so they were walking away from the beach and towards the roller coaster. "Alright, then. Let's see if you can handle that."

"Well, you are taking me up in the plane later. I realize that this won't be nearly as high, but I might as well get used to it." She squeezed his hand, wondering if he could tell that she was feeling a bit scared about that. She'd never been in an airplane before. Of course Mary trusted Steve not to do anything that would harm her on purpose, but accidents did happen. They would be going so very high up.

Mary took in the sights and sounds around her, the games and rides and sideshows. "What are your favorite things to do here?" she asked.

Steve could tell she was worried about going up on an airplane with him, although he knew she would be fine. He'd prepared the airplane himself, he'd inspect it again thoroughly before taking off with her, and he definitely wouldn't pull any wild stunts while she was up there with him. Although he knew he could safely manage a few stunts, he knew they would scare Mary, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Well, it's definitely not the same, I've gotta say," he tipped his head, though he appreciated her effort to get more used to the idea. "Mm... well, I like the rides. The big wheel's one of my favorites. But I also like the cheap food and the candy stands."

"Oh, yes the big wheel looks fun," Mary said with a grin. "It's called a Ferris Wheel, isn't it? I've seen a few in London before that were put up for various events."

The place was so busy, so much more grand than when the fair would come to Downton. They didn't have rides like this of course. Mary looked up at the roller coaster as she and Steve got closer to it, feeling a bit apprehensive about how high up the car was and how fast it seemed to be going.

"Yes. Well, people call them all sorts of things these days. They offer some spectacular views. These aren't too high, but still impressive," he glanced at her. "Have you ever been in one?"

Mary didn't seem like the type for these sorts of fairs and rides, even slower and more peaceful ones like the wheel. The way she glanced at the roller coaster as they stood in line to go in did give him more pause, though, and he tightened his fingers around her hand. "We don't have to go if you don't want to, Mary. The same goes for the airplane, for the record."

"One," she said, "though it wasn't nearly as big as that. They had a small one at the fair that comes to Downton every year."

Mary turned back to him, eyes wide like a doe's. "I'm a little frightened, but not terrified. I'll be fine, Steve. I'll have you to hold my hand anyway." He had a tendency to make her feel very safe. Leaning in, she gave his lips a gentle kiss.

"We'll go on this one next, then," he said. It was pretty tame, regardless of how high up it went. Certainly much easier to handle than the roller coaster.

He liked that she wanted to do this, though— he just wanted to be sure she wasn't doing it solely for his sake. Nodding, he leaned in and returned the kiss, lingering for long enough that the kids ahead of them on the line were staring at them by the time they pulled back from each other.

"Mind your own damn business, will you? And move along or someone will cut in line," he scolded, gesturing to the now empty space on the line ahead.

"Steve," Mary scolded when he fussed at the kids. "I think they were just curious." And giggling, of course, but children weren't exactly mature. Maybe they had never seen two people kiss like she and Steve had. It was a rather passionate kiss for being in public. She felt that her cheeks were slightly red.

It wasn't long before they were loaded into the car for the roller coaster. Mary held the rail in front of her tightly with one hand and Steve's with the other. She wasn't planning on letting him go. "Have you ridden this before?"

"Yes, well... curiosity killed the cat," he huffed under his breath, feeling his cheeks a little warm too. Luckily the line moved along quickly after that, so he didn't have to pointedly ignore the giggling much longer.

Sliding into the car, he sat down next to her, holding her hand tightly in his own. He shook his head, looking at her. "Only smaller ones." Slower too, from what he'd noticed. He didn't seem particularly scared, though, just a little apprehensive. The train started to move, slowly as it began climbing up to make the first drop, and he took a deep breath.

Mary squeezed his hand as the roller coaster moved up the hill, building the anticipation. When they finally reached the top, there was a moment of hesitation before they flew down the other side of the track. Mary screamed, but mostly out of joy, leaning against Steve. It was a wild sensation to be dropping so quickly before rocketing back up again.

Her screaming prompted him to do the same, though his own was followed by wild laughter. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the drops and turns all the more acutely, his hand tightening on hers. He could feel his heart practically leaping up his throat, the blood rushing from head to toe at a speed that nearly made him forget the sense of what was up and down.

Steve seemed to be enjoying this far more than she was, which wasn't really a surprise to Mary. He flew planes and did things that were much more dangerous than this. For Mary, this was pretty wild and out of the box. If was fun to feel the wind in her hair, but she kept her eyes open, wanting to know what was coming next.

They moved around a sharp curve and Mary squealed as she got pushed against Steve.

He let out a surprised huff as she slid closer and bumped against him, though he reacted quickly and without thought, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and holding her close. He grinned at her, then went back to screaming through the sharp turns and sudden drops, until the cars finally slowed down as they approached the beginning of the track.

Laughing lightly, he looked down at Mary as they drew to a halt. "Are you alright?"

Mary was laughing and trying to catch her breath as the roller coaster came to a stop. "Yes," she gasped. "I don't think I've even been in something that went so high up or so fast. It was fun."

She reached up for Steve's hand so that he help her out of the cart.

He took her hand once he'd climbed out of the cart, helping her up until she was standing next to him. He felt his legs a bit wobbly and his head light, but it wasn't enough to make him lose his balance. "If it's any comfort, airplanes are a lot smoother." Well, it depended on how he flew it, but he certainly wasn't going to pull any mad stunts, such as steep climbs or drops, while Mary was up there with him.

"Good to know," she replied, leaning against him as she tried to get her balance. "That was definitely the largest and fastest roller coaster I've ever been on." Fortunately it was fun in the end and not completely terrifying.

They walked across the boardwalk through the games on the midway, when a man at one of them called out to them. "Hey mister! Win a prize for your lady?" He was standing in front of a booth with stacked milk jugs that a person had to knock over.

Well, the airplane would still be considerably higher, not to mention entirely unattached from anything, but he didn't point that out. She seemed to have enjoyed the roller coaster though, so that was a good start.

Walking through the various game stands, Steve slowed down when the man called out to him, a little surprised for a moment. "Me?" He glanced from the man to the various porcelain statues and dolls on display. "Depends on whether the lady would like a prize or not...?" He glanced at Mary, letting her take her pick. He was fairly confident he could get her anything she wanted.

Mary smiled. "I'm curious to see your skills," she said. She fingered her coin purse debating whether she ought to pay for this. If it was one of the English Lords back home she would have no worries, but she knew that Steve wasn't as rich as that. Mary had quite a bit of money. It seemed a bit wrong to not pay for things sometimes. It was something she would have to talk with him about.

"Alright, then," he nodded, then turned to the operator as he dug into his pockets and took out his wallet. True, she had more money, and he was certainly open to talking about her paying for some things in the future, but not today. He wasn't filthy rich but he wasn't exactly dirt poor either, he could certainly pay for a date on Coney Island.

Paying for one round, he was handed three balls. He set two of them down on the counter, then stepped around and got into a decent stance, aiming at the bottles and then taking a shot. While he didn't knock them all out in one go, only one stayed up.

"Very good, mister! Knock down the last bottle and you can have your pick from all the prizes!"

“May I try?” Mary asked with a smile. She picked up one of the balls and aimed at the remaining bottle. It hit the top and sent the bottle flying off the counter.

“We have a winner!” Said the carnie. “And your lady has an arm on her. Pick a prize, sweetheart.”

“Shooting pheasant isn’t quite the same, but I do know how to aim,” Mary told Steve with a grin. After inspecting the available prizes, she picked a stuffed bunny with floppy ears.

"Of course," Steve stepped back promptly, a little surprised but not the least bit put off. He probably shouldn't be so surprised by her flawless aim, since he knew how British people loved hunting, but he found the way she knocked down that bottle in one try very impressive.

"You're telling me," he grinned at the man, raising his eyebrows. "I better make sure I keep the house tidy, or else..."

He peered at the bunny with a chuckle, leaning in to press a quick kiss to her cheek. "Suppose that means I only won you half of that bunny."

"I hope you don't mind me taking away your moment of gallantry," she replied. Something told her that he wouldn't. Steve had already told her how much he thought of women showing their strength.

Mary smiled when he kissed her cheek, hugging the bunny to side under her arm. "I'd say about 90%. I'm still very pleased." Her free hand slipped into his, lacing their fingers together.

"Not at all," he shook his head. "It was brilliant. And... he should be getting a lot of customers now." He nodded back to the stand, where other couples had gathered after seeing Mary knock down the last bottle. A few women seemed particularly excited to give the game a try themselves.

"I think I can live with 90%," he joked, tugging on her hand a little. "Should we go to the wheel before lunch?"

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