Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Downton Abbey, or the characters mentioned in this story.
Summary: Tom reminisces about his darling Sybil and remembers he loved it when she smiled.
There was so much that Tom Branson adored about Sybil. How she fiercely fought for what she believed in; how she unwaveringly loved her parents and sisters, how she was determined to help Gwen the housemaid achieve her dream, how she was truly and completely herself, how she was adamant about helping the poor soldiers and became a nurse, despite her family's misgivings … Tom could go on and on; his list was endless. But his absolute favourite thing about Sybil was her smile.
Tom was, for lack of a better word, enchanted when Sybil smiled, and it was something that he truly craved to see, and he'd do anything for it. Sybil's smile would appear at the most strangest of times, and when it did appear, he would swore it lit up a room. She seemed to smile more and more after they were married and leading a simple life in Ireland.
It was something that he missed dearly about her; something the entire family missed about her.
The Abbey was so quiet without her, Tom couldn't help but note, and with the creative and bright energy that Sybil had brought, the place sometimes felt a little drained. The bedroom that she used was left untouched, the door kept closed, on Cora's orders. The empty room was just a painful reminder of the joyous spirit who had once occupied it. He noticed how the whole family had tried to move on and act as if everything was normal, but Tom could see how everyone felt the absence of Sybil and the light she brought to every room that she entered, the light was only further made brighter when her smile made an appearance.
Tom could also see how Sybil's absence affected even the staff members. He knew that both Thomas and Anna had been close to her; two people who she considered to be her friends. He also knew how upset Gwen once through her letter of condolences to the family; and he knew first-hand how much Sybil's persistent help meant to her.
On days, such as these ones when Tom found himself consumed by thoughts of her, he could usually be found by Cora, wandering through the grounds of the abbey, something that he and Sybil used to do together when they had fled back to Downton from Ireland, shortly before the birth of their daughter. He knew it was something that she found comforting and it was something that she had missed dearly when in Ireland. He found himself out in the grounds more and more these days. Despite Cora's orders that Sybil's bedroom was kept closed, the house was full of photographs of her; from the first full family picture, her christening, her tenth birthday and her eighteenth, their wedding and Edith's wedding picture with both Sybil and Mary.
Despite not truly being present, Sybil was everywhere he turned; he could feel her.
One of his, and the whole family's, favourite thing to do when they felt the can; was gather around the fire in Robert's study and share their favourite memories of Sybil. The tales ranged from everything from her first word to the moments she shared with her sisters and mother at Edith's wedding. There was so much, Tom couldn't help but realise, that he didn't truly know about Sybil and he loved the moments were Cora would bring up something she liked, or when Violet brought up something that Sybil once said that had stayed with her.
Tom remembered how Sybil would often stalk through their hallway back in Ireland, grumbling about the current argument between Mary and Edith that her oldest sister had detailed in one of her letters. All that Sybil had wanted, as she'd stated to him over and over again, that she wanted them to get along, as she sometimes felt too caught up in the middle of their petty fights.
Sometimes Tom would take Sybbie away from her nanny's care and to a little river that was on hidden on the side of the Crawley estate, something that only he knew that Sybil liked to visit when she wanted time away from the large house and her bickering sisters.
But her smile… Tom swore it made his heart melt when she turned it on him; whether she was telling him something that made her happy that day, or if she was trying to persuade him to do something. The Irish-man believed that there were only three occasions in which Sybil's smile had been the brightest. The first was their wedding in Ireland. It had been a modest affair, his mother and father had been in attendance and he remembered how happy Sybil had been that Edith and Mary were able to make it, and how she masked her disappointment at Cora, Robert and Violet's absence. The smile on her face that day that seemed to be permanently etched on her features, and it only got brighter when the minister pronounced them as Husband and Wife.
The second had been when they had received funds to return to Downton to attend Mary and Matthew's wedding. He knew that it was important to her to be able to attend her oldest sister's wedding, especially since Mary had made such an effort in order to attend theirs. Her smile when she opened the telegram was almost blinding, and that unforgettable smile was only replicated when they finally arrived back at Downton and his Sybil was surrounded by her family once more. Although Tom knew that Sybil loved her simple life in Ireland; where she was just known as Mrs Sybil Branson and no-one knew her title and she didn't have the pressures of being a part of the aristocratic life she was used to. But he knew that there were some days that she missed home, being surrounded by her mother and father; her sisters and grandmother, and even though he, himself, felt a little uncomfortable with being back in Downton, he knew it made Sybil happy. Tom felt he owed Mary a great deal, he supposed, as she was the one who truly supported him and Sybil when they married, so for her sake and Sybil's, he put his feelings aside and made the trip, the smile he received in return from Sybil made it all worth it.
The third time was after the birth of their daughter. Although it had been a short moment between them, and he couldn't bear to think of the aftermath, he remembered the smile that she wore as he sat next to her, his arms around her arms that held their newborn daughter. He remembered just how happy she was; the joy in her eyes that their child was finally with them, and not to mention, the joy that he knew she held as their daughter had been born at Downton, with her family around them; just the way she had privately wanted it to be.
Tom had always thought that Sybil's smile was the most beautiful thing in the world, and when he looked at Sybbie, he was able to see it once more.
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