Disclaimer: I do not own Downton Abbey, Sybil Crawley, Tom Branson, Edith Crawley or Sir Anthony Strallan. If I did then, their lives would be a lot happier than they are canonically.
Author Note: This has been written for the wonderful EAST alliance, which I am very proud to be taking part in.
In pursuit of happiness, Tom and Sybil made it to Gretna Green, Edith married Anthony quietly in last year of the war, their wedding day being on the day his arm was knocked out in a parallel universe.
Chapter 1: The Homecoming
Sybil put her hand over Tom's as the two of them sat in the road side cafe together.
Even though the two of them had been married for more than a few months, it still gave her a thrill to think of it... it gave her a thrill to know that even publically; she could simply reach over and hold his hand in her own. It gave her even more of a thrill to do so.
But as much as those six months had been in many ways, the happiest she had ever spent, that did not mean she did not miss her family. She did. Very much.
… And she had done since that night when the two of them had left for Gretna Green. It was not that she regretted marrying Tom - that was something she was never going to be able to do - but Tom was not the only thing in the world that she cared about.
She did not know if they would believe it at that moment, but she loved her mother as well as her grandmother and her father.
And she adored her sisters. How she missed the two of them!
They were the reason the two of them were on their way back to Downton at last.
So that they could try and put the past behind them when it came to what they had done.
Neither of Tom nor Sybil were under any illusion that it was going to be easy for them to get through this.
But it had to be done so she could be with her family once more.
"I am so grateful," said Sybil as she looked at Tom. "I know you're going to find this hard."
She had no doubt that it was going to be a lot harder for him to go back than it was for her. There were days when she could not believe her father had not gone off at the deep end and had Tom arrested for kidnap or something ridiculous.
He nodded as he sipped his tea...
"It is all going to be alright in the end," Sybil said with less surety than she should have, squeezing the hand she held as she did so.
Tom gave a smile and then looked away. One of the things he had always loved so very much about Sybil, what felt now since the very moment he had seen her for the first time, was how sunny she was.
But it also made her a little naïve from time to time, in spite of everything. And he did not want to see her get hurt.
X x x
Anthony had been sitting in the library when the door bell rang. He did not move, knowing that Noakes would answer it for him.
Before him, the rent book for the farms on his lands was laid out. He knew he had an estate manager for this sort of thing - but he had always felt rather strongly that he ought to be very much involved in the running of the estate. That had not altered as he had got older and he hoped it never would.
It had not always been an easy job. The methods of farming he had learnt when he had been a young boy had been all but swept away. Much of it was all done mechanically now and HG Well's future seemed to be dawning on them all.
But Anthony would try to meet it with grace and with courage and one way or another he would succeed - he was sure of it.
Catching a glimpse of his watch, he saw it was nine thirty…
Anthony was sure if his friends - or his rather, his acquaintances were asked - they would say they saw him as an old stick in the mud - the wrong side of fifty, not quite up to date with fashion and not likely to ever be again either… But the truth was he had an aptitude for change. He liked it. His study was filled with the latest farming and science periodicals... as well as the latest articles on midwifery, not that Edith was ever going to know that.
Another case in point - another reason he adored change. His lovely, sweet young wife.
His Edie.
The mistress of Loxley had gone up to bed already to the great relief of her husband. Anthony felt she should be resting - seven months into her pregnancy and he liked to say the two of them were both exhausted... but especially the mother to be.
It had not been an easy ride for her... the two of them had had their moments of terror... especially the father to be. Yes, their first pregnancy had not been all he had hoped it would be, even now as they neared the end.
The problem was he found, he had been here before. He knew what came after too many attempts, to many bleeds in the middle of the night.
Nothingness. Death. His eyes strayed to the picture of Maud which Edith insisted she did not mind he kept his desk..
He had lost one wife. And he could not lose another. Specifically, he could not lose and would not give up Edith.
Not only just because she was so young... but she was ... she was his entire life.
Shaking his head, knowing what she would say if she knew what was in his head, he returned to the accounts.
"Mr and Mrs Branson," were announced by Noakes.
In his thoughts about the pregnancy, Anthony had to admit he had forgotten the butler had gone to answer the door.
However, if he had been thinking about it, then the two of them would have been the last people he expected.
The entire family from what he had seen had been in up roar since the two of them had run off into the night. Anthony would be lying if he had said he was not able to see why. Sybil had for so long been the baby of the family. She had been doted on and sunny where as her sisters had been sullen teenagers, uncomfortable in their own skin, only really coming into their own later than she had.
She had been the one who he had admired the most at the beginning of the war for the way that she had jumped into the war work she had done.
Of course, Edith had his heart. The war had made the most beautiful, compassionate, darling women of his wife. But he had watched Sybil grow up and where as some other children were not able to feign interest in something - she had always been convincing in making you believe that whatever you were talking about was just what they wanted to hear.
When he had heard she had run off into the night, he had for a while feared for the sweet child.
But it had not taken Edith long to convince him that this was truly what she wanted – her note had convinced his wife of that. If there was one thing in the world that Sybil knew it was her own mind…. And if there was one place in the world the young Crawley felt she belonged, it was by the side of Irishman who loved her with everything that he was.
Discussion ended.
But not before Anthony had thought how very much the two of them were alike - the two couples.
Cora and Robert were kind to him when they met - they told people with some attempt at pride that he was their son in law. But he was unable to shake the thought that even now she was expecting his child, they still felt in some way that Edith could have done better.
That, at the end of the day, their match was a disappointment to them.
He was a good man and he was more than respectable - but he knew very well the two of them had wanted more for Edith than him... still that was not something he was able to blame them for. If the truth was known, he had wanted someone better than him for his stubborn wife.
But she would not be told. Her heart would not be told.
Upon hearing the name of his brother and his sister in law, Anthony got up from where he had been sitting and walked into the hall to see them.
Tom looked quite well, but Sybil was upset. He knew that as soon as he looked at her.
"Sorry to call on you so late at night, Sir Anthony," begun Sybil.
"Not at all, my dear," he said as he strolled over to her. "You are family. You know you are welcome in this house. How are you?"
She was suddenly overcome by the feeling even he had been worrying about her when she had been gone. And she did not know why - but that must make everything worse. Before she was able to get a hold of her emotions, she burst in to tears.
"It's ok, love," said Tom as he put his arms about her and rubbed her back.
The master of the house clearly felt slightly awkward at the tears of his young sister in law. He did – very much. And it showed.
"Why don't the two of you come in and sit down? I will get some tea brought up," he said as he pointed through to the living room.
It was the first time that Tom had been in side of Loxley, but for Sybil, it was a return. She had vague memories of this room. She had been in here when she had been a child and there had been another mistress at Loxley.
That had not been a title she had ever thought one of her sister was going to take.
But she knew Edith considered it an honour.
As soon as the two of them sat down, Sybil turned her eyes to meet those of her kindly brother in law.
"We really did not mean to interrupt your evening... but we have now here else to go."
"Not at all, Lady Sybil. You know you are going to welcome here whenever you call, you and Mr Branson. Why, you're family."
And Edith would never forgive me if I were to turn you away.
"Have you been back to Downton?" Anthony asked after a little while.
She nodded - but it was almost as if the action was painful for her.
"I take it the two of you were not received warmly," he muttered.
It was as a tear dropped on to her cheek that Sybil shook her head.
"Papa... I fear he was rather angry with the two of us still. We thought it best we stay in the village to allow him some time to calm down..."
"But everything was shut up by the time that we got there," Tom took over the narrative as Sybil's voice trailed off. Infinitely less connected to the earl and his family, he was in a far better position to discuss what had happened to the two of them. "We do not wish to be any trouble - but we have nowhere else to go tonight."
"Then, of course, you must stay here," Anthony said as he rang the bell.
Noakes entered immediately.
"Mr Branson and Lady Sybil will be staying tonight. Can you see that the maids have made up a room for the two of them?"
Tom felt himself rankled under the idea of people waiting on him but he did not suppose there was a lot he was able to do about that now. And he was not going to insult Sir Anthony when he had been so good as to put the two of them up at a moment's notice.
It was as some of the maids were going up stairs that Anthony was able to see his wife come down them, and he felt a flicker of annoyance that her evening had been disturbed.
Due to the late hour, she had already gone up to bed, a fact which had made him very happy and allowed him to relax... It was not as if the pregnancy had been smooth and he wanted nothing more than for her to take care of herself.
He did not want her excited... But then he did not think that could avoided that now.
"Syb -" so surprised was she to find her younger sister in the house she was not even able to finish saying her name as the young women rushed from her husband to the side of her sister.
It took the two of them no time at all to get lost in one another's arms.
"Oh, I have been so worried about you. I know you said not to be in your letters, but I have," she said as the two of them held hands...
"Tom has taken all care of me, I promise you that... oh Edith!" a true smile spread over her face for the first time since she had come back to Yorkshire as she put her hand on her sisters swollen stomach.
"How long to go, milady, if you do not mind me asking?" Tom pondered. After all, the baby was his niece or nephew too.
Edith nodded - no she did not mind him asked. "My name is Edith, please use it as I understand your my brother in law now," she teased Tom. "We think about a month, two at the longest," she said as she put a hand over Sybil's.
"My dear, come and sit down," Anthony ordered gently as he reached out a hand to take his wife's.
"As you can see," she said, giving her sister a quick squeeze before as she did as she was told. "I, too, am well taken care of."
As she sat in her arm chair, Anthony put his hands on her shoulder and she covered it with her own, gently rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand to soothe his no doubt frayed nerves.
"Well, there was never any worry about that," Sybil smiled.
"So, are you home? What's happening?"
"Papa is very angry with me," Sybil did not see the point in beating about the bush for she did not think they were going to gain much advantage by doing so. "I think we can return to the Abbey when mama has had a chance to calm him a little - but, not yet..."
"Well, then you'll stay right here with us," Edith said without a second thought.
Tom smiled. The two of them really were well suited.
"Sir Anthony has already ordered rooms to be made up for us," Sybil told her sister who went on to flush with pride.
Looking up at her husband, Edith smiled. "Thank you."
He really was the best man in the world...
X x x
By the time they had had tea, the room which the Branson's were going to be sleeping in while they were at Loxley had been made up, and the fact the two of them had had a very long day made it only too easy for Anthony to persuade everyone that it was time for them all to go to bed.
The truth was that if his in laws had not turned up then he would have been looking at the account books later into the night, but as it was, he had to get Edith back upstairs and resting for her sake as well as their child.
And if the only way to do that was to go up with her, then it seemed to him as if it was a very small price to pay.
"The two of them did looked well didn't they?" Edith asked as he came into their bedroom.
If the two of them were like her mother and father in any way, then it was that the two of them shared a bed every night as well. After so long of being apart, it seemed ridiculous to separate at night when they could be holding each other.
Anthony removed his dressing gown. "Yes. They are quite well, my dearest Edie."
She blushed a little at her nick name, the one he had blessed her with since the day the two of them had wed and become man and wife.
"Come to bed."
He needed no further encouragement. They were three of his favourite words in the world when they came out of her month.
Throwing back the cover, she grinned as he crawled in next to her.
"What a rather unexpectedly exciting evening," he sighed, pushing his lips to her forehead.
"You do not mind do you?" she checked. Edith did not think it mattered if he did. Sybil was her sister and she was not going to see her out on the streets. But she would far rather he did not.
"Of course not - providing they do not make too much work for you... Edie..."
"I know you are worried about the baby and I. But Sybil is a trained nurse. Darling, having her here is going to be a blessing and a comfort to me right now."
Reaching down to brush a stray lock of hair from her face, he sighed. Anthony was silenced for a moment. "How can I argue with that?" he asked moving closer to steal a kiss, this time from her lips...
Cupping his cheek, she rubbed her thumb across his cheek bones. "Smart man," she teased lightly.
"As long as your here, I always will be."
X x x
"I do not know how long the two of them are going to be agreeable to an Irish man in their house. I can't think that they had a lot of time to think through taking the two of us in tonight. And they were not going to send you out into the cold."
Sybil smiled and laughed lightly. Tom's rough edges were part of the reason she had fallen so hard for him - but they did make it hard for him to trust. And if they were two people in the world she did trust in that moment it was her sister and her brother in law.
"I think they were being genuine. Sir Anthony was always kind to me, to everyone - and always on the side of progress."
"Are you telling me that I am going to be able to sign him up for the revolution?"
"No - but I am saying you may just find him rather stimulating."
"And there was me thinking he was as dull as paint."
"I am admit, when I was a child, I may have missed judged him. But the last type of man in the world my sister would fall in love with is a dull one."
As Tom got in to bed by the side of his wife, Sybil sighed. "Besides, I think the two of us are best placed here. With Edith getting close to her due date..."
"You're worried about her?" asked Tom as he put an arm about his wife... he knew that expression. He knew her character.
Sybil paused. She was not - she didn't know anything - and she was probably over reacting.
Many women into their seventh month of pregnancy was tired. All of them in fact.
"She looked quite pale I thought tonight - it could have been the light, of course, but - I would just feel better if I was there to help her through this. Besides, I am about to become an aunt for the very first time. I want to be there for her, Tom - and if Anthony and Edith are happy to allow the two of us to stay with them until she has had the baby, I think that's what we should do."
She said it with such conviction in her eyes that he found it hard to Argue with her. When the two of them had gone up to bed he had been sure of his own plan. That the two of them should cut their losses and head to Dublin where the two of them were going to find they could love in the open.
But suddenly, he did not fancy his chances of getting her out of Yorkshire.
"This is something you need to do isn't it, love?"
She nodded. "I am not going to leave her. Not now."
"Very well. If they want us to stay, then we will."
"Thank you," she said as she leant over to him and kissed him. In spite of the seriousness of the situation they had been thrown in to that night, he could not stop himself falling for her - as he did so every night and every day, over and over again.
As his hands grew possessive and passionate on her hips, Sybil banished dark thoughts from her mind and gave herself entirely to the mutual affection which ruled her life.
For that night at least. They were safe.
All four of them.
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Coming up: Tom and Anthony bond and the mistress of Loxley proves she has the master of the house wrapped about her finger.