Today had been a good day...
The sun had set on a peaceful day at last. So many questions remained unanswered in the world but in this small part of Yorkshire, amongst the peaceful villagers of Downton, the historic house fell silent after it's busiest day.
The future heir to Downton had married his bride and the flame had been extinguished as normal life resumed.
In the soft lit room he looked at her. Memories of their own wedding flooded his thoughts, the simplicity of their vows, the beauty she possessed, the wedding night...
She looked as beautiful tonight as she did then, but now her stomach swelled slightly with their child to come, a token of their time together.
As she straighted down her nightgown, a gift from Tom's sister, she retired to their bed. It had been her haven, her safe place as a child, and now it still retained that safety but this time it came from the warm arms of her husband.
As she escaped under the covers, her husband's stare like a magnet drawing her in she looked up at him to complete the connection. His hand reaching out to touch her hair then moved towards her back. Her delicate hands reaching for his as she moved closer, their warm bodies against each other.
No words needed to be said just yet as their thoughts both returned to that glorious day back in Ireland.
A soft kiss for her husband, the only person that knew her better than herself . The way he could still make her tingle and shiver with his touch. The passion that had made her fall for him slowly but surely through the years, never leaving her side.
As she broke away, their foreheads still together; a knowing smile between them, the silence finally broke.
'I was proud of you today' she whispered in the dark, not moving from her comfortable position, or disconnecting the eye contact with her husband.
'Proud?' he questioned with his fingertips barely touching her eyelashes, a confident smile creeping onto his lips.
'Yes' she replied with all seriousness. 'You spent all day with those people, everything your against, but you didn't let it show, and you were still Tom, the man I love, I was very proud' She continued to brush her fingers against his, playfully twisting his wedding ring.
'Never underestimate an Irishman' he joked, always hiding his sincerity with humour, his insecurity shadowed with confidence.
'I never did' Sybil replied, her expression serious, her words honest, her love for him prominent.
Her body moving closer, reaching upwards again to be close to him once more.
This was what she would remember, when asked what she loved most about life. This is what she would tell her children about, when they asked about love. This is what life was about, when everything was taken away.