As promised! Hope you enjoy!
MORNING
Sybil felt wide awake, despite the gloom outside her window and still silence throughout the house. She reached out for her phone on the bedside table and on learning that it was only a few minutes after five, sighed briefly before a smile of excited anticipation crossed her face. She stretched luxuriously in her childhood bed, contemplating the day ahead and wondering how she could help to make the next few hours pass quickly. Her wedding to Tom was taking place at 1pm in the village church, followed by a reception back at Downton Abbey. She had arrived from London on Thursday, enjoying a quiet meal with her immediate family that evening, before the influx of guests travelling from further afield began to descend upon the house the following day. Last night her parents had hosted a drinks buffet, at which she and Tom had been the guests of honour; however he had been sent away shortly before midnight, forbidden from seeing her on the wedding day itself until she appeared at the altar. He and his family were staying at the Grantham Arms in the village, from where he would get ready and take the short stroll to the church, almost certainly via the downstairs bar.
Despite retiring to bed almost immediately after he had left, she remembered the clock striking 1am and briefly wondered if her face would later display the effects of less than four hours sleep. Picking up her phone once again, she sent him a brief text, expecting him to read it when he later awoke.
I'm awake! (5.07)
Within seconds, the device beeped and to her surprise she read.
Me too! Since 4.52 so beat you…
Smiling, she jumped when an almost immediate second message arrived.
Are we allowed to text or is our marriage now doomed?!
I think it's allowed (no texts when rules invented!) she swiftly typed back. What r u doing?
Listening to Kieran snore!
I thought you had separate rooms?
We do. I can hear him thru the wall!
OK. I'm going downstairs for cup of tea. See you at the altar xx
Don't be late! xx
It's my prerogative! xxx
Sybil put on her dressing gown and slippers, for the house always felt cold in the large draughty hallway and staircases, despite its modern central heating system and the reasonable spring temperatures. She pulled back her curtains and glanced out of the window; so far the forecast seemed to be accurate and the rain was holding off. There was a risk of showers mid-morning but everyone was hopeful that it would stay dry once the wedding commenced.
There were no sounds of life as she padded quietly down the corridor and stairs, opening the door to their basement kitchen. Stifling a yawn, she reached up around the doorframe to switch on the lights and picked up the kettle, walking over to the sink. The tap clearly still hadn't been fixed as the water shot out, despite her gentle twist and she jumped backwards as the spray hit her face and neck.
"Are you OK there Lady Sybil?" she swung round at the sound of a voice and was surprised to see her parents' cook, Mrs Patmore, standing at the far end of the room, having evidently been in the pantry when she had arrived downstairs.
"I'm sorry to make you jump" the woman added, smiling as Sybil nodded and switched on the kettle, picking up a tea towel and drying herself.
"Why are you here so early?" asked Sybil in astonishment.
"Lots to do" the woman replied, picking up a clipboard on which she had a long list of instructions.
Sybil nodded and felt slightly awkward. "I'm sorry to be creating so much extra work for you."
"Oh don't you worry about that" was the swift response. "I love it really."
"Would you like some tea?" Sybil asked
"I should be making it for you."
"Not at all…you have enough to do."
"Well then, that would be very kind, thank you."
After Sybil had poured the drinks, she wrapped her dressing gown cord firmly around her waist and drew a chair to the large table in the centre of the room.
"So you don't mind all the stress of a big event then?" she asked cautiously. Mrs Patmore shook her head.
"It's what I originally went into catering for, to be honest." Sybil looked at her querying before she continued. "I had my own catering company for a while so it was all big dinners and parties, but it's a young person's game really and I got tired of working every evening. So this job suited me down to the ground…I'm usually finished by seven in the week, your parents don't eat late unless they've got visitors. But I enjoy the challenge of a larger function once in a while…the New Year parties, the anniversary party last year and now this…it's my first wedding in a few years, but I get to be in charge and boss all the temps around who are coming in to help, so I'm in heaven!" Sybil smiled. "I'll be exhausted by the time everyone's gone home, but it's a satisfying feeling and then I'll be having a few days off, so you don't need to be feeling sorry for me…you just concentrate on enjoying your big day."
"Oh I will, that's for sure."
"Couldn't sleep then?" the woman asked kindly and Sybil shook her head. "I'm not surprised, I doubt any bride sleeps in on her wedding day, I know I didn't."
"Where did you get married then Mrs Patmore?"
"In Leeds…but don't start asking me questions about that because it ended in divorce, so it's not really setting the right tone for the day now, is it?"
Sybil heard footsteps in the corridor and leant across to see Mr Carson walking slowly towards the kitchen in his own robe, appearing visibly startled to see his employer's daughter while he was so informally dressed.
"Lady Sybil!" he exclaimed with embarrassment "I'm so sorry….I didn't…"
"Please don't worry…look, I'm equally underdressed." she smiled reassuringly and decided to take her tea upstairs, feeling awkward about having disturbed her parents' employees in their usually comfortable environment. Although Mr Carson was officially a butler, such duties were only required when events were taking place at the Abbey and so he and Mrs Hughes also acted as Personal Assistants to her parents, dealing with paperwork relating to the estate and various charity commitments. They each had an office downstairs and while the family used the kitchen themselves on a daily basis, Sybil felt as if she had interrupted what should be a quiet and private start to their day.
"I'll be serving breakfast from seven" Mrs Patmore called after her and Sybil smiled with gratitude.
"Are you looking forward to today, Mr Carson?" she asked gently as she passed him, reaching out and holding the arm of the man she had known since her infancy.
He looked momentarily startled by the question and his eyes appeared to mist a little as he considered his answer.
"More than you can possibly imagine" he said eventually and Sybil felt moved the sentiment behind his words.
"I hope you'll dance with me later"
He looked swiftly down at the floor. "It would be an honour."
"You're almost like my second father really…having watched me grow up here."
Mr Carson looked up and she was startled to see tears in his eyes as he nodded solemnly and uttered the most informal sentence she had heard from him since her childhood.
"I couldn't be prouder, even if you were my own, my love."
NOON
The hairdresser had left and the make-up artist had tidied away her brushes, leaving Sybil in her underwear and dressing gown, hair neatly swept up above her head and tiara firmly in place.
"Now what do we do?" she asked "I've got 45 minutes before the car arrives."
"Ta-da!" declared Gwen, producing a bottle of champagne from Sybil's wardrobe where unknown to her, it had been chilling in an ice bucket for a couple of hours.
"I'll re-do your lipstick afterwards" Mary reassured.
"Can I be part of this, or do you girls want me to go now?" Cora asked hesitantly, having had her make-up put on with the bridesmaids.
"Of course you can stay, Mum…don't be silly!"
Edith opened the bottle with expert ease, while Gwen held the glasses steady and passed them around the room. She had been eventually persuaded into accepting a role as bridesmaid, after Sybil had given them all free rein to design their own dresses, provided that they were all in the same burgundy material she had chosen. Once satisfied that she would be wearing a design that suited her shape, Gwen declared that she felt more confident about standing next to Mary and Edith, although Sybil personally believed that the love of a good man had provided her with such improved self-assurance. Anna had originally been an additional member of the party, however once she had discovered that she would be seven months pregnant on the big day, had begged Sybil to excuse her. Instead she would be an official witness, whose role would be to sign the register, together with one of Tom's university friends.
With gleeful excitement, the five women toasted one another in anticipation of the day ahead and after the bottle was empty, helped Sybil gingerly climb into her dress. It was of simple design, but made with exquisite lace, completed with her grandmother's pearls that matched those in her tiara.
"Where's the old?" Mary asked and Sybil raised her left arm to show a silver bracelet that she had owned for several years.
"My dress is new, my pearls are borrowed from Granny and of course…" she gave a little wiggle and pulled up the skirt of her dress to reveal a blue garter wrapped around her thigh. "So I'm all set!"
Cora cleared her throat. "Well it's almost time to go…would you girls mind going downstairs now and letting me have a couple of minutes with Sybil before we leave?" Departing with soft kisses to her cheek, Mary, Edith and Gwen picked up their bouquets and waved before going downstairs to wait for their car. Cora turned to her daughter with a look of awe.
"My darling" she began and Sybil started to flap her arms around in front of her face.
"Don't' make me cry, Mum…you'll ruin my mascara."
"OK." Cora nodded and swiftly blinked back her own tears. "I'll just quickly say that you look absolutely beautiful as of course, I knew you would. Dad and I are so proud of you…ok, ok I know…" Both women cleared their throats and smiled at one another before Cora continued "…we love Tom and we're so happy that you've met him." Sybil nodded and reached out to hold her mother's hand in appreciation.
"Now I don't think that I need to give you a talk about the birds and the bees…" they both giggled lightly "…but I will say that marriage can be a rocky road at times, so just remember that we are always here for you if you need us, OK?"
"Thank you."
"You're a beautiful and successful woman, but you'll always be my baby, Sybil…always." Cora leant forward to hug her daughter and Sybil bit her lip in attempt to rein in her emotions.
"Now I'll go and tell Dad that you're ready and that he's not to make you cry either! I'll see you at the church darling."
Sybil stood alone in her bedroom for a few moments, gathering her thoughts and glancing at her reflection in the mirror, before she heard a soft knock at her door.
"Come in!"
Robert's head appeared around the door and his mouth dropped open at the sight of his youngest daughter. "Oh my goodness, Sybil…" He shook his head and Sybil began to laugh, walking forward to give him a hug.
"I'm under strict instructions from your mother not to make you cry, but I don't think I can…" he stopped abruptly and turned away from her, bringing his hand to his eyes and pinching them.
"Right!" he coughed and blinked a little, smiling and laughing at the concern on Sybil's face.
"I can't say anything more than you look absolutely stunning."
"Thank you, Dad."
"He's a lucky man, I think he knows that but if he ever forgets, I'll be after him."
Sybil laughed "He knows that too."
"Good. Well then, make up alright?" she swallowed deeply and nodded. Robert held out his arm towards her "Then shall we go?"
"In the absence of Dad, I feel obliged to mention that if you have any doubts, now is the time to raise them."
Tom raised an eyebrow at Kieran, who shrugged. "I know…I know, but it's what someone is supposed to say to you, so now I have. I've done my duty"
"You've got more duties to come…have you got the rings?"
"You've already asked me that about fifteen times."
"Can you check again please?"
Kieran patted his suit pocket "Yes."
"Speech notes?"
His brother opened his jacket, reached into the inside pocket and pulled out a handful of index cards.
"All sorted…don't make me more nervous about that than I already am."
Tom turned and looked at Kieran squarely in the eye.
"Thank you for agreeing to be my best man…I know you're out of your comfort zone with the speech, but it means a lot to me that you said yes."
His brother gave a half-shrug. "Well I'm honoured that you asked me, to be honest…I know you wouldn't have done if it had been two or three years ago…I'm glad we've got back to being friends again, as well as brothers."
Tom nodded and they smiled awkwardly at one another, neither in the habit of offering one another compliments or showing outward displays of affection.
"So…" began Tom slowly and in a lighter tone "…do you think that you might take the plunge one day? You and Gwen?"
"Not in the near future, no…she wants to get through the whole foundation training first."
"So you've talked about it then?" Tom was surprised and Kieran offered a coy grin.
"We had a very vague conversation about the future very recently actually…let's put it this way, I can't imagine ever marrying anyone else."
"That's great" Tom beamed.
"Well Mam's had two weddings in two years, so we need to space them out a bit for her, I think…talking of Mam, I promised her that we'd only have one drink before we go, but I believe there are two Irish whiskeys downstairs with our names on them, so shall we go?"
Tom nodded, made a final adjustment to his tie while looking in the mirror and they left the room. Approaching the hotel's hallway from the stairs, they could hear their sister, Edie in a nearby corridor. "Aiden, put that down please…no no, don't touch….I said no!...Aiden, come back!"
Fiona looked up and grinned at her brothers as they descended towards her.
"You've got all that to come, Fiona" Tom said smiling at the discreet baby bump she carried under her dress.
"So have you in time, probably. You both look so smart" she replied. "Listen, we're going to start walking slowly to the church in a minute and go and greet all the relatives…you two can follow in a bit, is that OK?"
She called to Niall and then Edie joined them, having finally caught up with Aiden and persuaded him back to the front of the hotel. Elaine appeared behind her and gazed lovingly at her sons.
"Now come here a minute, Tom" she requested quietly and he did so, stopping en-route to kiss his sisters and shake Niall's hand as they wished him luck and left the hotel.
"I'll get those drinks" Kieran added and he left mother and son to have a brief moment together.
Elaine rested her hand on Tom's arm and smiled. "Well you look very fine…plenty good enough to marry an Earl's daughter, I'd say."
"Thanks Mam, you look lovely too."
"I wish your Dad was here to see you."
"Me too" Tom came to a halt after those two short words; the void left by his father had never seemed as significant as it was today and he felt tears pricking his eyes and a considerable lump in his throat. Reaching out to hold his mother's hand, he attempted to nod bravely, but a small sob escaped as the emotion of their loss, coupled with the event's enormity, overwhelmed him.
Elaine rubbed her thumb over the back of her son's hand and kissed him gently on the cheek. "I'll be proud enough for both of us, sweetheart."
NIGHT
The service had been conducted without a hitch, the meal enjoyed by all and the speeches drew applause and tears in equal measure. After Tom and Sybil had self-consciously walked out on to the dance floor to begin the evening reception, they retired hand-in-hand to the side of the marquee for a brief moment alone.
Tom reached out to a passing waiter. "Can I grab some drinks for me and my wife please?"
"Of course, sir"
He handed Sybil a glass of champagne, smiling as she wrinkled her nose slightly and placed it on a nearby table.
"I don't really want another drink at the moment…sorry…I'm pacing myself."
"That's OK…" he grinned at her "…I just wanted another excuse to say 'me and my wife'"
Sybil gave a little giggle "I can't believe we've actually done it! That you're my…" she paused and laughed again "…husband and I'm now officially Sybil Branson. It doesn't seem real!"
"Yes there's no getting away from me now…" he joked "…you are legally mine!"
"Well technically I could still get an annulment actually…you know the marriage hasn't been consummated yet." Sybil raised an eyebrow and pouted suggestively.
Readily accepting the bait, Tom leant forward and whispered huskily in her ear. "Well I'll be taking care of that at the earliest possible opportunity, don't you worry."
Their mutual look of desire was interrupted by Kieran who appeared suddenly before them, looking exceedingly flustered.
"Your grandmother…" he said, pointing his finger at Sybil and shaking his head.
"Which one?"
"The American one"
"What about her?"
"She is…excuse my french…fucking scary."
Sybil giggled. "Really…what has she done?"
Kieran gave her an indignant stare and raised a finger in the air. "Firstly, she grabbed me and insisted that I dance with her."
Sybil nodded solemnly… "Yes, she likes to dance."
"Secondly!" Kieran lifted another finger. "She pinched my arse during it."
Tom snorted with laughter, before his brother's rant continued.
"And thirdly…" Kieran lowered his voice and looked at Sybil in horror "…she asked which room I was staying in." Sybil bit her lip in an attempt to curtail her amusement.
"I've just said to Gwen…barricade the door love, otherwise we might have an unexpected visitor tonight…Christ, I need another drink." He wandered off and Tom and Sybil looked at each other, bursting into laughter as he disappeared from earshot.
"She's up to her tricks again…" Sybil declared "…she just loves the expression of panic it instils…he's played right into her hands, she'll be delighted!"
As the evening's festivities continued, the couple were in constant demand from friends and relatives, all eager to extend their continued congratulations and enquire about their forthcoming Italian honeymoon.
As the band began to sing 'Moon River', Tom walked over to the Dowager Countess, who was seated with her niece at the side of the marquee and held out his hand. "May I have the honour of this dance, Lady Grantham?" he asked politely and was rewarded with a fond smile.
"You'll have to take the place of my stick, Tom I'm afraid" she said as she allowed him to help pull her upright and lead her on to the dance floor.
"I hope you've enjoyed the day?" he asked as they began to move slightly awkwardly in time to the music.
She looked at him intently for a moment before replying. "I don't think I can remember such a satisfactory day for quite some time."
"Good. I'm very pleased."
"And you Tom? Has it given you everything you hoped for?"
"Undoubtedly" was his immediate response and she nodded with satisfaction.
"One goes to so many weddings over time…you generally learn which ones will be happy and which will not."
"Really?" he asked with genuine surprise "You think you can tell just from the wedding itself?"
"No, no…" she corrected him "…on what precedes it…not by the displays of affection, because every prospective bride and groom will provide that, but on the choices they make and the way they in which they conduct them." He nodded, curious to learn more about her perspective.
"You and Sybil seem to have a partnership…it's not simply a love affair, which I'm afraid is not enough to sustain the long lives people have nowadays; but a meeting of minds and a shared purpose. I don't doubt that you'll get on one another's nerves now and again…quite frankly you wouldn't be human if that wasn't the case; but if you continue to think of every decision as a choice to be made by two and not simply by one's own desires and priorities, then I think you will both do just fine in the long run."
Tom bowed his head slightly, in deference to the woman's knowledge and goodwill. "Would you say that was your own experience, Lady Grantham…if you don't mind me asking…in your own marriage?"
She sighed slightly before answering in a soft voice, full of regret. "Unfortunately my dear, we didn't have long enough to really test it out to the full."
As evening turned to night, Sybil finally pulled her husband away from his enthusiastic extended family for a slow dance and wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling his ear tenderly.
"I've had such a wonderful day" she murmured happily and he drew her closer with a soft kiss.
"It's been fantastic" he agreed "I'd say it's exceeded my already very high expectations."
Sybil drew back and grinned at him. "Now, there's a quote, even though it sounds a bit formal…we should have written our own vows you know."
He shook his head "God, I was emotional enough saying the standard ones that you expect…if we'd written our own, I'd have been sobbing on the floor before we'd got to the end."
"Well now you're past the emotional stage, what would you say, do you think?" she asked and he grimaced slightly.
"Now you're putting me on the spot."
"Well I'll start…" she coughed slightly and smiled shyly up at him. "Thomas Branson…I have given you my heart and my trust and I promise to be true to you for ever." He nodded encouragingly before she continued. "I will be here for you whenever you need my support, my opinion and my love…I will stand on freezing cold touchlines in January while you play football" he grinned "sit through the latest Muse album and listen to your political rants of injustice, even when I think you are over exaggerating slightly."
"Right!" he interrupted "My turn! Sybil Crawley…I never believed that I could ever love anyone as much as I love you. Your compassion and kindness take my breath away at times…" his mouth twitched slightly "…although I forgive you for being so cruel and unkind to me when we first met, because I know that deep down you simply wanted my body, so…ow!" he provided a suitable expression of mock outrage before kissing her softly. "I will sit with you through five agonising sets of Andy Murray at Wimbledon…watch Strictly Come Dancing on a weekly basis and try to have an opinion about the cha cha cha…grow old with you." He drew his head back, stopped swaying to the music and looked her firmly in the eye.
"I will love you every single day of my life" he murmured.
Sybil smiled with empathy and nodded at him, standing back and taking his hands before leaning towards him again and whispering. "Every single day…from morning, until noon and night."
THE END