"You can posture all you like Papa, it won't make any difference."
"Oh yes, it will."
"How? I don't want any money, and you can hardly lock me up until I die. I'll say goodnight, but I can promise you one thing: tomorrow morning, nothing will have changed. Tom?"
With that Sybil reached out for Tom's hand and the pair, holding hands, exited the drawing room, closing the door behind them, leaving in their wake Sybil's stunned and, at least momentarily, quiet family.
It seemed as if everyone was lost in their own thoughts as to what had just happened. Only Mary and Edith had known beforehand what was to happen that night in the drawing room since Sybil had confided in them while they participated in their nightly before dinner ritual of meeting in Mary's bedroom while Anna put the finishing touches on Mary's hair and dress. Both Mary and Edith had tried to dissuade Sybil of her and Branson making the announcement to the family that night. Of course they had known for some weeks of Sybil's intentions regarding Branson since they had tracked the couple to the Swan Inn and prevented their elopement but they weren't prepared for her to now announce her intentions to their parents.
However, to everyone else in the room, including Carson who was performing his usual pouring of after dinner drinks, Sybil and Branson's declaration of love and intention to marry was a complete surprise. None had any inkling of the romance between Sybil and Branson.
While Robert stood by fireplace mantle, still silently fuming at his youngest daughter, it was his mother who finally broke the silence.
"Well this has been quite a turn of events" Violet uttered.
"This has been nonsense" Robert replied. "I won't allow it. I don't care what she says I won't allow it."
"I don't see how you can prevent it Robert" Violet continued. "As Sybil said you can't lock her up until she dies and she doesn't want money …"
"Money" Robert interrupted his mother. "Money … that's it. She may not want money but he … he … that's probably what he's after."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that Robert" Cora finally seemed to find her voice. "They seem to have a plan, he's gotten a job as a journalist, they've written his mother to make living arrangements. It seems they have thought about this."
But as he did so often Robert completely ignored what his wife was saying as he turned once again at his eldest daughter. "I'm still upset you didn't think to tell me. I would have ended it then … I would have fired him."
Mary wasn't going to wither under her father's glare. "If so she would have gone with him then. She's in love with him Papa whether you like it or not I have no doubt that she's in love with him."
"Oh please all this talk of love. That's not the basis of most good marriages" Violet injected. "Sybil's young and impressionable, he's good looking" both Mary and Edith snapped their heads towards their grandmother, surprise written on both their faces.
Violet returned their surprise looks with her trademark smirk and lifting of an eyebrow. "It's too tiring to think about this now" Violet sighed. "We should talk with Sybil tomorrow; hopefully, without him present."
Violet stood, her comments closing further discussion. "Now the issue Robert is how am I to get home? I believe you no longer have a chauffeur."
Robert glared at his mother but it was Matthew that spoke up. "I'll take you cousin Violet. Lavinia's roadster only holds two so I'll drop her off at Mother's and then come back for you."
At Matthew's words, Lavinia rose, happy to finally be leaving. Probably more than anyone else in the room Lavinia was uncomfortable not just for what she had witnessed, which should have been seen and heard only by the immediate family, but because it also reminded her of her own position. While she was not a servant like Branson, she was not an aristocrat and she wondered how the Crawleys really felt about her since as Matthew's wife one day she would be Lady Grantham and rule over Downton.
Neither Matthew nor Lavinia had spoken a word in the drawing room after Branson's unexpected appearance. Neither spoke of the situation as the took their leave with Lavinia murmuring a thank you for dinner and Matthew reminding Violet he would be back in just a few minutes.
Once in the car neither spoke. Lavinia had had very little contact with Sybil and even less with Branson and therefore felt she didn't really know either one of them but to Lavinia there was no mistaking the look of love on their faces when they looked at each other and when Sybil had reached for Branson's hand which seemed to give her strength and comfort as she faced her father's wrath. She was also impressed with how Branson had stood up to his lordship when Lord Grantham had accused him of bowing and scraping and seducing his daughter. She quite admired Branson for that for she still felt rather intimated by Lord Grantham even though he had been quite supportive of her and Matthew.
Lavinia knew it was none of her business to speak about Sybil and Branson and the conversation she wanted to have with Matthew regarding her own position would take much longer than the few minutes they had before arriving at Crawley House.
For his part Matthew's thoughts were going in so many different directions. It wasn't only Sybil that had surprised him it was also Robert. He could understand Robert being upset at the idea of his daughter marrying the chauffeur, but what had surprised him was the anger Robert expressed, the doubts that Sybil was capable of making up her own mind, that Branson had seduced her.
If it had been Edith he could possibly see that since after all Edith had been taken in by that conman pretending to be Patrick Crawley. But not Sybil for if anything he'd have to describe her as strong-willed and determined. He imagined Sybil would only fall for someone who shared her politics and stances on women's rights and could imagine Branson being that man.
He was not so far removed from his middle class upbringing that he thought it beneath him to have conversations with the chauffeur and so he had often talked with Branson while Branson was driving him around. Matthew thought it was probably the same when the gregarious Branson drove Sybil and that she was probably happy to have someone with many of the same beliefs to talk to so he could see the two of them bonding although that it would lead to love was still a bit surprising.
What was also surprising to Matthew was that Mary had known about Branson and her sister and that she hadn't informed her father or otherwise tried to stop it. He knew how hard it had been for Mary to accept him a middle class lawyer as a suitor so he couldn't imagine that she would accept a chauffeur as a husband for Sybil especially since if there was one person Mary loved it was her youngest sister.
True to his word Matthew was back at the Abbey for Violet in just a few minutes. For the first time that evening, Matthew silently laughed when he saw the incongruous sight of the Dowager Countess stiffly sitting in Lavinia's roadster.
"I've already had one shock tonight I'm not sure I can take another" Violet had said as Matthew helped her into the motor car. "Are you sure this is a motor car? It looks like it belongs …" Matthew tuned her out as he walked around to his side of the car.
They drove in silence until they went through the Downton gates. "Did you have any idea about Sybil and Branson?" Violet broke the silence.
Matthew shook his head while replying "Not at all. I am just as surprised as everyone else."
Violet nodded before turning to look straight ahead. How could something like this have happened Violet wondered. She knew, or had heard, of dalliances between ladies of the house and their servants but she would never imagine such a thing happening between her granddaughter and the chauffeur. It was one thing to have a dalliance with a servant but to think of marrying one … well that was just out of the question.
It was Cora's fault Violet concluded. With her American ways, Cora had always been too lenient with those girls especially Sybil. Mary and Edith at least had always acted like ladies but Sybil … Violet gasped causing Matthew to look at her. "Are you alright cousin Violet?
"I'm fine" she replied "It's just been a very tiring evening." But it wasn't the events of the evening that had caused Violet to gasp but rather the sudden remembrance of Mary's escapade with that Turk. At least the damage of that sordid affair had been contained with only slight insinuations that were never proven. But this thing with Sybil … everyone would know … it would be an embarrassment for the family.
Violet had been so deep in her thoughts that she didn't realize they had arrived at her house until Matthew was standing there with her car door open waiting to escort her to the door.
"Is there anything" Matthew had started but Violet cut him off.
Violet shook her head. "There is nothing anyone can do tonight. We just have to hope that Sybil will realize what she's doing and things will change tomorrow."
But Violet knew her youngest granddaughter well enough to know that Sybil was very stubborn and hard headed, traits that Violet did not think were necessarily undesirable especially when used for the right purposes. She knew that it was no use for Robert to talk to Sybil about this because Sybil would never give in to him and Cora of course would be useless. It would be up to herself to convince Sybil of her foolishness.
When their grandmother departed, Mary and Edith also took their leave for neither wanted to remain in the harsh glare of their father. Mary was just happy that Edith hadn't let slip about the Swan Inn. However she had noted that Edith was not forthcoming with her also knowing about Sybil and Branson and had let Mary take the heat from their father.
After dismissing Anna, Mary remained seated at her vanity staring vacantly at her reflection in the mirror. She had known of course, known for almost a year now. Mary remembered when she had first confronted Sybil regarding the suspicions she had about her sister and the chauffeur. Although Sybil had assured her she wasn't interested in Branson and promised not to do anything foolish, Mary didn't really believe her but she had thought it was just a phase for Sybil. The war had started so soon after Sybil's season that she hadn't really had a chance to be courted.
Then of course there was their failed attempt at eloping. Mary wondered why she had rushed off so quickly to stop that elopement but then when they had returned she had done nothing to stop the romance. Maybe because that's what it was … a romance.
When the romance had begun Mary wasn't sure. The last few years with the war going on, Mary hadn't really paid much attention to Sybil's comings and goings. Her father had been wrong tonight when he claimed Branson had seduced Sybil. Mary recalled the look of concern on Branson's face all those years ago when Sybil had been hurt at that political rally or whatever it was.
She remembered how worried Branson had been, how he had stayed outside waiting for word on Sybil's condition. Though she didn't think of it then, later Mary realized that Branson wasn't concerned for himself, for the possibility that he would lose his job, no his concern had strictly been for Sybil.
And that night at the Swan Inn, Mary had feared finding her sister and Branson in a compromising situation but instead found them both chastely clothed with Branson even sleeping in the chair instead of beside Sybil in the bed. Mary knew then that this wasn't a wild physical fling that had escalated into something more.
Papa was so wrong if he thought money was motivating Branson. Mary had no doubt that her sister and the chauffeur were in love. But what would happen to that love when Sybil awoke in a Dublin slum. It was one thing for Sybil to relish her job as a nurse at Downton but even then she had someone to run her a hot bath at the end of a shift, launder her blood stained uniform, and serve her a hot meal whenever she wanted. She would have none of those things in Dublin. Mary doubted that Branson would even be making enough to let her sister live middle class life. Mary shuttered at the thought of her beloved sister's Dublin life.
While she worried about the life her sister would have in Ireland, Mary knew Sybil was following her heart and for that Mary envied her and wished she was as strong as her sister. If she had followed her heart she wouldn't be engaged to Sir Richard nor would the staff be preparing for the upcoming wedding of Matthew and Lavinia. No, Mary conceded, she didn't have Sybil's courage when it came to matters of the heart.
While everyone knew that Mary and Edith did not get along, it was really Sybil that Edith envied not Mary. From the time she was a little girl, Sybil displayed a strength of personality that Edith wished she had. Sybil was the adventurous one, the one that didn't care what others thought, the one that flaunted the rules. Sybil pretty much did what she wanted and was willing to suffer the consequences. Of course it didn't hurt that Sybil was bubbly and kind-hearted, traits that neither Edith nor Mary possessed, and the youngest, so it seemed her transgressions were easily forgiven. But this time Sybil may have gone too far.
Edith had enjoyed her driving lessons with Branson. To her surprise she had found him quick witted and intelligent, not that she didn't think a chauffeur could possess such attributes but it was just that she had never given a thought about Branson until her driving lessons. All those times he had driven her, she had never once thought of starting a conversation with him nor had he ever tried to talk to her. What, she wondered, had been so different with Sybil.
She knew that Sybil could have done very well in the marriage department. She had certainly been a hit during her season; much more so than Edith had been. If it hadn't been for the war, Sybil would probably have had many suitors visiting Downton.
Edith had no idea of the life Sybil would have in Ireland and she wondered if Sybil had really thought about it or was her mind too clouded by love. Edith was sure Sybil was in love with Branson, she had no doubt of that when she had seen them together at the Swan Inn. But could that love last through all the hardships her new life would throw at her? While more than anything Edith wanted a husband and her own household to run, she did not envy Sybil in this instance.
She knew she would miss Sybil who had often been a buffer between herself and Mary. It was Sybil who had convinced Edith she had something to offer during the war and had encouraged Edith to take an active role at the convalescent home, a role which Edith had relished. Now with the war over, Edith was once again at loose ends and without Sybil around it would be a bit lonelier at Downton.
"I'm going to my room Robert if you're going to continue to fume" Cora told her husband. "There's nothing more we can do tonight and I think you need to be a bit calmer tomorrow when we talk to Sybil."
For Cora the shock wasn't just that her daughter wanted to marry the chauffeur but rather that her daughter was in love for she had had no idea, no inkling, that Sybil was interested in anything other than her work as a nurse.
"You don't find this situation unacceptable?" Robert thundered at his wife.
"I think we need to find a way to talk to Sybil. Yelling at her or making threats isn't going to help the situation" Cora replied. "In fact knowing Sybil it will just make her more determined."
"But you can't possibly be willing to accept the chauffeur as our son-in-law!"
"I'm not willing to lose my daughter Robert." With that Cora swept out of the drawing room leaving Robert alone for they had dismissed Carson after Sybil and Branson had left.
It hadn't escaped his notice that Cora had been rather silent during Sybil's announcement. Her only remark had been concerning whether Sybil was to live with Branson while they were unmarried. How could that have been her greatest concern Robert wondered. At least if she didn't marry him, she might not feel obligated to stay with him in Ireland, there would still be a chance that she would come to her senses and come home.
Robert poured himself a generous serving of whiskey. How could this have happened he wondered. How could she have fallen in love and they had no inkling. Even Branson had given him no cause to worry about driving around his daughter. Now Robert shuttered at that thought, of all those times Sybil had been alone with him in the motor car, with him talking that political nonsense that Sybil later espoused, that must have been how it happened. Branson had taken advantage of her kind nature and naivete. Who knows how many young girls Branson had seduced before coming here; maybe he had left behind a string of such girls in Ireland.
As he sat there sulking, drinking his whiskey, his anger grew at Branson. It would have to be Branson he appealed to because he knew his daughter would never give in to him, she was much too stubborn for that. But Branson … Branson might … if the offer was high enough. Yes that's it thought Robert. I'll make sure the offer is high enough for him to leave us and return to Ireland alone.
Cora had quickly dismissed O'Brien, she didn't want her gossipy lady's maid to have any reason to suspect something had happened. Although she may have given Robert a different impression, Cora was probably just as unhappy about Sybil marrying the chauffeur as he was. She had such high hopes for her daughters, especially lovely Sybil with her quick smile and warm heart. Of the three of them, Sybil had been the most successful during her season with the most invitations to parties and balls. Cora had been sure that a proposal or two would come soon but then the war had started and those hopes were dashed.
Yet now Cora had to concede that her hopes for her daughter might not be what her daughter had ever wanted. Sybil had expressed delight and enjoyment of her season but had given no indication that she was ready to marry. She had given no indication that any of the men had captured her fancy. In fact the things Sybil had been so passionate about, women's rights and the vote, were not of interest to most men of her class.
The more Cora thought about it the more she realized how Sybil had seemed restless and lost since the end of the war. She had relished her job as a nurse and had wanted to continue but Robert had forbidden that. Maybe if they had listened more to their daughter they wouldn't be facing this situation. If they had let her go to school when she had begged them … if they had let her continue nursing … if they had let her … if they had let her just be her. Maybe that was the appeal of Branson … he had accepted her for who she was.
Tomorrow she would talk to Sybil. She would listen to what Sybil had to say. And if she had to she would accept Sybil's decision for the one thing that Cora was sure of was that she would not lose her daughter. But she couldn't think about this anymore tonight for suddenly she wasn't feeling well, she had a headache and her body seemed to ache all over. No tomorrow … she would deal with this tomorrow.
AN: In case you haven't read Robert and His Two Sybils, I delve deeper into Robert's deliberations regarding Sybil and Branson in that short story. I didn't want to cover the same material in this story.
