It was Thomas's last day at Downton before he set off to join the Richmond division, and the staff decided to have a celebratory lunch in his honour. It was supposed to be celebratory of his time working there, but everyone else knew it was a celebration of his leaving. Branson walked into the staff dining room and a slight smile on his face, barely noticeable but enough for the man of the day to notice.
"Oh, aye. Someone's gotten out of the right side of the wrong bed this morning!" Thomas blurted out, the rest of the staff pretending to not notice. Branson turned pink with embarrassment, but he tried to cover it up.
"I don't have a clue what you mean." He replied.
"Yeah you do you love bug. I saw it all yesterday." Thomas said smugly before carrying on eating his lunch. Branson started panicking at what Thomas saw. Did he see him kiss Sybil's hand, or did he see their arduous hug in Rippon? He was determined not to let it bother him but the situation was made a thousand times worse when Lady Sybil herself came downstairs at that moment to wish Thomas good luck. In an instant they all stood up as if they were in the army.
"Lady Sybil, to what do we owe the honour?" Asked Mrs Hughes.
"There's no need to stand to attention everybody! I just came to wish Thomas farewell and all the best wishes with his new job. I know his time here hasn't exactly been plain sailing," As Sybil said this she felt the cold, angry look of Thomas and the soft, warm gaze of Tom without looking at either. "But I wish him all the luck in the world in the army, especially in these difficult times." She couldn't have made a better speech and the staff gave a cry of agreement with her. When Sybil did finally look in Branson's direction, she knew it couldn't last long. So she looked into his eyes and gave him a quick smile before looking away. He couldn't refuse smile and just as soon as he replied with his, Anna standing next to him caught that little glint in his eye. She knew what Thomas meant but dare not believe it to be true, so she carried on with the celebrations as Sybil returned upstairs and everybody sat down. Branson's feelings were now in danger of discovery, but that didn't stop them from growing.