DISCLAIMER: Bitches, I am not Julian Fellowes, kay?
A/N: This is quite a packed-in chapter, and it took me ages to write because I was a bit stressed with university. I'm supposed to be reading Macbeth because I have a tutorial on it tomorrow. But alas, this fanfic won! I'm sorry if this is poorly written, due to the fact that I have been on and off all day and suffered with bad writer's block for the most part of the day. I started this in the morning! Anyhow, the next chapter should be up soon depending on reviews! Please, pass this along to your friends and tell them to revieeeew! If anyone wants to contact me on tumblr:
It had been three weeks since that cold takeout in her little quaint flat. It was an understatement to say that she spent almost all of her time with Tom since. Sybil invented more and more reasons for her to need the car, and often told her husband that she had to travel to other destinations outside of London for some retail therapy. She assumed that Larry could see through her; he knew her just as much as she knew him, but he seemed to have other matters on his mind. Sybil did not question them – she couldn't remember the last time she sat down and had a serious conversation with her childhood friend. However, that was the last thing she wanted to do.
Her mind had been taken prisoner by a certain Irishman, and she would swear that she had never smiled so much in her entire existence. The schedule remained the same at home – she would wake in her ridiculous nightwear, come downstairs to let Tom inside and they would eat breakfast in the kitchen. Larry would mumble something about coffee on his way out the door. Sybil and Tom would wait until the sound of his tires diminished, and she would dive into his arms.
"He seems different this week," Tom would tell her with seriousness written on his handsome features, but Sybil was having none of it. She silenced him with a kiss.
"Never mind him," she would insist. "What will we do today?"
This routine had become something of a relief for Sybil. She hadn't been able to be herself for the past seven months, and the last month had proven to be blissful. However, there was the matter of her family that she had to address. She insisted to Tom that she would let him know when the situation changed, but she never did. She sometimes wondered if he would ever tire of waiting for her decision; would he leave her even though she asked him to stay with her. She was asking for a lot from him.
There were times when she came close to speaking to her mother about the situation. Sybil sat in the parlour with her one afternoon, drinking tea and listening to her idle chat. It was never personal – no, her mother loved her, but sometimes she felt so detached from her family. Sybil adored her mother, and loved her father, but it felt like pulling teeth whenever she tried to sit down and speak to them about something personal or private to her. Cora tried to discreetly talk her out of her marriage to Larry that was how she knew that she could come to her. But still, how could she explain to her mother that she was now in a frequent affair with the Irish driver? It was ridiculous – she couldn't come to tea with her mother and blurt out something like that. She wished it were that simple.
"You seem miles away, darling."
Her mother's American twang pulled her out of her reverie and she looked up from her teacup to find Cora peering at her curiously. Sybil tried to act natural and smoothed out her afternoon dress; but it was a feeble distraction.
"I can't seem to concentrate today for some reason," she said with an airy laugh.
"You do know that you can always come back and stay with us whenever you want; a married woman always needs a bit of a break," Cora hinted as she watched her daughter gaze out of the window. It would take a fool not to realise how miserable she was; Sybil was a tremendous actress when it suited her, but Cora would only see a wedding band on her finger whenever social events were called.
"No, I'm quite fine, mama. I haven't been feeling the best for a while, I think I just need some rest," Sybil insisted with a firm nod of her head. Cora knew better than to push her daughter for information; she would come to her whenever she was in trouble, and then she would offer his assistance.
"Come on, sweetheart, your sisters will skin me alive if I'm late for another lunch," Cora continued in her soft American drawl – the voice that healed all of her problems when she was a child. Sybil smiled despite the continuous fluttering in her stomach; it was either the nervousness of having to pretend in front of her family, or because she stuffed herself with fish and chips the previous night.
"I do wonder when Edith will find a boyfriend, she must be bored to death in that apartment of hers," Cora muttered with a sigh as she linked arms with her daughter. This idle chat continued into the car outside the house, and continued until they arrived outside her sister's apartment.
It wasn't often that all three sisters met and talked – Edith seemed to be the one who pulled them all together now and then whenever she felt not enough communication was had between them all. Mary would rather chew off her arm than have a lunch date with Edith, but Sybil could not abide having her mother and sisters over to her home. Larry would come and ruin it as he often did with his snide comments about their financial state and he would point out her flaws every two seconds.
Sybil shook her head inwardly – no, it would be best to leave all that for now. However, she had to admit that she loved seeing her sisters again. She wished they were all small once more; so she could gush about Tom with them and avoid the sardonic judgement that was sure to follow in its wake.
"You haven't eaten much at all, darling," Mary commented.
Sybil pushed the ham and salad around the dish with her fork; she couldn't bring herself to eat much more than she did this morning. If she were honest, she would have preferred to lie in bed with a book.
"Sybil hasn't been feeling well," Cora interjected before she could comment. Her mother's brow was creased with concern. "We could always take you to Dr Clarkson, he's known you since you were a child…would you like that?"
Sybil almost huffed in indignation. She felt like a child at the dinner table, being scrutinised with each move she made. She let her fork fall to the dish with a clatter and her mother winced at the abrupt noise.
"No, mama, I'm quite able to take care of myself. I'm married now, do you remember? You must remember, you were all there…"
Mary reached out and caught her youngest sister's wrist with her hand. Her facial expression hinted that she was between humiliation and concern. Her eyebrows shot up as Sybil yanked her arm away like a spoilt child.
"What on earth is the matter with you, darling? Mama was only trying to help," Mary insisted as her mouth twisted into a disapproving frown at her sister's behaviour. However, her features softened immediately when she noticed the pearl-like tears that threatened to fall down her sister's flushed cheeks. She rested her knife and fork on the dish and turned so that she could face her sister, both hands reaching out for hers.
"You don't need to tell us all the details, Sybil. But we all care about you, and we want the best for you." Her sister's tone of voice was persistent and soft; Mary had the tough demeanour that made her seem like the cold one, but she was fiercely protective and Sybil admired that trait in her sister.
"I don't know what is wrong with me; I've been an emotional wreck all week. I think I need to calm down for a while," Sybil muttered as her family stared back at her incredulously. She was often described as one of the sweetest ones in the family, but her emotions were like a rollercoaster since the start of the week. Even Tom had noticed the shift in her personality.
The lunch continued in awful silence that was sometimes accompanied with polite chat that had no reason whatsoever. Sybil would smile and nod when she could, and now and then she would comment on the table decorations, but she wouldn't allow them to drive the conversation back to her unusual behaviour.
"I hate all of these secrets," she said to him one evening. Tom was sprawled out on her couch with his head resting comfortably on her lap; he flicked through the channels on her little television without taking much interest in any of them. He paused whenever he heard her words and peered up at her in concern.
"I knew that would bother you eventually," he replied in his comforting Irish lilt.
"It's not the secret about us, per se. It's all of them – the fact that I am doing a university degree that none of my family know about, and I have been attending these debates that I want to talk about all the time…my family love me, but I couldn't risk discovery…not when Larry is concerned."
"It's like you're a bird in a cage, love. You can't stay in that prison forever, and the sooner you realise that, the better." He didn't mean to sound persistent; he was as patient as he could be and he would wait for her no matter what – but he could tell how anxious it was making her, and the worst thing was seeing her in pain.
"I think that…we will have to leave for a while, Tom. I don't think Larry would take it well if I left him for the driver and remained in the same town…you have no idea what he's capable of when he has his mind set on something."
Sybil's beautiful face was a picture of anxiety as she looked down at him; her hands unconsciously ran through his honey-coloured hair as she thought about what it would mean if she made this decision.
"I can take care of myself, and I'll take care of you."
He was determined; she had to give him that. Larry had taken drastic measures in the past to ensure that all men that looked at her were warned off. She tried to smile, but Tom could see through her façade and moved so that he was sitting on the couch.
"Ah, come on, don't try to fool me. Give me a real smile."
Sybil pushed her chin into the air indignantly and refused to humour him. However, she soon realised that this was the wrong idea to take with Tom; he leapt on her in a flash and his hands attacked her sides with tickles. Yes, this was definitely her weakness and she hated him for knowing it. Sybil feebly pushed at his chest as her laughter rang out around the small room; but when he eventually stopped, amusement dissolved and her desire took over.
She was trembling for him immediately; her deft hands pulled at the hem of his shirt until she could slide her soft palms along his stomach until they rested on his chest. She pulled gently on the short hairs that were scattered across his solid chest and he moaned into her mouth as she captured his lips in a passionate kiss that seemed to steal away all of her troubles for just that moment.
Tom melted at her mere touch; her soft hands were like experts to his body now. She knew where all of his weak spots were and she used that to her advantage; she all but tore the shirt from his muscular form and continued to explore him in the most satisfying manners. Her mouth found his throat as she innocently pressed kisses along the curve of his neck until she reached that sensitive spot below his ear; no, there would be no mercy for him. Her tongue was moist and warm as she gently sucked on his neck; the sound of her husky moan in his ear was enough to send him crashing.
"I have to drive you home." His voice was a half-whine, half-moan. He would happily remain there on her couch; without a shirt and without a chance in hell as she attacked his neck and sensitive spots with all of her moist kisses.
"I am home," she murmured between kisses. Sybil eventually moved to his face as she looked at him with blue orbs that were clouded with desire and adoration. Tom didn't hesitate to push loose curls from her face, before he leant forward and sealed his tenderness with a chaste kiss.
He went to move from the couch, but Sybil clutched onto his arm and pulled him back down onto her. No, she had no patience for bedrooms that night. She wanted him and she needed him at that moment.
That was all the permission that he needed; his hands were on her petite form in a matter of seconds as she was rid of each piece of clothing he could find. It soon came to the point where both naked bodies were aching for each other; Sybil could feel the heat emanate from the Irishman above her and Tom stroked her hair in comfort as he pushed into her. It was like all the breath was sucked from them both.
The encounter had started with passion and fervour, but now Sybil relished the moments that she had with him. Their pace was sleepy as she raised her hips to meet his, resulting in the most escalating groans from her throat. His hands were firm on her waist as he guided her to their peak; her arms were ensnared around his neck as she held onto him for dear life.
Their release was mutual. Tom watched with heavy-lidded eyes as the beautiful woman below him squirmed until satisfaction was complete; their breathing was ragged and heavy, but none of them seemed to want to move at that moment.
"Sybil?" His voice was strained and his throat was dry, but he managed to look down at her with shimmering blue orbs that she could almost drown in.
"Mm…?" Sybil was dazed; a delirious smile was pasted onto her pretty features and she stroked his arm with unconscious affection.
"I love you."
She had never heard those words in her entire life from a man. Yes, she heard it from her mama and the rest of her family…but never in this intimate way. I love you. It was like a dream that she didn't want to wake from. I love you. She had found someone that actually respected her and wanted her to be herself. I love you. She needed to leave her ghastly husband now…now that someone had said those words: I love you.
"Oh shit, Sybil…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry –," His sentence was cut short as Sybil leant forward and brushed her lips with his; it was gentle, soft and full of the love that she possessed for him.
"I'm quite sure that I love you too, Tom Branson."
Needless to say, her mood transformed the next morning. Sybil didn't even mind that she had to wake up in the same house as Larry Grey – someone loved her and that was all that mattered to her that day. Her smile was suspicious as she walked through the streets of London; she resembled someone who just won the lottery as she flitted through the tube station in a delirious daze that she wanted to stay in forever.
The tube ride was thrilling; she loved to watch the different faces come and leave whenever they liked and she relished the moments when she could sit back and decipher the strangers' expressions. However, it was over all too soon and she was on her way to her sister's apartment to apologize for her actions the previous day.
Edith didn't seem to learn the 'cold shoulder' tactic, as she continued to text Sybil into the early hours of the morning to make sure that she was okay. Mama and Mary were smart enough to leave her alone for a while – besides; both of them had their own lives to be getting on with. Edith was often the one who was left to deal with the emotional wrecks in the family, but Sybil appreciated her sister's concern and decided that dismissing her texts was the wrong way to go about her appreciation.
"Oh, I didn't know if you were alive or dead," Edith scolded her as soon as she buzzed in at her apartment. "Don't be ridiculous today again, Sybil. I want to know what the matter is; otherwise I'll never sleep with worry."
Sybil grinned at her elder sister's attempt at sternness. It didn't suit her, but she found it amusing all the same. She discarded her coat in the hallway and followed Edith into the kitchen; the smell of bacon and sausages hit her like a ton of bricks.
"I didn't take you as one for an English fry," Sybil said as she wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"I started eating a bit more since Mary told me that my arms were too skinny," Edith replied in a monotonous voice. Mary and Edith would never see eye to eye, and the entire family had accepted that since their childhood. "Sybil…you look green."
"No, I'm fine…I'm…"
Her words were replaced with her breakfast as Sybil leant over her sister's sink and emptied the entire contents of her stomach. Edith was at her side in an instant as she caressed her sister's back and held her wild curls away from her face. She handed Sybil a tissue whenever she was finished; but her brow was creased with worry and she looked like she was about to faint with concern.
"I think…I think we need to take a taxi to the chemist."
Edith's eyebrows shot up immediately as she understood her sister's meaning; however, she was under the impression that it was less complicated than it actually was. Oh, how her sister was wrong. If her assumptions were correct, then her entire life would have turned upside down in the space of a month.
"Are you…"
"I'm late. I didn't think anything of it because I'm on the pill. I think I should take a test, just to be sure…oh god, Edith. There's something I have to tell you…"
DUN DUN DUNNNN. Okay, so this was obviously going to happen at some point. However, there WILL be more drama and complications to come with it. Keep reviewing, they keep me going!
~ ChristinaMay.
