Chapter Eleven

The next morning, when Sybil awoke she found that Matthew wasn't beside her. At first she simply lay there, but after a few minutes she decided to go and look for him. Wearing just her nightdress, she walked down the stairs and found him making breakfast in the kitchen. She put her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder, although she had to stand on her tip toes to do so. She heard him smile.

"Good morning. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed. Although, it may be utterly disgusting. I aren't used to making decent food. Only quick, easy meals that we can eat in the trenches." He turned to face her, ready to apologise for mention of his life in the trenches. But she was smiling.

"Well. If it is utterly disgusting we shall have to wait for Mrs Bird to arrive and find something else to occupy our time, won't we?" She told him, raising an eyebrow suggestively. He turned, removed the pan from the stove and said,

"Yes, it will be utterly disgusting." and picked her up.

. x .

Eventually, at noon, they surfaced and made their way outside to go to Downton.

"I'd much rather not see the family." Matthew declared.

"Yes, but they have an announcement." Sybil said. "It sounded very important."

They took the car and when they arrived at Downton they were welcomed by Carson.

"Good evening Mr and Mrs Crawley." He said.

"Good evening, Carson." Sybil said.

They made their way to the drawing room, but Cora, Robert, Isobel, Edith and Violet weren't alone. They had been joined by Sir Anthony Strallan and Mary and her new husband.

. x .

"Oh, here are the new lovers. I do hope your wedding was planned by the two of you. Though, I can't imagine it was as grand as ours. We had a large wedding, beautiful. Lots of people with good standing were there." Mary said, clearly trying to cause trouble.

"Well, no wedding will have been as brilliant as hours." Sybil said. "What with Matthew and I actually loving eachother." She smirked at Mary's lack of confidance in her facial expression and Robert looked proud.

"Dinner is ready." Carson declared. They all made their way and took their seats. Sybil was forced to sit next to Mary's husband, but she took it all in her stride. Edith was sat on her left so she could be saved from conversation with the vile man her sister had married.

Just after dessert was served, they made their way back into the drawing room and Edith announced that she had something to tell everyone.

"The thing is, Sir Anthony and I are to be married. Although, not until next year. We were going to wait until the night before Matthew leaves for France but we wanted to do it tonight." She said, evidently happy.

Everyone congratualted her and then Mary decided she wanted to announce that she was expecting a baby.

Although everyone was happy, Edith looked torn. This was meant to be her night, but - as per usual - Mary had made it all about her. Sybil wanted to slap her, but decided instead to pull Edith outside with her.

"Where are we going, Sybil?" She asked.

"I want to give you this. It was my something new and blue on my wedding day but now it can be your something old, borrowed and blue." Sybil said, handing her a sapphire hair pin.

"Are you sure, Sybil?" She asked. "It's beautiful."

"Of course I am. But we make a deal." Sybil stated.

"Yes." Edith asked.

"The first of us to have a daughter gets it." Sybil said.

"Agreed." They shook on it and went back into the drawing room, where the night was quite a happy one. Even Mary looked less in-hospitable, although her husband kept making smart remarks about his and Mary's child being a boy and Matthew probably having girls.

"Well, it would be this all over again. Someone from a Middle Class background haivng to run the estate when you die. I'd be frightfully disappointed if we were to have girls." He said, a facial expression resembling that of someone who had tasted something particularly nasty.

"Well, we plan to have lots of children and I wouldn't care if they were all girls. So longs as they were as happy and well brought up and Sybil, Mary and Edith were that would make me the proudest Father in the world, woldn't you agree Lord Grantham?" Matthew said smartly.

"I would, son. Yes I would." He answered,

"Well, I've had enough for one night. Matthew and I shall be going now. Goodbye everyone." Sybil announced to everyone. She ignored Diggins and lead Matthew out of the room.

"I hate him, Matthew." She told him when they were safely in the car.

"Me too, darling but he is Mary's husband and now the Father of your Niece or Nephew. We have to put up with him, I'm afraid." He said.

"Would you really be okay with girls?" She asked him. He pulled her close and laughed.

"Yes. Of course I would. By they time I die, girls will be allowed to inherit." He told her.

"So you think that you will come back from the War alive?" Se asked.

"Of course I will." He told her. "Injured or not, I'll come back alive."

"Good. You'll be in trouble if you don't." She told him.

"Sybil." She looked at him, telling him to go on. "Do try to have a boy. I don't think I could cope with a house full of girls."

They both laughed, causing Sybil's eyes to water and Matthew to clutch his stomach.

"This will be a happy marriage, I can just tell." She said.

"Yes, it certainly will." He said, beginning a kiss that lasted until they arrived back at Crawley house.

. x .