continued...

Chapter Fourteen

Late August, 1938

Tom knocked gently on the door with the toe of his shoe. He didn't really expect an answer and his hands were full of the tray filled with breakfast delights for his daughter. He knocked again and still no sounds came from the room so he carefully set the tray on the floor, looked around to see that no one would notice how he had done it, turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Sybbie was still fast asleep as he approached the bed and he just watched her sleep for awhile. She was looking so much like her mother these days that even though he was overjoyed, it still made his heart sad a bit.

He set down the tray on the foot of the bed and went to the windows to throw open the heavy curtains. It was a dreary day outside, but the light still filled the room. He looked back to his daughter and she was starting to stretch and yawn as she awoke. He crept to the side of her bed and waited for her to open her eyes. When she did, she yelped in surprise to see her father standing there.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" She sat up, leaning on her elbows and looked around. When she saw the food laden tray on the foot of her bed she smiled.

"Happy birthday darling! You didn't think I'd forget our tradition did you?" He lifted the tray and brought it to her. She smiled widely to see the treats on it.

"I wondered. I really did. Can you even wonder that last year at this time we were still in Boston?" She sat up and let her father set the tray in front of her.

Once he had set her breakfast in front of her he leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"I was thinking of that earlier. Amazing what can happen in a year isn't it?" He sat down on the edge of the bed so he was facing her. He looked at her with awe and love as she started to eat the plate of scrambled eggs. "I can't believe you're eighteen now. The time has flown."

She smiled at him.

"Where is Lily?" Sybbie asked between bites. She was eyeing the lemon pie but felt she should really eat the main parts of her breakfast first. It would taste that much sweeter at the end. And she purposely never finished the piece so her father could have some as well. It was their little tradition. They had done it every year since they had moved to Boston.

"She's downstairs. Your Aunt Mary is here, she and George are taking a holiday before his school term starts and they leave later today."

"Oh that's right. I had forgotten." She finished off the plate of eggs and started on the french toast. "I'm going to miss him when he goes back to school. This summer has been so much fun."

"The three musketeers you have been." Tom laughed. He thought it so wonderful how close the cousins had become again. They really were inseparable. He rarely regretted his decision to stay in England, Sybbie was doing so well. And he was certainly loving life.

Sybbie grinned and poured more syrup on her toast.

"I wish we could get some Maple syrup. It's one of the things I miss about America." The lack of it didn't seem to deter her as she finished off another plate from the tray.

"Are you happy here?" Her father asked her seriously. She thought about it for a few moments as she chewed.

"I am. I miss things about America, but I do love being so close to Granny and Donk. And I love that you are so happy with Lily. You being happy makes me happy." She smiled at him.

"I'm glad to hear that." He paused while he tried to frame his next words. "You know. You're eighteen now. You're not a child anymore. It's time to consider what you want to do with your life. I do hope you marry some day, but not too soon, and I would really like you to have a meaningful life as well. Your mother would have wanted that for you."

She glanced at him as she finished chewing again. He looked sad. As he always did on her birthday. Sybbie knew that as much as it was a happy occasion because it was her birthday, it was also a sad day for her father because it was the anniversary of her mother's death. He never spoke of it to her on her special day, but she knew. She could read her father like a book.

"There is something I've been meaning to talk to you and Lily about. About my future. There is something I would like to do, or something that might interest me."

Tom was definitely intrigued.

"And what might that be?" He tried not to smile at the knowledge that she had given it some thought.

"Well." Sybbie pushed the tray back from herself and handed her father the extra fork. He tilted it towards her in thanks and cut a bite from the pie.

It was delicious, not as good as the lemon pie from the shop down the street from where they had lived in Boston, but Daisy had made a valiant effort and Tom made a mental note to thank her again. He had asked her the day before and she had been more than willing to comply with his request.

"So? What would you like to do? You know we'll support you, I just don't want you to fall into the life of an aristocrat. I want you to be fulfilled." Tom spoke between bites of the pie.

"I was thinking I might like to become a nurse. Like Lily." Sybbie took her own bite of the lemon dessert.

Tom choked. He coughed and attempted to clear his throat. He had not expected that from his daughter.

"Are you serious?"

"I am. King's College offers a wonderful nursing program. I was thinking we could go look at it soon. And Lily could help me with my studies. I want to help people, like Lily helped me." Sybbie stared at her father to gauge his reaction to her thoughts.

He had tears in his eyes.

"I think that it is a brilliant idea. Your mother would be very proud of you. And Lily will be too." He couldn't help but stand up to hug his daughter. He was so proud of her as well and the progress she had made in the past year. He knew it was because of the good influences that her family had been on her since they had returned to England.

"I just think that looking at Lily's life and how happy being a nurse made her, I could do that. I would very much like to try." She moved the tray away from her and stood up to give her father a proper hug. He held her for the longest time and stroked her long brown hair.

"I love you so much Sybbie. I can't believe my baby is all grown up." He didn't want to let her go.

"Stop it Dad. You'll have another baby soon." Sybbie laughed, but he kept holding her.

"Yes. But you'll always be first baby. And I hope you know how proud I will always be of you. You have grown into an amazing woman." He finally let her go and he noticed the tears in her eyes too.

"I love you dad. You have been a wonderful father to me, I can never thank you enough." She wiped her eyes as the door to her room opened.

One of the maids came in with a freshly pressed dress for Sybbie to wear. The maid didn't really notice the moment she had interrupted and Tom begged their pardon and made his way to the hallway.

He needed a few deep breaths to compose himself and eventually he wandered down the grand stairs. Barrow nodded hello to him as he walked past and let him know that his wife and Lady Mary were in the drawing room. He thanked the Butler and made his way to find the ladies.

He found them mid-conversation and it stopped suddenly as he joined them. He wondered what they could have been talking about but decided that if it concerned him, they would continue. They did not. He sat next to Lily and put his hand on her knee and noticed that Mary smiled at them.

The three of them spoke of Mary and George's holiday for the next stretch of time while they waited for the birthday girl. Eventually they were joined by Mary's mother and father who were followed by two footmen carrying an enormous trunk. They set it down on the middle of the room and left quickly.

Tom asked what it was, and Cora spoke slyly.

"It's a gift for our Sybbie."

Some time later, most of the family had finally gathered in the room and Sybbie came in and was surprised by all the attention. She blushed and smiled and thanked everyone for the birthday wishes. She noticed the large trunk in the middle of the room and enquired about it.

Her Granny stood up and handed her a key.

"This trunk belonged to your mother. Your Grandfather and I thought it was time that it went to you seeing as how you are eighteen now."

They all watched eagerly as Sybbie put the key in the lock and opened it. She lifted the lid and noticed the trunk was filled with clothes and books, and nick-knacks that had been special to Sybil in her life. One piece of clothing caught Sybbie's eye and she pulled it out and shook some of the wrinkles out of it. She held it up to herself and smiled at everyone. It was a light blue harem pantsuit and as she looked at her Aunt to show her, she noticed the tears in Mary's eyes. And her Grandmothers as well.

Lily had felt Tom tense up the second Sybbie had pulled the suit out of the trunk and she reached for his hand that was still on her knee. She didn't know the significance of the clothing, but she could tell that it meant something to some of them in the room. She looked at her husband and noticed a single tear fall down his cheek. He squeezed her hand tightly and stood up.

He tried to say his apologies, but nothing would come out of his suddenly dry mouth. He left the room quickly and everyone's eyes followed him out. Mary stood up to follow him, but Lily waved her off and went quickly after her husband.

Sybbie pulled a book out of the trunk and oohed at it. It was a journal written by her mother in her younger years and she opened it and read a single page. Everyone listened in awe and felt the presence of the daughter, wife, mother and sister who had been gone for as many years as Sybbie had been alive.

Lily left the drawing room and looked to see where Tom had gone. She didn't see him right away or which direction he had gone. She walked a few steps and one of the maids went past her.

"If you're looking for Tom, he went outside." The maid continued on with her morning chores.

"Thank you." Lily went to the front door and peeked outside. She saw Tom standing on the gravel with his face in his hands. She approached him and put her hand on his waist. He turned to her and attempted a smile though tears flowed down his face.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Her blue eyes looked as compassionate as they ever had. "Why did that outfit set you off?"

"I don't know. I think it's just being back at Downton for Sybbie's birthday this year has brought back memories very strongly." Tom wiped his cheek and attempted to smile at Lily. "I just remember the first time I ever saw Sybil in that outfit and it struck me."

Lily held his hand.

"I knew what she was planning when she wore it for the first time, I think it was to shock everyone mostly, and I was watching through the window as she showed her family. I think it was the first moment that I knew she was so much more than a simple Earl's daughter. I think it was the moment I fell for her completely." Tom sniffed and tried to control his emotions.

"It's okay. Tell me about her. I don't mind." Lily squeezed his fingers and he smiled gratefully at her.

"I don't deserve you." He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the cheek.

The two of them strolled the grounds of Downton Abbey and he told her stories of Sybil that she had never heard before. He started to feel better as they went and it wasn't long before he felt able to face Sybbie and her new found treasure trunk. He thought it was such an amazing gift from her grandparents and it was no one's fault that it had affected him so much. Even after so many years the memories of his first wife touched his heart deeply. And his new wife supported him through it. How lucky a man was he to have been blessed by such love twice in his life.

They approached the front door again in time to see O'Malley pulling a shiny new car around the house and parking it. Tom did not recognize it and when he noticed the giant cloth bow on it his stomach flew up into his throat.

"Oh that better not be what I think it is." He started to walk a bit faster and Lily practically had to run to keep up.

He ran into Lord Grantham as the Earl was exiting the house with Sybbie close behind him. Her eyes were covered by her cousin George and the young Crawley pulled his hands away before Tom could intervene.

Sybbie squealed so loud and ran to the car.

"Is it really for me?" She ran back to her Grandfather and flew into his arms. When he assured her it was, she ran back to the car and climbed into the driver's seat. George climbed in beside her.

Robert stood beside Tom and eyed his estate manager to see how he was reacting to the gift.

"It's too much. She can't accept it." Tom looked angry.

"Now Tom. We have missed so many of her birthdays while you were in America, and it's not every day that our oldest Granddaughter turns eighteen." Robert smiled at the birthday girl who was laughing with her cousin in the front seat.

Lily held her husbands arm, knowing he would be upset and why. Robert held out his hand with something in it towards Tom. Tom opened his fingers and Robert dropped a set of keys into it.

"My only stipulation is that you, and you alone teach her how to drive." Lord Grantham looked back to the ones in the car and he smiled at them. "We know she is going to drive, so at least we can be assured that she will be safe whilst doing so."

"You can't argue that now can you Tom?" Lily spoke quietly enough that she thought only her husband would hear her, but when Robert smiled at her warmly she knew she had been overheard.

Tom did not look pleased, but he was staring at his daughter and he could not be the one to tell her she could not accept the enormous gift. She looked so happy.

"You're spoiling her." It was the thing Tom did not want to happen to Sybbie while she was living back at the Abbey.

Robert had no comeback for that statement.

to be continued...

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