Chapter 36
"So what about doll dresses Milady?" Mrs Hughes asked, leaning her head down towards Sybil who was facing Mr Carson.
"Well… I thought… now that Christmas is coming…" Sybil stuttered wondering as to what the best way was to persuade the Housekeeper into agreeing to be part of her little plan.
"Yes?" Mrs Hughes prompted reading the thoughtful look on the young girl's face.
"Well… I thought perhaps I would get Clarisse a new dress for Christmas!" Sybil grinned widely.
"Clarisse?" Mrs Hughes asked looking towards Mr Carson who raised an eyebrow having not identified the name himself.
"Clarisse is my doll! I got her from London last season!" Sybil chuckled taking in the puzzled looks of the two adults.
Mr Carson shook his head heaving a soft sigh of slight exasperation and Mrs Hughes bit her bottom lip in amusement, to quell the giggles that threatened.
"But didn't 'Clarisse' have a pretty little dress when you got her in London?" Mrs Hughes smiled, hand unknowingly stroking Sybil's dark hair.
"She did of course. But it's Christmas Mrs Hughes! I am getting a new dress. Edith and Mary are getting new dresses. I'm sure everyone else is getting new dresses. Wouldn't Clarisse feel left out? Poor Clarisse," Sybil turned towards Mrs Hughes, her eyes wide in the childish shades of sorrow. That look that Mrs Hughes' heart melted a little, causing a smile to blossom on her face. Unknown to the young Lady and the Housekeeper, the Butler's heart melted for both of them, the adorable, young Lady and the kind, loving Housekeeper.
"So what about Lady Mary's dolls? Or Lady Edith's? Are they getting new dresses too?" Mr Carson asked. He wasn't particularly curious, well not curious at all, about dolls dresses, but he couldn't resist when he had witnessed how emotionally invested Sybil was in her doll's welfare. So much as to think that her doll would feel sad without a new dress for Christmas when everyone else did.
"Mary is getting a dress from London. She's picked it off a picture and got Papa to promise her that he'll bring it next time he's in London. Edith is not sure, but she said she'll think about getting a dress from Ripon or Thirsk. She says the ones in the village are not pretty."
"You don't want a dress from London for Clarisse, my lady? Or from Ripon or Thirsk?" the Butler asked, his tucked in as he smiled at Sybil.
"Well… you see… I want to get Clarisse a special dress. One that I know she would love a lot. I want to make Clarisse happy," Sybil looked down at the hands and began toying with her dress, twisting the fabric around her fingers. Her eyes glistening with the beginnings of tears.
"What can I do to help Milady?" Mrs Hughes asked softly, inclining her head towards the girl's ear, her hand running gently up and down Sybil's arm in a soothing motion.
"I wondered…" Sybil turned her head towards the Housekeeper. Mrs Hughes tucked her chin and smiled as the young girl blinked away tears. "I wondered if you could possibly make a dress for Clarisse," Sybil said in a pleading voice.
"Me?" Mrs Hughes raised her eyebrows in astonishment, the amazement clear in her voice.
"Yes… I dare not ask Miss O' Brien and Anna is always so busy. Please Mrs Hughes, I don't have anyone to ask," Sybil pleaded, her little hand coming to rest on the Housekeeper's one that was holding her at the waist. Sybil's hand curled gently around the Housekeeper's index finger, her thumb brushing, almost tracing the wrinkles that were beginning to appear on the Housekeeper's work worn finger.
"Well—"
"Mrs Hughes can be very busy at this time of the year Milady and what would Her Ladyship think?" Mr Carson added, cutting short whatever reply that Mrs Hughes was about to give. Not only did he know how much of Mrs Hughes' strength and effort went into planning the entire festive season but he also was not very sure about the family's response would be towards the young Lady's plan despite how endearing it sounded in the young girl's words. But all he earned was a fallen face with tearful eyes from Lady Sybil and a frown paired with the famous signature glare from Mrs Hughes.
"I know it's asking a lot Mrs Hughes, but please! I'll be so happy and so will Clarisse be!"
"What I was actually going to say was that I will make a dress for Clarisse," Mrs Hughes replied looking pointedly at Mr Carson, who raised his eyebrows and huffed in return, his shoulders shrugging and Mrs Hughes recognised them to be his usual signs of sulking. "There's still quite a lot more time till Christmas and we can't have Clarisse unhappy can we? Nor a certain little Lady?"
Sybil giggled and blinked back any traces of tears. "You don't mind?" she whispered.
"I wouldn't if you promise to be a good little lassie when your governess arrives after New Year and wouldn't go sneaking off out of sight," Mrs Hughes flashed her best stern look only to receive a bitten back giggle from Sybil paired with a mischievous look in her eyes. A clear indication that the young lady was in no way prepared to make any promises in that regard.
"Well?" the Housekeeper raised an eyebrow, determined to coax an affirmative answer out of Sybil.
"Oh alright," Sybil gave in with an exasperated shake of her head.
"Good!" Mrs Hughes leaned a little backwards in satisfaction of her achievement, which was bound to be short lived.
"I crossed my fingers behind my back!" Sybil replied gleefully managing to extract a rather exhausted sigh out of the Housekeeper, along with the traces of a well suppressed smile.
Forgetting his initial displeasure at Mrs Hughes' very mild ticking off, Mr Carson watched this exchange in awe. His tried his best to suppress the wide grin that threatened to burst out across his face. It wouldn't do to appear too soft, he thought, but it was taking him a lot of effort. He had been privy to some moments of the Housekeeper with Lady Sybil, but this was the only time he was in the moment and the thought made him ecstatic. Mrs Hughes often teased how he would do absolutely anything for the eldest Crawley daughter but he witnessed how what Mrs Hughes had with the youngest Crawley daughter was something almost entirely different.
"Well, if you make the promise my Lady, perhaps… Mrs Hughes might consider making another dress for Clarisse," Mr Carson interrupted whatever sharp retort Mrs Hughes was ready offer to the young girl.
Nothing could have prepared him for the glare that Mrs Hughes directed at him. In an instant he knew he had threaded on thin ice and eventually drowned in icy water. An apologetic grin was the peace offering he offered her, though he couldn't guess whether she had accepted, for the Housekeeper turned towards Lady Sybil without any response to his "olive branch."
"Oh would you?" Sybil instantly clasped her hands together in excitement. "Oh Mrs Hughes would you really?"
"I'll have to think about it," Mrs Hughes raised her chin, her lips pursed.
"Surely…" Mr Carson began but a calm and cold look from the Housekeeper made him swallow his words.
"I'm sure you would," Sybil beamed but Mrs Hughes continued to maintain a straight face. Of course she would love to make another dress for Sybil's doll but she never believed in spoiling children too much. Though when it came to young Lady Sybil, she wasn't very good at maintaining her resolution.
Sybil fidgeted with delight on the Housekeeper's lap and Mrs Hughes freely allowed the smile she had hidden to bloom like a shy rose upon her face. Two faint sparks in her eyes.
"Can you make it to be purple, Mrs Hughes?" Sybil asked, her brow forming a childish frown of contemplation.
"I might be able to, if I can find some fabric."
"Oh that would be wonderful!"
"But why purple?" Mr Carson inquired.
"Purple is my favourite colour and I'm sure Clarisse would like it!" Sybil clasped her hands and wiggled at the same moment to make herself comfortable, only to lose her balance and to begin to slide down from the Housekeeper's lap. The little girl scrunched her eyes, as she awaited the pain from her striking the ground.
But Mrs Hughes caught her in time, wrapping her arms tightly around the little girl and drawing her tight against her chest.
"There, there Milady! Careful!" the Housekeeper warned the young lady with a stern tone but Mr Carson noticed the soft shadows on her deep blue eyes and the absence of the steel and strength which were present in them when she usually used that tone.
Sybil slowly opened one eyelid, then the next and giggled uncontrollably, regaining her breath and composure several seconds afterwards.
"I should be going now, or Nanny would make a big fuss," she said after a deep breath with an annoyed frown on her face.
"And she'd be right!" Mrs Hughes agreed as she carefully helped Sybil down from her lap. Sybil held on tightly to the Housekeeper's hand as she skipped, overjoyed, following Mrs Hughes.
Mr Carson watched the pair of them disappear out of the door and chuckled at the memory of the solemn face that Mrs Hughes tried hard to maintain as she walked out of the door and the look of childish delight upon Lady Sybil's face.
A few seconds later Mrs Hughes popped her head into the room, one hand on the door frame as she maintained her balance. "And Mr Carson, you will most definitely pay for the extra trouble you managed to get me into," she said in a low voice, a mock threatening tone lurching in it.
"Blue should be a good colour for the second dress Mrs Hughes," Mr Carson chuckled, a trace of mischief in his eyes.
"You have been warned Mr Carson. Do not push your luck," the Housekeeper added before she disappeared out of sight, leaving behind a Butler who tried his best to suppress the laughter that bubbled in his chest.
To be continued…
Thank you so much for all your kind reviews on the previous chapter! You all are the best and thanks a lot for your support for this story! My apologies for taking so long to update this chapter. Real life intervened quite a lot especially with university starting back again but I'm back and I'll try to update as soon as I am able to. I'd be grateful if you could leave your thoughts on this chapter with a review. Thanks again! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you soon with the next!