As the motor car made its way up the gravel drive the house loomed ahead looking even more massive and forbidding the closer they came to it. Looking at the house, although in Sybbie's mind she thought it rather silly to call something so massive a house, didn't seem any warmer close up for there was nothing welcoming to greet visitors. No pots of pretty flowers flanking the front door, no bushes with colorful blooms, no graceful trees lining the drive, there was nothing breaking up the overwhelming drabness of the honey colored stone of the house and the gravel drive.
She thought of her home and the barrels of colorful blooms that flanked the portico leading to the sea blue front door of The Salty Sea Inn and the large bushes awash in pink blooms that softened the car park. Downton Abbey might dwarf The Salty Sea Inn but there was no doubt in her mind as to which appeared more welcoming.
The motor car stopped in front of the overly tall front doors of dark wood studded with iron and two wolf heads which Sybbie thought certainly wasn't inviting. As Cora and Sybbie approached one of the doors was opened by a tall rather handsome man with dark eyes and dark hair peppered with gray. Dressed in black, he looked stiff and formal but as Cora said "Barrow this is my granddaughter Miss Sybbie" he looked at her, no longer looking so cold and hard as his gaze softened and a smile transformed. "Welcome to Downton Miss Sybbie. I had the pleasure of knowing your mother."
For a moment Thomas was transported back in time as Sybbie flashed a broad smile at him but the spell was broken by Cora as she directed him to have Sybbie's bags quickly delivered to her room. Sybbie had wanted to say something to Thomas but Cora, her hand gently on Sybbie's back, guided her towards the door.
The warmth Sybbie felt at Thomas' greeting was in contrast to what she felt as she crossed the doorway and entered the long entry hall. With its tiled floor and marble pillars and arches, it seemed cold and the intricately carved wooden chairs scattered about certainly didn't invite one to sit. The heels of her shoes clattered loudly on the tile floor as she followed Cora. Stepping through the last marble archway and into the grand salon Sybbie stopped to gaze in awe for she had never seen anything like this room. She slowly moved her head taking in the vast space with its huge stone fireplace and marble pillars and arches until tilting her head back to see the second floor balcony which ran around the entire space capped by the soaring glass ceiling.
"This is the room where you have the enormous Christmas tree" Sybbie uttered.
Cora, who was almost to the staircase, stopped and looked back at her granddaughter.
Sybbie glanced at her and smiled. "Daddy told me about the tree. He said he's never seen a more magnificent Christmas tree than the ones you had here."
Oh Sybbie at Christmas time the grand salon truly becomes a sight to behold. Garlands of fresh pine with red ribbons wrap around the marble columns and across the fireplace mantel but it is the tree that immediately captures your attention for it is so tall it soars above the second floor and it must be covered in hundreds of Christmas ornaments and silver garland draped perfectly around it clear to the top. My first Christmas there I wasn't too eager when your mother invited me to participate in decorating the tree even if hot cider and cake were served but she talked so enthusiastically about it that I decided I had to attend. And it was everything she said but what I enjoyed most was being able to openly talk to your mother.
"He said my mother was the most enthusiastic tree decorator."
"That she was. Oh how she loved-" Cora glanced to the corner of the room where they always put the Christmas tree.
"Mama … Mama!" Cora could hear her youngest daughter even before Sybil came running into Cora's bedroom.
Propped up against a mound of pillows, her breakfast tray lying on the bed beside her, Cora looked at her youngest daughter who stood hopping from one foot to another, her face aglow with excitement. "It's time Mama" the six year old breathlessly cried. "It's time Mama!"
"Time for what Sybil?"
"The tree Mama the tree!" The young girl reached out her hand and pulled on her mother's arm. "Papa says we can decorate the Christmas tree today but we can't start until you come down so you just have to come now! Now!"
"I imagine there's so much you'd like to know about your mother" Cora turned her gaze to her granddaughter "and I have so many stories to tell and photographs to share with you and we'll have plenty of time to talk but first let's get you upstairs and settled in."
"I hope you'll be comfortable here" Cora said as she opened the door to the newly decorated bedroom.
"It's beautiful" Sybbie exclaimed as looked around the room. "The colors are so lovely." She felt this room had the warmth and charm that was missing from what she had seen of the rest of the house.
After all the hard work that had gone into transforming the room while having no idea as to what Sybbie would like, Cora beamed with joy that her granddaughter seemed pleased with the bedroom.
"I'll leave you to freshen up" Cora said. "When you're ready come down the hallway to my sitting room and we'll have some refreshments."
Left alone in the bedroom Sybbie once again looked around the room that was had to be four or five times the size of her tiny bedroom at home. At least I'll be comfortable in here she thought.
Sybbie ran her hands down the skirt of her navy blue suit which she loved and wearing it made her feel sophisticated like the women in the motion pictures she saw at the local cinema but noting that her grandmother was wearing a dress, the suit seemed a bit too formal for the afternoon. She hadn't want to look too out of place at Downton so Sybbie had spent some of the money she received from Cora on clothes. Accompanied by her stepmother Kate she had spent a lovely afternoon walking around Trinity College noting how the female students dressed before visiting various shops. As they'd walked around the quadrangles Sybbie couldn't help but think that come January she'd be walking here among these handsome stone buildings as a student thanks to the money Cora Crawley had sent her.
Opening her suitcase, which was lying on the bed, she picked up one of her new dresses, a tea dress the saleswoman had called it, and then one of her new day dresses before deciding on her new tunic blouse which went perfectly with a skirt she had already owned.
When Sybbie entered Cora's sitting room she thought for a moment that she had stepped into a room that could have been in one of the motion pictures she saw at her local cinema. "I hope I didn't take too long" Sybbie said absently while she looked intently around the room. With its art deco furniture pieces, the rattan sofa and lounge chairs and the bright floral print fabrics, the room was unexpectedly modern and sophisticated especially for this house and Sybbie loved it.
From her seat on the sofa, Cora, noting that Sybbie had exchanged her stylish suit for a dark purple skirt and a floral print blouse in shades of blues and purples which was perfect coloring for her, answered "of course not."
Her eyes twinkling in amusement, Cora watched Sybbie seemingly examining the room. "Not quite what you expected."
Sybbie giggled. Her light laugh warmed Cora's heart for it was the first time since they had met that Sybbie hadn't seemed so guarded in her facial expressions or emotions.
"So do you like it?" Cora lightly asked as stretched out her arm as if pointing across the room.
"Very much so" Sybbie said as she walked towards the sofa. "I love art deco furniture." Cora arched her brows at Sybbie's knowledge of art deco causing Sybbie to laugh. "I go to the motion pictures. The colors here are … well" she seemed to be searching for the right word "cheerful. The whole room is just cheerful."
"I think you're the first person to appreciate it." Cora took a wistful look around her sitting room which was the only room in Downton that reflected anything of her family. Except for her father's desk the furniture wasn't from her childhood but the art deco pieces reflected her mother's modern sensibilities. "Most everything here came from my family's house in Newport. That's in Rhode Island."
Sybbie nodded her head. "I've heard of Rhode Island, my cousins live nearby in Massachusetts. They've visited us several times and I hope someday to go there to visit them."
Cora gestured to the trays sitting on the table in front of her. "Please sit and have something to eat. You must be famished."
It had been hours since Sybbie ate the ham sandwich and hard boiled egg that Aunt Niamh had packed for her to eat on the train and she had to admit the array of dishes holding various types of finger sandwiches, cheeses, and fresh vegetables on the trays looked tempting. As she sat down on the sofa her gaze fell upon the watercolor hanging above the fireplace. She stared at it for a few moments before realizing she was holding the gift she had brought for Cora. She held out a flat package, about ten inches square, wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with a red ribbon to Cora. "I brought this for you."
"How thoughtful." Cora smiled warmly as she took the package from Sybbie. Carefully unwrapping the brown paper she was delighted to see a watercolor painting of flowers in various shades of blues and purples mixed with tiny white flowers and greenery in a wicker basket. "It's beauti-" Cora gasped as she noted the carefully written S Branson on the lower right corner. "You … you painted this?"
Rather shyly Sybbie nodded her head. "I wasn't sure what to paint but Daddy said you have a beautiful garden here so I thought you'd like flowers."
"Oh Sybbie it's beautiful and I'll treasure it even more knowing you painted it."
While still visible the sun had begun its descent making the air cooler and Sybbie was glad she'd worn her new overcoat. After spending so much of the day sitting on the train and then in Cora's sitting room it felt good to be out walking. There were places on the estate she wanted to see, places that had meant something to her parents, places where she hoped to feel the presence of the mother she had never known, but for now she was just content to walk.
The awkwardness she had felt meeting her grandmother had melted away as the afternoon progressed. She had so many things she wanted to ask her grandmother and was sure Cora felt the same but instead of delving into those things they had spent the afternoon getting to know each other and pleasantly chattering about this and that such as art and the summer house in Newport.
Although she had no idea of where she was going Sybbie thought it would be impossible to get lost since no matter she was the house always seemed looming in the background. Eventually she found herself walking past some brick buildings towards a field where she spotted three horses. She stopped at the rail fence that bordered the field and watched the horses probably thirty or so feet away from her contentedly munching on grass.
Sybbie had been standing there for a couple of minutes when she heard approaching footsteps. Expecting to see a stable hand she was surprised that it was a young girl who was standing beside her.
"They're beautiful aren't they." It was a statement rather than a question from the young girl.
Sybbie turned to take a closer look and saw a pretty girl maybe eleven or twelve dressed incongruously in a school uniform and wellies, dark brown hair pulled back into an unruly ponytail, warm brown eyes and a smile that hinted of mischievousness. She looked vaguely familiar but Sybbie couldn't think why.
The young girl's eyes widen as she stared back at Sybbie. "You must be Sybbie." Now it was Sybbie who looked surprised as the girl continued talking. "Poppy was quite annoyed you didn't come to tea."
"Poppy?"
The girl nodded her head as she continued talking. "Mama was so disappointed but Granny said you wanted some fresh air and we'd meet you at dinner."
When she finally stopped to catch her breath Sybbie said "Yes I am Sybbie and you are?"
"Oh!" the girl giggled. "I'm your cousin Caroline. My mother is your Aunt Mary." Then, as if remembering her manners, she stuck out her hand towards Sybbie. "I'm quite pleased to meet you Sybbie.
A smiling Sybbie shook Caroline's hand. "And I'm quite pleased to meet you Caroline."
"Granny said she had quite a delightful afternoon with you." As Caroline talked one of the horses, reddish with a white streak on his chest, ambled across the field and reaching the fence stretched out his neck so Caroline could gently nuzzled his face. "This is my horse Dazzle." Then pointing to the other horses she said "The gray one is Montie. He's my brother's horse but George is away at school so you won't get to meet him. The brown and white one is Sullie. We have some other horses but they must be in the stables." Caroline pulled a carrot from her pocket and offered it to Dazzle who Dazzle noisily chewed it. "Do you like horses Sybbie?"
"I've never really been around them" Sybbie answered.
"I love horses" Caroline proclaimed as she nuzzled Dazzle's head. "Would you like to come riding with me? We have wonderful trails through woods and around the ponds." Caroline looked furtively around. "Not today of course." She once again patted Dazzle's head then turned to look at Sybbie. "I'm supposed to be doing my homework so you won't tell you met me here will you?"
Sybbie chuckled. "You'll be a stranger when I see you at dinner."
Caroline giggled. "I think we'll have fun Sybbie." Without waiting for a response from Sybbie Caroline turned and began running, that is as well as one can run in wellies, toward the house.
Glad to have finally been able to leave the dining room, Sybbie flung herself backward onto the bed. She didn't think dinner would ever end what with so many different courses and each course served by Barrow and a young man called Edward walking around the table rather dramatically offering her food from each platter or bowl. It was so different from home where it was just one course and everyone served themselves from the bowls or platters set on the table. But it wasn't just the serving style or the numerous courses it was … she rubbed her hand across her forehead and then down her cheek … the questions … well her grandfather's questions.
Gran had described Aunt Mary as so unlike her mother that it was hard to imagine them as sisters. Distant she was with that ramrod posture and those eyes as dark and cold as a moonless night. But Sybbie thought Aunt Mary had seemed genuinely happy to meet her, hugging her tightly, and those dark eyes seemed to sparkle with warmth. Her husband Henry, Sybbie knew her father would be saddened to hear Matthew Crawley had died just a year after her mother, was charming and he reminded her a bit of one of her favorite actors from the motion pictures. Her grandmother had been just as pleasant as she had been in their afternoon together. And young Caroline … bright lively Caroline … even she seemed to sense the unease Sybbie felt.
Oh how Sybbie wished to be … she suddenly sat up. It was no good wishing she was home, she was here and that was that. Deeply exhaling, her eyes suddenly lit up as she spied the door to the bathroom. Her private bathroom! Maybe a good long soak would restore her spirits.
Robert watched as Cora walked Sybbie to the staircase. The girl had chosen to follow Caroline and retire to her bedroom rather than join them in the drawing room for after dinner coffee. Long ago he had given up the habit of staying in the dining room for a cigar and brandy while the women went to the drawing room but tonight he wished he could revive that habit.
He was the last to enter the drawing room where Henry had poured sherry for Cora and Mary who were sitting on the sofa with drinks in their hand and was pouring a whiskey for himself. "Whiskey or brandy?" he asked as Robert approached the drinks cart.
As he took a glass of whiskey from Henry, Robert was surprised it was Mary who spoke first. "What were you thinking Papa?"
"A small seaside hotel" Robert smirked as if he hadn't heard Mary. "The Irish revolutionary turned journalist now owns a small seaside hotel." The disdain in his voice was quite clear. "I guess that's a step up from being a mechanic in Liverpool or some such grimy city."
"Robert!" Cora set her glass down on the table. "I don't think that's fair to Tom. Sybbie talked with me this afternoon about the hotel and it sounds quite lovely."
"Is that what you would have wanted for our Sybil? Checking in guests and cooking them breakfast?" Robert angrily responded.
"But we're not talking about our Sybil Robert." Cora stared at him, her blue eyes cold with anger. "Our Sybil has been in the grave for over eighteen years." Robert paled as he waited for her to say thanks to you and although Cora didn't say them those words seemed to hang in the air.
"This is about getting to know our granddaughter Robert."
"And that's what I was trying to do."
"Oh Papa surely you must have seen how uncomfortable you made her."
"What I noticed was how she evaded most of my questions and how the rest of you certainly helped her in that. She says they own a small seaside hotel and what do we learn of that? Almost nothing because next thing I know the conversation is about holidays in Brighton and promenades and candy floss and then on to clam bakes and picnics and riding horses."
Cora shook her head. "But in those conversations Robert we learned about her as opposed to knowing how many rooms the hotel has or how much money they charge which doesn't tell us anything about her."
It had been the most marvelous bath with warm bubbles filling the claw foot tub and huge fluffy towels to dry off with afterwards. Dressed in her new cotton pajamas Sybbie entered the bedroom feeling refreshed and smelling of lavender. She had left the curtains open and from each of the tall windows a stream of silvery light from the almost full moon stretched across the room while leaving the middle of the room in darkness. The moonlight drew her to the window seat and she sat down drawing her knees up so her feet were flat against the soft cushion. From here she could see the moon not far above some tree tops and a church spire bathed in the luminous glow of the moonlight. Through the tree branches the moonlight cast sharp shadows on the ground and Sybbie was surprised to see five or six deer at the edge of the woods. Other than the moonlight there was no other light, no lights from distant houses, no headlights of motor cars.
She opened the window just a few inches letting in the cool night air. The air was still so there was no rustling of leaves or shaking of tree limbs. The silence amazed her for she was accustomed to hearing the rattle of a motor car or even the footsteps or laughter of passing pedestrians far into the night and of course there was always the sound of the sea, sometimes soft and gentle as the water lapped against the shore, sometimes loud and hard from a roiling sea.
Sybbie's solitude and the silence was broken by someone softly knocking on the bedroom door. Her instinct was to remain silent and hope whoever it was would go away thinking she was fast asleep. Despite her silence, the door slowly opened and the light from the hallway illuminated her grandmother standing in the doorway. A moment of panic seized Cora as she noted the empty bed. It was only as she stepped into the room that she noticed Sybbie in the window seat. Looking at Sybbie bathed in the moonlight Cora's heart ached for she looked so much like her mother.
"Your mother loved sitting in the window seat of her bedroom and looking at the stars and the moon. She knew so many of the constellations and some of the legends and myths behind them."
Rather than look at Cora, Sybbie remained focused on the view outside the window. "The sky is quite beautiful tonight, so dark but with shades of lighter blue here and there from hidden clouds. The moon is almost full and it's casting light and shadows through the trees and on to the ground. There's some deer at the edge of the woods and a church spire is glowing in the moonlight."
"Spoken like an artist" Cora's words caused Sybbie to smile.
"I hope" Cora started to speak again but didn't know if or what she should say about tonight's dinner. "I thought tomorrow we'd look at some photograph albums and if the weather is nice we could walk through the gardens, maybe even eat lunch out there."
Sybbie turned to face her grandmother. "That sounds lovely."
Robert remained in the drawing room after the others had left. He poured another glass of whiskey but instead of sitting down on the sofa headed for the library. Moonlight streamed in through the windows making a pattern of light and dark the whole length of the room. Without turning on a lamp he headed for his desk which was bathed in the moonlight. After sitting his glass on the top of the desk he opened the bottom left hand draw and pulled out a wide mauve colored envelope made of thick paper and held closed with a blue ribbon. Laying the envelope flat on the desk top he untied the ribbon and pulled back the two flaps to reveal several photographs.
He lifted the first photograph and turned it over onto the side of the now flat sheet of paper. The photograph he wanted was towards the bottom but as he lifted the third photograph he stopped. Sitting back in his chair he studied the photograph as if seeing it for the first time. The five by seven photograph was a close up of a young Sybil. Robert ran his finger lightly up and down one side of the photograph which showed Sybil smiling broadly as if there was something that had just amused her and even though the photograph was in black and white he knew her blue eyes twinkled with amusement. He couldn't help but smile but then Sybil had so often made him laugh.
He didn't need to turn and look to see who had entered the room for by the sound of her footsteps he knew it was Sybil. She hadn't yet mastered the grace and elegance of her sisters although at only eight years old could he really expect that of her?
Ignoring her, he continued to look down at the papers on his desk.
"Papa" She had come to stand next to him.
With an exaggerated sigh, he put his pen down and turned to look at her. But he wasn't prepared for the sight of her standing there holding a small bouquet of colorful flowers which she promptly held out to him. "I find looking at beautiful flowers makes one happy."
He raised his brow. "Or makes one forget their anger."
She shrugged her little shoulders. "They'll look very pretty on your desk Papa." She leaned in to kiss his cheek "and maybe you'll forget about this morning." He noticed she didn't say she was sorry.
"Mama likes flowers that are not only pretty but smell good too. Mary likes roses" Sybil leaned in to whisper "she thinks they are the most expensive especially the deep red ones."
"So you have practice at this?"
Again she shrugged her shoulders as she tilted her head. "Well I do get blamed for a lot of things even when it's not really my fault or at least I didn't intend to do anything bad like when I was bouncing that ball and it got away from me and it knocked over that vase." Now it was her turn to give an exaggerated sigh. "Really Papa you would think it was Mama's favorite vase when I know she didn't like it but only had it displayed because Granny gave it to her."
"So you gave her flowers?"
She nodded her head. "A lovely bunch of lilacs that smelled heavenly."
"And just last week well" she flung her arm out as if to brush something away "really that was more Edith's fault than me but she's the one that ended up with ink all over her dress." Once again Sybil gave a dramatic fling of her arm and Robert had a bit of trouble to keep from laughing. "Flowers?" he managed to say.
Sybil nodded her head. "A big bunch of deep blue and purple flowers. I told her I really did her a favor because that dress just didn't flatter her … her …" she scrunched up her face as if trying to remember something. "Coloring!" she finally shouted in delight. "She should wear jewel tones-"
"Jewel tones?" a rather confused Robert interrupted.
"You know Papa like ruby red or emerald green or deep purple like…" now Sybil looked a bit confused. "I read about that in one of Mary's magazines. Anyway I told Edith she'd look so pretty in jewel tones. Of course not jewels like opals or pearls because … well … you know her pale skin. I even showed her a deep green blouse of Mary's but when I held up the blouse against Edith some of the ink got on-" Once again Sybil gave a dramatic fling of her arm and Robert again had to stifle a laugh "well we won't go into that now."
"Mary should be getting more roses?" Robert asked to which Sybil glanced up at the ceiling or, he inwardly chuckled, maybe heaven as she slighted nodded her head.
Still holding the photograph Robert inhaled deeply. There was no denying she was the most delightful child, maybe too rambunctious at times and she could be trying but great company and oh how she could make him laugh.
He laid the photograph down and pulled out the one he had been looking for. He stared at the photograph of Sybil taken during her coming out. Her coming out had been so successful. She'd had far more invitations to dinners and dances than either of her sisters. He had watched her dance with handsome and charming young men wondering which one might capture her heart. But in the end it hadn't been any of them.
He looked at the photograph. "Why" he said softly "why did you marry him?