Chapter 14

...

Grantham House

St James's Square

London

Summer of 1886

...

Sybil breathed out a happy sigh, leaning heavily against the door that led into the servant's hall.

A giddy smile swept across her face, her fingers ghosting over her lips to where Tom's had been only moments before. She replayed the moments leading up to their goodnights on loop in her mind. Her head filled with thoughts of hot open mouthed kisses, enthusiastically pressed against necks and collarbones.

She shivered slightly, beaming.

"My fiancé", Sybil couldn't help but whisper to herself—a tingling mixture of anticipating, joy and amazement coursing through her as she stood by herself in the semi-darkness.

Despite the obstacles that Sybil knew they would face in the near future, for now she felt nothing but an impish sort of glee. All it took was for Sybil's thoughts to turn to him and her stomach fluttered in excitement...Tom Branson, her Tom Branson, whose kisses effortlessly brought her soul out to play. Without even trying, he made her feel all sorts of things that she'd scarcely thought possible before she had met him...pure earnest longing...and love, so much love.

"I have a fiancé", she said aloud once more, her lips curling upwards happily. This time her voice carried a little further, growing louder than even she knew was wise.

"Sybil is that you?", a voice called out.

Her breath hitched, and she dared not move a muscle.

The young aristocrat froze in alarm, hoping desperately that whoever it was would count her whispers as a figment of their imagination.

A pyjama clad figure approached her across the dim light of the servant's hall, his blonde hair and easy grin immediately unmistakable. In his hand was a candlestick. It cast a faint glow across the room, properly illuminating his face.

Matthew.

"Fancying seeing you down here", he greeted smilingly, his voice garnering a certain mirthful quality that told Sybil he had undoubtedly heard every word she had just said.

His grin widened considerably under her obvious discomfort. Her secret was out!

"Matthew, what on earth are you doing down here?", Sybil asked quite awkwardly in an attempt to divert his attention.

He waved his hand in response , a flicker of pain momentarily crossing his face that both he and Sybil knew lead back to Mary. He hastily covered it up, changing the subject.

"Never you mind about that. But what's this business about being engaged?", he asked, teasingly...sounding almost as though he were trying to distract himself. "I do hope cousin Robert has heard something of it."

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, Matthew with his eyebrows raised questioningly—but not judgementally—and Sybil with her cheeks a little flushed. His statement had been rather rhetorical for both of them, it didn't take a genius to know that Robert Crawley hadn't the slightest idea about his youngest daughter having a secret beau.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Matthew smirked affectionately, evidently endeared by his younger cousin's antics. The thought of her blossoming love life seemed to divert his attention away from his own rather...complicated one.

"Come, Sybil", he said genuinely. "You know, I only wish to see you happy."

Getting no verbal response from his now rather bashful looking cousin, a joking tone crept into Matthew's voice as he persisted. "How will I know whether this chap of yours is up to the job if you insist on telling me nothing?"

At this Sybil laughed outrightly, shaking her head. Despite the conflict and mixed feelings that his arrival at Downton had initially brought about amongst her immediate family, she had come to see Matthew as an older brother and she knew he saw her as a sister.

"He's not quite what you'd expect."

"So what if he's not the young Lord or Baron that your parents would have wanted for you", Matthew responded encouragingly. "I wonder if he's a fellow solicitor? Your grandmother would love that!"

Sybil smiled gratefully at Matthew, touched by his immediate openness and acceptance at the idea of her marrying a more middle class man.

Although he would tease her mercilessly, Sybil knew that Matthew would be supportive. Even before that night, she had been certain that her cousin was the one person in her family who would not dismiss her feelings for Tom as a youthful folly. Of all people, he would understand that two people of different backgrounds could come to love one another.

After all; Matthew did, quite obviously love Mary, anybody could see that, and her upbringing at Downton Abbey had be very different from his in Manchester as the son of a doctor.

"No, he's not, but I do think he would appreciate being likened to a solicitor much more than he would a baron."

"Well, now I like him already."

"That's just the thing, Matthew. You two have already met."

"I've met him! Good Lord Sybil, who is he?"

Sybil looked at him seriously. "If I tell you Matthew, you must promise not to tell a soul."

His brow furrowed in concern, Matthew's expression grew a little uneasy at her words. Unsurprisingly, he was reluctant to comply with such a request.

"Sybil, what are you up to?", he asked suspiciously. The last thing he wanted was for his younger cousin to get herself into any kind of trouble.

Sybil shook her head adamantly, determined not to say a word until he had promised not to give her and Tom away—not until they were ready. "Nothing bad, I promise. I'm just not quite sure the others would approve just yet?"

"And would they approve if given time?", he responded carefully.

"I would like to think so, yes."

Matthew considered her words for a moment, nodding his agreement after some time. While he knew Sybil was young and a little more rebellious than her father and grandmother would like, he also believed his cousin to be quite sensible. He knew her well enough to trust in her judgment. "Alright, you have my word."

"Do you recall Tom Branson from the Napier's Ball?"

Matthew blinked. "Really, Sybil? Him!"

His voice wasn't accusatory, just curious. Sybil nodded, a small smile breaking out across her face once more. She bit her lip and a twinkle came in her eye, dissolving any possibility that arose in Matthew's mind that she was joking with him.

"How long has this been going on?"

"A little over two months", Sybil responded quite proudly. She thought of the first time she met Tom and how they had fumbled awkwardly around each other initially but quickly come to see how alike they truly were. "We met at a suffragist rally in Hyde Park."

Matthew chuckled good-naturedly, "Why am I not in the slightest bit surprised?", he replied, thinking of the kind but opinionated man he had met at the Napier's alongside his little cousin who was always more than ready to speak her mind regarding the merits of the women's movement. "So the first Crawley sister up the aisle is to be the youngest."

Sybil ducked her head slightly at his words, not having thought of that before. She hoped that Mary and Edith wouldn't take it all badly—Sybil would hate to risk her sisters' approval and affection.

"Unless you and Mary make it official", she replied, a certain amount of devilment lacing her voice. "Then I wouldn't be."

Matthew sighed deeply, "You're sweet Sybil, but I do think that ship has sailed long ago."

"Oh I wouldn't give up all hope if I were you."

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course not! You and Mary are meant to be together, anyone can see that!"

Just then the door that lead upstairs opened with a resounding creak, a sudden trail of frenzied footsteps echoing across the room making both Sybil and Matthew jolt from their conversation in alarm.

The sight that they were met with was an unexpected one.

Lady Mary Crawley; as white as a sheet, her tear stained face all red and blotchy like she had just been sobbing inconsolably.

Barefooted and dressed in a rumpled white nightgown, her gaze was urgent and distraught. Her mouth opened slightly, at a loss for words—shocked at the sight of the last two people in the world she would choose to see her like this...amidst the total and utter mess she had made.

She had been looking for Anna, but found them.

Matthew stared at her for a moment, mouth agape like a fish— unsure of what to say or do.

Sybil, on the other hand, had always been so sure of Mary's softer and more vulnerable interior. She stepped forward and enveloped her older sister in a hug, squeezing tightly.

"Mary, what on earth has happened?"

Struck by Sybil's immediate understanding, Mary started to sob uncontrollably into her younger sister's shoulder—hiding herself away from Matthew's now sympathetic gaze. "Sybil, I don't know what to do! We're ruined! I've ruined us!"

The two sisters clung to one another, the younger just about managing to keep the older upright.

Matthew stood by their side, rather awkwardly with his hands in the pockets of his dressing gown. He ached to help Mary but didn't want to over step any line that she had already placed between them and have her scorn him later.

"Hush now, darling. I'm certain that's not the case. Just tell us what happened and we'll fix it..."

"Oh Sybil, this will never be fixed! I've been such a fool!"


A/N: thank you so much for all of your support and kindness on the last chapter. It means so much to me that you like this story! For those of you who are Mary and Matthew shippers, even though Sybil and Tom are my OTP, there will definitely be much more material than usual for you guys in the next couple of chapters.

Stay safe,

Pearlydewdrop xx