Continued:

Chapter Two

Early February, 1939

Sybbie walked into the classroom and felt all eyes on her. She braced her shoulders and smiled at the nun sitting at the front of the room behind a rickety looking old wooden desk.. The woman in her habit did not smile back.

"Miss Branson, can you tell me why your ideals on punctuality differ from ours? And why we must all wait for you to grace us with your presence?" The grumpy woman glared at her and Sybbie felt her face go red.

"I'm sorry. I was having breakfast with my father. He came to visit last night with his wife and my little brother and..."

"I don't care. You will be on time, or you will leave this program. Do you understand?" The nun walked towards Sybbie and whacked her stick on across the top of Sybbie's desk, startling the young woman.

"I understand Sister Margaret." Sybbie wanted to disappear, she felt all the eyes of the other girls on her.

The nun then spoke to the entire class.

"Just because the granddaughter of Lord Grantham feels she can make up her own rules, does not mean that she can. Let this be one of your first lessons of being a nurse. Your patients don't care what you have going on in your lives. Their care is your first priority and it always will be." The woman stopped in front of the classroom and turned around sharply to face them all. "Are you writing this down?"

The scribble of pencils on paper was the only thing that was heard from all of the students.

The nun continued with her lecture and Sybbie heard two girls behind her whispering loud enough to be overheard.

"She's the granddaughter of Lord Grantham. That means she's George Crawley's cousin. He's such a dream. We should be friends with her so we could meet him. He's handsome and incredibly rich. He's a great catch."

Another girl whispered back.

"Only to meet George Crawley. One of the other girls told me that she has a fiance and a bastard baby. They saw her walking through town last night pushing a pram... I guess they'll let anyone into this school as long as they have enough money and the right influences."

Sybbie turned her head slightly trying to see the second girl that had spoken. She looked into the eyes of a pretty blonde girl with a sinister grin on her face. The smile detracted from the girl's looks and Sybbie knew instantly that this girl was not to be trusted. She turned her head a little further and smiled sweetly back.

"It was my little brother you ninny. And George Crawley would never give you the time of day. He's not into serpents." Sybbie whispered back, but she did not notice that Sister Margaret had approached her desk.

The stick whipped across the desk again and Sybbie jumped.

"Miss Branson, I beg you not to try my patience any more today. Final warning." She continued walking and Sybbie dared one more glance back at the blonde girl whose name she thought was Catherine.

The other girl was glaring at Sybbie with a viscous look and Sybbie realized she had just made an enemy. She didn't care though. She wasn't there to make friends, she was there to learn to become a nurse. She would make her mother proud, and Lily and her dad too. And it was only a few weeks until she could see James again. That would keep her going.

She looked back down to the paper on the desk and scratched down some notes of what the nun was lecturing about. She sighed. Hopefully being there was the right decision. She missed Downton Abbey.

Mid March 1939,

Sybbie sat waiting in the park. Patiently.

Or not really. George would be along shortly to meet her and accompany her back to Downton. He had sent her a message that he would be in London to enquire about writing his exams and he would wait another day for her to be finished so they could head back home together. Sybbie was very excited to spend some time alone with her cousin. She missed him, his goofy grin and his amicable sense of humour. She missed having him to talk to on a regular basis.

It was term break at the nursing school and Sybbie was very much looking forward to seeing her father, Lily, her brother, and especially James. Her entire family actually. It had felt like months since she had seen them, though in reality it had only been two weeks since her father and brother had visited her on a weekend. Sybbie had marvelled at how little Jack had grown and how much he was starting to resemble his father. Tom thought he looked like Lily and neither could argue the baby had Lily's smile and dimple that Tom loved so much.

The young woman smiled at the thought of seeing her entire family again. She had never been separated so long from her father and even though she argued with herself that she was a modern, strong, independent woman, she missed her Dad terribly.

And James. He had sneaked over to visit with her a few Saturdays past while in the city running an errand for the estate. He only had a few hours to spare, but Sybbie was so happy that he had taken the time to visit. She missed their chats while he worked on the cars of the estate. And her driving lessons with him. And the feeling of her heart skipping a beat whenever he graced her with a gentle touch. She thought about him often and hoped he thought of her as well. She would be relieved to know just how much he missed her too. She would find out when she got home. James and George would surely get together shortly after they arrived home and her cousin had proven on many occasion to be a gentlemanly chaperone for the young couple.

Sybbie wondered to herself how much her father had to do with the fact that George never left the two of them alone for a minute. Sybbie suspected it was a lot, but she respected her father's love for her and his need to make sure she was safe. Her Granny had told her in a letter that she also suspected Tom and James were becoming good friends. They had been working together a great deal lately and James was proving a valuable assistant to the current estate manager. It would bode well for her and James' future if her father respected the man she intended to marry some day. She was thinking about the young Irishman's roguish grin and was deep in thought and didn't even hear George approaching her.

She jumped and squealed when he put his hands over her eyes and then laughed hysterically at her reaction. She was mad at him for only a minute and then smiled.

"You beast. You scared me." She swatted him in the chest and then held her arms out for a hug.

"I don't even want to know what you were thinking about..." George's light blue eyes sparkled at her.

"Not what you are thinking. Come, let's go get my bags. We only have a few hours before the train." Sybbie shook her head at her cousin. She missed him so terribly while she had been away at school. His blonde hair flopped charmingly as he tossed his head back while he laughed.

George held out his arm for the young woman to take and she did and the two of them chatted happily as they walked back to the dorm rooms that were nearly vacant as just about everyone had left for spring break. A few nuns grunted a greeting at her as the two of them went up the front steps.

"You had better wait down here. I don't need any more gossip being spread about me from whomever is left about." Sybbie whispered at her cousin as the two nuns turned to watch her.

"We can't have that." George smiled questioningly at her, but she brushed him off and headed quickly up the old stairs that led to the girls bedrooms on the second level of the old building.

George smiled politely at the nuns, tipped his hat to them and they both glared at him for a second and then hurried off to wherever they had originally been going. George laughed to himself. He wondered how Sybbie had been treated in her time but he knew they would have the entire trip back to Downton to discuss about their goings on over the past few months. He looked forward to it very much.

He walked back down the steps and turned to look up to see if he could tell which bedroom was Sybbie's. He saw her wave from the window and hold up one finger in a gesture to indicate she would only be a moment. He smiled and waved back and when he looked back down there was a pretty blonde girl standing by the door staring at him. He could tell by the way her expression shifted that she might not be a girl to trust entirely, but she seemed pleasant enough. And she was very good looking. And it would be rude not to say hello. So he did. She strode over to him and held out her hand so he could hold it and greet her properly.

"Hello, may I introduce myself? The blonde girl blinked sweetly at the tall blonde teenager.

"Only if I may first... I'm George Crawley. I'm very pleased to meet you..." He paused so she could answer.

"My name is Catherine Bedford. My uncle is the Duke of Bedford."

"Good for him. But it's very nice to meet you. Why are you still about? Aren't you going home to see your family?" George smiled politely, completely unaware of how unintentionally charming he naturally was.

"They're all abroad right now. I would be going to a big empty house." Catherine lied. Though her uncle was a duke, her own father had turned his back on the money from the family and chosen to live his own life. Their home was actually a modest house in East London. That's why Catherine had been forced by him to attend the school where she didn't particularly want to be. He insisted that she learn the importance of earning one's own money for true fulfilment.

Catherine had every intention of marrying rich and never working a day in her life, but she hadn't found the right bait yet. She was a bit smitten by the young Mister Crawley. He was even more handsome up close than the time she had seen him at a ball about six months previously. She smiled shyly at him and twisted her toe on the ground.

"I don't suppose your family would want another guest for the holiday would they?" She laughed meekly and tried to make it appear as though she was joking. She looked up at him and noticed his brow was furrowed in thought.

"I can't see why not. My family loves to entertain. Would you be able to obtain permission in such a short time?" George asked the young girl who had suddenly burst into a radiant smile.

"I can get it. Do you think my friend Clara could come as well? She's also stuck here all alone for the holiday. It would be ever so kind of you!" Catherine had already turned slightly away before he could fully answer.

"I suppose it would be alright. I'll ring ahead and let them know. Actually, it would be fun to spend some time with a few of Sybbie's school chums. We can tell each other of embarrassing tales about her and make her blush." George winked at the young woman standing before him and she blinked hard, surprised by the blueness of his eyes.

Perhaps he wouldn't be so hard to lure after all. If she could only get him alone for a little while and work her wiles on him, she was sure she could ensnare him. She smiled sweetly at him and told him she would go ask her friend Clara how quickly they could be packed for a week away. George smiled back and said he would wait for them both.

Sybbie came down the stairs and burst open the door and walked as quickly as she could to her cousin. She was fuming and George suddenly felt scared of her. He had seen that look before.

"What did you do?" She dropped her bags and threw her arms up.

"What do you mean?" George held up his own hands in defence.

"Did you seriously just invite Catherine and Clara to spend the week at Downton?" Her brown eyes were flaring.

"It was the polite thing to do. Neither of them have anywhere to be and how terrible is it to spend the week stuck away with some old nuns and no fun to be had for miles?" George tried to defend himself. He failed to mention out loud that he thought Catherine was very pretty as well and he would like to get to know her better. "Come now Sybbie. It's the polite thing to do. And you know it."

She backed down, but she did sigh loudly to let him know she wasn't entirely fond of his quick thinking. She was sure Catherine had been loitering around all day waiting for a chance to get close to George. Sybbie had mentioned at lunch that he would be meeting her. Catherine must have overheard. Oh well, thought Sybbie. She would just have to keep a close eye on those two girls while they were guests in her home. Perhaps if they saw where she lived, they would both respect a bit more. Perhaps some good could come out of it.

Sybbie and George stood waiting as the taxi pulled up but the girls still hadn't appeared.

"We have to get going. We'll miss the train." Sybbie tried to get George to leave without them, but he told her to settle down. That they had plenty of time.

Finally both Catherine and Clara made an appearance with the two of them both carrying overstuffed travel bags that had been hastily packed. George helped them into the taxi and Sybbie rolled her eyes when Catherine smiled so sweetly and thanked him in a fake, high pitched sing-song voice.

The ride to the train station was filled with Clara nattering on about never being asked to stay in such a grand house before and wasn't she excited. Catherine tried to shush her occasionally but George didn't seem to mind. Every time he looked at Catherine she blushed and looked down.

Sybbie bit her tongue, she she knew it was just an act. She hoped that Catherine acted so foolishly that George would not take long to get over his apparent initial infatuation with the girl. She watched her cousin trying to sneak glances at the blonde girl. It annoyed her, but she kept quiet.

They caught the train back to Downton with no problems. George purchased two tickets for the guests that he had invited while Catherine went on and on about how sweet and kind George was to do that for them. Sybbie was forced to bite her tongue again as George seemed to revel in the attention of the blonde girl. It was only a matter of time before Catherine revealed her true self in front of him and Sybbie just hoped she was there to see it.

The trip seemed to go by quickly but every time Sybbie tried to speak with George, Catherine butted in with some story involving herself and how great her family was. By the time the train pulled up to the familiar station, Sybbie wanted to strangle the blonde girl. Even George wasn't seeming as impressed by her as he initially was, but he was in it for the week now anyway. No going back.

They all made their way onto the platform and Sybbie noticed the familiar face that she had been hoping to see. She ran to him and threw herself into his arms.

"Dad! I missed you so much! How is Jack? And Lily!" Sybbie was energetic in her greeting to her father and he just smiled at her proudly.

"They're all fine darling. Excited to see you. Everyone is." Tom pulled his daughter into a tight hug again. "My God I missed you."

Father and daughter stayed in the tight embrace while the rest of the youth watched the happy scene. The two other girls quietly envied Sybbie for being so obviously loved by her father. Neither of them had ever had such a display with their own fathers. Catherine's father was very proper from his upbringing and rarely showed emotion. Clara's father was working in a factory so much that she rarely saw him anyway.

George waited patiently while Sybbie and Tom greeted and then saw James coming in through the front doors. He had probably been parking the car. George waved hello and gestured for James to follow him to get everyone's luggage. The two girls ignored the two younger men as Sybbie introduced them to her father. They were charmed enough to respect him immediately. Tom led them all outside and asked the two girls to wait by the car as George and James approached with the first load of luggage.

Tom asked George to walk with him and strolled out of earshot of the two young women. Sybbie had gone back into the station, she had left her favourite pink scarf on the train and went to retrieve it.

Catherine and Clara just stared at each other. Surprised by the familial display put on.

"I need to find out which bedroom is George's when we get to the house." Catherine finally broke their silence with her friend.

"Oh for heaven's sake, at least wait a night or two." Clara looked around to see if they were being overheard. She only saw the man she was sure was just the driver, as he was loading bags into the back of the car. "Wait, I have an idea... You there. Driver."

James poked his head into sight. "Yes?"

"Come here boy." Catherine took over the conversation.

James approached the two young women with a questioning look on his face.

Catherine spoke again. "If I give you this, will you be kind enough to show me the direction of a certain Master Crawley's bedroom when we arrive at the house. Offer to take me on a tour and then just let me know which room it is when we get there. You won't get caught. I'll make sure of it." She smiled wickedly at the driver and pulled a five note out of her purse. She passed it to James. He accepted it and tucked it into his pocket with a wink.

"Sure thing Miss. If you'll pardon me, I have to go get the rest of the bags." James turned from them and practically ran into the station.

The two girls continued to plot amongst themselves while they waited for everyone to gather back at the car.

James ran into the station not so much looking for the rest of the bags, but a certain young lady that he hadn't yet properly greeted. And he had to greet her with some unnerving news. He saw her standing by the platform door tying the nearly forgotten scarf around her neck and leaped up to her in a few running bounds.

He smiled so wide at her and kissed her quickly on the mouth. She smiled back.

"I've got to tell you something." He seemed overly excited about something. Sybbie noticed right away. But she couldn't resist teasing him anyway.

"You love me madly and have missed me terribly. I know James." She dared to kiss him quickly back.

He smiled dreamily and then shook his head. "Of course that's true. But there's something about those girls you should know. They're not so sweet as you might think." He grabbed her hand and headed back up onto the platform with her.

"I know! George is such a fool sometimes. Tell me!"

James divulged to her the transaction that had just occurred. She was shocked and the two of them hatched a plan to get rid of the girls before they did something George regretted. They ran off together to the ticket window.

George and Tom headed back towards the car and George had his eye on the blonde girl. He had slightly regretted inviting her to the house. The train ride with her had annoyed him after awhile, and he knew fairly quickly that if she annoyed him this quickly, there was no future for them. But, he had to do the proper thing and follow through on his invite. He would have to be a courteous host to them. And he knew it. He smiled at Catherine despite his regret. She smiled back, a sweet fake smile that he instantly saw through. How odious was this girl?

As he and Tom walked together back to the car, it had felt good to stretch his legs after the train trip, he saw Sybbie and James walking arm in arm back to the car as well but from the opposite direction. Sybbie looked smug and George wondered what had happened to make her look that way. James looked quite proud of himself as well.

The two guests turned to look to see where George's gaze was directed and they were both more than slightly shocked to see Sybbie and James arm in arm.

Sybbie looked arrogant as she approached the girls and introduced James to them as her fiance. James snickered at the look on the girls faces as they realized they were caught.

James spoke quietly into George's ear so nobody else could hear and Catherine wanted to disappear while he did so. The look on George's face as he glared at her was enough to let her know she was beat.

George stepped in and told them both, that his Uncle Tom had just informed him that the family was actually taking a surprise trip to Scotland for the week and the entire staff would be going with them. And that he was dreadfully sorry but he had acted hastily and he would have to retract his invite. James handed him two slips of paper while he spoke and he read them quickly.

"Here are two tickets back to London and there will be a car to drive you back to the school when you get there. All expenses will be paid including a meal for you in London. And I hope you accept my sincerest apologies at my blunder." George smiled as falsely sweet as Catherine was capable of and the station master approached them from behind.

"Ladies, the train is leaving shorty, so I must insist you take your seats." He nudged them both slightly in the direction of the station and neither girl was able to squeak out a single sound. When the door had closed behind them, the group gathered by the car all turned back towards each other.

"What was that all about?" Tom asked as he held the back door open for his daughter. He surprised her when he got in the back seat with her.

"You're letting him drive?" Sybbie pointed to James in shock.

"Of course. I want to hear all about school and what you've learned. I trust him. Don't worry." Tom winked at his daughter and smiled. He had missed her so much.

As James walked around the car ahead of George, to open the door for him, George spoke quietly to him.

"I owe you one mate. Thanks for getting me out of that one." George looked incredibly relived and thankful at the same time.

"Nah. This one's on me." James laughed as he pulled the fiver out of his pocket.

George just shook his head and smiled. James continued to laugh as he went back around to the driver's side. He got in, started the engine and adjusted the mirror so that it was focused on Sybbie's face. When he caught her eye he winked at her and then changed his expression serious quickly as he prepared to drive his most precious friends back to their home.

It was going to be a fun week. Everyone was home. Life was good.

to be continued...

thank you for reading... xx

next chapter: Sybbie comes face to face with someone from her past. George catches Marigold doing something suspicious. James, Tom and George plot.