continued...
and I am so sorry for the delay... xo thanks for sticking with this.
Chapter Four
George took Sybbie by the hand and helped her up from the sofa upon which she sat. He could tell by the look in her eye that whatever was in the letter was troubling her deeply and she would not likely wish to speak within earshot of her grandparents. George wondered if it was unfortunate that Tom had overheard already but Sybbie did not seem too upset by her father's involvement. He knew that father and daughter kept very little from each other and this must be big if Sybbie had not even told him.
Tom handed his son over to Lily and she looked at him questioningly. He leaned close to her and whispered something in her ear. Lily looked quickly over to the two making their way to the door and looked back at her husband. He kissed her gently on the cheek and watched lovingly as their son shifted slightly and then fell fast asleep in his mother's arms. Marigold looked up from the book she was reading but didn't pay much attention to the goings on. Cora was distracted by gently stroking the baby's head and smiling lovingly at the two sitting next to her. Robert was speaking with his Butler and didn't notice at all as the three left the room for some privacy.
They went just a few rooms down and sat quietly in the dimly lit room waiting for Sybbie to spill what was so clearly troubling her. George put his hand on her knee, silently encouraging her that no matter what it was, they would handle it.
She took a deep breath and looked into the eyes of her father. She saw only concern and the deep love for her that was always there.
"When we left Boston, there was something you didn't know about me." She paused, looked down at her hands and then continued.
"I was involved with a man."
George heard his Uncle gasp slightly and then nod, as though he had actually known this.
"Well, when we were coming to vacation here for the holidays last year, he had proposed to me before we left." She paused again.
"Now that I was unaware of..." Tom muttered barely out loud.
Sybbie started to cry. George moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders.
She managed to only let out a few sobs and compose herself quickly.
"I told him yes. I had no idea at the time that we would be staying here, and I had no way of knowing that I would meet James and decide to stay..."
The men in the room were a bit shocked.
"Have you spoken with him since we've been here?" Tom asked his daughter.
"I wrote him a letter last fall telling him I was no longer interested in him, but I didn't tell him why. That was the last communication he had from me." Sybbie wiped the tears from her cheeks. "He kept writing me, refusing to accept that it was over between us. I didn't worry too much about it. I was here, and he was way back in America. I thought he would just accept it in time. Apparently I was wrong."
She held the letter out to her father and waited silently while he read it. When he was done he held the letter out to George and waited for Sybbie's permission for George to read it as well. She nodded and then looked back down.
George scanned the letter quickly and tucked it back into the envelope. He kept it in his hands while his mind whirled.
"You have to help me get rid of him. And James cannot find out. He'll be so hurt." Sybbie pleaded with her cousin.
"The letter says he'll be here next week. You'll be back in school by then, we can take care of him." George tried to reassure his cousin.
The two of them plotted a number of schemes but Tom remained suspiciously quiet. Eventually the younger two noticed and stared at him. He finally made eye contact.
"You cannot keep this from James." Was what he finally said.
"But Dad, this will hurt him. Peter makes it seem like we've been in touch this whole time, and he's coming here to take me away to marry him. And he says I must have been held against my will for me not to have contacted him."
"Do you love this Peter Sullivan?" Tom asked his daughter, while he tried to place a face to the name. He knew a few Sullivans in Boston and he wondered if this was the son of the banker that he had dealt with on occasion.
"Of course I don't, I mean not anymore. I may have once, but that was just a child's dream. I want to marry James. I have no doubt of this."
"Then you must tell him. A relationship cannot be built on lies Sybbie. If you start lying to him now, it will be too easy for you to do it again in the future. You owe it to him to tell him."
"He won't be mad. He loves you too. He will fight for you..." George added his thoughts to the mix. He agreed with his Uncle that James should know.
"I know he does. I just don't want him to be hurt by the thought that I have been meddling around behind his back." Sybbie was starting to agree with them, Tom and George could both see it in her.
"He loves you Sybbie. And he knows you love him too. He would be more hurt if you continue to keep the truth from him." Her father made so much sense and she knew it. Her quick glance at him told him he was right.
"So what do we do?" Sybbie looked at the two.
"Tomorrow, we go to James and tell him what is going on. Then you go back to school and let us handle this Peter Sullivan situation. With the help of your fiance." Tom stood up and smiled at his daughter. "We'll get through this. You haven't done anything wrong darling. It's just a misunderstanding."
Sybbie stood up too and flung herself into her father's arms. Tom secretly hoped that she would never stop doing that and George lamented at the wonderful relationship the two of them had. He couldn't help but wonder if his own father would have been so understanding.
"You two should get up to bed and I should think about getting my wife and son home. It's getting late." Tom turned and walked out of the room leaving the two cousins facing each other.
"Do you think he's mad?" Sybbie wondered out loud to her cousin.
"Not mad. I'd say disappointed." George tried to reassure her.
"That's much worse." Sybbie kept her head down as she walked out of the room. She hoped she hadn't ruined everything with her secret. "Goodnight George."
"Goodnight Sybbie. Sleep well." Though he was quite sure she would not.
And with that he was left alone with his thoughts and his laments.
One week later:
"Do you think that's him?" James and George were both crouched down in the front seat of the car watching the passengers from the recently arrived train depart the front door of the station.
"How am I supposed to know. I've never seen him before either." George dared an annoyed glance at his his friend.
"I know. I know. I just want to know..." James trailed off.
"You want to know if Sybbie's first love compares to you." George smirked.
"No... it's not that... well... yes. That's part of it." James looked pale and clammy under his hat. George suddenly felt bad for teasing him.
"Well, she chose you mate, So you've got nothing to worry about. Look, over there!"
A tall, dark haired young man left the doors behind him and looked around carefully. He carried a canvas bag over his shoulder and James and George both knew this was their man. George jumped out of the car and strode up to the newcomer. George towered over him, though Peter was quite tall himself. James couldn't hear what George was saying, but he clearly had the American at ease with his natural charm. The two of them strode over to the car and James jumped out to open the doors for them. His chauffeur uniform was itching him terribly. He had forgotten how uncomfortable it was, but he was also sweating from nerves.
Peter barely paid any attention to him at all as he followed George into the back seat. James shut the door behind them and climbed back into the driver's seat. He started the car and pulled away from the curb while listening carefully to the conversation in the back seat.
George was goading Peter into talking about Sybbie. The American went on and on about how he and Sybbie were going to see each other again and he knew that she would fall madly in love with him again. And her terrible father who had been obviously keeping her from communicating with him was going to get a talking to.
James caught the eye of George at one point in the mirror and James muffled a smile at George rolling his eyes back at him. James had been so worried, but this man, who Sybbie had once cared about was nothing more than a bag of wind. He bragged about how rich his father was, but George could read the tag on his bundle that he travelled third class from America. Surely no rich banker would let his son travel in third class.
And Peter kept talking. And talking. By the time they had reached Downton Abbey, James was ready to slug the mouth off the man in the car. Some of the things he said about Sybbie were not entirely complimentary either. George hoped silently that James would hold his temper and stick to the plan.
George and Peter entered the main house without James. He stayed behind to watch the car but he made no effort to put it back in the garage.
Barrow led the two of them to The Earl's front room where most of the business was conducted. Robert stood up to greet the man and Tom stayed in the chair on Robert's right hand side. He had no desire to shake the hand of the man who had entered with George, though it would be considered quite rude of him. He didn't care. He had gotten some information about the son of the banker from contacts back in Boston and he did not like what he had heard. Apparently Peter was quite the ladies man. Never mind he was a degenerate gambler and drinker as well.
Some small talk passed between the Earl and the American set before him.
"Let's get down to business then shall we?" Robert glanced quickly at Tom and back to Peter.
"I don't have any business with you. I just want to see Sybbie. I'm sure she's dying to see me." Peter looked smug.
"Of that my dear man, I am sure you are quite wrong."
Robert then went on to explain how Sybbie was quite happy in her new life, and she had made no mention at all of any Peter Sullivan in the nearly year and a half she had been back. And that she had found someone new and she was perfectly happy now.
The look on Peter's face did little to mask his shock at being spoken to in such a matter. Tom delighted inwardly because he was quite sure that Peter had no idea what a powerful man the Lord of Grantham was.
Eventually Peter stood up sputtering.
"You're going to pay for this old man. I will tell the newspapers of some scandal that will break this family."
"You know nothing of this family." George stood up as well. He would stop Peter before he did something physical to his Grandfather.
"I'll make something up. It doesn't matter." Peter practically spat at George, suddenly knowing he had been set up from the moment he set foot in the car.
"If you know anything of this family it's that we are incredibly protective of one another. And we have faced enough real scandals in my time that a threat from an American scoundrel does not even make me flinch." Robert leaned over the desk and held out a cheque towards the young man.
"What's that?" Peter eyed it suspiciously.
"This would have been yours if you had come in here and acted like a gentleman. It was a little reimbursement for your troubles to come all the way over here to see a girl that has happily moved on from you. But instead you came in here and acted like a hyena and insulted the people who mean everything to me. Now I offer you nothing but my wishes for a safe trip back to America empty handed." The Earl ripped up the piece of paper and tossed in the general direction of the young man.
"Barrow? If you would be so kind as to escort this man out of my site. He will not be staying for dinner." Barrow had appeared from around the corner. Another backup if things had gone badly.
"Very good my Lord." Barrow took Peter by the elbow and led him quickly out of the room.
George was the first one to start to chuckle. It wasn't long before the three of them were lost in laughter.
"I don't know what Sybbie saw in that snake." George composed himself first
"She's like her mother. She loves too easily, before she thinks of the consequences..." Robert stuttered when he saw the look on Tom's face. "Oh Tom I apologize. I didn't mean..."
"It's quite alright. I have no question that Sybbie gets that trait from her mother. And she and I are here because of it."
"Quite true Tom. I am grateful as well."
George watched the faces of both men melt back into some memory that each held dear of the departed loved one. He wondered but didn't ask.
Barrow led the now-silent man to the front door.
"If you hurry, I am sure you will be able to catch the evening train. You will find no rooms available in the village, I'm sure Lord Grantham will be sure of that before you reach the limits. Safe travels." And with that Peter Sullivan was left standing on the gravel of the front drive of Downton Abbey. He looked up to see James standing beside the car smoking a cigarette.
"You there, driver. Can you give me a lift into town?"
"I don't know. I haven't been given permission from the Earl..." James looked hesitant. He knew by the short visit of Peter that things had gone according to plan. Their plan. Not his.
"I can pay you." Peter pulled a ten note from his billfold and handed it to James who pretended like it was the most amount of money he had ever seen.
"Sure thing. Hop in"
James opened the door for Peter and the two of them drove off as quickly as Peter could push him.
It wasn't long down the road they had travelled before Peter broke the silence with the driver. He went on and on about how he and Sybbie would have consummated their relationship that very night if the meddling Grandfather hadn't poisoned her against him. He was going to have to visit a brothel to get it out of his system before he headed back home.
James bit his tongue and stopped the car.
"Why are you stopping?"
"I just remembered that I hate you and you can walk into town. I'm going back to the Abbey. You can take the car and be charged with theft before you board the train, or you can start walking. I really don't care what you do."
James turned towards the house and took his hat and jacket off. He wouldn't need them again any time soon he hoped. He didn't even look back as he heard the car door shut and footsteps start in the other direction. It took all the strength he had not to bury the bastard in a shallow grave. He owed it to his fiance to not be charged with murder.
He entered the house and George was waiting for him with a big smile.
"I thought you were actually going to drive him into town!"
"Are you insane? He can walk and think. What are your plans now?" James smiled wryly at his friend.
"I think you could use a pint. Let's go in to the pub." George put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Donk told me that he made sure that the only train ticket left for tonight was in the stock car. We can have a drink and laugh at him travelling with the other pigs."
James laughed.
"It's on me." He pulled the note out of his own pocket and tucked it into George's.
"How do you keep doing that?" George laughed
"I'm very resourceful. Don't you know that about me yet?"
The two friends laughed as they walked back to where James had left the car. Hopefully they had seen the last of Peter Sullivan as they passed him on the road.
to be continued...
thank you for reading. xo