Phantom
Between 2x7 and 2x8
Tom hated to admit it, but Sybil was right. They needed to tell their family about their relationship before they married, or people would think they were ashamed of it.
But Mam wasn't going to like the idea. In fact, he could picture exactly what she would say. A phantom image of his mother, shaking her head appeared in his mind. "An English protestant, Tommy?"
"She isn't your typical English protestant, Mam," Tom said to the phantom. "She rallies against injustice just as much as I do, and she plans on living in Ireland with me."
The phantom image scowled. "And how are you supposed to have a proper wedding if you're marrying a protestant?"
Tom returned the scowl. "I know you don't want to hear it Mam, but plenty of Catholics have married protestants in the past. And Sybil is worth it."
The scowl remained on Mam's phantom face, but Tom didn't care. He and Sybil knew they would face opposition and were prepared to fight for their relationship. She'd even been smart and brave enough to ask him outright last spring, "And your people? Will they accept me?"
The fight began now. He picked up his pen and wrote to Mam about Sybil.