Chapter 4: Sybil

The next day, Lilly was walking alongside George, both wearing white to match with the others, as they were walking around in the village hall with the others, looking at the various flowers. By the time they were at Mr. Molesley's table, they all were awed by his display of roses, causing Robert to exclaim,

"My word, Molesley, splendid roses, as usual. Well done."

The elderly man looked grateful by the compliment, and stated, "Thank you, Your Lordship."

Lilly and George watched the Dowager Countess with amusement as she huffed a little,

"All stalls are set out very well this year."

Cora just smiled tightly towards Molesley, wishing that someone could do something about the older woman's feud with Isobel, asking the man,

"This is enchanting. Do we grow this?"

The man answered quickly, "I doubt if you got that one, Your Ladyship. I've only just found it myself."

Cora had a slight mischievous look in her eye, which matched her tone as she kindly asked,

"Is it a secret, or could you tell Mr. Brocket?"

The man looked shocked, along with his son by his side, causing George to snicker, as the elder Molesley answered,

"I'd be glad to, milady."

Cora nodded in thanks, stating, "He should come and see the rose garden. He could give us some ideas."

Meanwhile, Robert watched with warm eyes, as George was trying to snag a flower for Lilly, who merely put it back quickly. Robert was surprised at how dexterous she was, quickly and quietly setting the various flowers down to their rightful place without being caught by the owner of the booth. But all he could do was return his attention to his wife, who he responded with,

"Old Molesley's a champion. Or he would be in a fairer world."

Violet happened to have heard that as she looked crossly at her son, whispering to him,

"Don't you start."

But of course, it wasn't Isobel if she had not heard that as well. She sharply turned her head to face Robert, stating,

"I'm afraid I've been annoying Cousin Violet on that score."

Robert sighed out loud, not liking where this was going, as his mother stated in a matter-of-fact tone,

"If Molesley deserves first prize for his flowers, the judges will give it to him."

Robert fought off the urge roll his eyes at that, reacting to his mother's comment with a,

"They wouldn't dare."

Violet glared at her son, not being able to hide it from her irritation at being accused of something she was sure, wasn't true, answering,

"Really, Robert, you make me so annoyed. Isn't it possible I should win the thing on merit?"

Robert noticed George and Lilly watching the scene with interest, as he sighed smugly,

"I think the appropriate answer to that, Mama, is 'Yes, dear'."

Violet bristled at that before walking on a little more ahead from the group. Lilly shook her head as she studied the flowers. Each and every one of them had their own beauty, and she studied the strange flowers. George merely let her grasp his arm tightly, as she looked at them all in awe.

Eventually, when it was time for the announcements or the winners, George noticed his brother talking with Lady Mary. He sighed, seeing the feelings Matthew had for the woman, but was hesitant to act on after the hurt he had felt the other night. Once the runner-ups got their awards, everyone applauded. Lilly and George looked up in interest as Violet finally called out,

"And now the Grantham Cup for the best bloom in the village. And the Grantham Cup is awarded to…"

George felt Lilly's fingers tighten around his arm from the anticipation and he chuckled, not being able to hide his own from the masked, but flustered look on Cousin Violet's face. Because they were family, Robert, Cora, and their daughters immediately noticed the pause in Violet's speech while the rest thought it was a dramatic moment she had intended.

Violet looked up and smiled as she proudly stated,

"Mr. William Molesley… for his Comtesse Cabarrus Rose."

Isobel was the most enthusiastic to congratulate the family as she yelled out,

"Bravo! Well done! Bravo!"

Violet handed the heavy trophy to the elder Molesley, quietly congratulating him. The man exuberated a happy emotion, unable to hide it as he thanked her. But the woman shook her head, denying the credit the man was giving her. When everyone was down, Robert went to Violet, where George and Lilly joined as well, when he said,

"Bravo, Mama. That must've been a real sacrifice."

Cora added on, "And bravely born."

Violet put on an innocent look, which was noticed by George and Lilly as well, as she stated,

"I don't know what everyone's on about."

Cora was about to state something, but couldn't as Violet quickly continued with,

"All is well, my dear. All is well."

With that, she walked on, causing George to laugh and state, "Well, that was certainly exciting."

Lilly merely smiled, as she quietly observed how happy everyone at the village hall looked that day. Once the event was over, they headed back to the Crawley house, tired from the events. After dinner, Maria was helping Lilly changing and taking off jewelry, as she said to her lady in Korean,

"My lady, are you happy here?"

Lilly looked at her lady's maid with a sad smile and answered, "I'm happy as I can be. Why? Is something wrong?"

Maria shook her head and said, "I am enjoying my time here, but I miss home. Isn't that weird? I used to hate everything about it when we left, but now, I miss it."

Lilly understood what Maria was saying, and responded with,

"I do too. But I hope that you can be happier in the future."

Maria smiled as she brushed her lady's hair, stating, "I'm grateful that I'm here. So I promise that I will try to be happier."

Lilly nodded satisfactorily and said, "I think that's good for the night. Thank you Maria."

Maria nodded and headed out of the room. A few minutes later, George walked in, and saw his wife settling into the bed. He smiled as he climbed into the bed after her, hugging her before they fell asleep.

A few days later, Lilly found herself at Downton, keeping Cora company as they were both doing embroidery in the afternoon. As they were embroidering, Cora admitted that she was worried about Sybil being so active and curious about politics. Lilly couldn't help but almost grimace in guilt as she remembered her grandfather, who had hated her for being so opinionated.

"I'm worried about Sybil. She seems so interested in politics over other things that she should be doing."

Lilly paused her embroidery as she looked up at the Countess of Grantham, stating,

"My grandfather had similar concerns when I was younger."

Cora looked up, eyes bright as she asked, "What happened?'

Lilly smiled a little at the memory as she said,

"I liked to read the newspaper, and I had strong opinions. My grandfather did as well, but tradition came before politics for him. When he noticed that I had been secretly reading newspapers, he made me rewrite all the books regarding how to be a good person and what my responsibilities were as a woman. He forbade me from exiting my room until I had finished, hoping that that would stop me from pursuing interest in politics. That didn't happen, and he eventually let me do what I wanted. I remember how I had rewritten all the books without sleeping for about three days."

Cora laughed a little at that and incredulously asked, "Three whole days? You are surprisingly more stubborn than I thought, Lilly."

Lilly laughed and said, "It might be hard to believe, but I'm all for the women's equality. My grandfather hated that."

Cora smiled that, and saw a resemblance between Lilly and Sybil for being headstrong when it came to their beliefs.

With that, the conversation ended there, before a different one popped up. Eventually, Lilly took her embroidery and went back to the Crawley house, where Isobel told her where Sybil had been that afternoon. Apparently, Isobel had ran into her at a public speech regarding votes and had managed to persuade Sybil to leave with the chauffeur Branson before things got violent. It reminded Lilly of her younger days when she had worked as an independence fighter for her country.

But she shook her thoughts away when George had come home before dinner.

The next day, Lilly was in the library reading a book that she borrowed from the library, when Robert came in and saw her. He smiled and said,

"Lilly, hello. Nobody told me you would be here."

The woman smiled back as she said, "I apologize. I thought Thomas would have told you by now."

Robert sighed and said, "I'm afraid that he hasn't. But don't worry, I will be writing letters and doing some paperwork, so it should be fine to read in here."

Lilly thanked him for that and watched the man as he sat down at his writing desk, starting to work. A comfortable quiet settled the library as Lilly returned to her reading. Reading about the country's history was interesting, and Lilly was deep into it, when Sybil walked in, hesitantly. When she spotted the Korean woman, she smiled and greeted her. After the greeting, Lilly curiously watched Sybil walk up to Robert, a hesitant tone in her voice as she asked,

"Papa… Can Branson drive me into Ripon on Friday evening?"

Robert did not look up from his paperwork, immediately answering back with,

"I don't think so, no. Not after the last time."

Lilly observed Sybil bite the side of her lip as she said,

"Oh, please. There's a meeting of my borstal charity. I've missed two, and I simply must be there."

Robert finally looked up, not liking this, as he said, "You'd have to take Mary or Edith with you."

Sybil groaned as she answered, "Don't make me. Those meetings are deadly at the best of times, and you know what they're like when they're bored."

Robert complained slightly with, "Why are all you causes so steeped in gloom?"

Sybil answered back with, "Because it's the gloomy things that need our help. If everything in the garden's sunny, why meddle?"

Robert seemed to contemplate what to tell Sybil, when Sybil spotted Lilly watching them, before an idea popped into her head. Sybil's eyes gleamed with excitement as she quickly said,

"If Lilly is not busy, maybe she could chaperone me."

Robert's eyes widened before turning to face Lilly, who looked at them with slight surprise, before managing,

"I rarely go out, so it should be fine. I believe I don't have anything Friday evening."

Robert sighed as he said,

"Fine. As long as Lilly is with you at all times, I can let it happen. And talking of sunny, are you looking forward to your coming Season?"

Lilly looked back at Sybil, who smiled with a blush, as she admitted, "I am, rather."

Sybil then looked back at Robert, wanting to confirm his decision as she asked once more,

"So it's alright? I can go with Lilly?"

Robert sighed, giving Lilly an apologetic glance as he asked his daughter, "Will you be late?"

Sybil smiled at that, knowing that her father was already letting her go, as she answered,

"I think we'll miss dinner."

Robert sighed and said, "Well, remember to tell Branson to take a sandwich for himself."

Sybil nodded, before rushing over to Lilly, giving her a hug and rushing out of the room in excitement for Friday. The moment Sybil exited the room, Robert turned back to Lilly, saying,

"I hope she is not bothering you with this. It is, out of the blue."

Lilly shook her head and said, "I think me being there might help keep Sybil in check if she does do something unexpected. I'm glad to get out of the house anyway. I might learn something."

Robert smiled at her before resuming to do his work, which prompted Lilly to start reading her book again.

Friday quickly came, and Lilly was waiting for Branson and Sybil. They had arranged to pick her up before going to Ripon. Lilly was dressed in a white shirt with a khaki colored long skirt, when Molesley came into the living room to announce that they had arrived. She thanked the butler and requested him to let Maria know that she could relax for the day, before heading out.

Once the in car, Lilly excitedly asked her about the different lifestyle Koreans led, and what the politics were like. Lilly tried to answer all the questions correctly, but it was almost difficult to match the younger girl's enthusiasm. It reminded Lilly of the time when she first met George, and it caused her to smile throughout the conversation and ride to Ripon.

By the time they arrived at a street, Branson asked Sybil, "Where to from here, milady?"

Sybil looked over at Branson and said, "What do you mean? We've arrived."

Branson and Lilly shared a wary look with each other as Lilly asked , "Is the meeting in one of these buildings here?"

Sybil rolled her eyes as she answered,

"This is the meeting. We're here for the counting of the votes.

Branson immediately stopped the car while Lilly tensed, both not liking where this was going as Branson stuttered out,

"I… I don't understand. I thought that-"

Sybil jumped out of the car, yelling out, "Don't be silly, Brnason. You didn't think I'd miss my very first by-election?"

Lilly immediately followed as she told Branson, "I'll try to bring her back. Just park the car and find us."

Branson nodded immediately and tried to maneuver the car away from the crowd. Lilly rushed to Sybil's side, telling her as they entered the courtyard,

"Sybil, this isn't a good idea. Robert strictly forbade you from going to places like this."

Sybil's eyes were focused on the people up top, as she said,

"Let me worry about him. Don't worry, what could possibly go wrong?"

Lilly knew from experience that these kinds of meetings quickly turned violent and wanted out of there. Sure, she could probably protect Sybil, but there were too many people and she preferred not to attract unwanted attention.

Lilly tried to hold onto Sybil as close as possible. All she could do was keep her close to the entrance where they had come from, preventing her from going up close to the announcer.

Lilly cursed mentally, when Branson came in and yelled over the crowd to Sybil,

"Can we call it a day, milady?"

Sybil had an annoyed look at Lilly and Branson's urge to leave as she said,

"Both of you don't be silly. This is the moment we've come for."

Branson urged on with, "This lot aren't interested in politics. They're spoiling for a fight."

The Asian woman yelled out loud to let her hear her, as she said, "As much as I would support your political views, Sybil, this is not safe for anyone. Please, let's go to the car!"

Sybil ignored Lilly, as the announcer continued counting votes, and then later started to announce someone to be the Member of Parliament, when Lilly literally sagged in relief at Matthew's appearance as he gave a surprised exclamation of,

"Lilly! Sybil! What on earth are you two doing here?"

Sybil excitedly stated, "I couldn't miss this."

Lilly shook her head and answered, "I told Robert I would chaperone Sybil for something else. I had no idea it would be this."

Matthew huffed out, "Well, I could miss this for sure."

Branson shook his head and tried to persuade Sybil, urgency in his voice as he said,

"I don't like the look of this, milady."

Lilly spotted the angry men spill into the city hall courtyard, and looked over to Matthew in panic. She wasn't exactly sure if she could persuade Sybil from leaving the area on her own two feet, and now the situation had worsened.

That was when one of the men walked up too close and Branson blocked the man from nearing Sybil and Lilly, trying to defuse the situation by stating,

"Look, look, I'm on your side. Don't cause any trouble; you have to believe me."

The man shoved Branson and then glanced towards Sybil and Lilly with a leer, as he then faced Matthew, gruffly asking,

"What's your problem, then Mr. La-di-da?"

Matthew looked over at Lilly who tried shuffling Sybil out, who now seemed to realize the dangerous situation they hand been landed in, as Matthew stated,

"My problem is you."

The man sneered before attempting to punch Matthew, only to have missed. George's older brother punched the stranger back, but in the process, Lilly had been shoved and pushed, when Sybil screamed out in horror as she watched Lilly's head hit the table, causing the woman to go unconscious and fall to the ground limply.

Sybil scrambled towards Lilly, trying to hold her up, when Matthew and Branson crouched over Lilly anxiously. Matthew touched Lilly's head when he felt his blood freeze over when his hand came away with blood on it.

Branson whispered out in panic, muttering something which was too quiet for the ears. Sybil felt terrified as Branson led her away behind Matthew, who lifted Lilly up in his arms, running out of the courtyard. The angry crowd parted for them to leave just as the police whistles rang out.

By the time Lilly was at the Crawley house, George had been waiting for her to return, reading a book, when Molesley rushed in and announced,

"Lady Lilly is here with Mister Matthew and Lady Sybil. Lady Lilly has been injured."

George froze as he quickly rose from his seat, asking incredulously, "What?!"

But Molesley did not have time to respond, as Matthew rushed in quickly with an unconscious and limp sister-in-law in his arms. George quickly made room for Lilly to lie down on the couch, when Isobel walked in with her nightgown on, freezing upon seeing Lilly's state.

She quietly asked Molesley to fetch warm water and a clean cloth, quietly grasping the medicine from her room before re-entering the living room. George tensely asked,

"What happened?"

Sybil looked down guiltily whilst Branson admitted, "Lady Lilly was chaperoning Lady Sybil, when we went to Ripon. There was a count and… and she got hurt from the fighting that took place there."

Sybil looked at Branson gratefully, whilst George's fist tightened, anger taking hold of him, before he sighed and held back the overwhelming fear he felt as his mother was cleaning Lilly's head from the blood. He couldn't help but remember that one time when he had returned to the country from an excursion he had to do for his job before their marriage, only to find her bloodied and in despair. When he had treated her secretly, he remembered how she had been lucidly talking to him to leave the country since it was terrible there.

He let out a shaky breath as he was brought back to reality when Mary came in and rushed over to Sybil with surprise and shock laced in her voice.

Matthew sighed, seeing the state his brother was in and patted him on the shoulder, as he said,

"I didn't know what to do, so I had Branson bring her here to pick Sybil up."

George heard Mary state, "Quite right. Mama would have been cross, but perhaps fainted if she'd seen Sybil so pale and Lilly unconscious. And as for Papa…"

Sybil once again found the ground interesting, not liking where she was due to this event. That was when everything went quiet as Lilly groaned before opening her eyes, confusion laced in them. Isobel quickly told her,

"This will sting a bit, but it's stopped bleeding."

Lilly did not say anything, and Isobel continued to clean her wound, before asking her older son,

"Did you know she was planning this?"

Matthew bristled at that and responded with, "Of course not."

Isobel sighed as she asked him stiffly,

"Well, what were you doing there?"

Matthew sighed and responded with, "I was working late. I'd forgotten it was election night, or I wouldn't have stayed."

George grabbed Lilly's hand, as she tightened her grip on his. George silently peered into her eyes, where she gently smiled back at him, as she said,

"I'm glad you did, Matthew."

Mary huffed as she turned to her sister and asked, "Are you alright?"

Sybil nodded and said, "I didn't get hurt."

Matthew then added, "What was Branson thinking? I'm afraid it'll cost him his job."

Sybil jumped at that and immediately stated,

"No. I told him and Lilly that they were taking me to a committee meeting. When they both realized what it was, they wanted to come straight back."

Mary looked at her sister with disappointment as she quietly said,

"You'll have to stick up for him, because Papa will skin him alive."

Matthew asked them both, "Are you ready to go home? We should let Lilly rest."

Lilly had gone back to sleep, having been conscious for only a moment. George did not look at the leaving people, fixated on his wife. Isobel watched George's eyes, and noticed that they looked haunted, almost, as if he was remembering something dark. She had never seen that kind of look in her younger son's eyes before.

He had always been the most mischievous, fun-loving man before he had gone to the country. But now, he seemed older, and weighed down by his experiences. Though he seemed to be happier. He quietly picked Lilly up before taking her upstairs. Isobel's heart broke at the sight of George's sadness. She had some of the story, but this must have triggered something for George.

As she decided to put away her things, Mary came back inside and hesitantly asked,

"By the way, what happened to William's mother?"

Isobel sighed and admitted, "Not good, I'm afraid. She's home, but she's still very weak. Another attack should finish her."

Mary asked again, "And he still doesn't know?"

Isobel looked forlorn as she answered, "She's adamant. I've tried to explain how hard it'll be on him, but she won't have him disturbed. To hear her talk, you'd think he was a cabinet minister."

Mary smiled sadly at that and said,

"He's made her proud. There are plenty of children in grander circumstances who'd love to say the same."

Isobel paused and looked at Mary, who left, in surprise, not having expected those words from Mary.

Once at Downton, Matthew helped Sybil to her room, before going back to the great hall. As he was there waiting, he heard Robert yelling, as he said,

"How dare you?! How dare you disobey me in this way!"

Cora stayed quiet, not liking the situation, but also not liking how Lilly had gotten hurt in the process. Robert continued ranting with,

"Are you so knowledgeable about the great world that my instructions are to be set as nothing?!"

Sybil finally could not take it anymore as she stood up and argued back,

"Papa, I'm sorry I disobeyed you, and I feel terrible that Lilly got hurt. But I'm interested. I'm political. I have opinions."

Robert grit his teeth before huffing out, "Of course, I blame Branson."

Mary finally stepped in with, "I don't think that's fair."

Robert's eyes glared back at the women of the household, as he yelled out,

"We had none of this – none of it – until he set foot in our house! I suppose I should give thanks he hasn't burnt the place down over our heads!"

Sybil finally felt desperate as she explained,

"Branson didn't know anything about it until we arrived there."

Robert ignored it as he gave the ultimatum, "He leaves tonight."

Sybil glared at her father as she hissed out, "If you punish Branson, I'll never speak to you again! Never!"

Mary tried to ease the situation with, "I don't believe this is Branson's fault. Truly, Papa."

Sybil walked over to her father, as she confidently stated, "Blame me."

Robert did not even pause at that as his anger silently burned this time as he said, "I do blame you!"

Cora sighed and finally jumped in with,

"Robert, can we do this in the morning? Sybil needs to rest, she's had an eventful day."

Sybil sat back down on her bed, and glared at her father, stating,

"But if I find tomorrow that Branson is missing, I'll run away. I warn you."

Robert scoffed and looked at his daughter with a slightly unbelieving look, as he asked,

"Oh? And where would you go?"

This question Sybil to freeze, before gathering her wits and stating, "Well, I can't think now, but I will go, and you'll be sorry."

Robert angrily responded with, "I should be sorry. Very sorry indeed."

~~ ….. ~~

The next day, Lilly woke up to find a slight ache in her head. She groaned a little, which caused George to go to her and ask her urgently, if she was alright. Lilly nodded before getting up to find herself in her nightgown with her hair down.

George hugged her tightly and Lilly immediately hugged him back, reassuring her husband that she was fine and that she was next to him. She felt the man tremble slightly in her arms as he let out the worry that he had felt for his wife, memories slipping back from their traumatic past.