A/N: Thank you all for the positive feedback for chapter 1! I appreciated it all so much. Here is chapter 2, which I also hope that you enjoy as much as the first chapter :).

Chapter 2: The Lady and the Chauffeur

Sybil entered the chauffeur's garage hesitantly, unsure of what she was going to say to Tom. She wasn't sure whether to approach him as a friend…or as something more.

The sight she saw when she leaned in the doorway was far different from the sight she expected to see.

Tom was standing there polishing the Renault with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his toned forearms. He was singing an Irish ballad and he had the most beautiful, clear voice that Sybil had ever heard.

"In Dublin's fair city

Where the girls are so pretty

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone

As she wheeled her wheelbarrow

Through the streets broad and narrow

Crying 'cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh'"

Sybil blushed at the sight and her imagination trailed off for a minute. This could be her life if she was Mrs. Branson, coming home from nursing to the sight of her handsome husband working on cars and singing to her. This could be her life if she had taken a real risk for once in her life rather than just talking about it.

She took a deep breath and entered the garage. "Good evening, Branson." Startled, Tom stood up straight as protocol dictated at the appearance of his superior. God, Sybil hated the formalities that separated them. "Milady. How can I help you?" he greeted her.

"I just found out some news and I thought that I should share it with you — as a friend would," Sybil said uncertainly. Tom looked at her and stopped polishing the car. "It seems that Mama and Papa expect me to marry a noble that they have found."

"What?" Tom looked furious, his blue eyes boring into the blue of Sybil's own eyes. "I don't suppose you said yes?" Sybil noted the tone of desperate hope in his voice and again wistfully thought of what could have been with him. "Well, it's all quite complicated." She let out a breath. "Because the estate is in danger of financial ruin, and Mama and Papa were hoping I could save it through marriage."

"And who did they 'select' for you to throw away your life with?" Tom mocked, clearly hurt by what Sybil was telling him. "Larry Grey, the son of Mary's wealthy godfather, Lord Merton. Except he's a despicable, prejudiced bully and I don't want to marry him."

"But let me guess, you are still going to marry a man that you despise and give up your own freedom - your own beliefs - just to save a dying institution run by a pair of foolish poshes?" Tom said angrily. "Don't you dare talk about my family that way, Branson!" Sybil protested indignantly, her tone reminding Tom that he was the chauffeur and she gave the orders. "My parents are wonderful people!"

"Anyway, Mama and Papa had an arranged marriage and now they love each other. This is just our way." "You sound just as if you've taken the words from their mouths. Your kind really is better at hiding their feelings than us," Tom fired back at her, well aware that he was pushing the boundaries of the servant-master relationship. "But you don't understand! I must do what is best for everyone, Branson! I can't just selfishly refuse their proposition just so that I can have the life I have always dreamed of while they sit around at the county poorhouse!" Sybil protested.

"God, Sybil - that is, milady - I always expected you to be better than this," Tom said in a low voice, disappointed. "I've told you and told you how I feel about you and you come breaking my heart." Sybil noticed a single tear fall down Tom's cheeks and she felt horrible for treating him this way. "You really don't know me, do you?" Sybil said, shocked. "The real reason I've been opposed to this dreadful arranged marriage is because I am in love with you, Tom Branson!"

She turned to leave, ashamed of herself for baring her feelings to Tom. What if one of the other servants found out? Or Tom no longer felt the same way? But then she felt the pressure of a warm set of fingers on her waist, stopping her from leaving. Sybil turned towards Tom. Their faces were so close together, almost touching.

And then Tom closed the distance between them and kissed her full on the lips.

Sybil had always wondered how it would feel like to be kissed by a man. But this kiss completely defied all of her expectations — kissing Tom was passion and innocence at the same time, a blend of youth and growing up, a mix of longing and satisfaction. She instinctively ran her fingers through his sandy-blond hair as he deepened the kiss.

Sybil had never quite felt like she belonged anywhere in her entire life, but now she did. And she was surer than ever that she belonged with Tom Branson.

"Oh my darling," Tom said when they finally broke apart. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" "You're right, we are good at hiding our feelings," Sybil chuckled. "But I always could tell that you loved me," Tom murmured. "I was just waiting for you to say the words."

"I was too scared of what loving you might mean, Tom," Sybil admitted. They had so easily slipped into the rhythm of calling each other by their first names. "I wasn't ready yet to admit it, I wasn't ready to leave my family."

"But now it's too late for you to leave them," Tom realized. "I know this is such a mess," she sighed sadly and began to cry a little. She was exhausted from the day and weary from the expectations put upon her by society and by her parents.

"I didn't mean to make you cry, my darling," Tom said as he enfolded Sybil in his strong arms. "It's not you - it's everyone else," Sybil cried. "I can't always please everyone, but now I have to."

"Sybil, what is going to happen to us if you marry this Larry Grey?" "I'm not quite sure," Sybil admitted sadly. "But I don't want to ever give you up, Tom Branson." And with that she kissed him again, just as passionately as she had the first time.

But when they broke apart Sybil noticed something.

It was Mary. She was standing outside the garage and looking in at the sight of her youngest sister and the chauffeur embracing. And Sybil wondered with growing dread how long Mary had been standing there.

A/N: Next chapter: Mary speaks with Sybil about what she saw in the garage. I hope you liked this chapter! Let me know with a review!