Mary woke with a start, her pulse racing, her heart beating so fast she could hear it and gasping for air. Sitting up quickly she looked about the room but it was so dark she thought she was still in that cave until some part of her brain told her she was sitting on something way too comfortable to be that rickety cart. Taking deep breaths to calm herself she realized it had just been a dream … the cave, the wooden cart, the bears.
Bears! Yikes! She had dreamed of bears, first a cute little brown cub almost hidden behind a large rock she had missed seeing it until … Mary closed her eyes and creased her forehead trying to recall who the man driving the cart was but he remained a blurry and indistinct figure. Whoever he was it was he that had seen the little cub and pointed it out to her. But then as the cart drove further into the cave there were more cubs, some not so little or adorable, until finally huge bears appeared.
Mary snapped on the lamp sitting on her bedside table. Its warm glow cast shadows around the room but none were as frightening as those bears standing upright, growling, their huge paws waving in the air. A nightmare! She had had a nightmare. Forgetting her manners, she was most unlady like as she took a gulp of water from the small glass carafe sitting on her bedside table.
It was most unusual for her to have a nightmare, in fact she couldn't remember the last time. No it was her little sister that sometimes had the nightmares or at least that's what she'd say as she'd stand bouncing on her tiptoes beside Mary's bed, her stuffed white rabbit held close to her chest. Breaking out in a big grin when Mary would pull back the covers, Sybil would jump onto Mary's bed and snuggle closely. For the first time since she'd awoken Mary gave a half smile. She loved that Sybil turned to her and not Edith but then again, Mary smirked, who would turn to Edith for comfort?
Mary looked forlornly around her bedroom for there was no one here to comfort her. Thinking about Sybil reminded her that she had read Sybil a couple of chapters from the book Grandmama had sent, a couple of chapters about a bear terrorizing some settlers or was it prospectors? Mary shook her head Grandmama was always sending those silly adventure stories to Sybil.
Turning off the lamp she laid back down but the moment she closed her eyes a vision of a bear appeared causing her to bolt upright once again. Why was she still thinking of bears and caves she wondered. Plumping up her pillows so that she was in more of a sitting position than laying down, the lamp on once again, Mary sat there staring into space until finally sleep came once again this time thankfully with no bears.
It was such a lovely afternoon that Edith ventured outside to one of the far gardens where she knew it was unlikely either Mama or Mary would appear. She liked to think of this place as her garden, a place where she could sit in blissful solitude to read or write or just think. Sitting on the lone wooden bench, she took a deep breath to fully appreciate the fragrant scents of the blooming flowers that perfumed the air.
She had brought one of her favorite books, The Light Princess, to read. The story appealed to her not just because the Princess got her Prince Charming but Edith loved that the Princess had so many obstacles to overcome and that in the end she saved the Prince rather than the other way around. She had read the book several times yet was enthralled upon each reading. It gave her hope that one day she'd find her own Prince.
However, today with the warm weather, the sunshine, the fragrant scents in the air, Edith soon dozed off. In her dream Edith was the family beauty standing out from her two dark haired sisters with her hair of spun gold and not the fading blond turning reddish as in her real life. She was the belle of any ball she attended. With visions of handsome Princes vying for her filled her head, she was on the verge of making a decision when the sound of running footsteps on the garden's cobblestones woke her up. She opened her eyes just in time to see Sybil fleeing down the garden path and disappearing into the woods beyond.
Lately Sybil had found she could escape for an hour or so in the afternoon when the nanny thought Sybil was taking a piano lesson with the governess and the governess thought Sybil was in the nursery resting. That was so Sybil Edith thought as she watched her sister disappear and she wondered how long Sybil would get away with this charade.
Sybil, certainly more so than Mary or herself, flouted the rules doing things they weren't supposed to do. It was something that Edith secretly admired in her little sister, that streak of independence. Edith wished she was a bit more like Sybil, more daring and adventurous, less afraid of what other people thought, less worried about pleasing those around her. Oh just be yourself Edith Sybil, sometimes so wise beyond her years, would say to her. Someday, Edith thought, someday I will.
Mary was surprised how much her dream stayed with her throughout the day with the images of bears floating in and out of her head accompanied by the thoughts of feeling scared and trapped. Hoping to shake the images once and for all she decided to take a nice long ride on Dobbin, her favorite horse. Mary loved everything about riding, the wind blowing on her face, the powerful movements of the horse, the feeling of freedom as they tore across the countryside.
After a half hour, Mary slowed Dobbin down finally stopping him on the hilltop. She loved this particular spot, high on the hill from which she could see much of what should by all rights one day be her domain. Although she had overhead snippets of conversation that it would be cousin Patrick that inherited, Mary scoffed at the idea that he would inherit. She was the oldest child of the Earl of Grantham and it should be hers. It would be hers. One day it would all belong to her she thought and she relished the idea of being the mistress of such a large and important estate.
As Mary and Dobbin slowly ambled towards home, taking a beaten path that wound around one of the estate's lakes, Mary was astonished to find Sybil. She was standing in what was left of an old rowboat that had long ago been pulled up on the shore and allowed to rot. Yet there was Sybil, holding a paddle and making stroking motions as if gliding the old boat around the lake. As Mary watched, Sybil stopped her rowing, lifted the binoculars strung around her neck, and surveyed the area in front of her.
Amused, Mary couldn't help but chuckle causing Sybil to drop the binoculars and snap her head around to see who was there.
"What are you doing Sybil?" Mary called out from atop Dobbin.
"I'm navigating the Amazon looking for crocodiles" Sybil replied nonchalantly. "Or maybe sailing down the Nile."
"Surely if you're navigating a boat you know which river you're on" Mary was quite amused at Sybil's imagination. "I mean the Amazon and the Nile are on opposite sides of the world."
"Yes … well then" Sybil stuck her nose in the air as if sniffling the air. "Today it's the Nile. I'm on the lookout for undiscovered pyramids and" she looked at her sister "one must be aware of crocodiles of course."
"Of course" Mary laughed.
Sybil nodded, looking quite pleased with herself.
"I'm not sure how pleased Papa would be that you have his binoculars."
Sybil looked down at the binoculars and flipped her hand in the air. "Well I needed them" she replied as if it was so obvious. Then looking up at Mary and grinning she continued "besides I'll get them back before he even knows they're gone."
Laughing, Mary responded "in that case maybe you better come back with me. I think Dobbin can handle the two of us."
As they wandered back to the abbey, Sybil leaning back against Mary, couldn't help but think that one day she would be an explorer. Maybe on the Amazon, maybe on the Nile. Maybe it wouldn't be someplace so exotic. But one thing she was sure of was that she'd go beyond the bounds of Downton.