continued:

Chapter Four

Barrow came back into the great hall and observed quickly that Lord Grantham had barely left the spot where he had been left when the Butler had gone out to the garage and returned.

"Sir?" His Lord seemed terribly pale. "Sir? O'Malley is gone and so is one of the cars. They are sending around another to take you to the hospital. Shall I send for her Ladyship?"

Robert seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Sir?" Barrow spoke a little louder, waiting for instructions.

"Oh. Yes. Barrow. Good. No, let me get true word of what is going on before we alarm her Ladyship. We were requested to bring Tom as well.

"Mr. Branson? Why should he be required?"

"Because Sybbie is injured. Quite badly. The constable had no immediate word of George, but he said one of the two boys in the car was gravely injured. He insisted we get there as soon as possible.

"The car should be out front momentarily. I shall attempt to locate Mr. Branson." Barrow held a stern face for his lordship, but inwardly his heart dropped. He wondered if the family could bear another tragedy. He had been so delighted to see the daughter of Sybil return to Downton for the holidays. They all had. The girl was well loved.

Robert made his way to the front door and outside to get in the car not thinking of a jacket or any outer clothing, he just went. Barrow followed him out and opened the door for him, handing him a jacket and a scarf and the car jetted off before a word could be spoken.

On his way back down to the servant's hall he passed Carson and Mrs. Hughes coming up the stairs. They were heading upstairs to oversee the delivery of the Christmas tree and it's proper placement in the hall as requested by Lord Grantham. He was aware how much they loved the task.

The older couple had known the man who was the current butler for so long they knew immediately that something was wrong. When their query was met with all of the story that he knew, they both gasped and grabbed each others hands for comfort. Barrow normally would have made a snide comment about the display but his mind was reeling too hard to notice. The three of them continued down the stairs to mount a search for Mr. Branson. He had been seen in the gun room not long ago.

At the bottom of the stairs, they were met by Daisy leading a constable into the eating hall.

"Oh there you are, Constable Dickens here was just looking for the Bates'. Can you take care of him? I have a dinner tonight that must be perfect, I have to get back." Without another word, the head cook turned back towards her kitchen, oblivious that the world was crashing down upstairs.

"I think Mr. And Mrs. Bates are here somewhere. I'll just go have a look..." Barrow left the three of them standing in the hallway.

"May I ask what this is regarding?" Carson was never easy when the police were looking for either of the Bates.

"There's been an incident with the youngest daughter. We need to escort..." He looked at the paper notebook in his hand, "John and Anna...into the village as soon as possible."

"Oh dear God, what is happening?" Elsie looked at her husband with a look he dared not interpret.

"Time is a bit of an issue..." The Constable looked down the hall where Barrow had gone and was pleased to see him returning with an older man who walked with a cane.

"I'm John Bates. Is there something I can help you with?"

"You must come with us. Is your wife here as well?" The Constable watched the man's face darken.

"May I ask what this is regarding?" The years of distrust of police authority were not lost to the man who had spent time in prison unjustly.

"Your daughter has been hit by a car. She's been taken to the hospital. I've been sent to fetch you."

"My wife is at the cottage, we must pick her up on the way." The man with the cane suddenly moved at a speed none present had ever seen before. He was gone out the door before anyone else had moved.

Barrow, Elsie and Carson stood in shock in the hallway for some time. What was happening?

Lady Mary, her husband and their two daughters exited the train station and climbed into the car waiting for them. The train ride had been exhausting though it hadn't taken more than a few hours. She just wanted to get to the Abbey and relax a bit before she would be required to entertain. And she must see George before anyone else. She missed him, though she would be hesitant to tell him that.

She hated how his eyes glazed over whenever he saw her. Those blue, sparkling eyes he had inherited from his father. Everything about him was his father reincarnate and even after 16 years, her heart still broke to think of Matthew. Seeing George always made her heart break a little more. She was so sorry for her poor son for what had happened and she blamed herself but over the years had never found a way to properly apologize to him.

When they spoke now, George always seemed disinterested in what she had to say and over the last few years it had gotten worse. She barely knew him anymore but that didn't mean she didn't want to. She just didn't know where to start. And he made any excuse he could to avoid being alone with her so she didn't press the issue. She watched the last bit of her and Matthew's happiness grow up and further away every year. It made her sad.

"Mama? Mama?"

A small voice broke her thoughts as they bumped along the narrow roads leading to her family home.

"Yes My Darling?"

"Will Granny make us pudding?" The older of the two girls asked.

Mary laughed and reached out to pinch her cheek.

"I highly doubt your Granny would know how, but there will be plenty of sweets for you to eat, no matter who had made them. Would you like some sweets too Elizabeth?"

The younger girl nodded her head.

"Well, my darlings. Christmas at Grantham will be wonderful this year. I can promise you. Unless of course your Aunt Edith has the audacity to show up."

Mary glanced at her husband with a half smile.

"You should be nicer to her." Tony reached out to take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

"I should do a lot of things that I don't and probably never will. Oh Look Charlotte! Up ahead."

The little girl's eyes followed where her mother was pointing. The car slowed down as a large white ambulance went flying past them on the road. The sirens roared as it went directly by them and everyone in the car turned to watch it go.

"Well, that's never a good sign. I hope everyone is alright." Tony squeezed his wife's hand a little harder. She continued to watch the ambulance out the back window and he felt her shiver. He squeezed her hand again.

A few minutes later they watched again as another ambulance went flying past. The car in which they were riding slowed down again as they rounded a curve and came to a complete stop behind a line of cars.

"Looks like a wreck. I'll go see how long until the road is cleared" The driver let them know as he jumped out of the car.

Lady Mary opened the door and climbed out. Tony called after her,

"Are you sure you shouldn't stay here?" He didn't know it would do his wife any good to see the remnants of a wreck. She had been there before.

She ignored him and kept walking towards what she could now see was a car wrapped securely around a tree. She could see the bits of twisted metal lying around the road and she as she got even closer, she could see a pool of blood in the middle of the road. Her heart skipped a beat but she didn't know why.

There was honking behind her and she turned around to see another ambulance creeping up towards her. She moved out of the way to let it pass and their driver came running back towards her.

"Lady Mary! Stop! It's one of our cars!"

She stopped but couldn't help but look in the direction of the mangled car. The ambulance crew was tending someone in the back seat.

Her driver tried to stop her but she went past him as though in a trance.

One of the paramedics saw her approaching and stepped back from the accident.

"Lady, you can't be here. This is very serious. We still have a victim here,"

"I am the owner of this car and I wish to know what happened." She tried to look past the paramedic to see what was happening.

"I'm sorry. Three victims were taken to hospital, one was thrown from the car, the other was driving. A young girl was struck by the car. We think... There's a boy in the backseat who is not doing very well right now. We're trying to save his life."

"A boy? What is his name?" Mary's heart dropped as she realized that if George had been in the car, he surely would have been in the backseat.

The paramedic was beckoned back to the wreck when his counterpart shouted out,

"He's not breathing!"

"Oh my God. George..." She closed her eyes as she felt the darkness over-taking her again. Familiar hands grabbed her shoulders before she hit the ground.

Tom Branson was cleaning one of the few guns he wanted to take out with him and his nephew that afternoon. He knew one of the servants would be happy to do it but it was nice for the distraction. It was strange being back in the house after so many years. So many memories. He and Sybbie had visited many times, but it was strange for him to admit it was like coming home.

He had made an excellent life for himself and Sybbie in America. They had remained in Boston all the years and he had made quite a name for himself as a political journalist. It still made him wonder at people paying him for his opinions when for so many years he had been shushed and told to be polite. Now, he was able to have the freedom to say as he wished, and he was regarded for it. It was a good life.

He smiled as he polished the wood on the shotgun. The door to the gun room opened up and Elsie came in cautiously.

"Mrs Hughes. It's so wonderful to see you again." He put down his gun on the table and approached her.

"It's good to see you too Mr. Branson. I wish I had an easier way to say this..."

"Just say it. Surely you know you can tell me anything..." He noticed that her eyes were not smiling like they normally were, in fact they had tears in them. "What is it?"

"Miss Sybbie has been in an accident. They need you to go to the hospital right away"

Without a word Tom ran out the door, down the hall and up the stairs.

He knew the track record for this family with tragic accidents was not good... Not his Sybbie though... it couldn't be.

A/N Just a quick note to say thank you for reviews and follows. They really do inspire me and I appreciate every one of them. I hope you're enjoying the story thus far. There may possibly be a character death... possibly...