Continued: no cliffhangers this time. Well... not really.
Chapter Nineteen
Tom and Lily hurried back to the hospital. He drove carefully, but quickly. The roads were a bit soppy from the snow that had been falling randomly over the past few days, but he was a seasoned driver and his time in America had made him confident about driving in adverse weather.
On the way back the two occupants of the vehicle spoke of the evening. Lily went on about how great his family was and how much she liked all of them. She had felt honoured that they made her feel so welcome. Tom commented to her that he was sure they had all liked her as well. He was relieved. She questioned why he might have felt that way and he told her about how the family had not always been so kind to newcomers and if they hadn't liked her, she would have known about it.
"You must have brought other women over for dinner?" She felt so relieved that the family had seemingly liked her.
"Only once. And it did not go well at all." He turned his head to look at her quickly before putting his eyes back on the road in front of them.
"Only one? I find that hard to believe." He could sense her looking at him when she asked but he kept his eyes straight ahead.
"Why is that so hard to believe?" He chanced a glance in her direction and could see a slight smile on her face.
"Because you're an incredibly handsome man, and such a caring father. I can't believe you haven't been snapped up." She dared to be forward with him.
"I have only loved one woman in my life. And I was wholly dedicated to my daughter after her passing, but perhaps the next great love never came along at the right time." He glanced at her again. "Until now."
They were silent for awhile. He slowed the car down as they approached the village and carefully manoeuvred the car down the slushy streets.
"May I say something?" Lily finally spoke up.
"Of course." He was focused on driving the car and suddenly he was nervous that he had said too much, that he had spilled his feelings too soon.
"I just want you to know that if we pursue... us... I will never try to take the place of your first wife. I know how much you loved her and I don't want to take the place of her in your heart. But the heart has an amazing ability to grow if needed. There is always room for more love in it."
He stared at her after he pulled the car up outside of the hospital. She started to get nervous that she had gone too far.
"How are you so wise?" He stared her in the eye, into her soul. She blushed.
"I'm just very good at reading people. And I very much like what I read about you." She had a look in her eye that brought a warmth to him. "We should get in to Sybbie and James."
"We should. And Lily?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For everything. I'm blessed to have met you, I don't know how I would have made it through these past weeks if not for you. And I would very much like to pursue 'us'." He leaned towards her across the front seat of the car and placed a gentle kiss on her mouth.
When he pulled away and opened his eyes he saw that hers were still closed and she looked so beautiful in the night. He couldn't believe that this beautiful creature had so unexpectedly come into his life.
They left the car where it was parked and made their way inside. The nurse at the main reception looked shocked to see Lily out of her nurses uniform and gawked at the couple as they held hands as they greeted her and passed the desk to head towards Sybbie's room.
The nurses had often teased Lily about her choice to remain single, but she was so dedicated to her work that she had just never taken the time to find the right one. So she said. Perhaps now she had. Good for her, thought the nurse as she went back to her paperwork after the couple had turned the corner at the end of the hall.
Tom entered the room first and was shocked to see James O'Malley sitting on the edge of his daughter's bed.
The younger Irishman stood up quickly when he saw who had entered and looked at Tom with devastation in his eyes.
"What's going on here?" Tom was bordering anger and pity at the young man.
"I was just speaking with Sybbie here, we were talking about Kevin." O'Malley wiped some tears from his eyes.
Tom looked to his daughter and she had an equally devastated look on her face. Her eyes were still swollen and bruised from her injuries but Tom could see how upset she was.
Lily went to the girl, sat beside her and wrapped her arm around Sybbie's shoulder. Sybbie leaned her head to be supported by the nurse. A sob erupted from her lungs and she started to cry. She was completely broken that her actions had caused the death of a young man who had done no harm to her.
James was the one who spoke up first.
"It's alright Sybbie. It was an accident. No one could have known what would happen that day." He dared to reach for her hand and Tom was surprised at the interaction. James did not blame Sybbie and was, in fact, attempting to console her.
When Carson had passed the message along he made it seem like James was completely losing his mind. Maybe he had been but he seemed better in control now.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Sybbie sobbed and Lily held her tighter and brushed some of her hair out of her face.
The three of them tried their best to comfort the young girl still lying prone on the bed. She had nowhere to go, and Tom knew that normally when she was this upset, she wanted nothing more than to disappear and hide. It had always been her way.
Tom spoke to James about Lord Grantham's offer to come back to the house. The young man looked incredibly grateful and accepted the suggestion. He agreed that he didn't really want to be alone back in his room at the Inn. James made his way out into the hall and Tom was torn. He didn't want to leave Sybbie, but James needed to be taken back to the house. Lily sensed his indecision.
"I'll stay with Sybbie if you want to take him back." She smiled slightly at him over Sybbie's head.
He was shocked at how quickly he realized that she would, with no hesitation. He was grateful beyond words. He leaned close to Sybbie.
"Is it okay sweetheart? Lily will be with you." His daughter nodded. "We'll get through this. Get through tonight and tomorrow is the start of a new year. A fresh slate. Brand new chances."
He looked up to Lily and was again so grateful that this amazing woman had appeared in their lives. He stood up a little and planted a gentle kiss on Sybbie's forehead and then Lily's.
"Thank you. And happy New Year." He whispered it to her. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
As he left the room he glanced back quickly and noticed that his daughter had stopped sobbing with the comforting care of her nurse. His heart warmed at the sight of the two of them together on the bed.
It was late when he and James arrived back at Downton. The trip had gone quickly as James told Tom all about his family back home in Ireland, and what had made Kevin come to his current employment. Apparently the recently departed O'Malley had been involved with some unsavoury characters and he had made a quick departure from his homeland after an incident that he may or may not have been involved in. It was a bombing that had killed many people but there was little actual evidence of Kevin's involvement. The young Irishman had decided to make himself scarce while the investigation continued. And he had found his way to being employed at Downton.
Kevin and James were the two oldest of a large family. They had nine younger siblings and their father had passed away shortly after the birth of their youngest brother. Kevin had been sending most of his earnings back home to help their mother and James lamented about how she would feel about the passing of her son.
Tom was sympathetic. He promised James he would find a way to help out their family some way or another. They would be compensated and he would personally make sure of it. James thanked him immensely and assured Tom that he bore no hard feelings towards the girl who had caused the accident that had taken his brother's life.
James wasn't entirely sure his brother was innocent of the accusations but had kept it to himself in front of his family. Now he wondered if this wasn't some sort of payback to his brother. Oh well. Kevin was at peace now and what happened in the past was long gone. Kevin's secrets had gone with him. And in spite of his indiscretions James did love his brother and would miss him terribly.
Tom parked the car in the garage and lead James into the servants entrance. He wasn't sure if he should bother the family upstairs, and he figured someone from upstairs could come talk to James tomorrow when everyone was fresh and clear-headed. Carson and Mrs Hughes were still sitting at the table in the dining hall as were Daisy, Mrs. Patmore and Barrow.
They all welcomed James and gave their condolences at the passing of his brother. They had known Kevin well in his time at Downton and they assured James that his brother would be missed. Daisy made up a quick tray of dinner for the young man and they all sat around the table discussing what they would do next. James wanted his brother buried in Ireland and he didn't know how to get the process started.
Carson and Tom assured him that Lord Grantham would help him with the arrangements. He wouldn't have to worry about anything and to just try to get a night's sleep. Barrow showed James to his brother's room and suggested that he would be quite comfortable there for the night but he was welcome to sit up and talk as long as he wanted. James followed the Butler back to the dining hall. He wasn't ready to be alone yet.
Everyone else was still at the table and they stayed awake until the wee hours talking. James learned more about the family in those hours than he could have imagined. He envied his brother for being part of such a great house. Eventually Mrs Hughes commented that each of them looked so tired that they best not sleep at the table. Slowly, they all trickled away to find their beds and James entered his brother's room and sat on the bed.
The room was spotless and organized. Just like his brother had always kept his belongings. James looked around and noticed a number of boxes on the shelf above the wardrobe. There would be time to go through them in the morning. He really was tired. It had been a long day to end a long few weeks. He opened the drawer in the bedside table and pulled a journal out of it. He flipped through a few pages and recognized his brother's handwriting. He was too tired to read it then so he laid back down on the bed and was asleep before he could turn off the light. Exhaustion beat emotion.
What seemed like only a few moments later he was awoken by a gentle knocking at his door. He stumbled awake and tried very hard to remember where he was. The previous days events flooded back to him. He knocked the journal off the bed as he got up quickly once he was roused enough to notice the knocking.
He calmed down the red hair on his head as best he could and pulled open the door. Standing there was Master George and Barrow. George had a look of sympathy on his face as he greeted James. James welcomed them both into the room and offered them a seat. There was only the bed and a wooden chair so George took a few of the boxes that were neatly stacked in the corner and sat down on them. Barrow sat down on the chair and James sat back on the bed. He attempted to straighten the wrinkles out of his clothes, suddenly aware at how unkempt he must look compared to the two others sitting in the quarters.
"I just wanted to speak with you in person." George noticed the young man's discomfort and tried to make him feel comfortable. "We're all so very sorry about your brother. My Grandfather will be down to speak with you in a bit, but I just wanted you to know that if there is anything you need, just to let me know. I want to help."
"Thank you. I appreciate it sir. I suppose I should go through his boxes. I'm not sure what he has in all these crates, but I suppose you will you need to hire a new Chauffeur and you will need the room." James looked around the room and realized there were more boxes than he initially realized.
"There's no rush James. We want to make sure you are well." George bent over and picked up the handwritten book that was on the floor. He opened to the last page and hadn't intended to read it but he noticed Sybbie's name written in bold letters.
He read all of the page and flipped back a number of pages. His shock was apparent as he flipped through a number of random sections and when he turned the opened book towards James, both he and Barrow saw that there was a map of Downton Abbey sketched on the pages.
"Was this Kevin's book?" George stood up off the boxes and took a step back.
"It was. I found it in the drawer last night. It looked like his journal but I fell asleep before I had a chance to read it. Why? What does it say?"
George looked panicked.
"I have to go get my Grandfather, stay here." George passed the book to Barrow and left the room quickly.
Barrow leafed through a few pages and while he did James had opened up the drawer again. He rummaged through it and pulled out a small wooden box and turned it over in his hands questioningly.
Barrow stood up as he was reading and looked as shocked as George had. At that moment Carson and Elsie came to the doorway to invite James to come down for some breakfast. They saw the look on Barrow's face and asked what could possibly be the matter.
"What's wrong Barrow? You look as though you've seen a ghost?" Elsie asked him as she approached.
"This." He handed her the book and looked over to the boxes that George had been sitting on.
He opened up the top one and noticed there was a bunch of straw packing the contents. His heart dropped as he felt around inside and his fingers touched cold metal. He pulled out the object and the long cylindrical pipe fell from his hand as he realized what it was. The entire box was full of pipe bombs. He took a step backwards and looked to Carson who had heard the clink as the pipe fell back into the box.
As this happened, James opened the small wooden box that had been in the bedside table and he heard the click as the grenade within it was activated because the pin was secured to the top of the box.
Barrow looked at him and he looked and Barrow.
James dropped the box and ran for the door shoving the others towards it.
"GET OUT!" James screamed it as he went.
Barrow pushed Elsie and Carson out of the door as fast as he could and he and James had barely cleared the doorway when the first explosion sent them flying into the hallway. Smoke filled the air and Barrow helped up Carson, who had fallen on Elsie in a bid to protect her. He sent them fleeing the rest of the way down the hallway and he yelled at them to strike the alarm and get everyone out of the house. Who knew where else O'Malley had planted his bombs. Barrow had seen the diagram that O'Malley had drawn in his book and it was like a sick treasure map with a number of X's marked as morbid crosses where O'Malley had intended to destroy the house, and everyone in it.
As the smoke cleared, Barrow helped James back to his feet and made sure the young man was not seriously injured. He didn't seem to be but he may have been in some shock. Out of nowhere, George reappeared, he had not gone far when he heard the blast and came rushing back to see what had happened.
"Barrow? What the bloody hell?" George stood looking at both of them and was fanning in front of face to clear some smoke.
"O'Malley had his room rigged. It's full of explosives. We have to get out of here..." Thomas grabbed George and James by thier arms and pulled them away from the room.
"GO! Get out of here, I'm going to try to put the fire out before it ignites those boxes." James hollered at them and attempted to go back towards the room but Barrow would not let go of his arm.
"You won't make it. Come on, let's get out of here..." George started to run towards the end of the hall with the other two men just on his heels.
The second explosion shook the entire wing of the house and sent the three men flying through the air and down the stairs.
George opened his eyes and sat up. There were pieces of debris all over and a heap of it moved as Barrow stood up and brushed himself off.
"Are you alright?" He asked George
"I think so. He wiped the liquid running down his cheek and noticed it was a trickle of blood. Not much. He had seen worse.
Barrow called out for James and they heard a groan from the bottom of the stairs. The smoke was thickening in the air around them and both of the men hurried over to lift James up. They each took one of his arms and headed for the door. Just outside, Elsie and the kitchen staff were standing there looking at the gaping hole in the side of the building. She and Carson ran over to the three soot-covered men and helped them further away from the building.
Barrow looked around after they had set James down. The other O'Malley seemed shocked, but not hurt seriously, so the Butler left him in the care of the kitchen staff who were all accounted for and ran towards the main entrance of the house from the outside. It was his duty to make sure the family was safe.
George made sure everyone was okay and ignored the inspections of his welfare. He assured them he was fine and took the book from Elsie's shaking hands. He then ran in the same direction that Barrow had run.
At the main entrance of the house, the family was gathering completely in shock over what was transpiring around them. Robert was standing close to the door counting heads as people fled the building. Most of the damage seemed to be confined to the servant's quarters and the other side of the building but The Lord of the house knew how fire could spread. He had no idea what was going on, but he had smelled the smoke. He knew this was no false alarm. Getting everyone out was his first priority.
The crowd of people stood watching the billowing smoke coming from the other side of the building in complete shock.
"Where's George? He's not here!" Mary was completely panic stricken as she realized that her son wasn't among the group of people mingling on the lawn.
"He's there!" Someone pointed to the young man running around the side of the building.
She ran towards him and crushed him in a tight hug. She reached up to wipe the small amount of blood on his face and he brushed her hands away.
"I'm fine Mama. Are Tony and the girls out as well?" George looked towards the crowd and tried to locate everyone.
"Yes. They're over there. What happened? Are you okay?" She stared hard at him with her dark brown eyes looking very concerned.
"Read the last page of this." George handed his mother the journal and watched as she flipped to the final page and her eyes grew wide and her face turned white as she read it.
"Oh dear God." Mary turned and started to walk in the direction of her father. He would need to see it as soon as possible.
Mother and son approached Robert as he spoke to Barrow. Every one of the staff and family were accounted for as the Earl and his Butler compared head counts and they turned to watch the fire brigade approaching rapidly down the road with their pump trucks.
"Papa! You have to read this..." Mary held the book out for her father to read. Cora approached and put her hand on her husband's arm as he grabbed his chest in complete shock. He read the passage out loud...
"I was going to burn them all in their beds last night. The stuffy attitudes they all have toward the world had sentenced them to death, but I cannot burn the lovely Sybbie. She is an angel amongst them..." Robert paused. "It gets graphic from there. You don't need to read that my dear."
Robert held Cora close to his side. He was relieved that everyone was safe and he hoped the fire brigade would be able to save the house. All that was truly precious to him was standing out on the lawn.
"If Sybbie had not gotten behind the wheel that morning, we would all be dead now."
His words rung hard to the family that was standing there. It was almost as though some spirit had protected them all by a very strange occurrence of fates. Mary held her son close as she felt a cold tingle go up her spine. She wondered if it was Matthew, Sybil, Granny or all of them together that had protected them from beyond.
No one else said anything but they all felt the chill. And silently thanked whomever it was.
The small group walked back to join the others and looked back at Downton Abbey. There would be many years left to live for them there. They were convinced of it by the lessening billow of smoke coming from the other side. The firemen were doing their job.
The group stood watching the house on the chilly New Year's morning and were all thankful they were there to enjoy it. Most of them didn't have any idea exactly how close they had come, but they would.
Life would go on. With all of its trials and tribulations. Love would guide them all.
To be continued: Shortly... with an epilogue and... a special treat.
Thank you so much for reading!