Chapter One Hundred And Four

The Benefits Of A Commercial Acquisition

Of course, if had Cora had her own way, she would have been delighted to have invited both Tom and Sybil back to Downton for Christmas 1919, but she had understood perfectly when Sybil had written to her, to gently explain that would not be possible, given the demands which their respective jobs were making upon them. And even if Mary could not understand why it was her darling brother-in-law and her youngest sister both had to be at work on Christmas Day, that particular piece of news had come as no especial surprise to Cora.

Besides which, in the late summer of last year, Robert's initial acquiescence to the young couple eventually returning here to Downton for a visit had been so very grudgingly given, and with such poor grace, that Cora had feared that it might be revoked at any moment. A measure of Robert's continuing hostility to the whole enterprise had been confirmed by the earl of Grantham expressively having forbidden anyone present in the Drawing Room that evening to render any kind of financial assistance whatsoever to Tom and Sybil in the matter of arranging their passage across the Irish Sea.

Unfortunately, that self same hostility had reared its head yet again over dinner on the evening after Cora and Robert's dramatic confrontation in the Library earlier that same day, when, in front of his own mother, Mary and Edith also being present, Robert had again taken pains to make it perfectly clear to Cora that the prohibition on giving financial assistance to the young couple over there in Ireland still remained in force.

That had rather put the proverbial cat among the pigeons, for earlier that same day, while Robert had been out walking with Isis, Cora had wasted no time in going up to her bedroom, sitting down at her escritoire, and writing to both darling Sybil and dearest Tom to extend the requisite invitation; which also confirmed that Mary had indeed broken with Sir Richard Carlisle, and that she and Cousin Matthew were now engaged, and, all things considered, intended to marry in the Spring.

This very same letter Cora had left on the table in the hall to be posted that same day by young Luke. Somewhat unexpectedly delayed by estate business, Robert had remained out until late afternoon, so by the time that he had returned to Downton and changed for dinner, Cora's letter to Dublin was already winging its way to Dublin, courtesy of the London and North Western Railway's Irish Mail.

However, if Robert thought that her invitation to Tom and Sybil would be scuppered and brought to nought by the mere cost of a couple of steamer tickets, then thought Cora, he could damned well think again. After all, as her mother-in-law had so appositely pointed out, there were more ways than one of skinning the proverbial cat.

Indeed, as she had sat down at her escritoire in her bedroom to pen the necessary missive, Cora had already thought of what she considered to be an extremely neat solution to the seemingly intractable problem. Irrespective of Robert's spoken prohibition on anyone rendering financial assistance to Tom and Sybil, she would simply enclose a Banker's Draft with her letter, asserting that since Robert had now agreed to Tom and Sybil coming over to Downton for a visit, that she had assumed the original ban had been rendered null and void.

However, on reflection, appreciating from past letters which she had received from Sybil that Tom was unlikely to accept anything which he perceived as charity, however kindly meant, with her own letter written, but not as yet posted, Cora reconsidered the matter further; which was just as well, given the fact that after the letter had indeed been sent, Robert had then proceeded to repeat his prohibition on the very matter of financial assistance.

Several days later, an afternoon call paid on her mother-in-law, Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, at the Dower House, at last provided Cora with the solution to her dilemma.

It was singularly odd, reflected Cora in the motor on her way home to Downton later that same day, that for all her impeccable aristocratic lineage, her own mother-in-law seemed to have adjusted much more quickly and much better than the rest of the family to Sybil's decision to marry darling Tom. When, curious to know the reason for this, Cora had finally plucked up enough courage to tackle Violet about that very subject over tea earlier that afternoon, her mother-in-law's response had been characteristically pithy and to the point.

"Cora, my dear, those troubles which come upon us always seem more serious than those which are only threatening. They are not; I can assure you of that".

However, when Cora had mentioned the present difficult matter of Tom and Sybil being able to afford their passage, then blithely suggested what she had proposed doing to overcome it, mentioning, albeit but in passing, that Matthew's mother had also suggested she might send Tom and Sybil the requisite monies, Cora's mother-in-law had bristled and drawn an audible breath.

"I don't think things are quite that desperate that we need to involve Cousin Isobel, do you my dear?"

And before Cora could answer her, the Dowager Countess had suggested an alternative and eminently sensible course of action.

In fact, if the truth be told, Violet never ceased to amaze her American daughter-in-law with her store of unexpected knowledge. Not for the first time, was Cora left with the distinct impression that her mother-in-law was far more worldly wise than she often appeared.

It transpired that the Dowager Countess's late husband, the last earl and Robert's father, had held shares in the British and Irish Steam Packet Company. This commercial enterprise, said Violet, was in the process of acquiring the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, which had been left in serious financial difficulties following the loss of two of its finest ships during the Great War. And, one of the benefits of being such a shareholder was that one was, or so Violet had been reliably informed, able to obtain steamer tickets for passage across the Irish Sea at very advantageous rates.

"My dear Cora, given how the prices of everything have risen since the end of the war, one would have to be as rich as Croesus, or else a fool not to avail oneself of such an opportunity. Now, as you are perfectly well aware, I am neither Croesus nor a fool, but I think you know how very much I do like to travel. Of course, apart from on one occasion, and the least said about that the better, have I ever felt the need to embark on a sea voyage across to Ireland. And, once was quite enough, I can assure you of that! That being the case, until now, I have never found it necessary to take advantage of the particular benefit to which I have just alluded. However, I sense that the time may have come for me to reassess my position in that regard".

She would, said Violet, speak to Cousin Montagu who was also a shareholder in the same company and see what could be arranged to expedite matters in this regard. Added to which, given the fact that it would shortly be Sybil's birthday, what would be more normal than for her own grandmother to write to her, expressing her felicitations.

And, if at the same time Violet happened to enclose a couple of steamer tickets, making clear her connection with the Company, and that the tickets were intended as a birthday present, and not as charity, then young Sybil, and hopefully Tom too, would be far more likely to accept them as such, and not suspect a ruse. If Robert then dared to take her, his own mother no less, to task for flouting his self imposed embargo on rendering financial assistance, then, said Violet, the answer to that was perfectly simple. She had done no such thing. She had merely sent her youngest grand-daughter a birthday present, which had just happened to take the form of two return steamer tickets to Dublin.

"At my time of life, a little deception and intrigue does one the world of good! If Robert asks you if you have given Sybil any financial assistance, then you may answer him both honestly and truthfully in the negative. After all, whatever Robert may think of Tom, he is now a part of this family. Leave the matter with me, my dear".

However, as matters turned out, following receipt of a further letter from Sybil, her grandmother's involvement in the procurement of two third class steamer tickets proved not to be entirely necessary. Thereafter, the resolution of the matter, whilst yet requiring the assistance of dear Cousin Montagu, took a slightly different tack to that which the Dowager Countess had initially envisaged.

Author's note:

The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company possessed four beautiful steamers, all named for the provinces of Ireland: the RMS Connaught, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.

During the Great War, the Connaught and the Leinster were torpedoed and sunk by German submarines. Over 500 people lost their lives when the Leinster went down, just outside Kingstown Harbour, in October 1918: the single greatest loss of life in the Irish Sea. Among those who perished were 21 members of the staff of the General Post Office in Dublin. Today, in the restored building on O'Connell Street, there is a permanent exhibition devoted to the loss of the Leinster.

The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company never recovered financially from the loss of their two ships and was taken over by the British & Irish Steam Packet Company.