She had expected Matthew to turn her in to Robert the night he caught her coming back into the house in maid's garb after turning away the sweet boy who had fought for her at the servants dance. Instead, he had taken her to the library and… treated her like an adult. If you're going out to these dances because you truly want a man that is different from the ones you've been encouraged to see, he said gently, that's one thing. If you're simply going out to see what will happen when you turn on the charm, that's another thing entirely. Men aren't toys to be played with, he had warned her. You wouldn't like it if a man treated you the same. Rose suspected he had a point there. Best of all, he hadn't made any mention of it to Cousin Robert.
It meant she owed him a favor, and that was something Rose took quite seriously. Particularly since Matthew had been so terribly sad for so long. Everyone had been sad, everyone had every right to be sad with all the tragedies, but Matthew had been drowning in his sorrow since Mary had died. It had taken Sybil prodding and pulling him to get him back to some semblance of normal, that was part of why Rose had been surprised that Matthew had even noticed her.
Sybil was the person to ask, she decided, as she watched Sybil enter the room and join them at the breakfast table. Sybil knew Matthew better than she did, and as the slightly older woman took a seat, Rose knew she wasn't the only one who was pleased to see Sybil wearing muted, dark colors, but colors just the same. It was a good sign. Sybil certainly wasn't the sort to throw out her black dresses and begin dating at six months on, but with it close to a year since Tom Branson had died, she had more than done her duty to the memory of her dead husband. Now out of official mourning, Sybil could be asked to help without anyone taking her to task over bothering her young widow cousin.
She waited until later that day to broach the topic when the two of them went on a walk into town. "Sybil, I need your help. Cousin Matthew has been a good friend to me these last few months. I want to do something nice for him. Like…. Oh I don't know, maybe a surprise party, or some sort of fun outing. What do you think?"
Sybil smiled but was quiet for a long moment. Finally she spoke, her tone careful. "I think it's admirable that you want to do something nice for Matthew… But he's not really the party sort, Rose. Dinner parties, dancing, and hunting weekends… that was more about his wanting to please Mary or letting Mary have her way. Mary liked parties and hunting and horses. She never did manage to get him up on a horse for fox hunting, but she did get him to ride, for example, but it's not something he enjoys."
"Matthew rides?" Rose asked. She giggled. "I can't really imagine that."
Sybil laughed as well. "He's not awful. He just learned to ride as a schoolboy and never kept up with it past his schooling because he didn't have the time. But to get back to my point, he's not much for parties. Especially now with Mary gone… but it's just not his taste." She smiled wistfully. "He and Tom were a lot alike. I miss listening to the two of them arguing some new idea or political movement while Papa glowered at both of them."
"What does he like, then?" Rose had to admit, she hadn't really considered what Cousin Matthew actually liked. Since Mary's death, he had been a shadow filled cypher. She doubted Matthew had managed a smile for anyone but George in the first six months after. Sybil had dragged him back to the world of the living to where he wasn't quite so sad, but in truth, he had been morose and silent for so long, one of the reasons she thought he wouldn't be so kind about her indiscretion was just his general dour mood.
"Oh Matthew likes clever things, Rose." Sybil said easily, like it was obvious. "He likes puzzles, and strategy. He plays chess, you know. And he likes to read, and he likes to dig his heels into problems and find solutions, and finding the truth in a matter. I think that's what he likes about being a lawyer." More quietly, she added, "I think he loved Mary so much because she was a clever puzzle that he wanted to understand."
"Did she love him for the same reason?" Rose asked. That Mary and Matthew had been madly in love had been obvious.
Sybil laughed. "No… I forget you weren't here for their endless courtship." She took Rose's hand as they walked. "I am glad you came to stay with us, Rose. I've always been the little sister and it's quite nice to get to be the big sister for a change. We've needed you here. I've needed you. Sometimes it's very hard to remember that there are reasons to be happy but you have been a source of joy to everyone in the house. I hope you know that." Rose blushed shyly at the praise. Sybil pressed forward. "Mary loved Matthew because I think he was the first man who ever expected her to be more than an ornament on his arm. He took her seriously, he loved her but he didn't let her toy with his feelings, and he was probably the first man in her life that wanted to be around her without having an ulterior motive. Believe me that can be intoxicating."
Rose nodded. "I may not have the advantages of some of the wealthier girls but I have met the sort of man who cares more about my lineage and my dowry than anything else."
Sybil's voice took on a more serious tone. "I know your season is coming and I know it's exciting but you do need to start to consider what kind of man you want." She hesitated. "Are you…. Interested in Cousin Matthew?"
Rose almost laughed but stopped herself when she realized Sybil was being serious. "He's still mourning, and he's… so much older than I."
"I'm glad we're talking then, because I can tell no one has broached this with you." Sybil said it matter of factly. "Everyone has been so grief stricken, I think we've all been ignoring your upcoming season and we really shouldn't. Rose, you do understand that most of the eligible men for the dances and events are going to be either very young men, badly wounded veterans, or men even older than Matthew? I know you want a young, handsome fellow for a husband but you may want to broaden your net. Someone like Matthew would be a welcome catch. You could do much worse, you know. Yes, he's thirty five and a widow, but plenty of girls are wed to men in their fifties and sixties. He's wealthy and clever, and he's determined to modernize the estate even if he has to argue with Papa incessantly. And he's good looking and titled." Sybil shook her head. "Now that I think about it, I should probably talk to him or at least to his mother. People will expect him to return to the field, so to speak, and he's a very eligible bachelor now. By the time your season starts, he won't be considered to be in mourning and I don't think he's even considered the reality that he's now…"
"The belle of the ball, so to speak," Rose said, giggling. "Poor Cousin Matthew… I doubt very much that he's even interested in pursuing a woman, let alone being pursued." She gave Sybil a knowing look. "Are you… interested in being pursued? I can't help but notice you're wearing colors."
Sybil smiled slightly. "No, I'm not husband hunting, Rose. I loved Tom very much and I always will… But Tom wouldn't want me spending the rest of my life wearing black and missing him. I know that in my heart. I'm not seeking another husband, because I know who is currently available and I didn't fancy any of them before I met Tom, so they're not likely to please me now… but if I did find love again, I wouldn't ignore it. You can tell Mama that if she asks you, I know she's been worried."
Rose nodded. Cora wasn't worried, exactly. More curious about what Sybil planned to do. Unlike Matthew, Sybil was a woman of 25, still young. But she was a widow with a child and while she was hardly destitute, she was in a similar position as Rose was. A worse position really, because some people would hold marrying the chauffeur against her. It would relieve Cora to know that Sybil hadn't ruled out remarriage. An idea formed in her mind as they walked but she didn't voice it. Not yet, she told herself, it would be lovely if I was right, but there was a lot of baggage to get out of the way. I need to be certain there's a spark. Out loud she said, her voice bright, "I still have the problem I started with. I want to do something nice for Cousin Matthew. He could have gotten me into a lot of trouble with Cousin Robert and didn't, and even if I don't want him to court me, I still need to thank him."
Sybil nodded. "You're lucky Papa didn't find out about your sneaking out to the servant dances. I hope you got that out of your system. As for Matthew… We'll go to the bookstore. I was planning to get Kate and George a new story book, and you can find Matthew a new novel that he can read while he's on the train to Ripon for his job. Something fun." She grinned. "He quite likes those mystery books by Doyle, and I know he's been planning to pick up that Jack London book, he just hasn't been able to get to the book store."
Rose mentally checked off a point on her mental list. Sybil knows what Matthew likes, she mused. "May I ask, Sybil… Did you ever consider Matthew?"
If there had never been a flicker of interest, then her sudden musing was just that, and could go no further. But, if Sybil had been interested…
"Oh, not really, Rose," Sybil said, her tone almost shy. "It was just such a different time. Mary was supposed to marry Patrick, and then when he died and Matthew came to Downton… I was a still a girl while Mary and Edith were women, and my reaction was very similar to yours, that he was much too old for me and wouldn't find a girl interesting, not when Mary was there." Rose could hear a certain amount of pique enter Sybil's voice. "Mary drove me crazy, truth be told. She was so against Matthew at the start and all I could think was that didn't understand what she was complaining about. He was clever and had modern opinions, and he's not hideous, and Mary was acting like she was being forced to marry some Australian sheep farmer. And Matthew almost always looked at me like I was a little girl."
"Almost always?" I knew it, Rose thought triumphantly.
Sybil laughed as they walked, almost girlishly. "There was one time… Rose, have you ever felt your power as a woman?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," Rose did wonder where she was going.
"That one time… It's so silly because I was already in love with Tom. I didn't even really realize it until later that night." She gave Rose a knowing look. "I tricked Tom into driving me to Ripon for a political rally. The crowd was rough and Tom tried to get me out of there but I was too stubborn to listen to him. Matthew had to rescue us both by using his fists. I was knocked out and bleeding and he took us to his mother at Crawley House so I wouldn't frighten my parents and called Mary. When Mary got there, she was worried and appalled, and Matthew made her be nice to me. He helped me up from the couch I was lying on, he took my hand and looked at me… It was like he saw me as a woman for the first time, and he liked what he saw. And I realized that I could have him if I wanted him. That I had the power to turn his head away from my sister if I wanted." Sybil sniffed. "Mary saw it too. I had never seen her look so panicked or angry with me before. I think she realized in that moment that she did love Cousin Matthew and if she kept playing with him instead of sealing the deal, he was going to start looking elsewhere."
"Why didn't you? Turn his head, I mean." It was more than a spark, but Rose was curious as well.
Sybil considered it carefully. "How one wields power is very important, I think. I was in love with Tom. Mary and Matthew were dancing around their feelings but they were in love, they just didn't realize it. And Mary was my sister and as much as I sometimes think she needed to learn a lesson about toying with people, I didn't want to be the one to teach that lesson to her. Mary used to do that all the time to Edith. As soon as even someone she didn't like showed Edith attention, she'd swoop in and turn their heads, just to make Edith miserable. I loved Mary, but she had some nasty ways. I never wanted to be like Mary. It was enough to put the fear into her, that I could turn his head if I wanted." She smiled. "She managed to get him to propose to her that very night. That's what I mean by your power as a woman. In one instant, I made my sister realize not only was I her equal, but if we fought over a man, she'd most likely lose. I just… didn't see the point. I was already in love with a different man. But…" and her voice grew softer, "I admit, in that moment, I found Cousin Matthew my rescuer to be eminently worthy of interest. I thought Mary was going to rip my eyes out but yes, I was tempted."
"Lucky for her that you were so much in love with Tom Branson," Rose said, her thoughts whirling. Who knew that Sybil had such thoughts, and yet when she considered it, it made perfect sense. She had only heard the stories of Mary and Matthew's endless courtship but what Sybil described made perfect sense. Mary had been the jealous sort, and Sybil in contrast was a kind soul. It would have made things very different if Sybil had acted on her feelings in that moment, but her kindness of spirit and her love for a different man had stayed her hand.
But more importantly, it meant there was a spark between Matthew and Sybil, something that neither of them had kindled and tended because they had been in love with other people. It gave Rose hope that it was possible for something good to come out of the terrible tragedies of the last year. But, she considered carefully, it couldn't be forced. I can help, she decided, but it has to start with them.
At the same time, she thought with a smile, I can certainly help them find reasons to see each other.