Sybbie's Future
Robert felt Downton embrace him as soon as he returned. He was always happy to be home, but never more than this year, when his family insisted on extending their holiday to France for almost two months. The lush countryside was a welcome sight, the tiers of his home inspired pride, and sleeping in their own bed in Cora's room soothed him like nothing else.
Robert smiled as he ate his breakfast the next morning, the strawberry jam on his scone filling his mouth properly.
"I'm eager to get to the motor shop today," Henry said as he sipped his morning tea. "The exhibition gave us some great ideas for selling new models." His voice showed just how excited he truly was.
Robert nodded, wiping his mouth from any excess jam. It pleased him that his son-in-law was also glad to be home. Then he began sorting through the morning mail. Much of it was for Mary, as she oversaw the estate, and the days of invitations to house parties and even dinner parties were not as common as they were once.
But then an envelope with a very different seal caught Robert's eye.
Carefully, he opened it, grinning more and more as he read the wonderful news. "This is it," he said to Henry. "Our Sybbie has been approved by the committee. She will be presented next season." Robert's heart exploded as he said that out loud. All that anxiety that he had submitted her name too late was for nothing. She would have a bright future.
Henry, who had been munching on scrambled eggs, put down his fork and smiled. "That's great; Mary will be excited to help plan the ball." His reaction warmed Robert's heart, showing how everyone would support Sybbie's coming out.
Robert nodded. "Speaking of Mary, will you give these to her?" He handed Henry the letters that pertained to his oldest daughter. "I am going to share this news with Cora." With that he left the breakfast room, clutching the envelope like it was the ticket to paradise.
And it in many ways it was. It was the beginning of Sybbie's coming out. Robert was so proud of his oldest granddaughter he could burst. Why had it mattered that Edward VIII had abdicated when Sybbie would be presented?
Opening the bedroom door, Robert said "It's here, Cora," with much more enthusiasm than Robert thought was normally acceptable. But this wasn't normal. "Our Sybbie has been approved to be presented next year." He held up the envelope.
Cora, who had been nibbling on a piece of toast, immediately put her breakfast tray aside. "Oh, Robert, that's wonderful!" Her blue eyes sparkled, her face was aglow with happiness, and it spilled over as she embraced him tightly. He returned the gesture. Robert had always loved how expressive his wife was, and it was particualarly delightful on such a happy occasion.
"I'm so glad she was accepted even though her name was a bit late," he said, pulling back so he could look into her eyes. "There is still some influence to being the Lord Lieutenant." He relished saying that.
"There definitely is," Cora said, stroking his cheek, smiling at him proudly. It reminded Robert of how proud she'd been of his title when he'd used it to allow her mother and brother to attend Rose's presentation at the palace. As much as he loved the rights his position gave him, nothing was better than using it in a way that caused his wife to look at him like that.
"And perhaps this will teach you not to worry needlessly," Cora said a few moments later. "I don't like it when you stress yourself, Robert." She touched his side where he'd had stomach surgery twelve years before and her eyes appeared haunted for a bit.
He knew she was remembering the night his ulcer had burst.
Robert sighed. He wanted to say he was fine and had been for several years, but his eyes landed on the medication by her breakfast tray that she still took for her own illness. Before he could stop himself, his mind took him to the night Cora had told Robert she might have cancer. "I know, darling," he said instead. He picked up her tray and placed it back in front of her. "Please finish your breakfast and take your medication."
She picked up the pills, her eyes shining with understanding.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOO
When they all returned to Downton, Tom and Mary understood they needed to focus on the estate. They quickly discovered a problem with the wheat crop, and Mary worked from every angle to save Downton from ruin. Meanwhile, Tom pushed to save the tenant farmers.
He sighed with relief as he finished the day and drove to the Abbey to pick up his precious Erin. Lord Grantham handed him a fancy-looking envelope as soon as Tom walked into the library. "Our Sybbie has been approved to be presented at next year's London Season," the lord said, his voice loud and edgy as if he expected Tom to start arguing with him again.
And a big part of Tom wanted to tell his father-in-law how unreasonable it was for the daughter of an Irish chauffeur to be presented to an English king. This shouldn't be her future.
But Erin's sweet little eyes stared at him and Lord Grantham nervously, and Tom's mind flashed to Sybbie, who insisted she would do the presentation to please her Donk, no matter what Tom said. And Lucy's quiet voice whispered in Tom's mind about how this was an act of love for Lord Grantham. So, Tom sighed. "I still don't like it," he said shaking his head as he read the information in the envelope. "I don't like it at all."
Lord Granthan opened his mouth to say something, but Lady Grantham caught his eye from the red settee and shook his head before returning to her needlepoint. Caroline smiled at their exchange, before returning to her own needlepoint.
"But I suppose that doesn't matter, as long as Sybbie has agreed to it," Tom said, looking his father-in-law in the eye. He tried to remember the man who'd helped him handle that French suitor in Paris, rather than the lord who wanted Tom's daughter to be a monarchist.
Lord Grantham paused for a moment and then grinned. "No, it does not."
Erin launched herself at her father's legs and then Lord Grantham's. "I'm so glad you aren't fighting anymore."
"As am I," Caroline said from the red settee next to Lady Grantham.
Tom sighed, ashamed of what he'd put both of his daughters through because of their disagreements. Not to mention his niece, Caroline. "I'm glad too, love." Lord Grantham hugged Erin tightly, his wrinkly fingers stroking her light brown hair. His blue eyes met Tom's, looking a little sad, and Tom wondered if the proud, stubborn lord could feel just as ashamed as Tom. The expression the lord flashed at Lady Grantham, with even sadder eyes, and something on the older man's cheeks that Tom didn't recognize, made the idea almost certain.
Erin was happy. That was important to both of them.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Tom watched Erin bounce into their home, trying to focus on his daughter's happiness rather than Sybbie's future presentation. "Da!" Patrick said as soon as Tom entered the sitting room, launching himself at his father's legs.
"Hi son," Tom said, laughing as he picked up the boy. And his son's happiness, too of course. When he placed the boy down, Tom met Lucy's eyes from across the room. Her nose was in the Brompton account books, but the smile on her face indicated the results were much better than the last time he saw her in that position.
Brompton felt warm and cozy, like a home should.
He held tightly to that feeling as he turned to Sybbie, who had her own nose in various newspapers and magazines. Tom wondered if one of them was one of the Irish Republic's newspapers and if he could read it when she was finished. "Lord Grantham has asked me to tell you that your name has been accepted by the committee to be presented next year."
Sybbie's face turned soft, a look Tom recognized that illustrated her affection for her grandfather. "That is nice; I know Donk is thrilled." And her nonchalance startled him, reminding Tom that Sybbie was doing this for Lord Grantham's sake, not because she'd grown into an ardent monarchist. What she chose to read only proved that point further.
Meanwhile, Lucy came up behind Tom and patted his shoulder in support. More warmth filled Tom's soul, especially as she said, "You're handling this better than I thought."
"I suppose I've had a few months to become used to it," Tom said into her ear. "But I also had good advice." His mind flashed back to the times Lucy had told him that Sybbie wouldn't necessarily believe the same things he did as she became older and that Lord Grantham's desire to present Sybbie wasn't just to grovel to the blasted king, but also an act of love for his oldest granddaughter.
And then Sybbie changed the atmosphere of the room completely when she said, "But I'm actually more interested in my applications for university. Hillcroft is an obvious choice, with Aunt Edith and Aunt Rosamund on the board." She pointed to some of her reading material, and Tom realized that most of it was neither newspapers nor magazines, but pamphlets about different schools.
She was thinking about her future, right along with Lord Grantham.
Tom's heart sped as he pictured his little girl disappearing into the world without him to protect her. As horrid as Lord Grantham's presentation would be, at least Tom would be present at her ball, to ward off unwanted suitors and insulters. "Are you certain you want to do that, Sybbie?"
Sybbie nodded eagerly. "Of course, I do, Dad; we've been through this already. I want to share my love of reading and learning with others, and going to school to become a teacher sounds like the perfect way to do that. But besides Hillcroft, Cousin Isobel suggests that I try Queen Margaret's College; it's a women's university in Scotland that's even older than Hillcroft." She pointed to some other pamphlets with that school's name on them.
"Sybbie…" Tom said shaking his head at the sound of her moving all the way to Scotland next year. This was the same girl who'd until recently been too innocent to understand the prejudice Irish or even half-Irish people living in Great Britain could face. This was the same girl who had no comprehension of why a French suitor would be too intimidating for her father, who could neither speak nor understand the language. "That's not a good idea."
"Why not?" Sybbie said, standing up to face her father eye to eye. It struck Tom that at seventeen, his oldest daughter was almost as tall as he was. When did that happen? "Because I'll be 'too far' for you to 'protect from the world'? I've said this before, Dad. You cannot shelter me forever, and neither can Donk. And although applying to Hillcroft is sensible, I truly like the idea of getting into a school like Queen Margaret's on my own merits, without the family connections."
Her eyes were all fire again, just like Sybil's were at her age, and it made Tom's heart swell. His Sybil had also been determined to work for her achievements, rather than depending on her family connections to receive them. He hugged his oldest daughter. "That sounds like a fine idea, after all, Sybil."
Sybbie hugged him back fiercely. "Thank you, Dad."
Erin looked up at her older sister. "If you go to Queen Margaret's, do you get to be queen?"
Sybbie patted her younger sister's head with a smile, the tension in the room fading completely with her innocent remark. "Not quite, Erin. Not quite." She giggled a little.
Lucy chuckled, clearly glad to see the room feeling happy again, as did Patrick, though the boy obviously had no idea why he was laughing.
"Definitely not," Tom said, hugging Erin. He had finally managed to accept that Sybbie would be presented to the king, and he might someday accept her attending Queen Margaret's College if necessary, but he would never accept any of his family becoming a British monarch.
No matter what.
OOOOOOOOOO
A week later, Tom had accepted both Lord Grantham's plan for Sybbie's future and Sybbie's own plans, especially Erin's innocent remark illustrating how much worse it could have been. He still shuddered a bit at the very idea of Sybbie becoming a British monarch.
It was time for Tom to explain his approval of these plans to their family in Ireland. Shenna had been correct in her letter all those months before; they didn't know each other anymore, and it was time to change that.
He stared at the blank piece of paper with a determined look on his face, while Sybbie worked on her applications and Lucy mended one of her mother's old dresses that she thought would be perfect for Sybbie this coming winter. Meanwhile. Erin played quietly with her favorite doll. A warm feeling passed over Tom, and he knew he was where he was supposed to be. With his family.
How did he explain that to his Irish family?
Dear Shenna,
I'm sorry I have neglected writing to you once again in the past few months. I can see now why you would think you don't know me any longer.
And not just because I have not been keeping in touch. There has been so much going on, between the new Irish Constitution, the British king's abdication, the lingering effects of the depression, and my Sybbie growing up that I haven't known myself very well, either.
I don't know if you've heard from Kieran that Lord Grantham wished to present Sybbie to the king but believe me I was appalled at the idea of her paying homage to the man who has caused Ireland more grief than any monarch can ever repay. No matter what the rest of Ireland thinks, my first loyalty is our homeland, not toward the British government or its foolish king.
And my father-in-law not only found it reasonable but didn't understand why I would be offended by such a notion. I immediately thought I'd become too close to the Crawley's and tried to distance myself from them. But that was more complicated than I had expected, as all of my children, not just my Sybbie, love Lord Grantham. He is the only grandfather they have.
I know it will be difficult for you to picture but trust me when I say my father-in-law is very loving towards all my children, even the two not related to him. And I cannot separate any of them from him. And for all our political differences, I have realized I'm fonder of Lord Grantham than I thought recently during a family holiday.
Tom paused, remembering what a relief it was to be on the same side as his father-in-law when they were in Paris and how good it was to explain his perspective on the British king. He also smiled at each of his children, loving the close relationship they had with Lord Grantham.
Furthermore, Sybbie has decided that because she loves Lord Grantham (she calls him "Donk" actually), she will do the presentation for his sake no matter what I say. She reminds me so much of her mother, stubborn and caring rolled into one.
But because my Sybbie is such a caring person, she has also decided to study to become a teacher. I worry that she is too innocent to go to some school hours from our home, never mind the treatment she may get from working-class people when she gets a teaching job because of her Irish background. Lord Grantham and I have tried for years to protect her and Erin and Patrick as well, from such nonsense, but Sybbie insists on facing it now if need be.
She is currently working on applications to both Hillcroft and Queen Margaret's College. A couple of family members are on the board of Hillcroft, so a spot there is a safe bet. But Sybbie wishes to try a college like Queen Margaret's as well, to see if she can be accepted without family connections.
I suppose that's also sort of the thing Sybil would do.
Even now, Sybbie penned her applications with diligence, barely even looking up herself.
Overall, from my children's attachment to Lord Grantham, to Sybbie plans for school, to the enjoyment of our family holiday, I realized once again that my home is here even though my country is Ireland.
Speaking of Ireland, how is Emon Valera doing as our president? I read the Irish newspapers regularly, but I know you'll have a better perspective, living in Dublin.
Love,
Tommy
OOOOOOOOOO
Two weeks later, Tom received a response from his sister. That night after dinner, he opened it as his heart pounded. He hoped he wouldn't have to defend himself and his family all over again.
Dear Tommy,
It looks like you've been more confused than anyone here, or even Kieran for that matter, has thought. I'm sorry I thought you fit in too well with your in-laws for me to know, and I don't blame you for being offended about the very idea of Sybbie being presented to the focal point of the British government.
I'm sorry it's not possible for you to distance your family from Lord Grantham, although I guess I can understand it if he is such a great grandfather, even to Erin and Patrick. Your Sybbie deciding to do the presentation anyway is too bad, but that's great that she's planning on becoming a teacher.
She must have a brain like her father's. Mam always said you would read enough to change the world. Teaching can change people's lives, too.
Please write more often about Sybbie and yourself. I would like to see if she succeeds in her plans, and I might not have been so harsh in the past if I understood your thoughts better. I do wish you and all of your children all the best, Tommy.
As far as Eamon Valera, we hope he will begin running our country and change things for the better soon, but the economy in Ireland is still as horrible as ever. My son Jimmy is starting to think about moving to your neck of the woods, as the jobs are better in England. If he does, Kieran has promised to take him under his wing, but I hope you will make a point to see him as well.
I can assure you; he will never become a monarchist.
Love,
Shenna
Smiling, a wave of peace washed over Tom. Sybbie's future, while frightening, seemed less of a problem than it used to be. And perhaps as he found his own path, he didn't need to lose his Irish family this time.
This story is wrapping up faster than I expected, as Tom and Robert have made up and Sybbie's future is almost certain. But I do have an epilogue planned that will show her presentation/ball and allow her to discuss which school she will be attending.
