Everyone was, to be as diplomatic as one could be, losing their minds.
Martha absolutely loved it.
Some of the reactions she understood and expected, which wasn't a bad thing. When one went to see a comedy they expected laughter not tears and would be upset if the actors tried to do something different all for the sake of 'surprise'.
Cora was pacing about, hands fluttering like doves caught in a strong draft, constantly looking over at Sybil, who was the source of all the chaos, before sending pleading glances her way for her to deny all the worries Cora refused the voice. Martha could easily hear them, even if Cora wasn't speaking them outloud: when did you marry? Why are you pregnant? What came first? Martha loved her daughter, she truly did, but Cora was utterly old fashion. Perhaps it came from having to live so far away from home… no. Martha dismissed that. Cora had dreamed of the old ways when she'd been a little girl. Despite how progressive the rest of her family was she had been captivated by English lords and the nobility of England ever since she was able to read about them. Those were her favorite tales. Was it any wonder that the possibility that Sybil had made love to Tom before saying her vows was causing her to go into a tizzy?
Cora's mother-in-law wasn't pacing. Instead she simply sat, hands folded on her lap, and would occasionally say, "Well, we can work with this." But she clearly wanted someone to engage with her, to talk over all of the startling news, but the rest of the family wasn't doing that as they were too preoccupied with their own thoughts and reactions and thus she would fall silent, stewing in her thoughts before attempting once more to make things all about her.
Sybil's sisters and their partners… now they were interesting and unexpected. All four of them (though Michael was the least) were in a full blown panic but not over the news that Sybil was wed nor even that she was pregnant. Well… the pregnancy was the concern but not when it came to any moral standing. In fact none of the younger members of the family seemed to care at all about when Sybil had gotten pregnant. Rather there concern was for Sybil and the baby.
A bit… too much concern, in Martha's opinion.
"We tie her up," Mary said, not realizing she was talking just loud enough for Martha to hear her. "You and Michael will grab her and we will secure her to the bed. Then we will take turns… Edith, can you draw up a schedule?"
"I can. 4 hour shifts… hmmm. Michael, can we get some sedatives for her? She's going to try and escape."
"She's not a bear."
Edith though shook her head. "Oh, in this case we must very much treat her like a wild animal!"
"How will we get her to doctors?" Matthew asked. "I don't want her to have the baby here."
"There was never a question about THAT!" Mary said fiercely and the other three all nodded their heads quickly in agreement. "My doctor is quite good, you know that." Martha filed THAT little tidbit away. "We get her to London."
"That will give her too many opportunities to escape," Edith pointed out.
Matthew shook his head. "Not if we get a military truck. We can just load the bed right onto it."
"Can you?" Mary asked with utter seriousness.
"I'll call the General the first chance I get."
"Thomas might be better," Edith said. "He has a soft spot for Sybil." She smiled. "Sybie…"
"Not Sybie," Matthew quickly corrected. "Sybil was rather firm that she is NOT calling her daughter Sybie."
Martha let out a huffing laugh at that, though the four were so focused on their conversation they didn't even hear her. She could quite agree on that… she had hated Cora's little pet name for Sybil. It was a beautiful name and Cora had spoiled it trying to be far too cute with it.
Her gaze swept over to Sybil herself and then she smiled at the one person that was handling this situation properly: Robert.
Once dinner had broken Robert had come to his daughter, moving along side her and sitting down next to her to talk in hushed tones. And more importantly the grin hadn't left his face. When Tom had come over with drinks Robert had giving him a hug that nearly took the man off his feet before motioning for him to join them in their little powwow, ignoring the rest of the family as they fretted and worried.
With a smile Martha walked over to join them.
"I am thinking London would be best, papa," Sybil was telling him. "At least at the end of the pregnancy. At the beginning I'll want to remain at Downton, if you'll have me-"
"Of course," Robert said all at once. "The weather will be good enough and I think the fresh air will do wonders."
"But we do want to have the baby in London, Robert," Tom said. "I mean no offense but… there are far more hospitals there and doctors. Dr. Clarkson may be-"
Robert though held up his hand. "No, you're right. Clarkson is a good man but it isn't his specialty to deliver babies. He can do it and has but… I understand. When Cora was pregnant with Mary I fretted terribly about it... mama would not allow me to bring in others to assist and it left me a wreck. I wasn't able to enjoy that time with her because I was so worried. And while I see there was nothing to worry about… it didn't STOP the worrying." He patted Sybil's hand. "So London it will be. We'll arrange for a trip so you can begin getting everything sorted out. The London House can easily be opened. Perhaps all of us will go, if you want, or stay here if you wish to be alone."
"Thank you, papa," Sybil said.
"You know," Martha said, settling in the chair across from them, "Edith might be rather helpful with all of this. She is going to be staying in London, will she not?"
"She will," Tom said. "And I will be traveling back and forth. So you're right… in the beginning Edith can help us establish our base of operations. Keep in touch with the doctors, all of that."
Robert nodded at once. "Of course. And Cora and I can remain at the London house to assist for however long you wish. Perhaps begin looking into finding Lillian a governess." He shook his head in shock at that. "Lillian will need a governess. Sybil, darling, cherish every moment with your child… they grow up faster than you think."
"Oh, believe me papa, I will." She paused. "I'm sorry you missed our wedding. It was nothing against you, papa…"
Robert held up his hand. "Catholic."
"Pardon?"
"If anyone asks it's because you two wanted a Catholic wedding." He looked at Tom. "There is a chance I would have burst into flames had I entered the church."
Tom laughed at that. "Don't worry, I would have done a Catholic Protection Spell to make sure our holy water didn't burn you."
"Well, that's good to know," Robert teased.
"You know, papa, you might need that spell when we do the baptism," Sybil said.
Robert paused… before nodding his head. "Of course. Tom… is there anything saying that a baby can't be baptized twice? Because, if it is okay with you both, I would very much like for your child to be baptized here at Downton as well as wherever you choose to baptize her..."
Tom got an odd little smile on his face at that before nodding his head. "The Lord does not play favorites, I think. Nor would he mind if our daughter is baptized in the faith of her mother and her father."
"So you are sure you are having a girl," Robert said.
Sybil and Tom shared a look. "Yes, I think we are," Sybil finally said.
"Hmm…" Robert said slowly, leaning back in his chair. "Then we'll need to get Anna and John up here more often… without Noah we men are going to find ourselves even more outnumbered."
Sybil laughed at that. "You'd be doomed even if there were a hundred grandsons, papa! My daughter is going to have you wrapped around her little finger. It will be worse than it ever was with any of us."
"Yes, I suppose you are right," Robert said with a soft smile.
Martha couldn't help but speak up. "You know, Robert, I must admit I am pleasantly surprised with how you are taking all this. I thought for sure when Sybil announced she was with child you would turn redder than the sauce. And yet here you are… it pleases me to see you so accepting."
"I'll admit that I wish I could have seen Sybil and Tom marry-"
"We only did so because-" Sybil began but Robert held up his hand.
"We don't need to discuss why. I will make do with you renewing your vows before me, same with Mary and Matthew. But…" he shook his head. "Is this how I envisioned life going for you, Sybil? Of course not. But what parent can ever say they get right the path their child takes?" He let out a bemused little huff. "My father thought that I should marry a daughter of a house with a higher standing than our own and that would solve all our problems. He believed, falsely, that money issues could be done away with if one simply had the proper title. He didn't want me to marry Cora… he thought I was doing it only out of greed."
"Which you did," Martha said sharply.
Robert, to his credit, nodded. "I did. I don't know what I did correctly in my life that saw my greed rewarded with such a wonderful wife but I am thankful for it all the same."
Martha nodded at that. "I know that, Robert. I will admit I wasn't happy either with Cora's choosing you… I didn't like her moving so far away and felt she was only doing it because she had been taken in by the romance of a duchess crown. But… you have been a good husband to her. Gave her three daughters. Treated her with dignity. Plenty of men of our standing would think little of taking a mistress-" Robert choked on that comment and opening his mouth to protest. "Oh, come now, I know you never would… you are very much the living embodiment of all people say about the English Nobility. Honor especially." She paused. "You've made mistakes… though for your health you've corrected yourself and are moving to be a better man. Something I am grateful for when it comes to Cora."
Robert swallowed at that. "Thank you, Martha," he said.
"You were talking about parents and their children, papa?" Sybil pressed.
"Right." He gathered himself and began up once more; Martha had a feeling she knew what he was going to say but she still wanted to hear it. "As for you girls, I never saw you with any of the men you ended up with. Mary I thought would be with Patrick, Edith I imagined marrying a baron or the like and you… well, I imagined you falling in love with someone outside of England."
"Well you were technically right on that one," Tom teased.
Robert considered that before laughing. "Yes, I suppose I was!" He patted Tom on the knee, a rare show of physical affection from him, something that honestly startled Martha; Robert had always been terribly awkward around people when he had to connect with them more than what society requested as the bare minimum. To see him so willing to talk with Tom, to touch him and wish him well… especially a former servant? Well, it delighted Martha to no end and not just because it showed that he was growing as a person.
She also knew it was driving his father mad, wherever his soul might be.
~MC~MC~MC~
"So how is it even going to work?" Mrs. Patmore asked. "That's what I want to know."
Elsie gave a half shrug. "I honestly am not for sure but the family will figure it out."
"But three weddings!" Mrs. Patmore proclaimed. "How do you have three weddings? Will each go, one at a time?"
Daisy frowned. "How will they decide who will go first?"
"Lady Mary will go first, of course," Mr. Carson stated from where he sat. Normally he wasn't one for idle conversation such as this, debating how the family would do something; Elsie had seen far too many times Mr. Carson come in and shut down completely innocent discussion because he feared it was being treasonous to the family. Yet in this case he had found himself suddenly dragged into it and from his tone Elsie sensed he wasn't going to snap off that they all needed to end the conversation there; he wouldn't be gaining a verbal victory purely because he could say, "I say it's this now be quiet".
"But it was Lady Edith's wedding first," Daisy said. "Shouldn't she go first?"
Ms. O'Brien huffed at that, cutting into her breakfast. "Have you ever known Lady Mary to not find some way to make everything about her?"
"Ms. O'Brien," Carson cut in, "might I remind you that Lady Mary is the eldest child of his lordship?"
"And what does that matter, Mr. Carson? Does being the eldest mean she gets the right to show no respect to others."
"Lady Mary is the most respectful person I have known."
"Oh come now!" Elsie exclaimed with a laugh. "Mr. Carson!"
"What?" he asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "I fail to see what is so funny."
"Only that you are allowing your favoritism to blind you," Elsie responded sharply. "Lady Mary is a fine woman and these last few years have done much to sand away her sharp edges but you can not sit there and claim with a straight face that she is some saint. We've all seen her pick fights purely because she wished to belittle or mock someone."
Mr. Carson shifted in his chair at that, clearly not happy. Though if that was because of the lack of respect Elsie was showing him or being confronted that 'perfect little Mary' wasn't that at all? Well, that was for the philosophers to decide.
"I thought Lady Mary said that Lady Edith would be allowed to decide," Alfred said for the first time since the conversation had begun. "She didn't want to even be a part of it… she was worried about stealing her sister's thunder."
Mr. Carson opened his mouth, clearly to extol to all of them how that was proof of Lady Mary's generous nature, but Mrs. Patmore cut in. "Well, that's all well and good but I still don't know how it will all work out."
"I believe," Elsie said, "that since Lady Mary and Lady Sybil are already married it won't actually be three weddings. Rather Lady Edith will be married and those two will renew their vows."
"Yes," Mr. Carson stated, "that is what was said. We should be describing it correctly, so there is no confusion."
"I can't believe Lady Sybil got married!" Daisy exclaimed.
"Considering she's pregnant I'm not…" Ms. O'Brien muttered though not softly enough.
"Lady Sybil was already planning to marry Mr. Branson," Elsie reminded her.
"Doesn't make what they did right."
"We are not going to judge," Mr. Carson said firmly though Elsie could tell that's exactly what he wanted to do. But his need to be in control of the situation, to present himself as the captain of the ship getting them through rough seas, was forcing him to keep his opinions to himself. "It is not for us to discuss when Lady Sybil became pregnant. It is NOT conversation to be had when one is having breakfast." He paused, reaching for his coffee cup. "What we should be focused on is the wedding and the vow renewals."
"Which is what I want to know about!" Mrs. Patmore fretted, wringing a towel in frustration. "How is it even going to work?"
"Maybe they'll go one at a time?" Daisy asked.
"Will they all ride down to the church do you think?" April, one of the newer maids who had replaced Sophie and Ethel, asked softly.
"I don't see why they'd all need to," Ms. O'Brien stated. "Only Lady Edith is having a true wedding."
Mr. Carson though shook his head at that. "But Lady Mary did not get a proper wedding, now did she? Lady Edith should understand that and allow Lady Mary to enjoy all that is going to occur. Allow her to be part of the parade."
"Oh, and Lady Sybil as well?" Ms. O'Brien asked.
Mr. Carson flustered at that, not liking he'd been caught once more focusing only on Lady Mary and no one else. "Well… I don't know…"
"I don't think Lady Mary will want a parade," Elsie said. "She made it clear she wished for this to remain her sister's day. And it is rather odd to have a married woman treated as if she were a blushing bride."
Mr. Carson glowered at that and she felt a pang of sympathy for him; the poor man had a vision in his head since Lady Mary had been a little girl of getting to see her dressed all in white, face lit up in a beaming smile, preparing to head down to a carriage so she might be showered in flower petals as all of Downton cheered for her and wished her well. He'd been denied that thanks to his Lordship's foolishness and clearly had been hoping he might get another chance now. But Elsie just didn't see that happening and now Mr. Carson was left with that last chance snatched away from him.
She was suddenly struck by the vision of Lady Mary getting up one morning only to find all her dresses removed save for the white ones and as she walked down the hall to get breakfast Mr. Carson would be there with the hallboys throwing flowers at her in a vain attempt to replicate the entire affair.
"But how would you do it?" Daisy repeated and Elsie was beginning to feel like they were stuck in a whirlpool. Someone would ask how the triple wedding (or the wedding and the renewal of the vows) would work, they get off topic, someone would try and get them back on subject. Except no one knew the answer so it was just easier to-
"If it were me," Alfred began, his voice utterly casual, "I'd have it begin much like it was originally planned. Lady Edith rides through town, the music playing as she walks down the aisle, Sir Michael waiting for her. But when they get to the vows have Lady Edith go first and then have Lady Mary and Lady Sybil do theirs. Have them and Mr. Crawley and Mr. Branson standing there during the ceremony; Sir Michael will most likely ask one of them to be his Best Man and Lady Edith will ask one of her sisters to be her Matron of Honor. So it won't look out of place if both couples join them. They renew their vows and then Mr. Travers announces that Lady Edith and Sir Michael are wife and husband."
The servants all blinked at that.
"…would that not be odd, having three brides in white dresses?" Elsie asked him.
Alfred, not even looking up from the paper he was reading, shook his head though. "I don't see why they'd all need to be in white dresses. Lady Mary and Lady Sybil are already married. Fine dresses would be needed, of course, but they wouldn't need wedding gowns. If a widow is remarried she doesn't wear a white dress."
Elsie found she couldn't argue with that logic in the slightest.
"Well, I for one am worried about the meal afterwards!" Mrs. Patmore exclaimed. "I didn't mind preparing for a wedding feast… always wanted to try my hand at that, I'll admit. But three of them? I'll need to draft help like I'm fighting a war!"
Mr. Carson though spoke up, stopping the cook before she could truly discourage and worry herself into a fit. "I don't think much will change for you, Mrs. Patmore. Even if it were three separate weddings I doubt they'd want to have three different meals."
"They like to eat but not that much!" Daisy exclaimed with a grin and Elsie found herself hiding her smile behind her hand.
Mrs. Patmore though was still worried. "But the extra guests…"
"There probably won't be that many," Ms. O'Brien stated. "Of the three of them Sir Michael has the highest standing in society. So we won't have to worry about Irish Lords or some Baron from Manchester coming to visit."
"Quite," Mr. Carson said, not happy with the reminder that the Crawley girls hadn't married as highly as he would have hoped. "And Mr. Branson works for Lady Edith so anyone he would have invited would have been invited by her. So I would say that you will be fine with whatever you were planning."
"Though you might want to worry about having a bit more champagne on hand, Mr. Carson," Elsie stated. "I imagine his Lordship will use the opportunity to make many toasts."
"Yes, I suppose you are right," the butler said and he rose from his chair, the other servants quickly getting to their feet. "As such I think I will look down in the cellar now, to make sure were are properly stocked. I'd rather let his lordship know now if we need to order more."
Elsie walked over to Mrs. Patmore as breakfast broke up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If it gets too much for you I suppose we could ask Lady Mary to make the wedding cake…"
Mrs. Patmore's gaze grew flinty at that. "Wild horses could not drag me away from this kitchen so she could take over!" Elsie smirked at that as the cook stormed back to her domain, muttering about how no one was going to keep her from creating the greatest wedding feast Downton had ever seen.
