A Lady and her Footman (a Downton Abbey Fanfiction/Thomas Barrow)

Chapter 8

I walked out of my room when I bumped into Sybil. "Oh, I'm so..." I looked at her up and down. "What the bloody hell happened to you?" Her hair was a mess and her dress had little rips in it.

"I went to the by-election today." She said taking off her hat. I grabbed her face with my hands.

"Well, are you alright?" I inspected her face for injuries.

"I'm alright, Lilly." she gently moved my hand from her face.

"Branson was with me, he wouldn't let anything happen." I smirked at her.

"Well, looks like I'm not the only one with a crush on someone downstairs." I raised a brow at her.

"I don't have a crush on, Tom." she blushed.

"Oh, first name basis now." she blushed harder, I laughed lightly at her. I saw Anna walking towards us.

"I'll leave you to get cleaned up then." She smiled as her and Anna walked into her room.

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Sybil walked into my room "Are you ready?" I nodded as I grabbed onto her arm as we walked down to dinner.

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Robert, Lady Violet and Edith sat on one end of the table. Mary, Cora and Sybil on the other. I sat at the end of the table in between Mary and Edith.

"I gather you went to hear the Liberal candidate today?" Robert asks Sybil.

"There were several speakers actually. He was the last." Mr. Carson looked to her as he moved from pouring wine into Lady Violet's glass, to Roberts.

"Did he speak well?" He asked her, cutting up his food. Sybil looked at him, her face looking as if getting ready for a fight.

"I thought so." She put down her knife and fork.

"But there was quite a brouhaha." Mary looked down at her plate, Cora looked to Sybil.

"You know what these things can be like." Said Sybil, Cora looked to Robert.

"I do." He slammed down his cutlery onto his plate.

"Which is why I am astonished you should not feel it necessary to ask my permission to attend! I assume this was Branson's scheme." She shook her head.

"No..." Edith looked up from her plate to Robert.

"I confess I was amused at the idea of an Irish radical for a chauffeur, but I see now I have been naïve." He said outraged.

"I told Branson to take Sybil." Cora interrupted, he looked at her fuming with anger.

"What are you saying?!"

"Sybil needed to go to Ripon. I asked Branson to drive her. I thought it would be sensible, in case there was trouble." He looked from her to Sybil.

"I want to do some canvassing. The by-election isn't far off." Robert and Lady Violet stared at her in disbelief.

"Canvassing?" Lady Violet asked.

"Oh, it's quite safe. You're in a group and you knock on doors." Sybil explained.

"Yes, I know what canvassing is." Robert looked to Lady Violet.

"I think that Sybil is..." Mary started.

"What? Are you canvassing too? Or would you rather take in washing?" Lady Violet interrupted.

"I was only going to say that Sybil is entitled to her opinions." She finished, I spoke.