Who did he think she was?

"Of course I have!" she replied with dignity. "When we were at Sandringham the other year, there was an entire day set aside for whiskey tasting! In fact-"

She broke off, suddenly remembering that Papa had brought several bottles back. She stood up, grabbed Carson's key off the hook and disappeared.

Branson smiled at Sybil, and gripped her hand under the table. He was no lightweight but he was already feeling more daring than usual. And as soon as Mary and the rest of the staff were intoxicated enough he could steal away Sybil without anyone noticing.

Sybil smiled, and wound her fingers round his. She drank from her bottle with the other, and decided that perhaps she should request beer rather than wine at dinner. It tasted so much nicer!

Louis grinned. "Perhaps when Lady Mary gets back, we should invite her to join our drinking contest." He leant back in his seat, and put his feet up on the table, smiling a devilish smile. "I vote for spiking her drink. One of you must have some proper heavy stuff. O'Brien?"

"I don't see why you're looking to me lad. Why would I 'ave anythin' stronger?" She looked indignantly around at a group who were all wearing varying degrees of doubt on their faces. "Oh a fine lot you are!"

"P'raps whatever's in that bottle," Gwen suggested with a wicked smile. "What is it, Miss O'Brien? Looks like somethin' out've a Shakespeare play.

O'Brien scowled at Gwen. "It's off limits is what it is!"

"Come on O'Brien!" Anna called, "Unless of course you're too...scared?"

She gave her sweetest smile at the sour faced woman and ripped another bottle cap off her next bottle of beer. She downed it in one and sent the bottle skidding across the table, "Come on, crack a smile for once in yer life!"

O'Brien boggled at Anna. Oh this was certainly worth the price of admission!

"I'm not smilin' and I'm not scared. This bottle has been brewing for nearly two bloody years now, I'm hardly going to waste it on your," she knocked the bottle away from herself "terrible palette."

Louis smirked. "Come on O'Brien. You can't say the thought of drinking Lady 'high-and-mighty' Mary under the table doesn't appeal to you!"

Her head snapped round at Louis.

"It's fer Lady Mary? Well," she smirked at the first person who caught her eye, which oddly, happened to be Lady Sybil. "Why didn't ya say so?"

Branson chuckled. "At least share some gin O'Brien, and don't tell me don't drink gin 'cause no-one will believe you." Now that Branson had got the idea into his head he really did feel like a drop of gin.

She turned to Branson and raised an eyebrow. "When did I say I didn't like gin? You people 'ave got some funny ideas." She actually smiled slightly as she reached for the glass.

Louis chuckled. "I did say it was for spiking her drink with. Now hurry up with it before she gets back!"

Sybil grinned at the thought, and smirked back at O'Brien. Perhaps she wasn't as bad as she thought. "Please do! I'd love to see her drunk!"

She reached out for another bottle, and tried to open with her teeth, but gave up, laughing at herself. "You'll have to teach me."

"Here," Branson held his hand out for the bottle "I'll teach you Sybil."

"Christ...if your mother finds out I sat here and let you ruin your teeth..." The small smile came back at Sybil's words and she decided to ignore the drunken housemaid. "Give me 'er bottle."

She took it when it was offered and poured in a fair measure of her own concoction. It was clear and she tried not to breathe the fumes in too much less she make a disgrace of herself. That was for Lady Mary to do.

Louis grinned. "Y'know O'Brien, for a mean old bat, perhaps you aren't that bad after all." He sniffed the concoction, and recoiled slightly. "Blimey! What's in that?"

"Trust me lad," her smirk grew wider and her eyes danced with expectation. "You don't want to know. Lady Sybil, is it alright if Thomas and I smoke in your presence?"

It was half-mocking but she hoped Sybil would join in the joke. If not, at least she had asked permission even if it was contrarily.

Sybil glanced over at O'Brien, smiling slightly. She recognised the slightly mocking tone.

"Why of course!" She smiled impishly, and then added seriously. "Don't inconvenience yourself on my account. That would be most unfair."

Edith sighed as she walked out of the library, after having spent the majority of the evening reading a novel, and carefully straightened the creases in her skirt that had developed from sitting. As she walked past the entrance to the servants quarters downstairs she could not help but hear raised voices and laughing, causing her to roll her eyes.

Shouldn't they be doing something productive, as opposed to laughing and chattering about nonsense?

The curious side of Edith took over and she gripped the handle of the door, peered over her shoulder to ensure no one saw her, and made her way downstairs towards the kitchen. As she neared the kitchen the raised voices and laughter heightened and the distinct aroma of alcohol hit her nostrils. She peered over the edge of the banister and saw several servants consuming alcoholic drinks and conversing. As she was watching the scene before her she heard a familiar voice. Sybil? It couldn't be. Yes, it was Sybil's voice she heard. What on earth is she doing down here? As she was debating this very absurd occurrence Edith noticed out of the corner of her a familiar dress and she could not believe her eyes.

Mama will love to know about this. Edith's eyes narrowed and a sly smile crept onto her face before she turned on her heels and made her way back upstairs to inform her mother of her findings.

It had taken Mary longer than she expected to find Papa's stash of top quality Scottish whiskeys, but success was hers eventually. She grabbed two, carefully locked the store cupboard behind her and sashayed back into the kitchen with a look of arrogant smugness on her face. Honestly, it wasn't as if her father had ever made any signs of drinking him. In fact, serve him right for the whole way he was dealing with the Great Matter! She might not get Downton because stupid, annoying, arrogant, attractive, intelligent- wait, what? she meant irritating cousin Matthew would get it, but she could drink his whiskey!

She plonked the two bottles down on the table. "You asked if I drank whiskey, Mr. Branson!" she said with a hint of a challenge.

Branson opened the bottle for Sybil and handed it back to her with a smile, turning to Lady Mary. He eyed the bottles of whiskey. They looked quality "Are they single malt Mi'Lady?" he asked.

"Of course," Mary smirked. "Papa always has the best. And now," she said triumphantly and a little nastily, "we are going to drink it!" Then she waited. "Well, aren't you going to open it?"

Sybil grinned. She recognised Papa's finest whisky. "Did I detect a hint of a challenge there sister dearest?" She laughed. This would be something to watch. Though Mary was her sister, she couldn't help rooting for Tom.

O'Brien looked over. "Don't you want to finish your beer first Lady Mary?" She nudged it towards the younger woman, hoping her efforts had not been in vain. She didn't think she was the only one eagerly anticipating Mary's response either.

"A challenge?" she said with a superior look at Sybil. "I hope so!" She grabbed her second bottle of beer as O'Brien pushed it forward and took a swig. It tasted stronger than the previous one somehow, but no doubt it was only her anticipation for the whiskey to come that made her think so. "I'm glad you approve, Branson. Please, everybody, help yourselves!" She leaned back in her seat, presiding much as she would have done over a debutantes' tea-party.

Sybil glanced at Mary. She was waiting eagerly for O'Brien's stuff to kick in. She grabbed a glass of whisky and knocked it back. It was strong, but not unpleasant. It made her feel a little braver too. Perhaps when Mary was too far gone to notice, she could slip out. Though, of course, not until after Mary and Tom's contest. She could barely contain her giggles as Mary's eyes darkened, and her cheeks started going pink. She'd barely touched a drop, so it had to be whatever was in her drink. She nudged Tom, and tilted her head almost imperceptibly towards Mary.

O'Brien nearly imploded with glee. She was yet to see this stuff in action and what a better test subject than Lady Mary! Anna really must have been smiled on by an angel tonight.

She helped herself to some whiskey and met Louis' eye. New or not, he was fitting in well and he didn't appear to be a complete idiot. She almost approved of him. As she reached into her pocket and withdrew a cigarette she winked conspiratorially at him and nodded discreetly towards Lady Mary, who's eyes were already becoming darker as her pupils expanded.

"So Lady Mary, you think you can out drink me. Shall we put your theory to the test?" Branson looked teasingly at her, it wasn't a fair contest anymore, not after she'd consumed O'Brien's god awful alcoholic potion but he wouldn't be out done by anyone when it came to drinking. After all, he was Irish.

Mary whipped her head round to him, feeling the room pass in front of her as in slow motion. "I think that we are not on an equal footing. I have not had any whiskey yet. Pour me a glass, footman!" No, wait. "Chauffeur!"

Sybil laughed, and curled an arm round Tom's waist possessively. She wasn't quite sure why. She blamed the whisky. It was making her light headed. Yes, that was it. That was all. "Go easy Mary. We don't want to have to drag your lifeless body back to your room!"

Branson felt Sybil's arm around his waist and couldn't help but grin, he hoped no-one spotted it but there was no reason to worry about Mary, she clearly couldn't see straight. He wondered briefly if she was an angry drunk or a happy one.

Mary took a sip of whiskey, its burning almost a relief in its familiarity after the beer, a smile on her face which was instantly instantly wiped off her face at Sybil's words. She jumped up, knocked her chair over and stared at her sister as if she'd seen a ghost, clutching at the table for support. The room was spinning. "There are no dead bodies in this house!" she exclaimed, as firmly as she could.

"There will be if your father catches them two." O'Brien nodded towards Tom and Sybil, but her comment went mostly unheard. Thankfully the partially deaf included Lady Mary.

Sybil looked surprised. "I never said there were! Goodness Mary, calm down and drink up!"

Louis grinned, noting Lady Mary's reaction to the drink. By his guess, she'd be treating them to renditions of badly sung pub songs and spilling her deepest darkest secrets within minutes He leant over. "What is that stuff? You could make a fortune!"

O'Brien nearly burst out laughing. Oh this was definitely worth parting with her secret liquor for!" It's two years worth of pilfered everything. Could never make it again, I'll tell you that for nothin'." She whispered back, liking this footman more and more. Perhaps with Thomas in such a strange mood lately it was worth widening her horizons?

Louis laughed.

"Well, whatever's in it, it's certainly doing its job!"

He nodded towards the exceedingly inebriated Mary, who was burbling something about dead bodies. A mischievous glint came into his eye.

"With her like this, it would be a perfect time to play something like Truth or Dare. Who knows what we might learn!"