The mid-afternoon mist surrounded the station; hurried passengers exchanging goodbyes passed him by, as he waited…

As a cargo train with what seemed like a million carriages derailed his vision, he saw a glimpse through the cracks, met with shards of light. The blue of her velvet traveling hat and cloak burnt an image into the opposite platform.

After all this time, she'd come to him.

After the excitement of the celebration party and a day of packing her things away at the hospital, Sybil returned home. She had to admit she was worried.

Her family were really struggling and now that her work at the hospital was done she searched her mind for how they were going to survive, but in her heart, she knew they would get through it, they had always done so before. Her mother had been out looking for work and even through all the stress she seemed happier, which only made Sybil suspicious. Her mother had even started meeting her at the hospital from work more often, getting out of the house more.

When she slumped down into the hard single wooden chair that barely filled the dining table, her mother slowly pushed a letter in front of her as she prepared dinner. She recognised the writing straight away.

"My dearest Sybil,

I'm leaving tomorrow, I have to go back, but before I go I need you to know…

I've never given up on you, and I never will. You belong to me, and always will. To quote Hardy:

'We are man and wife, if ever two people were on this earth'

I will give you everything you need in this life and more, I promise. Enclosed are your tickets for travel to Ireland, come away with me, go places….

Don't worry about your family, I've arranged for them to have jobs with a local merchant over in Dublin and I've started a fund just for them, see, I told you I would provide for you.

I'll see you tomorrow my love

Tom x "

As their eyes met across the platform, hope filling his chest, Tom ran up the bridge to greet her. Everything was going to work out, all this time he'd wished it, but now it was coming true. He pushed past the other passengers, trying not to slip on the way down, nearly reaching his prize. As he saw her the truth revealed itself for she had brought no luggage, she'd arrived empty handed.

At this revelation his pace slowed and his heart crushed, he grew closer to her, trying to read her expression as she wore a weak smile upon her lips.

"You're staying?" he hoarsely asked, disappointment in his tone.

"For now…." She confirmed.

"Don't you…." He began as she silenced him by putting her finger to his lips.

"…of course I do, but I have my reasons. I still need to get everything sorted here." Tom jumped to defend himself at this point.

"..But, I've sorted everything for you, your family, the money…" desperation now creeping into his words.

"If I came with you now, and we ended up together, wouldn't you always wonder if I'd chosen you for the money" She reached to cup his cheek and he moved into her touch. His defeat evident, he knew she was right.

"I will come to you soon, when everything is sorted, then I will be yours…" Without looking away Tom lowered Sybil's hand to his heart.

"You already are" he proclaimed, sadness consuming him.

Sybil leant in, her lips grazing his temple and she placed the ticket into his palm and quickly turned away. The start of rain washed away her tears as the echo of her heels haunted Tom ears.

Weeks, almost a month passed and nothing changed in England, the country was recovering from war but its shadow remained over the cities and the villages it had polluted. Sybil would walk to the hospital every day, hoping for news of jobs but there weren't any. Some days her mother would be there to meet her and sometimes Dr Tyron would be there to walk them home.

Alex was much older than Sybil, very intelligent and vaguely attractive. Sybil had seen him as a great comfort whilst working at the hospital. She hadn't given his attention a second thought but she did recognise the look he wore in his eyes.

The way he looked at her mother, the sparring they shared, the sound of her mother singing whilst she cleaned the house….they were in love. And so, just before Christmas Sybil returned home to find Alex and her mother at home waiting for her. They were to be married.

Back at Downton, just after the celebrations of Christmas, the house was preparing for the annual servants ball. Tom sat with his father in the dining room eating breakfast whilst updating his father on the several procedures he'd been asked to perform as part of his training. In truth, it was all that kept him going while the wait for Sybil continued.

He was barely listening when his father listed the number of families that would be attending the ball, no doubt specifically picked for their available young daughters. "Are you sure we'll have enough staff with all these visitors Papa, I wouldn't want us embarrassed into the New Year?" Edith asked.

"Mrs Hughes has brought in some inside help I believe, actually one of the maids we used to employ, Sybil Crawley is helping us for the night" At this Tom raised his head abruptly, putting his paper down and urging his father to speak again so he knew it had not been his mind playing tricks.

"Sybil….?" he stumbled out.

"Yes, she's been working as a nurse in England, I believe, I was surprised actually that you two didn't run into each other while you were over there…." His father continued but Tom heard no more as he went to get up, looking up to receive a knowing glance from his sister.

"Did she say how long she'd be staying?" he asked his father who was once again dissolved into his paper.

"No, I didn't ask, her mother's just got married so I assume she'll be looking for work…."

His heartbeat drowned out his father's words.

She was here….