Downton Abbey: All Is Fair In Love And War

I Saw You Smiling

Downton Abbey,
August 1918

Thomas slept so late he did not see the arrival of William, nor Lavinia. It wasn't until O'Brien pulled him into the servants' staircase he was told of what had happened. Though he was just as tired as he had been the other day, tired of hearing about the mess O'Brien had gotten herself into.

"You never should have told her Bates was here," Thomas said, standing up while she was sitting down, and he was eager to leave her to her own misery. O'Brien snapped back at him, speaking of how she knew she shouldn't have. Mentioning how Mrs Bates had raved about knowing a scandal that would bring the roof down.

"What scandal?" He asked anxiously.

O'Brien looked angry with Thomas, speaking through pursed lips of how she thought she would only trouble Mr Bates, not her ladyship.

"Devil is in the detail" Thomas said but clearly O'Brien had been careless, not smart enough to push for details, and now she dared sitting here complaining and speaking of how she was not going to sit by as ruin befell 'her ladyship'.

"You started it" Thomas pushed his eyebrows together and stood up straight, glancing disappointingly at O'Brien who seemed completely taken aback by her friend's lack of care of what had transpired. So she chewed his ear out, claiming he was too mighty now since he was no footman any more, having everyone at his beck and call. Thomas could not listen to another word of her silly problems.

"I am sorry if you are angry" He was not sorry at all, he honestly did not care "but don't take it out on me, you did it" Thomas snapped at her before returning back upstairs.

When night came there were still no words from Sybil so Thomas walked among the beds of the wounded soldiers, unable to sleep — or to think. He just patrolled the halls he had never been able to walk so freely around in before. Then she came down the stairs, Sybil, whose return home he clearly had missed. She shook his head at Thomas as she walked up to him.

"I'm sorry Thomas, I couldn't get you to come down — I tried but another nurse is on tonight" Sybil said apologetically and Thomas just nodded, thanking her regardless.

So it continued for the next three days: Sybil returned each day with another reason as to why Thomas could not go to the hospital, saying that Mary was there, then returning saying Lavinia was there. Thomas couldn't believe that what his heart yearned for was just down the road, in the village, but he could not lay his eyes upon him. Then on the fourth day Branson came in the afternoon with a note in his hand that he gave to Thomas. "From Lady Sybil." He said.

Thomas opened it and what he read caused him to want to run out the doors in an instance. His eyes darted around; seeing the soldiers read, eat, play ping pong and the other medics on sight were not paying him any mind. So he took his steps towards the grand entrance. Once outside he put on his army hat and walked at a faster pace down the gravel and once he reached the path to the village he ran. Thomas never ran, not since the front, not since he had been a young lad — but for Matthew he ran all the way to the hospital.

He was out of breath when he reached the wing and took off his hat and tried to smooth his hair back down. Through the open doors he saw a woman with strawberry hair standing by Matthew's bed — Lavinia. Thomas' frantically looked in the direction of Matthew's bed while trying to catch his breath and then Sybil came — out of uniform.

"Pretend you're talking to me, Thomas, I'm off my shift as of now, but pretend for a moment before you can see him" She pleaded with the man who glanced down at her.