Sounds in The Night

Tom Branson awoke with a start. A shuffling and grating sound was coming from the downstairs of the chauffeur's cottage he occupied on the grounds of Downton Abbey. He listened for a minute and there it was again. He pulled on his trousers and pushed the suspenders up over his shoulders. His bare feet made little sound on the wooden stairs as he made his way down the stairs. He pushed open the door that separated the stairwell from the main living area as quietly as he could.

He could just make out a figure dressed in white standing by the corner of the cabinets. The dim moonlight coming in from the window was just enough that he could make out the long dark hair and unmistakable figure of Lady Sybil Crawley doing something on the counter of his small kitchen.

"Lady Sybil, what are you doing here?" he questioned.

There was no answer. He moved further into the kitchen to see she had taken all of the dishes from the cabinets and was stacking them in neat piles on the counters. As he approached she took a cup and saucer from the stacks and started to move towards the kitchen table. Her eyes were open but she looked straight through Tom as though he wasn't there. She pulled out a chair and sat with the cup and saucer on the table in front of her with her head tilted to one side. Tom waved his hand up and down in front of her face to see if there was any response. She continued to sit at the table staring straight to the front.

"Sleep walking," he mumbled. He rubbed a hand over his face then stood watching her while he decided what to do. He realized Sybil must have walked across the grounds barefoot and wearing only her nightdress to get into his kitchen. It was late spring of 1917. The nights weren't terribly cold anymore but the ground was covered with dew by mornings and the air was still chilly. If anyone found her in his quarters or spotted her arriving there would be hell to pay whether he had invited her there or not.

Sybil suddenly stood and walked straight towards him. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. Tom was stunned. He had dreamed of kissing Sybil Crawley since the first day he met her, but not like this. He allowed himself to kiss her back but only briefly.

"Have a good day at work, darling," she said as she stepped back. She was standing in her dream trance not moving with her arms still around his neck.

"You should go back to bed," Tom said to her quietly after he had regained his composure.

Sybil nodded in reply but made no move, just continued to stand in the middle of his kitchen. Tom gently removed her arms from around his neck. He grabbed a jacket from a peg by the door and pulled on a pair of work boots not bothering to tie the laces. He had no idea how he was going to get her back to the main house and into her room, but he had to give it a shot.

"Let me help you get back to bed," he said softly. He didn't want to wake her and embarrass her. He decided the best course of action was to get her back to the main house and into her room undetected if he could. He put his arm around her to guide her to the door but she didn't move. Finally after three failed attempts to get Sybil Crawly to move, he put his arm under her knees and lifted her into his arms. He pulled her close against him for a moment. Her arms stole around his neck and her head rested against his shoulder as her eyes drifted shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

He made his way across the grounds to the servants' entrance at the main house. He tried the door only to find out it was locked.

"Oh great," he muttered. It was a good thing Sybil wasn't heavy he thought or he would have dropped her by now. Tom took a deep breath and headed around the house to the front door. The one door was standing ajar from when Sybil had left the house he suspected. He pulled the door open and maneuvered his way inside with Sybil still in his arms. He knew were the staircase was from his numerous trips to the library and headed towards it. The clock in the great hall was striking three as he carried her up the stairs to the landing. He had no idea which room was hers. Luckily no one was about at this hour of the night. If anyone caught him standing on the landing with the Earl's youngest daughter in his arms with them both half dressed, he would be sacked on the spot. He would have no chance of ever wooing Lady Sybil or finding a decent job in the future.

"Sybil. Where's your room?" he whispered into her ear. It was worth a try even if she was asleep.

"Upstairs, with the mushrooms," she mumbled back against his shoulder. Clearly she wasn't going to be any help.

Tom looked both ways down the corridor when he finally saw what he thought was an open door. He moved towards it and was relieved to see a rumpled bed through the opening. He moved into the room and pushed the door almost shut behind him. He set Sybil down on the bed and disengaged her arms from around his neck. She crawled back under the covers and curled in a ball. Tom reached down and pulled the blankets over her. Then kissed her on the temple.

"Sleep well, love," he murmured before he headed for the door. A quick look up and down the hall confirmed no one was moving about. He dashed out the room and made a quick exit back out the door he had entered.

Tom's heart was racing as he jogged back across the grounds to the chauffeur's residence. "Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath once he got back inside and closed the door. That wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat anytime soon, although he wouldn't mind kissing Sybil Crawley in the light of day when she was wide awake.