I meant to set this to post earlier, but got the day wrong, alas. Anyway, here’s a future scene for Ring Around Her Neck, set a few months from where the story is now, during Christmas of 1917.
"Where are you off to with all that?"
Sybil turned as she heard Mary’s voice behind her. Mary had just come into the entrance hall, where Sybil was standing with several boxes stacked next to her.
"The hospital," Sybil answered. "With so many men being forced to spend their holidays there, the nurses thought we’d make it a bit more festive. We have so many more decorations than we ever use, so I ransacked the attic for things I know mama won’t miss."
"That’s kind of Dr. Clarkson to allow," Mary said.
"I wish we could do more," Sybil said. "Garlands and tinsel hardly seems like enough for what the men have gone through."
"I’d wager the effort will go a long way," Mary said with a smile.
Just then, Carson came through the door to announce that Tom had the motor ready outside. Between them, the two men moved all the boxes out into the yard and Tom secured them onto the back. Just as she was about to board, Sybil turned back to Carson.
"Carson, I expect we’ll need Branson to help unload and begin to set up some of the decorations at the hospital, so would you let Lord Grantham know not to expect him back for several of hours."
Tom pursed his lips to hide his smile, but looking over at Carson, he could see that the butler saw nothing in Sybil’s request.
"Very good, milady," Carson answered, and with a nod of her head, Sybil settled into the back and once Tom had boarded and cranked the engine, they were on their way.
Once they were past the gates of the house, Tom glanced back at Sybil and asked, “You really think it’s going to take several hours to put up a few Christmas decorations?”
Sybil laughed. “The decorations aren’t going up until tonight—the nurses are going to make an event of it, but I honestly have no idea what’s in these boxes or what may be useful. I can’t very well sort everything out on my own, but I also wouldn’t want to take another nurse away from her duties, and if I know Dr. Clarkson, he won’t either.”
"You spent all morning packing the boxes yourself, did you not?”
"What are you insinuating, Branson?!" Sybil said, her tone dripping with faux-indignation, to which Tom could only laugh.
Once at the hospital, Tom unloaded the boxes and Nurse Roberts, the head nurse, guided him and Sybil toward a mostly empty storage room in the hospital’s basement.
"This is very kind of your family, Nurse Crawley," Nurse Roberts said. "I know this is your off day, so don’t feel obligated to do too much, we can always see to everything tonight."
"It’s no bother," Sybil answered. "And anyway, I will miss the actual decorating tonight, so I’d like to do my part. In any case, my mother is rather particular about how some of these things are handled, so I’ll leave them out so they are ready for you."
"Very well," Nurse Roberts said with a smile, closing the door behind her as she left.
Once they were alone, Tom smiled cheekily at Sybil. “I know you don’t like deceit, but I dare say you’re very good at it.”
Sybil rolled her eyes. “All I’m trying to do is find us some alone time—there’s no need to tease me.”
Tom’s teasing expression softened. “You’re right, love, I’m sorry.” He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
Sybil closed her eyes and she leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed into the embrace. After a long moment, she pulled back and said, “I don’t like playing into people’s expectations. Knowing mama would never bother to speak to or consult with Nurse Roberts about anything, and Nurse Roberts never presuming to need to speak to mama. You and I are breaking a cardinal rule by stepping over a line, and the line itself and other people’s unwillingness to cross it is what keeps the secret hidden. A bit sad, I think, but given our circumstances, I don’t think it can be helped.”
"I’m sorry for teasing you," Tom said, "I should be grateful that you’ve found time in the day for us. Everything’s been so busy lately, I barely have time to think. I realized only yesterday that we passed the anniversary of my proposal to you without notice."
Sybil smiled. “We’re only days away from the anniversary of my saying yes.”
"And less than a month away from the anniversary of our wedding. Is this how you pictured your first year of marriage?"
He was teasing again, but Sybil heard a catch in his voice, as if he were asking her a real question and almost afraid of the answer.
"Honestly," she said, "I never pictured anything. I never imagined what it would be like to be married or daydreamed about my wedding. So now that I’ve done it, our way seems perfectly natural and I can’t picture anything else."
Tom smiled. “Maybe that was your subconscious knowing you’d not do things the conventional way and preparing you for it.”
"I’m very clever like that, aren’t I?" Sybil said.
"The cleverest. That’s why I wanted to marry you."
Tom leaned down and Sybil met him halfway in a deep passionate kiss. They could have stood there in each other’s arms for the whole afternoon, but they separated after several long minutes and actually set about the task of arranging the decorations in such a way that they’d be easy to handle and hang. There was plenty of teasing and pinching and stolen kisses along the way, but luckily they didn’t get too lost in themselves not to hear Nurse Roberts when she came down to check on them an hour later.
Once she was gone again, Sybil admitted that Nurse Roberts having seen their progress, the ruse would not stand for much longer. They finished up quickly, but not before Tom found a branch of mistletoe and held it above himself. Sybil laughed and played along, taking a stray strand of garland and putting it around his neck to pull him close. Tom dropped the mistletoe and put his arms around her waist to lift her up off the ground.
After they kissed and he put her back down, Sybil looked into his eyes and whispered, “Happy Christmas, my darling husband.”
"Happy Christmas, love, may all our future Christmases together make us as happy as I feel now, because even like this, in secret, I couldn’t be happier."
Sybil smiled. “Neither could I.”
