Conversations with Dead People
Nov. 1st, 2012 04:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lady_mary[Mid-afternoon in the Milliways library]
She finds Mary sitting in the library, though not the one at Downton. This is Mary's escape. But even in her haven, Mary is as formal as ever, sitting ramrod straight in what looks like it could be a rather cozy chair if cozy were a concept Mary knew the first thing about.
Sybil is struck by how young Mary looks. She recognizes that blue morning dress—it had been one of Mary's favourites, and later looked quite fine on Anna. For the moment, Mary is absorbed in a book, so for once her expression is unguarded. She looks... surprisingly unhappy. All those years ago, Sybil had never realized just how much her elder sister kept hidden beneath a confident public facade, but in retrospect it's painfully obvious.
"Mary," she says, breaking the silence of the library as she steps forward.
Mary startles, but in an instant a blank mask settles over her features.
"Sybil? What are you doing here? And what have you done to your hair?"
"I arrived." A vague answer, but quite suitable for Milliways. "And I cut it. Don't you like it?"
"It's terribly unfashionable, darling."
Sybil laughs gently. Mary did always speak her mind. "That's where you're wrong," she says as she sits in the cozy chair nearest to Mary. "It's the latest thing."
After a moment of confusion, Mary suddenly realizes what's going on. This place is so strange.
"Sybil, how old are you?" she asks.
"Twenty-four," Sybil answers. It's a close approximation of the truth.
Sybil can't stop the pained look that appears on her face when Mary says, "This morning you were only sixteen. You're practically an old woman now!" If Mary notes Sybil's expression, she lets it pass, too busy wondering at the absurdity of the situation.
For really, how often does one come across one's baby sister, suddenly five years older than oneself? There are so many things she would ask, but knows she should not. Chief among them, does Granny succeed in breaking the entail? So much rides upon it.
"Mary, I..."
"Sybil, don't," Mary interrupts. "Whatever it is, I'm dying to know, but I know you can't tell me."
"Yes, well." Exactly what topics of conversation are left on the table, then? Sybil glances at Mary's book, now resting in her lap and settles on, "What's that you're reading?"
"Perseus and Andromeda," says Mary. "From a book that hasn't been published yet."
"Oh! Cousin Matthew!" exclaims Sybil, remembering the dinner party at which Mary accused poor Cousin Matthew of being a sea monster.
"What about Cousin Matthew?" Mary says with a scowl.
"You've just met him, of course!"
Sybil is smiling bemusedly, the wholly irritating expression of someone who has skipped ahead to the end of the story.
"Don't tell me he's still around! Sybil!"
Of course Sybil can't tell her, as they've already established, so she does her best to hide her laughter. Her best is not very good.
"He's really not that bad, Mary, you'll see." She knows Mary won't listen to her now, but as the temporarily elder sister she must impart some advice, however vague. Her sister is travelling a bumpy road, but Sybil at least knows that the destination will make the journey worthwhile.
A quiet moment passes before Sybil rises, and Mary right after her.
"It's lovely to see you, but I should go." This Mary, so young and so angry at the world, is not the woman she needs to speak to, but she'll have to do. She grasps her sister's hands and looks her straight in the eye. "Love her for me, Mary, please."
It's clear that Mary has no idea what she's talking about, but she nods anyway.
Sybil leans in to kiss Mary on the cheek then turns to leave. This is Mary's sanctuary, not hers. "Goodbye, Mary."
She finds Mary sitting in the library, though not the one at Downton. This is Mary's escape. But even in her haven, Mary is as formal as ever, sitting ramrod straight in what looks like it could be a rather cozy chair if cozy were a concept Mary knew the first thing about.
Sybil is struck by how young Mary looks. She recognizes that blue morning dress—it had been one of Mary's favourites, and later looked quite fine on Anna. For the moment, Mary is absorbed in a book, so for once her expression is unguarded. She looks... surprisingly unhappy. All those years ago, Sybil had never realized just how much her elder sister kept hidden beneath a confident public facade, but in retrospect it's painfully obvious.
"Mary," she says, breaking the silence of the library as she steps forward.
Mary startles, but in an instant a blank mask settles over her features.
"Sybil? What are you doing here? And what have you done to your hair?"
"I arrived." A vague answer, but quite suitable for Milliways. "And I cut it. Don't you like it?"
"It's terribly unfashionable, darling."
Sybil laughs gently. Mary did always speak her mind. "That's where you're wrong," she says as she sits in the cozy chair nearest to Mary. "It's the latest thing."
After a moment of confusion, Mary suddenly realizes what's going on. This place is so strange.
"Sybil, how old are you?" she asks.
"Twenty-four," Sybil answers. It's a close approximation of the truth.
Sybil can't stop the pained look that appears on her face when Mary says, "This morning you were only sixteen. You're practically an old woman now!" If Mary notes Sybil's expression, she lets it pass, too busy wondering at the absurdity of the situation.
For really, how often does one come across one's baby sister, suddenly five years older than oneself? There are so many things she would ask, but knows she should not. Chief among them, does Granny succeed in breaking the entail? So much rides upon it.
"Mary, I..."
"Sybil, don't," Mary interrupts. "Whatever it is, I'm dying to know, but I know you can't tell me."
"Yes, well." Exactly what topics of conversation are left on the table, then? Sybil glances at Mary's book, now resting in her lap and settles on, "What's that you're reading?"
"Perseus and Andromeda," says Mary. "From a book that hasn't been published yet."
"Oh! Cousin Matthew!" exclaims Sybil, remembering the dinner party at which Mary accused poor Cousin Matthew of being a sea monster.
"What about Cousin Matthew?" Mary says with a scowl.
"You've just met him, of course!"
Sybil is smiling bemusedly, the wholly irritating expression of someone who has skipped ahead to the end of the story.
"Don't tell me he's still around! Sybil!"
Of course Sybil can't tell her, as they've already established, so she does her best to hide her laughter. Her best is not very good.
"He's really not that bad, Mary, you'll see." She knows Mary won't listen to her now, but as the temporarily elder sister she must impart some advice, however vague. Her sister is travelling a bumpy road, but Sybil at least knows that the destination will make the journey worthwhile.
A quiet moment passes before Sybil rises, and Mary right after her.
"It's lovely to see you, but I should go." This Mary, so young and so angry at the world, is not the woman she needs to speak to, but she'll have to do. She grasps her sister's hands and looks her straight in the eye. "Love her for me, Mary, please."
It's clear that Mary has no idea what she's talking about, but she nods anyway.
Sybil leans in to kiss Mary on the cheek then turns to leave. This is Mary's sanctuary, not hers. "Goodbye, Mary."
