So this story is based loosely on my Elsie/Ella series, but it explores what would have happened if Elsie hadn't given Ella up to Cora and Robert and how different their lives would have been. Hope you enjoy =)

Elsie prised her eyes open and tried to blink a few times to clear the fog of unconsciousness, but the searing pain from her head made her wish she hadn't woken. As she became more familiar with her surroundings, she heard some movement above her and realised that Richard Crawley was still in the room with her, straightening his clothes and redressing himself, making himself look like the respectable gentleman that she knew he wasn't.

She tried not to move, tried not to draw attention to herself and the fact that she was awake again, but her body was throbbing from his treatment of her, harsh and brutal. The hard floor made her already sore back worse and she shed a few silent tears, which fell down the side of her face and onto the carpet.

As Richard left the room, she breathed a sigh of relief and allowed herself to sob, but she tried to keep herself as quite as possible, as she sat up shakily, but she froze in horror when she heard a voice outside the room.

'Mr Crawley, his Lordship asked me to look for you as he was concerned that you might have forgotten that dinner was to be ready for eight o'clock.' Charlie said as he met with Richard on the gallery.

'Thank you Mr Carson; I realise that I am rather late, but I had some business to attend to and I was rather delayed.' Richard replied.

Elsie waited until she was certain that both Richard Crawley and Mr Carson were well away from her, before she dragged herself up onto the edge of the bed, where she finally released a couple of desperate, choked sobs of pain and complete anguish.

She clutched at herself and felt sick with repulsion as she tried to straighten her dress, which was ripped from where he had violently pulled at her. She was disgusted with herself; how could she have let this happen? She felt dirty and used.

Not caring about the rest of her work, her Ladyship's dress laid abandoned on the floor, the one Elsie had been holding at the time she had fallen, as she stumbled to her feet and then limped out of the room. The very dim glow from the candles on the wall cast eerie shadows, which frightened Elsie even more. She wasn't normally afraid of the dark, but nothing was ever going to be the same for her now. She hastily grabbed an oil lamp from the side table, and shone the slim light around her, only proceeding once she was certain that she was alone; but as she walked towards the servants' door, she nearly died of fright at the sound of a deep, rumbling voice behind her.

'Miss Hughes what are you still doing up here? Mrs Niven served the servant's tea almost an hour ago.' Charlie said as he approached her, but gasped in shock when he saw her sobbing, dishevelled state. 'What's happened? Who's done this to you?' He demanded angrily.

'Nothing has happened; I fell and banged my head, knocked myself unconscious and that's it.' Elsie replied quickly, but she knew that it was a feeble explanation.

'I need you to tell me what exactly has happened and who was that has done this to you.' He repeated with a much calmer tone as he brushed a loose hair from her face, but he backed away from her a little when she flinched at his touch.

'I can't tell you that Mr Carson; you wouldn't believe me if I did and I will lose my job if the family find out.' She said as she tried not to sound hysterical, but at her words, Charlie suddenly put two and two together as it dawned on him why Mr Crawley had been late.

'Was it Richard Crawley who did this to you?'

Elsie couldn't reply and her silence was answer enough for Charlie.

'You've got to tell someone, Mrs Pembroke at least, Miss Hughes.' He whispered.

'No, I can't tell anyone and I will not discuss this further, with you or with anyone else. Do you understand Mr Carson? No one must find out about this.' She said angrily. 'Now, I'm going up to my room and I will not be coming down again tonight. Please tell her Ladyship that I've been taken ill.' She added as she quickly left the poor man standing in her wake and she was totally unaware that he heard her sobs as she ran all the way upstairs.

He felt his heart breaking at the thought that someone had hurt her, the woman that he was secretly in love with and now all he wanted to do was help her, to protect her in a way that he hadn't protected her to avoid her attack and he knew exactly what to do.

He walked downstairs and back into the dining room where Richard sat with the family and guests, drinking wine, laughing and joking, as if nothing had happened. Charlie picked up the decanter of wine and began to top up the glasses of the people in front of him, but when he arrived at Richard's empty glass, Charlie "accidently" spilt it on him.

'Oh I am so sorry Milord, please forgive me.' He said as he feigned his sorrow and handed the decanter to one of the footmen as he tried to help Richard.

'That's quite alright Mr Carson, I'm certain it was my mistake; I moved as you were pouring.' Richard said as he tried to brush it off. 'I'll just nip up stairs and change.' He added as he stood up.

'Please, allow me to assist you.' Charlie said as he followed Richard out of the dining room and waited until they were alone together upstairs.

As they entered Richard's bedroom, Charlie suddenly grabbed him by the arm and twisted it up his back, then pushed him into the wall opposite them, which was met by Richard's protests.

'I will have you for this! I will have your job!' He shouted as he huffed and struggled against Charlie's restraint; but unlike Elsie, he was a lot stronger than Richard Crawley.

'You can have it as far as I'm concerned, but let me warn you first, that if you EVER touch Elsie again, I will tell Lord Grantham what you did tonight. I know what you did, I know the monster that you are and you repulse me. Just because you are a Lord, does not mean that you can attack a defenceless woman!' Charlie snarled.

'Who would believe anything she or you say over me?' Richard retorted as Charlie slammed him into the wall again as he struggled.

'I believe her! And I will make sure that everyone else does too if you don't leave this house tomorrow!' Charlie said.

'And why would I do that when I haven't done anything wrong? Alright I should never have let her seduce me like that; I hope she's not after money…'

'No, don't you dare try to make out that she's in any way to blame for your actions. You attacked her and if you want to leave here under the power of your own legs, I strongly suggest that you keep those sorts of tales to yourself!'

Whilst Charlie was downstairs defending Elsie's honour, to which she was completely oblivious, she was sat in the bath, desperately scrubbing at her skin. She was badly bruised and marked from the attack and her body still ached as she tried to submerse herself in the water. She was red raw, but she continued to scratch the brush against her, but she felt dirty just the same.

She laid back against the side of the bath and cried, a few tears at first, but she soon allowed herself to cry uncontrollably and she couldn't stop herself once she had started. What was she going to do? Could she bear to work and live in the house again? Well she had no choice but to continue working there, as her family back home were depending on her; but it didn't make her feel any better. She had a lot of healing to do and she wasn't exactly sure where to begin.