Something old
Marriage preparations for Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes.
~oOo~
In the end no one was surprised when the butler of Downton Abbey announced he was going to marry the housekeeper and they would both retire as soon as their replacements were properly trained.
Only three of them smiled inwardly and knew they had been right for many years.
The first was Anna Bates. If anyone knew, it had to be her. She was head housemaid and she also visited Mrs Hughes in her sitting room on a regular basis. Discussing household matters. Having a cup of tea, while discussing more household matters. Discussing new maids. Helen is doing very well, but I'm not sure about Mabel. Discussing schedules and rota's and linen checks, and in the end they just had tea together even when nothing had to be discussed. So she couldn't help noticing the roses on the housekeeper's desk and the butler's frequent visits. 'Oh, I see you're busy Mrs Hughes. I wanted to ask you something but it can wait,' and he disappeared again, when he saw she wasn't alone. And she noticed Mrs Hughes' smile when he closed the door behind him.
The second was lady Mary. A lady she was, and as such she didn't pay attention to staff matters apart from her own maid. One exception there was though, and that was Carson. Her father had been on and off, and then off for a long time because of the Boer war, but Carson had always been there for her when she was a little girl. A tall man with a deep grumbling voice, she'd gone to him when she wanted to feel protected. He'd put her on his knee, tell her a story and knew exactly what to say to make her feel better.
Now, being a grown up Lady, she still had a soft spot for Carson and she saw the signs that no one else upstairs noticed, and she smiled.
The third was Mrs Patmore, and when the news was announced she smiled broadly. Mission accomplished, she thought to herself. She had known Mr Carson was in love with the housekeeper long before he knew it himself. His behaviour during those dreadful weeks many years ago when Mrs Hughes didn't know whether she was going to live or die, had left nothing to her imagination. Still, it had been frustrating to watch them grow closer year after year while waiting for Mr Carson finally admitting to himself he loved the housekeeper. It had taken lots of nudges from the cook, some gentle, some not so very gentle and it had earned her many a frown, but it had been worth it. When she saw the stars in Mrs Hughes's eyes, she knew he had declared himself and she couldn't have been happier for the two of them.
o-o-o
So in the end, when the butler and housekeeper announced their intention to get married everyone was happy… except Mr Branson.
He was the manager of the estate and he felt sorry he had nothing but a very old, neglected cottage to offer them.
On their next half day together, Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes visited the house, accompanied by Mr Branson.
'Oh look Charles! A nice sitting room and a large kitchen with access to the garden! It's lovely!' Mrs Hughes beamed. 'All it needs is a little paint!'
'There's no bathroom or lavatory, 'Mr Carson remarked.
'It doesn't look much,' Mr Branson admitted. 'Old Mr Trent has been living here for thirty years and refused any maintenance. But the roof and the beams and floorboards are still in good shape so if you'll have it, I'll have the lads fix it up pretty for you and we'll build in a nice bathroom.'
'But you shouldn't go through so much trouble for us…'
'Don't worry about that. It's simply overdue maintenance and it's necessary. Mr Trent might have been happy with a loo in the backyard but no one else these days will, Lord Grantham knows that as well. You'll be alright Mrs Hughes.' He smiled warmly at the housekeeper. 'I'll make sure you'll have the nicest cottage on the estate, you deserve nothing less.'
o-o-o-o
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