Prologue: 1924

Elsie Hughes paused outside the door to the nursery and listened. She'd never admit it out loud but her favorite part of the day was just before nursery tea, when nanny gathered up George and Sybbie and the children joined the rest of the Crawley's for their afternoon visit. When she had first arrived at Downton, this tradition was followed strictly at The Dowager Countess' insistence, but over the years the rules about children had softened. Especially after Lady Sybil passed away.

She could hear Sybbie, Sybil's daughter, giggling as she no doubt squirmed out of nanny's arms as she attempted to wrangle her into a dress.

"Sybbie, why must you fuss so!" Nanny mumbled, but Elise could hear a smile in her voice. Sybbie's little laugh was infectious. Like her mother's had been.

Elsie placed her hand gently on the door to the nursery and closed her eyes. She remembered when she first arrived at Downton, Sybil was not even yet a twinkle in her mother's eye. Lady Mary was almost five, Lady Edith four. Elise had come to Downton just after Christmas as Lady Grantham's lady's maid. Cora Crawley was all of twenty-four and had married into the Crawley family just a few years earlier. Having failed to yet produce an heir, she lived her days in a sense of perilous tension. Clearly Robert, Earl of Grantham after his father's death, did care deeply for her. But Cora seemed lonesome and rightfully overwhelmed. In less than five years she had come to a new country, married into an aristocratic family that was nothing like the one she had been raised in, and mothered two daughters. And she was still practically a child herself! Not that Elsie was much older- just 33, but old enough to know that Cora had every right to look terrified from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she finally closed them again each night.

That's what Elsie remembered most of all from her first weeks at Downton. The fear in Cora's eyes - and also, the fear in her own whenever she caught sight of herself in her Ladyship's vanity mirror. Had she made the right decision coming to Downton? Could she do her best work here, as opposed to some other estate? Choice had always been agonising for her, and this time was no different. Time had not softened her in that regard.

But, eventually, time did soften her. At least in terms of her anxiety about the future. Listening to Sybbie's giggles and nanny's protestations, Elsie sighed as she stepped away from the nursery door and continued on down the hall. Downton was home - though, she smirked silently to herself- she

hadn't always been so sure.

Chapter One: Downton, Yorkshire, 1895

"M'lord, the new lady's maid has arrived. She's in the parlor." Carson bellowed, pulling Robert out of his reverie. He'd gotten a late start this morning and was still in his bedchamber. Carson had only just finished readying him for the day, only to turn right round again to let him know Cora's new lady's maid had arrived.

"Thank you, Carson. Offer her some tea and her ladyship and I will join her momentarily." Robert said, rising from his bed. Cora's former lady's maid had left a few weeks ago, right after Christmas. She hadn't been with them very long at all - Cora had, unfortunately, been through a number of lady's maids since she arrived at Downton. She insisted that she didn't need one, pray, she didn't want one, and Violet had to explain to her that it was simply how things were done. Whenever Cora disagreed with "how things were done" it inevitably through Violet into a tizzy over Cora's "Americaness" which was about as derogatory of a term as a lady of the Dowager Countess' station would permit herself to voice. Robert mostly stayed mum - not really taken either woman's side in the matter - but now, heading downstairs to greet yet another new face, he exhaustedly hoped that this would be the last one for some while.

Cora met him just as he was about to descend the grand staircase.

"I'm a bit nervous, Robert." she said, touching her hair nervously, "What if this one doesn't like me either?"

Robert furrowed his brow, "What do you mean "doesn't like you?"

"All the previous lady's maids I've had have been so cold toward me."

"Well, Cora, they're hardly here to be your friend- what were you expecting from them other than to do their job?"

Cora shrugged, "I guess a little . . ." she wanted to say patience, but thought better of it, ". . .pleasantness."

Downstairs, Carson was just exiting the parlor, having started tea, and he met them in the foyer.

"I'm sorry Carson, what is this one's name again?" Robert said, making no effort to hide his exasperation. Without so much as blinking, Carson replied,

"A Ms. Elsie Hughes." he said, nodding.

Robert entered the parlor first, and upon seeing him, the woman within put down her tea cup and stood respectfully. She was a few inches shorter than Cora but just as slight. She was dressed crisply in a simple, but respectable, dark plum dress that offset her chestnut hair and wide brown eyes.

"Ms. Hughes, it's a pleasure." Robert said, "Please, have a seat."

The three of them sat down and Carson returned quickly, eyeing the new addition to Downton as he prepared two additional cups of tea for the Earl and Countess.

"We're delighted that you're here." Cora said, her smile feeling forced on her lips. Truthfully, she was delighted - but she was still worried that she would be off putting to this woman just as she had been the others.

"I'm delighted to be here, m'Lady." Elsie responded.

Her Scottish brogue was warm and already Cora was comforted by it.

"Have you the chance to view your quarters?" Cora asked, "I hope you'll find the arrangement suitable."

Hughes brightened, "Oh, yes m'lady. Downton is beautiful all 'round. My last quarters were fairly stark."

"You're from Scotland- yes?" Cora asked, sipping her tea.

"Argyll." Elsie smiled.

"Ah, near the Isles, then." Robert said, "Is your family in the maritime industry?"

"Farming, actually." she blushed, "I admit I didn't see much of a future for myself there."

"Well, I hope you'll find your future at Downton, Ms. Hughes. That being said, it will be in your best interest to make a friend of my valet, Mr. Carson." Robert said, "I think you'll find that of all the domestic staff he is by far the most knowledgeable and certainly stays abreast of my travels, and therefore Cora's. If you have questions about how things are done, he is likely to be your greatest educator. Carson has been at Downton since childhood. His father was my father's valet, you see. Carson became First Footman soon on, I believe he was one of the youngest ever at Downton.*"

"Ah. So, Mr. Carson is a fixture at Downton, then?"

Robert smiled, a hint of nostalgia glistening in his eye, "Yes, and I hope he will be at least as long as I am."

Cora stood, smoothing her skirt and folding her hands neatly in front of her.

"Hughes, I would love for you to join me in my room - we can go over the wardrobe and all that." she smiled, "Get to know one another."

Hughes stood, "It would be my pleasure, m'lady." she turned and bowed her head toward Robert, "Thank you for your time, m'lord. If you'll pardon us."

Cora gave Robert a look of approval and scoped his face for a response. He seemed pleased enough, though he was clearly preoccupied. He had much grander things to tend to on the estate and she had sensed it - having relieved him to continue on with his day, she relished the opportunity to get to better know her new lady's maid - and suss out whether or not she could expect this one to stay.

"I usually take my tea around 9:30, earlier if Robert has risen." Cora said, leading Elsie into her bedroom, "You'll find more often than not Hughes that Robert does not sleep in his dressing room."

Elsie blushed. She didn't comment, but the thought of walking in to wake her ladyship and find, too, his lordship did make her heart flutter a bit. She followed Cora into the room and looked around - it would be of the utmost importance for her to get her bearings so that she could avoid embarrassing mishaps.

"I'm still rather new to the idea of a lady's maid," Cora said, "I'm still rather new to manage things about English life."

Elisie had detected the Countess' accent - she'd known from what she'd overheard in London about the Crawley's that Lord Grantham had married an American heiress - but Cora seemed graceful and very much a lady as far as she was concerned.

"There's an awful lot to know about a country house, m'lady." Hughes said with a smile. After all, she'd only been a lady's maid for a short time herself. Of course she'd been working in country houses since she was a lass - first as a scullery maid and eventually working her way up the chain, taking on more and more responsibility every few years. Even though becoming a lady's maid had been a marked achievement for her, she still had her sights set higher still: someday she hoped to run an entire household. Maybe Downton would afford her that opportunity.

"You surely know more than I do," Cora laughed, "I must say your former employer gave you a deevie recommendation! They were repining, having let you leave."

"Oh, kind of you to say m'ady."

Cora studied her new maid a moment, then, seemingly satisfied, turned toward her vanity. "You've arrived in time to help me ready for luncheon." Gathering her skirts and sitting daintily down in the chair in front of her dressing table, Cora turned back to Elsie and smiled, "I'm sure you're up to date on the latest hairstyles from London. Show me?"