It had been a long 28 years. Elsie Campbell wasn't even sure who she was anymore in the grand scheme of things. Born into nobility in Scotland; she'd grown up with all the finest things money and prestige could buy. Beautiful clothes, a small army of servants, and anything her parents money could buy her really.
Elsie Campbell, however, could not stand that boring humdrum life. The thought of waiting until someone married her; then repeating the same boring life she already had made her bristle with tension. So at the age of 19, Elsie stole away from Inveraray Castle in the middle of the night. She took with her, the only friend she could really trust – Richard Campbell, her cousin and best friend. Richard was leaving to escape his own parents; who had told him that his dream of becoming a doctor and a healer was something for someone of the middle class to pursue.
They made their journey over weeks by carriage. Elsie Campbell, for the first time in her life, had to work. Like everything she did though, she took to it fast. She had to, if they were to survive. She scrubbed floors of the guest houses they stayed in to earn their keep; and earn enough money to travel on to their next stop. Eventually, they made it to London.
Life in London was difficult. Elsie and Richard had to work hard at just surviving. They both changed their last name; Elsie Hughes was a young widow from Scotland who was travelling with her brother Richard Clarkson. They rented a small room. Elsie cleaned and cooked in a small pub to get by.
Until the day, at the young age of 21, Elsie Hughes became a spy.
A young gentleman had been coming into the pub she had been working in. He had attempted all night to flirt with her. She had tried to ignore him; but he kept on. Soon, he was coming in nightly; and after closing, he and Elsie would share a drink and a chat. He was new to his position as Butler of the Grantham House; serving Lord Grantham who was new to his own position as well; having just lost his father. Or so he said.
Elsie didn't mean for it to happen. But one night, things got – a little heated. Things went a little too far, and she and the young butler soon found themselves both drunk and canoodling naked in Elsie's small bed after a night of passion. Both of them were still tipsy; drunk off the liquor they'd imbibed in and drunk off their lovemaking. That's when he made his confession: he, Charles Carson, was not a butler. He was a spy. Sent by the government to spy on the nobility; who had been making deals with foreign diplomats what would undermine the entire country and put them all at war. He'd soon be returning to Downton Abbey with the family.
And he wanted her to come with him. Charles didn't just want her to come with him because of their relationship; although of course that was in the back of both of their minds. He told her that from the moment he noticed her in the pub that he'd known she could help their country. Her hard work ethic combined with her sympathetic smile could win over staff and family alike. Together, they could infiltrate Downton (during the day anyways; Charles had other plans for Elsie at night).
So there she found herself, 28 years later. 28 years of back-breaking labor. During the week she was Elsie Hughes, housekeeper. Staff relied on her for her guidance. They trusted her enough to tell her all the secrets that the family had. On her one half day a week; she traveled in to town to report to Charles' supervisor. There were only three people who knew the true Elsie Hughes; Elsie herself, her cousin Richard (the government had found a way to ensure he became the doctor in town), and her boss Charles Carson. Well, boss during the daylight hours. Entirely something different at night.
Mundane was how Elsie and Charles really described. 28 years and not a single break. To be honest, Elsie felt more like a housekeeper and less like a spy. The one person she didn't feel like was Elsie Campbell. No, Elsie Campbell was long gone. Oh, Elsie Hughes, in truth was gone too. She'd been Elsie Carson for 20 years now; not that anyone knew that secret either.
Until Lady Edith got a curious letter from an older nobleman in Scotland. She'd met during the season in London. He'd never been married; and he'd taken quite a shine to Lady Edith. William Campbell intended to visit her and her family.
When world trickled down to Elsie, it took all she had not to faint dead away. William Campbell was her brother. Despite the years, she knew he'd recognize her at once.
So it came, when William Campbell called upon the family, that Elsie Hughes made every possible excuse to avoid him. She feigned illness. When the staff and family still badgered her, she feigned worse illness. With the help of Charles and Richard, everyone was finally made to believe that she was deathly ill and that only Charles was permitted to check on her.
It worked for the first two days. But Elsie Hughes was a restless soul and soon found the four walls of her room stifling. She decided it couldn't possibly hurt to sneak out the back after everyone had gone to sleep and before Charles came to call on her. She needed to breathe some fresh air or else she'd scream.
Elsie snuck out. She was so happy to be out of her room that she didn't notice the smell of cigarettes around the courtyard wall. She turned the corner and smacked right into Thomas Barrow – who was sharing a smoke with, of all people, the dignified William Campbell. Thomas and William mumbled an apology before William turned around, doing a double take.
And so it was. Elsie was busted. She begged and pleaded with William; but he had never liked her. He had liked her even less when she ran off taking their favorite cousin and leaving him to deal with their rather dreadful parents. The next morning, William announced to Crawley family that Elsie Hughes was indeed Elsie Campbell. And that Elsie Campbell was richer than they could dream of at Downton Abbey.
To say you could hear a pin drop would have been an understatement. Until Charles Carson, ever the gentleman came to the rescue. He couldn't stand by and let Elsie try to explain why she'd chosen to become a housekeeper instead of live her life of nobility and lavishness. Thinking quickly on his feet, he told the family that Elsie had fallen in love with him when she'd run away to London, and their love was so strong that they'd decided to stay together. That she'd given up returning to her family home to follow him.
It was partially the truth; anyways. They were deeply in love. The Crawley family knew that; it was quite obvious;they didn't know about the secret marriage (or the nightly visits either). Although they were sad, they bid Elsie and Charles goodbye; William insisted Elsie return and properly marry the rogue she'd been with all this time. Even if he was a butler.
So it came to pass that the Crawley family, including the Dowager Countess herself, traveled to Inveraray Castle for a Christmas wedding. Elsie Campbell/Hughes/Carson wed Charles Carson.
And they lived happily ever after. Because, you see, they found something out. The best way to truly spy on the nobility was not to pretend to serve the nobility. The best way to truly infiltrate the rich and noble? Was to be the rich and noble themselves.