Hey guys, me again. Here is the next fic in my series, which I think is going be another short one, unless my muse decides otherwise, but I'm going to make it loving a fluffy. Thanks to everyone who sticks by my fics and gives me support and reviews, I am appreciate them all.

Ella laid back against the cool of her pillows and smiled contentedly as she ran her hand over her small, but growing baby bump. She glanced to her left and her grin broadened as she looked lovingly at her husband, who was watching her intently. He placed his hand over hers.

After a few moments, Ella shuffled uncomfortably and without having to say a word to him, Henry instantly began to prop her up and fluff up her pillows. She was greatful for his attention to her needs, but she did wish that he would stop worrying and fussing so much.

In the couple of weeks that had passed since they had discovered the welcome news that she was still pregnant, Henry and Doctor Clarkson had confined her to bed to rest and to recuperate after the ordeal of the initial miscarriage. Even though she hated not being able to get up, she knew that it was for her baby, so she agreed to everything Henry told her to do, even if it was with a little reluctance.

Their news about their baby had been welcomed with great delight by their families and the staff as well. Elsie and Charlie, in their capacity as housekeeper and butler, had taken great pride in announcing the news to their subordinates, even though they couldn't be honest and tell them it was their grandchild.

'I don't want any noise outside Lady Aurelia's room or in the corridor during this time.' Elsie had instructed the maids authoritively and she had increased her patrols of the gallery to ensure that everyone did as they were instructed. She also used it as an excuse to pop in to see her daughter more often.

But recent events had meant that she and Charlie were forced to postpone their moving into their cottage together, which was causing Elsie great turmoil. Of course she wanted to be alone with her husband and to start their life together as husband and wife properly, but she couldn't bear the thought of leaving her daughter at such a crucial time, which Charlie did understand, but it had led to a disagreement between them first.

It had all started because the room in which they had been staying in together, had been required by the Duke and Duchess of Kent; this meant that they were required to return to their old rooms in the attics, separated from each other. The development had prompted Charlie to suggest that they think about moving into the cottage.

'…after all, Ella is now in recovery and doesn't need as much care as we were giving her.' He had said, but it wasn't said unkindly. 'Perhaps now is the right time for us to move out and start our own lives together.'

'I couldn't possibly leave her at a time like this! She's still grieving for the child that she lost and I still need to care for her in some way, she is my daughter.' Elsie had replied a little more defensively than she had intended.

'I don't understand you Elsie; you say that you are irritated by the fact we cannot spend any quality time together, in private, but you won't move into our cottage where we can be alone!' He had said with frustration.

'No, I don't suppose you would understand.' She had replied angrily and had then left her sitting room. 'Goodnight Mr Carson.' She added tersely, referring to him formally to demonstrate her point.

He'd sat alone in her sitting room for a least an hour, angry at himself for upsetting her and for being so tactless. He hadn't meant to be. It had been such a stressful few weeks for his family, that it was finally taking its toll on him, but he was taking out his frustrations on the wrong person.

His emotions had been every which way. First, there was his beautiful wedding to his beautiful wife, the happiest day of his life, which had then led to his first Christmas with his wife and daughter, and he couldn't have asked for anything nicer; but, in a heartbeat, it had all changed for them. After knowing for only a few short hours that he was to be a grandfather, Ella had taken ill and had lost the baby and he had felt devastated. However, he had to be strong for the women in his life, so he could never reveal to them both how truly devastated he really felt; not to mention the fact that he had to continue to run the house, whilst hiding these emotions. Then, to top it all off, after weeks of helping both Ella and Elsie in their grief, they discover that Ella was still pregnant, having lost only one of the twins that she had been carrying. So it was only natural that he felt drained physically and emotionally.

After he had sat alone though and thought it through, he realised that he had done something he had promised he never would; he had tried to force Elsie to do something she didn't want to do and he now felt so ashamed of himself.

He had known exactly what needed to be done to put it right and he believed that they should never go to bed on an argument. So, after switching off all the lights downstairs, he'd crept up into the women's quarters of the attics and had knocked lightly on her door before sneaking inside. She, of course, was still wide awake, wracked with guilt for the way she had spoken to him; so when she saw him, she instantly sat up and broke down in tears in his arms.

'I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me.' She'd sobbed.

'I do; maternal protection, which is just the way it should be, of course. I should never have tried chivvying and bullying you into to doing something you didn't want to do and I am so sorry that I did.' He had whispered as he sat next to her on the bed, with his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulder. 'Can you forgive me?'

'Of course I can, you daft man.' She'd replied with a watery smile as she looked up at him and he inclined his head slightly to kiss her.

'I'll make it up to you properly, when we are either in our own private room again or in our cottage.' He had whispered with a mischievous wiggle of his eyebrows, which had made Elsie giggle.

'Why don't you try sleeping in here with me tonight? My bed might not be big, but I'm sure it will take the both of us.' She'd suggested and with a bit on manoeuvring and shuffling around, that is what they had done, but the conversation had played on her mind for a few days after.

Ella was completely oblivious to the argument and to her mam's dilemma, as both Elsie and Charlie had kept it from her; at a time like this, there were just some things that she didn't need to know.

'Now Ella, please remember to ring for what you need. I know that you hate treat your mother like staff, or having someone wait on you at all for that matter, but you need complete bed rest and that means letting people do things for you.' Henry said as he dressed himself.

'Darling will you please stop worrying so much about me. I promise, that if I need anything, I will call for mam, but I hope that I'm not going to have to do this for the next six months.' She replied calmly, but her tone sounded somewhat tired.

'You will do it for as long as I tell you to.' He replied with a smile as he kissed her, which he had intended to be a quick peck at first, but he soon found himself sat on the bed next to her, kissing her properly and getting completely lost in their embrace. 'I really need to go, as much as I would rather sit here kissing you all day, I do have patients that need me.' He whispered with a smile.

'Well than, Doctor Forbes, I had better let you go then, hadn't I?' Ella replied with a grin.

'And just remember what I said, you must ring downstairs if you need anything.' He said as he walked round the side of the bed.

'I promise I will ring,' Ella replied as she then pulled twice on the cord beside her. 'See, I can do as I'm told sometimes.' She added and watched as he left.

'Downstairs the servants were all sat to breakfast, with the likes of Anna and Bates coming and going and bells ringing occasionally, when the bell to the Mercia room rang twice, which was Ella and Elsie's secret code to say that Ella wanted her mam.

'That's Lady Aurelia ringing Mrs Carson; would you like me to go to her?' Anna asked once she had returned from seeing to Lady Edith.

'That's quite alright Anna, I'll go to her.' Elsie replied as she finished the toast she was eating, swigged down the last couple of mouthfuls of tea and then left the servants' hall.

'You rang Milady?' Elsie said jokingly as she walked into her daughter's room and received a disapproving glare from Ella, although the corners of her mouth did twitch.

'Good morning Mrs Carson, I trust you are well.' Ella replied, with the most formal tone that she could muster and they both began to laugh as Elsie took her seat beside Ella's bed.

'I am very well; how are you? Has Henry already left?' Elsie asked as she dropped her playful tone and returned to her normal cheery, yet motherly, tone that she so often adopted now when she was with her daughter.

'I'm fine thank you; I just wish I was allowed to get up and move around, but I'm under strict instructions.'

'And quite right too! We want to look after you both, so you will jolly well let us.' Elsie replied as she took a hold of Ella's hand.

'How's Dad this morning, he hasn't been in to see me yet.'

'He is fine, in fact he was just about to go into the dining room to serve breakfast when I came up.'

'Does that mean that I'm keeping you back from something?'

'No, not at all; you know I always have time to come to see you, always. Although was there actually something you needed or did you just want to see me?'

'No, not really; I just wanted us to spend some time together. I get a bit lonely in here sometimes and I also wanted to speak with you about something.'

'Oh and what is that pray tell?'

'Do you know what day it is tomorrow?' Ella asked apprehensively, unsure as to how to broach the subject.

'Of course, it's the twenty-first tomorrow.' Elsie replied with confusion and Ella gave a small laugh.

'Yes, it is the twenty-first, but that isn't quite what I meant. Tomorrow is the first anniversary, of the day that I found out that you are my mother.'

'I can't believe that I forgot a date like that.' Elsie replied with stunned disbelief and she felt a sudden pang of guilt and pain that she had felt a year earlier and Ella noted it.

'That's quite alright mam, perhaps it's a day you would rather forget?' She asked.

'Yes and no,' Elsie replied as she moved from her chair to the bed and she gripped Ella's hand tightly as she tried to find the words. 'I do love you; I hope you know that…'

'…Of course I know that Mam and I hope you know how much I love you too, it's why I brought it up…'

'Well then, I hope you can appreciate that I have mixed feelings about that day and the days that followed it. Whilst I am delighted that you now know the truth and that I no longer have to lie to you, I would much rather it had remained a secret than to have put you through the pain that I caused you.' Elsie explained apologetically.

'Mam, I love my parents, very much and I adore them all the more for what they did for you, and for me too, and yes, when you all had to reveal the truth to me it hurt, very much; but I would go through that pain ten times over to have you in my life. If we ignore all of the horrible times we've shared in the past year, we've had some really lovely times too and I'm sure there'll be many more to come. Which is why I want to celebrate tomorrow with you. I don't want to be reminded of the circumstances behind you telling me or indeed the circumstances behind you being my mother, if you know what I mean; but I want to celebrate the fact that you are my mam and our first year together.' Ella explained with a small smile.

'That's such a beautiful thing Ella; perhaps you are right. We have been through quite a lot together, you and I, in the last year; it might be nice to celebrate the good things and forget about the bad. What did you have in mind? Nothing too strenuous I hope?' Elsie replied with stern delight.

'No, nothing strenuous at all. I just wondered if it would be possible that you could take your half day tomorrow afternoon and we could sit up here and spend some quality time together. I'll ask Mrs Patmore to make us some cakes and some sandwiches and tea, although what reason I'll give her I don't know, but I'll think about that closer to the time.'

'Oh yes that's right, you don't know about Mrs Patmore do you?' Elsie said suddenly as she remembered the conversation that she had with the cook on Christmas night. 'Mrs Patmore knows that you are my daughter.'

'What?! But how?! Is she going to tell anyone?!' Ella asked as her heart lurched up into her throat.

'Don't go getting yourself all upset Ella, it's perfectly alright.'

'Please don't think that I mind her knowing because I'm ashamed of you, I most certainly am not, but I don't want to risk the world finding out and it causing a scandal; Mama and Papa don't deserve the scrutiny and you don't deserve to have your name dragged through the mud either; so can she keep our secret safe?'

'Of course I don't think you're ashamed of me; heavens above I know you better than that. But, yes she can keep our secret. I think she's known for years to be honest, perhaps not quite the truth that you're my daughter, but she knew that there was something between us long ago. I haven't told her our entire story and she hasn't asked, but she knows who I am to you now.' Elsie explained calmly and feared that the stress of her news may have affected Ella's already fragile blood pressure.

'Oh, I see; so she won't mind making us a few treats then.'

'I'm sure she won't mind in the slightest and I'm sure that your dad won't mind me taking the afternoon off either.' Elsie said as she finally stood. 'I'd better get moving, I need to check on the maids and run an inventory on the linen cupboard, especially if I'm to take tomorrow afternoon off. Can I get you anything to eat?'

'No thank you Mam,' Ella replied, much to her mam's disapproval.

'Right I'll bring you some eggs and toast then.' Elsie replied as she walked out of the bedroom before Ella could object.