Author's Note: Sorry, the obligatory death!fic has to be written. Of course, now that it has been, there is no way this will ever be reproduced on screen, even remotely! (Here's hoping anyway!) Based on what we've seen in series three so far and of possible speculation about things to come. Don't read if you want to remain spoiler-free!

Though Carson protests he should be the one to inform His Lordship, Mrs Hughes is the more sensitive of the two and understands that Her Ladyship would want to be told first. After all, this concerns her most of all. It's irrelevant anyway as Her Ladyship has awoken and has made her way downstairs in response to the commotion. Elsie meets her at the bottom of the stairs and her grey pallor instantly tells Cora that all is not well.

"Your Ladyship, I think you should sit down." Elsie indicated they should go through to the servant's hall where everyone else was soothing their nerves with tea.

"Tell me what's going on first." Elsie swallowed hard and found the will to tell Cora the truth.

"I'm terribly sorry to have to tell you this Milady, but it's Miss O'Brien..."

"Is she alright? What's happened to her?"

"Thomas found her in her room. I'm afraid she's dead." Cora swooned on the spot and thankfully Elsie's reflexes were still sharp despite all she had been through these last few months. The Housekeeper caught the lady of the house and with the help of Mr Carson they got her into a chair in the servant's hall. Daisy helped Mrs Patmore to fuss and brought the Countess a cup of sweetened tea.

Thomas had uncharacteristically fallen to pieces after he'd discovered the body of his friend, although that hadn't exactly been a word that had described their relationship recently. He'd been jealous of the attention Sarah had paid to her young nephew Alfred and the fact that her enthusiasm to help him climb the ladder with haste had come unconditionally. Between them they had always helped to scratch each other's backs when the situation demanded it. It had worked perfectly well until Alfred had come along. Things had become rather unpleasant recently and Thomas was loathe to admit that he had gotten quite out of his depth going up against his former friend. She'd begun by sarcastic rebuttals and had ended up exposing his sexuality to his colleagues. He'd only just managed to get over that particular incident, and it hadn't come at a small price. Despite what the household thought at that moment in time, Thomas did not hate Sarah. All of this sparring had been brought about by simple jealousy and the fact that Sarah had been naturally inclined to want to help her nephew in any way that she could. Thomas hadn't had a family willing to go so far for him and Sarah had become his sole advocate during the years they had worked together. He had felt like she was pushing him aside and that he would no longer be important to her. Yes, he was vain and insecure, but given his history surely Sarah hadn't been surprised?

Cora came to in the servant's hall surrounded by the staff in varying states of disarray and emotion. Seeing Daisy's young face quite obviously upset but trying her best not to show it only brought everything to the fore. Cora looked up at her housekeeper with her expressive blue eyes shimmering with tears.

"Mrs Hughes, please take me to her. I want to see her." The stalwart housekeeper shared a look with Carson and shook her head gently.

"I don't think that's a good idea Milady. Perhaps once some…arrangements have been made it would be better?" Cora didn't want anyone to touch her maid's body and make her up into some parody of the woman she was, had once been. She would rather see Sarah's face as it had been in those final few moments of life.

"Thank you for your concern Mrs Hughes, but I wish to see Sar…O'Brien as she is now." Elsie couldn't argue with Her Ladyship any further, after all she had spent the better part of twenty years in close company with the embittered Lady's Maid.

Cora passed Thomas in the hallway and they shared an intense look of mutual grief. Cora knew that all had not been well between him and O'Brien, but his miserably pitiful expression along with his red-rimmed eyes, indicated an obvious distress. Cora had not been so blind to think that her maid was an angel and had realised that she and Thomas shared responsibility of the schemes and practical jokes, but she had honestly not thought that they had meant any ill will or great harm to the rest of the staff. Thomas gave her the briefest of nods and the most apologetic of looks before turning back to Anna in need of the comfort she was so willingly offering in that most terrible of circumstances.

"Oh my Darling!" Cora exclaimed after she had been left alone with Sarah's body. She hurried to the younger woman's side and took a rapidly cooling hand in hers. Cora sat in a chair next to the bed and as close to Sarah as she could. After a few moments to take in the fact that her Lady's Maid was actually dead Cora sobbed all over again.

"I didn't know my love. Until this awful moment I hadn't realised. Perhaps somewhere, deep down, we both knew. I'm so sorry; I wish so many things could have been different." Cora heard muffled shuffling coming from outside Sarah's door and she knew that she didn't have much time left before things proceeded in their proper manner. She leant over Sarah's body and kissed her pale cheek firmly.

"But know this, I love you with all my heart and I will never forget you." A tentative knock broke Cora from her moment and she wiped away the tears as best she could. With one last kiss to Sarah's unresponsive lips, Cora's mask of propriety slipped back into place and she once again became the Countess of Grantham.