Thanks for reading and reviewing. Apparently this was not a one-shot like I thought. It will probably be about 3 chapters long. Hope you enjoy!
The next morning Elsie rose from her bed at the six o'clock knock and quickly got dressed, her heart pounding and her legs trembling. She had never been so nervous in her life. Her fate would be decided today and, although she was optimistic, she was also a realist. It was very possible that Lord Grantham would ask her or both of them to resign. She didn't think he would toss them out into the night without any notice or payment, but neither could she completely talk herself out of the fear that she and Charles would have to leave Downton. She made her way downstairs and to her sitting room. She studied the place, wondering if it would be her workplace for much longer. She sighed and walked to the servants' hall to sit down for breakfast. Charles appeared soon and sat down at the head of the table.
"Good morning, Elsie," he murmured.
"Good morning," she replied. "Did you sleep well?"
"I'm afraid not. I kept thinking about what might happen this morning." He looked into her eyes. "And I was missing you, of course."
Elsie blushed. "A consequence of our getting married on a whim. We've no home of our own."
"We will, though, Elsie," he assured her. "Whatever happens, you must never worry that anything on this earth could tear us apart."
She smiled. "You're very eloquent."
"Well, I do try, though I don't think I succeed very often."
"So when does his lordship intend to put us out of our misery?"
"He only said it would be this morning, but I suspect he'll summon us after the upstairs breakfast."
"Was he very shocked?" Elsie asked. "When you told him last night?"
"There is no doubt he was shocked, but otherwise I would say he seemed tired rather than angry."
She nodded. "I hope that bodes well for us."
Breakfast was served in the servants' hall shortly and then the bells started ringing and Charles went to serve breakfast upstairs. The earl and his two younger daughters were sharing the meal, Lady Mary not being well enough to come down that morning.
Charles noticed that Lord Grantham was eating very slowly and wondered if he were unwell until he realized that his employer was probably waiting for Lady Edith and Lady Sybil to leave so he could speak privately with the butler.
Sure enough, as soon as they were alone, Lord Grantham got up from his seat and spoke briefly. "Carson, I'd like to see you in the library in a quarter of an hour." Charles inclined his head in acceptance of the command. "Please bring your wife with you."
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Gwen stood hidden in the servery until she was sure that Lord Grantham and Mr. Carson were both gone. As she cleared the breakfast dishes, her mind worked to understand what she just overheard. What could his lordship possibly mean, speaking to Mr. Carson about his wife? Butlers don't get married, do they? She hurriedly finished her task and went in search of Anna. They were meant to be working together on some of the bedrooms, so it wasn't hard to find her friend. As soon as they were in Lady Sybil's room with the door closed, Gwen poured out the story of what she had just overheard. It was a short story, but mystifying to her.
Anna looked thoughtful. "I can't imagine Mr. Carson keeping something like a wife a secret for very long. He must have been married only recently."
Gwen was doubtful. "You don't think it might have been a kind of a joke between them?"
Anna shook her head. "No, I think Mr. Carson's gone and got himself a wife."
"Do you know who she is?"
"I think I do."
"You'd better tell me, Anna!"
"Calm down and I will, but let's not just stand around chattering."
"You're right. We'd better get moving or Mrs. Hughes might catch us gossiping." She rolled up some dirty sheets and put them on the floor.
"I think Mrs. Hughes is probably too busy for that right now," Anna said, more to herself than to her companion, as they put fresh sheets on the bed.
Gwen began to understand. "Anna, you're not saying what I think you're saying…? That Mr. Carson's married to… That Mrs. Hughes is… on the way to meet with his lordship in the library? What on earth makes you think that?"
"Well, they went to Ripon together yesterday."
"Did they?"
Anna nodded. "And did you notice what was on her finger this morning?"
Gwen gasped. "A wedding ring?!"
Anna shook her head. "No, but she had a little piece of silken ribbon tied around the ring finger of her left hand."
"Why wouldn't Mr. Carson just buy a wedding ring?"
"I suspect he will. But I believe they made an impulsive plan to get married yesterday."
"That doesn't sound like him. Or her, for that matter."
"I agree. But it's the only explanation. I might not have thought so, except I happened to see them come in yesterday afternoon. There was nothing extraordinary in their behavior, but Mrs. Hughes had a little posy of white roses with ribbons tied around it."
"Maybe he just bought her flowers. It doesn't mean they're married."
"You're the one who heard his lordship mention Mr. Carson's wife. Who else do you think it is, then? Miss O'Brien?" At this both of the girls giggled. They left the room and were about to go into the next bedroom, when they heard footsteps in the great hall below. Both of them froze and tried to be silent. Mr. Carson's distinctive voice could be heard, though he was not speaking loudly enough to be understood. The voice of his companion could hardly be heard at all, though there was clearly a conversation happening between them. Then they were silent and their footsteps could be heard once more. Anna and Gwen had a view of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes pausing just outside the library door. The couple looked at each other and clasped hands briefly before Mr. Carson opened the door and they passed through it. The two girls hurried into Lady Edith's room before they spoke.
"So it's true!" Gwen exclaimed. "What do you think his lordship wants with them?"
Anna shrugged. "That I couldn't tell you. But I hope there isn't any trouble over it."
"What kind of trouble would there be?"
"It's not exactly conventional to have a butler and housekeeper married, much less to each other. His lordship might very well sack one or both of them."
"He wouldn't do that, would he?"
"I don't think so. But I suppose we'll find out soon enough."
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Charles and Elsie stood in the library facing Lord Grantham, who was studying them carefully.
"Thank you for responding so quickly to my summons," the earl said calmly. "Before we go any further, I'd like to offer my most sincere congratulations on your marriage, Mrs. Carson. I've already given my best wishes to your husband, but a bride should never be neglected."
"Thank you, my lord," Elsie replied.
"I am sorry to have kept you waiting so long for my answer, but I was far too tired last night to make any sort of decision. You may be sure, however, that I have now considered all angles of the situation."
Charles caught Elsie's eye and gave her an almost imperceptible wink before Lord Grantham continued.
"It's not usually done this way, as I'm sure you are aware."
"Yes, my lord," Charles agreed.
"Traditionally, one or both of you would leave service, but since Carson has told me he will not be separated from his wife, my options are to keep you both or to lose you both."
Charles nodded.
"After consulting with her ladyship, I've decided to keep you both in service of this house, but under slightly different terms. We function so well with both of you at the helm that I only considered your departure for a few seconds. What would we do without you, both of you?"
"Different terms, your lordship?" Elsie questioned.
"Yes. Under your current terms of employment, you are housed in attic rooms here at Downton Abbey. Under the new terms, you'll be housed in a cottage on the estate, to be made ready as soon as possible. I'm afraid it will be something like three or four days before we can have you set up in your new home, but it will be yours for life."
Elsie swallowed tears of relief and could not speak immediately. "Thank you, my lord," Charles replied. "Mrs. Carson and I are pleased to accept your lordship's offer."
"Good, good. I'm glad we were able to come to an agreement. I'll let her ladyship know and you may share your news downstairs in whatever way you choose. Now don't let me keep you any longer. You are free to go about your business." He turned away from them and sat down with a newspaper.
Charles and Elsie hurried out of the library and downstairs. They went into the housekeeper's sitting room and immediately after Charles closed the door Elsie was in his arms, hugging him around the middle. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
"Thank God," she whispered.
"Yes, thank God," he murmured into her hair.
To be continued…