A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! They really mean a lot to me and they help me write this story! In this chapter we are going to learn a part of the truth Elsie is keeping a secret from everyone! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Any situation or character that appears in the drama isn't mine! If Downton Abbey belonged to me things would be a little different!

Elsie was still looking at the young woman in front of her very confused and curious. She wanted to know what had happened, why she had come at Downton and what was going to happen if the staff and the family discovered the truth she was keeping a secret all these years. She was afraid that that moment would come one day and she was totally unprepared. "I don't understand, Elisabeth.", she finally said after a few minutes of silence.

The young woman smiled at the older woman. "It's not so complicated, granny. I came here for the interview because I want to work.", she sighed as Elsie was still looking her confused and curious. "I have worked for a year as a kitchen maid and I wanted to come here when I saw that you were searching for a new kitchen maid.", she explained to her and waited for the whole thing to sink inside.

Elsie still couldn't believe what was happening. She sighed heavily, stood up from her desk chair and walked a little until she was standing in the middle of the room. Elisabeth was beginning to get worried about the older woman and went to stand behind her. "Are you alright, granny?", she asked with her voice full of concern. At that moment Elsie lost consciousness and fell backwards. Elisabeth managed to catch her but she couldn't hold the weight for too long and slowly she lowered them on the floor. She tried to wake her up by shaking her but a hand on the forehead made her even more worried about the older woman. "Help!", she shouted for someone to hear her. "Someone help me!", she shouted once more while she was holding the housekeeper in her arms.

Only a few moments later the door of the sitting room opened to reveal the butler and the cook that were looking very surprised, confused and worried. "What happened?", it was Charles that spoke first and kneeled down next to Elsie.

"She just stood up and after a few moments she lost consciousness. I managed to catch her before she could hit the floor.", she knew very well that no one in the house knew about the truth but she couldn't help it. She was very worried about the older woman that was lying unconscious in her arms.

Charles placed a hand on her forehead but pulled it away immediately like he was burned. He stood up quickly and left the sitting room only to return a few minutes later. "I called doctor Clarkson.", he informed them as he lifted Elsie in his arms. "Mrs. Patmore please stay here to wait for the doctor and you can interview the young woman.", he left the sitting room quickly and went upstairs to her room.

As he was changing her clothes, downstairs in the sitting room Beryl was interviewing Elisabeth. The cook had asked her if she had a reference and she watched as the young woman took out of her handbag a note. "Oh my God!", the older woman exclaimed. "You have worked for a member of the royal family?", Elisabeth nodded her head at the question. "You are hired my girl.", the cook told her with a wide smile that faded as soon as she saw the doctor standing in the door way of the sitting room.

Beryl leaded the doctor to the housekeeper's room and stayed there as Charles left the room to leave the doctor do his job. After a few moments the doctor and the cook left the room and stood in front of the butler. "She has a very nasty cold. We have to bring the fever down before she catches pneumonia. Please give her an aspirin every five hours and put compresses on her forehead. I will come back in the evening to check on her. If anything happens call me at once.", he left them standing there lost in their thoughts.

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Beryl was sitting on the bed placing compresses on the housekeeper's forehead and praying for the fever to break. Suddenly, she started tossing around in her bed and the cook was trying hard to calm her down but she couldn't manage it.

Only a month ago she had her 20th birthday. It was her first birthday away from her family as she was working as a housemaid in a house in a village of Scotland. It was her day off and she had decided to visit her sister that was married for two years now and had a daughter that was one year old. Elsie loved the little girl and was making her want a baby of her own. She had a lovely day with her sister, her brother-in-law and her niece. She left them when it started darkening outside as she had to arrive early at the house.

She was walking quickly to arrive at the house when she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped for a moment but immediately she started walking again very quickly. It was of no use as she was stopped suddenly by a tall and strong man that was looking her with a grin on his face. She tried to pass him and run to the house but he stopped her before she could do another step and dragged her under a large tree.

She started straggling to get away from him but the only thing she earned was a punch on her face that made her feel dizzy. She started kicking her legs so she could hit him but that angered him even more and punched her once more on the face. She was feeling the cold on her body as she ripped open her blouse and her corset. He lowered his head on her breasts while his hand was under her skirt on her most sensitive area.

She could hear him opening his trousers and saw him pulling out his member as his other hand forced her to open her legs. She didn't understand how quickly it happened but he was inside her in the matter of seconds and it was hurting her so much. She hadn't been with a man before and she didn't want her first time to be like that. She started screaming but it was of no use.

"Nooooo… Get off of me… Noooo…", she was tossing in her bed while the cook was trying to calm her down with no success. Beryl was looking so sad as she could understand what had happened to her friend years ago by hearing her. At that moment the doctor entered the room and she sighed relieved.

He managed to calm her down fifteen minutes later and gave her to drink some water with a powder inside. The cook thanked the doctor for calming her down but they were both very worried as the fever was still very high. "We have to bring the fever down in the next forty eight hours otherwise her weak body won't last and she will catch a pneumonia.", he sighed heavily. He told her to give her an aspirin every four hours and place compresses.

/-00-/

Elisabeth started working immediately at the house with Daisy showing everything in the kitchen while the cook was upstairs taking care of the housekeeper until Anna could take over for the cook. She was very worried about the older woman but she couldn't show it so much as no one in the house knew what kind of relationship was bonding the housekeeper and the new kitchen maid.

She only let her tears of concern fall in the evening in the safety of her new room. Once she had stopped crying she decided to write a letter to send it first thing in the morning. She knew very well that the housekeeper wouldn't want that but she couldn't keep someone so dear to the older woman in the dark. She wanted to offer her help and take care of her for a while but she knew she had things to do and someone could discover the hidden secret.

She could see how concerned the butler was about the housekeeper's condition as she served the servant's breakfast. She immediately noticed that he was the man Elsie had told them in her letters. She had noticed the concern, the worry, the fear and the love in his eyes for the older woman. She had to admit that she was very happy that she had found at last the love of her life. She only hoped that she would survive to live the rest of her life with the love of her life.

Please, please, please review! I would like to know what you think! If I manage I will update the next chapter tomorrow or on Sunday!

To Be Contunued…