A/N: Thank you all so much for the favorites, the follows, and the reviews! I hope I can keep you interested.

This chapter explains the years and the secret...

Charles watched Elsie fidget as she stood staring out the windows of their room. Once she'd been cleared by Dr. Clarkson to be up and about, the family had given them a room in the unused wing of the house. Of course Elsie had protested, but he'd quietly talked her into it, telling her that it would give them the chance they needed to talk about things, to hopefully put their marriage back together.

"Elsie," he whispered her name but she didn't respond. Walking closer to her, Charles saw the far away look in her eyes and realized she was lost somewhere in her memories.

"I'm leaving, Charles."

Charles blinked in surprise as he looked up from his work. "What?"

"I said I'm leaving." Elsie's lip trembled. "I can't stay here. I," she bit her lip to stop the trembling, to stop her voice from breaking. "We're broken, Charles. You ignore me. When I need you, you aren't there. You're always busy with something or the other about this place. You aren't the only one that lost a dream," she whispered.

"Elsie, I," he took a deep breath. "Maybe going to visit your sister would be a good thing for you. It's been a long time since you've been home. Once you've had some time away, maybe it will be easier for you here."

Elsie shook her head, her heart breaking, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You don't understand, Charles. I'm not coming back."

"Elsie, how can you," he started then moved to stand in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. "I don't understand."

"That's just it. You don't try to understand. You've lost yourself in this," she made an arc with her hand to indicate the house around them. "The family have become more important to you." She scowled. "Lady Mary is more important to you." Her voice broke as she pulled away from him. Her hand on the doorknob, she turned to look up at him, tears rolling unchecked down her cheeks. "She isn't yours."

Charles' heart constricted at the pain he felt from her parting words. Too heartbroken to move, he watched as she walked out of his view, out of his life.

"Elsie." Charles said her name again when her tears began to fall.

Elsie blinked and looked up at him. "Charles? How long have you been here?"

"Only a few moments. What is it?"

"Just remembering," she whispered and turned away from him.

Sighing, Charles gently turned her back. "May I hold you?"

Moving into his arms, Elsie rested her head against his chest, her tears coming faster now. "I'm so sorry for the way I hurt you. I shouldn't have run away like a coward."

"We were hurting, Elsie, and neither of us knew how to deal with it." Charles rubbed her back gently. "We lost a child that we'd never expected to have. I turned to my work and held my emotions back when I should have mourned the loss and grieved with you."

"Charles," she whispered.

"What, Lass?"

"There's something that I need to tell you. Something that happened while I was away from Downton."

"Go on then," he encouraged, carefully tightening his arms around her.

"I," she started only to be interrupted by a knock on their door.

"Who in the world?" Charles growled in frustration.

Elsie pulled away and shook her head. "Go on."

Charles took a deep breath and walked across the room to answer the door. "Yes, Mr. Barrow?"

"The Dowager Countess asked me to find you and ask you to come to the library. You and Mrs. Carson."

Charles raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, Mr. Barrow. We'll be down shortly." Closing the door he turned to look at Elsie.

"What in the world does she want with me?" Elsie scowled. The last person she wanted to see right now was the old bat.

"She's been on our side, Elsie. She's the reason you were in her room. She stood up for us."

Elsie shook her head. "You don't know," she breathed. "Let's just go and see what she wants."

Holding out his hand, Charles smiled when she took it. "We can hold hands now. No one will care."

Elsie, ever thankful that her husband had a knack for knowing when she wanted to ignore something, smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "It will take some time to remember."

"Just as it's going to take everyone a little while to remember to call you Mrs. Carson." He winked at her. "Come along now. We mustn't keep Her Ladyship waiting."

CnE

Elsie stared at the young woman standing facing them. "Elisabeth," she breathed then looked to the Dowager. "What have you done?"

Lady Violet held Elsie's gaze, blue eyes boring into blue. "I've done nothing. She's always known who you are."

Elsie blinked in surprise. "What do you mean? She can't possibly know me."

"Mama." Elisabeth said the name, her voice lilting much as her mother's.

Charles blinked in surprise. "Elsie?" The young woman was a mirror image of his wife, so much so that it was almost frightening. "Who is she?"

Shaking, Elsie moved closer to the young woman. With a trembling hand she reached out to touch her cheek. "My baby."

Elisabeth threw her arms around Elsie, her face buried in her neck. "It is you," she whispered. "I remember the smell of you."

Elsie held her close. "How? You were a wee babe."

"I was three." Elisabeth pulled back. "Your scent has never left me. I've always remembered and tried for so long to find what it was. The people that raised me and took care of me made sure that I knew they weren't my parents. I've never called anyone but you my mother."

"Elsie?" Charles asked again. "Please tell me what's going on."

Turning, Elsie held out her hand to him. "Come," she told him, her voice soft. "Meet your daughter."

Moving on shaking legs, Charles took his wife's hand and stood staring down at the young woman. "Daughter?" he asked. "You named her after my mother."

"I did." Elsie smiled up at him.

"But I don't understand, Elsie. Our child was lost."

"One child was lost."

"What?"

"Twins, Charles. I didn't know. The doctor didn't know. I was sick and my sister sent for their doctor. You can imagine my surprise. He explained that Elisabeth was a fighter to have survived the miscarriage of her twin."

Charles shook his head to clear the thoughts swirling in his mind. "Why didn't you come home?"

"I couldn't. Things were so bad between us when I left."

"But we could have fixed them."

"We might have. But would it have only been for our child? I didn't want that. I wanted you to," she looked away. "I wanted my old Charles back."

Tugging gently on her hand, Charles smiled. "He's slowly coming back."

Elisabeth sniffed and wiped at her tears. "I never thought I would meet you, Papa."

"I'm very happy you've had the chance." Charles smiled at her. "You've grown up in Scotland."

"Yes."

"I made sure of that." Lady Violet told them.

Charles looked up at her, having forgotten that she was there. "Why, My Lady?"

"What do you mean, you made sure of it?" Elsie asked before Lady Violet could answer Charles' question.

"Just what I said. I made sure your daughter was sent to live with a family in Scotland that would take care of her, but not want to adopt her. She is, and always has been, Elisabeth Carson."

"But why, My Lady?" Elsie asked, not understanding why the woman would do such a thing. "And why have you let me hate you all these years?"

"Why did I make sure your daughter never thought of anyone else but you as her mother? Because she's Carson's daughter. Why did I let you hate me?" Lady Violet held Elsie's gaze unwavering. "Because your hate made you strong." Looking at Charles, she titled her head toward the girl. "I'll be going. Why don't you take your family to the gardens? The rooms have ears."

"Thank you, My Lady." Charles bowed slightly before turning his attention back to his family. "Come along."

Elsie took Elisabeth's hand as they followed Charles out of the room. "You're beautiful," she whispered as they made their way through the library doors that led out to the gardens. "We don't usually go this way to the gardens."

"No, we don't." Charles smiled as he took Elsie's hand. "But our daughter has been raised as a lady, and a lady shouldn't be going through the servant's exit."

"Please." Elisabeth pleaded as they stopped by a bench. "I'm not better than you. Don't treat me that way. You aren't servants. You're my parents."

Elsie sat down and patted the bench beside her. "But we are servants, Elisabeth."

"Beth. I prefer Beth."

Elsie smiled and nodded. "Beth it is then."

Charles squeezed Elsie's hand. "Tell me why you gave our daughter up."

"I never intended to. I left my sister's to find work and to get away from her husband who had a strong dislike for me. He wasn't appreciative of a woman that appeared to be single suddenly finding out she's with child. I found a wonderful family that had no problems with me being in the situation that I was and took me on as their housekeeper. It was a small home so it was easy work. When Beth was three, I grew ill. I was so ill they thought I wouldn't survive, were told by the family doctor that I wouldn't. The family knew nothing of my sister, because I'd not been in contact with her since I'd left her home, but they somehow found your name. They sent word to Downton."

"I never," Charles started then stopped and shook his head. "Oh."

"Oh?" Elsie looked at him incredulously. "Why didn't you come? Why did you let them give our child away? Why did you let her take our child?"

"I didn't know, Elsie. I never got word that you were ill, that there was a child. I'd left Downton by then. I didn't let her do anything."

Elsie blinked, finally putting the pieces together. "So that's why she sent the Marquess of Flintshire."

"What?"

"Uncle Shrimpie." Elisabeth smiled at her father.

"Uncle Shrimpie?" Elsie looked at her daughter with an arched eyebrow.

Elisabeth nodded. "His sister and brother-in-law are who raised me. That's how the Dowager Countess was able to make sure I was taken care of without the family expecting me to belong to them."

Elsie tucked a wayward curl behind her daughter's ear. "I believe I have some apologizing to do. It seems I've hated the Dowager all these years for nothing." Her lip trembled. "She took care of my baby and made sure she knew me."

Charles squeezed her hand. "I've always tried to tell you she wasn't an old bat." He winked when Elsie looked at him with a scowl.

Elisabeth giggled and snuggled against her mother. "I know I'm a grown woman, but," she took a long sniff of Elsie's neck. "I can't seem to stop doing that."

Elsie smiled as she turned her head and pressed a kiss to the young woman's hair. "I think allowances can be made."

"There's someone I want the two of you to meet." Elisabeth informed them a few moments later.

"Oh?" Elsie queried, looking up at Charles in surprise.

"Yes." Elisabeth nodded as she lifted her head from Elsie's shoulder. "Funnily enough," she grinned at her father. "His name is Charles."

"Am I to understand that my daughter has a suitor?"

"A husband, Papa."

Elsie blinked in surprise. "Then where is he, my dear? We didn't leave him behind in the house, did we?"

Elisabeth shook her head and laughed. "No, Mama. He's not here. I left him in London."

Charles watched the young woman's eyes twinkle and got lost in the blue, just like he'd always done with her mother. "You didn't want to scare us, I suppose."

"Nothing of the sort." Elisabeth denied. "I merely wanted you all to myself."

Elsie watched her fight a yawn. "Tired, my darling?"

Elisabeth smiled at the endearment and nodded. "I couldn't sleep a wink last night. I was too excited."

"Beth?"

"Yes, Papa?"

"Why have you waited all these years if you knew who and where we were?"

"I only knew who, not where." Elisabeth held her parent's gazes. "Uncle Shrimpie told me that I was never supposed to be with the family as long as I was. Her Ladyship was sure that it would only be a matter of time once you and mother came back to Downton."

"She was sure we'd come back?" Elsie asked. "I suppose she could have been sure about Charles, after all the years he had been here, but me? Why was she so sure I'd come back?"

"I don't know, Mama. But," Elisabeth bit her lip.

"What is it?" Elsie asked, almost sure she knew what the question was.

"Why didn't you come for me when you were well?" Elisabeth asked, tears filling her eyes.

"I didn't know where you were. No one knew. All I knew was that the Dowager Countess had sent a man, the Marquess."

"I don't understand why you came back to Downton. If you hated Her Ladyship so much, why come back?" Charles asked.

"She was no longer in charge. And," Elsie looked up at him. "And you were here."

Charles smiled. "Yes, I was here. I was working very hard to forget my wife and then she showed up one day, the replacement for the retired housekeeper."

"How did that go?" Elisabeth asked before another yawn escaped.

Elsie shook her head. "That's a story for another time. You need to rest."

"So do you, Lass." Charles whispered. "You can both rest in our room. I have work to do."

"Mr. Barrow could," Elsie started but stopped when Charles shook his head.

"He can, and he will, but I still have things to see to. I cannot just simply ignore my duties until I'm given leave to do so."

Elsie sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Charles pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Just go along with Beth and have a bit of a lie down. I'll wake the both of you for dinner."

Elisabeth tugged at her father's sleeve. "Lean down a bit, Papa."

Charles leaned over, his heart thudding in his chest as Elisabeth pressed a kiss to his cheek. Eyes burning with unshed tears, he caressed her cheek. "Sleep well, daughter."

Elsie sniffed and wiped at her eyes with her handkerchief. She never dreamed this day would come. All these years that her secret had haunted her, the nightmares had never ended this way.

Elisabeth wrapped her arms around her mother. "Don't cry, Mama."

"Beth?" Elsie asked as she and her daughter slowly made their way back into the house.

"Yes, Mama?"

"Why are you here now?"

"I don't know, Mama. Uncle Shrimpie just came to London and told me it was time for me to meet my parents."