Chapter 3: A secret is revealed

A/N: I had a difficult time writing this chapter as I didn't know how to continue the story after episode five and I had a busy week. I was confused as to what to write but I decided to continue and only have a few hints from episode five. I hope that episode six will help more my inspiration to write the next chapter. I hope you like it, as I don't feel very confident about it.

Disclaimer: Any situation or character that appears in the drama isn't mine.

Two weeks had passed already and Elsie was pushing him away, a bit more with each day it passed. She didn't let him kiss her as they used to do in secret and touch her, not even her hand. She was avoiding him as much as was possible and they only talked about matters of the house. Whenever he started talking about their life, their marriage, their happiness together she would find an excuse and leave him watching her. She could see the hurt she was causing him with her behavior but she wasn't ready to confront him, to let him comfort her and sleep together.

He didn't know what to do to help his wife. He knew very well the reason she was behaving like that. It was hurting him to see her like this once more and not being able to do something to help her, to make her feel better because she wasn't ready yet and he knew that he needed to give her time. He was just watching and being close to her in silence. He was glad, though, that she would let Beryl be there for her, comfort her and help her in any way she let her do it.

Anna was relieved to know that she wasn't pregnant with the child of that… man. She was so relieved and had informed the housekeeper about that. She had noticed how relieved but very sad was the older woman and that she was behaving very weird since that night of her… fall. She wanted to know what was troubling her but decided not to pressure her.

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Charles was in his pantry working on some important papers about the next delivery wine which was arriving the next day. It had taken him the double amount of time that he thought because every now and then his mind travel back to his wife. He heart was hurting to see her like this. He wanted to help her but he knew that she wasn't ready yet and if he pressured her she would push him farther away.

Elsie was in her sitting room working on the papers for the store cupboard. She was feeling tired so she decided to sat down in her armchair to rest for a while. As she closed her eyes, slowly she drifted off to sleep and memories of the distant past came back to her.

She was promoted for housekeeper of Downton two years ago. A few months after her promotion Charles had confessed his love for her and they had decided to get married but keep it a secret until it was completely necessary to reveal it. Nothing made them regret that decision. Although, there were times when they wanted to just tell everyone that they were married and live happily together either in Downton or somewhere else but every time they decided to keep it a secret.

She had her half day off and decided to go to Ripon to search for a present for Charle's birthday in a month. It was getting darker outside when she arrived at Downton' train station and started walking quickly to get back to the house. As she was walking she heard a noise behind her but she didn't give it much thought and kept walking. Suddenly, two men stopped in front of her and she stopped in her tracks.

They were smiling at her and she tried to pass them but they grasped her by the arms and dragged near to a huge tree. She tried to get free from their grasps but they were stronger than her and made it very difficult. One of the men seeing that she wasn't cooperating punched her on the face. She fell backwards as a wave of dizziness overtook her. As she gained back her senses she felt two hands lifting up her skirt while two other hands opened her coat and ripped her blouse. She tried once more to get free but that seemed to anger them and one of them punched her again on the face.

She let the tears fall from her eyes as one of them moved on top of her and entered her quickly. She tried to fight him off but the other man pinned her hands on the ground while the other was thrusting harder and faster inside her. Soon she felt his weight off of her and thought that they would leave but soon the man that was holding her hands started what the other had finished only seconds ago. She tried to fight him off as he thrust harder and faster inside her but the grip on her hands increased and she knew that it would leave bruises.

After a while the torture was over as the two men left quickly leaving her with ripped clothes and bruises on her face and hands. She stood up with what strength she had left, gathered her things from the ground and started walking in the path to the house. As she approached the house she saw Charles standing outside in the courtyard. She didn't want to confront him right now but she couldn't avoid him.

Charles was standing in the courtyard worried about his wife. He saw her approaching the house and waited her but as soon as the light hit her, he saw her state. She had ripped clothes and bruises on her face. He reached for her in time as she lost consciousness and fainted in his arms. He looked for a moment at her face that had bruises while her lip was bleeding. He quickly picked her up in his arms and entered the house. At that moment Beryl left the kitchen to go to bed but was shocked seeing the butler caring an unconscious and bruised housekeeper with ripped clothes. "Oh my God! What happened, Charles?", the cook was worried about the housekeeper.

"I don't know. Please send Grand to fetch the doctor as soon as possible. I will take her to her room.", he continued walking while the cook went quickly to the young man's room and sent him to fetch the doctor.

After a while the young man arrived with Doctor Clarkson and Beryl took him to the housekeeper's bedroom. The butler and the cook waited outside in the corridor while the doctor examined the still unconscious housekeeper. After a while he left the room with a shocked expression on his face. He knew that the butler and the housekeeper of Downton Abbey were married as they had gone to him a year ago about a possibility of pregnancy but wasn't that. "Mr. Carson, I'm so sorry to tell you that. Your wife has been raped.", he said in a low voice as he couldn't believe it himself.

Beryl had tears in her eyes while Charles was boiling up with anger about the man who had hurt his wife. Richard explained to him that it must have been two men because she had bruises on her hands which meant that someone was holding her. As he spoke Beryl continued crying silently while Charles was growing angrier. They decided to inform the family about the event in the morning and inform the police as well.

After a week the police managed to catch the two men that had raped Elsie and sent them to London to be judged. They were so relieved when the two men were going to spend the rest of their lives in prison. The days were passing but Elsie didn't seem to recover at all from the event. She was even more depressed when the doctor informed her two months later that she was pregnant from one of the two men. She wanted to die from embarrassment but Charles assured her that they were going to raise that child as his own.

She started hating the child that was growing inside her but felt love for it when she felt it kicking her for the first time. She even started making plans about the baby with her husband. She was seven months pregnant when after making her rounds to check the maids, she fell from the stairs landing on her stomach. She started screaming in pain and Charles took her immediately to her room. After five hours Elsie gave birth to her daughter but she was born dead. After that Elsie closed up in herself again and pushed everyone aside making the younger staff as the years passed to call her 'Dragon'. Only the family, Charles and Beryl knew what had made the housekeeper like that. She managed to make up with Charles ten years later.

Charles was working in his pantry when he heard a scream coming from outside. As he left his pantry he discovered that it was coming from the sitting room and entered quickly the room. He saw her tossing in her armchair screaming and crying loudly. He placed his hands on her shoulders to wake her but she started pushing him away as if he was hurting her. Soon Beryl and Anna entered the sitting room looking shocked at the scene in from of them. Anna moved quickly towards the housekeeper and started speaking softly to her. This seemed to calm her down and Elsie opened her eyes. She started crying when she noticed Charles standing next to her and Anna put her arms around the older woman. She finally understood what was troubling the housekeeper and she felt very sorry for her. Charles left the sitting room without saying a word and left the three women in the room. Beryl and Anna took Elsie to her bedroom and stayed with her until she was asleep. Anna asked the cook about what had happened and Beryl told her the truth. After that Anna looked more caring the housekeeper and decided to do something.

Please, please, please review. I would like to know what you think about this. I hope I will be able to update the next chapter, after seeing episode six until next Saturday.

To Be Continued…