A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! They really mean a lot to me and help me write this story! I intent to finish this story before Sunday 5 January as I have exams at uni and I will have to study! So, I plan to update every day so I can finish it in time! Let's go back to the story now! I hope you like it!

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

Only a month had passed since her recovery from that nasty cold she had that almost cost her life. As she was thinking of that now she could feel the fear gripping her heart. It felt like the time when she was afraid that she had cancer and she would die. She had so many things yet to do and say. She wanted to spend more time with her daughter and her grandchildren, she wanted to spend the rest of her life married to the man she loved since the first day she came here to Downton. First things first, she had to tell Charles the whole truth about what had happened to her forty one years ago and what was the result of that.

She and Kathleen had decided to tell Elisabeth the truth about her mother and grandmother when she was fifteen years old, that was only three years ago. The girl had spent the whole day after learning the whole truth crying in her grandmother's arms. She was feeling so sad that something like that had happened to the woman she adored and admired so much. Kathleen had been afraid that her daughter would hate her or be disgusted from the truth but was relieved when the girl had told them that she loved and admired them even more.

She planned to tell him the truth tomorrow afternoon as it happened to be their half day off. She would ask him to go for a walk in the gardens of the estate and she would tell him the whole truth. She only hoped that he would still love her and want to be with her. She sent a silent prayer to God and returned to her work as they had a busy day with the Dowager and Mrs. Crawly coming for dinner tonight.

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Only a month had passed since her recovery but he was still a little worried about her. He had noticed that something was troubling her very much that affected her and he was curious and confused as everything was very good for them before the day she collapsed in her sitting room in the arms of the new kitchen maid. Suddenly, his thoughts stopped there at the new kitchen maid. He had noticed that the young woman had the resemblance of a younger Elsie and he was wondering if some sort of relationship was bonding the new kitchen maid and the housekeeper of Downton Abbey.

He discovered that something must bond the two women as the resemblance is very strong to be just a simple coincidence. He only hoped that Elsie would find the courage to open up to him and tell him what was troubling her so much. He decided to give her time as he knew that she would come to him when she was ready. He pushed all these thoughts away for now as he needed to concentrate in his work otherwise he would find himself without a work, although he very much doubted that.

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He had to admit that he was a little relieved when she asked him to go for a walk outside in the gardens of the estate to spend together their half day off. He started getting worried that she had regretted her decision to be together but was so relieved to see that smile again on her face. He was glad that she had asked him to go for a walk as he wanted to ask her about the resemblance between her and the new kitchen maid, as he was so sure that something was bonding these two women.

He had offered her his arm as they started walking and she had accepted it with a smile on her face. They were walking in silence until they saw a bench. "Could we sit down for a bit, Charles?", she asked him and he was a little worried upon seeing the seriousness on her face.

"Of course!", they walked to the bench and waited for her to sit down first before sitting next to her.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm the nerves she had because she was going to reveal him the truth. She took a few more deep breaths before opening her eyes and looking him straight in the eyes. "Charles, I wanted us to go for a walk as I want to confess you something very important about me.", she held up her hand when he opened his mouth to speak. "Please, Charles. First, hear everything I have to say and then we will talk about it.", she took another deep breath after he nodded.

She knew very well how difficult it was going to be for her to tell something like that to the man she loved for thirty years now. "I was eighteen years old and my sister was twenty when she got married with Timothy. Only a year later my sister had a beautiful two months old baby daughter. That was when my parents started talking to me about finding a young man to get married and have my own family like my sister. I didn't want to get married so soon as I wanted to work as a housemaid in a house. I started searching for a position and with the help of my sister I found one in a house to a village almost two hours away from our house. I was so happy to do something that would help me to earn my own money.", she had a smile on her face at that point and noticed the smile on his face.

"I had my 20th birthday only a month ago when I had my day off and I decided to visit my sister to spend some time with them. I had a very lovely day with them, especially with my niece that didn't want to leave from my arms. She made me want a child of my own but I knew that I wasn't yet ready to get married and have children of my own. I left them when it started getting dark outside as I wanted to return early to the house to get some more rest.", at this point she took a deep breath to calm down her heart that was beating like mad. "In the way to return to the house I was stopped by a tall and strong man. I tried to pass him and run the rest of the way to the house but he grabbed me from the arm and drugged me to a tree. I tried to hit him so I could escape but he punched me on the face.", tears started falling from her eyes as the memories of that night came back. "He punched me a second time as I was struggling. At that point I stopped struggling and prayed for the whole thing to end soon.", she stopped there and more tears started falling from her eyes while her body was shaking from her sobs.

Charles was so shocked with what he had just heard. A man had dared to attack that beautiful and wonderful woman that was sitting right now next to him crying. He wanted so much to find that man and kill him. A loud sob from her brought him out of his murderous thoughts and back to the reality. He immediately put his arms around her shaking body and held her tightly to him. He was rocking her back and forth while he was humming a song to her and rubbing soothing circles on her back to calm her.

After a while her sobs had subsided and she wasn't shaking anymore but he kept holding her tightly to his body. He knew that she hadn't finished and feared what her answer would be at the question he was about to ask her. "Elsie, my darling. Did that… that… that man left you… pregnant?", he was so afraid of her answer and when it came with a simple nod of her head against his chest he wanted once more to kill that man. "Oh my darling girl.", he started rocking her back and forth when she started crying and shaking again.

After a few minutes he felt a sudden weight in his arms and discovered that she had fainted from all of this. Slowly he picked her up in his arms and started walking towards the back door. As he entered the house from the back door he was face in face with the cook who was looking very worried. "Oh my God! What happened?", she asked full of concern.

"She fainted while we were outside taking a walk.", he looked down at Elsie who was still unconscious and very very pale. "Can you call the doctor and get him upstairs when he arrives?", he left her when she nodded and went upstairs to the housekeeper's room.

"What happened, Mrs. Patmore?", Elisabeth asked the older woman as she entered the kitchen and noticed that she was very worried.

"Mrs. Hughes fainted while she was outside with Mr. Carson. I called for the doctor to come.", she informed the concerned young woman.

"What?", she was very worried now about her grandmother. She left what she was doing and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?", the cook asked her very confused about her reaction.

Charles had already changed Elsie's clothes and tacked her under the covers by the time Elisabeth arrived in the housekeeper's room. She stood next to her bed looking at her very pale grandmother and a few tears escaped from her eyes. She sat on the bed and looked up at the confused butler. "What happened to my grandmother?", she asked him and watched as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

He was ready to ask her what she was meaning with that when the door opened and the doctor entered. After Charles told him what happened along with the young woman left the room and waited outside in the corridor. He didn't want to ask her while they were outside in the corridor and they waited for the doctor to come out. "It was only a sudden drop of blood pressure. She needs to stay in bed today and tomorrow. She will be able to go back to her routine in two days time.", the doctor told them and left the house.

The butler and the kitchen maid entered the room again. She sat down on the bed while he sat down in the armchair next to the bed. He took a deep breath to calm. "If she is your grandmother that means that she had the child and that child got married and has children.", he told her.

Elisabeth understood that her grandmother told him about what had happened to her all these years ago but she fainted before she could tell him what happened after she find out that she was pregnant. "Yes, Mr. Carson.", she said and looked him in the eyes. She could see very clear the love and the worry for the woman that was laying unconscious in the bed. "She left the house she was working when she found out that she was pregnant because the doctor had told her that she was going to have a difficult pregnancy because of a little problem with her heart. She took a very good reference from the housekeeper to have it when she wanted to found a job again. She decided to leave the baby to grandmother Annie to raise it as her child. She gave birth to a daughter and named her Kathleen, my mother.", she stopped for a minute to calm and noticed how sad he was feeling. "My mother was eleven years old when granny left Scotland to come to work here and they were both very sad. Granny and grandmother Annie decided to tell the truth to my mother when she was fifteen years old. In the beginning she left the house and went to her grandparents but they managed to convince her to forgive the two women as they only did what was good for her.", she could see that he was a little confused and curious as to how she knew the whole story so detailed. "Mum, granny and grandmother Annie told me the whole truth and story when I was fifteen years old, three years ago.", she answered his unasked question and smiled at him.

No one spoke for a while, they just stood there looking at Elsie who was sleeping. "So, did you grandmother tell you about the position as a kitchen maid here?", he asked her and saw her smiling.

"No, Mr. Carson.", she answered him. "Granny didn't know that I had sent a letter to have an interview for the job. She was very surprised, shocked and confused to see me sitting in her sitting room with a smile on my face. I guess the surprise to see me here wanting to work as a kitchen maid was another reason for her collapse that day.", she looked very sad now and a few tears escaped. "I worked for a year for a member of the royal family and the housekeeper there gave me a very good reference.", she looked him at that point and chuckled at his shocked and surprised face.

"You worked for a member of the royal family? That's why Mrs. Patmore hired you at once.", he said and joined her laughter.

"I am very happy for you and granny, Mr. Carson.", she chuckled again at his confused face. "Granny always wrote a little about you in her letters and seeing how worried you were when she was ill I understood immediately that it was you that man my granny loves all these years.", she looked back at her grandmother for a moment. "I was very happy when she told me when she recovered that you two had confessed your feelings and are planning to get married in the near future.", she looked down at her hands now. "You are a very good man, Mr. Carson. It would have been so nice if you were my mother's father and my grandfather.", she let her tears fall freely and was surprised when she saw his hands taking hold of hers and looking her with so much love.

"I can assure you that I would love it very much if I was your mother's father and your grandfather.", he lifted her face so she could look at him. "Since your granny and I are going to get married in the near future you will become my granddaughter and if it is your wish you can call me grandpa from now on,", he smiled warmly at her. ", but only in private and not in front of the others until your granny decides to reveal her past to the others.", he was a little surprised when she hugged him so tightly.

"Thank you for taking care of my grandmother and loving her all these years… grandpa.", she hugged him tightly and even placed a soft kiss on his cheek when they pulled away.

Please, please, please review! I would like to know what you think of this chapter! Any opinions, ideas, thoughts are very welcome!

To Be Continued…