Elsie carefully closes and locks the door to her room and heads down to the kitchen. "How are the preparations coming for dinner, Mrs Patmore?"
"We're coming along just fine, thank you, Mrs Hughes." Mrs Patmore says with a smile to the housekeeper.
Elsie suddenly feels as if she doesn't have enough to do around the house. Time seems to be going very slowly for her and all she wants is to go home. She walks up the stairs to the main part of the house and walks to the library. She hopes having a book to read will keep her mind off the situation at hand. She quietly enters the library and is not surprised to see Lord Grantham working away at his desk. "I'm sorry to disturb you, milord. I was just coming to find a book to read."
"That's alright Mrs Hughes. I'm sure you need something to distract you from your present situation." Lord Grantham says gently.
"Thank you for your consideration, milord. I appreciate it very much." Elsie whispers to Lord Grantham not looking directly at him.
"Oh, Mrs Hughes, I told you earlier that you are a part of the family. You don't have to apologize for your behaviour right now. Which book did you choose?" Lord Grantham asks smiling at Mrs Hughes as he looks up from his correspondence.
"I picked Pride and Prejudice. I just finished Sense and Sensibility recently, so this seemed like the logical next book." Mrs says as she turns the book over in her hands.
"Did you like Sense and Sensibility, Mrs Hughes? I know that my wife and my daughters love that book. I have to admit I read it out of curiosity." Lord Grantham asks trying to keep Mrs Hughes' mind off the situation in Argyll.
"I liked Sense and Sensibility very much. I thought that the description of the relationship between the two eldest sisters was very accurate. It seemed very similar to the relationship I had with me sister." Mrs Hughes says as she fingers the title embossed on the book.
"Have a seat Mrs Hughes. So, are you Elinor or Marianne? Are you the sense or the sensibility side of the relationship?" Lord Grantham asks cheekily.
"Well, people who've met me recently would put me firmly in the role of Elinor, but knowing what I'm really like, I say I'm more like Marianne, but like her I've learned to temper my sensibility. It was necessary to temper myself in order to protect my emotions and my heart." Mrs Hughes says as she sinks into a plush chair.
"You shouldn't have had to cover up all your emotions, Mrs Hughes. It's unfair to you and it's unfair to the people who care about you including some the people who work here at Downton." Lord Grantham says honestly.
Elsie looks confused. "I'm not sure what you mean." Elsie says quietly. She suspects what Lord Grantham is driving at, but doesn't want to say anything.
"Carson talks about you all the time. He thinks very highly of you. Between me and you, I think he likes you very much. I think he'd like to court you, but he's not sure how to ask." Lord Grantham says cheekily.
"Milord!" Elsie says in a shocked tone of voice. "Do you really think he likes me that way? I would never ask him if he wanted to court me, but I am curious about his feelings. How do I figure out if he likes me?" Elsie asks, quickly feeling very flustered.
"Well, you do have a six hour train ride to Argyll tomorrow. Approach the situation with caution, but I don't think Carson would have volunteered to go with you if he didn't care deeply about you." Lord Grantham suggests.
"Thank you for the advice, milord." Elsie says as she stands up and walks towards the door.
"He may confess his feelings to you tomorrow. If he does, don't interrupt him, something tells me it will be hard enough to even begin to tell you the truth." Lord Grantham says honestly.
"Milord, please, if Mr. Carson asks you anything about me later, don't mention this conversation. Let us do this on our own." Elsie requests as she opens the door to the hallway and then slips out.
