Thank you for your reviews! If you have time please have look at my brand new venture 'Once Upon a Holy Downton You're Carson!' I'm quite excited about it.
"No Mr Carson, I really don't give a damn about your wine delivery! Perhaps if you'd ordered it on time it might be here instead of breathing down my neck all day long!" Elsie's tones rang out shortly followed by Mr Carson's thunderous ones
"It is my job as head of the staff to 'breath down your neck' as you put it! If you kept your maids under control I might not feel the need to!"
"My maids?! I should remind you that if it weren't for your footmen and hallboys thinking that they can do as they jolly well please my maids would be a lot easier to handle!"
"My footmen and hallboys most certainly do not think they can do as they please!"
"Is that so? Why else would little Henry have been found drunk in the courtyard last night?"
"That wasn't my fault!"
"I didn't say it was!"
A door slammed and a seemingly infuriated housekeeper appeared in the corridor
"Bloody stubborn man" she muttered just loudly enough that Moira could hear from where she was rolling out pastry.
Moira groaned and rubbed her eyes with her wrist. They'd been like this for the last two days and she had no idea how to fix it. The entire staff had been extremely subdued since all the arguing had started. Mrs Patmore hadn't raised her voice at all, Thomas did what he was asked without complaint and even O'brien hadn't come up with a sarcastic comment.
"What do you think happened now?" Moira asked Anna as she came into the kitchen
"Heaven knows" replied Anna "I just hope they sort it out soon. Poor Vicky has been in tears all morning thanks to their bickering"
"I wouldn't really call it bickering. More like full out fighting" Moira observed
"Well no one has swung a punch yet" Anna smiled
"I wouldn't put it past Mrs Hughes" Thomas observed from his usual position leaning against the door frame
"Do you really think she would?" Jaqui asked with large eyes from where she was peeling potatoes
"No she wouldn't" Anna assured her "and nor would Mr Carson."
"Anna is right" agreed Mrs Patmore "she may be the scottish dragon but she's not violent"
"I do wish you'd stop calling her that" admonished Anna
"Is there some public holiday that no one has thought to remind me of?" Mr Carson's voice suddenly sounded behind them all making Moira jump and nearly upset the pastry bowl
"No Mr Carson" they all chimed
"I cannot think of another reason you would all be standing around here"
"Yes Mr Carson" came the reply and they all scampered to do their work. Moira sighed as she started rolling out another section of pastry. She had failed in her aspirations to get the two of them together in every way possible. If anything she had made it all ten times worse with the constant bickering and the inability to be in the same room together. Yes, she would write to her husband this evening and tell him of her plans to come home, leaving her sister in peace.
EHCC
"You know we don't give Anna nearly enough credit" Charles rumbled quietly. After a long and grueling day they'd finally managed to retreat into her sitting room and collapse into one another's arms on the settee.
"What makes you say that?" Elsie asked sleepily from his chest
"Well, she's a hard worker, never complains and is always nice to everyone else" He reasoned
Elsie sat up and fixed him with an icy stare
"And?" She asked
"What do you mean and?"
"Well its not everyday you ask for a promotion for one of my maids"
"I wasn't asking for any promotion!" He protested
"Charles.." She warned
"Oh alright" he huffed "I over heard her asking Mrs Patmore not to call you the scottish dragon."
"That was brave of her" remarked Mrs Hughes raising an eyebrow "what triggered that?"
"I believe it was our argument. Apparently we're very convincing" He murmured into her ear making her squirm in his arms
"That tickles" she told him tucking her neck in so he couldn't get to it
"Sorry" he murmured again and covered her lips with his before she could complain again.
EHCC
Anna rubbed her aching head. Her dress had torn slightly when she slipped on her way down the stairs and ended up standing on her skirt in an effort to stay upright. She had wanted to mend it tonight but she had run out of black thread and Miss O'brien was no where to be found to borrow some. She would have to find the time tomorrow morning to quickly run into the village and try and mend it before the afternoon.
As she walked past Mrs Hughes' sitting room a thought struck her
'Why not ask Mrs Hughes?' So she knocked on the door and waited for a response
The door opened and she was met with a surprising image. Mrs Hughes stood there looking as happy as a pig in mud, with bright eyes and flushed cheeks. Behind her stood Mr Carson, whom she was supposedly furious with at the moment. They'd barely said a word to one another during dinner yet here they were.
"Anna" said Mrs Hughes with a smile "how can I help?"
Snapping herself out of her daze Anna quickly made her request
"I have some somewhere, give me a moment" said Mrs Hughes and disappeared back into the room leaving Anna feeling rather awkward with Mr Carson. She opened her mouth to make polite small talk but was cut off by Mrs Hughes return.
"Here you are" she said kindly as she handed Anna a spool of black thread
"Thank you so much Mrs Hughes you're a life saver" Anna grinned "well, I'll say my good nights."
With that she walked away with a huge grin carefully hidden by bowing her head. They obviously weren't as angry as they had appeared to be...if they were even angry at all. Could they have been acting? Anna believed they could. For during that entire exchange Mr Carson's hand had been resting snugly against Mrs Hughes' waist. She wondered if they'd even noticed. All Anna knew was that between them they'd managed to play Moira like a harp. The question was, what was Anna going to do with this information?
Oops! Bad Mr Carson! Please review and let me know what you think of his slip up ;). Anna's awkwardness was based on my own, when I friend of mine completely forgot what she was telling me when her new bf appeared and I then felt like a third wheel and tried to get out the way and fell over my dog. I know, skill right?