"Elsa, wait a moment please," Mr. Mead called. The young lady's maid turned and smiled to the Butler as he met her by the staircase.
"How can I help, Mr. Mead?" she asked, shifting the small pile of blankets she held from one arm to the other.
"You are heading up to the nursery?"
"Yes. I told Mrs. Crane I would bring these up when they were dry. The other maids and I thought it best to have quite a few blankets on hand…what with the girl being so small. She's likely to catch a chill if she's not bundled properly."
Mead smiled kindly and nodded. "Very good. I wonder if you would give Mrs. Crane a message?"
"Of course."
Mead looked over his shoulder to make sure no other footmen or maids were in sight. Lowering his voice, he took a step closer to Elsa. "Please tell Mrs. Crane to keep her comments about the baby to herself. I would not want Lord or Lady Merton to overhear."
Elsa's eyes widened slightly.
"She was very agitated last night when she was told the girl would be staying. And with Lady Merton being…well…I think you know what I mean," Mead whispered. "I daresay her comments would upset both of them unnecessarily."
Elsa nodded. "Yes, quite right. I will be sure to give her the message. I think she was upstairs last I saw her."
"Very good. They are due back any time….it might be best to tell her before they arrive."
"Thank you, Mr. Mead. Was there anything else?"
"No, that will be all. But I do appreciate the extra work you are putting in," he said kindly.
She smiled to him and hurried up the stairs. He breathed a sigh of relief and prayed she would find Mrs. Crane before the car arrived back from the hospital; for if Lord Merton ever heard the things Mrs. Crane said last night, she would be lucky if it was only her job she lost.
"What do you mean, 'keep my comments to myself'?!" Mrs. Crane exclaimed, dropping the sheet she was folding and crossing her arms angrily.
Elsa looked down, running her hand nervously over the blankets she held. "I suppose he wants to be sure that Lord and Lady Merton do not hear anything negative about the baby. They had an important appointment this morning, and he fears upsetting them."
"Upsetting them? What about how Lady Merton has upset this household?!" the Housekeeper countered, reaching down for the sheet and hastily folding it.
Stuffing the haphazardly folded linen in the cupboard, she slammed the doors shut and turned back to the timid lady's maid. "Ever since she came here, she has had a constant disregard for the way I run this house! She wants this changed and that done…without ever stopping to ask my opinion!"
"But…."
"And to place Lord Merton in the same class as a commoner is utterly disgraceful!"
"A commoner?" Elsa asked, jumping as the Housekeeper quickly moved forward and pointed a finger in her face.
"Yes, a commoner! A poor orphan staying in a grand house may be fine for Downton Abbey but it will NEVER be respected at Cavenham Place!" Whirling around, Mrs. Crane crossed her arms and began pacing back and forth in front of Elsa.
"But Mrs. Crane, surely you must see how much better it is for the child…" Elsa began, trying to reason with the woman.
"She probably brings disease with her…and nothing good ever comes of an orphan! They all end up thieves and murderers. Mark my words; she'll be a devil as soon as she's able to walk!"
"Mrs. Crane!"
"She will be! And will probably be just as devious as Mrs. Crawley."
Elsa's eyes narrowed in anger. "Mrs. Crane…you'd best never let Lord Merton hear you say that."
"He cannot deny who she really is! A poor widow who only married him for his money and a position…and who has made him the laughing stock of the entire county!"
"You are wrong!" Elsa said, suddenly feeling very defensive of Lady Merton. If nothing else, she was the kindest woman Elsa had ever met…and she'd never known Lord Merton to be as happy as when he was in her company.
"I hear quite a different story from the cook at our London House," Mrs. Crane said with a wicked grin. "She has heard that some of Lord Merton's friends are placing bets on how long it will take him to kick her out of the house, pleading for refuge at Downton."
"That is utterly wretched! How could they say such things?!"
Elsa could barely stand to hear any more. She moved towards the door but was stopped by Mrs. Crane's fingers digging in to her arm.
"She is not as kind as you think. And if you're not careful, she will poison your mind…just as she has Lord Merton's."
A Cheshire cat grin formed once more as the Housekeeper took a moment before emphasizing her next point. "I have already written to the editor of the London Times…I'm sure my twist on this story will be the end of the new LadyMerton."
Elsa's eyes grew in horror as the Housekeeper chuckled under her breath, releasing the girl's arm and turning back to the window.
"We shall see how well she deals with society's opinions once it's published. Perhaps she will find she wasn't up for the role of Baroness over our county."
"What have you done?!" Elsa cried, moving forward to stand directly in front of the Housekeeper. "Tell me!"
"Don't you find it rather odd that Lord Merton took the conversation with Mrs. Ingle by himself…and that she brought the child here? I hear from villagers he has spent quite a bit of time in meetings with the women running the orphanage…perhaps Lady Merton is trying to conceal her husband's infidelity and hold on to her title at the same. Her taking in his bastard child would be all she needed to hold over his head and keep her role as a Baroness."
Elsa stood stunned in silence. Mrs. Crane pressed her lips together and nodded. "You see how it could be turned now, don't you? Best make sure Lady Merton has her headache powders when that story hits the papers…she'll be in bed for a week!"
The Housekeeper took the pile of blankets from Elsa who stood motionless, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Not to worry dear. You'll still have a job as head housemaid once she's gone." Taking the blankets, she winked at Elsa and turned towards the cupboard.
But it was the deceitful Housekeeper who halted in her tracks as the door opened, admitting Lord and Lady Merton to the nursery.
"It seems you have been quite busy, Mrs. Crane."