Chapter 11: The sweetest spirit

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! They really mean a lot to me and encourage me to write this! Alright, the next chapter will be the last chapter. I have engrossed myself in this story leaving my others stories. The previous chapter was written as an inspiration from the eight episode of the second series of the drama. This chapter is written as well as an inspiration from an episode of series three. I hope you like it because it's a sad chapter. I'm keeping all the fluff and happiness for the last episode.

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

They were the only ones awake from the staff as they were the two heads. They had sent everyone upstairs to be. He had called doctor Clarkson for Lady Sybil and they were waiting for news. They decided to go to bed as they were exhausted after hearing that it was a false alarm. They made sure everything was locked downstairs and made their way hand in hand to their room. They changed quickly to their night clothes and lied down on the bed. After only a couple of minutes they were both asleep in each other's arms.

Charles was the first one to wake up in the morning and just stood there watching his wife sleeping. He had noticed that she was worried about Lady Sybil and so he was as well. He placed a kiss on her lips and she woke up with a smile on her face. They cuddled for a while and then got dressed for the day. They arrived downstairs with their daughters. The three girls ate their breakfast quickly as the twins had promised to their sister to accompany her to the school and then go to Ripon for some errands. Charles stood up from his usual seat at the head of the table and reminded everyone about Lady Sybil's condition and that they had to be quiet.

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The men of the family along with Violet were waiting in the library for news about Sybil as she had gotten into labor early in the evening while the staff was waiting in the servant's hall for news. Charles was the only one from the staff that was waiting outside the library for news. Rose and Christine had put their sister to bed early because she had school in the morning and they went back downstairs to wait for news. Elsie and her daughters were talking about Sybil and the baby when they noticed Charles entering the servant's hall with a wide smile on his face. "That's it.", they all stood up upon hearing him. "The baby is born.", the excitement was all over their faces. "It's a girl.", the smiles were wider now. "Now you can all go to bed.", he dismissed them and left to go to his pantry. Elsie followed him with a wide smile on her face. Once they were in his pantry with closed doors she threw herself in his arms. "I hope you are feeling better now, love. I know how worried you were about Lady Sybil.", he said in a soft and caring voice as he caressed her back and kissed her on her head.

"Yes, love. I'm feeling better now. I'm so excited, Charles.", she wasn't feeling any better, she had a bad falling for days now and she thought that it would leave once the baby arrived in the world but it was still there. She didn't say anything because she didn't want to worry him with that, she might be wrong after all. She reached to kiss him passionately and smile as he deepened the kiss.

"I believe, Mrs. Carson that we must go to bed. I have an idea for tonight.", he informed her with a smirk as he broke their kiss and kissed her once more.

After they made sure that everyone had gone to bed and that it was locked downstairs, they made their way hand in hand up the stairs to their bedroom stopping at every flight to kiss. He had started working on the buttons of her dress while she was working on the buttons of his shirt as they arrived inside their room. He pulled his hands away from her body so his above clothes could fell on the carpet. Soon her dress joined his clothes. He started working quickly on her corset while she worked on his belt and trousers. Soon her corset, shift and shoes and his belt, trousers and shoes joined the pool of clothes. He walked them towards the bed and lowered her softly on the bed. He started kissing her neck and reached her breasts. He stayed there for a while giving his attentions to her breasts. He reached the waist band of her knickers and slowly he took them off together with her stockings. She was lying in front of him completely naked.

She smiled widely at her husband and noticed that he was still wearing his undershorts. As he leaned down to kiss her passionately her hands started taking them off and her feet took them completely off while he pulled back to take off his shocks. They were completely naked now. She was pinned underneath him and loved how his skin felt against her skin. "I love you, Mrs. Carson!", he said to his wife as he remembered how happy he was on their first night together, on the day they learnt the twins were legally their daughters, the day she announced that they were going to be parents and the day he hold his baby daughter in his arms. He wanted to show her how much he loved her.

"I love you, Mr. Carson!", she said to her husband as she remembered how happy she was on their first night together, on the day they learnt that they were the parents of the twins, the day she learnt that she was pregnant and the day she hold in her arms her baby daughter for the first time. She needed him to show her how much he loved her as they had spent some time apart in the past. Only last year she was afraid that she would lose her husband and her daughter but now here they were. Their three daughters sleeping in the next bedroom and her husband was about to make love to her. She looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Please, Charles.", she pleaded him as she needed to feel him inside of her.

Charles was more than happy to comply to her demand and entered her in a long slow thrust. He didn't make any move as he wanted to memorize that wonderful feeling of him inside of her. He saw how her eyes darkened from her desire and started moving against her in slow thrusts. He wanted to give them the same feeling they had on their first night together. It was going to be slow and gentle, so they could both feel the sensations.

She wanted him to thrust harder and faster but she wanted the slow and gentle he was giving to her. It was bringing back all the feelings from their first night together. In that way they could feel all the sensations of their lovemaking, to show each other their love. She needed to feel happy and loved as she remembered the day she lost their baby. If that didn't happen they would have four children now and it could have been a boy. She knew that Charles loved his daughters but he would like to have a son. She wanted to give him a son and she didn't mind to lose her life in order to give him a son but every time they talked about it he was against it because he couldn't live without her. She pushed all these thoughts away as she was nearing her climax.

Charles feeling that they were nearing their climax started to move a little faster and harder against her. He leaned down to kiss her passionately on the lips and then moved to her neck where he sucked her making sure to leave his mark there. After a few more thrusts the room was filled with the cries of 'Charles' and 'Elsie'. They didn't move, they liked the feeling of being joined after they had found their release. He kissed her once more with all his passion and love and then move to lie down next to her making sure to draw her into his arms.

For a reason they didn't know, after a while they got out of bed to put on their night clothes. They lied back down on the bed and drifted off to sleep in each other's arms. They had been asleep only for two hours when they were awake by the sudden knocks on their door. They got out of bed and run to the door thinking it was one of their daughters but found Lady Mary standing in front of them. "What's wrong, Milady?", Charles asked the young woman worried as he noticed that she had teary eyes. They broke apart to let her enter the room and Charles closed the door. As he looked his wife in confused they were both taken by surprise when they saw Mary collapse on the floor and started crying.

Elsie looked at her husband and then moved quickly to the young woman pulling her into her arms. Mary didn't pull away but settled farther in the housekeeper's arms and continued crying. Elsie started rubbing soothing circles on the young woman's back and rocking back and forth to calm her. "Sybil… is… dead.", she managed to say between her sobs and continued crying in Elsie's arms.

Charles and Elsie looked each other shocked upon hearing these three words. Charles stood there watching the young woman that he loved as one of his daughters crying uncontrollably into his wife's arms for her sister's death. He left quickly the room to make sure that what he had just heard was true. He found Lord Grantham crying alone in the corridor and that moment he knew that it was true. He couldn't believe that the young woman had given birth to her daughter a few hours ago and now she was dead leaving her husband without a wife and her daughter without a mother. He noticed that Lord Grantham turned and looked at him. "Where is Mary?", he asked his butler while he wiped his hands.

"She came to inform me and Mrs. Carson about what happened and broke down.", he managed to say while he tried to keep his tears back. "Mrs. Carson is with her right now trying to calm her down.", he saw Lord Grantham nodding in agreement and leaving to find his wife. He stood there for a moment watching the younger man who had just lost his daughter walking away. He walked back to his room to find Elsie still holding Mary, though her sobs had subsided from before. He noticed that his wife was crying silently about the young woman that died and he knew how much his wife loved Lady Sybil as one of her daughters. She was the one that Sybil would go whenever she had a problem or was sad and didn't want to bother her mother or her sisters or her grandmother. Elsie always had time for the girl and loved to spend time with her but she hadn't stopped loving her as a daughter once they had the twins with them and after giving birth to Charlotte.

Mary pulled away from the embrace and looked down on her hands a bit embarrassed. "I am so sorry.", she said as she wiped her eyes with her hands. She felt the housekeeper's hand lifting her head to face her. She saw the love and the sadness in Elsie's face and found that she was taking comfort from her.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Mary.", the three of them knew that it wasn't time for proper things. There were some times when the butler or the housekeeper would call her and her sisters just by their names and they didn't mind at all. "You lost your sister who you loved very much. It's normal to have this reaction.", she said in a soft and caring voice. "Please, remember that I will be here for you or Edith whenever you want.", she offered a sad smile to the young woman.

Mary was so glad that she had a person where she could go if she wanted to as she knew that her mother would be in a state where she wouldn't comfort her daughters for a while. She stared at the housekeeper's face and saw the honesty of her words. She stood up from the floor with the help of Charles. She hesitated for a moment but without a second thought she hugged Elsie and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Carson. Sybil loved you very much and I'm sure that Edith would be grateful to know that you will there for her whenever she wants. Thank you so much.", she squeezed the older woman's hand and offered her a sad smile. "I have to check on my mother. Carson, please inform the staff about what happened.", she said as she stopped in front of the butler.

"Of course, Milady.", he offered her as well a sad smile and watched her leaving the room. Along with his wife they made their way to the servant's quartets to wake them up and ask them to gather in the servant's hall.

They were standing in silence in the servant's hall as Charles had informed them about Lady Sybil's death. He was looking in the distance as he tried to hold back his tears. He didn't want to break down in front of his staff. "Is there anything we should do, Mr. Carson?", it was Daisy who broke the silence that was full of sadness about the young woman's death.

"Carry on, Daisy.", he straightened himself. "That's we all must.", he looked at everyone and left the room with heavy steps.

Elsie watched him leave and then turned to see Daisy with sadness. She walked towards the girl and put her arms around her letting her cry in her arms. After she made sure that the girl's sobs had subsided she left to find her husband. As she walked towards the pantry she noticed Thomas and Anna standing straighter in her presence. "Oh! Don't mind me!", she said as a sob escaped her. "The sweetest spirit under this roof is gone…", she stopped to hold back a sob. "…and I'm wiping myself.", she left them to go to her husband. She wiped her eyes as she entered his pantry. "Are you alright, Mr. Carson?", she asked him knowing that some of the staff was still outside.

"I knew her all her life you see.", he was looking in the distance. "I've known her since she was born.", he kept looking in the distance when he felt her hand on his arms. He looked down at his wife who was trying hard not to break down and placed his free hand on top of hers.

They went back to their bedroom after making sure that everyone else had retired to get some rest as difficult days were coming. Once they were inside the room Elsie broke down in tears and Charles took her in his arms. They sat in the end of the bed with Charles holding her as she was crying. They didn't sleep one second as they remembered the short life of Sybil. Elsie had arrived at Downton a year before Sybil was born, so she had known her since she was born. She remembered the times she had come to her in tears or to ask her something or to just spend time with her. The morning found them in their daughters' bedroom with Elsie holding the twins in her arms as they cried for the death of their friend and sister and Charles holding Charlotte who was crying as well.

After the funeral Charles had taken over Elsie's work as well as she was in their daughters' bedroom with their three daughters and the two Crawly sisters. Mary and Edith had gone to Elsie, after their grandmother and Isobel left from the house, in tears. Elsie knowing that they would like to spend time with the twins and Charlotte, she took them to the girls' bedroom where they stayed until the dressing gong was heard and the Crawly sisters left for their rooms. Mary and Edith were feeling a little better as they made their way to their rooms. It did them good to spend time with Rose, Christine and Charlotte. They loved the three girls as their sisters and knew how sad they were about Sybil's death.

Difficult days were coming but Mary and Edith knew that they had to carry on and with the help from the Carson family everything was going to be alright.

Please, please, please review! I would like to know what you think of this chapter! As you can see the title is an inspiration for what Elsie said about Sybil's death in episode five of series three!

To Be Continued…