Again, I am so sorry that I haven't been updating this story as much as I would like to. Enjoy and reviews are welcome!
Katherine awoke early the next morning atop a narrow uncomfortable bed. Her tears stained the pillow beneath her head and she became painfully reminded that she had not dreamed the previous day's events. She found a uniform draped over a chair near by, and reluctantly striped off her beautiful evening gown. She carefully folded it like she had seen Ana, and tucked it away safely. She unclasped the delicate string of pearls around her neck and hid them with her dress. After changing into her new attire, she undid her elegant up-do, and traded it for a tight bun. "Time to get to work," she muttered under her breath and trudged out of the room to attend to a long list of chores.
After Katherine cleaned the fireplaces, built the fires, scrubbed the pots and pans, and had been sufficiently yelled at by the cook, she was exhausted. The months of being pampered and living a life of luxury didn't mix well with hard labor. Soot and ash were smeared on her face, and her fingernails were blackened. As hard as she tried to wash the soot from her, it was no use. It was nearly midnight when she returned to her room and collapsed on her bed. Tears began to roll down her face as she realized that the life she thought was her's was gone. No more dinners with the family, or outings to London. She was never going to marry the one man she loved or become a mother. She was going to die poor, alone, and without a family. All these negative thoughts weighed heavily on her as she slipped farther and farther into a dark depression that she felt would consume her.
Meanwhile...
The whole house at Downtown had gone into a full out panic. As soon as the family had noticed Katherine was missing, they searched day and night, trekking through the forrest, asking around the town, and contacting the police. It had been almost a month, and there were no leads. The police had come to the conclusion that she had been kidnapped, or had run away. "But why on earth would she run away? She had no money, or family. She loved Downton with all her heart, and we are all she has," Sybil reasoned. "You're right, my darling. We must never loose hope. We will find her. Just wait," Said Lady Grantham, stroking her daughter's hair. "When will we assume the worst, Papa?" asked Mary. "Until we find a body," Lord Grantham said gravely. "Until then, we will continue our search. Mary, please go invite Jason over. He really needs to rest." Jason was driving himself insane looking for Katherine. He had contacted Scotland Yard, but so far, nothing. The case was running colder and colder by the day, and he was running out of options.
Downstairs...
"Mrs. Hughes, she'll be alright. You'll see. Katherine is a tough one. She'll come back soon," Carson said putting an arm around a sobbing Mrs. Hughes. "But what if she's not coming back?! Why would someone take her away from m- us..." she corrected herself. "I just pray every night that she's alive and well. I can't even think about.." she began sobbing again into her handkerchief and prayed that everything would be alright again. The staff had noticed a drastic change in both Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes since Katherine had gone missing. Both were stricter and had a smaller threshold for nonsense. Ana quietly knocked on the door and poked her head into Mrs. Hughes' sitting room. "Mrs. Hughes, if I might have a word?" she asked. Carson patted Mrs. Hughes on the shoulder, and left the room. "Yes, Ana. Come in. I'm afraid my allergies are acting up," she lied poorly. Ana quietly shut the door and walked over to Mrs. Hughes. "Mrs. Hughes, I think I speak for the entire staff when I say that we've noticed how you and Mr. Carson have changed. Ever since Lady Katherine... left, you both have been very different." Ana paused and looked around nervously. "May I have permission to speak off the record?" Mrs. Hughes nodded. "I don't believe that Lady Katherine is dead. I didn't believe it for one moment and neither should you or Mr. Carson. I have a friend who works as a maid at another estate who said she heard rumors that a neighboring family hired a new scullery maid. I didn't want to say anything until I was 100% positive, but I thought that maybe now would be a good time to tell you. I only found out this morning." Mrs. Hughes looked up at Ana with hopeful eyes. "We need to tell the family at once. Thank you, Ana. You are unusually kind to an old bird like myself," she said wiping the tears away. Ana bent down and grabbed Mrs. Hughes hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You are far from an old bird, Mrs. Hughes. We all care about you, and want the best for the family." The two exchanged a smile and both got up to alert the family about the new information.
*About two hours away*
"Elizabeth!" a voice said softly in Katherine's ear. "Mhm?" she moaned as she was roused from her sleep. Her eyes met with a large pair of blue ones and she was startled awake. "Who are you?" she asked, frightened by the girl starring at her with wide eyes. "I'm Paula. I'm a maid here. I'm sorry we haven't been properly introduced. I've been away for a bit on a personal trip. You are Elizabeth, aren't you?" "Um.. Yes. But I prefer Katherine." Katherine rubbed her eyes and stretched. It was only one in the morning, and she didn't need to start her rounds for a few hours. She secretly cursed the girl for stealing the few hours of precious sleep that she craved, but pretended not to be mad. "Why do you prefer Katherine? Is that your middle name?" Paula asked. "It's a long story," Katherine said with a sigh, accepting the fact that she would not be getting anymore sleep that night. "I've got time." After telling Paula the whole ugly truth, Paula seemed to pale three shades. "Are you telling the truth?" she asked suspiciously. "I swear I'm not making this up. I have nothing to lose by telling you this and nothing to gain. Don't believe me if you want, but it's the truth." "The Crawley family, did you say?" she asked. Katherine nodded. "Do you know John Bates?" she asked. Katherine's eyes lit up. "Yes! He is my... father's valet!" she hesitated to refer to Lord Grantham as her father. "He is married to one of my house maids Ana!" she exclaimed. "Yes! My brother served with him in the war! I don't write to him often, but I'll write to him at once!" she smiled and ran to the corner of the room to find a pen and paper. Once she had written the letter, she addressed it and stuck it in her apron pocket. "Thank you so much, Paula. You have no idea how much this means." Katherine threw her arms over Paula and hugged her. Paula was startled by this, but hugged her back. "They will find you, Katherine. I know it."