The taxi ride from Ripon was cold and silent. The only sound beyond the car engine was Grigg's incessant cough. Elsie wanted to ask so many questions of Grigg, but it was not a conversation she cared to have the taxi driver be privy to.
When they reached Crawley House, Elsie was out of the cab and around to the door before Grigg could even start to descend. She gave him a hand down and paid the driver as Grigg stood patiently waiting. With Grigg leaning heavily on her arm, Elsie rounded the corner to see Isobel coming out from the entrance to Crawley House.
Grigg tipped his cap as Isobel greeted him.
"Come in, Mr. Grigg. Mrs. Carson has told me all about you."
Elsie smiled warmly to see the light in Isobel's eyes. There was a vitality Elsie had not seen in the woman since Mr. Matthew's death.
"Thank you, Mrs. Crawley."
Grigg walked into Crawley House, removed his cap and looked around expectantly. Mr. Molesley stood in the corner of the entry way eyeing the visitor suspiciously.
"I was…I was wondering if Charlie might be here; Charlie Carson?" He directed this last towards Mrs. Crawley, but it was Elsie who answered.
"No. Mr. Carson's very busy, but I'll tell him that you've arrived safely."
"But he does know that I'm coming here?"
"We talked of if this morning." Isobel took Grigg's hand and continued the charade Elsie had started. "Now I've run a bath and dug out some clean clothes from the missionary barrel. They should fit you at least until we can find something better."
"You're very kind," Grigg wheezed as he climbed the stairs, led by the housemaid.
"Nonsense, it's the least I can do."
Elsie watched how vibrant Isobel had become even with this little bit of exertion.
"While I'm sorting him out I wonder if you'd look into the kitchen and tell Mrs. Field that he's arrived and to put his luncheon on a tray." Isobel addressed Elsie as if she was a nurse at the hospital, but Elsie didn't mind. "I think he should stay in bed today and then we can see where we are."
"He's right, you're very kind." Elsie praised her softly.
"No. No." Isobel said dismissively. She looked comfortable in her familiar role as benevolent provider. "We must all do what we can."
Elsie wished her husband felt the same.
-00-
When she returned to their cottage, she found Charles sitting at the kitchen table with ledgers all around him.
"Is your headache gone, love?" She asked, running her hands along his shoulders to his arms.
"The one from this morning is gone, so I thought I'd start on a new one." Apparently, he was still in a dark mood.
"Don't tell me Mr. Bates and Mr. Barrow have made such a mess of the ledgers that you must fix them. They can't keep relying on you."
"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing like that. Tom was here trying to help me find a way to distribute the eight hundred pounds around the estate. If we use forty pounds here for an improvement and fifty pounds there, it won't be so obvious and people won't ask questions."
"Has His Lordship agreed to take the money then?" This was excellent news. If the stress of the money was removed, she had a better chance of convincing him to see Grigg.
"No, but Tom thinks he has."
"You lied to Tom?" Elsie was aghast. "He's sure to find out the truth."
"I told him that Robert doesn't want the matter discussed because it's embarrassing to me."
"But you're a terrible liar." She reminded him.
"But Tom always thinks the best of everyone and would never even dream that I would lie to him. He's probably the only person I could lie to and get away with it."
"That makes it even worse," Elsie admonished him.
Charles knew she was right. He was taking the coward's way and putting Tom in the middle. He wished that he could think of another way, but he couldn't. The money came from the estate and must return to the estate. It was the only way to balance his own personal ledger. His head began to pound with pain again.
"Did you enjoy lunch with your new best friend?" Charles asked irritably, in an attempt to change the subject.
"Isobel is not my new best friend," Elsie corrected him. "Though I think we might get on very well in future."
"I meant Grigg."
Choosing to ignore the sarcastic undertones, Elsie answered lightly. "He ate his luncheon in his room. Dr. Clarkson is due to check on him tomorrow. His cough sounds terrible."
"You do remember that he's an actor?"
"If he made his skin that shade of grey on purpose, he's a very good actor." She sat down at the table and looked across at Charles, who wasn't looking too well himself. "Did you eat lunch?"
"I've been too busy."
"Let me make you something," she offered.
"I'll wait for tea."
"Are we expecting anyone?"
"Not today, but I thought Mary and Tom and the children might visit tomorrow. We leave on Friday and I haven't gotten to see much of the children."
Elsie knew that Charles missed sneaking up to the nursery to check on the wee ones.
"We can ask at dinner tonight. Be warned, the Dowager isn't coming, so Beryl has threatened to serve one of your favorites."
Elsie watched Charles chuckle as he made a notation in his notebook. He'd almost found a home for all of the money and was quite pleased. Elsie took a calculated risk.
"He was asking about you again."
"Who?"
"Who else?"
"Oh. What did you say?"
"That you were busy."
"That's true enough."
"He seems keen to see you."
"I'm sure he is."
"Why are you being so stubborn?"
"I've always been stubborn. Why are you surprised this time?"
"Because the man I know and love is more compassionate that you've been towards Mr. Grigg."
"Unlike you, my compassion has its limits. Charlie Grigg is beyond that limit."
"What exactly did he do?"
"You really have to ask? The last time he was here, he was hiding from the authorities and blackmailed me into helping him. If he doesn't steal Mrs. Crawley's silverware, I would consider his visit a triumph."
"If you are so afraid of what he might do, why did you let her take him in?"
"Because I don't control Mrs. Crawley. I don't even control my own wife." Charles answered bitterly. "Also, I've asked Mr. Molesley to keep an eye on him and I've told Dr. Clarkson about his past."
"You've asked the men to keep an eye out for the wellbeing of the helpless women?" Elsie seethed as she contemplated his interference.
"You know that's not how I see it, but I could hardly let a con man move into Crawley House without taking some precautions."
"Don't you think Mrs. Crawley can handle things?"
"What precautions has she taken?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is she locking him into his room at night, or does he have free range of the house?"
"I…I don't know."
"What's to stop him from running off in the middle of the night and leaving the two of you to answer to the authorities on his behalf?"
"He's in such poor health I don't think he'd get very far."
"It's surprising how far one can get and how quickly one can recover with some money in one's pocket."
"He wouldn't do that."
"Oh, you know him so well then?"
"No, but…"
"But he was once a friend of mine? Is that all the credentials you require?"
"No, but…" But Elsie couldn't think of anything to say.
"The one thing I am confident of is that he is not violent. Otherwise, I would never have allowed either of you to put yourselves in his power."
"In his power? You make him sound like some terrible villain."
"Villain is too strong a word, but he is a remorseless narcissist. He deceives people and does not consider the consequences. You and Mrs. Crawley are intelligent enough not be hurt by him, I hope, but by helping him, you will be empowering him to prey on whomever he may deceive hereafter. I have enough guilt associated with Charlie Grigg to last a lifetime. I don't need any more."
"Guilt?"
Charles stood up and threw down his pencil. "I'm done talking about him, Elsie. I respect that you are only doing what you think best, but leave me out of it." He strode to the door and pulled on his coat.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going for a walk."
"And what do I tell him when he keeps asking for you?"
"Tell him the truth. Tell him I don't care to see him and I don't care what happens to him."
TBC...
AN/ I know Molesley wasn't at Isobel's in canon, but he's working for her in my version and it really bugged me that they would bring this strange man into Crawley House where there was presumably only Isobel, the maid and the cook (Mrs. Fields).