Thank you for all of your reviews and support. I hope you like this chapter. I had fun doing a little research on how a bride would be dressed during this time period and looking up the actual words of the Anglican wedding ceremony at this time. If you are interested in how I imagine the suit Mrs. Hughes wears for her wedding, you can find it at:
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Anna made her a suit that looks similar to the one on the left, in the color of the one in the middle.
The next two weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Mrs. Hughes was content to be married in her best suit, as was the fashion, but Mrs. Patmore and Anna would not hear of this. They insisted that she have something new to wear on her wedding day; nothing too elaborate, but something special. Mrs. Hughes relented, and after Anna took her measurements, the three women went to the village together to choose fabric and notions for a new suit. Anna had taken on the task of making the suit, as Mrs. Patmore had very little experience with sewing, but the cook accompanied them to make sure Mrs. Hughes did not talk Anna into something too simple. The housekeeper did not make things difficult for them, however. She looked over the things they considered and only asked to have the right to reject anything she particularly disliked. Otherwise she would trust them to outfit her properly on her wedding day. Anna had been dressing the girls for years and she had filled in for Miss O'Brien when she was ill or away visiting family. Her taste could be trusted. Mrs. Hughes made the purchases, but she didn't know exactly what Anna had planned. She would enjoy the surprise. Mr. Carson had visited the tailor and ordered a new suit even before the banns were read for the first time. He had only to choose a necktie.
Mrs. Hughes knocked on Mr. Carson's open door when she returned from the shopping excursion. "We're back now, Mr. Carson," she said. "Anna can serve if you need her, being that we're still short a footman."
"And probably will be for some time. I've been thinking about it lately, though," Mr. Carson said. "I've wondered if any of the older hall boys might be ready to be trained as footmen."
Mrs. Hughes approached his desk. "How old is your oldest boy?" she asked.
"Fifteen," he replied with a sigh. "Probably too young still. I could start some informal training, but I doubt I could have him serving at table anytime soon."
"It sounds like you've answered your own question, Mr. Carson," she said with a smile.
"I'm glad Anna knows what she's about, but I don't like it," he said, dissatisfied. "It's just not the same as it was before the War." He looked up at Mrs. Hughes. "I know, I know, you've been telling me that for years now. But you know me."
"I do," she answered. "Stubborn as a mule and it takes an age for you to come to terms with change."
He just grumbled, but he still gave her a little smile.
"Well, I'd best get on with my work," Mrs. Hughes said. "I've a bit to catch up on after that trip to the village." And she was gone.
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"Now hold still, or I might prick you with a pin," Anna warned. She was performing the final fitting of Mrs. Hughes's wedding suit while Mrs. Patmore looked on. She and Anna had agreed to make the suit a surprise until the wedding day and they were both ready to fight it out if Mrs. Hughes balked, but once again the housekeeper had no objections to the arrangement. She was too happy to worry about something that seemed rather trivial to her, so she put herself entirely in Anna's hands. She liked the fabrics they had chosen, and she rather enjoyed surprises of this sort. If she hadn't been in her own room she would have felt it rather a foolish business being dressed and undressed with her eyes closed, but as it was she tolerated it with equanimity.
"I think you have matters well in hand," Mrs. Patmore said to Anna. "I'd best be getting back to the kitchen. Dinner won't cook itself." The cook left quietly.
"Well, Mrs. Hughes, it seems that the last set of alterations did the trick," Anna told her. "It fits perfectly. There's no danger of your being pricked by any pins now. I'll just hang it in my wardrobe until your wedding day."
"I don't suppose you'll let me open my eyes now," Mrs. Hughes replied.
"You suppose right!" Anna laughed. "You'll see it in a few days. Now let's get you out of this and into your evening dress."
"Very well." Anna helped her out of the suit and then let herself out of the room to secret it away in her own room. Mrs. Hughes opened her eyes and dressed herself. She almost felt as though the wedding suit was a figment of her imagination, never having seen it, and now simply dressed in her usual evening dress, as she did every day at this time.
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"Are you nervous yet, Charles?" Mrs. Hughes asked, as they sat alone together drinking wine a few evenings later.
"No. Why should I be?"
"People often are when they're about to be married," she pointed out.
Mr. Carson scoffed. "I think I must be too old for that nonsense," he said. "I don't feel the least bit nervous. Don't tell me you're nervous."
"Don't mock me, Charles. I will admit that I am a bit nervous," she conceded. "Our engagement was kept secret for so long and loving you was my secret for even longer than that. I've wished for some months that I could be open about it, but now that I am it feels strange that I'm about to stand up in front of those I work for and those I work with and give thee my troth. It's not a bad sort of strange, but it's enough to make me nervous."
"Elsie, you'll think me vain perhaps, but I wonder. Did you really love me for a very long time before you said so?"
She smiled. "I don't think you vain, but yes, it was a long time. Many years."
He took a chance and pressed her for more. "How long, Elsie?" he asked quietly.
"Goodness, I can't remember the exact date, but I can tell you when it happened, or at least when I knew it had happened and that there wasn't a thing I could do about it."
"Go on," he encouraged her.
"You and I were friendly when I was head housemaid, but never friends," she began. "I'm not sure it's possible for a butler and housemaid to really be friends, unless there's something not quite proper going on. I thought you handsome and I knew you had a good heart under all that bluster and propriety, but it didn't go much beyond that. When I became housekeeper, I began to know you better. You will also likely remember that when I became housekeeper, I considered my new position to have given me licence to take certain liberties that I never would have dared before. The butler is the head of all household staff, but he is not precisely superior to the housekeeper, or at least not much. I teased you a little and spoke impertinently from time to time, although never in front of the other staff."
"I do remember that, Elsie," he said. "I didn't mind a little teasing. Mrs. Trent could be much worse, although she didn't tease. She just became cross and peevish when she was tired and there was no cheering her up. You were a breath of fresh air, even when you vexed me, because of your energy and liveliness."
"I'm glad," she replied. "You won't deny that I have vexed you quite often over the years. It's likely I'll continue to vex you in the years to come."
"And I can faithfully promise that I'll vex you as well. Now finish your story," he admonished her.
"I'm not sure what got into me that one day, but I teased you mercilessly, poking at your strictly dignified stance. If I remember correctly, I even repeated a few off-color jokes I had heard from some other staff. By dinner, you were still as impassive as ever and you asked me to come to your pantry after dinner. I knew I had gone too far and was ready to receive a well-deserved telling-off. But when I arrived in your pantry I found you looking perfectly calm, not appearing angry at all, and you offered me a glass of wine. It was the first time we sat down together for wine and a chat. We talked for a while and finally I broke down and apologized for pestering you all day, but you told me not to be sorry. 'You've made me laugh, Mrs. Hughes,' you said. 'I don't laugh very often. I liked it.' You smiled at me and I lost my heart. I had never seen you smile like that in all the time I had been at Downton."
Mr. Carson smiled. "I remember that day. I was irritated at first, but by the end of the day it was just as I said. I remembered how to laugh." He paused and looked at her closely. "And all that time you loved me?"
She nodded. "It was painful at first. I knew I wasn't allowed to love you. But I got used it and it only pained me occasionally, primarily when you were ill or when I could see that something was upsetting you and you wouldn't tell me what it was. When I was first housekeeper it wasn't my duty to care for you when you were ill, and I wished it were. I was glad when that changed. There was nothing romantic about coming to your room when you were ill, but I loved you and I knew that qualified me better than anyone else in the house to care for you."
"You're a very capable nurse, Elsie. A definite improvement over the head valet."
"Your plan to go to Haxby brought up all the old pain again," she said. "I fought the good fight, but in the end I wasn't able to remain opaque to you."
"Much to my delight," Mr. Carson said.
"I wanted to know all of your secrets, because I wanted to comfort you, not because I wanted to tease or laugh at you."
They were silent, and Mrs. Hughes noticed that Mr. Carson was looking increasingly uncomfortable.
"What is it, love?" she asked him.
"Come sit with me, Elsie," he said quietly. "I have a secret to tell you."
She was concerned, but she was happy to accede to his request. She settled on his lap and squeezed his shoulders. "What is it, Charles? You look very low all of a sudden."
He sighed. "It's a shameful secret, Elsie. I should have told you sooner only… I couldn't seem to find the right moment."
"Do tell me, then, Charles. I can see it troubles you."
"It's a very old secret, one I've kept from almost everyone since I was a young man." He took a deep breath and started his story. "I entered service when I was twelve years old. I worked hard and was a second footman at another large house in Yorkshire by the time I was twenty. I was well on my way to a successful career in service, but I felt a certain rebellion against the system I worked in. I fell in with an unsavory fellow from the village who talked me into leaving service for a career in the music halls. We had a singing and dancing act - 'the Cheerful Charlies,' they called us. I was happy at first to call my own tune, rather than taking orders from the butler. But the rooms we stayed in and the food we ate made my little room and the meals in the servants' hall seem luxurious. When my partner stole from one of the theatres it was the last straw for me. Being my own master was a failed experiment, and I was lucky to secure another position, even though I had a break in service of several years that was not spent respectably employed. I returned to service as second footman at Downton Abbey."
There was silence for a while. Mr. Carson waited anxiously for Mrs. Hughes's reaction. He was glad she was sitting on his lap, so he hadn't had to look her in the face while he told his shameful tale. "I have a secret, too, Charles," she said at last.
"Oh?"
"Yes. My secret is that I knew your secret."
"What? And you let me tell the whole sorry tale?"
"I only knew a little of it. I wanted to hear your account of it."
"How did you find out?"
"Lady Sybil told me," she admitted.
"Oh, yes, she was there when Grigg showed up at the house," Mr. Carson recalled. "I knew his lordship, Mr. Bates, and Anna would keep it secret, but I wasn't sure if she would."
"You may be certain, Charles, that she told no one but me," Mrs. Hughes assured him. "She was hesitant enough to tell me, and to this day I'm not sure why she did."
"What do you mean?"
"It was a week after Mr. Grigg came to Downton that she came down to my sitting room with a handbill that featured the Cheerful Charlies. She said she was worried someone would come across it in her room and she didn't want it to be her fault if your secret got out. She was worried about your being embarrassed in front of the other staff."
"Why didn't she just throw it in the fire?" Mr. Carson wanted to know.
"That's exactly what I asked her," Mrs. Hughes replied. "She told me that she thought perhaps I should know of it, though why she believed that I'll never be sure. She made me promise not to breathe a word of it to you or anyone else. Of course it was a promise easily kept. I would never want to see you humiliated. Lady Sybil had told me how ashamed you were of the whole business."
"And the handbill? Did you destroy it?"
She smiled. "No, I still have it, but it's hidden very carefully. I had no right to it, but I loved you, and I treasured this little piece of your past. I took it out every once in a while and looked at it, trying to imagine how you must have looked on the stage."
Mr. Carson let out a mirthless laugh. "Like a great fool, I'm sure."
"I doubt it. And you must try to think about the joy you brought to those who came to see your shows. That's worth something, Charles."
He tightened his arms around her. "I love you, Elsie."
She smiled. "I love you, too, Charles. Now, I think I had better be off to bed. I'm getting married tomorrow morning and I need my rest."
Mr. Carson released her and she kissed him lightly before slipping through the door and making her way upstairs.
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The next morning, Mr. Carson couldn't claim the same lack of nervousness that he did the night before. He wanted everything to be perfect today. The bride would be perfect, of course, but there were so many other things that could go wrong. He worried about everything that could reasonably happen, as well as a few outlandish possibilities. He worried about forgetting the ring, or that his shoelace would break as he walked to the church, both understandable concerns, but he also had the sudden fear that he had the time wrong and would turn up at the church an hour late to find it deserted, except for Mrs. Hughes, who in his mind's eye would sit quietly weeping in the last row of pews, thinking that he had changed his mind about marrying her. This was, of course, ridiculous. The date and time of their wedding ceremony had been burned on Mr. Carson's memory from the moment it was set in Mr. Travis's office the day they met with him to ask that the banns be read.
He found himself both glad and sorry to be alone this morning. Mrs. Patmore and Anna would be helping the bride dress and going with her to the church. Mr. Carson didn't need help getting dressed, but he would have been grateful for Mr. Bates's quietly calm presence once he was ready. The valet no doubt would assure him that his tie was straight and make sure he had Mrs. Hughes's ring safely tucked in his waistcoat pocket, as well as calm his fears about the other arrangements. But Mr. Bates was incarcerated and awaiting trial and the nervous groom didn't think that the presence of Thomas or one of the hall boys would be very reassuring to him. Mr. Carson wasn't accustomed to not being in charge of an event, and it was unsettling to him. Normally he could check every item on his list twice, and confer with Mrs. Hughes on whatever preparations she was undertaking. This time, however, he had no list to check, and could not speak with Mrs. Hughes. She was not far away from him, but there were walls and doors separating them, not to mention the fact that Mrs. Patmore would scold him to within an inch of his life if he attempted to see the bride before she walked down the aisle. They weren't even supposed to have seen one another last night, but though they had obediently taken their dinners separately on trays in their respective rooms, they had agreed to meet secretly in his pantry like usual, after the others had gone to bed. Mr. Carson was glad that they had at least rebelled in this respect. He thought he might be running mad right now if he hadn't had his usual evening tête-a-tête with Mrs. Hughes the night before.
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A short distance down the corridor, Mrs. Patmore and Anna attended the housekeeper in her room. Mrs. Hughes was now beginning to regret that she had allowed them to talk her into the suit being a surprise until the actual day of her wedding. She was used to being in control of everything, but at the moment she was in control of nothing, at the mercy of her sometime rival and one of her own subordinates. She stood in her shift and corset, eyes closed, waiting to be dressed. Before long she felt the soft garments slipping onto her body and being fastened by unseen fingers.
"May I open my eyes yet?" she asked impatiently.
"Not yet, Mrs. Hughes," Anna answered, still fastening hooks and buttons. She was soon finished, however, and she turned the housekeeper to face the full length mirror that Lady Grantham had found in the attic for the room she would share with Mr. Carson. "All right, you can open your eyes now."
Mrs. Hughes opened her eyes and almost did not recognize her reflection. She was dressed in the most exquisite articles of clothing that she had ever worn. She couldn't say anything right away, so she turned this way and that, looking at the sides and back of the suit - a dark blue skirt and jacket with a cream blouse. "Oh, Anna," she breathed. "It's beautiful."
"I'm so pleased you like it," Anna said. "You look lovely."
"But isn't this a great deal too fine for me? I'm a housekeeper, not a countess, or even a gentlewoman, come to that."
"You're not a housekeeper today," Mrs. Patmore said. "You're a bride."
A smile spread across Mrs. Hughes's face. "I don't suppose I can disagree with that."
"No, you can't," Mrs. Patmore answered intractably. "And don't even think about trying. Anna's made the suit and fastened you into it, but my job is to make sure you don't argue."
Mrs. Hughes raised her hands in surrender. "Very well, I'll say nothing further. I promise."
"See that you don't," Mrs. Patmore said challengingly. "I'll leave Anna to fix your hair. I need to go down and make sure Daisy hasn't burnt down the kitchen."
Mrs. Patmore departed and Anna untied the ribbon at the end of Mrs. Hughes's braid and quietly went to work.
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Mrs. Hughes faltered for just a moment when the organ began to play, but she soon straightened her shoulders and raised her chin slightly before making her way steadily down the aisle. She could not prevent herself from trembling a little, and her ears felt as though they were stuffed with cotton wool, but she would not let a little nervousness ruin her happiness. Mr. Carson, at the other end of the aisle, was making a similar resolution when the bride began making her way in his direction. His jitters were forgotten and all he saw was her, walking toward him with a dazzling smile on her face. He didn't note any particular detail of her dress or coiffure; he only knew that he had never seen her looking lovelier. At last she reached his side and he took her hand. The bride and groom were just aware enough of the progress of the ceremony not to miss their parts in it, but primarily they only had eyes for each other.
Mr. Carson's throat was dry and he didn't know if he would be able to speak, but once he opened his mouth to recite his vows, his resonant voice carried through the church.
"I, Charles, take thee, Elsie, to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, til death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth."
"I, Elsie, take thee, Charles, to be my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey" Mrs. Hughes paused very briefly at this last word and her lips quirked almost imperceptibly. "til death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth."
Mr. Carson was ready with the wedding band and clearly recited the vow as he placed it on her finger. "With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, with all my worldly goods I thee endow; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen."
The rest of the ceremony was a blur to both of them, until Mr. Travis pronounced them Man and Wife. Mrs. Hughes was no more, replaced by a very happy Mrs. Carson. The couple proceeded back up the aisle, arm in arm, and kept hold of each other's hands all the way back to the Abbey, where the Crawleys were hosting a modest wedding breakfast. Mrs. Carson had been surprised at first by the family's generosity, considering how difficult it had been to persuade them to accept having a married butler and housekeeper. She soon came to realize that it was only the earl who objected so strenuously. Lady Grantham and her daughters were happy for the couple and each contributed in her own way to make the day special. The countess organized the breakfast with Mrs. Patmore, Lady Mary had purchased a necktie for Mr. Carson that would match the bride's clothing, and Lady Sybil had made over one of her own hats for the bride. Even the dowager countess, who had reconciled herself with the marriage fairly quickly, adorned the church with flowers from her own garden and provided the bride with a bouquet; Lady Edith aided her grandmother in choosing the flowers and with the help of the gardener, made the bride's bouquet herself. Even Lord Grantham held out an olive branch to the couple by insisting that he be the first to sign the register as witness to the marriage. He was still a little uncertain of the future, but he could see how happy the couple was and knew he had done right in allowing them to marry and remain in his employ.
It felt rather odd to Mr. and Mrs. Carson to ride in the back of the car when they returned to Downton Abbey after the ceremony. It was especially unfamiliar to Mrs. Carson to enter the house through the front door. Mr. Carson had done so in performing some of his duties, but still felt rather strange doing so in this situation. However, neither of them thought on it for very long, for there was a feast waiting for them. Outside the church, villagers who had attended had surrounded them, congratulating them on this happy occasion, so the Downton Abbey staff had had enough time to walk back to the house ahead of the car that brought the bridal couple back from the church.
When they arrived for the wedding breakfast, the rest of the staff, as well as the family, were waiting to greet them and wish them well. Mrs. Patmore had outdone herself, and the cook was even happy with the work Daisy had done during the ceremony. The girl had been disappointed that she couldn't attend the wedding, but she was glad that she was allowed to put on her best dress and come upstairs for the celebration. She shyly shook the formidable butler's hand but she hugged Mrs. Carson, of whom she was only a little afraid. Today, however, their smiles told her that she needn't fear the happy bride and groom.
The wedding breakfast was brief, for Mr. and Mrs. Carson had to catch an afternoon train. After changing into traveling clothes and retrieving their suitcases from their otherwise empty attic rooms, they again found themselves in the back of the car, waved off from Downton Abbey by some of the family and most of the servants as they were taken to the station.
"Well, Mrs. Carson," said Mr. Carson. "How do you feel?"
"Wonderful," she replied, with a contented sigh. "And you?"
"The same," he answered. "I never thought to see the day when I would make some woman or other Mrs. Carson. You've made me very happy, Elsie." He kissed her cheek as the train pulled into the station. They boarded and soon were on their way. The Crawleys had insisted that they take three full days away from Yorkshire and Downton Abbey. They had to be back in uniform and back to work on Sunday morning, but until then they would be enjoying the charms of a small village in Leicestershire, and perhaps a day in London. But most of all they would be enjoying each other's company, regardless of where they were. The day had come when years of patient, silent love were rewarded by the happiness of a marriage of true affection.
To be continued...
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