A/N Sorry this took so long again. i'm still writing (the longest thing I've ever written btw!) and there are still 3 more chapters before the story's done. So if you're still with me: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING! It means a lot to me!

Chapter 26

2013

Viola's phone beeped with an incoming message. She had just read the rest of the November entries and had completely lost track of time. In her mind she was still in the year 1918, surrounded by servants and working for Mrs Hughes as a young housemaid. The electronic noise had no place in that scenario and she cursed herself for having forgotten to turn it off. She could ignore the message of course but her phone would repeat the noise until Viola had read the message. It had been set to remind her of incoming texts, mails and other news so that she would not ignore them. For her work this was important, in her free time it was annoying. Viola pulled the phone out from underneath the sleeping bag. It was a message from her editor asking her to suggest a new topic for the next issue. Something she had wanted to do for weeks but everything that had crossed her mind had already been done, discussed a dozen times, reported too often. Viola reread the message, looked at the open diary in her lap, then back at her phone. It wasn't exactly what she usually wrote about but why not try something new.

Found something while taking a few days off. Stories about British servants in the beginning of the 20th c, until end of the Great War. Will tell you more later in a mail. Must dash.

She hit send and then switched off the phone completely. Her editor would most likely protest, tell her that this did not make an interesting story. But Viola knew that she could convince him. Elsie Hughes' story, Mr Carson's diary, the letters and everything else would not directly appear in her article but she would take them as a source to find out more about the servants in the grand houses. She would erect a memorial for them.

1919

April 22th, 1919

An influenza epidemic has kept me from writing in these past weeks. I was too weak to hold a pen, my fever too high to concentrate on anything else than overcoming this persistent disease. Now I am feeling much better thanks to the doctor and my wonderful Elsie who sat at my bed almost day to night risking catching the disease herself. She would not allow me to argue with her about the dangers she exposed herself to. By now I know that it is futile to stop her once she has set her mind on something. A second time she was burdened with taking care of the entire househould on her own, because I was not the only person who had contracted the disease. Several maids and hallboys suffered much more severely than I. Her ladyship is still confined to her bed but she is slowly recovering. Two days ago we lost Miss Swire to the influenza. As if the deaths caused by the war had not been enough we now also lost this young soul. How much more tragedy does this family have to bear? The wedding was to be a day after tomorrow, the decorations already prepared so Elsie told me. Now there is another funeral of a young person who has left this earth too early.

And in all this sadness and chaos, his Lordship came to me the other night to offer us a cottage on the grounds. At another time I would have been pleased, delighted by this offer and accepted it but the house needs me now. Besides, we have not told the staff yet of our marriage. One more decision we have to make, and soon.

He was finally back on his feet again, a bit exhausted still now and then, especially after climbing up and down the stairs during dinner service, but willing to work. It helped to keep his mind busy and his thoughts away from the recent tragic events. Elsie eyed him suspiciously, often delegated some of his tasks behind his back to Thomas who they had taken on as footman again. Perhaps she thought he would not notice, but he knew exactly what she was doing for him, was aware of her scheming.

"Mrs Hughes, do you have a minute?" She had passed him on the stairs, on her way up to take care of the last few bedrooms they had originally prepared for the wedding company. The beds needed to be stripped again now that they had to cancel the festivities. And between organising the removal of the flower decorations and cancelling additional orders for food and other supplies, she had had no time to finish all of them by now. And although they were not short staffed when it came to house- and laundry maids, Elsie had a full schedule and work for more hands than were available.

"Give me half an hour? Then we can talk." She brushed his shoulder, smiled at him and then vanished behind the green baize door. He stared at the door for a moment longer as if Elsie would reappear, embrace him and tell him that everything would be fine. Nothing was fine or right anymore. He heaved a sigh, wished he could share her optimism and turned on his heel to disappear into his pantry.

ooooo

The columns of numbers in his ledger did not make any sense to him today. He stared at them, read them again, made another calculation but no matter how hard he tried, the result was always a different one. Exhausted and annoyed with himself, he closed the book with a thud and rubbed his forehead with the tips of his fingers. Work was a good distraction though it did not always have the desired effect. One thought kept returning to his mind and he could not avoid it any longer. Lord Grantham had offered them a place to stay outside of the house. Charles had declined the offer. It had been a rash decision, one he regretted now, because he had made it without consulting his wife, without telling her about it.

"Are you alright dear?" Her voice brought him back to the here and now. Like so many times before, she had entered his room without him noticing. Elsie looked tired and worried, sat down in the chair in front of his desk and leaned back in it, closing her eyes for a moment. "I think I need a bit of rest. And you should consider and early night too."

"I'm fine. The flu isn't bothering me anymore."

She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. Obviously she had forgotten about her own exhaustion the moment he tried to assure her that he was alright. "But something is keeping your mind busy. I can see it Charles and I wish you'd tell me what is wrong."

He should have known that it was impossible to keep anything secret from Elsie Hughes. The maids never succeeded, even the young ladies upstairs were an open book to her too often, with the exception of Lady Mary perhaps. Why should he be the one person who was able to trick this woman? When Elsie Hughes had been the first who found out about his past on the stage, long before Charlie Grigg even appeared on their doorstep.

"There is indeed something and it concerns both of us." He waited for a reaction from her but she only looked at him, expectantly.

"Lord Grantham offered us a cottage on the grounds the other day."

Elsie opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. No words were uttered. Instead her lips formed a dangerously thin line. Carson knew that his wife was close to fight with him, something he had wanted to avoid at al costs.

"I was still bedridden and Miss Swire had died the night before. I didn't tell you because there was never an opportune moment."

Elsie slowly inhaled. "We spent every day together in this house, almost every night and you say there was not time to mention this? You had a full week to tell me!" Her voice wasn't loud, she never yelled.

Carson swallowed hard. She was right. He should not have kept this information from her for that long. It was something that could change their lives forever.

"I declined his offers but I know now that it was not in my power to make a decision on my own. Elsie can you forgive me?" It was worth a try to ask for forgiveness although Carson expected her to reject his apology.

She stared at him for a moment longer before her features softened and she rolled her eyes.

"You are the worst husband, Charles Carson." She reached across the table to take his hand. "We should tell the staff about us tonight. It's time, don't you think?"

He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. "It has been on my mind all day."

"It wouldn't have been had you told me about it a week ago." Her anger had not completely dissipated. Still, Carson thought he could see a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, mocking him. "So you declined his offer? Might I know why?"

"I think after the recent events we are needed here. His Lordship's offer stands, the cottage is ours should we want it." Carson was still a bit cautious.

"Good." Elsie removed her hand and stood. "It is almost time for luncheon. We better assemble the staff early enough to tell them the good news."

Her quick decision startled him a bit. He had expected her to be angry and start a discussion, questioning his decision to decline Lord Grantham's offer. After all, it had always been her wish to tell everyone the truth about their relationship.

ooooo

In the servant's hall, 20 pairs of eyes stared back at them, some sparkling with unshed tears of joy, others dark with suspicion.

"We've kept our marriage a secret until now because we wanted to avoid that it was regarded as a motivation for the younger staff to break the rules set by Mr Carson and myself."

Elsie's face was stern to emphasize her point. She looked at Anna and Mr Bates, a sympathetic smile on her lips. They were the one exception to the rules. When she saw that she had everyone's attention, her lips curved into a full smile. Only two people in the room looked like trouble and she would deal with this problem later, perhaps never. Whatever the gossip was about Mr Carson and herself, no one would believe Thomas or Miss O'Brien now.

"His Lordship has offered us a cottage on the grounds but Mr Carson and I decided that in order to run this house properly, it is vital that we stay here. At least for now."

She stopped talking once more, waited for questions, protest, congratulations. The servants still stared at them until Anna finally made the first move. She stepped out of the crowd, towards the butler and housekeeper and took Elsie's hand.

"I'm so happy for you. Congratulations."

Mr Bates followed her example and soon they were shaking more hands and the crowd started chattering away merrily until the kitchen maids and Mrs Patmore remembered that it was time for their lunch.

"And you never told me!" the cook hissed at Elsie in passing. "We'll talk about this later!"

Under normal circumstances this would have been one of Mrs Patmore's usual threats, the kind Elsie ignored most of the time. Today on the other hand, the cook had made a peace offering.

"Do we have to call her Mrs Carson now?" Elsie heard Daisy ask on her way back to the kitchen. "Because when she's married now, she's no longer Mrs Hughes, isn't she?"

Carson had obviously overhead that particular comment too and before Elsie could answer Daisy's question, he decided to speak.

"Before we commence with our meal there is one more thing I'd like to point out. We have agreed that for now you can still address Mrs Carson by her maiden name and call her Mrs Hughes. I think that that way we will avoid any confusion. Now, if there are no further questions I'd like you to return to your work after luncheon."

The staff nodded and sat down, waiting for the arrival of their food, still chattering excitedly.

Elsie took her seat at her usual place, on his right. But for the first time in the four years of their marriage, she reached for his hand on top of the table and squeezed it affectionately.

ooooo

"Alone at last." She whispered, caressing his bare chest with her free hand, enjoying his warm skin. He had taken the other one to kiss it. "It was a good decision to tell them."

He didn't reply, kissed her knuckles absentmindedly instead, then let go of her hand and sighed.

Elsie kissed his chest and scooted up to be closer to his face. "Charles?"

He avoided her eyes when he spoke. "I'm not so sure about it." Elsie waited, hoped he would elaborate why he suddenly regretted their decision. For her it had been a wonderful feeling to finally be able to step out of the shadows of secrecy and into the light of truth. Hiding their relationship from the prying eyes of the staff had never been easy. Sharing a room at night impossible at times.

She often sneaked out of her bedroom well past midnight to open the door for him so that he could quietly cross the woman's corridor. But before the sun rose again, they always were sleeping in their own beds again. Perhaps young, secret lovers found it easier to play this particular game of hide and seek. Elsie felt too old for it.

Tonight they could finally enjoy a full night in each other's arms, wake together and see the sun rise. This alone was worth everything. She had not thought twice about telling the rest of the staff that she had married the butler four years ago when she was given moments like these as a gift in return.

"It was the right thing, trust me." She kissed his cheek, tried to distract him, made him see the many positive sides of being a married couple in front of everyone. "You'll never regret it."

He turned his head to look at her. Their noses almost touched. His eyes shone with unshed tears and it broke Elsie's heart to see her strong man so vulnerable.

"I love you," Charles whispered. "I love you with all my heart. You are brave and strong, Elsie Carson. And I feel like a coward, hiding our relationship for so long."

"Shhhh." She kissed him tenderly. "You did what you thought was best for us and the house."

A/N2: this wasn't supposed to end like this. In fact: there should've been another part with Viola reading a bit more in Charles' diary and discovering something. You'll read that in the next update. It's been too long since I last updated so I thought: this is also a good ending, it's not perfect but it is better than waiting another 2 weeks or so until I've found the time to write the "real" ending to this chapter ;).