AN/ I didn't have the heart to leave you hanging for too long...here ya go.

"Charles!"

Elsie ran up the stairs and towards the guest bedroom. She saw things in bright relief, flashes of information as she sought her husband. Elsie knew she should not just go running in unarmed and unprepared, but her concern for Charles trumped logic. She could see into the bathroom as she ran down the hall. His shaving mug was shattered on the floor. The door to the guest room was shut and there were sounds of scuffling behind it. Elsie pushed on the door, but something was obstructing it. She pushed harder and the door flew open. Elsie stumbled into the room where she found Mr. Carson wrestling on the floor with…"Miss Baxter!"

The sound of Elsie's voice caused both combatants to stop immediately. Miss Baxter had been trying to escape and Mr. Carson was trying to hold her.

"Stop this at once! Charles, let her go. Miss Baxter, kindly stay where you are."

They both obeyed, as they'd been trained to do. Elsie looked at Miss Baxter closely. Her hair was wet and she was wearing one of Elsie's robes. Noticing that the former ladies maid was even thinner than usual, Elsie remembered the food pantry. Miss Baxter had clearly not taken much for fear of being discovered. Elsie thought Miss Baxter might be still hungry.

"Now then. It is not every day that someone returns from the dead. I think this calls for tea. Charles, would you please put the kettle on? I'll find some clean clothes for Miss Baxter." She had noticed the pile of dirty clothes in the corner. The poor woman had obviously been living quite wild.

Unable to argue, Charles stood up and dusted himself off. He was wearing his trousers and undershirt. He pulled his braces up with as much dignity as he could muster and quit the room. Elsie rummaged through the spare clothes stored in their guest room and found something suitable for Miss Baxter.

"Come downstairs when you are ready. Do not try to run. The police are at Downton this very instant and we will not hesitate to call if you do not cooperate." She turned and walked calmly back the path she had just run. She paused at the top of the stairs to allow herself a moment of relief. When she first heard the noises upstairs, she had feared the worst. This was an odd situation, to be sure, but Charles was safe. Nothing else mattered.

She found her man preparing tea and muttering to himself. "Makes no bloody sense."

"Let's withhold judgment until we hear Miss Baxter's side of the story, love."

"But I ask you! Letting people believe she was dead! What's the point in that?"

"I'm sure she will explain."

"We ought to call the house had have the police sent here. Let them sort it out."

"We can always do that, but once it's done, we can't undo it."

The tea was ready by the time Phyllis joined them. She looked contrite but wary. She was a little surprised not to find the police waiting for her. Mr. Carson's stern look told her it was Mrs. Carson's grace to which she owed her continued freedom.

Elsie poured tea for Miss Baxter and offered her a small plate of ham sandwiches. Miss Baxter devoured them as daintily as she could. Her food supply had been woefully wanting. She'd been limited to apples and carrots stolen from the horses for the past week. When the plate was empty, Phyllis leaned back in the chair and smiled at Elsie gratefully. Charles just watched her with an anticipatory look on his face.

"Now then." Elsie said calmly. "I believe there is an explanation owing."

Phyllis nodded and began her story.

She told of her fear of her family finding her. She told of hiding out in London and seeking passage to America. She told how Mrs. Butte had found her.

"She said that Joseph was coming. I drank some wine and lay down. I hadn't slept properly in days. The next thing I remember clearly was when I hit the water. I was going to come ashore, but I heard people saying that I'd shot someone."

"Did you shoot Detective Vance?" Elsie asked.

"I don't think so. I don't remember having the gun after I went to sleep, but it's all too hazy."

"Mrs. Butte never mentioned finding you." Charles told her. "It's not the kind of thing one forgets to mention."

"No." Elsie agreed.

"I was under the dock when Joseph jumped in. I was frightened and confused. I still wasn't sure if my family had anything to do with the murders. I listened to the police on the dock. It sounded like they wanted to arrest me; they thought I'd shot someone. I was scared, so I floated downriver before trying to climb out. I stole some clothes and enough money to come north. I've been living in the poacher's shacks waiting for the family to come home."

"Why?"

"I thought I might be able to contact Joseph and find out what exactly happened. In London, either the police or my family would have found me if I'd stayed there. I don't know London very well, except the places my family runs."

Though it was a warm night, Phyllis was shivering. Mr. Carson brought a throw from the couch and Mrs. Carson wrapped it around the trembling woman.

"The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that Mrs. Butte was the murderer; that she'd killed everyone. I was surprise to see her return to Downton with the family. I decided that contacting Joseph wasn't safe. I decided to watch and see what Mrs. Butte did."

"Did she kill Lady Flintshire?"

"I don't know. I didn't see anything. Miss O'Brien visited the Bates' cottage not long after Mr. Carson left, but I didn't see Mrs. Butte that day."

"Why were you here tonight?"

"I was hungry and dirty. With the servants given the half day today, I had to be extra careful. Some of the hall boys come to the shacks to drink and play cards."

"They what?" Charles interrupted angrily.

Elsie put a hand on his arm. "That's not really the point, love."

"Oh, of course not. I'm sorry, please continue."

"I had to hide from them, but I heard them talking about how it was harder to sneak into the courtyard for an evening rendezvous when the two of you are staying in the house."

Charles tensed in consternation, but did not interrupt again.

"I knew you had not been here last night and I believed you would not be here tonight. I wanted a bath and to sleep in a real bed. Also, my food has been little more than what I can steal from the barns."

"How did you get in?" Charles demanded.

"These locks are easy to pick. My father taught me when I was a girl." Her smile was guilty and apologetic.

"You poor dear." Elsie could not help but embrace the Phyllis. "You've been through so much."

"You have to tell the police everything you know." Charles insisted.

"No!" Phyllis panicked. "They think I killed that detective. They'll just arrest me and ignore everything I say."

"We can't keep her here." Charles answered Elsie's silent look. "That's called aiding and abetting."

"Only if she's a criminal, which she is not. We have to find the evidence to clear her and expose Mrs. Butte." Elsie said sternly before speaking softly to Miss Baxter. "We should tell Mr. Molesley. He'll be so relieved that you're alive."

"No. He wouldn't be able to hide the truth from Mrs. Butte. He's too honest and she's too shrewd.

"He came to the shacks today, after the hall boys left. He searched them all, I think. It was hard for me to stay a step ahead of him. I didn't dare sneak over here until he'd left off his search after dark. If he knew I was here, it would only put him in danger." Phyllis pleaded. "You mustn't tell anyone else."

"I don't like it." Charles declared. "How are we supposed to find something on Mrs. Butte? She's not likely to try and hurt anyone else anytime soon. It could be a very long time. If we let you stay here, you're bound to be discovered and then, how will that look? And what if she does hurt someone else? It would be on our conscience."

"What do you propose?"

"Go to the police. Turn Mrs. Butte in. Tell them that you saw her shoot Detective Vance."

"But I don't remember it exactly. Sometimes I think I do, but I may have imagined it."

"Either you shot him or Mrs. Butte shot him." Charles insisted.

"The police think it is me. Are they going to take my word over Mrs. Butte's? Especially when my recollection is so uncertain?"

"Then what do we do?"

"We do as she said." Elsie said softly. "We wait and we watch."

"It seems like a ticking time bomb to me." Charles grumbled, but accepted his wife's judgment.

TBC…

AN/ I will only say to Chelsie fan, "Yes,you're very smart. Shut up." [ I say that with love; GraysonSteele has me quoting Princess Bride.]

I couldn't kill Miss Baxter; she's too sweet. If you've seen some of the Vanity Fair photos, I didn't even recognize the actress who plays Baxter. She cleans up nicely. Molesley would be very pleased.

I don't think that ticking time bomb will tick for very long...not now that Charles and Elsie are on to Mrs. Butte.

Thoughts?