A./N.: First of thank you all for your wonderful reviews. They light up my day. Here is the confrontation chapter some of you have waited for. I do hope it lives up to your imagination. Enjoy and pretty please leave a review.
CHAPTER 35
Both Charles and Elsie whipped around and stared at their visitors. Charles hastily got up from Elsie's bed and tugged at the seam of his waistcoat to somewhat straighten the wrinkled fabric and appear a little more reputable. A faint but becoming blush tinged Elsie's cheeks as she tugged at the sheet around her, unnecessarily making sure that she was decently covered in front of Lady Mary and Mr Crawley. Her eyes were cast down in shame at being seen like that, but when she heard another frustrated squawk from Sybbie she dared to look up.
Tom hesitantly moved forward, trying to hold onto his wriggling offspring without hurting her or letting her fall from his arms. He approached the bed and carefully sat down on the very edge of the foot of the bed, ready to jump up again or be rebuked for his forwardness, his assumption that Mrs Hughes would calm his distraught daughter. With his own eyes cast down, he spoke quietly, "She won't calm down …" Despite Sybbie's constant strain to get out of his arms he held onto her, waiting for Mrs Hughes' explicit permission to hand her over.
Elsie felt her lips stretch out into a genuine smile and her arms came up almost instantly, ready to receive and hold this dear little girl. "Well, then we better see what we can do," she murmured softly, calming Tom's frayed nerves and Sybbie's aching simultaneously.
Still Tom hesitated. "Only if you are sure …" he demurred, peaking at the housekeeper's face with apprehension.
"What is that supposed to mean? Of course I am sure," Mrs Hughes said, her voice only slightly tinged with impatience. Even Charles raised an eyebrow at hearing Mr Branson stalling like that.
"I think that has something to do with facing a wild Scottish dragon … not unlike our tamed one," Lady Mary's voice remarked cheekily as she, too, came closer to the bed and she gingerly sat down on the stool Mr Carson had vacated earlier. She was smiling mischievously to lessen the stink of her words. Before either Mr Carson or Mrs Hughes could rebuke her, they were silenced by a merry chuckle from Dr Clarkson.
"I believe my father once told me that I should settle for a docile English girl for all Scottish ones were as fiery as dragons," he guffawed happily, ignoring completely the dark looks he received from both the butler and the housekeeper. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see another scowl forming on the face of Mrs Crawley. His dear Isobel apparently didn't care for being described as docile … or was it the girl part of his statement? He chuckled again, his mood lightened considerably. "Oh come on, Elsie," he continued teasing his friend. "You have known about that nickname for years – and you encourage it to keep your girls on their toes."
Elsie huffed mightily before leaning forward a bit and loosening Tom's arms around his daughter so that Sybbie could crawl over and into her lap. She hated to admit it, but she didn't dare risk trying to pick the toddler up, not with her incision still so tender. When Sybbie was comfortably snuggled against her chest, she looked up and pinned Dr Clarkson with her steely blue eyes. "That's as may be, but you have too much cheek for your own good," she warned sweetly, reminding him silently that he shouldn't really anger her. Then she faced Lady Mary and asked quietly, "I still don't … oh … Glenna …" She gulped a bit, too afraid to ask what her sister had done or said. Knowing Glenna as she did, Elsie was sure that her sister hadn't really meant whatever had been said, but she knew that their fiery Scottish temper often ran away with the Hughes women.
Charles observed Lady Mary nervously shifting in her seat all of a sudden and Mr Branson jumping up from the bed and turning away from Mrs Hughes, his hands clenching into fists. Whatever had been said had clearly upset the Family. He could also see that Elsie was beginning to wring her hands in agitation. It was better not to upset her in fear of a setback in her recovery.
"What precisely did Mrs Murray say?" he asked calmly, stepping close to her bed and placing a large, comforting hand on Elsie's shoulder.
oOoOoOo
Daisy stood in the kitchen over the big table in the middle, trying to make the batter for tonight's chocolate souflées while simultaneously trying to block out Mrs Patmore's acrid comments on her skills. Ever since Mrs Hughes had been admitted into the hospital her superior had been a bundle of nerves. Daisy could understand how Mrs Patmore must feel now that her best friend was seriously ill, but she still thought that it was no excuse to be so horrid to your fellow human beings.
As a rather loud crash erupted from the hallway she was startled out of her semi-trance, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. She shrieked loudly and whirled around, sending the mixing bowl in her arms flying and large chunks of chocolate batter splattering all over a very irate cook.
"Can't you be more careful?" Mrs Patmore asked in an icy voice as she wiped a large stain on the bosom of her apron. "You daft girl threw souflée all over me."
After everything that had happened lately, Daisy was close to tears. She dropped the mixing bowl into the sink and buried her face in her hands, stifling a sob and trying to hide from the cook. Mrs Patmore heaved a massive sigh and was about to calm her under-cook when they could hear voices from the hallway. Perking up her ears, Mrs Patmore moved to the doorway and peaked out. What she saw stopped her heart for a few beats.
Mrs Murray stood in front of the door to Mrs Hughes' sitting room, breathing heavily and with purple blotches appearing on her face while Lady Grantham tried to calm her and keeping an eye on her mother-in-law. The old Lady Grantham stood imperially at the foot of the stair, glaring daggers at the Scottish woman. Mrs Patmore couldn't remember a time when she had seen Lady Violet downstairs. Her mouth dropped open, but then it got worse.
"I have nothing else to say," Mrs Murray snarled. "I am taking Elsie home where she will recuperate and be with people who care for her." Her chin was stubbornly thrust out and she didn't give an inch in her argument with the two ladies.
"I can understand why you must feel that way," Lady Grantham tried to sooth with a calm voice, but her eyes held a worried expression and she was wringing her hands. "I truly do, but I do think you are making a mistake. You're acting rashly. I doubt it is in Mrs Hughes' best interest." Apparently a sudden thought occurred to her and she seized it frantically. "Indeed we don't know if it would be advisable to move Mrs Hughes in her current state."
A heartbeat after it was out Cora knew she had just given more ammunition to her enemy. "My point exactly." Mrs Murray threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Elsie wouldn't be in the state she is in if it weren't for your blessed family …"
Now she had gone too far, because suddenly, and quite agilely for her age, Lady Violet side-stepped her daughter-in-law and drew herself up to her full height in front of Mrs Murray. "Precisely," she stated matter-of-factly.
Core drew back in shock. She had not expected her mother-in-law to be on Mrs Murray's side. In fact she had hoped to have Violet on her side, even though she and Mrs Hughes didn't often see eye to eye. Apparently that was too much to ask for. She dropped her shoulders in defeat. There was no point in fighting a war on every front, and especially not against her husband's formidable mother.
"You are quite right. If it hadn't been for my 'blessed family' Mrs Hughes would be in a worse state," Lady Violet remarked cuttingly. "My daughter-in-law has reduced her shores from the moment she was informed about Mrs Hughes' ailing health. Your sister had not told her herself of Dr Clarkson's recommendation to take it easy. No, it was Carson, who informed the family that Mrs Hughes might be ill." For a moment she let that truth sink in, then she fired the next salve. "We are a house in mourning …" Here her voice faltered a little, but she soldiered on bravely. "Despite the loss of my granddaughter, the family have mustered all their support and gratitude towards Mrs Hughes to see her through the worst. My son pays for all treatments Mrs Hughes goes through as we speak. My cousin, who is a trained nurse, is taking care of your sister. Mr Branson drives daily to the hospital to get news on her condition and to bring everything that might be needed. My entire family tries to make as little work as possible for the staff that they might visit the hospital as soon as we receive the all-clear. So you see my 'blessed family' does everything in our power to ensure Mrs Hughes' speedy recovery."
Lady Grantham slowly ran out of steam, her voice getting breathy as she tried to speak all she had to say in one go. Her eyes were flinty as she regarded Mrs Murray, but then her gaze softened almost imperceptibly. This whole mess reminded her starkly of the disastrous night Sybil had been taken from them; a stubbornness to see sense, the erroneous judgement of a doctor, well-meaning but misguided relatives. She sighed deeply. She was getting too old for this.
Mrs Murray buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Everything was true, and she knew it. She had desperately hung on to her anger so she wouldn't have to admit her own short-comings. Now she couldn't hide anymore. Her knees began to tremble under the strain of holding her upright and before long she gave up the futile attempt. Slowly she sank to her knees, still crying heavily. "I almost lost her … I was so afraid …"
Since she knew that Violet was always highly uncomfortable with overt emotions, Cora stepped to Mrs Murray's side before gracefully doing the unthinkable. She sat down beside the older woman.
"But you haven't," she said softly, her American accent both soothing and reassuring. "Our Mrs Hughes is a fighter and she will get through this … with all our help."
oOoOoOo
"She did WHAT?" Elsie's enraged voice rang clear across the women's ward. Her eyes flashed dangerously and her lips tightened into a very thin, disapproving line.
Both Lady Mary and Tom Branson stood guiltily in front of her and nervously shifted from one foot to the other. They had not really meant to tell her of her sister's misguided words, but once Mary had hinted at it Mrs Hughes had not let it drop until she had heard it all. Her old spark and toughness was returning, it would seem.
Mr Carson, too, was looking furious. His great bushy eyebrows were severely drawn together and his jaw was clenched to the point of looking painful. His great hands were clenching and unclenching rhythmically by his sides. "I assured her I would look after Mrs Hughes," he ground out at last, not caring if members of the family heard him and reported it back to the rest.
Elsie was holding onto Miss Sybbie for dear life. It was something to do besides trying to get out of bed and into some clothes to march up to the Abbey and give her sister a piece of her mind. 'How dare she?' she thought furiously, her mind overwhelmed with dark thoughts. Of course she knew what her sister had been thinking, if she was honest. Protecting her little sister had always been Glenna's main goal in life … well, until her daughter had been born. Apparently she was back in the spot of first priority.
"But she didn't protect me," Elsie mumbled darkly, a deep frown on her forehead. "She wasn't here." Anger bubbled slowly to the surface and her voice became louder again, unnerving her visitors. "She doesn't take notice of me in years and then all of a sudden she wants to decide what's best for me. Well, I won't have it!"
A small hand gently touched her burning cheeks, startling Elsie out of her homicidal thoughts towards her sister. Looking down she saw Sybbie's worried, and a little scared, eyes. Her heart clenched painfully as she observed the girl's desperate attempt to get her attention and calm her down. Sybbie's small hands were gently stroking her face and arms and she was softly rubbing her face on Elsie's chest, snuggling into her. Her eyes filled with tears as Sybbie even pushed up on her chubby little legs and wrapped her short arms around Elsie's neck as best as she could.
"Nana," she mumbled, rubbing her cheek against Elsie's.
The stern housekeeper fell apart. Elsie's heart soared and she swore to herself that from now on she would start listening on her heart instead of her mind. Life was too short to miss out on the really important things – like family and love.