When they arrived at the hospital, Rose met them downstairs. "She's awake. Dr. Clarkson is evaluating her. Mrs. Crawley is with her. We should be able to go back up soon."

Cora put her arms around Rose. The girl was obviously very tired. "Thank you, Rose."

Ten minutes later, Isobel came down. "Dr. Clarkson can find no permanent physical damage and her cognitive functions are still sharper than they have any right to be at her age. She may go home as soon as tomorrow." She placed a comforting hand on Rosamund's arm. "But we mustn't overwhelm her. She is insisting on seeing you, Robert and Rosamund. And, Mr. Carson, she has asked to see you as well."

Isobel's look and bearing indicated that she knew something was going on and she fully expected to be brought up to speed eventually. For now, everyone was grateful that she was not demanding an immediate explanation of the Dowager's strange request.

When they reached the Dowager Countess' room, Robert and Rosamund passed into the screened enclosure as Charles closed the door behind them. Shortly, Robert called for Charles to join them.

This time, Charles was heartened by the sight of the patient. The Dowager Countess was sitting up in bed as though she were on her chaise lounge, presiding over a grand gathering. Her strength and color had returned. Charles sent a silent prayer of thanks heavenward as he stepped tentatively to the foot of the bed.

Lady Violet greeted him with a wry smile. "Step forward, man. What are you afraid of? I'm the one who owes the apology."

"You owe nothing, My Lady. You should focus on getting better. My Uncle Timothy has told us everything."

"He told you everything that he knew, which is far from everything."

"He told us enough for now. You should not trouble yourself with this anymore. The doctor does not wish for you to become agitated."

"If you do not let me explain myself, Charles Carson, I shall become very agitated indeed."

"As you will, My Lady." He acquiesced.

"Thank you. The three of you need to stop hovering and take a seat. This will not be brief story." They complied with her wish and soon circled her bed, Charles and Robert leaned forward with anticipation. Rosamund sat ramrod straight, trying to look as disinterested as possible. Rosamund was still putout with her mother for giving them such a scare.

"I came to Downton when I was twenty-one years old. Lord Grantham was almost thirty. He'd been traveling the world, enjoying his bachelor life, but finally gave in to pressure from his family to marry in the face of his father's failing health. Compared to the younger men who courted me, Robert was refreshingly mature. Compared to the older men, he was still full of life. I looked forward to our conversations very much.

"I suppose I was not quite as vapid or shallow as my peers, for he enjoyed my company as well. We were engaged and married shortly thereafter. It was a good match for both families. And, for the most part we were as happy as any married couple. The 3rd Earl died a few months after our marriage. We were already living at Downton, as the duties of the estate had passed before the title.

"What I told you, Robert, was true. I met with Mrs. Carson because Mr. Dickens asked me to. I had no idea of the connection at that point. It was an odd situation, but I felt we owed such a loyal servant that courtesy. I promised her that I would look after Charles. I thought there would be more opportunities for Charles as an inside staffer and moved him to hall boy. I promptly forgot all about him." She looked ashamed to admit this, but carried on.

"The next time I became aware of you, Charles, was in London, when we lent you for the wedding at Westminster. I don't know if you remember that."

"Of course, I remember it. I'd never seen anything as grand as Westminster in my life."

"You weren't happy about that kilt." She smiled.

"No, My Lady, I was not."

"In any event, when they were taking photos after the service, one of Robert's old relations was seated next to me. I am not sure who she was or how she was related, exactly and I never saw her again. But she pointed to you and said, 'That Robert Crawley is an insolent child. He dug up my favorite flowerbed looking for buried treasure and had the audacity to be angry with me because there wasn't any.'"

"I started to correct her, saying that she was mistaken, but the woman seated on the other side of her beat me to it. 'That isn't Robert, Mama, he must be grown up by now. Likely, that's his son. Spitting image of him at that age, if you ignore the nose. Robert had such a small, pug nose at that age. But the eyes and the chin are very like.'"

"That was the beginning of my suspicions. I began to take more notice of you. I remembered the circumstances of your arrival. I mentioned you to Lord Grantham on the way home from London. He claimed he didn't know who I was talking about, but he was never a very good liar unless he was prepared for it. His reaction was a guilty one. My interest was piqued. Not long after that, Lord Grantham grew a beard, which he maintained for the rest of his life.

"Going forward, I took keener notice of you, Charles. At that point, I was many months along and about to enter my confinement for Rosamund. Once I was sequestered in the house, I had many idle hours on my hands during which I could feed my suspicions. I tried to locate old family photos, looking for the resemblance, but there weren't many and none of them featured Lord Grantham as a boy.

"There was a painting, but it was not very true to the subject. The best I could find was a crude, almost childish, line drawing. It was little more than a sketch, but it looked just like you, Charles. It was far from conclusive, but it was enough with which to confront His Lordship. The drawing was signed, C.D.

"I was not in much state to confront anyone and before I could bring this drawing to Lord Grantham's attention, Rosamund arrived. That served as a happy distraction and I almost dismissed the whole matter as the paranoid fabrication of my pregnancy. I didn't think anything more of it for almost a year.

"But then, one day, His Lordship and I were to visit with the Dowager Countess, but she was unwell, so we came home unexpectedly for our tea. When I asked after Rosamund, I was told that Nanny had taken her for a stroll, which was reasonable. We were taking our tea in the drawing room when I looked out the window. Nanny was in the garden with a young footman. Rosamund was nowhere to be seen.

"I sent Lord Crawley to confront the footman and Nanny. I went in search of Rosamund. She was not in the nursery; she was not in any of the family rooms. I was beginning to panic when I saw the perambulator being pushed across the lawn by a tall, thin figure.

"Do you remember, Charles?"

He nodded. "I remember looking up to see you crossing the lawn at a frightening pace. I thought you were going to throttle me."

"And I might have done. But when I got there, Rosamund started to fuss, which always flustered me. Charles stuck his hand into the pram to replace Rosamund's pacifier. She took hold of your thumb, Charles, and smiled at you. She settled immediately. All of my anxiety was gone at once, but I was reminded of the suspicions that I had abandoned.

"We learned that Nanny had been carrying on with one of the footman and was bringing Rosamund downstairs when we were gone. Mrs. Pearson had her hands full with a pair of new housemaids and everyone else was turning a blind eye to the situation. Nanny would have let you cry in the corner of the garden all day, if left to herself. Apparently, Charles took it upon himself to take you on your walks, Rosamund."

Rosamund shifted awkwardly in her seat, from which she had been leaning forward. How was it possible that Lady Violet's apology to Charles managed to make her daughter feel guilty too? But this had been an unintended slight. Rosamund smiled at Charles who was as uncomfortable as she at this revelation.

Violet continued her story, "Nanny was dismissed, as was the footman. I decided not to question Lord Grantham about Charles. If I'd confronted him, Charles would probably have been sent away from Downton. It was selfish of me, but I didn't want to send you away. As long as I only suspected, it wouldn't matter. The danger was in knowing.

"But I couldn't let the matter drop completely. I began riding more and took an interest in Lord Grantham's horse breeding program as an excuse to talk to Mr. Dickens. I was rather embarrassed the first time I asked after his daughter and I was informed that she had died several years earlier. If I was told when she died, I had forgotten.

"Once we were past that awkwardness, I was able to ask casually after his son-in-law and how he thought Charles was doing at Downton whenever we met. I think he knew what I was fishing for, but your granddad was not a man who gave much away. I thought I was getting close to the truth when he retired due to a weak heart. He died very soon after.

"That was the only time I met your father, Charles. You'll remember that he attended Mr. Dickens' funeral."

"Yes."

"I am ashamed to admit that I tried to trick him into confirming my suspicions about Lord Grantham and your mother, but he was too evasive. I told him that we had something in common; our relationship to you. His reply was noncommittal. He wanted to know what your prospects were. I told him that you were getting a first rate education which would open many doors for you. That seemed to please him, but he wouldn't say anything more on the subject that most interested me.

"He took you home for a few weeks and I was starting to believe he would keep you there. Part of me was relieved, but it seemed wrong for us to just let you walk away. I was about to confront Lord Grantham when you returned.

"At that point, there was nothing to be done, as far as I could see. I kept an eye on you and asked Mrs. Pearson to keep an eye on your schooling. She was more than happy to do so."

Charles remembered Mrs. Pearson making him stay at the table to do his school exercises when the other hall boys were goofing off in the yard. She had told him that Lady Grantham thought he showed promise and wanted to know that he was applying himself. He hadn't known why more was expected from him than from the other boys, but he had been touched by the attention and hadn't wanted to disappoint Lady Grantham or Mrs. Pearson. It had been a treat for a boy who had lost his mother at a young age to have the confidence of the two women he respected most.

"And so we continued, uneventfully for a few years. Well, Robert was born, but I meant nothing happened as far as you were concerned, Charles."

"Thank you, Mama." Robert said wryly.

"We received news that your father was missing after going overboard during a storm. A week later, we had confirmation that his body was found. Your uncle came to collect you. This was the opportunity that I had been waiting for. I confronted Lord Grantham with everything that I had gathered over the years. At first he denied it, but I had caught him unaware and he was unprepared to stand up against my insistence.

"I wanted to know what he intended to do for you. That was the question that finally broke him. He became angry. He said that your father had already been paid. His exact words were, 'The Carson family has had quite enough from me.'" Violet had always wondered if Robert was talking only about money.

"He said he had only let you work at Downton for this long because he knew that if he showed any interest in you, even to have you dismissed, it would have raised questions. At that point, I am afraid Lord Grantham would have made you leave, even if your uncle was not willing to raise you. Thankfully, he was.

"Not long after you left, after he cooled down from being attacked, Lord Grantham agreed that we should at least insure that your education was completed. I visited your uncle at Hull. He would not accept our money."

"He told us." Robert told her.

Lady Violet took a breath and motioned for Robert to pour her a glass of water. As he did so, she turned to Rosamund, who looked like she was trying to put all the pieces together. "Are you doing well, dear?"

"Yes, Mama. I have heard many unexpected things today, but I am okay. Thank you for asking."

"And Robert? Shall I continue?" She accepted the water glass that he handed her. She was still weak and Rosamund helped to steady her hand.

"If you are able, Mama, I think it is best handled all at once. Don't you agree, Charles?" Robert replied. Charles nodded encouragingly.

"You know the bulk of it from here, Charles. You know why I took you in when you came back to us."

Still nodding, he said, "Because I asked you to. You had promised me a job whenever I needed one. I told you I hadn't anywhere else to go. "

"Yes. There was a good deal of disagreement initially, but ultimately, Lord Grantham gave in to my will. I made it about you being a good worker, I never mentioned that you were his son. It helped that you were so very good at your job and seemed to enjoy it. Had you been at all miserable, we would have tried to encourage you to go into another profession.

"Even though we never spoke of it openly again, we were both cognizant that it was risky to keep you around Downton for too long. Lord Grantham had the idea to set you up as Robert's valet so you could accompany him to London or wherever when he left school. It was assumed that once you had a taste of the great, wide world, you would want to stay there. We underestimated your sense of loyalty. I know you had other offers. I even solicited a few; offers with higher prestige than serving the heir apparent of Grantham. But you turned them all down to remain with Robert, and then Robert and Cora in London.

"When Lord Grantham's health declined and we were in need of a valet we could trust, you were the only option he would accept. On some level, I think he thought we could ensure your silence regarding the true nature of his illness by revealing the truth to you. It proved unnecessary and it was warped logic in any event. But he was so afraid of what the illness was doing to him, he wasn't always thinking clearly.

"Most of all, I think he trusted you, which was important. The doctors warned that anxiety made the fits more frequent and more violent. You kept him calm. I was the one who set him off on his bad days. Not that I have to tell you, Charles." She steeled herself to tell the story of the Lord and the saber, but Charles stopped her, his hand on hers.

"No, My Lady, you don't have to tell…" There was already enough for Rosamund and Robert to absorb, this would be asking too much. "You don't have to tell me anything."

Lady Violet relaxed and sighed gratefully, "Thank you, Charles."

"I planned to tell you the truth after Lord Grantham's funeral and to offer to help set you up in another household or in another profession if you desired. But before I could devise a reason to meet with you, Mrs. Pearson informed me that you had left, rather abruptly; without even giving notice."

Charles had always felt guilty leaving so unprofessionally after the Earl's death. He felt he needed to explain himself. "I was the Earl's valet. The Earl was dead. I could not have asked you to dismiss Mr. Robert's valet in favor of me. Truth be told, those last few years were draining and I needed to get away from Downton and from service altogether."

"That is understandable. But you had not left any means of contacting you. I wrote to your uncle, but he informed me that he did not know where you were. I quite gave up hope of ever seeing you again, but then fate intervened, over two years later.

"Mrs. Pearson was visiting a friend in Bridlington. She actually attended the show and saw you performing with Mr. Grigg. She said you were very good."

"Grigg was good, I was comedy relief. She would have seen one of our last performances. A few days before you arrived, Grigg was caught stealing from the house take and sent to jail, though not for long. The night you attended was only my second night as a solo act. The first night had not gone very well."

"So I gathered. But, the irony is, I did not go to Bridlington to ask you to return to Downton. I sought you out to tell you what I should have told you years before. But when you saw me, the first thing you asked was if I'd come to bring you home. I didn't have the heart to say anything but yes. You looked so lost, Charles, and so happy that I had found you."

"I was My Lady." He admitted.

"And you came back to Downton and you became butler and, all of a sudden, you were doing so well, it was impossible to tell you the truth. Your uncle and I were the only two people who knew the truth and you weren't speaking to your uncle. I believed it was best for everyone if the reality of your parentage died with me.

"But then, twenty odd years later, the Crawley stubbornness decided to manifest in both of you boys at the same time. Charles, you reconnected with your uncle, who I feared would reveal the truth before I could explain. I was not afraid that you would broadcast the fact or try to take advantage of the family. I was worried that the information would hurt you if it came from any other source. I was afraid you would resent me for not telling you. But I wanted you and Robert to reach your own understanding before I unburdened myself.

"So, I ask your forgiveness, Charles. For keeping this from you for so long.

"And I ask your forgiveness, my children, for not telling you that one of the most cherished people in your lives was also your half-brother."

"That must be one of the longest apologies in history, Mama." Rosamund marveled, trying to act as though her eyes were watering from the dry air.

"Well, I don't issue many, so I am not well practiced." The Dowager protested.

"For my part, I forgive you, Mama." Robert said.

"If you weren't ill, I would gloat more, Mama, but, I forgive you as well, for my part." Rosamund reluctantly allowed. "But, Charles, if you want me to hold a grudge on your behalf, you have only to say so."

"Thank you, Lady Rosamund, but it will not be necessary." Addressing the Dowager Countess, Charles said, "I still maintain that there is nothing to forgive, My Lady. As my uncle noted, bastards of aristocrats tend to live lives of bitter resentment; complaining of being cheated out of prestige or money that was never theirs to claim. You have spared me from such a fate." Charles could understand how these sentiments might arise from a childhood where your first memories are of abandonment and neglect. Would he have been able to witness the disparity of wealth he had seen in his life without asking himself 'what if?' Would he have detested the young Robert Crawley rather than wanting to protect him? Would he have experienced the satisfaction of a job well done and a modest wage earned?

"And, as you noted, if you had told me who I was, I would have been sent away from Downton. I would never have known my brother and sister so well as I do. I would not know my nieces. I would not have met my wife. I cannot regret the life I have lived. It would be useless to do so, regardless."

Charles honestly had no resentment towards the Dowager, but his exterior was more composed than his interior. He needed to process what he had just learned. He needed to understand how all these forces had acted on his life, but now was not the time to consider. "But if you must have my forgiveness, My Lady, then it is yours."

"Thank you, Charles." Violet's expression was peaceful.

Rosamund could not suppress her exasperated sigh.

"Did you have something more to add, Rosamund?" Her mother asked.

"Mama is forgiven, Robert has his old friend back, Charles has a new wife and life and I am the only one who is going to pay the price when the truth comes out."

"It doesn't have to come out." Robert reminded her. "We'll be able to keep it secret, if you can."

"And Rosamund, dear, do stop your worrying." Lady Violet added. "If this loses you any of your London 'friends' we'll have done you a favor."

"One that I will not thank you for, Mama."

TBC...