Hiiii. A short one :) I'm now working from home due to COVID-19, so hopefully can get some serious writing in so I can get this finished. Thanks again for keeping up with this and supporting me with all your feedback. I feel the love. Hope everyone is keeping safe out there!


Mrs Hughes had her hand on the door to Carson's pantry, her knees, shoulders, arms and back all aching with a penetrating tiredness. The tissue was clenched between her fingers and she nestled her head into the crook of her elbow, feeling an overwhelming desire to just give up and resign herself to the burning fatigue that gripped every fibre of her being. It was like half of her body was missing without Carson around, and although she was trying, it just didn't meet the cut. Inside Carson's pantry, she felt shielded from the world, her own little haven from the hustle and bustle of the house as people respected the fact that Carson wasn't around. In some unusual way, it made her feel close to him when she couldn't be near him when it all got too much for her to handle. Anna watched over her all the time; Mrs Hughes had noticed her hovering in the background when she wasn't running around the house. Mrs Patmore went out of her way to try and ply her with biscuits and other sugary goodies to keep her on her feet, but most of the time it just wasn't enough, but still, she trudged on. It was warming, however, to feel the comradery of the staff at this time. There was the odd complaint, but they were all running around and getting things done.

"Pull yourself together, Elsie," she grumbled under her breath, shoving the tissue back into her pocket before she straightened out her uniform. Twisting, she turned so she leant against the door with her head resting upwards. As she stared out at the room, letting the familiarity calm her, she took a deep breath, letting the essence of Carson wash through her. Then, her ears began to ring, that high pitched noise making her clench her eyes together as she tried to keep her balance as the floor below her bobbed and twisted. The hairs on her arm stood on end and she felt an electricity in the air around her like a static buzzing and twitching. Shaking her head, she pushed the feeling to one side and stepped forward before grabbing the doorknob. It was time to get moving before someone noticed that she was absent.

When Mrs Hughes moved towards the stairs, she popped her head into the kitchen to see what was going on. Mrs Patmore was tasting a sauce as Daisy stood at the stove, mixing and checking on the vegetables that were simmering away. "Is everything ok, Mrs Patmore?" she queried.

Mrs Patmore's eyes shot up, and she gave Mrs Hughes that questioning gaze she had seen over the past few days as if she didn't understand why it wouldn't be. Of course, it had been a long time since Mrs Patmore had messed up the food, her eyesight fixed now, and Daisy being much more competent in her own work. "Fine, Mrs Hughes," she said politely. "Just fine." It was forced politeness for the sake of her tired friend.

"Right, well, I'm just going upstairs if you need me." Mrs Hughes smiled thinly and moved her gaze to the spread of food on the table, she wished that she had skills like this, but she had never had to cook for anyone other than herself for some time. It would be nice to learn.

Mrs Hughes lifted her tired feet and climbed the stairs and out into the hallway, her eyes casting over the room as she did for anything out of place. Mr Carson frequently did that, and she had picked this up and tried with all her might to keep an eye on the standards. What Anna had said had resonated with her a little, about not wanting people to think badly of her, and so she kept watching and looking at everything as if she was him. Channelling an inner Carson was a struggle, but she was trying, and she knew that she would get better over time if she ever needed to.

When she walked towards the front door she could see Lord Grantham with his back to her, chatting quite animatedly on the phone. Not wanting to seem like she was prying, she moved quickly down the hall, her ears instinctively trying to hone into the conversation, even though she knew that it wasn't right.

"Mrs Hughes?" Cora said quizzically, stopping right in front of Mrs Hughes. "I don't think you heard me." The look on her face was not one of annoyance, far from it, in fact, it was more of worry. They were all accustomed to the pointed glare when Cora was annoyed, which was rarely, as she was quite rational in her approach. The main thing about her was her eyes, and they probed and sought out the other pair of eyes as if to extract enough information to make a conclusion. They were quite intimidating, the bottomless ocean blue was soft, but they unwaveringly fixed themselves on their target.

Mrs Hughes raised her eyes to meet her employer and smiled thinly, trying to pull her gaze away from Cora's eyes as they probed hers with intent. Subconsciously, Mrs Hughes blinked and straightened herself up, flattening her dress as she did, pushing away her thoughts to give out her full attention. "Oh, My Lady, I'm so very sorry."

Cora could see the whites of Mrs Hughes' eyes were tinted pink, thin blood capillaries sitting in the corner, contrasted by the dark bags under her eyes and paleness of her skin. The older woman was distant, her attention anywhere but in the moment, worry permeating every pore. Cora bypassed the apology, as she knew that there was no ill-intent in her mental absence. "I do worry we're putting too much on you. Are you getting enough rest?"

Mrs Hughes' stomach dropped sharply, her bottom lip dropping slightly as she took in the words. Anna's conversation filled her mind, making her eyebrows crease together, is this what she had meant? Are people thinking negative about her? Was she not doing her job so much that they were beginning to question her? "I can handle it, My Lady. I'm fine. The job needs doing, and we will make sure that it is done."

Cora tried to gauge why Mrs Hughes seemed so defensive, but then the woman was made of iron and a query of her being could be seen as an envision of weakness. It's not what Cora had wanted, not at all in fact, she was just concerned for her. Yes, it was her job to keep things running in the home, and she always did this so well. Now, however, she was doing essentially 2 roles, and she felt that this was perhaps unfair. "We appreciate your hard work, Mrs Hughes. You've come to the rescue in this difficult time. I just would like you to look after yourself. We'd be lost without you."

Mrs Hughes nodded, torn between relief and frustration. It was an amalgamation of the two that made her feel a bit on edge, and she politely nodded her head as she tried to create a rationale in her mind. "Thank you, My Lady. Is there anything you need?"

Cora's mouth opened to reply when her eyes caught Robert moving toward them in the background with a huge grin on his face. Stepping to the side she moved towards him. "Oh, darling, you look so happy. What's bought this on?"

"My Darling, I have some wonderful news. Mrs Hughes, you need to hear this too." Robert waited for them to still. "Our dear Carson is awake. Dr Clarkson is going to run some tests, but he's finally awake. It's a positive moment, and I can't help but feel some semblance of relief."

Cora raised her hands and pressed them together, before reaching out for her husband's hand. "Oh, Darling, that's wonderful news. I've been so worried about him."

Mrs Hughes, hearing the words, exhaled sharply and felt her stomach flip into a somersault. There was a chair to the right of her and she instinctively reached out for it as she heard the blood rushing in her ears, the crippling worry inside of her beginning to break down into pieces. These pieces broke down and transformed into little balls of fire that rushed through her system like lava, and she hoped with everything within her that this was a start to the road to recovery. A desire ignited within her, now that she was one step closer to telling him the truth, to be near him, to touch him, hold his hand and hear the booming tone of his voice. It dawned on her that it had been some time now since she had heard his voice resonating down the halls that made her smile, or the look he would give her that would send her stomach into a cascade of butterflies trying to escape. When would she get to go down and see him? She supposed she would have to wait until her usual time. A small hint of desperation filled her mind now, surging into her brain like lava, overlapping all of her other thoughts and wishes. What she wanted was to be with him.

Robert smiled happily at his wife before kissing her hand and holding it tight at their side. "This is wonderful news, isn't it? I feel like things will be back to normal soon, and we will have everyone home."

Cora looked out to Mrs Hughes who looked like all the air had deflated from her body in a way she assumed was from relief. "Mrs Hughes," she said softly. "I think you should go and give everyone downstairs the good news. I think we all need a little pick me up, and I think you should give them that right now."

Mrs Hughes nodded happily. "I'll go do that now, My Lady. Is there anything you need before I go?"

"No, Mrs Hughes," Cora said happily. "Please, go ahead."

Cora and Robert watched happily as she went on her way. Robert snaked his arm around his wife's waist and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Oh, my darling, I feel as if soon this will all be over, and we will go back to normal."

Cora nestled into him before lifting her head and giving him a gentle kiss. "It may take a bit of time, but yes, I hope so. I've been worried about Mrs Hughes; I think she's been struggling through all of this."

"I think she's been coping remarkably," Robert acknowledged, rubbing her back softly.

Cora knew her husband struggled with the finite details of other people sometimes, and knew he hadn't seen what she had, but she was enjoying the embrace too much to argue. If she did, she knew that he might get annoyed with the contradiction and pull away. What she did know, and what she had felt, was that they were somewhat closer. There were glances, touches, embraces and a warmth that she craved now that it was coming in droves. Feeling happy, she wrapped her arms as tightly against him as she could, pulling into him so he was enveloped around her in a protective cocoon. Resting her head against him, she let the warmth roll over her and she sighed contently.

"Everything ok, Cora?" Robert asked, resting his head on hers.

"I'm fine. I wish I could just bottle this up forever," she said happily, giving his back a gentle pinch.

"This?" Robert queried, not quite understanding what she meant.

"Us." Cora pulled away slightly so she could look at his face. "I wish I could bottle us."

Robert smiled kindly, knowing what she meant by the fact that they seemed so close at the moment. Robert loved her so much, and this crisis had pulled them back into each other in a way that he had not expected. They both stood smiling at each other for a few moments before they took each other's hands to begin walking off. Robert stopped though, her words having sunk in that little bit more. "I will love you and be there for you until I can no more. We are one, my darling, forever and always."

Cora felt her heart burst with love as she gazed upon his soft expression. "I love you, so very much."

Mrs Hughes walked down the stairs as quickly as she could, her mind running through how she was going to relay the information to everyone. This would no doubt bring their spirits up and hopefully bring them all to the end of this chaotic struggle that day to day life had become. It would all fall into place in the end if it had to, and they would manage, but that wasn't the reason they wanted it to all end. They wanted Carson back with them.

"Mrs Hughes" Anna said happily as she came into view in the corridor.

"Anna," Mrs Hughes replied with a hurried pitch to her voice. "Can you gather everyone nearby and get them here quickly. I have some news."

Anna hesitated as she tried to gauge what the news was going to be. Mrs Hughes was not giving much away, so she nodded and went off to pass over the call to accumulate as quickly as she could.

Mrs Hughes paced a little as people began to appear from different directions, nervous murmurs and quizzical expressions as they looked to her for further information. Once she could see nearly everyone was present, she cleared her throat and clasped her hands together. "I have just received some news from his Lordship." Pausing, she smiled and made eye contact with Anna. "Mr Carson is awake!"

Happy murmuring and chatter erupted all around her as people started talking to each other about the wonderful news. "I don't know anything more than that. Dr Clarkson is doing some tests and we will get an update in due course. Now, I know we're all rushed off of our feet at the minute, and you've all been working to an amazing pace. We just need to maintain that. I don't know when and how things will go, but we must maintain Mr Carson's high standard until he can look after the house once more. So, please, let's get back to work."

Mrs Hughes left the area and retreated into Carson's pantry, closing the door carefully behind her, bringing her hand up to her chest and letting out a huge sigh. A flood of emotion cascaded through her body as she let the news sink in. There was an unprecedented level of relief within her that made her hum because the biggest part was getting him to be awake. With head injuries, as she knew, there could be complications and mental hindrances that could make this much worse than what they thought. However, she had to be positive about this because it was something to hold onto. There was also an element of terror because to have the conversation with him about how she felt was becoming more of a reality in her mind now. The essence of rejection was closer and more pronounced, and the fact that her feelings would then be out in the open was scary. At the end of the day though, this whole situation had awoken the need to let it escape, and whether it was to a reciprocated level or not she had to do it. The fear of losing him and him not knowing was far more pronounced and pressing. Aside from the negativity, there was a level of excitement, even if it was only minor. If she told him, and he felt the same, her life would feel far more complete than it had ever done before. Carson would be hers and hers alone, and this made the butterflies start like little demons inside of her stomach. The tide was uncertain right now, but she felt much better within herself. There was an increased level of energy in her and she was going to do this for him. Whether she told him right away, waited until he was better or waited until he was home floated in her mind, but for now, she just had to get on. The glue to the home and her heart was on the mend, and so she held onto that feeling as she righted herself for another few hours of arduous work.