In Response to the Guest Reviews:
To the guest who spoke of the river in Egypt, absolutely! All of that is so true –– their case of denial, her own imminent collapse, the repetition in history, everything! Moreover, thank you! She was touched by your mentioning her birthday, and said thank you :)
And, yeah it is surprisingly hard to keep secrets about the show. Nevertheless, it is a delight to watch it with her!
To the guest who spoke of the difficult time and who beautifully referenced the update, I most certainly agree! ❤︎ Thank you so much for that very, very sweet review.
Author's Note: The opportunities for sass and humor were aplenty in this one, but then something sweeter came to mind. Hence, what you're about to read. Enjoy!
Spoilers for Series 3, Episode 1.
Elsie Hughes would never claim to understand why her dearest friend adored the blessed Lady Mary. The aristocrat may have been 'a guinea a minute' as a child, but she'd only become an uppity minx over time, nearly everyone knew that.
So, no, she didn't see why Mr. Carson never saw the woman's snobbish tendencies. She didn't pretend to understand why the eldest daughter had to be lavished with only the best while her sister's wedding had been swept under the rug. Not to mention his criticism of Alfred's incapabilities, his bemoaning the situation with Tom Branson –– why he had to act this way had absolutely escaped her!
Still, now that the wedding was here, there was no point in complaining. Truth be told, she was. Happy for Matthew Crawley, that is. Mr. Matthew was a lad she'd always admired. She was quite grateful to see he had found himself again, that he hadn't let poor Miss Swire's death stop him from living.
And so, she refrained from complaining about a thing. She even took her time a little with her tasks, making sure to enjoy the festivities while she could. She ensured each and every girl made it into the motor car, reminding them of how important it was to behave well. Believe it or not, she waved to them despite knowing they were thoroughly distracted by the experience.
Yes, well, it was time to head in and check in on Mrs. Patmore one final time. There was no need to see Lady Mary off nor did she particularly want to.
But as Elsie turned back toward the house, she couldn't help but wonder just how her dearest friend was. Was the man incessantly nervous, biting everyone's heads off? Suppose he was too anxious for it all to go well, having yet another collapse?
The more the woman thought about it, the more concerned she grew. No doubt, he would prove to be perfectly fine. He would even badger her for such concern, stating nothing was wrong. But they had had quite enough scares come out of the last few years, they didn't need to risk anything else.
Elsie looked around outside once more, confirming the butler was not lurking nearby. Seeing as how it was very unlikely he was downstairs now of all times, that left only one possibility.
"Are you coming, Mrs. Hughes?" Alfred was considerate enough to ask instead of bolting off. As for Miss O'Brien, the woman was long gone.
"In a moment. You go on ahead, Alfred." The footman nodded at this, heading toward the back door. She was relieved that, of all the servants to be outside with, it had been Alfred. His aunt would have been a far more shrewd and calculating observer, and the same went for Thomas.
"Oh, Mrs. Hughes! It was so kind of you to see us off!"
The housekeeper vaguely smiled at Lady Grantham and her other daughters, choosing not to explain herself, "Of course, milady."
The mother beamed in response, the trio beginning to head off into their own motor car. Elsie had half a mind to beat a hasty retreat now, catching no sight of Mr. Carson from the entrance of the house. It had struck her that, by this point, if he caught her here she would be sternly lectured for deviating from the plan. And a lecture was something she was not in the mood for.
"Here comes the bride!" The words were incredibly faint from where she stood, but Elsie knew what it meant. Leaning in a little from the doorway, ignoring how ridiculous she must look, the woman took advantage of the distraction that was Lady Mary's entrance. As she did so, she caught a glimpse inside and felt a genuine smile come to her.
He looked to be floored. Bowled over by a happiness she couldn't pretend to understand. But it was also a happiness that brought her joy, one she could have watched for hours on end. Lady Mary had to be coming into sight for him to look this unguarded, as though he were bursting with pride.
But Lady Mary didn't matter, not now.
Elsie craned her neck a little, if only to keep watch of him. A hushed chuckle snuck out at the sight of him practically stumbling on over to the stairs, but there was no malice in the sound. Nothing but an appreciation for the scene before her, the unadulterated delight.
She debated on whether or not to take one step closer. Despite his being practically out of sight, she could keep an eye on the proceedings if she so wished. But in the end the woman decided she had seen enough. And he would never thank her for delaying the proceedings if she stayed here instead of checking in on Mrs. Patmore. So, the housekeeper swiftly rushed back downstairs, making sure she carried on with her job.
It turned out the cook and the kitchen maid were determined to see the bride off instead of remain at their post. Both reassured her everything was fine downstairs and, for once, she took them at their word. Truth be told, she couldn't lecture them, not this time. Not if she took into consideration what she'd been doing for the last few minutes. Looking in on the butler for no real reason, honestly!
"Are we ready then?" Speaking of the butler, Mr. Carson had finally made it downstairs, Anna trailing behind. He looked far more composed than he did upstairs, even if he couldn't quite keep a twinkle out of his eyes.
"I'd say we are." And mentally tucking away the image from upstairs, Elsie let the man lead on.
It felt like only seconds later, but it had to have been a fair amount of time. Either way, they were now ensconced in the church, having an excellent view of the aisle. The crowd chattered away in the pews, a graceful light flooding the air, and the whole thing felt surprisingly lovely.
"This is a proud day, Mrs. Hughes." The housekeeper spared him a glance, not wanting to reveal what she spotted earlier. If she looked at him for even a second longer, he would no doubt catch sight of the truth. And she hardly wished to embarrass him, not now.
As for herself, pride wasn't exactly what she felt over all this. She couldn't pretend to be an adoring fan of Lady Mary. Nor could she say she understood his sentiments on the matter. But if it all brought him this much delight, this much joy, she didn't mind trying.
"I don't know if I'm proud, but I'm very glad you're happy, Mr. Carson." Elsie also couldn't hold back a smile at the thought, her countenance threatening to give her secret away. She hadn't ever seen the man so taken with happiness and it was a sight that suited him rather nicely.
Unbeknownst to her, he was as taken with her as she with him. He couldn't help but look at her with a tender touch to his gaze, wondering what exactly she meant.
Unbeknownst to the both of them, it would not be the last time he looked at her that way. More to the point, it would certainly not be the last time in that church.
Today's Inspiration: "It was so sweet to see her on the staircase! Just that whole episode was great."
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed that! I'm getting a kick out of leaving the inspiration at the bottom, so that may be what happens from here on out. But if you prefer to get a heads up in advance, just let me know! :)
Now, I'm fairly certain we're all aware of what these next couple of episodes are going to hold. My question to you is this: do we want to stick purely to the script or deviate a little? And if we do want to deviate, how much?
I am cool with anything, just let me know your thoughts. In any case, as always, have a lovely day! 'Till next time!