UPSTAIRS OR DOWNSTAIRS
Hello all. I'm really happy today, celebrating the fact, that I'm just writing my thirtieth story. Yay for me! When I started my fanfiction adventure, I would have never thought, that I will go that far..Luckily, I did. Because of my little jubilee, I decided to do a little experiment, that was in my head for quite a while. Those of you who read my stories regularly, know, that I usually write in canon, giving Charles and Elsie similar attributes, as they have in the series. It is going to be different this time. Totally different. I suspect that not all of you may like it, but I'm hoping you will. This is very experimental story and I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this. Summary: I want to introduce you to the Crawley family and their servants, but if you think it's cliché and you already know them well by now, fasten your seat belts, because you ain't seen nothing yet.
The sun was slowly setting, giving a beautiful landscape of dancing shadows to Downton Abbey household. It was early September and English summer was heading to an end. That was one of the warmest days in this month. It would be a sin to not to spent it outside.
That's exactly what Charles Carson-Lord Grantham thought, walking on his garden, with his hands crossed on his back, looking with proud eyes on his life work-Downton Abbey. Things were going so good recently, that he didn't have any reasons to complain. Business were giving him desired profits, there were no serious problems with the tenants and he had a feeling that everything finally started to fall into it's place. His sight which was focused on the house for a longer while, has now transferred to the bench, situated near the house and his face was immediately brightened with a wide smile, as it always was, when he saw his most beloved wife, Lady Grantham- Elsie Carson (nee Hughes). She looked absolutely adorable, sitting on the bench, under the lace umbrella, covering her skin from the afternoon sun. Her creamy dress perfectly showed her ideal figure. Charles Carson was married for almost thirty years, but the feelings for his wife, were as strong as they were from the day he first saw her, on Debutantes Ball in London. Flowing time, giving birth to their four children, didn't harm Elsie in any way. In his eyes, she was still, beautiful, young woman, who he saw at the ball and who have taken his heart and never gave it back. From the moment he first saw her, he knew that she was the one. Fortunately for him, she was from the noble family, so there were absolutely no objections from his or her family, to their marriage.
They were perfectly happy with each other. Elsie was a walking incarnation of a common sense and she always knew how to stop her husband's symptoms of pride, just to perfectly balance his character. She completed him in every way possible. He couldn't imagine or even didn't want to remember, how his life was like before he met her. They way he saw it-his life only truly began not on the day he was born, but on the day that he first met Elsie.
Elsie being absorbed with her book, felt her husband's sight on her, rose her head and she gave him the sweetest of her smiles, the one that he especially liked. She pointed the place beside her, giving him a signal, that she waits for him to join her. Nothing ever gave her much more happiness, than when Charles was close to her. Both of them, in spite of a long marital period, never had enough of the other one. They were still craving their mutual presence. He gladly headed towards her and willingly sat by her side, breathing in the lovely scent of her perfumes, which he always associated with her and which made him amazingly calm. Whatever the circumstances might have been, even the most unfavorable ones...She reached out to him and he squeezed her little, delicate hand in his. He knew that whatever happens, this extraordinary woman will forever be the greatest happiness that existed in his life.
Smiling warmly to her, he looked in the opposite direction, where on the grass, in unfolded blanket, sat the four of their children, among reverberating every now and then laughter.
They were young, healthy and joyful, as the children from such family should be...
Charles took an attentive look at each one of them...
Their eldest son and his heir-Thomas, was a typical troublemaker. No matter how Charles and Elsie tried, all his life, to make a good behaving gentleman out of him, to prepare him for the duties that he will one day take over from his father, Thomas seemed to be oblivious of the responsibilities, that were ahead of him. Ever since Charles and Elsie remembered, he always searched for trouble...Instead of hanging out with the boys from his sphere, he always wandered around with the hall boys or other servants, looking for an opportunity to make trouble, whenever he could find one.. There was also something very disturbing about his behavior at times. Charles was not exactly sure what it was, but he knew that he was concerned...In his opinion, it was a high time for the boy to get married and give Downton another heir in the succession, to assure a secure future for the house, the family and their name. However, Thomas was not even thinking about it. He seemed to be not interested in any of the suitable girls and after all the balls and social meetings, that he attended, along with his parents, who were hoping that finally he will like some girl, he came home always repeating the same-that this is the last time he attended such meetings and that he is deadly bored with all this. He was the happiest when he could just hang out with his male friends, going into the pub, country dances, drinking and having a carefree time. Charles often sighed a lot and he had many disturbing conversations with Elsie, about their eldest and his future...They were both equally worried, how Thomas fate will look like...
Feeling that he no longer wants to spent such a lovely afternoon, on such glummy thoughts, Charles transferred his sight to their second child-William. He looked at him with an expression of clear appreciation. He couldn't even count, how many times he wished, that William was the his first son and his heir. He was nothing like Thomas. They were different as day and night. William was a blonde with a kindness nature, written all over his face, while Thomas was a brunet, with a cheeky smirk on his face. William was the one who made Lord Grantham-Charles proud. He always did everything he was asked to do. Ever since the day he was born, he didn't cause any troubles at all. He was a good pupil, an obedient son and a loving brother, to all of his siblings, even to Thomas, who wasted no opportunity to bully him, seeing that he was their father's favorite. William was also the one, who always willingly spent time with his father, learning about running the estate, taking a great interest in the tenant's problems. Charles knew, that if God forbid, something has happened to him now and William would be the one who was to replace him, he could go away peacefully, knowing that the estate was in the safe hands. Unfortunately, William was not his heir. Sometimes he wondered, why the law was so unfair, leaving the faith of the household, in the hands of the oldest son, regardless of the fact, if the oldest son was capable of taking care of it or not...
His face frowned a bit, but he soon brighten up, on the very moment he looked on his two younger children: the two girls-Anna and Daisy.
As almost every man in the world, Charles was desperate to have a son and the heir and during Elsie's first pregnancy, he spent all the nine months, praying for the baby to be a boy and his wish had come true. In fact, Elsie has done a wonderful job, giving him the heir and the spare, within two years time. However, when they welcomed their younger babies-two beautiful girls, Charles understood the difference between being a father to the boys and to the girls. It was a crucial difference. He always treated his boys fairly, but strictly, trying to taught them how to be a real man, who should take care of their future families. So naturally, there had to be a little regime in their upbringing and there was...
It was entirely different with the girls. They melted daddy's heart, from the moment they came into this world, although each of them in her own way.
Anna-the older one, was a real angel, walking on earth. Even her father always called her that. All the family adored Anna and the servants downstairs did the same, as she was kind and nice to everyone she ever met in her life, regardless of the person's status. She loved her parents very much and she was the best sister to her siblings. Even Thomas, who could be really nasty to everyone else, never gave Anna a hard time and she usually kept all his secrets to herself. Even the darkest ones... She was a frequent visitor downstairs and she was the one they felt very good with. The only person from the family, who seemed to understand the hardness of the servants life. She listened to the cook's nagging with a smile, she learned many useful things from her the lady's maid. She knew all the house maid secrets and she joked with the hall boys. Anna had that amazing ability, that not many people have. She caused, that all the people felt happy and safe in her presence.
Charles and Elsie loved Anna very much and they were both hoping that one day, she can find a good and decent man, who will become her husband and will take care of her, the best way he can. Anna was a pretty blonde, always successful with men. So there was only a matter of time, before she will find one, who will stole her heart and take her away from her childhood house. Lord and Lady Grantham both wanted it, but dreaded of it, at the same time. Elsie often repeated, that she can't imagine this house without the ray of sunshine that Anna always was...
It was different with Daisy, their youngest child. She was as much loved as Anna of course, but it wasn't always easy to love her...Ever since the day she was born and she started her life, with bloody screams, as soon as she left her mother's womb, Elsie sensed, that her youngest daughter will probably be a rebel and she wasn't wrong. Daisy was rebellious from the earliest childhood. She wished that she was a boy, because in her mind, boys were allowed to do more interesting things than girls. She found that quite unfair, that her brothers were taught different things by the teacher, while she had to be enough with French and etiquette lessons. She didn't give a damn about rules. She wanted to climb the trees, go hunting, ride a horse like a man and do all the forbidden things that she couldn't do. Her mother was devastated, when Daisy told her once, that she hates all the pretty dresses that they made her wear and she would much more prefer to wear trousers, just like her brothers. She had good relations with William and Anna, but she often fought with Thomas, who called her baby and never respected her position in the family.
Daisy, just like Anna, liked to hanged out downstairs. But from different reasons. She talked with the servants as with equals, she tried to persuade them, that their life is as important, as the people from the upstairs. There was a serious eye rolling at her statements, usually from the cook...Nobody wanted to believe this petite girl, when she tried to convinced them, that one day they will all be equal... Charles and Elsie never treated her left-wing views seriously. As the youngest child, she was almost always unnoticed. They still treated her like a baby, even though she turned twenty this year. She was not as pretty as Anna, although nice to look at, but because of her feisty character and her openly expressed views, she didn't have much suitors around.
Charles looked at all this joyful cluster, once again thinking, how proud he is of them, in spite of their flaws. Elsie was having similar thoughts. They really created a wonderful family, something to be proud of. They looked at each other and smiled, being aware how lucky they really were..
When Charles looked at the other direction, he started to wonder, if it was a good thing, that a custom told to take care of all the unmarried women in the family. That was always the case in British aristocracy and in his own house, by his own roof, two totally different souls, have found their safe shelter.
First was his sister- Sara O'Brien (nee Carson), who became a childless widow, only two years after she married an older widower. When she married him, which was rather surprising for all the family, who was not expecting to ever witness Sara's marriage, mostly because of her nasty character, that revealed itself, already in the early childhood. Somehow, Sara managed to hitched that old widower- Baron O'Brien, but he died of a heart attack, only two years after they got married. Some malicious people said, that it was a real miracle, that he managed to live two years with Sara. As her sharp tongue was commonly known..Unfortunately, after his dead, it soon turned out, that his big house and his fortune, were just a mystification, as he was in debt. Charles managed to sold the house, which covered all the debts of the deceased brother in law and left a tiny sum for Sara, but she had to live somewhere and naturally, there was no other way for her, than to return to her childhood house.
She became much more vicious, than she already was before, if that was even possible. Because the convenient life, she thought she has chosen, has turned out to be a humiliation for her and exposed her to a ghastly rumors, from all the people she knew. So not having any other option, she returned to the house and she often tried to poisoned a happy marriage for Elsie and Charles, considering, that if she was unhappy, everyone else should be too...
It was quite different with another single woman, who also lived in the Abbey. Red hair and ruddy Beryl Patmore-Elsie's cousin, was a complete opposite of Sara. She was joyful, open and extremely willing to joke all the time. She was, for her own misfortune, an old maid, in full meaning of that word. By some kind of unhappy turn of events, she didn't find a right man in her time and when her parents died and she had difficulties with maintaining the house, Elsie and Charles, who liked her very much, offered her Downton as her house. She was living with them for almost fifteen years, being the most loved auntie Beryl for the children and a source of endless joy to everyone else. She still tried to flirt with every man she met, who were in suitable age, even though she was already forty five, but because of her open and fun nature, nobody really mind. Beryl was so forgiving and generous to everyone, that she could do things, that normally would not be acceptable.
And so the group of people, totally different people, lived together, under one roof, loving each other, hating each other at times and experiencing all the joy and sadness of everyday life. Charles felt responsible for all of them and he rarely let them forget, that he was the boss in this house.
That's all for this chapter my friends...I thought that I will make it a one-shot, but I tend to write too much...As you can easily see, I went for an idea with the reversed roles. That is the downstairs characters are the upstairs characters and other way round...Sorry for any possible mistakes. And I would really like to hear your thoughts on this...Did you like the idea and what's more important-are you willing to know the downstairs characters and find out who is who? Please let me know, what you think. Thanks for taking your time to read this story and see you soon. Hopefully!