Chapter 34

"Now, now Milady I wish you would stay still," Mrs Hughes said as she made Sybil's hair, the task stretching way beyond the time it required due to Sybil's inability to stay still.

"I'm so excited! I've been so fed up with staying in bed!" Sybil protested wiggling her shoulders and extracting a sigh from the exasperated Housekeeper whose neat work was ruined once more.

"Well, if you keep this up any longer I doubt you'll be able to leave for about an hour more," Mrs Hughes countered adding a hint of exaggeration to get the girl to stay still, which worked at last.

"There," Mrs Hughes sighed as she tied the light blue ribbon on Sybil's hair. Sybil turned to face the Housekeeper who checked if the appearance of the young lady was without any flaws.

"There you are. Perfect," Mrs Hughes commented and Sybil beamed. Sybil skipped to the long mirror at the end of the room and admired her dress, turning to this side and that and Mrs Hughes watched the excited young girl from her chair.

With a knock on the door Lady Grantham entered the room and Mrs Hughes instantly stood up.

"Good morning Mrs Hughes," Lady Grantham smiled and Sybil turned around to her mother with a smile.

"Good morning Your Ladyship," Mrs Hughes smiled accompanied with a slight nod.

"Sybil darling, how are you today?" Cora asked as Sybil rushed to her hands behind her back.

"Much better," Sybil replied speaking to the reflection of her mother on the mirror. Then she turned with a brilliant smile, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Mary and Edith are in the nursery," Cora said but realising that Sybil was not impressed she added, "There's chocolate cookies that Mrs Patmore made just for you."

The instant the words were out of Cora's mouth Sybil dashed out of the room, all manners forgotten at the prospect of chocolate cookies.

"And no running Sybil darling," Cora called out turning her head towards the door, but Sybil was far beyond the door to hear her mother's words and far too excited.

Cora turned back to Mrs Hughes who stood with a small smile playing upon her lips, carefully trimmed by her years of practised effort to look professional.

"And I have no idea how to thank you Mrs Hughes. Thank you so much," Cora smiled affectionately at the Housekeeper who returned a much brighter smile than before.

"I am glad to be of help Your Ladyship," came Mrs Hughes' formal reply.

"I mean it Mrs Hughes. I doubt I would have trusted my daughter's health and safety with any others. And if I am to speak plainly," Cora paused and at Mrs Hughes' slight answering nod she began again. "If I am to speak plainly I know Lady Sybil is fond of you and you of her." Cora watched a tenderness creep into the blue depths of the Housekeeper's eyes. A tenderness that only perhaps a mother would notice.

"I hope she hasn't troubled you?" Cora asked breaking the moment's silence, guessing that the sensible Housekeeper would not be comfortable with open emotions on the surface, something that never really bothered Cora. But after all like Robert often said and so did Violet, she was American.

"Not at all your Ladyship… on the contrary I rather enjoyed it," Mrs Hughes replied, "I'm sorry if that sounded rather… selfish perhaps."

"Not at all dear Mrs Hughes. And I think you could do with some rest after all these days… and nights," Cora added noticing the dark circles beneath the Housekeeper's eyes.

Mrs Hughes nodded and watched Lady Grantham leave. Perhaps she could do with some rest. But she knew she couldn't rest without knowing what sort of chaos had erupted downstairs in her absence. Mr Carson occasionally gave her reports of minor domestic matters over the past few days and so did Anna, but knowing both of them Mrs Hughes had to see for herself. And then, she would rest.

Hearing the familiar sound of the keys jingling on the Housekeeper's chatelaine, a sound lost during the past few days, Mrs Patmore looked up from her work and strained her ears to hear if she had mistaken the sound. But the sound of the keys accompanied by the strong and steady footsteps confirmed the return of "Mary Queen of Scots" and Mrs Patmore suspected she was back to reclaim what was hers.

Mrs Hughes walked into the kitchen, her usual stern expression upon her face, but the trace of a smile upon her lips.

"Oh it surprises me to hear meself speak it, but we have missed you downstairs," Mrs Patmore commented, even though she herself didn't know if the sentiment of that feeling of was actually felt by her.

"Key?" Mrs Hughes requested in a stone cold voice.

Mrs Patmore looked straight at the Housekeeper, stunned for a moment by the Housekeeper's straightforward request. Her hopes of using the emergency of the last few days as an excuse to keeping the store cupboard key to herself afterwards quickly vanishing.

"What?" was all the Cook could manage.

"The key, Mrs Patmore?"

Finally Mrs Patmore returned to her true senses, "Bloody hell, you don't miss a thing, do you?"

Mrs Hughes raised an eyebrow but kept her expression static.

"Alright here you go," Mrs Patmore said as she fished through her pocket for the store cupboard key and handed it to the Housekeeper, "You thought I was going to keep it for meself, didn't you?"

"Well, wasn't that what you were hoping to do?" Mrs Hughes left the kitchen with a faintly malicious yet contented smirk.

"Bloody. Mary. Queen. Of. Scots," Mrs Patmore muttered under her breath, giving her dough an extremely hard knead at each pause, in an effort to forget her disappointment at her failed plans.

Mr Carson was walking down the corridor downstairs and he passed the Housekeeper's sitting room. Noticing that the door was open he took a few steps back and peered inside. Noticing the familiar image of Mrs Hughes at her desk, he entered.

"It's good to have you back," he said and Mrs Hughes looked up from her paper work.

"As I am," Mrs Hughes answered and turned around completely to face Mr Carson who sat down on his usual place at the small table.

"Don't tell me you don't miss those few days, away from all this," he said as he gestured with no specific direction at the bustling sounds of below stairs.

"Well, I did enjoy keeping Lady Sybil company but not so much keeping a child with measles company," she answered but noticing the confused expression on his face she shook her head lightly and added. "Measles can be a rather tricky disease Mr Carson, it takes one symptom read wrong to go much worse."

"Oh," was all Mr Carson could say. He had seen his fair share of illness during his life but he wasn't really ready to discuss them nor did he take being ill very well. Typical male quality, he thought.

"I hope there wasn't any catastrophe's while I was occupied elsewhere?" Mrs Hughes asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'd say nothing major," Mr Carson replied, trying to hide the fact that they were a mess downstairs and at the servery without her.

Mrs Hughes narrowed her eyes at the mildly flustering Butler. He was a terrible liar. And he probably didn't know the details that she was able to trick out of Anna about courses being late and broken serving dishes, but she let it rest. She really didn't have the energy to get into major arguments.

Mr Carson noticed how the Housekeeper's eyes narrowed and realised that she knew more than she let on but he was relieved when she seemed as if she was not willing to proceed any further with whatever information that she possessed.

"We've missed you," he said after a moment's silence but noticing her disbelieving look he altered his words. "I've missed you."

"Or are you trying to cover up any guilt about you feeling relieved that I wasn't around to interfere and annoy you?" Mrs Hughes asked, part of her knowing that this was not true, but allowing that dark area in her mind to plant a seed of doubt.

"Really Mrs Hughes? I thought you knew me better than that!" he retorted with a frown.

"One can imagine," she argued a ray of hope blinking in her heart.

"Of course I missed… our evening sherry," he replied, managing to stop himself from uttering "your presence."

"You aren't guilty of having the sherry by yourself?" Mrs Hughes chuckled.

"I may have imbibed in the odd glass or two," he began, feeling warmth rush to his cheeks, his fingers toying with each other without his notice. "But it was not the same without sharing it."

"Mrs Patmore would have been glad of a glass," Mrs Hughes added in an effort to hide the blush she felt rising in her cheeks with diverting remarks.

"I wouldn't want any uncalled for disasters that are usually associated with Mrs Patmore and alcohol," Mr Carson chuckled. "Besides it isn't the same." He decided to stop it there without adding 'without you' at the end.

"Tonight then? Revive the custom after the short break?" Mrs Hughes smiled. The playful expression from the banter earlier vanishing as the shape of her lips forming a light smile in contrast to the amused look from earlier.

"Tonight," Mr Carson nodded in agreement with rather cheerful smile adorning his face as he walked out of the room.

Mrs Hughes turned back to face her desk but felt her herself unable of stopping the growing wide smile on her face. She shook her head and looked down back at her paper work. The smile still fluttering across her face, two dainty sparks dancing in her eyes.

To be continued...

Thank you so much for your kind reviews on the previous chapter. And my apologies for not being able to update earlier. Real life intervened quite a lot : ) I am truly grateful to all those who read story and also for those who left reviews. You all are a great big encouragement! See you soon with the next chapter.

Also this was pre-war times when Mrs Patmore and Mrs Hughes were not the best of friends and were squabbling over the store cupboard key.

P.S. Also I got some messages requesting the YouTube link to the song in the previous chapter so here it is.

/JOu0qORSDK0