I am not English speaker, so if you find any mistakes let me know ;)

March 1890

Elsie was already sleeping in her room with Alice, the other maid. Beryl sneaked in and said: "Elsie, come to my room, I have to talk with you at once." The last time when Elsie had heard that sentence was three years before, when during the Golden Jubilee a young farmer from Malton had been flirting with Beryl, and he had left her heartbroken a few weeks after.

"What's the matter Beryl, are you ill?" asked very concerned Elsie, coming to Beryl's room.

"I am no more Beryl downstairs, tonight Mrs Hamilton said she is going to retire and that she is moving in with her sister tomorrow."

"You are going to be a proper cook?" asked a bit surprised Elsie, sitting next to Beryl on the bed.

"Yes, I am going to be Mrs Patmore, oh my God, I don't know if I manage with ten maids."

"You are an outstanding cook, poor Mrs Hamilton in the last months she let you do all you want, she was very ill."

"I am happy Elsie, really."

"I am sure you are very happy, Beryl. By the way, Miss Cameron said that Master Robert is going to get engage, to an American, from New York."

"Are you sure? And do you know what Mrs Dill said tonight?"

"No, what?"

"Charles Carson is coming back…"

"Really? But he left years ago, I think he didn't want to be in service anymore."

"But he is coming back, he will be first footman or even butler, if Mr Reed is going to retire." Said Beryl leaning against her bed and looking at Elsie.

"I am glad, he is nice, really nice and honestly I also heard that Joe is going to be married."

"To who?" asked curious the cook.

"With a village girl, she is the daughter of the postman of Ripon."

Mrs Dill was out of the room, she didn't want to disturb the young women, they were good workers and even if very often they had late nights because they liked to chat and gossiping about things, they were very efficient in the day.

Beryl and Elsie had been working in Downton for almost eight years. And they were very close friends. Beryl loved Elsie like a sister and vice versa. And they loved to share some gossip before sleeping.

Cora Levinson and Charles Carson arrived at Downton on the same day. Charles arrived with the first train and he was in his livery before the butler was downstairs.

Cora arrived in the late morning, a little before lunch, in a line there were the servants and in the front of the door there were Violet, the countess of Grantham, George, the earl of Grantham and then Robert Crawley and Rosamund Crawley. He was just twenty, his sister 17 and Cora was 18, she had just finished the school in America, and she had dreamt for a long time to go to the college.

With Cora there was her mother, Mrs Isidore Levinson, Martha.

Elsie was surprised by that young woman, she was 18 but she looked like a completely adult woman. And she was without a maid, so Mrs Dill chose Elsie as Cora lady's maid. Elsie really liked sometimes play the lady's maid to someone. Lady Rosamund had her own Lady's maid.

"Miss Levinson, may I come in?" asked Elsie, she had never the chance to introduce herself to the young American.

"Yes, come in." said Cora, she was sitting at her desk and she was writing to a friend, her friend was studying to be a physician.

"I am Elsie Hughes, and I am a house maid, but I am also your lady's maid, do you need something?"

"Yes, may I have a cup of tea, with sugar and without milk, then I would like to take a bath if it is possible."

"Certainly, Miss Levinson, I'll be back in few minutes."

Into the kitchen Beryl was waiting for Elsie: "So, how is this American?"

"Beryl, believe me, she is a little lassie, she will be only 18 or maybe 19, she wants tea without milk and then I'll run a bath for her."

"How she looks like I mean…"

"She has black hair, curly, she has blue eyes, lighter than mine, then she is a bit taller than me, and she doesn't have so much breast."

"I will prepare the tea. I put with the tea also some biscuits."

Charles was with Mr Reed into his pantry: "So, Charles, you are coming back, I am glad, you had always been a very nice footman, so I hope you don't mind if I ask you also to be a temporary valet to Master Robert."

"I don't mind at all, sir" replied Charles, looking into the corridor from the door.

"You know we are having a couple of guests for months? Miss Cora and Mrs Levinson. Between us, Cora is a very sweet and nice girl, but Mrs Levinson never agrees with Lady Grantham."

But in Charles' head there was something different form upstairs' problem, he had seen in the early morning a nice house maid, with auburn hair and a nice Scottish accent. He wanted to introduce him to her.

"Welcome back Charles" said Mrs Dill sitting at her place and taking the cup of tea "Do you remember about the maids? Some of them have been there since before you left."

"Nice to meet you, ladies."

"She is Elsie, the head housemaid." Said Mrs Dill pointed out the young Scottish.

"I am very glad to meet you, Charles." Said Elsie.

"Charles, do you remember about Beryl?" asked Mrs Dill leading him through the passage to her sitting room, to give him the things for his bedroom.

"The red headed girl?"

"Yes, she is going to be the cook."

"I am glad for her." Said Charles, he know that Beryl Patmore was a nice person and a very hard worker.

Elsie came back to Cora with a tray and some towels.

"Here we are, Miss Levinson, sorry for the waiting"

"Don't worry, Elsie" replied Cora

She had been crying, Elsie was sure, but she didn't ask anything and went to prepare the bath.

"I miss America" said suddenly Cora "Really, it is all different there… And I really would have liked to go to the University."

"I am sorry Miss Levinson." Replied Elsie, she couldn't say anything different.