Two weeks later

"Auntie Izzy, Auntie Izzy," Sybbie yells, when she runs around the corner into Isobel´s garden, where Isobel´s cutting the roses.
"Hello, Sybbie. What a nice surprise." Isobel gets up on her feet and gives her a hug. "What brings you here?"
"She needed a new dress and wanted to show it to you," Tom says and greets Isobel with a kiss on the cheek.
"Do you like it?" Sybbie says and swirls around. "It has my favourite colour," she adds proudly.
"I can see that. This must be now your 20th red dress," Isobel laughs.
"Probably, but I like to spoil her from time to time," Tom says.
"You should," Isobel says and smiles at Tom. "Would you like to join me for tea? And how about a lemonade for you, Sybbie?"
"Only if we don´t keep you from doing anything," Tom says and they are walking inside.
"Not at all," Isobel says and serves the tea. Tom sits down next to Sybbie on the settee.
"You have become a stranger lately," Tom says and takes a sip.
"Oh,well. It was rather busy at the hospital. There was no time for a visit," Isobel lies. She hasn´t been at the hospital for the last couple of weeks and she couldn´t care less about it at the moment.
"Hope you don´t mind me saying this, Isobel, but you look rather tired. You are working too much."
Isobel tries to smile. She has hardly slept during the last couple of days, but she can´t do anything about it and she knows that the lack of sleep is slowly taking its toll. Everytime when she finally fell asleep, Elsie´s face showed up. Begging her for forgiveness for what she´d done. Isobel´s first impulse was to go to Downton the day after the incident and speak to Elsie, because Isobel couldn´t bear the thought, that Elsie blames herself for what happened, when it´s actually her fault. When she was the one, who has seen things, that weren´t there. She wanted Elsie to know, that there was nothing to apologise for, but Isobel quickly dropped that plan. She didn´t want to bring Elsie in an uncomfortable situation and you never know how many ears are actually listening in.
Isobel doesn´t react to Tom´s comment, instead she asks him about his job at Downton.
Sybbie gets bored after a while. "Daddy, can we go now? I want to show Esie my new dress."
"Esie?" Isobel asks.
"Mrs Hughes. She is very fond of Sybbie and Sybbie adores her," Tom replies. "Not today, Sweetie. I told you that Mrs Hughes is not feeling well. Maybe you can show it to her tomorrow," he says to Sybbie.
Isobel becomes clairaudient. "Els.. I mean Mrs Hughes is sick?" Isobel hopes that she doesn´t sound too eager and that Tom hasn´t notice how the cup in her hand is shaking.
"I only heard, that she´s not well. Hardly eating and not being herself lately. Maybe the flu. Daisy just had it. I don´t really know. Maybe you should send Dr Clarkson to see after her. Now, Sweetie, shall we go?" Tom gets up and Sybbie runs into the garden.
"Yes, maybe." Isobel gets up and sees her guests out.
"Will we see you at the concert, Isobel?" Tom asks before he says goodbye.
"Well, yes. Yes, of course," Isobel replies distracted. Her mind is racing, her stomach still cramped from what she´d just heard about Elsie.
As soon as her guests disappeared around the corner, Isobel rushes up to her room. She knows now what she has to do, because Dr Clarkson can´t help Elsie. No one but Isobel can help Elsie and she is ready to pour her heart out, even when this means that she´ll lose Elsie for good.
It takes Isobel the rest of the day and several attempts to write the letter, to put all her feelings into words. The sun has already gone down and crumpled sheets are covering the floor, when Isobel puts her pen down. A weight is lifted from her shoulders, when she seals the envelope. This night Isobel has no problems to find sleep, because everything she had on her heart stands in this letter and she feels that this will help Elsie to put her mind at rest.

The evening of the concert

Isobel sits absent- minded at the dinnertable and plays half- hearted with the food on her plate. She doesn´t even have the nerve to react to Violet´s snide comments on the current conversation. She doesn´t even know what the current topic is, because Isobel´s thoughts are circeling around the letter in her purse. She would very much like to get up and storm downstairs. It is a real torture for Isobel to sit there and pretend that everything is okay. Isobel hopes that she´ll get a chance after the concert to talk to Elsie, but will she take the letter and really read it? Doubts are rising in Isobel with every minute that passes.

Isobel is relieved when the dinner is finally over and they all walk into the entrance hall for the concert.
She lets her eyes wander around the entrance hall to the area, where the staff will be sitting. Isobel gasps, when she finds Elsie sitting next to Anna. Although Tom´s words have warned her, is the actual sight of Elsie´s frail condition a shock for her.
"Is something the matter, Mother?" Matthew, who walks behind her, asks.
"What? No, I just felt a bit dizzy for a moment," Isobel answers, sitting down on the next free chair in the last row.
"Are you really sure? You are white as a sheet, as if you´ve seen a ghost. Maybe I should get you a glass of water."
Isobel is thankful that Matthew leaves her alone after he got her a glass of water and she could assure him, that she´s already feeling better. Matthew´s words are still ringing in her ears. He wasn´t wrong, Isobel has seen a ghost. She looks back at Elsie, hoping that she has seen someone else. It has only been two weeks since the incident, but it was long enough to let the Elsie, Isobel has fallen in love with, disappear. It costs Isobel a lot of willpower to fight back the tears, while her eyes are wandering over Elsie´s fragile appearance. Eyes, that have made Isobel´s knees weak, have lost their brightness and stare empty on the floor. Lips, that have caused a warm shiver not too long ago, pressed together to a thin line. Elsie is not more than a shadow of her former self.
Nelly Melba starts to sing and Isobel tries to pay attention, but her thoughts are always wandering back to Elsie. The song ends and everybody applauds. Isobel tries in vain to make eyecontact with Elsie. She wants to give her sign, that she has to speak with her, but Elsie still stares on the floor. The applause ends and Isobel is still looking in Elsie´s direction.
"I would like to dedicate the next song to love and lovers," Nelly Melba says, before she starts singing again. Elsie gets up and storms out of the room, when she hears these words. Puzzled looks of the other servants are following her. Isobel´s heart tightens and she instictively wants to follow Elsie, but she remembers where she is and sinks back onto the chair. Isobel discretly wipes a tear from her cheek. The images of Elsie running away from her the other day are returning. Isobel feels the weight of the letter in her purse on her lap and it gets heavier with every word Nelly Melba sings.

As soon as the applause ends, Isobel gets up. She hopes to catch Anna before she walks downstairs.
"Anna?"
"Yes, Mrs Crawley?" Anna replies, coming over to Isobel.
"Can I ask you a favour, Anna?" Both step aside.
"Yes, of course, Mrs Crawley. How can I help?"
"I have something for Mrs Hughes, but... but I´ve seen that she left during the concert." Isobel swallows down the lump in her throat. "And... and I would like to ask you, if you could give it to her?"
Anna can clearly see that Isobel has problems to retain her composure.
"Of course, Mrs Crawley. Mrs Hughes just didn´t feel well," Anna knows that Isobel doesn´t believe her lie, because she has seen Isobel´s reaction to Elsie´s sudden disappearance. Anna would very much like to tell Isobel the truth, because she can see that Isobel is suffering under the situation as well, but Anna doesn´t want to betray Elsie´s trust and make things even worse for her with that, when she finds out, that someone she trusted, has betrayed her again.
"Yes, Mr Branson mentioned something," Isobel mumbles. She looks around the entrance hall to make sure that no one is watching them before she hands Anna the letter. Anna takes it and let it slide in her pocket.
"Thank you, Anna. And could you... oh, nevermind. Just give Mrs Hughes the letter," Isobel says and leaves before Anna can say something. Isobel just wants to get home. Her doubts, if she´d done the right thing, are back and she knows that another sleepless night lays ahead of her, but she has hope that at least Elsie will find some sleep this night.

Anna finds Elsie sitting at her desk, staring at the papers in front of her.
"Mrs Hughes?" Anna knocks on the doorframe and close the door behind her.
Elsie gets up, but doesn´t bother to wipe her tears away after she has seen that it´s her. "Is the concert already over?" Elsie feels sorry, that Anna is constantly seeing her in such a state since she confide in her, but she is glad that she has done it. Elsie knows that she couldn´t handle the whole situation on her own, not this time.
"Yes, Mrs Hughes. You have really missed something."
" I know, but I..."
"It´s alright, Mrs Hughes. You don´t have to explain. I understand."
"Is she... are all the guests already gone?"
Anna knows what Elsie actually wanted to ask. "Mrs Crawley was one of first guests who left, but she gave me something for you." Anna takes the letter out of her pocket and gives it to Elsie.
"A letter?" Elsie stares at it, as if she has never seen one before. It feels heavy in her hand.
"Mrs Crawley hasn´t said anything, but I had the impression that it was important for her, that you read it and I think you should, Mrs Hughes. Maybe you get some clarification," Anna adds carefully .
"Of what? That she doesn´t want to see me again? That it has disgust her what I have done?" Elsie asks sadly, her hands are shaking now.
"Mrs Hughes," Anna comes closer and puts her hand on Elsie´s," I don´t think, that Mrs Crawely has any hard feelings for you," Anna tries to explain. She doesn´t want to say too much, because, even when Elsie has confide in her, isn´t Anna sure if Elsie really wants her to get involved, but Anna wants at least give her a push in the right direction. "And I don´t think that Mrs Crawley would have wasted her time with a writing a letter that says how much she despise, when she could simply evade you. I´m sorry, Mrs Hughes, but I have to go. Lady Mary is probably already waiting for me," Anna says and leaves after giving Elsie another encouragingly smile.

Elsie stands lost and forgotten in her room after Anna has left. She knows, that Anna is right with everything she´d said. It can´t go on like this. She needs clarification. "Then what are you scared of? You already expect the worse. At least you have it in black on white then, what Isobel really thinks of you and you can move on," Elsie thinks on her way to her desk and sits down. "As if this would be so easy," she says out loud, her fingers running over the edge of the envelope. After a while of staring at it, Elsie finally opens the envelope and unfolds Isobel´s letter. She takes a deep breath and starts to read.
Soon Isobel´s words are making Elsie´s heart beat faster. Every sentence brings her closer to Isobel. Every passage lifts the black veil of loneliness from Elsie´s heart a bit more.
Images of Isobel sitting at her desk appear in front of Elsie´s inner eye. Isobel looking occasionally up, when she´s looking for a word. Smilling, when ... suddenly Elsie has to cough. She looks up and her eyes widen in shock. Smoke crawls from under the door into her room. Elsie was so immersed in Isobel´s letter, that she hasn´t notice how the smoke has slowly filled her room. Elsie gets up, but a coughing fit makes her stagger. She tries to yell for help, but her voice is hoarse and her lungs hurt. Her eyes are burning and tearing. The smoke got so thick, that she can hardly see where she is going. She slowly makes her way to the door. Elsie staggers again and she tries to support herself on the table next to the door, but her hand slips and she is losing her balance. Elsie hits her head on the edge of the table and she falls unconscious on the floor ... still holding Isobel´s letter in her hand.