Mid-November, 1921

Hazel Haverty arrived at the servants' entrance of Downton Abbey, a suitcase in each hand. She wore an immaculate coffee-brown coat and a matching hat; her cases and handbag were worn but neat. Putting one of the suitcases down upon the stoop, she knocked on the door.

Mrs. Hughes answered it, unable to contain her smile when she saw who stood there. "You're right on time." Taking one of the cases from her, she allowed the other woman to pass into the hall. "I'll just show you where you're staying, and you can freshen up before meeting with Lord Grantham."

"Oh, everything looks the same, Mrs. Hughes, and yet – different, too." She followed the housekeeper past the servants' hall and kitchens and then up the stairs, looking around her curiously.

"Yes, well, there have been a few changes in the years since you were here last, I expect." Mrs. Hughes opened a door and went in, carefully setting down the suitcase. "I believe this was once your room, wasn't it?"

Hazel beamed as she gazed around the humble apartment, putting the other suitcase and her handbag on the bed. "Yes. Yes, it was." She took off her coat and hat and hung them on their hooks behind the door. "You said his lordship wanted to see me, Mrs. Hughes? Where will I find him?" She smoothed her hair in the mirror.

"In the library," they said together. Both of them giggled.

Turning to the housekeeper with a warm smile, Hazel said, "Mrs. Hughes, some things never change."

Carson led Hazel into the library. "Mrs. Haverty," he announced.

Robert stood up from his desk with a grin. "Thank you, Carson."

The butler inclined his head and left the room.

"How wonderful to see you again, Mrs. Haverty." Robert paused and tilted his head. "My, it does seem strange to call you by that name."

"You could always call me 'Perkins', your lordship. Although it's been many years since anyone called me by that name." She smiled at him, noting the signs of the passage of time upon his face, but seeing the same kind man she'd known and respected. "It sounds strange to me to hear anything other than 'Perkins' from you, to be honest, my lord."

"Well, then, 'Perkins' it shall be." He indicated a chair. "Might you sit?"

Hazel lifted a hand in protest. "Oh no, I daren't. What would Mr. Carson say?" Mirth touched her face.

Robert's grin widened. "Right. Well, we wouldn't want to upset Carson." He turned back to the desk and shuffled the papers there. "I wanted to make sure that everything is in order before we go upstairs," he said over his shoulder, continuing to rummage through the disorder atop his desk.

Soon he began to mutter under his breath about how he could never manage to find what he needed when he wanted it. As he bent to peer into one of the desk's pigeon holes, Hazel muffled a giggle against her hand. For her eyes had involuntarily flitted down to the back of his trousers, causing a memory to flash into her mind. It was a memory of something she wasn't meant to see, but had, and now she couldn't banish the vision of flexing muscles and lingering kisses.

With a cry of "Eureka!" Robert spun around with a sheaf of papers in his hand. He looked at the tiny woman in front of him, her expression giving him pause. "Is there something humorous about my organizational skills – or lack thereof ?" His lips twitched.

Hazel realized she still had a hand over a near smirk, and she immediately dropped it, blushing. "No, certainly not, your lordship. I was merely admiring the fine cut of your suit. Professional habit."

Robert looked down at his suit. "Well, I suppose it is a nice one. Lady Grantham picked it out for me when we were last in London for an extended stay. And, yes, of course you would notice, being the wife of a tailor." He cleared his throat. "I was sorry to hear of your husband's passing, Perkins. I know he was a good man."

Hazel lowered her eyes. "Yes, he was a good man, my lord. And although it's been several years now that he's been gone, I miss him every day." Giving herself a little shake, she lifted her eyes to Robert once again. "I apologize, Lord Grantham. I forget myself."

"Perkins, you are the very same now as you always have been." He smiled warmly. "And that's exactly why I know this will work."

Her face brightened. "Regarding that – you had some things to go over with me, my lord?" she prompted, nodding at the bunch of papers he held.

"Yes, yes, right. Well –" He took a step closer to her, then stopped, unable to suppress another wide grin. "Have I mentioned how marvelous it is to see you again?"

Hazel's eyebrows rose, although her mouth curved in a smile. "I believe you have, my lord."

"Well, it is. I'm very glad you're here," he repeated. "And I know Lady Grantham will be too."

Hazel stared all around the halls and peered into rooms they passed as she followed Robert upstairs. Memories – most of them very pleasant – inundated her to where she felt if she weren't just behind the Earl of Grantham she would give a hop of joy. Once they reached Cora's bedroom door, Hazel waited in the hallway while he entered the room.

"Hello, darling. I just woke from my nap." Cora's voice reached Hazel's ears clearly, and she could hear the caressing way she spoke to her husband. It did Hazel's heart good to know that some things didn't change.

"I have a surprise for you, sweetheart."

"You do?" Hazel could imagine Cora's face glowing. She had always loved surprises. "What is it?"

"Well, it's more of a 'who.'" Robert appeared in the doorway, waving his hand for Hazel to make her entrance.

When Hazel stepped into the room, Cora looked at her in disbelief, as if she mistrusted her own eyes. "Hazel Haverty? Is it really you?"

Hazel nodded, giving Cora a wide smile. "Yes, your ladyship."

A grin broke out on Cora's face, and, without hesitating another second, she got up from the bed and practically ran to Hazel, throwing her arms around her neck in a tight embrace, tears falling down her cheeks. "Oh, my own Perkins. How very happy I am to see you."

"And I you, my lady." Hazel looked to Robert, her glance asking permission to take a liberty. At his nod and smile, she returned Cora's enthusiastic embrace, touched by her warm and unguarded greeting.

"Well, I trust you two have many things to speak about, so I'll leave you be and go find my granddaughter." Robert turned to go.

Cora pulled back from Hazel, lifting a face shining with delight and tears to her husband. "Robert, thank you. This truly is a wonderful surprise."

His gaze upon her was tender. "I was only too happy to arrange it, my darling."

Once he'd gone, Cora brushed haphazardly at her tears and took Hazel's hands in her own. "Please, come sit with me. He's right; we have many things to talk about."

"Lady Grantham, I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable –"

Cora cut her off. "Nonsense. I'm not about to have a long chat standing up, and I would be uncomfortable if you stood while I sat." Tugging at her hands impatiently, she led Hazel over to a chair next to the chaise longue. Once they were settled, Cora said, "I'm terribly sorry that I haven't written you in ages. There has been so much happening, but it's no excuse for my being remiss for so long. I think the last time I wrote was just before Sybil –" Her throat caught on her daughter's name, and she looked down at her hands. "Just before our granddaughter was born."

Tears pricked Hazel's eyes and her stomach gave a lurch. "Yes, I did hear of – of Lady Sybil's passing, my lady." As Cora seemed unable to speak yet, Hazel went on. "I started here the day after Lady Edith was born, so Lady Sybil is the only one I saw you carry. Perhaps it's impertinent for me to say, your ladyship, but I always felt a different connection with Lady Sybil. I loved all your little girls, but I knew her before she even arrived."

Cora blinked away tears and raised her head with a smile. "Oh, Hazel, how I've missed your own special ways of being impertinent."

Hazel watched Cora reach over and take her hand, half incredulous. It was almost as if she viewed her as a friend. This thought touched Hazel at her very core. She hesitated, then squeezed Cora's hand gently. When she didn't pull her hand away, Hazel held it in hers. When she looked up again, she saw that Cora was watching her with a soft expression on her face. Hazel smiled at her and said, "Lord Grantham tells me that you're carrying another child, my lady."

"Yes. Quite unexpected, I'll assure you." Cora laughed lightly, but fidgeted a little.

Remembering what this sort of behavior meant, Hazel inquired, "Why, what's the matter, your ladyship? Aren't you happy?"

Cora clutched tighter to Hazel's hand. "Brilliantly happy. Lord Grantham and I both. But our family…." She shook her head. "The reaction hasn't been as joyful as we'd hoped."

"Well, I think it's marvelous news, my lady. And as much as I think this probably hurts you, Lady Grantham, that your family may not be enthusiastic about the news, take strength from the knowledge that you and Lord Grantham are happy about it, and that's all that really matters. This is your child, and it will have two loving parents."

Finally pulling her handkerchief out of her pocket to wipe her eyes properly, Cora remarked, "How do you always know the right thing to say to make me feel better?"

Hazel beamed under such praise. "Well, it's only what I'd want someone to say to me under such circumstances, your ladyship."

At this juncture, Cora's stomach rumbled loudly. "Speaking of expecting – I think someone is expecting food soon. Will you have tea with me?"

Hazel hesitated, but Cora's hopeful face conquered her reservations. "Of course, your ladyship. I'll ring for it." She let go of Cora's hand and crossed the room to the bell cord, pulling it. She stood there a moment, remembering something. "Do you still hide food everywhere, my lady?"

Cora chortled. "I'm surprised you recall that bit of lunacy, as my husband would call it. No, I haven't begun that yet, although I'm sure my hunger will drive me to do so again at some point in the coming months. It's difficult being pregnant and having to wait on someone to bring you what you want when you're hungry."

When the tea arrived, Hazel sat again so they could have a good long catch up. They talked and laughed together, speaking of their lives since Hazel left to get married, and reminiscing about the days she'd lived at Downton.

After a while, Cora felt bold enough to ask Hazel something she'd always been curious about. "You were happy, weren't you? In your marriage? From your letters, I think you were, but stopped speaking of it after Edward passed away. It simply made me wonder – especially because of the things you said to me before you left. About love."

Hazel took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yes, I was happy. We were happy. I had fourteen glorious years with my Edward. But – it leaves a hole in your heart, doesn't it? An emptiness that can never be filled with anything else. Memories fill it only little. It became difficult to speak about those lovely things, especially in the beginning. But I'm healing, my lady. That hole will never go away, but I'd rather have that hole there, half-filled with happy memories of love, then a whole heart that never was touched by it."

Cora inclined her head slowly, tears trembling on her lashes. "I know what you mean. Losing someone you love so dearly. I have holes in my heart too."

Looking up, Hazel furrowed her brow in confusion at Cora's use of the plural. But then she thought she knew what she meant: not only Sybil, but the son she'd lost. For a long time, neither woman said a word, simply clasped one another's hands in silent empathy and comfort.

Finally, Cora broke the silence. "Do you remember the first letter you sent me? I believe it was a few weeks after you left to get married."

"Vaguely, my lady." A smile started to form at the corners of Hazel's mouth.

"You can't know how much that letter – all your letters really – meant. To be able to know that letting you go meant that you could make a home with someone who adored you." Cora began to smirk.

Hazel tilted her head. "I'm not sure I ever said he adored me, your ladyship."

Cora giggled. "You didn't have to say it. In that first letter you included a post script. You marked through it, but I could still read it. I believe that you meant me to, actually."

Thinking a moment, Hazel's eyes widened and she blushed deeply. "Oh. Well, yes." She lowered her eyes and grinned. "The walls proved sturdy over the long haul too, my lady."

Putting a hand over her mouth, Cora continued to giggle. "I still have the letter, in fact. All of them. Sometimes I take them out and re-read them. It's like visiting a friend. One who always makes me laugh."

"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that, Lady Grantham. Letters are meant not only to give news but to comfort and entertain." Hazel watched as Cora's expression transformed from giddiness to sadness again.

"Sometimes they don't do that though, do they?" Cora stood up from the chaise and walked to her dressing table. She pulled out a letter and handed it to Hazel. "I got this almost two weeks ago. It – it broke my heart."

Hazel read the letter, then read through it again. She gave it back to Cora with a sigh. Sarah O'Brien had never been one of her favorite people.

Cora tucked the letter back into her dressing table drawer. "Now, not only won't I really know why she left, but I have to find a lady's maid." She was making herself comfortable on the chaise once more when Hazel stood, her countenance one of complete bewilderment.

"But, Lady Grantham, don't you understand?"

Mirroring her look now, Cora shook her head. "Understand what? Lord Grantham insists that I find a new lady's maid."

Hazel wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. "But that's why I'm here. I'm the new lady's maid. I'm here to resume my old post."

"I – I thought the surprise was a visit." Comprehension dawned on Cora's face. "You're here – to stay? What about the shop? Your home?"

"My lady, Edward left half the shop to one of his long-standing apprentices and half to me. Andrew – the apprentice – bought my share of the business a year ago, as I wanted to retire. But I got bored. I was picking up alterations for a while, to try to break up the monotony, but you can't imagine how relieved I was to receive Lord Grantham's letter." Hazel smiled. "As for the house, your ladyship, Andrew's lived there for a long time; he's been rather like a son in many respects. He'll keep a room for me, for when I visit. But, even though I left it, I've always thought of Downton as my home too. So I simply traded one home for another."

Cora's eyes shone. "Then, I'm so happy to have you home."

It was nearly time for the dressing gong when Robert knocked on the bedroom door. "Cora?"

"Come in, Robert!" she sang out.

He opened the door and laughed at the sight that met him. "Goodness, you two, what on earth are you doing?" Cora sat on the bed surrounded by piles of her clothes, and Hazel stood at the now nearly empty armoire, holding a dress.

"We're going through my things, darling," Cora explained brightly. "We needed to figure out what to pack away and what to alter – and what new things I'll need." She bounded up off the bed and placed a kiss on his cheek, whispering, "Thank you again, my love. For bringing her back. I can't imagine a better situation."

Hazel watched the pair through lowered lashes, folding the dress over her arm as she waited for Cora to return to their task. The lady's maid had learned about love from careful observation of this couple, and she couldn't be happier that through everything they'd been through, this particular love affair appeared intact. It made her chest swell with a feeling akin to pride to see Robert gently touch his wife's cheek with such a loving look, to see Cora take her husband's hand and lead him to a chair so he could share in their fun.

"Do you know which heap of garments is which?" he teased, laughing again as she resumed her place on the bed.

"Hush," Cora replied, throwing a pillow at him.

Robert caught it neatly and wrapped his arms around it with a grin.

"Now, Hazel, let's –" Cora cocked her head to the side. "Wait, should I have been calling you Mrs. Haverty all this time?"

Grinning, Hazel answered, "You may call me whatever name you wish, Lady Grantham. Although I think his lordship has already decided which name he feels most comfortable with."

Cora looked at him. "You did?"

He nodded. "Yes, I did. I asked if it would be alright if I continued to call her 'Perkins' – as she will always be Perkins to me."

Turning back to Hazel, Cora asked, "I've thought of you as Hazel for so long now, as we've been exchanging letters…. Might I call you that? I'll refer to you as Perkins in front of the others, if you would feel more comfortable."

"I would like that very much, my lady, if it's acceptable to his lordship." She turned her beaming face to Robert.

"Oh, I don't mind. Whatever makes my darling wife happy." He smiled at Cora. "Of course, it's well that she'll call you 'Perkins' outside of the room, because if Carson ever heard…" He waggled his eyebrows at his wife.

Cora laughed. "Right. Hazel, back to it. Carson will be ringing the dressing gong any moment, and we haven't found anything for me to wear to dinner yet."

Robert sat up a little straighter. "Oh, I hope you don't mind, Cora, but I invited Isobel for dinner tonight."

As she was concentrating on the dress that Hazel held up, Cora motioned absent-mindedly at him with her hand. "Sure, darling. It will be nice to see her again." She screwed her face up at the dress. "Do you think you can alter it? It may have another month at least of wear in it if it can be let out."

Hazel flipped the dress inside out to examine it more thoroughly. "It's possible, my lady, but I think your dressmaker might be better suited to handle it. It's been a long time since I did this kind of alteration to women's clothing."

"Well, hand it here, and I'll put it on the dressmaker pile." Cora held her hand out to the lady's maid.

After giving her the dress, Hazel retrieved another from the armoire. This one was sleeveless, a rich chocolate brown with a shorter hemline. The back dipped very low, fabric draped in artful folds around it. As she held it up, Hazel saw her mistress blush, grinning widely. At the same time, out of the corner of her eye, she caught Robert beginning to smirk. Then they looked at one another, their eyes locking. They appeared to be exchanging secret messages between them, perhaps even reliving a memory. Then Cora's eyes dropped, her blush deepening. Many years ago, witnessing this might have made Hazel herself follow suit, embarrassed, but she'd long ago given up minding what she saw pass between the two. To her, only her own love affair had been as beautiful as the one of Lord and Lady Grantham.

"Perkins," Robert said, his eyes never leaving his wife's face, "I do hope there is a way for her ladyship to be able to wear that dress a little while longer. You haven't seen how utterly magnificent she looks in it."

Cora raised her eyes to look into his again. "Would you like me to wear it tonight? I am fairly certain I can still wear it, and we're already quite scandalous anyway, aren't we?" She placed a hand over her abdomen.

"Well, as there is no one to ogle you this time except perhaps Tom…." He couldn't seem to wipe the grin off his face.

"Oh, I don't think Tom would do that." She smiled at him.

"No, but the footmen might. Perhaps even Carson." He was teasing her now.

"I'm sure that if any footmen ogle me, you will take care of it, won't you, my dear protector?"

Hazel looked from one to the other, quite certain they had forgotten she was in the room. She couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her own face at this.

"Wear it. I'd love to see Isobel's face, actually." He winked at her.

Cora's peal of laughter hit Hazel's ears like so many glorious bells. "I don't think she'll be as scandalized as our own daughter."

His lips twitched. "I don't care if they all are." His voice became low, husky.

The lady's maid wondered if she should interrupt before she witnessed another scene she really shouldn't. Fortunately, the dressing gong sounded at that precise moment.

Evidently remembering he and his wife weren't alone, Robert cleared his throat. "Well, now that decision is made, I should go to my dressing room. Excuse me…."

Hazel noticed that he kept the pillow placed strategically in front of himself as he exited to his dressing room. Shaking her head as she watched Cora keep blushing profusely, she said under her breath, "Yes, some things never change. Thank the good Lord for that."

"Well. That was certainly interesting."

"To say the least." Robert tugged at the shoulder of Cora's dress, replacing it with his lips.

Cora replied with a soft sigh and a tilting of her head to give him greater access to her throat, clavicle, and shoulder.

"I think you may have reminded Tom of Sybil, darling," he whispered. "Her shocking frocks and outfits…."

"Why do you say that?" she breathed, only half paying attention.

He successfully slid the shoulder of her dress down and continued his attentions to her porcelain skin. "He was grinning at you the entire evening. Not in any impertinent way – just in a way that made me think he was seeing the resemblance..."

Cora pulled back a little to stare at him, tears in her eyes. "You think Sybil resembled me?"

Robert stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Where else would she get her spirit – her fire?" he asked.

She gave him a tender look. "I don't know. Her papa with the fiery temper?"

"No, my heart. It was from you." Tears sparkled in his own eyes.

Cora wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him tenderly. "And what about the others?"

"The others?" Robert pressed soft kisses all along her jawline. "I hate to say it, but I think Isobel was remarkably unmoved. I was rather disappointed by that. I think the only one who was actually scandalized was Edith."

She chuckled. "Well. I can't blame her. I don't think she's ever seen so much of her mama's skin before."

Robert turned her in his arms, his hands resting on her stomach, trailing kisses down to her shoulder blades. "And what beautiful skin it is too…." His tongue joined his lips as he moved down her spine, giving her shivers of delight.

Cora rested her hands upon his, panting as he reached the lowest part of the dress. "I don't think Edith cares about that, Robert."

"She might not, but I do." Withdrawing one hand from her stomach, his fingers pulled the draping fabric down farther, until he'd kissed down to the small of her back.

"Well," she said, closing her eyes. "Well," she repeated, unable to say much else.

"Shall I ring for Perkins?" he breathed, his tongue tracing a delicate pattern over her lower back.

"No. No, you shan't," she said, endeavoring to keep her wits about her. "I told her that – for now – night lady's maid duty was yours alone."

Spinning her around abruptly in his arms, he drew her closer to himself. She could feel how very much he desired her, as his arousal pressed against her hip through their clothing. "My God, Cora," he breathed. "I'd be the lowest servant in your retinue, if you let me attend you for even one hour a day."

Cora sighed heavily in his ear before saying, "Only an hour?" She let out a low chuckle before whispering, "Show me what you would do with one hour of my day, my love."

Sliding his hands down to gently squeeze her bottom, his darkened eyes met hers and held her gaze. "I may have to risk being seen impudent and take more than an hour," he said in a gruff voice.

Pulling his head down to nip at his earlobe, she said, "Be impudent."

Lifting her up, his heart going faster as she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist, he answered, "Yes, my lady."

Determined to settle into her duties as quickly as possible, knowing her mistress needed stability especially for her pregnancy, Hazel consulted with Anna and Mrs. Hughes concerning how things had been working since O'Brien had gone. Mrs. Hughes could see the simplicity and steady energy that she remembered about Hazel, and she had no doubt the returning lady's maid would seamlessly take over the tasks that had been allotted temporarily to Anna and herself. The housekeeper thought how fortunate it was that Lord Grantham had thought of asking Hazel to come back to her old position, how fortunate it was that she was willing to do so. The transition would be much easier: Hazel knew the house, knew its mistress and master, and even knew Carson and Mrs. Hughes from when they were housemaid and footman. Both butler and housekeeper were grateful to have Hazel rejoin the staff. They well remembered her efficiency and her kindness. They also knew that, although she had been there at a time when she'd ranked over both of them, she would defer to their authority as the heads of staff.

So, even that first night, after dinner in the servants' hall and unpacking her own things, Hazel collected clean linens from the laundry and made her way upstairs to put them away in Cora's linen closet in the hall near her bedroom. Once she'd done this – and made mental notes as to what else needed to be done tomorrow to get the closet into better order – she started back. Just outside Cora's bedroom, a noise made her pause. Taking a step closer to the door, she listened carefully as several high pitched squeaks and low groans reached her ears. Covering her mouth so her giggles couldn't be heard, Hazel turned and ambled back downstairs.

Entering the servants' hall, Hazel noticed Mr. Bates and Anna sitting at the table, a pot of tea between them. "Well, hello, you two. You're still here?"

Bates nodded. "His lordship hasn't rung for me yet."

Hazel's mouth twitched with the effort of keeping her laughter to herself. "Will you stay here all night if he doesn't?"

Allowing himself a low chuckle, laugh lines appearing around his eyes, Bates replied. "Oh no. He and Mr. Carson decided that if he hasn't rung by a certain hour, then Anna and I go home. If Lord Grantham rings after that, Mr. Carson attends to him himself."

"It sounds like an acceptable arrangement," Hazel grinned.

"It's a very generous arrangement, if you ask me," said Anna. "His lordship was very kind in his allowing us to have a cottage of our own. My own mistress, Lady Mary, as well."

Hazel smiled, about to tell Anna a story about Lady Mary as a child, but just then Mrs. Hughes came into the room. "Ah, I was hoping to catch you. Might we have tea in my sitting room?" she asked Hazel.

"I'd like that very much."

"Well, it's all ready. If you'll go on and pour yourself a cup, I have to speak to Mr. Carson about one small matter. I'll be just behind you." Mrs. Hughes glanced at the clock, then turned to Bates and Anna. "One of those nights? You'll be going home within half an hour, I'll wager. Goodnight to you both then."

Hazel added her own goodnight before slipping down the hall to the housekeeper's sitting room. She poured a cup for herself, as instructed, and sat. Going over the events of the day in her head, remembering the noises she'd heard from the hallway, she grinned as she sipped her tea. She'd always loved knowing that her mistress had a happy marriage. And she was content in the knowledge that she still did.

She looked up from her brown study as Mrs. Hughes came in and shut the door behind her. "Now. They've decided to continue with 'Perkins' have they?" The housekeeper smiled warmly as she settled back in her chair with her tea.

"Yes, although I'll mention to you, if you don't tell Mr. Carson, that her ladyship wants to call me 'Hazel' away from the others. I tell you in case she slips at some point. Her pregnancy may make her forget." Hazel chuckled.

"Well, I hope you'll call me Elsie when we're here alone in this sitting room, and I'll call you Hazel. I've enjoyed your letters so, and I am very glad that my friend has returned." Mrs. Hughes put a hand lightly on Hazel's.

Hazel's grin widened. "Elsie it is, then."

Mrs. Hughes straightened again, sipping her tea. "So, Hazel. How does it feel to be back?"

Putting her empty tea cup on the table, Hazel sighed contentedly. "It's wonderful to be home again."

A/N: Hazel Perkins Haverty is a character strictly from my own imagination, created for another of my fics, "An Affair of the Heart." There I fell in love with her – and I think several of my other readers did as well. I couldn't think of a better, more humorous replacement for O'Brien than she. It was only later, after I had assigned her to this chapter and this color to it and her, that I realized that her name, Hazel, is a type of brown. Fate appears in all kinds of ways….

Brown: "hearth, home, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity"