Chapter 4

A/N Thank you for your kind reviews! Lord and Lady Grantham's views on the matter…and some more. Not mine, have fun,

The next morning, Dr Clarkson arrived at the Abbey just after breakfast time. He pondered whether to take the back or front door this time and chose the front door.

Mr Carson opened the door.

'Good morning Dr Clarkson, you came to see Mrs Hughes I assume. How is she?'

'I don't know yet, Mr Carson. I need to see her first.'

Was it his imagination or was the butler anxious to know?

'Of course you do, however, his Lordship would like a word with you.'

Not any anxiety about the housekeeper's fate then; just His Lordship Wanting a Word. The doctor sighed inwardly.

Carson led him into the library, where he met Lord and Lady Grantham.

'Good morning, milady, lord Grantham…' he began, but was cut of immediately by the Earl.

'Dr Clarkson, I can't imagine what's gotten into you this time!' Lord Grantham said angrily.

'…Milord?'

'I was utterly surprised when I met Mrs Crawley this morning at my own breakfast table, looking as if she spent half the night awake. Carson told me you asked her to help you with Mrs Hughes, but he thought you'd brought her home afterwards.'

'It would appear Mrs Crawley shared my opinion that the patient was in dire need of immediate care,' Dr Clarkson answered with dignity.

'Are you aware of the fact that Mrs Crawley is the grandmother of the next Earl of Grantham?!' Lord Grantham fumed.

'Of course I am, milord,' he answered, not knowing what was going on.

'And yet you think it's appropriate to make her look after a servant?!'

Lord Grantham shouted the last word as if it was an insult. As if he had lead Mrs Crawley into a brothel.

'I asked her to take care of Mrs Hughes, and she agreed,' he admitted.

'Four days ago we invited Mrs Crawley to our party and she declined, saying she wasn't feeling strong enough. And you just drag her from her house to play nurse to a servant.'

Again he spit out the word as if he was disgusted by it.

Dr Clarkson began to feel a slight irritation.

'I asked her, and she agreed, Milord,' he said once more.

'I don't care if she did! You shouldn't have asked her! You've humiliated her! I will not have...'

'Robert, calm down please,' Lady Grantham put in. Dr Clarkson suppressed a smile. Her smooth American accent sounded like music to his ears.

'I will not calm down over this. The family is insulted! I will…'

'Oh, do stop it Robert!' Lady Grantham said impatiently.

'I'd say Cousin Isobel is perfectly able to speak up for herself. And Dr Clarkson says she took on the job voluntarily, she said so herself, what's the big deal?'

'The big deal, as you put it, is that the Earl of Grantham's grandmother is cleaning up after a servant! That is simply unacceptable!'

'But it's Mrs Hughes,' Dr Clarkson blurted out.

'Is she a servant or isn't she!'

'She is, milord,' he confirmed.

Much to his own surprise, the room fell silent.

'Mrs Hughes is seriously ill Milord. She needs expert nursing care, or else she might die. As of yesterday she was left to her fate, I'm sorry to say so. Your staff were extremely busy making arrangements for the weekend, still some of them managed to slip into her rooms for a few minutes with tea and sweet words but that's not enough. I decided to ask Mrs Crawley, because she is an excellent nurse.'

'Don't tell me there weren't any other nurses available, because I…'

'I agree with Dr Clarkson,' Lady Grantham interrupted him. 'This is just the thing Cousin Isobel needed.'

Her husband raised his eyebrows at her.

'This is what Isobel needs? I don't..'

'Haven't you noticed, Robert? ' Lady Grantham frowned. 'She was wasting away. Dr Clarkson did exactly the right thing. He pulled her out of her grief just the right way, making her feel she did matter again, making her a nurse again.'

'She would have come out of that somehow. She doesn't have to play maid!' he kept sulking.

'It is not unlike her work in the hospital, during the war,' Lady Grantham pointed out.

'That was different,' Lord Grantham insisted. 'Those were brave men, who got injured while fighting for their King and Country!'

'And now it's Mrs Hughes. Good heavens Robert, you have no idea at all what goes on under this roof, have you. Carson for one would be at a complete loss without her, that's all I have to say about that. '

'Nonsense, Carson is the butler and he..'

'I am not going to discuss this with you anymore Robert, I'm sorry,' Lady Grantham said impatiently.

'Dr Clarkson, you have my full support to take advantage of Cousin Isobel's nursing skills. I know she will take good care of Mrs Hughes, and if it's not too much trouble, I would like to visit them both after lunch,' Lady Grantham smiled at the doctor.

'I'll inform Mrs Crawley, Milady,' he said. 'Thank you for your support. I should see my patient now, excuse me please,' he nodded and left.

'Cora, that is… I forbid you to…'

'Oh please, Robert. Knock it off,' Lady Grantham said, sounding tired.

~oOo~

A maid escorted him to Mrs Hughes' room where he found young Daisy building a fire. She quickly got to her feet when he came in. 'I'm sorry Dr Clarkson, Mrs Crawley asked me to build a fire while she went to freshen up a bit, she thought the room was a little chilly and Mrs Hughes is asleep so…'

'That's alright, Daisy, 'he smiled and went to see the patient. She was indeed sleeping peacefully, so he sat down next to her bed and waited for Mrs Crawley's return, while letting his thoughts wander over the discussion in the library.

It occurred to him his position was somewhat unique. As the doctor, he had all the inhabitants of this house under his care. Ladies or footmen; when taken ill they became his patients and he took care of them, and so he had been visiting both the upstairs and the downstairs regularly during his many years of practice.

He had been disappointed and a little angry at Lord Grantham's ranting about his actions, but now he slowly began to understand. Lady Grantham had said it: her husband really had no idea what went on under his own roof. No doubt he appreciated the staff, but he was oblivious to the finesses. Lady Grantham however was not, she had surprised him when she stated Mr Carson would be lost without the housekeeper. Not because of the statement itself, he knew it to be true, but because her Ladyship had noticed.

Lord Grantham couldn't think past the insult of The Next Earl's Grandmother being made to clean up after a servant, but Lady Grantham could.

She had seen how badly Mrs Crawley was suffering, and she acknowledged Mrs Hughes' position in the household; so much more than just the housekeeper. And like him, she had seen past status, had just seen the perfect opportunity to help them both.

He wondered briefly whether it was due to her American roots, but abandoned that idea when he suddenly realised the Dowager Countess would agree as well.

~oOo~

'Good morning Dr Clarkson,' Mrs Crawley entered, smiling and looking freshly scrubbed.

'Good morning Mrs Crawley. It's good to see you again,' he said warmly.

A/N Chelsie? Richobel? Who knows? please please review! x george