Chapter 5

A/N Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

'How has she been?' Dr Clarkson asked.

'We've had a rough night,' Mrs Crawley answered, 'her fever has been running up, and she had a chill. She's not been fulyy conscious yet.'

Mrs Crawley arranged the bedding and stroked the patient's hair.

'I believe, if she were left to her fate like she was, she might have died during the night,' she whispered.

'She survived, thanks to you,' he said.

'No thanks to Cousin Robert,' she snorted. 'Has he been very much His Lordship to you?'

'I suppose so,' he answered.

'He almost fainted when he saw me at the breakfast table this morning,' she told him. 'Mrs Hughes finally fell sound asleep around seven, I thought I could have a bit of breakfast before the family woke up. Alas, no. He was livid with me and even more with you.'

'His Lordship informed me of his displeasure,' he smiled, ' very thoroughly so, but Lady Grantham said we have her full support and she asks your permission to visit you both this afternoon.'

Mrs Crawley smiled.

'Did she? Dear Cora, of course she'll be welcome, that is if Robert allows her to.'

'I have the impression she doesn't value his opinion in this very much.'

'Poor Robert,' Mrs Crawley sighed. 'It's so hard for him to accept things aren't as they used to be anymore. The times are changing so fast and he can't keep up. Or he just doesn't want to see it, I don't know. We're not in the 1890's anymore, everyone understands that, except Robert.'

'And Mr Carson,' Dr Clarkson added.

She laughed. 'Oh yes, let's not forget him. Sometimes I don't know how he keeps himself up.'

'Lady Grantham made an interesting remark this morning. She said Carson would be lost without Mrs Hughes.'

'And she's right,' Mrs Crawley answered. 'Carson is the perfect butler, he's a walking etiquette book and that's a good thing. But Mrs Hughes is common sense and practical, with a good heart and a gentle soul. She can make him behave like a human being somehow, the staff downstairs would either hate him or be terrified of him if it wasn't for her. And he doesn't even know it.'

Their patient stirred and Mrs Crawley turned her attention to her.

'How are you, my dear?'

She opened her eyes and looked at her visitors, seeming not to recognise them.

'Agnes?' she whispered.

'I'm here and Dr Clarkson is too. You are very ill, do you know that?'

She blinked.

'You need to drink something,' Mrs Crawley told the patient, 'let me help you up. Dr Clarkson could you hand me that pillow…? Thank you.' She deftly arranged the pillows so Mrs Hughes sat up and could drink more easily.

'What is going on?' she murmured.

'You have pneumonia, Mrs Hughes,' Dr Clarkson informed her. 'I want you to stay in bed, sleep and drink tea and let Mrs Crawley take care of you. I will be back this evening to see you again.'

'Keep her in bed Mrs Crawley, you know what to do. Good day to you both.'

~oOo~

Mrs Crawley went down the kitchens to see the cook about her patient's diet. 'Honeyed tea, some toast, cooled water, and lots of fresh fruits.'

Mrs Patmore nodded. 'And some broth I think?' she said.

'Indeed, she needs extra salt,' Isobel smiled.

The butler came in, surprised to see her in the downstairs.

'Mrs Crawley, you cold just have rang for a maid,' he said.

'From where, Mrs Hughes's room? I didn't notice a bell-pull there, Carson.'

'Of course not, I'm sorry. How is Mrs Hughes?'

'Not well at all I'm afraid, but she may survive. Dr Clarkson and I will take care of her, so your staff won't be bothered,' she answered curtly.

'I'm sorry Mrs Crawley, we wish her well of course, but you'll understand, with the party and all the guests coming, I can't spare anyone…'

'I see,' she cut him off. 'however there's one thing you could help me with, I suppose. Can you tell me her given name?'

He looked shocked. 'No one has called Mrs Hughes by her first name since she became the housekeeper, due to her position she is to be addressed…' he began lecturing, but she cut him off once again.

'And I suppose no one has been giving her sponge baths either, since then,' she snapped, 'but I did and I need to know her given name, Carson.'

He hesitated, but she stared him down.

'It is Elsie,' he finally growled.

'Thank you Carson.'

~oOo~

'Hello Isobel, Dr Clarkson told me I could come up and visit you both,' Lady Grantham smiled that afternoon.

'It's very kind of you to visit us, Cora.'

'How is Mrs Hughes?'

Mrs Crawley sighed. 'Her fever is building up again. You notice the breathing and those blotches on her cheeks…we're in for another busy night. She's still unstable. I got to sleep a few hours this morning, thankfully.'

'And how are you?' Cora asked her.

'Well, I have to say I'm feeling useful for the first time in months. Just before you came in, I was actually thinking about setting up a nursing school in the hospital here, just a basic course. The first time I made any plans for the future since…' she took a deep breath, 'since Matthew died.' Mentioning his name still brought tears to her eyes, but she smiled bravely.

Cora squeezed her hands.

'I'm happy to hear that Dr Clarkson's plan worked out well,' she smiled warmly. 'Robert is still upset though. He thinks you have been humiliated.'

'I know, and I haven't been. I needed this, although I'm sorry that it took poor Mrs Hughes to fall ill to pull me out of my misery.'

'Oh, I brought you this,' Cora said, producing a large bottle of eau de Cologne. 'It should help bring down fever, I was told.'

'It does, thank you, 'Mrs Crawley smiled, 'the alcohol cools the skin more thoroughly than wet cloths can. We'll apply it at once.'

She poured a good amount in a wash basin and started dabbing her patient's upper body with it. Lady Grantham took another flannel and helped her.

'Heavens, she is burning up,' she said.

'We'll get her well again,' Nurse Crawley answered.

~oOo~

'James, Mr Barrow, good you're still up. I need your help with Mrs Hughes,' Dr Clarkson said, finding both men in the servant's hall later that evening.

'What ever for?' James gaped.

'I want her in a cold bath to bring down the fever, you have to help me get her in.'

~oOo~

'Mrs Hughes?' No reaction. Dr Clarkson tried another approach.

'Elsie?'

'Mmm..'

'Elsie, wake up dear,'

It was an early, clear morning after an eventful night, but Dr Clarkson and Nurse Crawley now believed their patient had been through the worst and would make a full recovery.

Two weeks later she was much better, fevers battled. Mrs Crawley was back full force again, and had started a nursing course at the hospital, Mrs Hughes had to build up her strength and didn't need a full time nurse anymore. All she had to do was sleep well and eat well, and she would be fine. Only she wasn't.

Dr Clarkson found himself worrying again. Mrs Crawley was back on her feet, thank heavens, but now there was another woman who wasn't doing well at all. He was extremely busy, but he managed to visit the housekeeper daily, much to his own surprise.

Carson had already questioned him about it.

'Dr Clarkson, Mrs Crawley told me last week Mrs Hughes was doing well and should recover soon, so why does she still need daily medical attention?'

'Because I don't think she is doing well,' he answered curtly.

'How much longer will it take, do I need to find replacement for her? Because we're a maid short, and…'

'I don't know yet, Mr Carson. I'm sorry.'

He found his irritation with the butler growing almost by the hour. Did that man ever think of anything else but The Family? He had noticed a change in the maid's and footmen's behaviour as well, they had grown skittish around the butler, avoiding him whenever possible. The only one not affected was the cook, so he went to see her.

'Mrs Patmore, what's going on here?'

She sat down heavily at her small desk, and waved at the other chair for him to sit down.

'We have an atmosphere alright, because Mrs Hughes hasn't been around for weeks. Mr Carson is unbearable at times. Well, most of the time, that is. He drones on about duties and honour and drives everyone up the wall.'

'Do you think he misses her?'

'Oh yes, but he doesn't know how much. To him it's like missing his favourite pencil, inconvenient for now but replaceable. He doesn't realise she's the only one who can make him act like human being. The poor woman,' Mrs Patmore sighed.

His eyebrows rose.

'Do you think she cares about him?' he asked.

Mrs Patmore began to carefully arrange a tray and took a deep breath before answering him.

'You know Mrs Hughes,' she said, 'she has a kind heart and she cares about everybody. She's not doing well, and I think it's because she thought he considered her a friend. But to him she's more like one of his ledgers. Just another tool. And that makes her feel so sad, as if she doesn't matter. That's what I think.' She handed him the tray.

'Since you're up to see her, would you take this? Tea, not too strong and milk, no lemon, toast, a good slice of my chocolate cake with strawberry glace…. She likes that,' she smiled. 'And for two I think, yes, that will do.'

'Thank you, Mrs Patmore,' he said.

~oOo~

While making his way up to his patients room, he couldn't stop thinking. He realised he had felt utterly protective of her even since Carson's rude remark about 'patching her up.'

Even more so after he'd learnt Mr Barrow had been the one to actually call for him. He recalled his conversations with Mrs Crawley about young Ethel's fate. Mrs Hughes had been helping the girl long before.

She is such a gem, and nobody realises it, he thought.

Suddenly he felt a hot wave of affection for her, breaking loose from a place where it had been hiding for many years.

Oh, Elsie. My dearest.

A/N Please please, do not hate me for this! You know I love your reviews. I will try to explain my wayward ideas…