Chapter 8
A/N Confusion galore…. Even I don't know what to make of this. Thank you for staying with me!
The next morning Elsie woke up feeling well rested for the first time in weeks, if not months if she had to be honest. The fresh air and exercise had done her good. She blamed her sadness the night before on her exhaustion. If Mr Carson had worked ahead for her, of course it was because Dr Clarkson had warned him it might be too much for her, and he would find himself with an overworked housekeeper within a week. And that would be most inconvenient for the butler. She knew him well enough to know that for him the Family, the House, honour and dignity and duty always came first, second and third.
And yet every time he seemed to act out of kindness for her she found herself hoping, only to have it crushed once more when his true intentions were revealed. She should know better by now, and perhaps it was time to finally face the truth: Mr Carson, the man she had loved secretly for years, did not care about her. She should forget about him and broad her view.
Dr Clarkson's attention and care for her had been like summer rain on parched ground. She had forgotten how it felt to be treated as a woman, instead of a mere member of the staff, an instrument to run the house. Dr Clarkson had invited her for a walk, offered her his arm, told her he was glad she was feeling better, how pretty the pale green shawl looked on her. It had brought on feelings she hadn't experienced in years, but now hit her full force.
He had invited her for a walk the next day, and she found herself making efforts to look her best for him. She had taken a bath and washed her hair. Of course she always did so on Tuesday's, with only one bathtub the female staff had to take turns but even so, she rarely got the opportunity to have a long hot, undisturbed soak on the middle of the day and she enjoyed it immensely.
~oOo~
A knock on the door announced her breakfast and she asked Anna to help her a bit with her hair. The girl grinned and set to work.
Beth, the new scullery maid, had brought her a light supper the night before, just toast and soup, and she had liked the girl as soon as she set eyes on her. She was short and plump, with a pretty face and beautiful blue eyes. She had introduced herself politely to Elsie and expressed her regrets she had to meet the housekeeper under these circumstances. They had talked and Beth had made sure Elsie ate her supper, meanwhile tidying the room, closing the curtains, folding Elsie's clothes, straightening the bedding. Elsie had enjoyed her company and made a mental note to ask Beryl about her standards for scullery maids.
~oOo~
Just after tea time Dr Clarkson finally made it to Downton Abbey. A farmhand had been brought in with a serious thigh injury caused by an axe, just when he set out to visit Mrs Hughes. Luckily it was a sharp axe and it had caused a nice, clean cut that had bled itself clean. Dr Clarkson stitched the cut up, put on a pressure dressing and ordered bed rest, leg up, lots of fluid and temperature checks. Right. A young, strong lad, he would be alright.
He called at the Abbey's front door, just to be able to tell the butler he came to see Mrs Hughes.
Carson had hummed politely.
'Excuse me doctor, we were told Mrs Hughes was doing much better already, but your frequent visits made us worry. Is she getting worse again?'
'No, no Mr Carson, nothing like that. But she needs to build up her energy level very carefully. I believe she wore herself out before she fell ill, and that's the reason the illness hit her so hard. She needs time and attention, Mrs Patmore's soup and daily walks in the fresh air. Since your staff is so very busy I decided to provide attention as a part of my medical care, when the hospital can do without me for an hour or so.'
That wasn't altogether true, because after making sure the young man was taken care of, he had raced full speed towards the Abbey to arrive in time. But Carson did not need to know that.
'Thank you Dr Clarkson, I will let Mrs Hughes know you're here. Madge! Fetch Mrs Hughes please.' The maid scurried upstairs, and Carson turned to the doctor once again.
'So you are sure she is going to be alright, Dr Clarkson?'
'Yes, Mr Carson she will be. Don't worry.'
'Thank you. Would you, ehm, please tell her that we all, ehm, wish her well. And to take her time,' the butler said, while escorting the doctor to Mrs Hughes' sitting room where he could wait for her. 'Please, sit down, Dr Clarkson,' he said, and left without closing the door.
~oOo~
It was a lovely afternoon and the gardens were beautiful, brimming with sunlight and warmth, butterflies and singing birds. The scent of roses filled the air, and the marble bench, shadowed by an old oak tree's branches and overlooking the lake looked just perfect for a rest. Dr Clarkson pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and spread it out on the old bench so Elsie's skirt would not be soiled, and she thanked him with a sweet smile. He opened the basket Daisy had brought after them – compliments of Mrs Patmore- and found fresh fruits, two thick slices of chocolate cake and a flask containing coffee.
'I hardly ever drink coffee, that's a treat from Mrs Patmore,' Elsie said.
'Neither do I, but I'm quite fond of it. And as it strengthens the heart, I now prescribe you a cup,' Dr Clarkson answered. He poured, and they enjoyed their coffee.
She was looking very pretty today, he thought. The dark green blouse matched her auburn hair, which was shining and neat. Her eyes sparkled, she looked relaxed and it was clear she was having a good time. Well Clarkson, do or die, he told himself.
'I would like to thank you for accepting my company, Mrs Hughes,' he began.
'It is my pleasure, Dr Clarkson,' she answered sweetly.
'I am glad. I've admired you for a long time now, and I think you are the one person that keeps this house running smoothly.'
'Well, being the housekeeper I should,' she said. 'But yesterday I learned Mrs Crawley has been counting the clean sheets and Mr Carson scheduled the maids and booked the invoices, with Anna wielding the keys and showing them what to do while I was sleeping all day, so I don't think I am that special.'
He smiled and took her hands in his.
'It's not about schedules and counting sheets, anyone can do that, including Mrs Crawley. It's all about you, Mrs Hughes,' he informed her.
'I don't know about that…' she said, and he squeezed her hands.
'It's true. You are the oil in this machine just by being yourself, your kind and wise self. Without you Mr Carson would be unbearable, the maids would have petty fights and you even managed to win Mr Barrow. You are the most amiable person I know. I admire you for all that, and I came to care a lot about you, Elsie.'
She felt her cheeks burn. 'Thank you, Dr Clarkson,' she whispered, not knowing what to do.
'I would love to get to know you better Elsie, please, would you call me Richard?'
'I would like that…Richard,' she smiled a little shy, 'but I'm only a housekeeper.'
'No, Elsie, you're not. You are a wonderful woman.'
~oOo~
Mr Carson had withdrawn himself in his pantry immediately after dinner, grumbling and growling, much to the annoyance of Mrs Patmore. She knew exactly what irked him, she had seen Elsie smiling, with lovely roses on her cheeks being escorted to the house by a very smug looking doctor, just as he had.
She sighed. The man just had no idea, he was too stuck in his ways. Mrs Patmore prepared a tray, told the girls to finish the kitchen and headed off to the butler's pantry.
She knocked and entered without waiting for an answer, ignored his withering glare and placed the tray on his desk.
'Mr Carson, I will pour you a cup of tea and in return you will tell me how you feel about Mrs Hughes,' she stated bluntly.
'That is none of your business, Mrs Patmore,' he growled.
'Yes it is, because you're being impossible!' she spat. 'If you want that woman you've got to do something about it!'
'What makes you think..'
'Come on Mr Carson, I've known you for years! I know how you feel about her, and you should tell her now if you don't want to lose her.'
Mr Carson sighed. 'I am sure Mrs Hughes knows how I feel about her,' he began and Mrs Patmore's eyebrows rose in surprise, 'I respect and admire her as a fine woman and colleague. She is an excellent housekeeper and..'
'Good heavens, you're hopeless,' Mrs Patmore cut him off. 'Now, I ask you one last time; do you want her? Do you love her? Do you want her to smile at you like she smiles at him?!'
A/N Thank you for reading, and I absolutely love and adore and appreciate all your reviews. Keep them coming, x george