A/N It's been a very busy week and although I had started writing this chapter before I published ch. 2 I didn't find the time to finish it.
Again: thank you so so much for your reviews and alerts! They make me very happy!
They sit in his pantry, the old housekeeper and the suprisingly young butler facing her. She is not nervous at all but apparently he is. It shows in his eyes that continuously wander around the room and cannot fix her gaze. And then there are his hands, big like her father's, but the skin is so much softer, the fingernails are clean and they do not look as though they could ever harm anyone. He has folded them in his lap but his fingers are moving restlessly.
"What has brought the decision about to apply for this particular job, Miss Hughes, when you live so far away from Yorkshire?" The housekeeper asks and she tells her story, not everything though. She leaves out the bit about her superior in Northumberland and also that she has a suitor, if that is what Joe has become over the years. Nothing should destroy her chances to secure this employment. It is her only chance. She even tries to hide her accent as best as she can.
Heads nod to encourage and approve of her, more questions are asked. Elsie answers them all, calmly and short, exaggerating nothing. She knows that she is a good head housemaid, can work hard and even harder when they expect it from her. Then the housekeeper leaves the room all of a sudden whereas the butler stays with her, staring at the wall behind her.
"Mr. Carson, is it?" She asks after a moment of silence, taking a high risk to address a possible superior first without being asked to speak her mind. The rules downstairs are almost the same as between the noble dukes and earls. When you have a lower status such as a housemaid you accept to be subordinate to butler and housekeeper. But to her surprise, she is not afraid of him, trusts him although she does not even know him.
"Yes, Miss Hughes."
"May I ask how long you have been employed here?" She wants to know how familiar he is with the house, its inhabitants, the servants.
For the first time he finds her eyes, studies her. She holds his gaze, does not blink, waits for an answer. "Twelve years."
His voice is deep and calming. She has not noticed this before when the housekeeper was still with them. He is different to all the other men she has met so far. "That is a long time." She never stayed longer than a few years in one place. Moving on, finding a better position was too important for her. And of course getting as far away from her father as possible although it meant to give up her beloved Scotland forever.
"Indeed it is." Silence. They sit opposite each other still and the butler looks away from her again then stands up and excuses himself. She remains behind in his pantry waiting for the heads of the household to return. She has a look around. There are only a few pictures on the walls, some books on the shelves. Elsie rises from her chair, risks a look at them. Her fingers run along the back of the books: heavy account books, a wine ledger, novels, some Dickens. He is indeed different. So calm, not at all giving her the feeling that he will be her superior. He does not oppress her, seems to take her seriously. Yes, she will like it here.
ooooo
She sits in front of him, a young woman of about 30, brown hair, blue eyes, slim figure. Her face does not tell him how she feels but he is sure that Elsie Hughes is as self-confident and determined as she looks. None of the questions they ask her is left unanswered. Her accent is audible but not as strong as he has hoped it would be. She tries to conceal it obviously and he wonders why she does so. He is fond of the Scottish lilt since his days on the stage and it reminds him of the beautiful landscape, the green hills, the rough, stony shores of the Lochs and the warm rain. Several times he looks at her, wants to study her face more closely but whenever he tries, he cannot concentrate anymore. Those eyes, her mouth, everything distracts him.
The other women were completely different. Shy, smiled a lot, tried to cover their nervousness. Most of them could not answer all their questions to their satisfaction. Elsie Hughes can. When Mrs. Barnes leaves the room and he is left alone with the young woman, Charles has a hard time controlling his nervousness and then she starts to talk to him. He is only capable of short answers but for the first time he has a closer look at her, can look into her eyes. It is the most fatal mistake he has ever made. Without a proper excuse he leaves his pantry, walks along the deserted corridor and opens the door to the backyard. Fresh air is what he needs now, something to distract him.
She is perfect. For him she is the ideal head housemaid. She is experienced at her job and there is a determination in her appearance he cannot fully grasp. She most definitely has a strong will and will never disappoint him or Mrs. Barnes. Elsie Hughes does not doubt her abilities. She is sure of them. And she is beautiful, he thinks. Too beautiful maybe.
When he returns to his room a few minutes later, Mrs. Barnes is already waiting for him, impatiently. Both women stand in the middle of the pantry, looking at him expectantly. He has to make the final decision now. And the butler of Downton Abbey knows what to do but Charles Carson is not at all sure whether the choice he makes now is a wise one.
"Miss Hughes we would be glad if you could start work next week." That is what he says to her.
ooooo
"Welcome to Downton Abbey!" A young housemaid, a few years younger than her, opens the backdoor the next time she arrives. This time she will stay here and never return to Northumberland, to a place that has not been her home. She is finally free, almost.
Elsie carries her small bag upstairs to her new room, which she shares with another housemaid, Beth. Few words are exchanged and then she is left alone, unpacks her bag, makes her side of the room her new home. A framed picture, three books, a wooden box with a brooch in it are placed on the little bedside table. Her Sunday best finds a place in the cupboard, the black dress, apron and cap she unfolds and has it ready to wear. She brushes off the dust from her travel coat, hangs it behind the door and changes into her new uniform.
But before she can start her work, Elsie sits down on the bed, opens her purse and pulls out the letter. The handwriting is so familiar. She has seen it many times over the last few years but now is the first time she dreads to read it. He has not asked her in person when she told him she would go to Yorkshire, has not found the courage to say the words loud. Instead he has written them down which makes it hard to ignore them and to forget them. The words are imprinted in her memory now forever. "Will you do me the honour and marry me, Elsie Hughes?" is his sentence. She reads it over and over again but she cannot make a decision. Not yet. The letter is tucked away into her purse again.
ooooo
There is an unannounced delivery to be taken care of and although traditionally Mrs. Barnes shows the new housemaids around the house, she hands this task over to him. Of all things. She is too busy, she says. You do it. And so he waits, dutifully, at the end of the staircase that leads down to the kitchen, for her to arrive.
Quick, light steps announce her. She is fast, and almost runs into him, stops on the last step, trying to find her balance again. They are almost at eye level now and for a brief moment he forgets to breathe.
He clears his throat, takes a few steps backwards, creates some distance between them. "Elsie, I will show you the house now."
"Of course Mr. Carson." Her face does not show the surprise or any sign of embarrassment. She just smiles. "If I may ask: isn't this the housekeeper's task?"
Her accent is thicker now, much more pronounced than a week ago. This is a serious problem, so he quickly answers her question and then motions her to follow him. He needs to have this done as fast as possible, needs to concentrate on his work, his rules, his responsibilities now. Not on that wonderful blue eyes. There are rules. And he takes them seriously.
TBC
and now the story will slowly unfold...