When the 23rd of December finally poked its head into the world, Ella was already awake and staring out of her bedroom window, watching the winter sunrise and she sighed a happy, contented sigh. As she sat in the bay window, the door to her bedroom slowly opened and Daisy quietly crept into the room, but was a little startled to see Ella.
'I'm so sorry Milady; I didn't think you would be awake yet.' She whispered in panic at having disturbed her, but she needn't have worried.
'That's quite alright Daisy; please, come in.' Ella said kindly as she put Daisy at her ease. She had always been an early riser, even as a small child, and more often than not, she was awake when the young kitchen maid entered her bedroom to light the fires. Most of the time Ella would stay in her bed and pretend to sleep, not wanting to startle Daisy, but there was the odd occasion when they would sit and have a chat as she went about her work.
'I'll be as quick as I can Milady.' Daisy whispered as she quietly put down all of her buckets and utensils.
'Take as long as you need.' Ella replied. 'Is anyone else downstairs awake yet?'
'Some of the other servants are gathering in the hall for breakfast Milady.' Daisy explained.
'Thank you Daisy.' Ella said as she uncurled herself from her seat and began to walk towards her bedroom door, tightly wrapping her robe around her against the cold. As she opened her door, she faltered a little, resting her shoulder against the door frame.
'Are you alright Milady?' Daisy asked with concern as she paused her brushing.
'Yes, yes, nothing to worry about; I must have stood up and moved a little too quickly, that's all.' Ella said as she righted herself. 'If Doctor Forbes should wake, will you let him know that I've gone downstairs?' She added as she then moved into the corridor.
As she walked down the cold stone steps into the servants' hall, she heard the sleepy chatter from the breakfast table and she could see her mam and Charlie sat with the other servants. As she walked into the room, everyone suddenly shot up from their seats, something that she really hated, especially when both Charlie and Elsie did it. There were still some elements to their arrangements that she would never get used to.
'I am sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you all; please sit,' she said as she gave them a reassuring smile and the younger staff glanced towards Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes, who gave them a slight nod to indicate that they could indeed sit, but the two heads of staff remained standing.
'Is there something I can help you with Milady?' Elsie asked and she did feel a little concerned at how pale Ella looked.
'No thank you Mrs Hughes, I don't wish to disturb your breakfast. I just came down to get a glass of water and I just wanted to let you know that I was here, that's all.' Ella replied as she then turned and disappeared into the kitchen, where Mrs Patmore was beginning the breakfast for the family, and she looked a little surprised to see Lady Aurelia, but Ella instantly put her mind at rest with a friendly smile.
Ella grabbed a glass from one of the cupboards and ran the cold tap, until she closely followed by Elsie. She should have known that her mam wouldn't have been able to resist.
'Is everything alright El…Milady?' She whispered, but thought better of using her daughter's first name, unsure whether or not Mrs Patmore could hear them.
'Yes, of course it is; I just came down for a drink, that's all.' Ella replied, but Elsie wasn't exactly convinced.
'Come with me.' She whispered and led Ella into her sitting room. 'Right, sit down for a few minutes. You're as white as a sheet!' She exclaimed as she placed her hand to Ella's forehead and was relieved to find she had no temperature at least.
'I'm fine Mam, honest.' Ella replied as she tried to make herself sound more normal, but she could see that Elsie wasn't going to let it go and Ella felt guilty for making her mam feel so anxious, not to mention the fact that she wasn't a very good liar. 'Alright, I will tell you the truth, but you have to swear you won't tell anyone else, not even Mr Carson; I haven't even told Henry yet, I wanted to be sure first before I said anything to anyone and I didn't want to say anything to you before tomorrow.'
'Ella, what on earth is the matter?' Elsie asked as she sat down beside her daughter, filled with concern and dread; after everything they had been through this year, it never entered her mind that it could be something delightful.
'Nothing's the matter Mam,' Ella replied with a happy, teary, smile. 'Have you not guessed it yet? I'm pregnant…at long last, I'm going to make you a granny!' She said with quiet excitement and Elsie had to stop herself from shouting out with joy.
Elsie held her daughter in a close embrace and felt tears springing to her eyes as they held each other. She felt so ecstatically happy and so relieved that she was receiving good news for a change and although she did feel a little bit guilty, she was delighted that she was the first person that Ella told.
'Oh this is just…I don't know what to say Ella…well, congratulations I suppose would be a good start.' She stammered. 'How long have you known? How are you feeling more the point?'
Ella gave a soft sighing laugh as she smiled at the joy she had brought her mam for a change. 'I've only known for a couple of weeks, but I'm about two and a half months a long; I was absolutely fine at first, I didn't even realise I was pregnant, but now I'm feeling really tired and so sick you wouldn't believe it.' She said.
'Oh I think I could; when I was expecting you my morning sickness kicked in first thing in the morning and lasted until mid-afternoon, every day for several weeks; but thankfully it did pass. It will all be worth it in the end though, you'll see.' Elsie replied as she gave her daughter another hug, who was now relieved that she didn't have to pretend anymore and could let herself look as ill as she felt. 'But why didn't you want to say anything before tomorrow? I'm surprised you managed to keep it quiet.'
'Well I kept it quiet for several reasons. One, I didn't want to tell anyone just in case…well, you know, just in case anything was wrong, and two, tomorrow is your day, yours and Mr Carson's and I didn't want to steal that away from you.'
'Oh Ella, you haven't stolen anything away from me, I can assure you; this will just make the day even more special!' Elsie exclaimed with such excitement, which was interrupted when someone knocked on her door. Interrupted every time! She thought with exasperation as she opened the door to find Mrs Patmore standing on the other side.
'I'm sorry to interrupt Milady,' she said as she looked at Ella, 'but may I borrow Mrs Hughes for a moment? I need you to open the door to the store cupboard.' Mrs Patmore said and Elsie gave her daughter an apologetic look.
'I'm sorry Mrs Hughes, I have taken up far too much of your time already; I'll let you get back to work.' She said as she adopted her Lady's tone and stood up from her seat. She walked beside the cook and housekeeper as they approached the staircase and gave her mam a quick, cheeky wink before ascending the stairs, leaving her mother happier than she had felt in a very long time.