Dear Mrs. Hughes,
Very well, I will concede that it is possible I will get used to retirement, but I think we had best leave the subject of beds behind. I don't think it's quite a proper topic of correspondence.
Something else I will miss is the routine. I have led such a structured life for so many years, maintaining such a strict rhythm, that I'm not sure how I will manage to live otherwise. What have you to say to that? Something clever, no doubt, that I had never before considered.
I hope Isis is settling back in at Downton. I enjoyed the short time I spent there, and the chance to relax and walk the grounds with you, something I so seldom do. I am also glad you liked hearing about Westminster Abbey. My afternoon idyll was a tranquil few hours, but it has only made me more keen to return to the country for good. Once I'm back in Yorkshire it's unlikely I'll be able to repeat such a halcyon afternoon, but I will be home again, which is worth a great deal to me.
Mrs. Patmore and Mrs. Bute send you their best wishes. Mrs. Patmore is hardly less impatient to return to Downton than I am. I hope to keep to tradition and return a day earlier than the others, but I make no promises. I can't be certain I will be able to get away, especially with this particular Season being so much busier than usual.
Sincerely yours,
C. Carson
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Mr. Carson walked around in a trance for the next few days. He was so distracted that his inattention was finally noticed by his employer.
"I say, Carson," Lord Grantham remarked one morning at breakfast. "Are you quite well? You haven't seemed yourself recently."
"I am perfectly well, milord," Mr. Carson answered. "I apologize if I've been absentminded. I shall do my best to make sure it does not continue."
"Absentminded is rather too harsh an assessment, Carson. You still do your job as well as ever. But if you're ever feeling ill, don't be afraid to come to me."
Mr. Carson was embarrassed by this attention. "I assure you, milord, I am well, only a little preoccupied." He could have kicked himself. He had not meant to admit anything of the sort.
"Why, particularly?" the earl wanted to know.
"I would rather not say, milord. But it's nothing serious, I can assure you," he lied.
Lord Grantham nodded and returned to his breakfast. He knew the butler was hiding something, but he was entitled to his privacy. He trusted Mr. Carson to tell him if he was worried about something of great importance. He would certainly allow the man a few secrets of his own.
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Dear Mr. Carson,
Very well, I will dispense with discussion of your hypothetical larger bed, although I must point out that you were the one to mention it first. I merely continued a conversation that you had begun. However, I can see it makes you uncomfortable, so I will speak no more of it. I have no answer to your dislike for the idea of living alone, but if you crave routine, you can certainly keep it in your own house, and perhaps more easily than you do at Downton. Maintaining routine here requires the management of a large number of staff, and can be disrupted by the family at their pleasure. Keeping to a routine must be much simpler when you are the only person who must follow it, and the only one who can disrupt it.
Isis did not need any time to settle in. Once you released her upstairs, it was as though she had never left. She went directly to Mr. Branson and has now returned to all of her usual activities with no fuss at all. If only it were that easy with the rest of the family!
You may be surprised to hear what I have been up to lately. Last night several of my maids asked to attend a village dance. I hesitated, but decided that they could go, with me as their chaperone. Mr. Molesley accompanied us and it seems he does not have eyes for anyone in Yorkshire at the moment. I suspect he's left his desired dancing partner behind in London, but he was cheerful enough company for the girls. I was surprised when your tailor, Mr. Walker, asked me to dance, but I turned him down; the man steps more on his partner's toes than on the dance floor. Even if not for that, I did not want to dance, although I can't explain why, for usually I enjoy it a great deal. I was much more content to watch the dancing and enjoy the music. It was a pleasant evening and we were home in good time for everyone to get to bed at a decent hour.
I hope you are well and happy.
Sincerely yours,
E. Hughes
Mr. Carson ran a finger along the inside of his collar as he sat alone in his office late at night reading Mrs. Hughes's latest letter. He read it several times, dwelling on the passage about the village dance. He was jealous of Mr. Walker, even though Mrs. Hughes had turned him down. Mr. Carson wished he could have been there to dance with her. He wondered if she would have accepted such an invitation from him. He also could not, in spite of his best efforts, ignore the bit at the beginning about the bed. He tried not to think about that imaginary bed, and tried not to think of Mrs. Hughes in it with him, but once that train of thought had begun, he could not keep it from pushing his musings well beyond anything proper. She was fully dressed at first, but his eyes and hands were first drawn to those pretty ankles he had caught a glimpse of at the seaside and before long buttons were undone, stockings removed, and hair freed from its pins. After that he gave up and undid his collar and set to work responding to her letter. He may not have been able to control his inappropriate thoughts, but that did not mean he couldn't get anything done. He was glad today that he had not had time to write when he first read her letter, for later in the day he had received the good news he had been waiting some time to hear. He was eager to pass that news on to her, though he left it for the end of the letter. It seemed the proper place for the most important piece of information it contained. He posted the letter the next morning.
Dear Mrs. Hughes,
I can see that this argument about retirement could go on for quite some time, but while I will concede your superior skill at debate, I will not admit defeat on the subject. Not yet, anyway. Take that statement as a victory if you will, but please allow me to decide on my own best course.
I am glad that you went to the dance with your maids. It sounds like a nice treat for them and for you. I do like to dance myself, but when I can't join in, I do still enjoy watching it, especially if there are young people in the party. They seem to get such innocent pleasure out of the activity. Still, I'm not sure why you are surprised that Mr. Walker should seek you out. Enjoyment of a dance is not restricted to the young and I am sure you are a charming dance partner. However, I am glad that you turned him down. If you do not wish to dance, there is no reason you should be forced to do so, and it sounds to me like you simply were not in a dancing humor.
I will admit that Mr. Molesley's interest in a certain quarter was not lost on me during the time he was in London and though it was not the reason I sent him to Downton, separating the pair temporarily was a secondary benefit. I am no longer entirely opposed to courtships conducted in service, but I will admit that they do still make me uneasy. If their friendship is as strong as ever after their being apart for a time, there may be very little I could do to separate them under any circumstances, in which case they must do as they will. But if such a separation had a negative effect on their friendship, perhaps it is best that they be parted for a short time. It could save them both heartbreak and unhappiness in the future. It is not only about propriety and rules, you see, Mrs. Hughes. I do like to see our family happy.
I am very pleased to tell you the news that his lordship and her ladyship have given me their orders to close Grantham House next week. There is a lot to be done, but we will be returning to Downton soon. I will write or telephone when I know the exact day of our departure, and which train we will take, so you may be prepared for the arrival of the family and remaining staff. Now that the move back to the country is in sight, I think the time will pass more quickly. These last few weeks have seemed particularly interminable to me.
I hope that you are well and happy now and that I find you so when I return next week.
Sincerely yours,
C. Carson
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Mrs. Hughes was not capable of suppressing her smile for the rest of the day, once she had received news from Mr. Carson that the family would return to Downton in approximately a week's time. She announced it to the staff at dinner and made it clear that they would all be redoubling their efforts at making sure the Abbey was spotless and ready to receive the family and staff that had been in London for the Season. Some of the younger staff were indifferent to the family's return, but there were others who happily anticipated the arrival of their friends after the separation of the Season. Daisy was ready to see Mrs. Patmore again, and Mr. Molesley looked forward to talking more with Miss Baxter, but Mrs. Hughes's impatience for Mr. Carson's return could not be equaled by any of the others. As soon as she knew the day they would return, and on which train, she would be counting the hours.
To be continued...
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