A/N:
TRIGGER WARNINGS: sexual abuse of an adult; sexual assault of a minor (non-descriptive).
Six:
Tilting Axis
Her Ladyship was in her nightdress and dressing gown; Elsie was still in her torn uniform. The strained quiet between them was so thick with atmosphere that it could have been sliced with a knife. Finally, Her Ladyship spoke.
"Miss Hughes, Mrs. Burke spoke highly of your interview and championed you very highly to join our household," Lady Cora began. "But I cannot and will not condone the actions of someone who would attack the housekeeper for no reason at all –"
Elsie's jaw dropped; the evil cow had already begun a smear campaign against her. "M'lady, I can assure you that there was a reason: a very good reason," she hissed, her voice dropping low.
"I am sorry, Miss Hughes, but nothing – nothing – justifies what you have done," Lady Cora said firmly but patiently. "Mrs. Potter is your superior and has recommended that you be dismissed without character immediately." She paused, then added, "She says that your behavior is unbecoming a housemaid, that your work is shoddy, and that you encourage members of the male staff. I've seen nothing of the sort, so I would like to ask your side of what occurred tonight, please, before I make a final decision."
Elsie finally looked up from her hands and said, very succinctly, "I walked into the room that I share with Fiona Carson and found Mrs. Potter with her hands up the girl's nightgown, touching her… private areas. I lost my temper when she suggested that I should 'join her' and I might have done her injury, m'lady."
"You broke her arm," Lady Cora said.
She broke me first. She threw the first blow. I only defended myself and that wee, poor girl.
"No one has the right to touch a bairn like that," Elsie said. "You may do what you like to me – give me the sack, send me away… but I protected that little girl when no one else has." She took a deep breath and looked back at her hands. "I will not say I am sorry, because I am not."
Lady Cora was very quiet for a long time. She finally said, "It's a very grave accusation you've made against Mrs. Potter, Miss Hughes, and I am sure she will deny any wrongdoing."
Something about the way she said it made Elsie look up, searching the mistress's face. "Someone else has accused her of this before?"
"One of the housemaids accused her of impropriety as she left to be married," Lady Cora said delicately. "This was when Mrs. Potter was still head housemaid, before she took over for Mrs. Burke. But with no evidence –"
Elsie almost leapt at the chance. "I have evidence, m'lady," she said very quietly, "but you will not like it."
"Show me," Lady Cora demanded brusquely.
Feeling no shame, Elsie hiked up her skirts, her petticoats, and unclipped her left stocking. She rolled it down her leg, then quickly pulled down her knickers, allowing the lady of the house to see the very fresh scratches that spelled out 'Sophie' at the top of the inside of her thigh, near her sex, still oozing blood, not quite scabbed yet. "You may do what you like to me, m'lady," Elsie whispered, "but she is a monster and she cannot be allowed to hurt anyone else." She met her employer's gaze with an honesty, a forthright manner she had not felt in months. "God knows what might happen if she's left near Lady Mary."
Lady Cora's hand flew to her lips and she smothered a gasp. "Oh my god, you don't think –"
Elsie redressed and murmured, "I'll go pack my things –"
Lady Cora shook her head, hard. "No, you will not. Miss Hughes, I want you to go to the library and wait for my husband and I. It might take a little while, but we will come for you." She paused, then asked, "How long has this been going on?"
"Almost as long as I've been here," Elsie admitted, the shame finally overwhelming her again. "She stole something from my room and has been blackmailing me and… humiliating… and abusing –"
"Raping," Cora corrected angrily. "She has raped you, Miss Hughes, just as surely as a man would have. You cannot gild the lily and call it a rose."
"I thought…" Elsie began, hesitating. "I thought if she did it to me, she wouldn't do it to anyone else. I was wrong. I was so wrong –"
"Oh, god, please don't cry," Lady Cora begged. "Don't cry – it will set me off again. The babe is making me soppy," she explained, her hand protectively going over her abdomen. "We've not told anyone yet, but…"
Elsie smiled wanly. "Another wee one in the nursery will be a joy, m'lady," she said softly. "A joy after all the bad things that have happened."
"Miss Hughes, I will not dismiss you from your post," Lady Cora promised. "But you must make me a vow that as long as you are here, you will come to me and tell me the truth. It doesn't matter what the circumstance; I trust you to tell me the truth and nothing but now. Mr. Carson is the only other member of staff I trust that way, so it is an honor not easily given."
"It will be my honor, m'lady," Elsie whispered.
"Go to the library and wait," Lady Cora instructed.
Elsie did just that.
Robert Crawley considered himself to be a fair man, and a good employer. He trusted his staff to handle things downstairs, keep the place running, so he did not have to think too much upon the day-to-day running of things. But for his wife to come to him, with allegations of abuse, sexual perversion, and violence against the housekeeper… it threw everything into disarray that he had carefully built up.
Of course, he believed Cora, and he knew that she believed what the head housemaid had told her, but the truth of the matter might be altogether different than the one she was presented with. One disgruntled employee against the word of the butler and the housekeeper…
"Mrs. Potter," Robert began, "there have been several serious allegations made against you tonight."
The woman rolled her eyes and snorted a bit. "That Elsie Hughes has had it in for me since the moment she arrived," she muttered. "God knows what Mrs. Burke promised her during that interview, m'lord, but she arrived with such cheek and bad manners and I've been forced to correct her every day."
Robert didn't like the way Mrs. Potter immediately shifted the conversation to blaming the head housemaid for everything; it smacked of misdirection. "Mrs. Potter, I am not talking about Miss Hughes – I am talking about you," he said firmly. "You have been accused of molesting Mr. Carson's daughter, and of sexually abusing and raping a member of staff under your care. I do not take these allegations lightly."
"Good," Mrs. Potter huffed. "The person making them should be punished. I would never –"
Mr. Jenkyns glanced over at her and said, "One of the hallboys came to me not long ago and said that you had groped him through his trousers. I did not listen to him –"
Robert shared a look with Cora; this problem had become infinitely worse. If Jenkyns had heard rumors or accusations, and had not acted upon them, he would be complicit. He would have to go as well; destroy all the bad in one fell swoop.
"I've never –"
Cora spoke up. "Mrs. Potter, I have seen evidence that you have," she said. "And because of said evidence, you would be lucky if I merely were to give you the sack rather than send for the constable to have you locked away. Do you understand? You are to pack your things and leave immediately. You will not have a reference; god help you ever find another job, Mrs. Potter, because I will not lift a finger to help you." She took a deep breath, and said, "And you will give back what you stole from Miss Hughes. Immediately."
Mrs. Potter's hateful gaze jerked up to Cora's, and her lips twisted into a smile. "I'm sorry, m'lady, but I can't do that… I burned it months ago."
Cora glared at her and hissed, "Get out of my sight, you evil, wicked creature."
There was a moment of quiet, then Mrs. Potter said, "Elsie may say she didn't want it, that it was forced… but she enjoyed every moment, m'lady. Every bloody moment."
Robert saw how angry and agitated Cora was becoming and he rounded on the former housekeeper. "Get out of my house this instant," he said, fury growing. "Give me your keys and get out. NOW."
The room grew very quiet as Mrs. Potter removed her chatelaine and threw it at Robert's feet. "I hope you go to hell," Mrs. Potter hissed. "All of you."
They watched in silence as she left the room. Robert turned to Jenkyns and asked, "How long have you been ignoring allegations against Mrs. Potter? And tell me the truth: you have two weeks to train Mr. Carson to take over your duties. After that, I never want to see you or hear your name again."
"Two years," Jenkyns admitted, very quietly. "Miss Patterson and Miss Grey both complained, and several hallboys and one of the stable lads –"
"Two years and you didn't bloody think to tell anyone?" Robert shouted. "How many more people did she harm that never came forward, Jenkyns? Do you have any idea what a scandal like this could do to my family? My house? If it gets out that my servants abuse one another, how can I guarantee that they will not abuse the guests in my home? What woman in her right mind – or man, for that matter – will want to willingly work in this house, knowing what's happened? You make me sick."
"My lord –"
"You are lucky I don't have you thrown out on your ear tonight," Robert hissed. "There are children involved, Jenkyns. Children. Your judgment is seriously compromised."
"Robert," Cora said softly, taking his hand, "we need to go speak to Miss Hughes. It will do no one any good if you continue to bluster at the butler."
He grunted something inaudible – or he hoped it was inaudible, or she might do him bodily harm.
The very thought of such horrors going on in his home made him sick to his stomach. What if that woman had touched Mary? What if she had gone on to raise a hand toward or touch the babe not yet born? Dear god… he could only imagine the pain Carson would be going through right now.
Charles scooped up Fiona like she was a little rag doll, holding her so close, so tightly. "Oh, my sweet girl," he whispered, "are you hurt? Did Mrs. Potter hurt you?"
"Yes, but Miss Elsie made her stop," Fiona murmured, hugging him tight. "Is Miss Elsie going to be okay? She got hurt bad, daddy."
"I don't know, love," Charles whispered. "I haven't seen her – but you're all right, aren't you? That's what matters now –"
"No, Miss Elsie needs to be all right," Fiona said stubbornly. "She made Mrs. Potter's arm make a cracking noise. I think she broke it. And Mrs. Potter hit Miss Elsie in the eye and hurt her bad, daddy – I've got to know she's okay. She protected me, daddy."
Beryl swallowed hard and nodded. "She looked like she'd been in the wars, Charlie," she said quietly. "She made me promise to take care of your girl and then she was gone."
Genevieve commented, "Lord Grantham doesn't take kindly to scuffles belowstairs, does he? He's probably turned Miss Hughes out the door and locked it behind her already."
"NO!" Fiona shrieked, pushing out of her father's arms and landing on the floor with a thud. "No, she can't go!"
"She may have to if she hurt Mrs. Potter as badly as you say she did, love," Charles said. He knew Lord Grantham would not stand for violence belowstairs, no matter what the provocation; the instigators would be given their marching orders and sent straight out the door. His heart clenched at the thought of never seeing Elsie Hughes again, never being able to see that sweet smile… dear, sweet, merciful lord, he couldn't lose someone else.
"Daddy, I want Miss Elsie to stay," Fiona sobbed. "I want her to stay and be with me – she's so nice and I want her to be my Auntie like Beryl and – and – "
"Shh, love," Charles whispered. "Shh."
How could he soothe his daughter when he could not even soothe himself?
END PART SIX