Title: Interior

Artist: Edgar Degas

Date: 1868-69

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Joseph was more than surprised when he returned home from the schoolhouse the day after his wife's departure to find it occupied. "You're back!" He grinned enthusiastically at the unexpected sight of his wife in their sitting room. "I wasn't expecting you for a few days. How's Elizabeth doing?"

Phyllis managed a small smile of her own before quietly explaining, "I brought her home with me. She's upstairs right now."

Joseph brightened considerably at the news of his daughter's safe return home and he moved further into the house as he called out, "Lizabet? Come on down!"

"Leave her be for a moment, love." Phyllis stopped him with a gentle hand against his chest. "She's asked me to talk to you before you see her."

Joseph's brow furrowed as he met his wife's obviously troubled eyes. "What's going on?"

"You should take a seat." Phyllis sighed tiredly as she strategically led her husband to the kitchen table in the next room, waiting for him to take a seat before sitting across the table from him.

Joseph waited for his wife to speak for some time before realizing her eyes had glassed over with tears. "Phyl?"

"When I arrived at Elizabeth's flat yesterday I found that her landlady had evicted her." Phyllis launched into her explanation, sure that if she hesitated she wouldn't be able to get any of it out at all. "She'd fallen behind on rent after losing her job a couple of months ago and I suppose her compassion ran out - though I wouldn't guess she had much of that to begin with."

"What do you mean she lost her job?" Joseph shook his head in confusion, reaching out for his wife's hand as he so often did only to find them crossed tightly across her chest and out of reach. "What happened? Why didn't she come to us?"

"I'm not sure what happened with her work, but she didn't come to us because of something else." Phyllis took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the myriad of possible reactions she might receive. "There's no easy way to tell you this, but Lizzie's been in an abusive relationship for a while now."

Joseph shook his head once again in disagreement, sure he must have misunderstood. "What?"

"I'm afraid that's not all." Phyllis managed to add quietly, cringing as her husband stared back at her in disbelief, obviously begging for an elaboration but unable to voice the request. After another deep breath Phyllis managed to whisper, "He raped her. And she's pregnant."

When Joseph just continued staring at her in confusion she tried to elaborate. "She's quite far along from what I can tell, but she hasn't been to a doctor yet. I'm planning to take her–"

"I don't care about that." Joseph stopped her suddenly, before scrunching his eyes closed in frustration and amending his statement. "I mean, I do, in that I want her to be healthy, but… why didn't she tell us?"

"I think things must be fairly bad with this man. When I found her she was leaving school to go to a backstreet abortionist in some flat in Spitalfields." Phyllis had to pause for a moment to catch her breath before managing to stammer, "If I hadn't been there… I don't… She might not be…"

"Oh, my love." Joseph sat awkwardly across from his wife, desperate to comfort her but keenly aware that her shaking form meant she probably wouldn't want his touch right now. "She's alright for now? She's here and she's alright?"

Phyllis nodded weakly, unable to find anything else to say now that the truth was out in the open.

"I'm going to call her down, if that's alright with you?" Joseph waited for his wife's nod of agreement before calling up the stairs. "Lizabet, you can come down now." He waited quietly for a few moments as he listened for movement before adding, "I'm not angry with you, I promise."

The tell-tale creaking of a door opening preceded the appearance of the youngest Molesley at the bottom of the stairs with red-rimmed eyes and damp cheeks. "Daddy?"

Joseph swayed slightly as Elizabeth descended the stairs, feeling a bit sick to his stomach at the obvious evidence of his daughter's child beneath her worrying fingers. "Can I give you a hug?"

Elizabeth nodded eagerly before crossing the room as quickly as she could manage and launching herself into his arms. "I'm sorry." She cried desperately against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Daddy, I'm sorry."

"Shhh." Joseph soothed his daughter gently, his hands easily finding their way to their practiced place around her shoulders. "We've got you. Your mother and I won't let anyone hurt you anymore. You understand?"

It takes all of the strength Phyllis has left not to remind her husband that they both know that's a promise they can't know they can keep.

It took a few days for Phyllis to figure out the logistics of getting her visibly pregnant daughter in to see a doctor without word getting around the village, but with the help of the Head Matron at the hospital to avoid Emma and Sybbie's shifts and some local gossip about the whereabouts of the Crawleys that would occupy most of their friends still in the village she'd made an appointment and was hoping for the best.

Unfortunately, hoping for the best didn't seem to bring much comfort to her daughter who was trembling anxiously in her chair in the waiting room.

"Both Emma and Sybbie have the day off." Phyllis reminded her daughter softly. "I double checked with Matron Robbins when we arrived."

Elizabeth relaxed slightly, but retained her slouched position that disguised the slight rounding of her belly until they were called back by a nurse that neither of them recognized to a room where they continued to wait in private until the doctor arrived.

"Hello, Miss Molesley, Mrs. Molesley." Doctor Garreth greeted them warmly. "I'm surprised to see you here today. Your family always makes appointments during Nurse Molesley's clinic hours."

Phyllis offered the doctor a polite smile as her youngest daughter stared down at the floor in front of her. "We are hoping for some discretion about a delicate matter."

"I see." Doctor Garreth's smile faded slightly as "I hope not to be too forward, but I must admit my suspicions that Miss Molesley is pregnant."

Elizabeth sobbed softly at the frankness of his observation but continued staring at her shoes with no further acknowledgment of the conversation happening around her.

"That would be correct." Phyllis affirmed on her daughter's behalf. "From what I can tell I'd say she's four or five months along, but she's not been to a doctor yet."

"Well it sounds like it's about time to get you seen to." Doctor Garreth chided knowingly. "If you'll take off your lower undergarments and pop up on the table we'll get you examined."

Elizabeth froze entirely at the instructions and it wasn't until Phyllis helped her shaking daughter out of her underthings, folding them neatly on a nearby chair before helping her up onto the table that she fully realized what this examination would entail.

Doctor Garreth, apparently still unaware of his patient's clearly visible fear, was all business when he turned back to her and her mother. "If you'd pull your feet up towards you and point your knees outward I'll do a quick internal examination to make sure everything's looking well then we can do some measurements to see when to expect this baby to make an appearance."

Elizabeth did as she was asked, clenching harder onto her mother's hand each time the doctor or one of his instruments touched her. She was aware that her mother and the doctor were conversing in the background, but she wasn't present enough to understand any of what was being said.

The doctor finally seemed to clue in that something was amiss during his internal examination, and he immediately pulled away from the patient his features filled with concern. "Miss Molesley, I'm sorry to ask but when was the last time you had penetrative intercourse?"

Phyllis gently placed her free hand on her daughter's shoulder to get her attention. "Lizzie, darling, Doctor Garreth's asked you a question I don't know the answer to."

Elizabeth blinked a few times as she tried to remember what was said before shaking her head in confusion. "What?"

Doctor Garreth smiled sympathetically as he repeated his question. "When did you last have sex with a partner that involved the insertion of something into you?"

"I'm not sure." Elizabeth murmured honestly, her cheeks burning red at the seemingly explicit question.

"I'm asking because there's some evidence of recent vaginal trauma." The Doctor explained patiently, his eyes full of sympathy for the obviously embarrassed girl in front of him. "There's no need to be overly alarmed - this can happen in a number of circumstances including particularly… vigorous… or creative… intimacy - but it's something you ought to avoid while pregnant."

"Doctor Garreth, I feel the need to let you know that my daughter is not in a willing relationship." Phyllis cut in immediately, the fear radiating off her daughter making her regret not starting the appointment with this explanation. "I understand the medical need for your questions, but I think it's best that you understand that this pregnancy is the result of repetitive assault rather than consensual intimacy."

"I see. I'm very sorry to hear that." Doctor Garreth replied sadly, though his eyes showed no real surprise at the revelation. "Given this, I'll rephrase my question for you Miss Molesley. Has your assailant ever inserted anything sharp inside of you?"

Elizabeth nodded slightly, her still red cheeks now slightly damp with tears that she wiped at urgently in an attempt to maintain some composure.

"Can you tell me what it was?" Doctor Garreth followed up more gently. "I'm sorry to ask, but I want to assess your risk for infection and to do that I need to know what was used."

Elizabeth nodded once again in understanding before quietly whispering, "A palette knife."

Phyllis stared at her daughter in surprise. She wasn't sure what she had expected her to say, but it certainly wasn't that.

"I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with what that is." Doctor Garreth replied sympathetically. "Could you tell–"

"It's a metal instrument shaped similar to a small butter or jam knife that is used to spread or mix paints." Phyllis interrupted quickly, her mind working overtime to process the implications of her daughter's revelation about her abuser and the doctor's question simultaneously. "They come in various sizes and shapes - some of which would be more than sufficient to cause bodily harm if that were the intent."

Doctor Garreth nodded in understanding before gently examining his patient a bit further - now narrating his movements as he completed them - until he finally indicated that he was done with his examination and that she could sit up again. Once his patient was fully dressed again and slightly more comfortable he asked another question. "Miss Moelesley, was this knife put inside you in an attempt to hurt your baby?"

Elizabeth nodded once more, tears now freely flowing down her cheeks.

Doctor Garreth offered his patient "You understand that the involvement in an attempted abortion is a crime?"

"My daughter was assaulted." Phyllis snapped immediately, unwilling to allow any blame to be placed on Elizabeth for what had happened to her. "If anyone would be prosecuted for such an attempt it would be the man that did this to her, not the young girl who must bear the consequences of his actions."

"Of course." Doctor Garreth agreed sheepishly. "And I would never dream of reporting you for it. I just wanted to ensure Miss Molesley understands that this is the kind of information she needs to be cautious about who she shares it with."

Phyllis's glare softened only slightly at the man's explanation but her daughter seemed considerably relieved so she allowed the man to continue.

"You may want to consider finding a band ring for Miss Molesley to wear for the duration of her pregnancy to save her some blushes." He suggested as he handed Elizabeth a packet of pamphlets she recognized the titles of from her last pregnancy many years prior.

Phyllis did her best to cool the rage she felt at the implication of any shame her daughter should feel for being unwed and pregnant. "We'll give it some consideration, but it's Elizabeth's choice."

"Of course." Doctor Garreth agreed, before hastily making his exit. "I'm afraid I've other patients to see to, but should you need anything you certainly know where to find me."

Phyllis gave Elizabeth some time to collect her bearings before softly asking, "Are you alright?"

"I just want to go home." Elizabeth avoided the question as she abruptly stood from the examination bed.

"Let's go home then." Phyllis allowed as she carefully laced her arm through Elizabeth's elbow in the hopes of keeping her daughter upright during their short walk home.

"How was Lizzie's appointment?"

His wife's immediate stillness told him more than enough, but he waited patiently for her to gather herself. "It was difficult. For both of us."

"I can imagine." Joseph allowed easily. "Did the doctor have any concerns or instructions?"

"He did." Phyllis nodded before stopping once again as she tried to maintain the little composure she'd managed to gather. "I'm sorry… I just…"

"You never have to apologize to me." Joseph reminded her warmly before following up with a more direct question. "Is something wrong with Lizzie?"

Phyllis gave him an odd sort of half nod before whispering, "She told me she didn't know the man before they became involved… but after today's appointment… I don't think that's true."

"Oh?" Joseph's eyes widened in surprise. This wasn't what he was expecting at all when he'd asked if something was wrong. "Why's that?"

"Elizabeth has assured me that I don't need to keep anything from you, but I'm not sure if this is something you should have to hear." Phyllis continued to explain quietly. "If you'd rather not know, I wouldn't hold it against you."

"None of this has been anything that I wanted to be hearing, but I don't want you to have to bear it alone either." Joseph assured her evenly. "Will you please tell me what happened at the appointment?"

"During her examination today Doctor Garreth found a significant number of lacerations along her vaginal walls." Phyllis replied slowly, her face wet with tears as she tried to detach herself from the meaning of the words she was saying.

Joseph felt his fists clenching involuntarily at his sides and his jaw was locked tightly when he finally managed his response. " What? "

"She told Doctor Garreth that the man put a palette knife inside of her." Phyllis continued quickly. "It was suggested - but not definitively confirmed - that he was trying to terminate the pregnancy."

"A palette knife?" Joseph shook his head in confusion. "Would he have gotten it from Elizabeth's things?"

Phyllis shook her own head in disagreement. "Unless I'm entirely mistaken about the sequence of events, this was after she was evicted. She hasn't had any of her personal art supplies for the last several weeks."

"You think it was someone at the school." Joseph gave voice to his wife's conclusion.

"I do." Phyllis confirmed. "She's not telling us something important about this man - whoever he is - and while I don't wish to push her any more than this situation already has, I'm frightened by what she still feels the need to hide."

Joseph contemplated her point before deciding it was time to redirect their conversation from the panicked spiral he could see it approaching. "For now, we protect her." He replied, his voice filled with far more certainty than he felt. "She'll stay here with us and we'll keep her clothed, and fed, and loved."

Phyllis sighed as she remembered the Doctor's final suggestion at the end of Elizabeth's appointment. "Doctor Garreth suggested we find a wedding band for Elizabeth to wear, which I'm not entirely keen on, but I think Elizabeth should have the option if she wants it."

"You have my mother's ring, and I'd rather you not take it off, but we could certainly find something discreetly in a shop in York." Joseph suggested easily.

"You're not opposed to it?" Phyllis asked in surprise.

"Not really." Joseph shrugged. "If Elizabeth gets to a point where she'd like to go out and she'd like the protection that a ring would bring with it, I see no reason for her not to have it."

"I suppose." Phyllis sighed in agreement, obviously still somewhat hesitant. "I truly loathe that she's being made to feel any shame in any of this when she's done nothing wrong."

"I know." Joseph assured her quietly. "I know."

Phyllis hesitated longer before her next statement, her nerves somehow managing to reach new heights in a conversation that had been overflowing with them. "There's something else we need to do to protect her that I don't know how you'll feel about."

"What's that?" Joseph asked cautiously, concerned by what else could be troubling his wife so much.

Phyllis sat quietly for some time before whispering. "Emma can't know about the baby until we know what Elizabeth's plan is."

"Oh." Joseph felt as if all of the air had been forced from his lungs as he came to terms with his wife's point. "Of course. You're completely right."

Phyllis rushed to explain herself. "It's not that I want to keep Lizzie from Emma it's just that—"

"You don't want Emma's feelings about adoption and abortion influencing her decision." Joseph finished for her gently. His mind raced through the possible choices his daughter was facing before asking, "Has she given any indication?"

"She was ready to terminate a few days ago." Phyllis reminded him pointedly. "I think I've talked her out of that, god willing, but I don't know if our support changes things for her or not."

"We would support her, right?" Joseph probed cautiously. "If she chose to keep the baby?"

"Of course we would." Phyllis readily agreed. "But I hesitate to even mention it in case she interprets that as our preference or some sort of pressure."

Joseph nodded in agreement a final time before directing his focus towards his obviously exhausted wife. "How are you doing?"

"I'm… tired." She admitted more quietly than she'd spoken for the rest of their discussion. "Watching our daughter go through a part of my past is devastating. I'm only grateful that she's no longer doing so alone."

"She's not going to do any of this alone." Joseph repeated firmly. "We're going to be there for her." He waited a beat before gently voicing an observation, "I've noticed you don't want me to touch you. You haven't since you got back. Are you having nightmares again?"

Phyllis sighed but nodded in affirmation. "There are times when I wish you were a less attentive husband, Mr. Molesley."

"I'm so sorry, my love." Joseph watched as his wife did her best to soothe herself across the room from him. "What do I need to know right now?"

"I think hands are fine, but that's all I can manage." She explained simply, their years of navigating her past together giving them shortcuts for establishing boundaries when they were necessary. "I'm going to need some time."

"Of course." Joseph agreed easily, slipping his hand gently into his wife's outstretched one and offering a squeeze of comfort. "I know you haven't been sleeping well, and I want you to get as much rest tonight as you can. I can sleep in my office tonight if you'd prefer, or I can get some pillows from the airing closet to put between us."

Phyllis looked up at him with red cheeks and eyes wet with tears as she quietly requested, "Stay with me?"

Joseph gave her hand another squeeze, softly whispering a promise of, "Always." in return before heading to the hall to complete his promised task.

"I like having you there when I wake up." Phyllis reminded her husband when he returned with arms full of pillows and some fresh cases draped over his shoulder, watching fondly as her husband prepared their room for bed. Once Joseph finished his work he pulled back the covers for his wife who gave him a sheepish smile as she slid into bed. "I don't know what I've done to deserve you."

"You are my wife." Joseph declared firmly as he climbed into bed on the other side of the wall of pillows. "You don't have to do anything to deserve my care and support. It's always going to be there."

"I know." Phyllis admitted, her embarrassment obvious in her voice despite the visual barrier between them. "But some days I'll have a hard time trusting it all the same."

"That's okay." Joseph assured her. "I'll always be here anyway."

NOTES:

Content Warnings:
Descriptions of Abuse & Rape/Non-Con; Pregnancy; Medical Trauma

Chapter Recap (Contains Spoilers):
Phyllis returns to Downton with Elizabeth and Joseph finds out about the pregnancy and rape. After Elizabeth's first doctor's appointment Phyllis doubts her daughter's story about how she met her abuser/rapist. Phyllis confides in her husband about what she's learned and they discuss plans to help Elizabeth as well as how to help Phyllis manage the traumas of her past that the situation has brought up for her.