THE GOLDEN TRIO

Hello everyone. I've decided to write something completely new, that I haven't written before. It's not going to be strictly in canon, like most of my stories is. I would say definitely AU (alternative universe). I want to explore the past of my favorite trio: Elsie/Charles/Beryl. I will devote one chapter to the childhood of each of them and then I will write how their roads crossed at Downton and how they became friends for life. As I said, it's not like it was in the series, just my idea of that. I hope you will like this. Due to the lack of facts about their childhood, I will use my imagination to create their backgrounds as best as I can.

Legal note: Don't own any rights to that characters, although I think they are the best trio in the history of TV.

ELSIE-Argyll (Scotland)-1885

Elspeth May Hughes was incredibly happy in the day she turned 15. Her aunts, uncles and cousins visited her family home to give her their best wishes. The tiny Hughes family cottage-the house of Alastair and Coira Hughes-Elsie's parents, was full of love, laughter and happiness on this special day. Elsie was beaming with joy, when she heard that she is becoming a young woman now, that she has just passed her childhood years and entered a season when she began to blossom. Elsie was not a vain girl. She wasn't used to hear compliments every day, but today, wearing a new, blue dress, which her mother sewed for her for the last two months, devoting all of her free time, which she didn't have a lot of having her husband, two girls and a farm to take care of. Yet she found time to prepare this special gift for her daughter, being fully aware, that her older one will want to look the possible best at her birthday. Her father bought her a blue, matching ribbon, which she pinned onto her auburn hair and her whole outfit was now complete.

Today Elsie was surrounded with a feeling of complete security and although she and her family didn't have a lot, she sensed that it was not important. She had a roof over her head, she had a food on her table and a set of loving parents. Her little sister Becky was enjoying this day too. She was outside with the rest of the kids and Elsie watched as she laughed a lot, playing with her old toys. Becky still had a mind of a child and she was often very difficult to deal with, but even so, Elsie loved her very much and felt especially responsible for her. All her school colleagues already knew, that if they will ever try to joke about her Becky Hughes, they will have to meet with a determined reaction of her feisty sister.

Elsie sat on the doorstep of her house and she looked away. She was a little tired with a party by now and she suddenly started to think about her future. What will it bring to her? How will it go? Will she be happy? The adult life which was just round the corner, seemed like one, great mystery and she had no idea what it will give her. She only knew that she wanted to be happy, although she was not convinced that she would like to live the way her parents does. She felt that the world was full of other opportunities. She was a bright girl, with a kind heart and even though she loved the place that she was born in and she thought that her childhood was wonderful, there was always something deep inside her, some desire to know more. To see a different world, to find out how people live in other places, outside Argyll. She knew that her parents have probably already planned her future by now. She was supposed to finish school, get married, have kids and live nearby. They even chose a candidate for a husband for her. Joe Burns, who never hid the fact that he really liked her.

Elsie liked him too, but not this way. He was good as a friend, to make jokes at school, to go fishing from time to time, but that was all. Hear heart didn't beat like crazy when she saw him and she knew that this was suppose to happen when you fall in love. She always read about that in the romance novels, that she use to smuggle from her friends, hiding it from her mother, who thought that she shouldn't waste her time for things like that.

Sitting there and thinking about all the past and present events and all the people that she knew and loved, Elsie suddenly remembered that she should visit her friend-her neighbor, a lonely, old woman, named- Phyllis Logan*, who was living in a small cottage, all alone with her cats. She wasn't very respected by the local community. Scottish people tend to be very conservative and a lonely woman, living all by herself, with cats, was going outside the certain frames that the society liked to settled. Kids were afraid of her and they ran away when she was walking to the village, they called her a witch, they were scaring themselves, saying some horrible stories about her eating children. Other older women from the village didn't like her too. They always reminisced how she tried to seduce their men, when she was younger, somehow she never succeeded, because she was a lot wiser than most of them and men don't like wiser women.

Elsie didn't share the general dislike for Phyllis. On the contrary, she was always friends with the old lady. Ever since she was a little girl and she broke her knee, near to her house, she took her inside, medicated the wound and she gave her some candies to make her feel better. Since then, they were always on friendly terms. Elsie used to go to Phyllis, whenever she had free time, she helped her in some house things and she always gave her something in return. When she didn't have candies, she gave her some little things-some trinkets or she told her some interesting story. Elsie loved to be around her and she particurarly enjoyed being with her cats. She always loved those animals and her father was against her having a cat, so she had to be satisfied, only dealing with Phyllis's cats.

She promised her a piece of her birthday cake and she went inside to get some.

"Elsie are you taking care of your guests?"

"Yes mother."

"Where are you going now?"

"I want to get a piece of my birthday cake to Miss Logan."

"Ahh.. Your dear friend. Don't sit there long..You have guests."

"I won't. I promise."

Elsie took the piece of her birthday cake and she went straight to Miss Logan's house. The old woman was really happy. Elsie was very bright, so she noticed long time ago, that Miss Logan was not very rich and she was happy about every little thing to eat, that Elsie shared with her, hiding the fact from her parents. Miss Logan made some tea for both of them and they sat by the table.

"Elsie..You are fifteen already...It seems that it was yesterday, when I was taking care of your broken knee."

"Yes Miss Logan. I remember that day."

"So many years have passed and you are still visiting the old witch..That's what they do call me in the village, don't they?"

"Yes...But I don't believe that you are a witch.."

"Don't you Elsie? Well, maybe you should believe that.."-Elsie's face was suddenly expressing fear.."But don't you worry my child...I'm a good witch, who never does anything bad to people, unless they deserve it...I can see the future..Do you want me to look at your hand to see your future?"

"Would you?..Can you do that?"

"Of course I can. Let me see..What do we got here for our beautiful and wise Elsie?"-she took Elsie's hand and she was looking at it for a longer while..."I see a great, big castle...it's not on the moors, so it may be in England...Beautiful castle...You will live there..."

"Me? In the castle?"

"Yes. I see you in a black dress. I see a lot of keys...You will handle keys there..I see a lot of people. You will work in the castle, with a lot of people...You are chatting with a friend...She is small, red-head and very noisy, but she has a warm, kind heart..."

"Really Miss Logan? What else do you see?"

"There is a man in there too...A very tall, proud man...He has some important function there...He is in charge...He is a part of your future...A very important and very distant part.."

"Distant? What does it mean?"

"You will have to wait for your happiness very long my dear...Many, many years, but when it will finally come to you, it will be all that you have ever dreamed of..."

"So, I will be happy? But what about my parents? And Becky? Are they there too?"

"No. I don't see them, you will be all alone...But don't you worry my child...You will be far away, but your mind and your kind heart, will help you to survive through everything...Remember...The red head woman and the tall man are the part of your future.."

"Thank you very much Miss Logan. I will never forget that.."

"You are welcome my precious girl...Have a happy birthday and whenever you will go, don't you ever forget your old friend Phyllis...Even when I'm not there anymore, I will watch out for you and helping you..Always.."

"I won't..I promise..."

Argyll-1895

"You see Elsie. I told you. You should have married Joe when he was interested with you. You would have a nice, decent husband and kids by now. You would have lived on his farm and you could help Becky and me. And what do you have now? Nothing! You are already 25 and you are an old maid! You wasted your life!"

"Mother, please don't talk like that. It hurts when you say it...I couldn't have married Joe. I didn't love him..."

"Love! What a young girl like you knows about it? I'll tell you what love is, you silly, young goose. Love is when you have a man near, who takes care of you! Joe would have done that. You know how our situation is now, since your father died. We are living in poverty and all because you didn't want to help us, when you had the chance!"

"Mother, I know that I made a mistake. I'm sorry..I want to make it up to you..."

"How on earth will you ever make it up to me? To us?"

"I decided to go into service. I found an advertisement in a local paper. They are looking for a house maid in the English castle, in Yorkshire. It's called Downton Abbey. I replied to that advertisement and they want to hire me, so I will have to go away and live in England."

"And you will leave me and Becky here, all alone? You know that I can't work! I have to take care of her, for the rest of my life. We were only living on what you earned and those few penny's that I have after your father. How will we live now?"

"Don't you see mother? I will earn much more in there, than I could earn in Mr Cowell's shop. I will have a roof over my head and food on the table. I won't have any extra expenses and I will give everything to you. I will send all my salary to you mother, so you and Becky could live peacefully."

"And you are ready to go away? To live in strange place, with no family and friends around?"

"What other choice do I have mother? I need to provide for you and Becky."

"You are my darling, brave, little girl...I'm sorry for what I said before...Won't you be lonely there? Won't you miss us?"

"Of course I will mother, but there is no other way. I have to do this..For you and Becky. For father. I promised him, that I will take care of you. He left your safety in my hands."

"Thank you Elsie...You are my sweet, kind girl..You were always like that.."

"Mother..I have a little favor to ask you..When I will go away, can you please put some flowers to Miss Logan's grave, when you will visit father on the graveyard? I promised her before she died, that I will take care of her grave, but now, when I won't be around...Will you do that for me?"

"I will. Although, I will never understand why this woman meant so much to you.."

"Please mother. Just do what I ask you.."

"I will Elsie. I promise."

And so, on the very rainy day of September 1895, Elsie May Hughes left her family home and her village and went on the train to Yorkshire, to find her destiny, the one which Miss Phyllis Logan predicted for her...

That's all for this chapter my lovelies...I sincerely hope that you will like this story, even though it's a bit different from all the stuff I wrote so far...We learnt about Elsie's background. In the next chapter, we will learn about Charles's background. Sorry for any mistakes and please let me know if it's worth to continue...

* I just couldn't help myself with the name for the local witch from Argyll-I hope that Phyllis Logan won't mind that..It's obvious that she is far from old, lonely woman,living with cats, in the deserted cottage. On the contrary..She is one of the loveliest people on this planet, but I thought that it would be perversely to use her name in the story about Elsie's childhood. Please don't hate me for that Phyllis ;-) ;) ;-) (Like she's gonna read that) :D