The Angel Of The Abbey

Chapter 21: Early Summer 1918 - Shocking News

After Dan, Will, Theo, and Mr. Matthew were with us for a week, they left to go back on the front with Dan going back to the secret location again.

It's now the Summer of 1918. I'm currently in the kitchen preparing the luncheon with the kitchen staff. I was carrying an empty bowl over to the worktop, when I felt a cold shiver down my spine. I froze in place and dropped the bowl on the floor. The bowl smashed to pieces on impact.

"Eve? Are you all right?" Hannah asked.

I shook my head and grabbed the dustpan and brush and started sweeping up the broken pieces of the bowl. "I'm fine, Hannah. Just had a sudden feeling that something awful has happened to someone close to me, that's all."

"Daisy?" Mrs. Patmore tried to get her to respond. Looks as if Daisy felt the same feeling I did because she's standing their frozen solid by the stove. "What's the matter with you?"

"Someone walked over me grave." Daisy replied with a frown. 

"Same here." I said as I stood up and went to dispose of the broken bowl carefully.

Mrs. Patmore hummed in thought as she looked from Daisy, to me, then back to Daisy again. "I'm not sure what is up with you two today. You both look as pale as the uncooked chicken Daisy almost served to the family a while back."

"Me neither, to be honest." I mumbled.

I hope nothing has happened to Dan, Will, Theo, or even Mr. Matthew. I wouldn't know what I would do if I had lost one of my friends out there on the front.

The sooner this bloody war is over with, the better.

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In the evening, Mr. Molesley came rushing into Downton with a telegram in his hand.

It was from Dan.

Something had happened to Will, Theo, and Mr. Matthew.

Fiona and I followed behind Mr. Molesley upstairs, along with a handful of staff. We waited outside of the main room, anxious to find out what had happened.

Lord Grantham walked over to us with the telegram in his hand from Mr. Molesley. "It appears that a few days ago, Captain Crawley was wounded. It's serious, I'm afraid, but he's alive and on his way home to the hospital in the village."

"Where there's life, there's hope." Mrs. Hughes said.

"What about William?" Daisy asked. "Is he all right?"

"I'll find out what I can." Lord Grantham assured her. "I'm not sure there's much more we can do tonight."

"William's father would have had a telegram if anything had happened." Mr. Bates spoke up from the back.

"I'll drive over in the morning." Edith volunteered.

"That's very thoughtful of you, my Lady." Fiona said to her.

"And Theo?" I looked from Lord Grantham, to Mr. Carson for answers. "Is he okay?"

"Theodore is unconscious, but otherwise, he is alive." Mr. Carson replied. "Daniel will also be going to the hospital, but he will be treated for a broken arm."

Mrs. Patmore's eyes widened in panic. "Broken arm? He didn't go on the front again, did he?"

Lord Grantham shook his head. "No, but the secret location, wherever that is, that Daniel uses with a handful of officers for communications between our country and over there had been struck. Daniel made it out, but has broken his arm in the process. He only just managed to send this telegram after the attack on the secret location. As Carson says, he will be admitted to the same hospital as Theodore and Captain Crawley."