The Honeymoon ...
The sound of the waves reached her ears as it filtered in through the cracked-open window, and Elsie's eyes flew open, that small panic that can overtake when one is in a strange place clenching her heart before letting it go again, before she remembered where she was … and ascertained what the time must be if the sun was just coming up …
… and why she was entirely unclothed.
She took a few moments to take stock: Soft light peeking in through the curtain, tide coming in, sore muscles, snoring husband ...
Husband.
It had been a relationship so long in coming that her mind only recently began thinking of him as Charles, let alone as her spouse. It was the house scheme that had done it, of course, and all that had gone along with that. She smiled and rolled her eyes a bit when she remembered that her name was on that deed, too, that she had chosen colors for the parlour and the curtains that would adorn the bedrooms. The past two weeks had involved lining up workmen to begin some minor repairs while she and Charles would be away on honeymoon. Charlie, she'd called him at their reception, when she'd had one more glass of punch than she probably should have, but then his boyish smile at the name had more than made up for the apprehension she'd felt upon uttering it aloud and all was right in her world once again.
She'd been off-kilter for weeks, but it was only now - in this most unlikely of circumstances, or so she'd spent decades thinking - that she finally felt calm once again.
He stirred a bit, moved over, and she tucked herself into his side.
"Good morning," he said, his voice thick and raspy. He stretched his neck, bending down a bit to kiss the top of her head.
"Good morning," she replied, and her voice was softer than he'd expected - shy, almost, although he didn't think that was quite right, either.
"Everything alright?"
Elsie propped herself up on her elbow, licked her lips as she swallowed and contemplated her reply. She was at a loss, and so she trailed her fingers up and into the sparse hair on his chest, absentmindedly caressing his skin, and nodded.
"You're sure?"
She smiled.
"More than alright, Mr. Carson," she replied, and she stretched toward him for a proper kiss. His arms came up and he pulled her closer.
"Me too." He glanced at the window. "Strange to be up after the sun."
"Nice, though."
"Nice is waking up with you," he replied, his voice full of love.
She blushed. "That's a sweet thing to say."
Charles tipped her chin down so that he could look into her deep blue eyes. "I mean it, Elsie. I've dreamt of this for … well," he chuckled, "for a very long time."
Tears pricked her eyes, and she nodded in agreement as she rested her head over his heart. They stayed quiet for a while, but Charles could almost hear her turning something over in her mind.
"What is it?" he gently pressed.
Her fingertips left his chest and ventured lower, grazing over his belly and making him twitch.
"That tickles."
"Sorry," she whispered, filing that little bit of information away in her mind for another time.
"Don't be."
He watched her, seeing the feelings she hadn't quite managed to tuck away and wondering if perhaps that was because she'd just woken … wondered if she, like he, needed time in the morning to put on the face that the rest of the world got to see. His lips curled up as the significance of that assaulted him: no one else would likely ever see this side of her. He had never seen it until just now.
"Charlie?"
The smile broke free, and his eyes were soft as he gazed into hers. "I was just thinking that no one but me will ever see you like this."
"I should hope not!"
"No, I meant …" He thought for a moment. "Unprotected. Vulnerable, maybe."
"Funny you'd put it that way." Her voice became thoughtful. "I wondered the other day if that was the true worry I had about ... well, about all of this." She waved her hand in the air.
"What? Being vulnerable?"
She nodded.
"Because you're not the impeccably put-together housekeeper now," he said with a nod, his hand creeping over to rest on the softness of her belly, his fingertips on her hip. "Although I should say -" He stretched a bit and softly kissed her lips. "- I do rather love this side of you."
"Ah, so there really is a typical man living beneath that butler's livery." She was joking now, and he recognized it for the poorly-disguised attempt at deflection that it was.
"I mean it," he replied soberly. "I'm quite honored that I'll see this side of you now, these raw glimpses of what lies at your core."
Elsie nodded slowly in understanding. It was something she'd pondered last night when they prepared for bed, neither knowing quite what to expect. Or at least, she assumed he didn't - she certainly had no idea.
That line of thinking brought her back to an earlier thought. "Charles?"
He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "Mm?"
She blushed, and the deep crimson that crept over her chest and neck caught his attention. "How did you know?"
His kisses moved down her arm, but he paused to look up. "Know what?"
Her mind traveled back a few hours. "How did you know … How did you know how to do that?" She swallowed and took a deep breath. "Last night," she clarified her thumb and forefinger grasping the sheet and twisting it a bit. "To me," she ended with a whisper.
"Oh." It was his turn to blush a bit, and she instantly regretted even asking. But apologizing didn't come any easier, and so she waited it out.
He surprised her by backing away a bit, and she was nervous until he reached for her and pulled her close again.
"I'm a good listener," he said.
Her reaction was one of shock, and she pulled away swiftly in order to look him in the eyes. "I beg your pardon?"
"To stories!" he clarified quickly, lest she think he's been spending his days listening to the intimacies of others through locked doors at Downton. "Back when I was with Grigg, mostly, but you forget I spent time as a valet as well. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but men do confide in one another the way women do. Sometimes."
Elsie put a hand up. "I understand, Charles."
He snatched her hand and kissed it. "I have never been more terrified than I was in the days and nights leading up to last night," he admitted. "But then I saw you in this room, in that gown that's currently thrown over a chair in the corner, and … well ... it's not really a great mystery, is it?" Charles leaned over and kissed her, a soft brush of the lips that she pressed herself into and deepened, her free hand clutching at his arm and pulling her closer.
"No," she breathed when they parted. "I suppose it's not."
She laid back on the bed, pulling him over her. "So, my darling man. What else do you remember from all your 'listening'?"
He smirked, then waggled his eyebrows at her. "Oh, Mrs. Carson, I'd be more than happy to show you."
oOoOoOoOo
It was nearly lunchtime when they woke, having dozed off for about an hour after their passionate morning in bed. Charles opened his eyes first, and he smiled as he realized Elsie was snoring gently on his shoulder. His arm ached horribly, but it was well worth it to have woken up with her lying on top of it.
He did need to shift soon after, though, and Elsie woke with a start when he did.
"I'm famished," she announced in a scratchy voice that made her husband chuckle with no small amount of pride; after all, it was due to his ministrations that she'd been crying out with pleasure not two hours ago.
"As am I," he admitted.
They extracted themselves from the sheets and took turns in the en-suite, and a comfortable silence settled between them. It was a welcome familiarity between the new lovers who'd spent so much of the last twelve hours vacillating between nervousness and passion.
"You look beautiful, Elsie." Charles approached her as she was pinning her hair up, and he settled his hands gently upon her waist. "Glowing."
She finished putting in the last pin and turned, encircling his neck loosely in her arms. "I wonder whose fault that is." Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him chastely. "I've never been happier than I am today, Charlie."
He laughed. "I've not been Charlie since I was fourteen years old."
"Well, then, I'd say it's a good job I'm bringing that back. It's like you said earlier," she said, thoughtful. "It's a small thing that makes you a little more vulnerable, and it's something I daresay only I will ever be able to call you."
"Undoubtedly."
Just then, her stomach emitted a rather loud growl.
"It's time to feed you," he chuckled, and she nodded.
"I still have to get my shoes on," she reminded him. "And then I'll be ready."
"Good. I have a feeling you'll need a great deal of food to build your energy back up."
She glanced up at him, smiled, and reached for her shoes.
"I'm sure."
A/N: The main idea for this story is to provide glimpses into married Chelsie. Not the big stuff, but the little things that make up a marriage. Open to requests/suggestions and my thanks to the dastardly duo who've already lobbed a bunch my way! I get by with a LOT of help from my friends, but that's A-OK by me.
Please let me know what you thought!
