Hi, all! I hope everyone is well. I'm glad to be back to the world of fanfiction and Chelsie. Special thanks to chelsie fan for her help with this one. I hope you enjoy it.
They were silent on their way home that evening. They didn't always speak much as they walked to their cottage, but on this particular night, the only sound was of the crunch of snow beneath their feet. Charles was deep in thought, and Elsie was watching him. She had some idea about what was going through his mind and she wanted to help, but she wasn't sure how.
Elsie was ready with the key to the front door; she unlocked it with ease and they shuffled inside. Charles took her overcoat, as usual, and hung his own coat and hat on the rack beside hers. Elsie unpinned her hat and made her way to their bedroom, where she quickly changed out of her black dress. She was a little surprised that he had not followed her, to change for dinner, but she didn't think much of it as she dressed and adjusted a few pins in her hair. Perhaps he meant to make up the fire first.
As she bustled into the kitchen, she found Charles sitting there, still in his livery, staring into space. He had untied his white tie, but otherwise he still looked as elegantly pristine as he had while serving dinner. Elsie paused for a moment to watch him and a small smile played across her lips. He never believed her when she occasionally told him how handsome he always looked, but it was perfectly true.
Charles awoke from his reverie and they gazed at each other for a few moments in silence before he held out a trembling hand to her. She immediately approached him and took it. He tugged at her a little and kept pulling until his arms were wrapped around her hips, his ear resting against her stomach. Elsie held him to her. Charles shed no tears, but his eyes were closed in a forlorn expression that tore at her heart.
"There, there, love," she murmured, kissing the top of his head. "Everything will be all right."
"Will it?" he wondered, sighing heavily.
"Yes, it will," she said, her tone sympathetic "Different, perhaps. But all right."
He sighed again and tightened his arms around her a bit.
"Do you believe me?" Elsie asked him.
"No," he answered quietly. "But I think I will do. I just need a little time."
"Of course."
"Thank you."
"I hope you'll tell me if there's anything I can do to help."
"You're already doing it," he told her.
Elsie laughed a little. "This is very pleasant, dear, but I don't think I can hold you this way while we're at work. The others might begin to talk."
"That's not what I mean."
Elsie was perplexed. "What do you mean, then?"
He loosened his arms and leaned back to look into her face. "You love me," Charles said simply.
"I do."
"That makes the bad things matter less and the good things seem better," he explained.
Elsie swallowed hard. "I hope you mean that," she whispered, caressing his cheek with her palm.
"I do."
She smiled again. "Then everything really will be all right."
Charles looked at her earnestly, his eyes flicking between her eyes and her lips, the way they did when he wanted to kiss her, but hadn't decided whether he would or not. Often this little quirk of his occurred at inopportune moments when a kiss was out of the question, when they not alone, for example. However, it still pleased Elsie that his inclination was not ruled by the same laws as his behavior. In this case, though, there was no reason to hesitate and she immediately pressed her lips to his in a speaking kiss. Elsie was expressing, as best she could in this fashion, her devotion and her belief in him under any circumstances and Charles was trying to communicate his fear alongside his determination to accept her love in every form it took. She cradled his face between her hands and he continued to hold her by the hips. In their kiss grew a certain desperation and when they broke apart for breath, Elsie's expression was regretful.
"Charles," she murmured. "The dinner…" She would have liked to allow him to lead her out of the room right now, but she knew they would regret going to bed without dinner. She kissed him once more, briefly, and went about the business of cooking. Rather than going to the bedroom to change his clothes, he remained in the kitchen and watched her. She sat close to him while they ate. They were silent for a while before he spoke up.
"Elsie."
"Yes, dear?"
"You are beautiful, you know."
She smiled and colored at his compliment.
"Do you believe me?" he asked.
"I believe that you think so."
"I doubt it's only me."
Her lips twitched and she patted his thigh. "Ah, but you are the only one who matters."
It was his turn to smile and flush.
After they finished eating, Charles kissed Elsie's cheek and left her to do the washing up. From time to time he helped her, but she was glad he had decided against it tonight. She didn't care if a dish slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor, but she knew it could be devastating to him in his current fragile state of mind. Once she had finished, she hurried to the bedroom, where she found her husband in bed in his pajamas, looking out into space, hands folded across his stomach. She quickly changed into her nightgown, slid under the covers, and moved to sit beside him. She kissed his cheek and he turned to her with sad eyes.
"Elsie, look at me," he whispered, holding up his trembling hands.
She took one of them between hers and kissed it, before moving closer and kissing his lips. She was glad when he responded to her touch, in spite of himself. He forgot his troubles for a time, until he lay with his arm draped over his wife's waist, her head resting on his chest. He realized, just as Elsie had hoped, that his trembling hands had not interfered in the slightest with the intimacy they had just shared. She knew that this would not erase all of his doubts and fears about his future, but he was beginning to realize that all was not lost.
The next morning when they were walking to work, he had a little spring in his step and his expression, though serious, had lost the hopelessness of yesterday.
"Happy new year, darling," Elsie said.
He turned to her and smiled fully. "Happy new year, Elsie." And he held her hand the rest of the way to the Abbey.
The end.
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