Charles puttered about his pantry, polishing the silver for tomorrows dinner service (for the fifth time), waiting for Elsie to return. She had gone to Ripon after lunch to run some errands, she had been very vague about it all. He wasn't really concerned about why she went out, he just wanted her back. Soon. It was getting late, and he had a surprise planned for when she returned and the rest of the staff went up to bed. He looked up at the clock on the wall, it was almost ten o'clock!
She had to be back by now. Charles went to check her sitting room. She wasn't there, and her coat was still gone. Now Charles was quite nervous, he checked the servants hall, and realized for the first time that everyone had gone up to bed. Charles knew Elsie hadn't gone to bed, he had told her after lunch that he had a surprise for her tonight. He went back to his pantry and sat at his desk, he kept telling himself she was fine, she would be back any second. But he had a very bad feeling, she was never out this late, not without him. He stood up, grabbed his coat, and set out for her. He would loved Elsie more than he could say and if anything happened to her…he didn't even know what he would do. He had to find her.
It was very late, it had all taken Elsie much longer than she had planned, picking up the things she'd need to make a new dress, and the sewing supplies Anna had asked for. And she had gotten a present for charles, two actually, a novel for Christmas, which was no more than a month away. And she knew he had surprise planned for tonight, so she picked up some sweets for them to share.
She made her way through the village, towards the road leading to the house, hoping he wasn't too worried, it must be after nine. As she walked she wondered what his surprise might be, something extremely romantic knowing him. Most people would never believe the stiff collared butler of Downton Abbey was such a helpless romantic, but she knew her man, knew how tender his touch was, how passionate his kiss, how strong his arms…but she was drawn out of her thoughts when she heard something behind her. Footsteps.
She dared not look behind her, she just quickened her pace. And for a while the footsteps stopped, then she heard rustling in the trees around her, and then she tripped on something, a second later a hand was over her mouth, and she was being slammed against a tree. She tried to see who it was that had her pinned to the tree, but he was behind her, and she couldn't turn her head. All she could tell was that he was a shorter man, and rather fat. She tried to bite the hand over mouth, but all that did was get her head slammed against the tree. She tried to get away but he was too large, she began to panic when she realized she was trapped, and all she could think to do was scream, even though she knew no one would hear, because his hand was covering her mouth, and there was no one around to hear her anyways. But she screamed anyways, and began to cry, as she became aware of where his other hand had strayed.
He had ripped open her dress, and was making quick work of her corset. She thought she was going to be sick when she felt his erection pressing against her bottom. she felt the chill of the winter air against her chest as he finished with her corset. She screamed louder and tried to bite him again as she felt him groping her, ripping her chemise, and as he pulled hard at her nipples, he pressed himself closer, and spoke in her ear,
"if you keep trying to bite me, you bitch, I will kill you, now if you know whats good for you, you'll stop struggling and maybe you'll get to see that butler of yours again"
At the thought of charles she cried even harder, though she tried to quiet her sobs. She struggled less. she knew it was useless, and all she wanted was for it to be over with, so she could go home, to charles, to his arms. she kept telling herself everything would be alright as soon as she got to charles. She realized he had stopped groping her, and she very nearly threw up, when she realized her skirts where hiked up, and the bastard behind her was undoing his pants.
Then he took his hand off her mouth, and moved away, and she took the opportunity to try to run but only made it about 3 feet from the tree, as she stumbled and then she finaly did throw up, as everything started to spin and she thought she would pass out as she knelt on the ground gagging and trying to catch her breath. Everything around her faded out, and all she could think of was trying not to pass out.
It was several minutes before she realized her attacker had never come back after her, and then she realized someone was kneeling on the ground behind her, just a little to her left, and that it was charles. One of his hands was holding hers, and the other was rubbing small circles on her back.
"elsie, it's alright…my love, it's alright…you're safe now elsie, you're safe" his voice was calming, and as he spoke her breathing steadied. Everything else was coming back into focus. She turned to look at him. He was covered in blood, it spattered across his face, and could be seen on his collar as well. But he didn't look injured, and that was a relief to elsie. Charles cupped her face in his hands and wiped the still falling tears from her cheeks, and elsie noticed the tears forming in his eyes.
"hold me" her voice was barely a whisper, she had screamed so much her voice was gone. Charles pulled her into his arms, and elsie immediately felt safe, secure, like nothing and no one could hurt her, as long as she was in the arms of this man. Elsie looked over Charles' shoulder and for the first time got a look at her attacker, it was Mr. Tufton. He was covered in blood and one side of his face was pretty badly busted up, he also looked to be unconscious, maybe dead, but Elsie couldn't stand to look at him any longer, so she buried her face in charles' coat.
Elsie soon became aware of several things. First, that Charles had beaten Mr. tufton within an inch of his life, something Elsie never would have thought him capable of, because tufton had attacked her. Second, that she was freezing cold and the front of her dress was torn open and her corset was gone, and her breasts where fully exposed. And lastly she realized Charles was sobbing into her hair.
"shhhh…my love, it's alright…I'm alright." her voice was still rather hoarse, as she reached up to stroke the back of his neck.
"but I am very cold, can we please go home now?" she was shivering in his arms, he held tighter for a moment then released her and helped her stand.
"here, you must be freezing out here," he took his coat off and put it on her sholders, she pulled it tight around her, as she looked to the unconscious body of mr. tufton. Charles followed her gaze, hatred and rage building in him again.
"we'll just leave him here, I'll call the police when we get back to the house, and they can come and get him, with any luck he'll be dead before they find him." Charles said as he bent to collect elsie's scattered belongings. The anger in his voice was strangely comforting to Elsie. With her shopping, handbag, and corset in one hand, charles wrapped his other arm around elsie, and they started toward the house.
_
As they walked to the house they didn't speak. They didn't need to, not yet. Charles held Elsie close as they walked. He felt like his heart had been ripped in two. And he hoped with every bit of his soul that Tufton, that miserable bastard, died before the police found him. He had never been so angry in his life, or so afraid, as he had been when he had been looking for elsie, had heard what sounded like muffled screaming, and had found her pinned against a large tree, that bastard touching her. That thought of what would have happened if he had not found them when he did, it was something he couldn't even bare to imagine. It wasn't just the thought of her being violated like that, she could have been killed, or seriously hurt, the thought alone was almost more than he could bare.
At last they reached the house and Elsie was so grateful to be out of the cold, she slipped of Charles's coat, and her own, then remembered to state of her dress, so she put Charles's coat back on, as charles entered his pantry,
"Elsie, I'm gonna phone the police, then I'll make us some tea, do you want to sit down and rest-"
"no my love, you phone the police, I'm going to go up to my room and change, put all the shopping in my sitting room and then lock up down here, I'll be waiting in your room when you come up." she was beginning to cry again, and as she turned to leave charles gently grabbed her hand.
"I love you. I love you so much, I don't know if I'll ever be able to put it into words." tears were appearing in his eyes now, as again he though of what might of happened to her.
"I'll be waiting for you when you come up." and with that she left and went up to change.
