A short ficlet based on a OTP prompt at Tumblr.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Charles's smugness.
Honestly, if he hadn't been distracted he'd have known something was up. Sybbie was as wise and sly as her mother had been. He took a moment to smile at distant memories (though they seemed like only days past), that would now forever be tinged with melancholy, of the young lady who'd died far before her time.
She had begun, as all wise women do when wanting something from a man, with flattery.
"Mr. Carson, Aunt Mary says you're the smartest man she knows. Is that right?" the little girl asked.
He held back a proud smile. No need to get puffed up. Lady Mary was likely just being kind, although he did feel that he knew a great deal about a wide variety of subjects and was gratified that someone at least had paid attention. "Well, I don't know about that Miss Sybbie, but I do try to learn all I can."
Sybbie smiled at him and somehow stole another tiny bit of his heart. He had thought his heart had completely belonged to another woman for what seemed like a lifetime, but he always seemed to find more to freely give away to the smiles of the children.
"You would answer any question wouldn't you?" she asked and looked at him with such wide pleading eyes that he would have gladly spun straw into gold. Those wide eyes should have made him far more suspicious that he'd been. Devious child.
"I will certainly try," he agreed with his kindest smile.
She bit her lip and reminded him forcefully of the owner of the greatest part of his heart. If he was not already completely smitten with this child, he would have been lost completely.
"It's just that Daddy didn't seem to know."
He would have liked to have said that warning bells went off in his head then, but he was still unfortunately oblivious. Stupid man that he was.
"Well, your father doesn't have the benefit of my years of experience," he said benevolently.
She smiled brightly at him and asked her question, "Where will Aunt Mary's baby come from?"
%%%%%%%%
He was now scowling at the woman he found most dear in the world and sorely tempted to throttle her. Or kiss her. Times like this could be quite confusing.
She sputtered out between hiccupping laughter, "France?! You told Miss Sybbie that babies come from France?"
"Well, I was put on the spot," he said huffily but began to see the humor in the whole episode himself and a grin threatened to break through.
"But France? Whatever made you think of France?" she asked.
He tugged down his waistcoat and said, "Well that is where Lady Mary had her honeymoon. I just told Miss Sybbie that she ordered the child there, and it would be delivered at a later date."
She laughed so hard now that she snorted in a decidedly un-ladylike but completely adorable manner. He couldn't hold back a laugh either.
"Well, she ordered something at any rate," she said.
"Elsie Carson!" he said in shock, but laughter increasing. With a tug on the hand he held, he pulled her from his desk to settle in his lap.
She smiled up at him and stroked his jaw before he bent to kiss her.
"Perhaps we should go to France," he suggested when he pulled back.
Her eyes clouded for a moment, "Charles, love, we can do all the ordering we like; there'll be no deliveries for us."
He smiled sadly and kissed her eyes, trying to chase the clouds away. "Perhaps not, but the ordering is just as fun, and we can enjoy other deliveries; Miss Sybbie, Master George, Young William and Gwen…"
She smiled and lifted her lips to his again. Her tender kiss was soon interrupted by another bout of laughter.
"France!"
He huffed, "Fair enough. I'll tell Master George they come from Italy."
Reviews are welcome as always