Charles slammed his pantry door shut as she left. That damned insufferable woman, she was driving him up the wall these past few weeks. Her comments were cutting, her sarcasm taken to new heights, and that damned eye roll she gave him nearly every time she saw him was just too much. She had been sick, they had lost first Sybil and then Matthew, for a while he figured it was the stress. But some time had passed, the house was easing back to normal and yet she was still...well insufferable.
He groaned as he looked down at the paper she had left with him. Mrs. Patmore had changed the menu yet again, and he had no wine to go with the new desert. This dinner party was tomorrow for heavens sake! Storming back to the door he threw it open and bellowed down the hall. "Mrs. Hughes!" Her mood had turned his own around quite quickly. Desert would be changed back and then he was going to figure out what exactly was going on with her.
Elsie groaned, he was the last thing she wanted to deal with. Between Mr. Carson and Mrs. Patmore she was going to lock herself in the store cupboard and refuse to come out until this damned dinner party was over with. She idly wondered if she could hide somewhere out of sight and let him think she'd gone, well anywhere but here. She looked up from the linen rota in front of her as her door flew open. "Really Mr. Carson. Whatever has gotten into you?"
"This. Mrs. Hughes." He held the revised menu up and waved it at her, "Is not going to work. I've not got the proper wine here for this desert. You must tell Mrs. Patmore the change is unacceptable and she'll have to return to her previous menu."
"Well, Mr. Carson...perhaps you can take the issue up with the farmer who didn't deliver the apples he was supposed to because none of them were any good. Or perhaps you can produce enough apples out of thin air to prepare an adequate number of apple tarts and have it your way." Her own voice was rising as she stood, her arms crossed over her chest. "You've got to have something in that wine cellar that will do, or you can go to town and find something. I don't care what you do but I'm not going over this again."
"I do not have anything that will work with the Chocolate Mousse and I highly doubt I'll find anything in Ripon, especially not on such short notice!"
Anna heard the fighting coming from Mrs. Hughes sitting room and quickly moved to direct a pair of housemaids in the other direction. She knew from experience none of the girls wanted to cross either of those two at the moment.
Moving her hands to her sides Elsie pushed past his towering form and stomped towards his pantry. If he wasn't going to find a wine she'd do it herself.
"Mrs. Hughes where do you think you're going?" He followed her, his long strides easily catching up to her as she plucked the key for the wine cellar off it's hook. "And what do you think you're doing?"
"Your job Mr. Carson. That is what I'm going to do. I'm going to go and find a damned wine to serve with dinner tomorrow." Turning the key in the lock she threw the door open and stomped down the stairs key still in hand.
He sputtered unsure of what to say in response to that. She openly admitted she wasn't a great judge of wines, what on Earth did she think she was going to do pluck some random bottle off the shelves and call it good? He stormed down the stairs after her the door swinging shut behind him. At least down here he could yell at her and they wouldn't have an audience. As he stepped off the last stair the sight before him was far from what he expected. He couldn't tell if she was crying or simply catching her breath, his own breath caught in his throat for a moment as he watched her.
Elsie stood with her forehead resting against the cool wall. She didn't know why exactly she was so angry with him, he hadn't done anything wrong. Every one of her nerves was on edge all the time, perhaps it was the brutal reminders that life was far too short. She wanted something...anything really from him. Anything more than the polite arm he offered as they walked to church, more than the tea or wine they shared at the end of a long day. She wanted all the things she couldn't have, and wouldn't ever ask for. "Leave me be Mr. Carson. I'll sort out your wine and dinner will be fine as usual."
"I will not leave, this is my wine cellar and you've not a clue what you're looking for down here."
She turned and rolled her eyes at him for the millionth time. "No, Mr. Carson I have not a clue about your damn wines but I also can't make things magically appear when we need them so something is going to have to give! I'm tired of this fight. I'm tired and I'm not doing it anymore!"
She crossed the room so that she was standing toe to toe with them, her hands on her hips, a few strands of hair hung down around her face having worked themselves loose as she stormed through the halls. She barely fought back the urge to beat upon his great chest with both of her fists.
Before she could say anymore he gathered her up in his arms and let his lips crash down on hers. He expected her to fight, to pull away and slap him, but he was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to kiss her, to do much more. When she didn't he pressed deeper, running his tongue across her lips. Seeking, no begging, for entrance, and she gave it.
She didn't know what was happening, or what had gotten into him, but she honestly didn't care. She moaned against his lips, freeing her arms from his grasp and running them over his chest, his arms, his neck. Whatever she could reach. They were moving, though neither of them realized it and soon her back was pressed against the wall.
The need for air became dire and he drew back, resting his forehead against hers. "Mrs. Hughes...I...I'm..."
"Shut up Charles. Just shut up. And my name is Elsie you'll do good to remember that." To silence him she returned his earlier favor and pressed her lips against his. She needed him, needed more, taking hold of his left hand she pressed it against her breast, unsure of where the courage came from.
He groaned against her lips, he wasn't going to be able to stop if this went on much longer. "Elsie if I don't stop...I'm not going...to be able to."
Letting her head fall back against the wall she forced her eyes open to look at him. "Then don't. Don't stop. Please don't stop."
That was all he needed, his lips moved over her jaw line, to her ear lobe, and down her neck. Every inch of flesh he could find. His hands began gathering her skirt, this wasn't how he'd imagined their first time would be. He'd fantasized about this in various rooms of the house, but he never thought he'd get this chance. He had to give her one more chance to back out, he'd never forgive himself if he didn't. "Just tell me to stop...and I'll stop."
"Don't...you dare..." She pressed her body against him, she could feel his need and if his hand moved much higher he'd be certain of her own desire as well. Her hands moved to his pants fumbling to unfasten them as he gathered her skirts higher, his fingers brushing the bare skin of her thighs. "Damn it. Get them off!" With a rough jerk and the ripping sound of material as his under shorts tore she pressed herself against him again.
That was all it took, he pressed himself through the opening of her knickers and with one hard thrust entered her swiftly. Pulling her legs up he moved them around his waist as he drove into her, over and over against the wall.
She clutched to his arms, her face buried against the flesh of his neck, effectively muffling her moans as much as possible. It wasn't going to take long, she'd been wound so tight for so very long the slightest touch from him sent flames along her skin. This...this was more than she could have ever fantasized or imagined. "Charles..."
She was real, so very real, and moaning his name. Wrapping his arm around her waist he moved his hand up to her chin, tipping her head back and forcing her to look at him. "I love you Elsie, God knows I've loved you...for a long time." Seeking her lips with his once more he drove into her, his thrusts hard and erratic as he neared the edge.
Elsie wanted to reply, to tell him she felt the same way, but oh his lips were on hers, those lips that brought her so much joy and could anger her moments later. It was the straw that broke her as she tumbled over the edge around him, letting him swallow her moans.
He followed her moments later, still easily supporting her weight as he let his forehead rest against her shoulder while he caught his breath.
With a trembling hand she reached up and teased the hair at the back of his neck lightly. "I love you too Charles. You know that don't you? God knows I've loved you for years. Next time though...next time let's at least use a settee? I'm not sure I'm going to be able to walk out of here."
He laughed against her skin, easing his grip on her so that she could place her feet back on the ground, running his hands over her sides slowly. "I'll keep that in mind, how about next time you just tell me what you need. So...you know... I don't cause you any further discomfort. Or take out a wall with our activities."
Laughing she kissed his cheek lightly. "Just find a bottle of wine while I fix my hair would you?" She pushed him back gently as she stretched her legs and smoothed her skirt back into place. Grinning as he groaned softly while bending over to pull his trousers back up surveying the damage to his undershorts. They'd stay in place long enough for him to change. "You've ruined a perfectly good pair of undershorts woman."
Rolling her eyes at him again while she refastened her hair. "Bring them down tonight when you come to my sitting room and I'll mend them."
"I won't be having you mend my personal items Mrs. Hughes." He looked at her in shock.
"You honestly think the laundry maids...who are terrified of you by the way... mend your shorts?" She just laughed as she shook her head and moved back up the stairs, hanging the key on its hook and holding the door open for him. Rolling her eyes again as she waited she muttered to herself, "Daft man."
