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Charles Carson strode from the backdoor with purpose. The noisy atmosphere of downstairs soon receded as his feet ground minute pebbles ever smaller on the lane into town. Measured, dignified steps could not keep up with his heart that started to gallop as he neared closer to his destination.
Anxiety tremored through his fingers as his body coiled ever tighter. His arms swung closer to his torso and strong legs.
It wasn't for lack of time. His well-tuned pocket watch ensured he started off from the big house with minutes to spare even though he regretted not being able to change into his own clothing.
But nothing could dissuade him, nothing until his destination was reached and everything was in hand.
His gloved paws clutched in the crisp air of the early spring morning. They clutched in memory of an action missing from his everyday routine for a few days. They clutched for a promise devoutly to be wished and soon to be realized.
It wasn't an errand on which Charles Carson found himself. Even if it was, he would never entrust it to anyone else.
He was privileged to be on this path and he was determined to earn his keep by continuing to demonstrate he was worthy of the charge. But he was propelled by something more simple yet no less profound. These were movements of a man possessing a deep-seated need that had long since been a part of him but only recently acknowledged.
The air was brisk as he walked but he hardly noticed it. His spinning thoughts were dominated by incalescent memories, warming with each spiraling circuit, furrowing deeper within him until reaching his very soul. He hardly needed his overcoat with such thoughts to keep him ablaze. Yet, he willed himself to calm, taking solace in the fact that this solitary but not lonesome journey was soon over.
A wisp of a breeze ensured his breath left small clouds in his wake, as if he were the very engine pulling the 11:37 into Downton Station moments ago.
Hearing the departing train whistle in the distance at 11:41, Charles Carson peered over his trusty timepiece before coming to a full stop six minutes later.
Guided by faith, he was stood as a sentry on the deserted road. Outwardly, he was motionless. But anticipation pervaded every pore as the moments ticked by.
Soon, he thought he heard the faint and rhythmic brushing of soles on pavement grow louder, echoing in the organic chamber of the tree-lined lane, matching his beating heart that yearned for his eyes to confirm what his ears and heart already knew.
In those final moments, his faith consoled him. His chest jutted out as his eyes remain fixed on the horizon—not as a butler at the ready, but as a man brimming with great emotion underneath a barely controlled façade.
Movement finally caught his eye at the bend in the road.
A breath caught in his throat.
And in that final moment of his solitary journey, his countenance bloomed in a great awakening that rivaled the fresh blooms of the burgeoning canopy that housed his reunion with the keeper of his heart.
Reviews are always appreciated (especially when I finally managed to be brief! Less than 1000 words FTW).