The snow on Downton had already melted by the time the day before Valentine arrived, but there were some clouds gathering on the sky and the sound of thunder echoed through the small village.
"I can't believe clouds are gathering again." Said Cora, sighing, finishing her morning walk. Mrs. Hughes was with her as Cora invited her to join.
"It is indeed a shame, my lady." Replied Mrs. Hughes. "Another stormy Valentine wouldn't be exactly what you might have been looking for, as you're such a fan."
Cora did a frail smile. "Yes… It somewhat ruins the aura around it, Mrs. Hughes. But there's always one way around it."
"I'm sure there is, my lady."
"And of course, you still have your day off, Mrs. Hughes. You and the rest of the staff." Cora smiled, entering the house.
Elsie nodded. "Thank you, my lady. And now if you excuse me…"

"Mrs. Patmore, I take you are doing a famous Chocolate treats for Valentine, are you not?" Charles asked, entering the kitchen.
Mrs. Patmore was busy around the oven and the table, with the help of Daisy. She rolled her eyes at Charles' question. "Yes, Mr. Carson. Hands off, they're for tomorrow."
"May I ask you something? In private?" Charles asked, politely standing there next to the door, with his hands behind his back.
"Heavens above, it never ends well when you want to ask me something in private, Mr. Carson. Did you finally open the gates to hell?" She joked, cleaning her hands and following Charles to his pantry.
Charles politely waited for Beryl to enter completely in her pantry, closing the door behind her. He was still a bit unsure about how would he put it to her.
"I would like you to do me a favour." He said.
Beryl crossed her arms and waited for his request. "I'm all ears. But you might need to know that I'm quite the busy woman."
"I want you… Well, I don't exactly know how to ask you this. It's quite… delicate, you see."
She raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Carson?"
"Would you bake some more of those treats… It doesn't have to be a lot of them but would you? They're not for me, I swear, they're… for a very close friend." Charles hands were shaking slightly. "And of course, you would have a slight raise on your payment if you did that."
Beryl sighed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt make a couple more of them."
"And put them in a box?"
"Aren't you asking a bit too much by now?"
"Please, Mrs. Patmore."
"Oh, alright. I'm in a good mood. I shall do what you ask." She shrugged, walking closer to the door.
"I also count on your discretion, Mrs. Patmore."
"I'll be silent as a mouse, Mr. Carson."

"Mrs. Hughes! Would you please wait for a second?"
Elsie stopped and turned to the person who asked for her. "Oh, Mrs. Crawley. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Isobel smiled. "I actually want to know where might Mr. Carson be by this time? He asked me to get him something and I can't seem to find him."
"Heavens, is he alright? Did he ask for any sort of medicine?" Elsie changed to a slightly more worried tone of voice.
"Oh, don't you worry, it's another thing. He did not exactly tell me what it is so I think I am as clueless as you are."
"Oh, that's a relief. Well, if he is not yelling at any of the young footman, he is probably polishing silver on his pantry. Do you want me to accompany you there?"
Isobel nodded no and smiled. "Oh, don't bother, Mrs. Hughes. I don't want to slow your work down. I know my way there."
"If you say so, Mrs. Crawley."
"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes."

Isobel went down the staircase to the servants' hall. She was there once when she was asked to bring some painkillers for Charles once and she was there quite often during the war. She knocked on the door to Charles' pantry.
"Yes?" She heard a deep voice from the other side of the door.
"Mr. Carson, it's me, Mrs. Crawley."
Charles placed the piece of silver he had on his hands on the table and walked over the door to open it, giving space for Isobel to enter. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Crawley."
"I've brought what you asked for, Mr. Carson. And no, I haven't taken the opportunity to take a peek at it." She joked, handing him a small package that was slightly heavy.
"Oh, Mrs. Crawley, you were more than in your right to do so. Allow me to show you what is this." He carefully opened the box.
His big fingers always managed to handle the most delicate of things. He took out a medallion, an heart-shaped one. The silver linings were perfect, the chain was simple but yet delicate and beautiful.
"Mr. Carson, that's indeed very beautiful!" Isobel was astonished with its beauty.
"Thank you, Mrs. Crawley. I have been saving for this little piece for a while. Maybe an year or so." He sighed, putting it back on the package. "You're a lifesaver, Mrs. Crawley."
"Well, I've always been fond of you. And this was nothing, really. You only asked me to hold it on for you." She grinned. "I take the woman who will receive that gift is very special."
"Oh, she is, Mrs. Crawley." The hint of a smile was on his face. "Thank you again, Mrs. Crawley. I do not know how to repay you."
"Repay me? Oh Mr. Carson, don't even think about it!" She chuckled. "This was nothing, really."
"I will repay you somehow in the future anyway, if you don't mind."
"I do mind but I guess I cannot do anything against it, can I?"

"Do you mind if I enter, your lordship? I won't take long."
Robert turned on his library chair to the door, smiling. "Of course, Mrs. Hughes, enter, enter."
"Thank you, your lordship." She entered and stood there politely.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Mrs. Hughes?"
"I was about to ask you if you could lend me one book or two for tomorrow. It might rain so I guess any plans that I would have for a walk in the village tomorrow are cancelled, so I was hoping I could read something. I also bring the last one that you lent to me."
Robert grinned. "Of course, Mrs. Hughes, be my guest. Did you enjoy the book?"
"Oh yes, it was very good, my lord." She smiled, approaching the shelves, putting the book where it belonged.
"I thought you'd like it. You've always been very fond in the fantastic, haven't you?"
"You're right, my lord. Since I was young girl, actually. I guess I've never grew up towards that." She joked, approaching the poetry shelves.
"Oh, what would be the point of growing up if we did not have some guilty pleasures, Mrs. Hughes?" He joined her next to the shelves. "Looking for poetry, I see?"
"I don't want to bother you, my lord. Anything would be nice." She smiled slightly.
"What about some classics?" He took a book from a higher shelve. "You've always seemed to be the kind of woman who would enjoy some sonnets. Here."
He handed her a rather old book. "Shakespeare, my lord?"
"The best amongst the best, in my opinion. Take care of it, as it is rather old." He smiled to her, going back to his desk.
She had no words. Would he trust her so much with such a precious book?
"Thank you, my lord." She smiled and went out of the library, holding the book against her chest.

- The very next day -

"Good morning, Mr. Carson." Elsie greeted Charles as they went down the stairs to the servant's hall together. "Ready for your day off?"
"I'm never ready for a day off, Mrs. Hughes. You should know that by now." He smiled at her. "And you? Planning to have a walk through the woods and the village? Some sightseeing?"
Elsie laughed lightly. "If only, Mr. Carson. I'm afraid it's raining today, sadly. I will catch on some reading on my pantry and rest the whole day."
"Oh, are you now? That's always a good thing. I was thinking we could have a cup of tea together later."
Elsie blushed slightly, smiling at the thought of being alone with him once again. "Well, of course, Mr. Carson. You're more than invited for that."

The morning passed quite quickly. Even though the rain, Charles went to the local pub for a drink while he waited for the right moment to go home and get ready for his plan.
It was quite simple – he had some chocolates and a note ready to be placed on Elsie's pantry. He had his gift on his jacket and the thought of making this day perfect for her. He has been dreaming about this day for quite a while – since April from the previous year. The first day he got to kiss Elsie, to hold her in his arms. They had few moments for such privacy since then and this would probably be the only day they would be able to do it again.
He got up, paid the bill and went home, getting ready for a good day.

Elsie spent the afternoon talking with Mrs. Patmore and Anna. Some minor gossip, some woman-to-woman talk. Something she missed from her earlier years on the house. But she couldn't take out of her mind the fact that she'd be alone with Charles. She was alone quite often with him, but since last April, she did not know what to do – everything was so sudden. She was waiting for the roses to bloom to send him a message, but there were none whatsoever. She could only rely on the tea they would have together.
"Well, if you excuse me, I shall go read something now." Elsie got up, smothered her dress and went to her pantry. She closed the door and sighed. When she approached her desk to grab her book, she saw a box with a note. Quite intrigued with the gift, she opened the box. There were two of the chocolate treats Mrs. Patmore baked. Raising an eyebrow, she opened the note. She took a moment to read the whole thing and by the end of it, she gasped.

Despite the rain – and I know how that ruined your plans for this… perhaps dull day of the year, I would like you to join me, Elsie Hughes. By the wild rosebush, if you still remember where it is. I most certainly think you do, as it is a very special place for both of us.

I will patiently wait for you there, my dear.
Always yours,
C.C.

She grabbed her coat and umbrella as fast as she could. Her heart wanted to jump out her chest. She went out the servant's part of the house and opened her umbrella. He remembered that day. The day she first felt his lips on hers. Fastening her step, rushing, almost running and almost falling, she could see the back of him closer and closer and clearer and clearer as she got closer to him.
"I knew you'd see the note." He said, looking back at her but not turning.
"You're going to catch a cold, Charles! Are you out of your mind?"
Charles did nothing but to chuckle.
"Is there something funny in what I've said?"
"You called me by my first name." He turned to her.
She blushed and stopped talking. He approached her and stroke her face gently.
"I think you might have something to explain to me." She said.
"Oh, right, right. You see, we haven't had the time for… We haven't had the time for being alone properly this year that passed through. I wanted you on my arms every night since that afternoon in April. But our job and our positions in the house never allowed me such joy." He took a small box with a purple ribbon from his jacket. "I want you to have this. And I want you to know that I could never forget how much I love you, because I feel like I have been letting you down."
"Oh, Charles, don't even dare to say that…" She took the box and opened it, with Charles holding the umbrella for her. She took the heart medallion and gasped.
"Do you like it?" He asked, smiling at her.
"Charl- I- It's…" Elsie closed her mouth and breathed. "It's beautiful, but… I don't think I can-"
"Hush now, Elsie. I've bought it for you. It has another thing inside of it. Open it."
Elsie was completely paralyzed but she found the strength to open the heart-shaped medallion. It had a small rose engraved inside. A small rose that flooded with the tear that fell from Elsie's eye.
"I've told you that you're the most beautiful bloom of the spring. You've replied to me that you're hardly a bloom anymore and I've replied back at you that you were still a flower. You're still and I hope you'll forever be my rose. I love you and I want you, and even if he have to hide this from the world, and even if we have to run away. Even if the thunder brings us down, I want to go down with you. I want to fall apart with you."
He let the umbrellas fall from his hands to the sides of his body, letting the rain pour down their bodies. He lifted her face and pressed his lips against hers, feeling nothing but the taste of her sweet mouth. Elsie raised her before paralyzed arms to wrap them around his neck. She could hardly tell if the water on her face was her tears or the rain. He felt her mumbling the words 'I love you' while they kissed. She felt the sudden warm going up her veins to her chest and to her heart.
"I think we should go now." She said, breaking the kiss. "We're going to catch a cold."
"I don't care at all."
"Charles, that's not like you! The house of fall apart!"
"Right now, I don't care. But yes, we should go." He picked both their umbrellas and gave one to Elsie. "Look at us. We're both wet. People will talk."
"I think… I don't care at all."
She couldn't take his arm but for a brief moment, she took his hand as they approached the house. There was no one outside and they were careful not to be seen.
"What about that tea you promised?" He asked her, grinning.
"We can still have it, the day isn't over."

They both went inside, taking out her coats and going to their rooms to change their wet clothes. The silence between them was amazingly melodious, almost ironically. They did never need words.
But there was a poem inside Charles' head that he simply couldn't forget. He saw the Shakespeare's book on her pantry when he placed the note and the box of chocolates there.
He smiled as he sat down on his bed, taking his shirt, mumbling the poem on this breath.

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare. "