After a few years out of writing, I decided to try my hand again. This took its inspiration from my realizing what view a tall man would have had of me when I was wearing my corset the other day. True story there.
Set Post Series 4 Christmas Special
After the mess of the last few days from returning from London and reorganizing the house after her absence, all of this compounded by an unexpected heat wave, Mrs. Hughes could think of nothing better to do than getting out of her clothing and into her bed. The last of the maids had been sent to bed, and Mr. Carson was just sending the footmen up as she shut her door. Everyone, even Mr. Carson, had a slight sheen of sweat on their foreheads as they moved towards the stairs.
"Goodnight Mr. Carson"
"Goodnight Mrs. Hughes, let us pray for cooler weather."
"Amen to that" she said chuckling and began climbing the stairs behind him.
Once to her room, she stripped off her dress as quickly as the small buttons would allow. Her shift was damp with sweat and stuck to her legs and chest above her corset. She sat down, kicking off her shoes, and rolling down her stockings. The feeling of fresh air hitting her legs was heaven. She breathed a sigh of relief, before moving to her washbasin to wet a flannel.
As she brought the cool cloth up to her face, there was a loud crash, followed by a cacophony of yells from the men's side. Dropping the flannel, she threw her dressing gown on and flung open her door. Shooing the maids back into their rooms, she turned the key and opened the door to the men's side, and bit back a laugh.
Sprawled on the floor were James and Thomas, the latter with a bloody nose, both yelling at each other.
"Be careful opening doors on the hallway you dumb clod!"
"How was I to know you'd be rushing down the hall this late?"
"That's beside the point Jimmy, you should be careful up here! It's not a bleeding promenade is it?"
Biting back a laugh, she looked to Mr. Carson, standing over them in his untucked shirt-tails and no tie, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Mr. Barrow, please calm down and go clean yourself up. James, if you would kindly remember this is not a race track, it would be greatly appreciated. Now everyone, to bed!" he finished, gesturing to the various men poking their heads from doorways. With that he turned to walk back towards his room.
"I see all is under control then Mr. Carson?" She smiled up at his frustrated expression. James and Thomas had become fast friends, but the rocky beginning full of accusations occasionally reared its head.
He sighed coming closer to her and began "All is well over here Mrs. Hughes, thanks for your…" he broke off mid sentence staring down at her.
She began to ask him what was the matter when she noticed his eye line. He wasn't looking down at her face as he usually did, his gaze had focused a bit lower. Looking down at herself she realized why. In her haste into it, she had only managed to get her dressing gown closed from her waist down. The top of her corset was visible, as was her damp chemise sticking to the tops of her breasts spilling over from her corset. Breathing heavily from the rush of excitement and covered in a sheen of sweat, she looked like a scene from one of the novels she was always confiscating from new maids.
Looking back up at his face, he had turned redder and, though it may have been her imagination, was breaking into a new sweat. She quickly wrapped the top of her dressing gown more securely across her chest, trying desperately to not blush.
"My apologies Mr. Carson. If you've got everything under control, I'll just head back now," she smiled shyly up at him.
The movement of her dressing gown had brought his eyes back up to her face. He nodded curtly, saying "Of course, but again, thank you for the concern," and then turning he went into his room.
Locking the door behind her, she shooed a few more maids back to bed, assuring them all was in order on the other side. Shutting herself back into her room as fast as she could, a huge grin broke out on her face.
Well, his interests were definitely not entirely proper after all,she thought holding her hand over her mouth to stop from laughing. Maybe the paddle in the sea wasn't for naught.
"Thank god for heat waves," she whispered, discarding her dressing gown and reaching for her corset laces.