A/N: Thanks for all the feedback on Chapter 1 and encouragement to continue writing - yay! I've done so a lot over the end of the year/ beginning of this new one. Just a note that I've pulled from some real life experiences for this chapter. Although the name of the inn is one I can't remember, the layout of the inn itself and the Carsons' room at The Chadwick Arms is indeed just like one I stayed in a few years back in a small village in the UK. And Chadwick is a UK-based coworker of mine. Enjoy and keep the feedback and reviews coming! Happy 2017!
Scarborough was the end of the line. As the train pulled into Scarborough Station and other passengers were already queuing outside their compartment to exit, Charles shifted his body, kissed the top of Elsie's head, then matter-of-factly stated, "Time to move along, Mrs. Carson. We have a reservation to keep." With that, he stood up, put on his bowler before extending his left hand to Elsie to help her to her feet. As she checked her hat, Charles began to gather their luggage. The train now stationary, Charles let Elsie lead the way to the exit stairs where the conductor aided her down to the platform before offering to help Charles with one of the bags so that he could easier navigate the stairs by holding the handrail.
Both now squarely on the platform, Charles voiced his appreciation to the conductor while Elsie suggested she was perfectly able to carry one of the bags to make things easier on her husband. It was just as Charles was beginning to explain that there was to be a driver meeting them at the station that he spotted a young, uniformed chauffeur holding up a small sign that had the name "Carson" printed on it. "Over there, love," Charles nodded in the direction of the driver. Walking toward the young man, Charles could see "The Chadwick Arms" written in a smaller typeset at the top. "We are Mr. and Mrs. Carson," Charles explained proudly. Though both the train and station had all but emptied, the uniformed young man looked Charles up and down, skeptically, replying, "I'm sorry, sir, but the Carsons I am driving are on their honeymoon."
Charles bellowed back, "Indeed you should be sorry, young man, for we are most certainly on our honeymoon! Now, are you taking us to The Chadwick Arms for that honeymoon, or shall we walk?" In an attempt to calm her husband, Elsie gently placed her right, gloved hand on his strong forearm, its muscles firm from still lifting the two suitcases in his hand and the tension throughout his body. "Please forgive my husband's tone, it's been a big day for us, but we are indeed the honeymooning Carsons."
"Oh, I beg your pardon, Mr. and Mrs. Carson, forgive me. I, I just assumed it was a much younger couple - do follow me please. The vehicle is just through the vestibule and out the other side. And please, let me carry your luggage." Still seething at the chauffeur's presumption, Charles gladly handed the young driver whose nametag read "Thomas" their three bags. "That figures," he muttered under his breath.
Elsie enquired, "What was that, Charles?"
Back in the moment, Charles looked down into her soft and adoring eyes, relaxing his own reply. "Nothing dear. Shall we follow the fellow?"
Elsie reached down for his right hand with her left, gave it a good squeeze and smiled, "We shall."
The driver held the door for Elsie as she climbed in first, followed by Charles. The young man stood straight and tall, carefully avoiding eye contact with the stern and robust Mr. Carson. With both his passengers settled into the back seat, Thomas shut the door beside Charles and climbed in behind the steering wheel. "Our drive to The Chadwick Arms will only take a few minutes, Mr. and Mrs. Carson. I hope you will be comfortable." With that, the engine hummed to a start and they were soon pulling out of the station. The gaslights were beginning to take effect along the streets of Scarborough. Shop windows were dark, adorned with familiar printed signs that said, "Closed. Please call again," and other variations on that theme.
The Chadwick Arms as they soon learned was tucked beside a small decorative fountain behind which was a small shopping district. It was by no means the High Street of Scarborough, rather, it had a bit of the feel of a neighborhood. Behind the hotel, hidden in the darkness, was a city park with lush gardens. Two stories tall and with warm, candlelit windows facing the street, The Chadwick Arms was a welcome sight to the newlyweds after their joyous but long day. Thomas stopped the car in the hotel's circular drive, exited the vehicle and opened Elsie's door, helping her out. Charles was in the process of stepping out of the vehicle as Thomas came back around to his side. Waiting until Charles was out completely, Thomas stepped ahead to the front door and opened it for the Carsons to pass. "The reception desk is straight ahead, just past the pub, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Carson. I will bring your bags in momentarily."
"Thank you, Thomas," Elsie replied, while Charles brusquely nodded his acknowledgment.
The pub room just inside The Chadwick Arms had a few tables occupied when Charles and Elsie passed on their way to the front desk. A middle-aged man, slightly built and on the short side was standing behind the desk. He looked up to greet the new guests. "Good evening! You are Mr. and Mrs. Carson, yes?"
"Indeed, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carson. And you are Mr. Nathan, I presume, the manager?" Charles inquired.
"Yes, welcome. We have of course been expecting you any minute now. It was very helpful that you had advised us of your train number, Mr. Carson. We have our best room for you and have PREPARED it exactly as you requested Mr. Carson. My porter just went up a few minutes ago for the final details. I expect that he will be down any moment and then will bring your luggage up to your room. If I may ask you to sign the register, I will be happy to escort you to the room myself."
Charles stepped to the tall counter and looked down at the register laid out in front of him. The pages were neat and orderly and at first glance reminded him of his ledgers back at Downton. Taking the pen from its holder, Charles was pleased to see a fountain nib. Seeing the tip herself, Elsie rolled her eyes. That alone would be reason enough for Charles to choose this hotel over all other 'modern' ones! That said she already liked what she saw of The Chadwick Arms. It was warm and welcoming, clean, and a fraction the size of the Abbey. She was anxious to see their room and the preparations Mr. Nathan had alluded to. What on Earth had Charles arranged? Surely nothing too risqué, though her imagination began to run wild, her heart beating faster before she took a big, unexpectedly loud breath that caught Charles's attention. "Elsie?"
"Hmmm? Oh, I seem to have been somewhere else momentarily."
"Ah, here is Benjamin now," Mr. Nathan announced as another uniformed staff member descended the stairs. "Benjamin please get Mr. and Mrs. Carson's bags from Thomas and meet us upstairs. I am going to take them up right now to show them their room." Gesturing to the staircase immediately to his left, Mr. Nathan continued, "Mrs. Carson, if you would, please."
Elsie stepped forward and began to climb the stairs, with Charles familiarly falling in step behind her followed by Mr. Nathan. There was a small landing and switchback before they reached the top of the staircase. Greeting her were double fire doors. "Allow me, Mrs. Carson," Mr. Nathan offered, reaching for the handle. "Room 12 will be to your left, at the far end of the hall, right side." They proceeded down the hallway and a short flight of three stairs before seeing the number 12 beside a doorframe. "Here we are, I'll just open it for you," Mr Nathan said as he produced the key. He inserted it in the keyhole, turned his wrist and then grabbed the doorknob with his other hand pushing the door open. "After you, please," as he held the extracted key out to Charles.
"Wait! I was planning to carry my bride over the threshold," Charles announced from behind, stepping toward Elsie who turned her head in surprise.
"You what? Charles, no. That's a very sweet thought but, no, not a wise one. Your knee, your back."
"But it's tradition," Charles proclaimed, as if that would once again be reason enough.
"Charles, I'm afraid I won't allow that. You try to pick me up and I will start kicking and screaming in protest, disturbing Mr. Nathan's other guests and perhaps earning his rebuke, Besides, I'm sure Mr. Nathan has better things to do with his time than stand here in the hallway with us."
Mr. Nathan, smiled awkwardly, privy to this little marital spat as he was. It was harmless compared to some he had witnessed over his tenure as manager.
Seeing the dragon's glare she had fixed on him, Charles waved Elsie ahead disappointedly, then stepped into the room behind her. As Mr. Nathan stepped around them she turned and innocently whispered to Charles over her shoulder, "I will let you uphold tradition in other ways tonight," which stopped Charles in his tracks. Elsie's words replaying in his mind, Charles stood up straighter, tugging once more at his waistcoat, the corner of his mouth lifting into a small smile as the room in front of him came into focus.
Clearing his throat then to regain the attention of his guests, Mr. Nathan continued, "Here of course is the sleeping area," as he gestured to the big, four poster bed near the doorway. The lights on the bedside tables flanking it were turned down low, similarly, the blankets and top sheet were turned down and welcoming in their own right. It was a magnificent yet imposing sight for both Elsie and Charles, to the point where they missed Mr. Nathan's next few words as he continued the tour of their room. " - here to the left, behind this door is your dressing alcove," he gestured. Then, stepping down to where a fire beckoned, "Please, watch your step. Down here on the mid level is your sitting area, and straight ahead, one more step down is the en suite. I trust everything is in ORDER as you wished, Mr. Carson?" He paused allowing the Carsons to both take in the room. Charles did the inventory in his head, fresh bouquet on the sideboard - check, fire - check, Champagne on ice, a tray with an array of cheeses, fruit, nuts and chocolate on the low table between the fireplace and sofa, lit tapers on either side of the tray. All that was as he requested, there was just one more detail to confirm and for that, Charles stepped to the doorway to the en suite and peeked in. Turning around with an approving nod, Charles agreed, "Yes, Mr. Nathan, exactly. Oh, and there is our luggage." At the door, Benjamin smiled and stepped to place the luggage in the dressing alcove.
"Very good, we shall leave you be. I hope you enjoy your stay and please do not hesitate to call upon us if there's anything else you need. Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Carson." Mr. Nathan held the door to leave.
Returning to the entry level where Elsie and the two hotel staff stood, Charles expressed appreciatively, "Thank you Mr. Nathan, Benjamin." Charles extended his hand with some small coins, change from the lemonade back in York to the young porter. He too smiled appreciatively before tipping his hat and sliding toward the door.
"Good night," Mr. Nathan nodded to the couple, before exiting and shutting the door behind him on the honeymooners.
Noticing how she continued to study the room and it's furnishings, Charles stated, humbly, "I'm sorry Elsie, it's not a grand hotel by any means, frankly more of an inn than I was anticipating. Our room is modest and these steps a bit of a bother. No real dining table for our first supper together as husband and wife. You're deserving of more, much more, but, I hope it will –"
Stepping closer, Elsie put her fingers up to Charles's lips, silencing him. Charles could only look at her quizzically. "Charles Carson, are we looking at the same room? It may at best be a DIAMOND in the rough in your estimation but don't forget that I have slept in an attic room for decades. You will hear nothing but gratitude from me for our accommodations, for the flowers, the fire, the food in front of us. You may not realize, I can count the number of times I have slept in a hotel or an inn in the whole of my life on just one hand, and certainly not in a bed like, like that one," she gestured with the opposite hand. "With more than one pillow, no less! Have you? Before you answer that Charles Carson, have you slept in a bed like that...with your wife?" She smiled at him mischievously as she simultaneously dropped her hand from Charles's lips and raised her other one so they both rested along with her forearms on his massive chest. Curling his arms around her back, Charles softened as they looked deep into one another's eyes. They both exhaled "no," before giving way to light giggles.
Charles liked this, he liked the feel of Elsie in his arms, her body warming his own, literally and figuratively. She pecked him on the lips and, much to his disappointment, broke the embrace by simply stating, "I am famished and that fruit and chocolates and Champagne look devine, but I simply must use the toilet, Charles, please excuse me." Elsie walked toward the en suite while Charles longingly followed her swaying hips until they disappeared behind the door. No sooner had Elsie stepped out of view than she exclaimed, "Charles!" and reappeared in the doorway, a look of astonishment on her face. "Charles, did you, did you arrange that as well?"
Charles began to saunter closer, teasingly inquiring, "Arrange what?"
"You daft man, the red rose petals floating in the bathtub."
"There are rose petals floating in the bathtub?" His broadening smile gave him away in an instant.
Shaking her head Elsie continued, "You sweet, romantic husband of mine, how on Earth did you think of that?" she asked, returning to his embrace.
Stroking her back up and down once more, Charles replied, "It's very SIMPLE Elsie, I thought of every way I could show the love I have for you and then relayed on to Mr. Nathan those that he and his staff could help me with. I know how good you smell with a little drop of rose water behind your ear and imagined how lovely it would be were you to bathe in rose petals."
"Oh Charles, you continue to be full of surprises, my darling. But the cold water that is undoubtedly preserving the color in those beautiful petals is much too cold for me to even set a big toe in." Charles looked deflated, prompting Elsie to counter with an encouraging alternative. "Tell you what, my darling, let me use the toilet and you open that bottle of Champagne for us and settle in front of the fire. I will unpack the bottle of rose water I brought along and then come join you, and I will let you try to guess where all I put a drop. How does that sound to you, Mr. Carson?"
"Delightful, Mrs. Carson, purely delightful."