A/N Part two as promised this afternoon :)
And because I didn't have the time to write this as a one shot there will be one more chapter Sunday evening. Just imagine it to be one shot instead of a three chapter story :)
Thanks for the inspiration tumblr!
He flipped through the pages and found her name on almost every page. He wondered how he could read it to Lady Mary later without constantly thinking about his Elsie. It was simply impossible! She usually occupied his thoughts all day, more or less, since she had come to Downton two years ago. And even more so since the day she had become housekeeper. Elsie Hughes was the most beautiful and perfect woman he had ever encountered. She was strong willed, efficient, caring, supportive – he could go on with this list forever. His newest additions were lovable, sweet and endearing.
He still could not believe what had happened exactly four weeks ago when they were on their way back from the village towards the estate. The fair had been nice, they had shared some sweets, enjoyed fresh cider, taken care of the younger maids and making sure they did not miss the curfew. It was well past midnight before they both went home, long after they had sent the rest of the staff back to the big house. He had offered her his arm and she confidently accepted it, falling into step beside him. From time to time he had turned his head a bit to steal a glance at her face but made sure she did not notice until their gazes finally met. A shy smile had crossed her face and he unconsciously cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the nervousness that had suddenly come across him. She had looked down at her feet and stopped walking. He knew then that it was not only him who could not stop his mind to daydream about her. Slowly he had reached out and touched her cheek, lifted her chin so that she looked up to him. Their kiss was hesitant at first but soon turned into a sweet and promising one. Instead of the twenty minutes walk it took them more than two hours until they finally reached the back door. They had talked, kissed, held each other, whispered endearments and had decided to give their relationship a try but most of all, to keep it a secret.
ooooo
Charles forced himself to concentrate on the wine delivery again by putting the book aside and out of view into the top drawer of his desk. The missing bottles did not turn up. He even went down to the wine cellar to check the shelves again – without success.
On his way up the stairs he almost ran into her. "Oh I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes." His hand lingered on her shoulder a bit too long and the smile on his face was a bit too obvious.
"Are you still looking for the missing crates of wine?" her fingers touched his hand.
"They were supposed to arrive with today's delivery and I have no alternative selection for his Lordships birthday dinner this weekend." They stood on top of the stairs and stood a few steps to close. "Either we change the menu or I have to send one of the footmen to Ripon to buy some bottles there."
A housemaid passed both of them and Charles automatically stepped back a few inches.
"We cannot change the menu on such short notice Mr. Carson. You better send one of the boys over." Her smile warmed his heart and what she said next, made it jump. "Will I see you tonight?"
But then he remembered his promise to Lady Mary and sighed. "I'm afraid I have some additional duties tonight that require my full attention." The questioning look on her face did not make it easier. "Lady Mary asked me to read to her tonight from a new book she got as a present."
The typical snort escaped from her mouth. "The girl is old enough to read the book herself."
He silenced her protest immediately. "I am aware of that but you should have seen her. Besides, it's only tonight."
She just shook her head and without a further comment turned around to go upstairs.
ooooo
Dinner was a quite affair because only the three young ladies attended, chaperoned by their grandmother. Charles did not even need the footmen. He managed perfectly well without them. The only problem was one particular young Lady who unladylike wriggled about on her chair trying to look at him at any given opportunity.
"Mary, sit still!" her grandmother warned her and Charles could see the frown on the young girls face. His evening would certainly be more stressful than a four course dinner with twenty guests to serve. A young girl full of anticipation was difficult to handle. He knew that from firsthand experience and was not even thinking about Elsie but about the younger Lady Mary who had always managed to have her will.
Soon after dinner when he was still occupied with organizing the smooth removal of dirty dishes and not eaten food, a little hand tugged at his tailcoat. Lady Mary had sneaked into the china closet at the back of the large dining room.
"Mr. Carson how long do you have to work tonight?" two brown eyes looked up to him awaiting a positive answer.
He carefully put away the large soup tureen and kneeled down. "It will still take a while milady. Why don't you ask your grandmother if you could wait for me in the library?"
"She won't let me because it's already late." The angry look on her face made her look more mature than she was. She perfected it by raising a single eyebrow. "Can you talk to her?"
With difficulty he stood up again and adjusted his livery. "Milady it is not in my position to request that from her Ladyship. May I remind you that you are already ten and are capable of asking her yourself?"
She pouted her lips. "I thought you would do everything for me, Mr. Carson."
"I do, milady but there are a few things you should learn to do yourself." One little foot stamped on the carpet and an angry little girl left the china closet.
"Now that should teach her a lesson," her voice appeared out of nowhere and Charles spun around only to find her standing in the doorway to the staircase that led to the kitchen. "So you would do everything for her? Isn't that an unfulfillable promise?"
"I promised you the same, remember?"
The smile she gave him as an answer was enough to make his heart beat a bit faster than usual. "To avoid that the young lady has to wait even longer I thought I'd give you a hand."
ooooo
He took the book out of his drawer as soon as she had left his pantry to take care of the hustle and bustle in the kitchen. A look at the engraved golden lettering on the board almost made him put the book right back into the depths of his desk. Who was that woman that had chosen to name her heroine Elsie ? There were so many more common names she could have used.
The clock on the mantelpiece chimed nine. He had to hurry up before her Ladyship decided it would be too late for Lady Mary to be still in the library instead of in her room. He grabbed the book and hastily made his way upstairs unaware of the pair of blue eyes that followed his every move.
The young girl lay prone on one of the red chaise lounges, her head resting on her folded hands and an illustrated copy of "The Birds of Britain" in front of her. She looked up when Charles entered the library and quietly closed the large oak door.
"See, granny let me stay up longer." She closed the book but remained in the unladylike position.
"Then you should thank her milady." He chose to sit down in one of the red velvet armchairs next to the chaise lounge.
"Did you practise?" she eagerly asked.
Charles opened the book and turned the pages until he found the beginning of the first chapter. "I'm afraid I had no time to prepare the story, milady."
"Well, that's not a problem. Can we start?" she rested her head on her hands when Charles cleared his throat one more time and began to read.
The first page was uneventful because he had already read that but the more pages he turned and the more often that name appeared in the text the harder it was for him to concentrate on the actual storyline. Whenever the letters Elsie popped up his mind was envisioning the real Elsie in various situations. Some of them as uneventful as the ones in the book but others too revealing to be banished from his thoughts the moment they appeared. Sometimes he hesitated a bit too long before he read on and Lady Mary would remind him what he was actually doing with an irritated look on her face.
"Mr. Carson you should have practised more," she scolded him.
Carson will probably embarrass himself soon if he has to read more...