A/N thank you for your wonderful reviews so far! :) and as promised, this story will proceed very very slowly.
"Is something the matter Mr. Carson?" he was standing there in the middle of the corridor staring at her. She had just come back from her walk and paused on the second step that led into the servant's hall, waiting eagerly for whatever he wanted to say or do before she had entered through the back door. But he did neither move nor say anything so Elsie took the second step and walked in his direction.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes. Do you have a minute?" She noticed that his voice sounded somehow different, deeper, if this was even possible, a bit demanding. She should have told him that she went for a walk or at least informed some of her housemaids. In the last few days his workload had been immense and often their quiet evenings together ended unusually early because he could no longer keep his eyes open. His mood was not the best at the moment due to lack of sleep and the new footmen who proved to be very inexperienced in their jobs.
Elsie stopped in front of the door to her sitting room. "Of course. Shall we go to my sitting room?" Whatever he was about to tell her should better be discussed in private and not in front of the other staff members. She could feel her headache returning, the throbbing starting behind her left temple again. With a deep sigh she opened the door cursing the spontaneous decision to go for a walk on her own without leaving a note. How odd that he was the cure but also the reason for the pain inside her head today.
He closed the door behind him while Elsie removed the hatpin and put her hat back on the shelf. When she suddenly felt his hands on her shoulders and his fingers reaching for the collar of her coat to take it off, she was a bit surprised. An angry and overworked Charles Carson would not care about her coat at all but rather start with what he had to say right away. And now his fingers lingered at her neck for a very long time already as if he could not decide how to proceed.
"I would like to take off my coat if you do not mind." Although the way his fingers touched her skin right now was more than welcomed.
"Of course, I believe I got a bit distracted." He helped her out of the garment and hung it onto the hook next to the door.
"Thank you. Now what is it you want to discuss with me," she started while turning around to face him at the same time. She still tried to ignore the pain and focused on his eyes.
ooooo
She had made him forget how exhausted he actually was the moment she had appeared on top of the three steps at the backdoor. And he knew now that his plan was not only perfect, but would do both of them good, allow them to spend time together alone even if they were surrounded by a lot of other people.
How Elsie Hughes was able to distract him the way she just did, after all those years, was amazing. The way she had stood on the stairs, looking at him, walking towards him with that light swing of her hips was mesmerizing. The eyes that now locked his gaze waited in anticipation for him to start, and to tell her why he had been waiting for her. "Elsie, the housemaids and footmen will have dinner without us tonight." Her brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to say something but he had expected a reaction like that and was prepared. His index finger touched her lips to interrupt her and he replaced it a second later with a short but sweet kiss.
"I don't understand. I thought you would tell me off for leaving the house without telling anyone about my whereabouts. Although you of all people should know better than to question my actions." A smile appeared on her lips, the stern look on her face was gone in an instant.
"Never would I tell you off, Elsie. I am not entitled to do so. But what I am allowed to do is to invite you to the fair tonight."
ooooo
The headache was gone immediately after she had heard his words and felt his lips on hers. How could she ever suspect him to be angry with her because she went out for a walk?
"So you decided that we should take the evening off then?" She reached for his hand and entwined her fingers with his. "Weren't there two new footmen that needed a lot of your attention?"
"They already made me miss my luncheon because I wanted to have everything settled for tonight. The two boys will be very busy later and won't have time to even think about the fair." He chuckled.
"What about the housemaids? We cannot leave the house entirely alone to just them and the footmen?"
"I will tell Anna later that she will have to take care of the girls tonight." He closed the gap between them and caressed her cheek with his free hand. "Everything will be fine, Elsie." The promise was sealed with another short kiss before he left her sitting room to continue with his work.
Elsie had a look at the clock on her mantelpiece to estimate how much time she had left to prepare for what others might call a "rendezvous". If they were to leave before dinner she still had two more hours. She felt like a young girl right now, desired, loved, and strangely nervous. Although it was Charles Carson that had asked her out for a night at the fair and not some stranger she barely knew. They had worked together side by side for almost twenty years now, she could read his face like a book, he knew her so well that she sometimes thought he could read her mind. Still, their relationship had only started two month ago and there were new things she had to learn about him. The touch of his hands on her face, her arms and hands for example or the touch of his lips on hers. They had not gone farther than that until now. Both had agreed to enjoy the courtship as long as possible before deepening their relationship, before taking the final step.
Elsie had a second look in the mirror, touching the heavy chignon at the back of her head. Maybe it was time to take another new step.
ooooo
The evening came faster than expected but the air was still unusually warm for a spring day. He stood at the front door looking over the vast grounds, enjoying the soft breeze that carried the smell of spring flowers. His two new footmen had gone off to prepare the large dining room table for an elaborate dinner, as a practice for next week. This would keep them occupied for the rest of the evening and he would check their progress when he returned from the fair later. A moment of rest, peace and quietness was what he needed now before he would go upstairs to his room to change for the evening. Some time to think about the past months that had actually changed his life although he had never expected it to take a turn anymore, not like this. He had allowed himself to dream about all of this, for years and never considered that his dream would one day come true.
He closed his eyes to conjure her face in his mind's eye. How they would walk to the fairground later, hand in hand, or at least arm in arm until they reached the village. He would make sure that their walk would take longer than usual just to have some time with her alone on this beautiful day, evening and night.
"Mr. Carson?" it was one of his new footmen, Jimmy that stood in the doorframe behind him. "I and Alfred have finished laying the table. Would you like to take a look?"
Surprised he turned around. "You are already done?"
"Yes, Mr. Carson." Jimmy answered. Charles heaved a sigh and followed the footman inside.
ooooo
Dinner was due in half an hour and Elise was still standing in front of the mirror in her room upstairs, undecided whether to wear the blue hat or the black one. Or no hat at all. She checked her hair again for the umpteenth time, tugging some strands behind pins, giving it a finishing touch. Her hands were shaking a bit from the nervousness that grew more intense with every minute that passed. She reached out for the simple silver brooch and pinned it to her blouse above her breast, carefully touching it with the tips of her fingers. It had been a gift from her mother before she died and Elsie only wore it on special occasions.
A final glance into the mirror made her decide to pick the blue hat and the matching coat. It was smaller than her black one and would still show enough of her hair. She was ready now.
A/N Ideas, criticism, everything is always welcomed!