A/N So here's Chapter 2. Please let me know if you like it, so I can decide whether to continue.

Chapter 2

The next night, she found him sitting on a bench in the courtyard. She walked up to stand behind him and gently laid her hands on his shoulders. He sighed, closed his eyes, and relaxed his posture.

"You said you would come to me," Elsie reminded him.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Carson apologized. "I needed some air, and I knew you would find me here."

"And so I have," she replied.

"So you have," he echoed.

Emboldened by the new familiarity they had shared the previous evening, Elsie began to move her hands back and forth slowly over his shoulders and neck. His muscles released their tension under her touch. After a time, Mr. Carson reached up and stilled her hands, and she feared momentarily that he might reject her attentions. But he only pulled her hands to his mouth, kissed them, clasped them between his own, held them to his chest, and rested his chin on them. She was now standing against his back with her arms around his neck. The warmth was foreign, but welcome.

Elsie broke the silence, asking quietly, "Would you like to talk about it?"

Mr. Carson let out a deep sigh and began, "I've never seen her like this. I've never seen anyone like this. This afternoon, when she came home from the hospital, she didn't speak to anyone. She didn't even look at anyone. Once she was all sorted in her room, I found excuses to loiter about in the corridor. People came and went - the family and Anna - and I was hoping to catch a glimpse into her room or to hear her voice, or even to hear sobbing. But I saw nothing, heard nothing. Every time I asked after her, Anna just shook her head. You were right when you said Lady Mary is a strong young woman, but I fear this may be too much for her. And she's not at all receptive to anyone's offers of consolation. She needs to rely on the support of the people who love her. Why won't she let anyone help?"

"She's still in shock," Elsie reasoned. "Give her time. The grieving hasn't even started yet. Once the magnitude of the situation sinks in, she'll not only allow others to comfort her, but she'll seek out that consolation - from her family, from Anna, and from you. She'll come to you when she's ready. I'm sure of it."

"Are you? Truly?" he asked hopefully, releasing her hands and turning around to look at her.

"I am," she assured him. "Lady Mary will not face this alone, and neither will you."

Elsie understood Mr. Carson's need to comfort Lady Mary. It was the same overpowering need she felt to comfort him. She understood also his fear that Lady Mary might not allow him to provide that comfort. She felt the same fear that that he might rebuff her efforts, although, at the moment, he seemed amenable to her attempts. She reached out to stroke his cheek and felt hot tears there. She caressed his face softly, running her fingers over his forehead, chin, and cheeks. He closed his eyes and accepted the relief she was offering, received her compassionate ministrations. Then she took each of his hands in turn and massaged it, drawing delicate patterns on the back and palm. Soon, he calmed, and she retrieved her handkerchief from her dress pocket. She lovingly dried the tears from his eyes and cheeks, replacing the handkerchief when she had finished.

While it broke Elsie's heart to see Mr. Carson so distraught, it also thrilled her that he was permitting her to attend to him in such a manner. He was in torment; she needed to console him, and she felt privileged that he was allowing her to do so.

Now he stood to face her, managing a rueful smile and remarking, "This is becoming a regular routine, isn't it? You find me in despair; I blubber all over you and fall to pieces; you put me back together; and by the time you're done with me I feel like I can face the world again."

"Any routine that causes you to feel better in the end is a good one, in my mind. I'm only too glad to be of service, if I can. As much as it hurts you to see Lady Mary in pain, it pains me just as much to see you hurting, and I would do anything to take away that hurt," she said with a catch in her voice.

"I know you would, and you already have done," he told her. "I couldn't endure this without your support."

"You shall always have it," she assured him.

"And you, mine," he returned.

Mr. Carson moved closer and placed his hands on the back of her head and her neck. He leaned his face in, rested his forehead against hers for a moment, and kissed her cheek. Then he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her into a warm embrace. Elsie wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against him. When finally he released her, he offered his arm, which she grasped eagerly, and escorted her back to the house.