A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I'll update again as soon as possible...in other words as soon as the children co-operate long enough for me to type :) Thanks for the reviews and encouragement thus far!

With the staff sent off to bed, and a tray of soup delivered to Mrs. Hughes Charles found himself pacing once more. He waited until he was certain that everyone was upstairs and in bed before collecting a chair, and a few towels. Depositing them in the scullery he moved to the kitchen to heat some water. If he was going to do this, it would be done right.

With the water heating Charles made his way to her sitting room and knocked softly.

She looked up at his knock and managed a reply this time, "Come in"

With a faint smile he slipped inside shutting the door behind him. "I've got water warming, supplies ready, the staff have gone up..." There was more he wanted to say. So much more, but he wasn't going to, at least not yet.

"What on Earth do you need water warming for? I've only asked you to cut my hair..." Elsie rose slowly, "You've been taking care of me all day. What've you got up your sleeve hm?"

In response, Charles simply offered him her arm. "Believe it or not Mrs. Hughes, I quite enjoy taking care of you."

Feeling the color rise to her cheeks she took his arm ducking her head a bit to hide the blush. "I rather enjoy it too Mr. Carson. Lead the way."

He was smiling like a fool, but for once he really didn't care one bit. Charles led her to the scullery and nudged her gently towards the chair in front of the sink.

"Oh Charles what ever are you doing? You don't need to do all this..."

"Just sit, I'll be back."

With a sigh, a smile, and a shake of her head she did as she was told and sat down letting his jacket fall from her shoulders and folding it neatly in her lap as she did so.

Charles returned with a bucket of water, his jacket removed and his sleeves rolled up.

Elsie looked up from the jacket she held in her lap, there was a seam that was loose she'd need to stitch it back up later. If only he knew how much of his mending she really did he'd probably be mortified. He was...humming? With a smile she met his eyes as he set the water down next to her seat.

"Here we go now, lean back. Lets get this hair of yours in the sink. I never realized it was so long..."

"I shouldn't imagine you would. I never get to let it down." There was a hint of bitterness in her voice, it was one of the things she missed most about being a girl. Running with her hair down and flapping in the breeze behind her. She couldn't say she had ever been care free, no her child hood hadn't been that, but she did have moments of being a child. Those were the moments she missed the most. Leaning back she found a towel rolled and in place to support her neck and a soft sigh escaped. "No one has done this for me since I was a girl."

He smiled down at her as he took the liberty of running his hands though those long locks slowly, savoring the feel of them under his finger tips. Reaching down he gathered up the bucket and slowly began to wet her hair before massaging at the scalp. His smile broadened as she closed her eyes and groaned, now was his chance to talk. She couldn't run and she was relaxed, "Elsie? You remember once you asked me if I ever wished I'd gone another way?"

"Mhmm..." The throaty sound was about all she could muster. She was jelly in the chair, her fingers had stopped running over the seam. She simply sat still, enjoying the sensations washing over her body.

"I don't. If I'd gone another way I wouldn't be here."

"Well of course you wouldn't be at Downton, you'd be working elsewhere..."

"No Elsie. I wouldn't be right here at this moment. I'd have married some woman never knowing that I could feel something like I have now. I've been a fool all these years for never doing a thing about it.

Opening her eyes slowly, she moved a hand up to his arm. "Dear foolish man, you're not the only one who's been a fool."

Charles had the urge to forget her hair and drag her back to his room...or hers...or any of the empty guest rooms, but he knew better than to do that. Rinsing her hair he slowly wrapped it in a towel and squeezed as much of the excess water out as possible before helping her to her feet and across the room to another chair. "You'll have to direct me. I've not a clue at what I'm doing."

Her hair was well past her hips, and just holding it in the towel he could clearly understand the headaches. It had to weigh a ton.

"Just chop it off right below the shoulders. I don't need anything fancy, just need it lightened up."

He finished drying her hair as best as he could and then picked up the comb. Starting from the bottom he gently worked at untangling the knots that had formed, his humming had resumed as he considered what to say next. There were many things he wished to tell her, but he wasn't sure how to go about doing so. "Just straight across?"

"Yes, straight across. I usually don't let it go so long, when it only needs a trim I can manage but when it's like this I can't seem to get it done properly." She was certain to hold still, sitting quite straight, She'd received a smart or two to the back of the head with a comb as a girl and learned her lesson quickly.

"Wear it down in the evenings? For tea?" As he finished combing he took to her hair with scissors, the long locks falling to the floor. "I mean...if you'd like." It didn't take him long to finish the job, and then to braid her hair. Once at the end he tied it off with the strip of linen from her room. Once finished his strong hands came to rest on her shoulders, fingers brushing the side of her neck lightly.

"Would you like it if I did?" She let her head lean back so she could look up at him

Leaning down he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I should like it very much. Please don't wait so long next time, come to me sooner and I'll help you. I can't bear to see you in pain."