AN: I have started to catch up on my school work, so I feel that I can splurge and update this gem. I intend to really get some updating done once my final assignments are done. Please, feel free to PM me with any kind of prompts or ideas for a pairing that you'd like to see, for I also intend to begin a new story soon as well. I'm always open to suggestions! Enjoy, my dears! :)
A knock sounded at Lady Mary's door, and Anna and Lady Mary froze.
"Who is it," Mary inquired as Anna pushed the last few pins into her hair.
"It's me, m'lady," Carson's deep voice boomed from the hallway.
"Carson? Come in," Mary said, surprised. As the door opened, Carson entered, and Mary looked into her mirror to see him looking nervous and distressed. "What is it? Are you quite well, you look rather pale."
"I-I," he stuttered, looking down at his hands, pausing before looking back up at her, "I am afraid that I must ask you for a favor, m'lady." Anna slipped past him, closing the door behind her to give them some privacy.
"What an odd request from you, Carson," she remarked. "It must be important to you if you came to see me instead of Papa. Well, then, I'm all ears." She turned to look at him.
"I would like for you to persuade His Lordship into allotting Mrs. Hughes and I some time off this Friday evening," he said quietly.
Mary blinked, "I'm not sure that Papa would be willing to let both of you go at once unless the reason was concrete or grave enough."
"I assure you, m'lady, the circumstances are worthy," he said softly.
"Well, let's hear it then, Carson," she replied, not used to seeing him so uncomfortable.
After a pregnant pause, he finally cleared his throat, "I am unhappy, m'lady. So many years of my life have been spent here, but there has always been something missing from me."
"Carson, if you are planning to leave us, I don't think th-," she started.
"Please, m'lady," he interrupted, "I have no intentions to leave just yet. It's not that at all. I-I'm simply lonely, and I wanted the evening to finally mend this tear in the tapestry of my life. Mrs. Hughes… I-I want to ask her to marry me."
Mary gasped in surprise, "My dear, Carson," she smiled, "Why didn't you say so sooner? I am truly happy that you are finally thinking for yourself instead of others for once. I shall certainly speak with Papa straight away. We shall ring for you with our answer." She smiled tenderly at the man who had served as a second father to her for as long as she could remember. As a girl, if she found she needed attention, a visit to Carson could always boost her esteem. She wanted nothing more than to see him happy.
"Thank you, m'lady, thank you so much for your kindness," he smiled shyly and turned to leave. When he reached the door, he stopped suddenly, "One last thing, m'lady, if you could keep this quiet for now, that would be most admirable."
She nodded, and as he closed the door, she stood, taking a deep breath before going to find her father. This could take some convincing, and she would have to do her best to manipulate him as she had done so many times in the past.
"How am I expected to agree to a request that could result in the whole house erupting in chaos," Robert hissed in a raised voice, caught off-guard by this request from his daughter. "Absolutely not!"
"Papa, please. Allow me to finish," she said calmly, her brown eyes sinking into his, and he could already feel his resolve beginning to melt away. She knew how much he hated this ability of hers, and when he rolled his eyes to allow her to continue, she smiled. "Carson admitted to me that he feels a sense of emptiness, and he has grown tired of this feeling. Apparently, he feels as though he has spent too much of his time lonely, and he no longer wishes that to be so. He intends to use this requested evening off to propose to Mrs. Hughes."
Robert's jaw dropped as her words washed over him, "He told you all of this? I must say, I'm flabbergasted." Everyone knew that there was a strong bond between the butler and the housekeeper, but after all of these years, he never thought they would move past the point of friendship. He grinned to himself as he thought of his wife's influence over his every thought, and he couldn't wait to see Carson in love. The idea held novelty and heart, and his mind had been made up. He stood to ring for the butler, and they waited in silence, Lord Grantham giving away nothing.
As he entered the room, Carson's heart began to thud as he noticed Lady Mary talking to her father. He was amazed by how quickly she had acted, and his heart warmed at the thought. "M'lord," he said as he stood stiffly in front of his employer.
"Lady Mary has informed me of your request, and I understand it that you have asked for that evening off so that you may propose to Mrs. Hughes," His Lordship asked, his tone and expression giving away nothing.
"That is correct, m'lord," Carson responded, struggling to keep his voice even with the nervousness taking charge of him.
Lord Grantham remained silent, his calculating blue eyes piercing through Carson's soul, and he took a few steps closer, a smile finally cracking across his face. "My good man," he chuckled, "How am I expected to refuse such an endearing request? I don't think my conscience would allow me to destroy such an important and magical moment in your life. I wish you the best of luck, dear chap."
Carson's stomach flipped with happiness, and he smiled a genuine smile as he began to plan. "Thank you so much, m'lord. I cannot express how truly grateful I am to you for your kindness, support, and generosity."
"Very well, you may go inform her of the plan now," he smiled at his loyal servant, truly happy for him. As the butler began to exit, "Oh, and Carson?"
"M'lord?"
"Let us know of the answer if it is not too late when you return," he grinned.
"I certainly will, m'lord." He departed down the stairs in search of Mrs. Hughes, but he was not able to locate her before their dinner. As he sat in his spot, he suddenly leaned forward, "I have some things of the utmost importance to discuss with you later if you don't mind, Mrs. Hughes."
Her shock was obvious as she responded with, "Has something happened?"
Thomas was watching from down the table, so he whispered, "You shall have your answer after dinner."
After speaking with her in her sitting room about the date, he returned to his pantry, smiling at the locked drawer of his desk as he leaned forward to begin taking notes. A great treasure was hidden in that drawer, and he smiled as he pictured it again. The beautiful ring that he had spent a good portion of his savings on, the one that would hopefully be placed upon her finger should she agree to become his wife, his other half, his soulmate.
Carson sat at his desk once more, replaying all of that through his head as he stared at the ring in his hand once more. Last night she had agreed to marry him, and he was in the best of moods. He had seen her that morning on their way downstairs, and as he happily joked at her, she paused in the stairwell to give him a chaste kiss, setting his ears on fire as he blushed furiously at the prospect of her affections being shown so freely. As he recalled their intense good night kiss in the hall the night before, he felt his body begin to stir once more, and he knew that he wanted to wait until she had taken his name, but his desires for her were too intense to simply die down. Without thinking, he rose from his seat and swiftly moved down the hall to find her at her desk, writing something upon some parchment. He quietly closed the door behind him, and snuck up behind her, moving silently for a man of his size. "Elsie," he whispered into her ear as his arms wrapped around her waist in the seat. She tensed, and he watched a visible shudder run through her body.
"Ch-Charles," she gasped, her breathing catching as she cast aside her scrawlings. She looked to her side to see him smiling at her before leaning in to give her a long, slow kiss. As they parted, the air was thick with the tension between them, and neither moved as they observed the heat in one another's eyes. She stood, and he hooked one hand around her waist to the small of her back, pulling her close into another kiss. He gasped as he felt her graze his lip with her teeth, the sensation sending a jolt of electricity through his quickly tensing body. They were both wound tight with pent-up sexual need and desire, and as she placed her hand on his chest, he could feel her tracing small patterns with her nails, and a quiet groan escaped him as he pulled her closer to his growing arousal, enjoying the breathy gasp that slipped from her as he gently ground her against it, knowing she could feel the effect that she had on him without issue. Things were quickly growing intense as she began to walk him backwards toward the couch. As his knees hit the edge, she gave a light shove, sending him to a sitting position. He looked up at her breathlessly as she boldly straddled his lap, subtly shifting her hips over him. Their lips met once more, frantically connecting in the passion of the moment. They were both panting, and Charles opened his eyes, breathing heavily.
"Elsie," he whispered, his molten chocolate eyes gazing intensely into hers. "You know how much I want this, but I want to wait until I can officially call you mine." He watched her hopes drop, her entire expression begin to change. "However, I don't think either of us are in a state to walk out of here, so I intend to finish what I started, however it is achieved." He pulled her lips back to his, and his hands gripped her hips, lifting her into a better position as he rocked her against his straining arousal, achieving a feeling of friction so intense for both of them that they couldn't breathe. If the pleasure was this intense with all the layers of their clothing in between, they could only imagine how it would be to truly be lovers. She gasped repeatedly as the button of his trousers managed to touch a sensitive spot, and it was only a short time before she was groaning softly into his kiss until he felt her shudder, and at that point, his release spilled shamelessly into his trousers as they laid their foreheads against one another's. After a few moments, she climbed off of his lap, and her body felt wired. Charles watched her, his face steamy and very red, and finally he managed to stand. He gave her a slow and achingly sweet kiss, then pulled back to caress her face. "My beautiful Elsie, that is a promise of more to come, but if I don't leave now, I'm afraid I never will. Good night, my love."
She walked into his warm embrace, still pleased by the feeling of comfort and safety that always filled her when she was held by him. She sighed quietly, "I love you, Charles, good night."
He quickly fled the room before anyone noticed the apparent spot on his trousers, and went straight to his bedroom to clean himself up, smiling as he thought of her. As he changed into his bedclothes, he climbed into his bed, daydreaming about when they would finally be able to hold each other every night, and his heart longed for her warmth beside him as he closed his eyes.
After fleeing to change out of her increasingly uncomfortable clothing, she made sure to clean herself up, and she stared at her bed, wondering what the arrangements would be for once they were married. Would they have a cottage like Anna and John Bates? She wasn't sure, but the matter was trivial to her at this point. She couldn't wait to spend her nights in the company of a man that loved her, and she fell asleep imagining him beside her, providing warmth and safety for her.