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Mrs. Hughes walked along the gallery, her nerves dancing. Mr. Carson would surely be downstairs any minute now. She had passed both Mr. Bates and Miss O'Brien in the corridor several minutes ago, which meant that Lord and Lady Grantham were both getting ready for bed. She headed for the stairs, but was brought up short by the sight of one of her maids in conversation with Sir Richard Carlisle, just outside his bedroom. The girl looked rather uncomfortable, so Mrs. Hughes swooped in and dismissed her.
"Is there something I can do for you, sir?" she asked politely, after she'd sent the maid to bed.
"Well, I had hoped that your maid might help me with something, but she was resistant to the idea of entering my room," Sir Richard said.
Mrs. Hughes's eyes narrowed a little, but she maintained a courteous manner. "That may be because she was afraid of what I might do if I found out she was entering a gentleman's bedroom at night. Now tell me what it is you need and I'll do my best to help."
"I am sorry that my asking a maid to come into my room causes such a problem. I wasn't going to ravish her," he said, with light sarcasm.
"Perhaps not, but I've trained my maids about what's appropriate and how to avoid getting into trouble."
"Mrs. Hughes, I can't believe you would suspect me of doing anything inappropriate," he said admonishingly.
Mrs. Hughes quickly ascertained that the area was still deserted before she responded, a hint of reproof in her tone. "You already have done, sir. You put one of my maids in a very uncomfortable position. Anna has a job and hasn't time to spy on your fianceé."
Sir Richard's eyebrows rose slightly. "So she told me, Mrs. Hughes."
"You must have been aware that she would report your request to her superior."
"I thought she might, if she wasn't interested in my offer," Sir Richard answered smoothly "But it was a risk I had to take. I do what I have to do to get what I want."
Mrs. Hughes looked at him with disdain. "I can see that you do," she said icily. "But I must respectfully request that if you wish to make any further special requests of my staff you come to me first."
"I will do that, Mrs. Hughes."
She took a calming breath before continuing. "Furthermore, I must tell you that I consider it part of my duty to look after everyone in this house, not just my maids, and I do not approve of or appreciate your dishonorable conduct toward your fianceé." Mrs. Hughes knew she had gone too far, but she couldn't seem to help herself. Sir Richard Carlisle's mere presence provoked her.
"Mrs. Hughes, it is not your place to approve or disapprove of me or my conduct," he hissed, finally ruffled by her words. "You've spoken out of turn. I'm sorry I have to remind you that I am a guest of your employer and as such you are here to serve me."
"Yes, you are correct that I am here to serve," she answered coldly. "And I am perfectly willing to do so in the manner the Crawleys intend. I will say no more on the subject."
"Yes, I think it would be best for you if you never speak to me in such a way again," Sir Richard said, lowering his voice to speak menacingly. "I've a good mind to report your behavior to Lady Grantham."
"You are free to do as you wish on that score." Mrs. Hughes did not blink or flinch. She could see that he was trying to intimidate her, but she was not afraid. She could brave another lecture from the countess if Sir Richard followed through on his threat, but she had a feeling he would not. If he did, he risked Lady Grantham's finding out about his attempt to bribe Anna. Mrs. Hughes knew it was entirely possible that this would not trouble him, but she felt secure all the same.
"Regardless," Sir Richard continued with ruthless calm, "I can assure you that I'll find a housekeeper better able to hold her tongue when I hire staff to run Haxby." Mrs. Hughes said nothing, her lips pressed firmly together, keeping her eyes directed a little over his shoulder. She knew he was just trying to provoke her now. He looked closely at her. "I suppose your low opinion of me has had something to do with Carson's dissolving our agreement, Mrs. Hughes."
She turned her eyes quickly to meet his gaze. "Mr. Carson is perfectly capable of making up his own mind without my influence." She could not hide the fierce indignation in her expression.
"I see," he said coolly. "Well, I'm sorry he turned down my offer. He likes to do things properly, knows how important it is to behave respectfully to his betters, and I could have supplied him with a housekeeper who would be better at doing things properly than the one he currently works with."
Anger did not often render Mrs. Hughes speechless, but for a few seconds she could say nothing, though her eyes continued to bore into Sir Richard. She was about to open her mouth and try to bring the exchange to an end before she said something she really would regret, when Mr. Carson appeared at her side.
"Is there a problem, sir?" he said calmly. Mrs. Hughes looked up at him, wondering how much of the conversation he had heard, if any, but his face was inscrutable.
Sir Richard spoke in a suddenly affable tone. "No, there's no problem at all, Carson. Mrs. Hughes and I were just discussing dinner. I've asked her to pass on my compliments to your cook."
"And she certainly will," Mr. Carson said smoothly. "We are fortunate to have such an excellent cook on our staff. We are proud of our entire staff, in fact, not least Mrs. Hughes herself, who is the most capable housekeeper I've known - a true professional." His eyes were steely now and it was clear, to both Sir Richard and Mrs. Hughes, that he had overheard at least part of the conversation.
"Indeed," Sir Richard murmured coldly, a thin smile crossing his lips.
"Is there anything I can get you, sir?" Mr. Carson asked collectedly.
"No, Carson. I'll just go to bed now." And he was gone, the door to his bedroom closed firmly behind him.
Mrs. Hughes turned to make her way slowly toward the stairs and Mr. Carson walked with her, watching her profile for some sign of her state of mind. "Are you quite all right, Mrs. Hughes?"
"Yes," she murmured. "What a horrid man."
"Yes."
"Thank you for coming to my rescue," she said, still half lost in thought. "I might have said something truly unforgivable if you'd not arrived when you did."
"You're welcome."
"I believe I've been impertinent this evening. If her ladyship finds out, I am afraid she'll be disappointed again," she said pensively.
Mr. Carson laughed at this, finally drawing Mrs. Hughes from her abstraction. She smiled. "What brings you up here, Mr. Carson?" she asked. "Will you be finished late again tonight?"
"I was looking for you, actually," he said. "I'm done for the night, and everyone else has gone to bed."
"Will wonders never cease!"
"Would you like wine tonight, or tea?" he asked her, opening the stairwell door for her.
Mrs. Hughes rolled her eyes. "After the day I've had? It'll need to be wine tonight, Mr. Carson."
"Wine it is," he agreed. "Lead on, Mrs. Hughes."
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The family and staff had all gone to bed. The lights were out downstairs. The only signs of life in the house came from inside Mr. Carson's pantry. In spite of their knowing that the others were asleep, Mr. Carson had closed and locked the doors of his pantry. He was taking no risks tonight. Mrs. Hughes sat in her usual chair as he poured the wine, and they were both silent. Now that they were finally alone he found himself uncertain how to begin.
"It's been a strange day, Mr. Carson," Mrs. Hughes said, taking the glass he handed her. "I can't think of another way to describe it."
"Oh?"
"Well, some things have happened that make it impossible for me to call it a bad day," she said, her eyes twinkling. "But between the two of them, Mr. Bryant and Sir Richard have made me hesitate to call it a good day."
Mr. Carson bristled. "There was no call for Sir Richard to speak so disrespectfully to you."
"No, there wasn't," she agreed. "But I may have provoked him. I was quite cheeky, which I'm sure you can believe. I'll have to be on my best behavior for a while if I'm to return to her ladyship's good graces."
"There's nothing you could have said that would make his insulting words acceptable," he responded darkly.
"I'm afraid I did cross a line, Mr. Carson," she said ruefully. "If you heard what I said to him, you might-"
"I did hear you, Elsie," he said gravely, fixing her with an intense look.
Her courage failed her for a moment, and she could not say whether it was his use of her Christian name, his piercing gaze, or his expression of anger at Sir Richard on her behalf that caused any words of response to stick in her throat.
"I heard everything you said," he repeated. "That he should not to have tried to bribe Anna, that he ought not to have treated Lady Mary so disgracefully, and…" Mr. Carson hesitated, looking away from Mrs. Hughes.
"And?" she managed to prompt him.
"And you said something else that made me quite ashamed."
Her eyebrows rose. "Whatever do you mean?"
"You assured him that I was perfectly capable of making up my own mind about Haxby without your influence. It was true that you did not try to influence me in any of my decisions about Haxby, but others tried and succeeded. If I should have been under anyone's influence it ought to have been yours."
Mrs. Hughes was really silenced now. She didn't understand, or even know what to ask. Mr. Carson stood up and paced the room a few times before speaking again.
"The other night I told you that I would not leave Downton, but what I did not tell you is that I made that decision several weeks ago."
"What? But why did you never say?"
Mr. Carson sighed. "That's the most shameful part of it. I didn't know how to break the news to Lady Mary without telling her why I'd changed my mind, and I puzzled for weeks over this question, while you went about your life still thinking I would go. Sir Richard's offer to Anna provided a reason I could give Lady Mary, so I wouldn't have to tell her my primary purpose for staying at Downton."
"So you-"
"I hope you can forgive me, Mrs. Hughes," he said gravely. "I should have told you much sooner."
Mrs. Hughes rose and made her way to where Mr. Carson stood against the door. He had addressed her formally again and she was unsettled by it, after he had called her "Elsie" just a few minutes ago. She faced him and looked into his eyes when she spoke. "I may be able to guess your meaning, Mr. Carson, but I'd like you to tell me something, just so we understand each other. What exactly do you want, that you couldn't tell Lady Mary?"
Mr. Carson's face relaxed a little; he was almost smiling. He took Mrs. Hughes's hand between both of his and looked down at it for a moment before looking back into her eyes. "I want to marry you," he murmured. "It may not be easy. We may have to leave Downton. But will you have me?"
Mrs. Hughes could not speak immediately, but the smile on her face assured Mr. Carson that he had nothing to fear.
"I love you, Elsie," he said softly, his own smile growing.
"Yes, I will have you," she whispered. "I love you."
Mr. Carson let go of her hand and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. She rested one hand on his chest and reached up with the other to caress his face. He bent to kiss her and her fingers entwined themselves in the hair at the back of his neck. This time she watched his mouth as he drew nearer, not closing her eyes until his lips were touching hers. His kiss was gentle, but not tentative, and before long he had coaxed her lips apart and was exploring their shape with a slow-moving tongue. His mouth was not forceful on hers, but the interplay was still somehow astonishingly intimate. She grazed his bottom lip gently with her teeth and a slight growl escaped his throat. The sound in her ear and the vibration against her lips excited her and she leaned into him, kissing him harder. One of his arms tightened around her waist and the other loosened, as his hand began to explore what it could of her body. Mrs. Hughes regretted the corset between them, but it was no hindrance when his wandering hand reached her hip and bottom. He massaged her through the heavy layers of her clothing and she was drawn inexorably closer to him. Needing to catch her breath, she turned her head to one side, to break the kiss without pulling away from him.
"Elsie, my Elsie," Mr. Carson sighed in her ear. He knew they needed to talk, and he did not intend to take their intimacy further tonight, so he let his hold on her slacken a little as they stood together, cheek-to-cheek. However, even as his breathing slowed, he became aware of how close his lips were to her neck and before he knew it he was trailing kisses from a spot behind her ear down to the neckline of her dress. She shivered in pleasure, which spurred him on, but she took him by surprise when she let out a low laugh.
"This could be dangerous, Charles," she said.
It certainly could, he thought, but he didn't say anything, though he stopped kissing that tantalizing neck of hers.
"Perhaps we need interrupting now," she whispered in his ear. "But there's no one here to interrupt us."
Mr. Carson wasn't sure he had ever known temptation as he did in that moment. Her body was clearly receptive to his kisses and caresses, but she had just signaled with her words that she was willing in mind as well. Her eyes were wide open and she wanted him. In the end he was not quite sure how he managed any rational thought at such a moment of crisis, but he did. He took her very gently by the shoulders and set her away from himself, sending her back to her chair and not allowing himself to step away from the wall until she was safely seated. He did pull his chair closer to hers so he could hold her hand while they sat together, but that was all. A proposal of marriage was only the beginning of their talk and as much as he would have loved to spend the evening looking into her eyes and kissing her lips and caressing her skin, he wasn't sure when they would next have the chance for a long talk. He could drown in her eyes for half a minute over breakfast, steal a kiss in her sitting room mid-morning, and find every other possible opportunity to touch her when no one was looking, but the longer they put off making plans, the longer it would be before they could move forward in their lives together.
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"I've some money saved," Mr. Carson said, sipping his wine. "If we have to leave Downton, we can take work somewhere else. We'll get by."
Mrs. Hughes nodded. "It would be quite a change," she mused.
"Yes. Our other options are retirement and staying at Downton. I don't think I'm quite ready for the first, and the second depends on how his lordship and her ladyship see the situation. If they don't approve, that's one option eliminated."
"What should we do, then?" she asked him.
"I was hoping to get your thoughts on the matter, Elsie," he said.
She thought for a moment. "I don't want to leave Downton any more than you do, Charles. It seems to me the best course of action would be to go directly to his lordship and explain that we intend to marry, that we would like to stay, but that we will go if a married butler and housekeeper are not acceptable to him. If we stay, he can choose whether we stay in the big house or move to a cottage."
"Stay in the big house?" Mr. Carson said doubtfully. "You don't mean-"
"Separate rooms?" she interrupted. "Certainly not. But there are empty rooms that never get used, a few near the servants quarters. They're quite modest, nothing too grand for us."
"Now why did I not think of that as I was puzzling over the situation during these last few weeks?" he said, shaking his head. "All I could think of was going to a cottage on the estate, and there would be some difficulties with our living away from the house that might not be easily got over. I should have known you would have the answer." He smiled and took her hand.
She smiled back and then spoke, a little hesitantly. "Charles, why did you not tell me when you decided not to leave Downton? I understand your delay in telling Lady Mary, if you were concerned with having an explanation for her. But you might have told me you would stay before you told her. I can keep a secret."
"I know you can, dearest," he said. "But I didn't know what reason I would give you for changing my mind and I foolishly wanted to be able to tell you all at once that I wasn't going away, that I loved you, and that I wanted to marry you."
She shook her head and chuckled. "You might have told me you were staying because Haxby was haunted and you were afraid of spirits and it wouldn't have mattered, so long as I knew you wouldn't be leaving." She paused before speaking quietly. "This isn't a reproof, Charles, but those teacups at Christmas nearly broke my heart."
"I know, Elsie," he answered gently, reaching out to caress her cheek. "That's when I decided I wasn't leaving Downton. I could see that I was causing you pain, and I knew I had to stop."
"But why would you decide to go in the first place?" she asked.
"It's ironic, Elsie," he said. "But I didn't know I loved you until a few hours after I had told Lady Mary I would go to Haxby. Not quite Aunt Mildred's black umbrella, but something like."
Mrs. Hughes laughed. "I'm beginning to understand a little better now. You've not loved me for very long. Are you quite certain you want to marry me?" she teased.
"I said I didn't know I loved you until last November," Mr. Carson corrected her. "But once I knew, I could see that I'd loved you for a long time, in my secret heart. I felt quite foolish for never noticing before. It makes very little sense, I know."
"The human heart doesn't always make sense, Charles."
"An understatement, if ever I heard one," he chuckled.
To be continued...
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