Tremble:
He sees the tremble in his hands as he accepts the half empty glass of wine from the Dowager Countess. He can see the way the liquid gently shakes in keeping with the ripples he feels in his body. He knows she hasn't seen it. No one has, in fact. It is a slight tremor, but one that he can feel all the way to his bones.
When he is standing still, so very near to Mrs. Hughes, he feels the tremble again. This time, though, it is more pronounced, more earth-shattering. He believes, only for a moment, that it is his rapidly beating heart that is causing the little waves throughout his body. He quickly dismisses this as nonsense. He knows that is not likely nor is it possible.
She looks up at him and smiles and suddenly his whole body reacts. His heartbeat quickens, his mouth goes dry, his mind draws a blank. He returns her smile and notices, not for the first time, how her eyes remind him of the sea, of that day at Brighton. He feels excitement and nervousness wash over him like waves lapping at his ankles. Suddenly, his knees go a little weak, though he remains steady on his feet. Not long now until his moment will arrive. He knows, for certain, that the trembling will not go away anytime soon.
He takes a deep breath and looks down at his hands. Large, strong hands which have cradled the most delicate china, sipped sherry from the daintiest crystal glasses, even cuddled the precious Crawley girls and their children, too. These same hands have written letters to Elsie during the long separations of the London Seasons, have twisted in anxiety over her health, have twitched with the notion of her leaving Downton, leaving him for a farmer from her past.
But, somehow, he knows that while those things are precious and priceless, even life altering, the most amazing thing he will ever hold, if he is lucky, will be her hand and her heart for the rest of their lives.
He looks back at her and knows this is the moment. Everyone is occupied with singing, and he knows they won't be missed, won't be interrupted. With a tremble in his voice to match the tremble in his hands, he leans over and whispers.
"Is this a good moment?"
"It is if you want it to be."
And suddenly, his body does not tremble any longer. His mind is clear. His heartbeat strong and steady. He knows that in a few moments, he will have said the words that have been eating away at him for weeks, years perhaps. He will offer her his hand. If she accepts, his hands will tremble for another reason … excitement, love, and passion.
A/N: Thank you so much for all of your reviews and comments. Special thanks to DameofDownstairs on Tumblr for the artwork she's been providing for the stories and to CrazyMaryT for the idea for this prompt. You ladies are wonderful!