Chapter 25
"So then Charlie, what adventures do you have planned for today?" Mr Barrow asked warmly, as Charlie sat at the Servant's table drawing a picture.
Charlie grinned at the Under-Butler. Anna was keeping an eye on the small boy for an hour whilst Mrs Hughes did her rounds upstairs. Mr Barrow and Miss Baxter were also sitting at the table, having a mid-morning cup of tea.
"I'm going for a walk with Ma later. To the Village I think," he replied happily.
"Well that will be nice, it's a lovely sunny day. Will you feed the ducks?" Miss Baxter asked with a smile, knowing how much the little lad loved to do this.
"Yes!" he cheered.
Miss Baxter and Anna beamed at the young boy; he was always so happy.
"And will Mr Carson be going with you?" Mr Barrow asked, probing gently for some information; he had observed the Butler and the Housekeeper spending more and more time together lately.
"I hope so," Charlie smiled joyously.
Mr Barrow returned his smile. He knew that Charlie was very fond of the Butler and he would never be unkind to the little boy, even though he liked to try to annoy and outdo the adults of the House whenever he could.
"You like Mr Carson very much, don't you Charlie?" Anna asked warmly.
"I love him, just like I love Ma," he answered honestly, whilst still drawing his picture.
It didn't occur to him that he was saying anything out of the ordinary, he had simply spoken the truth. However, his open love for the Heads of Staff was rather adorable and Miss Baxter and Anna smiled emotionally at him. Anna hoped so much to have a loving child like Charlie one day.
"Quite right Charlie," Anna smiled.
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Mrs Hughes sighed as she walked into the kitchen, gratefully accepting the cup of tea handed to her by Mrs Patmore. She was quite breathless.
"You've not been kissing the Butler again have you?" her friend teased.
Mrs Hughes rolled her eyes skyward.
"No, I have not and I cannot believe Charlie told you about that," she said, shaking her head lightly.
"He even did an impression … mwwahh … mwwahh …" she began, chuckling to herself.
"Stop! My goodness, how embarrassing. We thought he was asleep!" she gasped.
"You'll have to be more careful in future, especially when you are at the cottage," Mrs Patmore said, with a knowing smile.
"Yes well, let's not talk about all that again. As I told you, thankfully the matter is resolved," Mrs Hughes said, brushing the embarrassing matter away, although she couldn't help the little smile that appeared on her lips.
"And I'm glad to hear it. Now, if it wasn't one of Mr Carson's kisses that made you breathless, what was it?" she asked with a cheeky grin.
Mrs Hughes exhaled deeply before answering.
"Mildred, the new maid. She's a nice girl but her head really is in the clouds. You should have seen the guest beds! I had to redo them all," she explained.
"Have another cup of tea," Mrs Patmore soothed.
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"We've a surprise for you," Mrs Hughes explained to Charlie, her expression one of delight.
The little boy was so easily excited and she loved to encourage the boy. Seeing things from the perspective of a four-year-old had given the Housekeeper a new view on life.
"A surprise?" he responded enthusiastically.
"Yes, just you wait, we'll be there soon," she added.
Mr Carson smirked happily beside her; the Housekeeper and Butler had visited the cottage previously to oversee some small alterations but they hadn't told Charlie about their new home yet.
"There?" he asked, wondering where they were going.
"Yes, there. Just at the end of this path," Mr Carson added, his eyebrows wiggling.
The young boy's eyes lit up.
Finally, they came through the opening in the trees, and observed the row of cottages.
"Here it is," Mr Carson rumbled, pointing to the cottage on the far left.
"What is it?" Charlie asked eagerly.
"It's going to be our new home, a cottage for the three of us," Mrs Hughes said happily.
"Our new home? We won't live at Downy-ton?" he asked, a slight hint of anxiety and confusion creeping into his voice.
Mrs Hughes crouched down to explain properly.
"We'll still go to Downton together every day but in the evenings and when we are not working … you, me and Mr Carson will live here. In a beautiful home, all of our own. How about that?" she asked, watching his face light up once more.
"Really? Our own home?" he asked.
"Our own home. Wait until you see inside. It is much bigger than our room at Downton," she added.
"Can we go in?" he asked excitedly.
"We can, come on …" she said, taking his hand.
Mr Carson opened the door, as they all stepped inside.
They showed the little boy along the hallway to the sitting room and then to the kitchen and adjoining dining area. Charlie danced around each room. He simply could not believe all of this was for the three of them. In each room, Mrs Hughes encouraged his enthusiasm with her words. The three of us can read a story on the sofa in the evenings. We can have our breakfast together here. We can put all of your pictures on the wall here. She wanted to ensure Charlie was as enthusiastic about the cottage as possible, before they had to explain the two bedrooms upstairs.
"And this is the garden," Mrs Hughes smiled, as she opened the back door.
Charlie covered his mouth with his little hands, as he looked out at the garden with the pretty flowers and trees.
"We can sit out here in the summer and you see that tree …" Mr Carson began, putting his arm around Charlie.
"I am going to make you a swing and hang it from that tree," he finished proudly.
"My own swing!" Charlie gasped.
"Your very own swing. And we are going to make a little pond, right here. Maybe the ducks will come and visit us," Mrs Hughes added with an animated smile.
Charlie squealed with happiness, jumping up and down and running around the garden.
Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson watched him with joyous hearts; the Butler reaching out and taking her hand in his. No words were needed as they gazed tenderly at each other. We never thought we'd have this. We are a family. Our own home. Our own son. Neither had ever felt such happiness.
"Let's go and look upstairs then," Mrs Hughes eventually said, catching Mr Carson's eye.
Charlie ran ahead of them, racing to the stairs. They looked in the bathroom and then walked into the larger bedroom. Mrs Hughes took a deep breath.
"This is the bedroom?" Charlie asked happily, as he walked into the room. His thought was confirmed when he saw the large bed.
"It is one of the bedrooms, yes. There are two bedrooms," Mrs Hughes replied.
"Two?" he asked innocently.
"Yes," Mrs Hughes said tentatively, looking to Mr Carson to speak.
He had promised that he would help her explain this.
Mr Carson coughed, trying to disperse his nerves. How do you explain this to a four-year-old boy?
"Yes, there are two bedrooms Charlie …" he began.
Mrs Hughes urged him on with an encouraging smile. He coughed again.
"You see, you are a growing lad now Charlie and so you will get to have your own bedroom. It's just across the hall," Mr Carson said softly.
"My own bedroom? But where will you and Ma sleep?" he asked.
"We'll urghh ... umm ... we'll sleep in here," Mr Carson stumbled.
"Together? In the same bed?" Charlie asked, feeling very puzzled.
Mr Carson looked helplessly at Mrs Hughes. The Housekeeper shook her head fondly as she took over.
"You see Charlie, when a man and woman get married, they share a bedroom," Mrs Hughes said matter of factly.
"Why?" Charlie asked. Mrs Hughes was pleased to note that he seemed intrigued rather than upset.
Mr Carson took a deep breath. What on earth was she going to tell him?
"Well, Mr Carson may need a cuddle during the night. He gets a bit frightened in the dark you see," Mrs Hughes said seriously, sharing an amused glance over the top of Charlie's head with the Butler.
"Do you? I used to be scared of the dark but I'm not now," Charlie said proudly.
"That's right, you are a big boy now and it will be lovely to have your own room. We've decorated it especially for you," Mrs Hughes said enthusiastically.
Charlie's mouth dropped open in delighted surprise and then a worried look appeared on his face. Mrs Hughes had been expecting this.
"Can't I sleep in the same room as you? I'll be on my own all night," he said sadly.
The Housekeeper felt her heart drop. She couldn't bear to see Charlie scared or upset. However, she knew that they had to be strong about this; Charlie would enjoy having his own room eventually and she and Mr Carson needed some time alone. We will be newlyweds after all. She blushed inwardly at this thought.
Mr Carson felt like he couldn't breathe; Charlie looked so troubled and upset. The Butler would not have blamed Mrs Hughes if she had given in right there on the spot.
"You will be on your own but we'll be just across the hall. It's not very far and we can leave your door open so that we can hear you … and if you need us, you can give us a shout or come and get us. However, I know you'll be fine Charlie … and I know that you will love having your own room. We are both very proud of you, growing up so fast," she said warmly, kneeling on the rug to draw Charlie to her. She held him in her arms but she could see that he still was not convinced.
"We are Charlie, we are very proud of you. Shall we go and see your lovely new bedroom? I promise you'll love it," Mr Carson said kindly, wincing as he observed the young boy's forlorn face.
Charlie nodded sadly, trying to force a smile.
Mrs Hughes felt her heart breaking, she needed to say something to make him feel more positive.
"Of course, you know what the best thing is about having your own room?" she offered.
"What?" Charlie asked, eyes wide open as he looked at his Ma.
Mrs Hughes was still holding his sides as she kneeled on the floor in front of him.
"It's that when you wake up in the morning from a lovely sleep, you can get out of bed, run in here and jump into bed with us!" she beamed, as she watched his face break into a genuine smile.
"I can come in here?" he asked excitedly.
"Certainly, I'll need my morning cuddle with my little monkey or I'm not getting out of bed!" she exclaimed, as he began to giggle.
"Did you think you couldn't come in here? My word, of course you can," Mr Carson added, bending down to place a fatherly kiss to Charlie's hair.
"Imagine that, eh? We'll even see Mr Carson in his pyjamas," Mrs Hughes joked, as Charlie chuckled ecstatically.
"Ma, Pa and our little petal, all snuggled up in bed enjoying an extra little nap each morning … now, let's go and see your bedroom," she added eagerly.
Charlie finally nodded happily, and ran across the hall. Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson smiled in relief as they followed him. Phew, Mr Carson mouthed.
"It's blue and there are ducks on the wall!" he exclaimed, as he looked at his very own bedroom.
"Your favourites … and you've got shelves for all of your books and your toy box can go here. We are going to get you a small desk to go on this wall …" Mrs Hughes explained.
"… and you can see right into the garden," Mr Carson finished, pointing out of the large window.
The rooms were so much brighter than at Downton, with large windows letting in the sun.
"I love my new bedroom ... so, I sleep in here and I can come into your room when I wake up?" Charlie asked, needing confirmation one last time.
"That's right, not too early of course, Mr Carson needs his beauty sleep," Mrs Hughes teased, with both her little and big Charlies laughing happily at this comment.
As Charlie continued to gaze around his room, Mr Carson put his arm around the Housekeeper's waist and whispered to her, 'I do hope that I get a nice cuddle before Charlie arrives?'
'I am sure we can manage that Mr Carson. In fact, I will look forward to it,' she flirted, as the Butler began to cough once again.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this update. Do let me know with a little review x