Chapter 26
Charles and Elsie were snuggled together on the sofa in Elsie's sitting room. They were exhausted following the events of earlier in the evening, certainly too tired to fulfil their plans for the Blue Room, yet not wanting to leave each other to go to their separate beds. Therefore, they settled for holding each other lovingly on the sofa, with the fire providing a welcoming warmth. Charles lay on his back as Elsie lay against his chest, enjoying the comfort as he held her adoringly, stroking her back in soft, repetitive strokes and sighing contentedly into her hair.
"How are you feeling my love?" Charles asked.
"I am fine Charles … fine …" Elsie said against his chest.
"I could kill Janet … to think she locked you in the cellar …" Charles said angrily.
" … to think I thought you wanted to us to … well … to do you know what in the cellar!" Elsie jested.
Charles laughed, and then said seriously,
" … if I am honest … I cannot say it has never crossed my mind …"
"Charles Carson!" Elsie said, mock-exasperated.
"Well … you came down to the cellar … so you must have been willing!" he teased.
She giggled, still not lifting her head. She loved the rise and fall of his chest, to feel his breathing, his heartbeat so close. She could lie like this forever.
"What must Lord Grantham have thought? You and I arranging to meet in the Blue Room?" Charles asked, he knew Elsie was friends with His Lordship but to him, Robert was still very much his employer.
"Oh he won't have been surprised … he knows how much I love you Charles …" Elsie said. Charles smiled. He wished he could see things as clearly as Elsie. She was, of course, totally right; they loved each other and so why should they be ashamed of wanting to demonstrate that love to each other. It was as simple as that.
"… although he was probably quite surprised to see his esteemed Butler in his undershorts ..." Elsie joked.
Charles hugged her more tightly and tickled her a little as repayment for her teasing.
"Ahh stop that Charles … no … stop it …" Elsie giggled, as she squirmed in his arms.
"I cannot believe you have now seen me in less clothes than I have seen you!" Charles said, as Elsie finally looked up to meet his gaze. She bit her lip and grinned,
"And a very nice sight it was too …" she smiled. As she lay back on the settee and Charles now leaned over her. They were both fully clothed as they lay. The temperature in the room seemed to have suddenly risen as she gently touched his face and his lips with her fingertips.
"Not as wonderful as what is under here, I am sure …" he purred, running one hand all the way from Elsie's neck, slowly and sensually across her breasts, down her stomach, across and down one thigh, sliding his hand to her knee, where he caressed her leg, raising it so it rested on his hip. He continued to fondle Elsie's thigh and bottom through the layers of her dress, as his eyes moved higher and he slowly buried his head between her breasts, kissing the flushed skin that was revealed at her neckline.
"Oh Charles …" Elsie gasped. Her hands gripped the back of his head at her chest and she pushed her lower body upwards more closely against him. Yes, she concluded, he had certainly regained his strength as he gripped her bottom and pushed her into his growing desire. She quickly undid the top couple of buttons on her dress, and then her corset, so that her breasts began to spill out over the top. Charles groaned as he now had more soft, milky skin to cover in kisses and touches as he suckled and licked her breasts, his one hand had now found its way beneath her skirts and was stroking her inner thigh. Elsie hummed with pleasure as his mouth and hands made her dissolve underneath him.
"Oh my goodness … I am so sorry!" Beryl said, as she stood inside the room, staring at them both on the settee, and frozen to the spot.
"Beryl!" Elsie declared, as Charles scrambled to get off her. His hand somehow caught in her underskirt and he panicked trying to free it. Elsie chuckled at the ridiculous of this situation as she helped to untangle him. They both now stood beside the sofa, Elsie redoing the buttons on her dress.
Beryl was trying so hard not to laugh, as she said,
"I am so sorry Elsie … and Charles … I thought you would be upstairs in the Blue Room ... and well ... I was coming down for a glass of water … I saw your light and thought you must have left it on … I only came in to turn it off …" Beryl explained, a happy smirk on her face, thinking of what she had then interrupted.
Charles raised his eyebrows first at Beryl, then at Elsie,
"You told Beryl what we were planning in the Blue Room …" Charles said, staring at Elsie with a hint of a smile, waiting for an explanation.
"You told Beryl you were in love with me before you told me …" Elsie countered.
"Touché!" Charles replied, turning his attention back to Beryl.
"And why aren't you in the Blue Room?" Beryl asked, as an after-thought.
Charles and Elsie both looked at each other, a weary smile on their face.
"It's a long story …" Elsie replied, motioning for Beryl to sit down.
"I'll get some sherry … I think we might need it!" Charles said happily.
######
As the staff sat at the breakfast table the next morning, there was a noticeable empty seat where the former Ladies Maid would usually have sat.
"We are going to have to say something Charles ..." Elsie whispered, as the two heads of household sat in their usual seats at the top of the table.
"You do it … I wouldn't know what to say …" Charles said. Elsie rolled her eyes and coughed loudly, to get everyone's attention.
"Sorry to interrupt but there has been a change to the household staffing and I thought I should update you …" Elsie began.
She now had everyone's rapt attention; there had been rumours and gossip all morning about the whereabouts of Janet. Only Beryl and Anna, who Elsie had also told, knew the truth.
"… regrettably Janet Milton will no longer be working here at Downton … unfortunately her behaviour was not befitting the standards we expect in this Household and so yesterday evening Lord Grantham took the decision to dismiss her … we will be advertising for a new Ladies Maid and in the meantime, I will serve Lady Grantham … this matter is now fully resolved and so I would appreciate if there is no further discussion of this," Elsie finished, quite calmly.
She had the admiration of her beloved at her side. He could not resist his next action, leaning over and kissing her soundly on the lips. Charles knew this public display of affection was inappropriate and unseemly but he could not have cared less. As Elsie looked at him in disbelief, and with a twinkle in his eye, he leant over and kissed her a second time. This kiss was even more passionate than the first. As the pair continued to smooch gently and the chatter of the staff continued, Elsie heard only one voice above the noise, that of Thomas saying,
"Good riddance … I never liked her!"
Elsie laughed against Charles's lips; thinking she could not agree more.
######
"So young lady … what were you planning in the Blue Room with my Butler?" Robert asked light-heartedly, as he gently nudged Elsie's side as they sat on their bench.
"Never you mind!" Elsie laughed in return.
"Oh come on … I thought we were friends …" Robert joked.
"We are friends … but I would not want to shock you!" Elsie teased.
"Elsie Hughes … you are a little fiery one aren't you?" Robert jested, using Charles' words from yesterday.
"It is years of waiting Robert … it can do that to a woman …" Elsie teased. She could not believe how brazen she was being with Robert. Just over a month ago, they would only ever have conversed on very mundane household matters, now she was talking to him about her love life or lack thereof it!
"Well … our Charles is a very lucky man indeed …" Robert said, winking at Elsie.
"Shush now …" Elsie said, embarrassed.
"… and I must apologise Robert … I know we had no right to be planning anything in the Blue Room … it is a guest room … it was wrong of us to plan such … well such a liaison in a guest room … in any room of the house for that matter …" Elsie stumbled.
"Nonsense! Goodness … you are going to be married … use any room you want!" Robert laughed and Elsie, still a little embarrassed, laughed too.
"The way we are going … we might never … you know … we cannot even kiss without being interrupted … Daisy walked in on us … and Anna … and then last night … Mrs Patmore! I think Charles might explode if one more person interrupts us …" Elsie said amusedly.
"Well then you should go away together … have a little break … when was the last time either of you took the leave you are due … even just for one or two nights …" Robert suggested.
"No we couldn't … Charles would never … we are not yet married Robert … we couldn't … as much as I don't think there is anything wrong with two people who are in love and are to be married sharing … intimacies ... with each other … society does not agree … and Charles would not want to sully my reputation … we couldn't …" Elsie said, trying to convince herself that this was a bad idea, even though it sounded like a very good idea to her. Charles was not the only one who was getting increasingly frustrated.
"Well ... what if Cora and I were going away for the weekend and you and Charles had to accompany us?" Robert asked, a plan forming in his mind.
"Why would we accompany you?" Elsie asked, intrigued.
"Well … Cora currently does not have a Ladies Maid … as you may recall … " Robert began, as they both shared a weary smile, "… and so you would have to accompany Cora and well … Mr Bates should obviously the accompany me … but … I am sure we could contrive something so that Charles came instead …" Robert smiled excitedly.
"Robert, are you serious?" Elsie said, trying not to get too excited at the thought of a weekend break away from Downton with Charles. She knew they would be working but they would obviously be able to share some time together, without any interruptions, she thought breathlessly.
"I am very serious … I have been wanting to take Cora away … I want to treat her to something special … we have been getting along so well lately and … well we haven't … as yet we haven't …" Roberts words trailed off as he became a little self-conscious.
Elsie thought she should try to help him but she did not wish to pry, " … umm … I know that you have been sharing a bedroom … I only know because I went up to help Cora get dressed this morning and she was not in her room … it is none of my business obviously Robert …" Elsie said kindly.
"No … no … I don't mind honestly … I am just not used to discussing such matters … Cora and I are getting on wonderfully … we have been sharing a bed … it has been so lovely Elsie ... but we did not want to rush things … so we have been holding each other and kissing each other … but nothing more … not yet …" Robert explained.
"Well then ... are you sure a weekend away is a good idea Robert? You should wait until Cora is ready … don't force it and make her feel pressured …" Elsie said.
"No … no … I wouldn't … I just think she might be ready … things have become … well more amorous of late … and I think getting away from Downton may help … I would ask her of course … and if she was against the idea of a weekend away … I would not pursue it …" Robert said.
"Then you should ask her … I am so happy for you Robert … I can see how happy you both are and it is wonderful to see … however … forget about the idea of me and Charles … you just concentrate on making it a special weekend for you and Cora … Charles and I will work something out …" she smiled genuinely at him.
"No … I won't hear of it … if we are going away … you and Charles are coming too … it's perfect … we both get to spend a romantic weekend away with the one we love … now … where shall we go? You choose!" Robert said beaming.
Elsie laughed, "I cannot choose … it's your weekend Robert … "
"Yes you can … Cora will love anywhere you choose … go on … you are my friend Elsie and I want this to be your special weekend too … my little gift to you to thank you for all of the support you have given me … " Robert said sincerely, as his lifted Elsie's hand from the bench and kissed it softly.
"Oh Robert … there is no need to thank me … you have given me enormous support too …" Elsie replied.
" … and look how far we have both come with that support … a few weeks ago ... when we became friends … we were both distraught and lonely ... and now … you are to marry Charles, the love of your life, and I have restored my relationship with my beautiful Cora … the least we deserve is a weekend away to celebrate this … please let me share this with you …" Robert asked.
Tears welled in Elsie's eyes, "That would be lovely Robert … thank you …" she said.
"Good … now where?" he asked joyfully.
"Umm … I know it's rather far ... but could we go to Cornwall? I have never been and I have always longed to visit the Cornish coast … I have read so many novels that are based there … and the scenery sounds divine …" Elsie replied dreamily.
"Cornwall it is!" Robert cheered, as Elsie hugged him excitedly.
A/N: Thank you for continuing to read this story and for the wonderful reviews. Just a couple of chapters left now and then I am done! X