At 3:30, Carson paced back and forth in the pantry as his wife watched him. He was terribly nervous about how this whole ordeal could possibly go, but she was proud of him for everything he had done to make her happy so far. It was her health that had him so worried, and he had insisted that they both finally relinquish their positions at the great house after so many long and tiring years. She did not truly want to leave, but her health demanded that she start taking care of herself. After all, she had a husband now, and it would destroy him if her health were to take a turn for the worst. They were advancing in age, and they were prepared for the worst, but she still did not want to put him through that.
As he paced closer to her, she reached for his hand, making him pause. She made him sit beside her, and then kissed his cheek, "Charles, you mustn't worry yourself about this. His Lordship will understand! Look at everything he has done for us. Do you honestly think he would exile two people that have served him faithfully for fifty years?" She ran her hand soothingly over his chest, "I know that you are afraid, but I am here with you."
Her accented words rolled smoothly over his senses, and he took a deep breath, "You are right, I know you are. I am just afraid that we are catching him at the worst time. I told you that he has been talking about limiting the staff as it is, and I feel like I am being unfair."
Elsie rolled her eyes, "Would you listen to yourself? If we leave, he can certainly limit the staff," she paused, then added with a smile, "Besides, we may not be the only ones leaving soon."
His head instantly snapped up, and he looked at her in confusion, "What? Who have you been talking with? Why was I not told?"
"I'm telling you now, you daft man," she laughed. "Even you don't know everything!" She leaned closer, lowering his voice, "Mr. Molesley has proposed to Ms. Baxter! She is going to answer him before dinner tonight."
His eyes widened, "Mr. Molesley had the courage to propose?" He gave a wry smile, "I never thought he would do it. He asked me months ago if he could ask her to marry him, and I told him that it was his decision. Good for Mr. Molesley."
Elsie, swatted his arm, "You did know, and you didn't tell me? You know that I have been wanting them to finally tell each other how they felt for ages. I mean, it's obvious to anyone with sight! The way they are always with each other, and talking together in a corner in the Servant's Hall? It appears that they were the last to realize."
"Now, Mrs. Carson," he said fondly, "You must remember that he is not the only one that was foolish to wait so long." He smiled, bringing his fingers to cup her cheek, and leaned in to kiss her softly, "Some things are worth waiting for."
Her hand went to his, keeping it in place, and she smiled brightly back at him, "Ever the romantic, Mr. Carson." She kissed him once more before checking the time on his pocketwatch, "It's time to go, love." She grabbed his hand, "We will be fine, and everything will be fine."
He nodded, squeezing her hand in his, "I know. As long as you are with me, all will be well. I love you." She leaned up to kiss his cheek once more, and they began the climb up the stairs to the library in silence.
Robert sat at his desk in the library, waiting for the Carsons to arrive, and he sighed to himself. It had been a long day of frustrations and miscommunication in the village, and he was ready to just call it a day, but he always kept his word. At 4:00 exactly, Carson and Mrs. Carson entered the room, and he stood to greet them. "Mrs. Carson," he smiled, "You look well! Our Carson is a lucky man!"
Carson blushed as Elsie smiled and answered, "Thank you, milord, but I am also a lucky woman." She smiled up at her husband, knowing that his nervousness was setting in once more.
Robert gave them a knowing look and a polite smile, and then gestured to the chairs, "Please, have a seat. I have a feeling this is not something that I should be standing for." Once he took his place, he looked at them both seriously, "Now, what is the purpose of this meeting?"
Carson cleared his throat, "You see, milord… As you know, we are getting to be, erm… Advanced in age. Our health is not what it once was. Mrs. Carson has been given orders to slow down, for she has a health condition that is preventing her from fulfilling all the requirements her job entails. I feel that it is my duty as her husband to take care of her by any means necessary. I am afraid that in order to do so, we must both hand in our notice."
Robert sat back a bit, choosing his next words carefully, and he cleared his throat in return. He had been afraid of this, "And there is absolutely nothing we could do to lighten your duties, Mrs. Carson?"
Elsie looked down at her hands, then back up, "I'm afraid not, milord. The severity of the condition requires that I severely limit my activities, and all the stairs are just too much."
Robert sighed, "I am very sorry to hear this from you both. I suppose I never really gave it much thought, but I assumed you would both be here for the duration of my life. It was foolish of me to think such things, and I can honestly say that I fully understand your reasons for leaving. I will do anything I can to make sure that you are both well taken care of, and all that I ask in return is that you help me sort out the staffing issues before you go. I would also like to offer you a more luxurious home than the one you are in now. God knows you both deserve it."
Charles sat in shock at his lordship's proposal, "I-I'm afraid I don't know what to say, milord. Mrs. Carson and I will gladly help you get things in order, but I am not so sure that we need another home. We will discuss it. Thank you, milord. Thank you for everything."
Elsie swallowed hard, feeling her emotions starting to bubble up, "That is v-very kind of you, milord. Thank you for understanding."
Robert smiled at them both, "You are family to me. I do hope that you will be well, and please, let me know what you decided. We will talk again as soon as you have come to a decision."
They all stood, and as the Carsons left the library, they felt a great weight lift from their shoulders. Elsie turned to her husband, and he gave her a tender smile, "It appears that we are to be well-cared for, my love." He hugged her tightly, and then pulled away, hiding the happy tears that had formed in his eyes, "Come, now. We must get back to work."
