Chapter 37
A/N: Thank you for all of your good wishes and your reviews for the last chapter. I am back from my travels now and so here is a little update for you. I should be able to update regularly once again! Hope you enjoy and it would be lovely if you could send me a little review x
"Pa, your face is prickly!" Charlie said, eyes open wide as he patted the Butler's face.
Mr and Mrs Carson had returned from their short honeymoon two days ago and the family of three were enjoying getting settled into their new home, in between duties at the Abbey of course. The three were currently tucked up in bed together; Charlie having joined the couple from his room only minute's ago. The birds were starting to chirp outside the window and there was the hint of the morning sun as it rose across the fields. Even after only two days their mornings together, before going to the Abbey, were a time that the little Carson family cherished.
The Housekeeper chuckled as she heard Charlie's comment. She would let her husband explain that one.
"It is prickly yes because I need to shave," Mr Carson explained, sharing a smile with his wife.
"Shave?" Charlie repeated sweetly, still feeling his Pa's face inquisitively.
"Yes, you see men grow hair on their face and …" he began, not getting any further before Charlie burst into laughter.
"Hair on their face!" the little boy exclaimed, thinking this was the funniest notion he had ever heard.
"Yes, you'll grow hair on your face when you are older," Mrs Carson added, stroking Charlie's soft cheek.
"Will I really?" the little boy gasped, gazing in astonishment at his Ma.
The couple laughed warmly at their little boy's shocked face.
"You will … but not for a few years yet. Anyway, most gentlemen don't want to have a hairy face and so they cut the hair off every morning … that's what shaving is," Mr Carson finished, enjoying teaching his new son these little things.
"You do that every day?" the little boy asked eagerly.
"I do," the Butler replied, ruffling Charlie's hair.
"Can I help you?" he then asked enthusiastically.
Mr Carson grinnned happily at this.
"Why not!" he answered, as Charlie looked delighted.
Mrs Carson shook her head fondly. This won't get messy at all, she reasoned with a smile.
A thought then occurred to the little boy.
"Ma, does hair grow on your face?" he asked innocently.
Mr and Mrs Carson chuckled, with the Butler wrapping up his darling wife and son in his arms and hugging them even more closely.
"No, it doesn't sweetheart ... because only funny men have hairy faces!" she jested, tickling her son's side, as they all dissolved into giggles once more.
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The Butler and the little boy stood in the bathroom in their vests and pyjama bottoms, both looking in the mirror. Charlie was on the little wooden step that they used so that he could wash his own face and brush his teeth in the sink.
Mr Carson was using his shaving brush to lather up his face, as his son watched in awe.
"You look like Father Christmas!" Charlie exclaimed, as the white cream covered the Butler's entire chin.
Mr Carson smiled broadly, thinking for the umpteenth time how blessed he was.
"Can you do me Pa?" Charlie asked.
The Butler knew that his wife may think he'd gone soft but he would play along with anything to make Charlie happy.
"Right then, let's see …" Mr Carson teased, beginning to lather up Charlie's chin.
The little boy laughed delightedly as the hairs on the brush tickled his chin.
"Look at us!" Charlie exclaimed, as he viewed the two faces covered in white cream in the mirror.
He leaned back against his Pa, as the Butler smiled happily.
"Now what do we do?" he asked excitedly.
"Well, this is the part where we need to be careful. I have to use a very sharp blade to shave my face and you mustn't touch the blade Charlie ... as it could cut you," Mr Carson warned gently, whilst holding his son around the waist with one arm.
"But it might cut you?" Charlie said worriedly.
"Oh no, I'll be fine. Grown up men are used to the blade and when you are a big boy, you'll get used to it too, but for now, you can use this special tool," Mr Carson said seriously, handing Charlie one of his combs.
The little boy grinned.
"Pa, that's a comb!" he said, not being fooled for one second.
"Yes, but the other side of the comb is a special shaving tool for young boys," the Butler returned, pointing at the flat side of the comb rather than the one with all of the teeth.
Charlie now looked at the comb in a totally different light, thrilled to be given this 'special' shaving tool by his Pa. The Butler looked down lovingly at his son; hoping that there would be many more delightful father-son moments such as this.
"Now, this is what you do … copy me," Mr Carson said, as he began long strokes with the blade across his chin and face. He took his time with each stroke so that Charlie could copy with him.
Charlie concentrated with all of his might to copy his Pa and he marvelled as he made lines through the shaving cream. After each stroke, he shared a beaming smile in the mirror with his Pa.
"That's the way, now you have to keep going until you've got no more cream on your face," he explained, smiling as he continued to watch his son.
The two happily continued 'shaving' together, finally rinsing their faces to get rid of any last bits of cream.
"There you are, all done," the Butler cheered, as he tickled Charlie under the chin.
The little boy giggled happily as he reached up with one hand to pat his Pa's face and with his other hand, patted his own face.
"All soft!" he grinned.
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"We are both shaved and ready Ma," Charlie explained, as he happily skipped into the kitchen ahead of his Pa.
The Butler had also got Charlie (and himself) dressed, as Mrs Carson made their breakfast downstairs. They only had about an hour together in the mornings before they headed to the House and so they divided up the tasks as effectively as they did with their duties at Downton.
"Are you now?" the Housekeeper asked in amusement, turning from the stove as her son came across the kitchen to give her a hug.
Charlie was such an affectionate child and if he had been apart from his Ma for even a few minutes, he always greeted her with a warm hug. She picked him up off the floor; not as easy a task as it once was, as Charlie continued to grow. However, she would never forego such a lovely cuddle from her son. He snuggled tenderly against, resting on her hip with his arms around her neck. She kissed his cheek.
"Ooh, lovely and smooth and no prickles," she teased.
Charlie giggled enthusiastically at that.
"Ma, I'm not big enough for prickles!" he gasped happily.
"Oh yes, I forgot!" she smiled, as he continued to giggle.
"But I am going to shave with Pa every morning, just in case," he added seriously.
The Housekeeper bit her lip to stop her mirth, as she nodded seriously in return. She lowered Charlie to the floor and guided him to the breakfast table. He climbed up on his seat. Mr Carson approached his wife, a loving smile on his face.
She reached up and stroked her husband's face.
"And no prickles here either!" she flirted, kissing his cheek.
Her husband wrapped his arms around her waist and bent to kiss her lips. After a brief peck, they both furtively looked at Charlie, who they were pleased to see still had his back to them as he took a sip of milk. Mr Carson seized his chance, kissing his wife passionately as one hand lowered and softly squeezed her bottom. She smiled against his lips and wound one hand into his hair, pulling him closer.
"Ma is breakfast ready?" Charlie asked, without turning around.
The two broke apart with an accepting sigh, smiling fondly at their interruption.
"Coming right up!" she replied cheerfully, swatting her husband playfully away, as he took his seat at the table.
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The three happily tucked into sausages, scrambled eggs and toast; these were all things that Mrs Carson could manage with relative ease. She was a little rusty in terms of cooking but hoped to develop her skills, as she wanted to be able to cook for her family.
"How's breakfast Charlie?" she asked.
"Nice," he smiled, putting another forkful of egg into his mouth.
Mr Carson gently guided him to try to use the back of his fork; the formal but more difficult way of eating food. Charlie managed one or two bites like this and was rewarded with a loving wink from his Pa and a warm smile from his Ma.
"You are a good cook Ma, just like Mrs Patmore," he continued, as the Housekeeper smiled proudly.
Mr Carson beamed at his son for praising his Ma; he knew that his wife lacked confidence in the kitchen and he, and now his son, had been trying to encourage her. They also had gobbled up everything she had made so far, both loved their food.
"And I like the brown bits in the eggs," Charlie added genuinely.
Mr Carson held his breath at that comment, as Mrs Carson's mouth dropped open in surprise. She may have caught the egg a little on the bottom of the pan. Charlie continued to finish off his plate, oblivious that he had actually just referenced the burnt bits in the scrambled eggs. The Butler continued to stare helplessly at his wife, waiting for her reaction. She caught his eye and could see his unease. Mrs Carson promptly burst into laughter, both at her son's comment and her husband's panic. Children are nothing if not honest, she reflected happily.
The Butler's bellowing chuckles matched his wife's amusement, as they shared a loving, blissful glance. Charlie looked up from his plate, smiling as he witnessed their laughter. He had no idea what they laughing about but he decided to join in regardless, as he began giggling joyously with his parents. He placed his cutlery on his plate and reached out to take both of their hands in his.
They were still laughing happily as they squeezed his hands in reply.