Chapter 38: Epilogue
During marriage and retirement, Mr. Carson fared rather well, medically speaking. His angina continued to be a slight inconvenience. He suffered sporadic minor attacks and a few more frightening ones, but for the most part he was able to maintain a moderate activity level without serious discomfort or risk to his health. Mrs. Carson saw to it that her husband followed all of Dr. Clarkson's suggestions.
The first spring after the Carsons' marriage, some of the outside staff from the Abbey came to clear a patch in the yard outside the cottage for a flower and vegetable garden. The young boys did all the heavy work tilling and preparing it, and Mr. and Mrs. Carson planted the seeds. Within a few months, they enjoyed some lovely flowers and fresh vegetables for cooking.
Mrs. Carson approached her new culinary avocation with her characteristic determination. She read cookbooks and experimented with her own ideas, and she soon found she quite enjoyed working in the kitchen. Her efforts certainly pleased Mr. Carson, who marveled at his wife's ability to make Dr. Clarkson's recommended diet tasty and satisfying. She also discovered that retirement allowed her more time for sewing, which she'd always enjoyed but to which she'd been able to devote precious little time when she'd been housekeeper. And one day a week, she volunteered at the hospital.
Mr. Carson spent a good deal of time in the village. He called on Mr. Barlowe, the wine merchant, with some frequency, and the two found many things to discuss, not all of them pertaining to wine. He also became a regular visitor to the book shop and performed some odd jobs in the sacristy at the church. During the cricket season, Mr. Carson kept score for the village team, and despite his previous allegiance to the Abbey team, he became quite an avid supporter. The only time his loyalties were divided was during the annual house-village match, which caused the poor man no small amount of consternation.
The couple visited the big house quite often, particularly in the early days, when the adjustment was difficult for everyone. Anna and Mrs. Patmore had seen to Mrs. Carson's previous duties until a new housekeeper was found. Mrs. Williams proved to be a suitable replacement; she couldn't compare to Mrs. Carson, but she was quite capable. And Mr. Bates and Mr. Barrow managed tolerably in Mr. Carson's absence until Mr. Davidson arrived. After some observation and thoughtful consideration, Mr. Carson deemed his successor "acceptable."
The Carsons' cottage welcomed a steady stream of guests, as well. Mrs. Patmore was by far the most frequent, coming for tea whenever possible. The Bateses, whose cottage was only a short walk away, also dropped by regularly. Lady Mary graced them with her presence far more often than Mr. Carson could have hoped, usually bringing Master George along with her, and sometimes Mr. Branson and Miss Sybbie joined them.
And so Mr. and Mrs. Carson lived out a happy and full retirement. They spent their days engaged in leisurely and pleasurable activities, either each alone or both together. Their evenings were spent in much the same way as when they'd worked at the house, sitting together and talking, except that now they were able to express their love both verbally and physically. Previously, each had sat in a separate chair in the butler's pantry or the housekeeper's sitting room, but now they sat together on the settee in their parlor, holding hands or resting against each other, occasionally exchanging tender endearments. Sometimes they talked; sometimes they read books; and sometimes they simply sat in silence. But what each found most enjoyable about their new situation was the nighttime. Lying all night in each other's embrace provided a contentment neither could have expected, for they found that only in making themselves wholly vulnerable to one another could they feel truly secure.
A/N And so we and the Carsons come to the end of our journey. I hope you've enjoyed my story. Thank you for sticking with me for through 38 chapters, nearly 58,000 words, and SIX MONTHS! (Yes, this post occurs precisely six months to the day after the first one.) I appreciate all my readers, followers, favoriters(?), and reviewers, particularly those who have offered suggestions, advice, and moral support. I'm grateful also to everyone who's supported me on tumblr. And thank you to everyone who voted for this story in the Highclere Awards; I can't even express how much it means to me.
Please leave me one last review here to let me know what you thought of the story overall. If you're a writer here on this website, then you know how much the reviews mean. If you're not, then please take my word for it: reviews make a writer very, VERY happy!
Look for my next story, "Getting On," to be posted sometime within the next few weeks. In the meantime, please check out the new crack-fic, "Brown Chicken, Brown Cow," a collaboration between Chelsie Dagger and me, which I posted last night. I guarantee it's not at all what you're expecting! I hope you'll have as much fun reading it as we did writing it.
Bye for now, and Chelsie love to all!