CHARLES'S CHRISTMAS CAROL-28
Hello people. Thank you for your comments, viewings and everything. I gather you liked the previous chapter which was totally devoted to happy events and I have to admit that I quite enjoyed it myself, so today's will be pretty much similar. All about happy Carson's family life, with a pleasant surprise at the end.. Hope you will like it.
July 27th 1905
On this lovely, summer day, the Carsons cottage was full of laughter and joy, as the twins were celebrating their 7th birthday. Mrs Patmore was their guest this afternoon and the Carson kids couldn't be possibly more happy, as they adored their aunt Beryl.
She made a delicious cake for them, decorated with raspberries and Charles somehow managed to take his half day off. They were all sitting outside the cottage, enjoying the weather and being together. After they ate the delicious meal, they were sitting around and chatting about past events.
Victoria and Charlotte were quite enjoying being in the centre of attention. Elsie and Charles beamed from joy, watching their lovely girls-dressed in identical dresses, but according to their favorite color preferences. Victoria's dress was blue and Charlotte's was pink.
Elsie smiled to herself, remembering that awful, stormy night, seven years earlier, when she gave birth to the twins. It was difficult to imagine that they were already seven now. She looked at them and the feeling of mother's pride was clearly shown on her face. She looked at Charles and she saw pure love in his eyes, when he watched their beautiful daughters. Elsie knew that Charles loved all the children, but he was always more severe and demanding towards Charlie, while he spoiled the girls ever since the day they were born. Their eyes met and they held their hands,connecting in the sense of pride, that their love helped to create two, such wonderful creatures.
Beryl noticed that quiet proof of love between the married couple, but other than usual, she decided not to tease them this time about it. Instead, she shared her memory of that stormy night from seven years ago.
"It's hard to believe that the girls are already seven. When did it pass? I still remember that stormy night. We were waiting for Mr Carson's return and suddenly you went into labor."
"Don't remind me...I never been that scared. We were waiting for the doctor for ages...If it wasn't for Mrs Brown, I'm not even sure if the girls would be safely with us."
"Too bad she couldn't be here today with us..."
"I wish that too...But her mother is gravely ill and she had to visit her. No doubt she will bring some gifts with her when she gets back. She never forgets about the girls."
"I will never forgive myself that I was late that night...If anything had happened to you Elsie..."
"Charles...It wouldn't be your fault...The most important is that we have our girls and our Charlie with us..."
"You are quite the family I have to say...Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision, staying in service...I could have all this too and now it's no longer possible..."-Mrs Patmore's face expression, normally full of joy, has suddenly frowned and she got a little nostalgic...
"Mrs Patmore...You know that you are a part of our family..And that's how it always will be.."-Charles said those words firmly, leaving no doubts to both women, that he really thought so...
"Thank you...It means a lot to me..."
"I fully agree with my wise husband...And of course I share his opinion. You are irreplacable friend and our kids favorite aunt..."
"You are not just saying that?"
"You don't believe me? Right..We will check it at once...Charlie, girls come here.."-Elsie shouted to the kids, who were playing on the lawn. All three of them has immediately ran towards their mum.
"Kids, tell me who is your favorite aunt?"
"Aunt Beryl"-They all replied in the same time and very loudly...
"Right...No more of that, because I will turn into a mush...Who wants to eat some cake now?"
"Me! Me! Me!"-the children were very vocal in expressing their enthusiasm for "Aunt Beryl's dessert"
"That's settleed then. Time to cut the cake...But shouldn't the girls blow their candles first and make a wish?"
"Yes they definitely should...Come here girls..."-Charles sat both girls on his laps-one girl on each and they all watched as they blowed their candles. They were all cheering when the girls did that...
"Happy birhtday my sweet princesses. Did you make a wish?"
"Yes daddy, I did."-Victoria snuggled closer to daddy...
"Let me guess...You probably wished to have a job at the Abbey when you grow up, so you could be with daddy all the time.."-Elsie smiled warmly to Victoria...
"No mummy...I don't want to work when I will grow up. I want to get married."
"Now, that's a serious declaration Victoria"-said Beryl-"Can you tell us who is your dream husband? Who do you want to marry?"
"It's daddy..."-Victoria replied, blushing a bit...
"Oh I don't know about that sweetie..I think that mummy is going to be very jealous.."-Charles kissed Victoira's hair.."Happy birthday baby.."
"Of course I'm jealous, but I can't blame our daughter...It will be difficult for her to find such a wonderful man as her daddy in the future..What about you Charlotte? Do you want to get married too?"
"No mummy...I will not get married. I will travel the world and see many interesting things.."
"A spitting image of her mummy..."-Charles said, smiling at Elsie.."The same sassy behavior. Happy birthday my sweet, little Charlotte.."-Charles kissed the head of his second daughter...
"Will we get any presents today?"-Charlotte was direct as usual..
"Will I get some too?"-Charlie was not very pleased about being on the second plan today..
"Charlie...We've been through this before...You will get your presents in December, when you will have your birthday..Not today..Today we have presents for the girls.."
"Charlie you can have an extra slice of birthday cake, how about that?"-Beryl couldn't stand the sad face of her favorite boy.
"Yes aunt Beryl, I want a second slice.."
Soon after they ate a yummy cake prepared by Beryl, the girls were almost too excited to eat, there was a time to open their presents...The girls got a hair decorations from Beryl, in the shape of a bow-each one in their favorite color. Two copies of fairytales from their parents and when they opened a present from the Abbey-the Granthams never forgot about their birthdays, as well as Charlie's, they were over the moon, as they received two beautiful Victorian porcelain dolls. One dreesed in blue and one in pink..
"Now they will not part with them for like another two years..."-Elsie smiled to Beryl and Charles..."It's really a beautiful and expensive gift..."
"They always remember about the girls...It's so kind of them..."-Charles never missed an opportunity to praise the family..."
Elsie and Beryl smiled to themselves, exchanging amused looks. The birthday party went on, but as the sun slowly prepared to set, Beryl said goodbye to the Carsons and went back to the Abbey and Charles and Elsie could hardly make their joyful trio to go to sleep. When they finally decided to fall asleep, Elsie and Charles stood by their beds, watching their little sunshines, so happy after the day...
They went back to the bedroom and they were talking about how their children changed their lives forever...For better of course...Their mutual love was always very strong, but ever since the babies were born, they loved each other even more...They fell asleep in their arms, thinking that they couldn't be more happy than they were now. Their world seemed to be perfect now and they wouldn't change a thing...
Two months later-September...
Charles was at the Abbey and children were in school, when Elsie got off the bathroom for the third time this morning, shaking and feeling unwell. She lied on the bed, her head felt like one, big ache...There were two lonely tears running on her face...She wasn't sure if those were tears of joy or of fear...She began to to be sure that she was pregnant again...From over a month, she started to suspect something, when her period was missing, although at the beginning, it wasn't quite clear to her, as she had them rather irregularly, which was no wonder, considering that she was 43 already...
At the beginning, she was pushing away that thought, convincing herself, that it was not possible, but as she blushed, remembering that passionate night after Charles's return from the season, when they put cautious to the wind, not once, but twice, the same night, she began to understand, that it might be possible. Before she went to the Abbey ,she has visited Dr Clarkson and asked him to do the tests, wanting to find out if her suspicions were correct...She waited impatiently for week and a half, trying to hide her bad wellbeing to Charles and when she received a confirming news in the doctor's cabinet, she almost fainted.
The doctor tried to calm her down, explaining that when the woman is nearing her change, it is often connected with an increase of fertility. He assured her, that she should not be worried about that, as there were no contradictions for her to give birth to a healthy baby. He advised her limiting her duties to minimum and Elsie couldn't help but smile, when she heard that...The doctor might have been a wise man, but he certainly had no idea about life, with minimum duties, having three children in the house.
Elsie wanted to share this news with Charles and she had a good occasion, because the children were invited to the Abbey on Sunday's afternoon, to a party in the nursery and they were all alone in the cottage.
Charles took his usual Sunday nap after lunch and Elsie was downstairs feeling restless...She wasn't sure how was he going to react to this news? Will he be happy? Won't he blame her? After all it was her idea to...To have a full intercourse that night...She was pacing around the living room and she failed to notice, that Charles was observing her for a while..
"Elsie, what's wrong?"
"Oh Charles..You scared me...I thought that you were still sleeping..."
"No, I'm not sleeping..I couldn't get to sleep and I was hoping that my lovely wife would join me upstairs to give me a cuddle...It's not often now that we are all alone at the cottage.."-Charles took Elsie in his arms and cuddled her closely..She put her head on his chest, enjoying his warmth and soon her emotions took control over her and she started to sob in his arms..
"Elsie...My love...What's wrong? Why are you crying..?"
"Oh Charles...I've been a fool...Such a fool...It's all my fault..."
"I don't understand Elsie...What is your fault?"
"Charles...I'm...I'm pregnant..."
"Pregnant? How is that...?How is that possible...? When? How?"
"Remember when you came back from London..That night...We made love twice and I told you to...To stay till the end...That nothing will happen...Obviously I was wrong...It did happen...We are going to have our forth child..."
"Oh Elsie...My sweetheart...I'm so happy...But how are you feeling? Are you all right? I will take extra care of you now...I'm so happy..."
"You are happy Charles? Really? You are not mad at me?"
"How could I be mad at you Elsie? I love you...We are going to have another little, miracle..That's wonderful news...Aren't you happy about it?"
"I'm not sure...I guess I'm a little confused now...We have been so perfect recently..The kids are all in school and now we will have to go back to sleepless nights, diapers and all this...Besides...Pregnancy in my age...What if something goes wrong?"
"Everything will be all right...I promise my flower...This is my role...To take care of you..The children will help too...They are big enough to understand now...And we will have anohter little Carson next year...Oh Elsie, that is the perfect gift for our tenth wedding anniversary...I couldn't be more happy.."
Charles cuddled Elsie even closer to him, kissing her hair...She nestled into him...Her earlier uncertainty has now vanished, as Charles's reaction convinced her, that he really wanted this baby...And so did she...She has just realized, that she really wanted this baby...Of course it will be a challenge, of course that there will be difficult moments ahead of them, but they created a new life once again...It was really a moment to celebrate...
"Charles...I love you...I want this baby as much as you do...I just realized how much I want it..."
"My brave, beautiful wife..."-Charles put his hand on her belly gently, stroking it with love..."Do you think that it's going to be a boy this time?"
"Would you like it to be a boy Charles?"
"Yes..Then we would have a perfect combination. Two boys and two girls.."
"Boy it is then my most precious husband..."
They smiled to each other and kissed softly...They knew that even though the fourth child will be a challenge, they wanted nothing more than that...
Once again I thought that I will write a short chapter and here we go...When it comes to the Carsons, I can write on and on until my hand started to have mini cramps from hitting the keyboard ;-) Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and if so, your appreciation is always welcome. Stay safe and see you soon!