LIFE IS THE ART OF CHOICE-8
Hello everyone...As some of you know, FF net was broken for almost a week, but it should work fine now, so I'm hoping that you will be able to read and review this chapter without any technical issues. Sorry for not updating yesterday, I was in the middle of my writing, when the happy news broke and I couldn't concentrate anymore, but today I' back to finish what I started.
As you probably remember, in the last one, Charles and Elsie spent their first night together in the Blue Room, but even the most pleasurable nights are over and they have to face the day challenges...Hope you will like this chapter...
Elsie was already downstairs in her sitting room, preparing herself for another day..She looked in the mirror, as she usually did in the morning and she smiled to her reflection...Because she saw a very happy woman in the mirror, woman who was loved and in love...She was wondering, if she will look a lot different today, after her first night with Charles, but besides the clear happiness written on her face, she looked pretty much the same...A brief moment of inattention and Beryl Patmore was already in her room, with a cheeky smile on her face:
"Good morning Mrs Hughes. How are you today?"
"Good morning Mrs Patmore. I'm fine, thank you..How are you?"
"Oh, pretty well, but not as well as you I suppose.."
"Whatever is that you mean by that?"
"I mean that your night must have been more interesting than mine..."
"Mrs Patmore will you kindly explain to me what are you suggesting..."
"Please don't be mad at me...I knocked at your door in the morning, to ask you something, but you weren't there..And then I heard your quiet footsteps in the corridor...Besides, that cheeky devil Thomas was laughing with O'Brien and I heard that he told her, he saw Mr Carson coming back from somewhere, early in the morning...I may not be the brightest person in the world, but I can match some facts..."
"Well you see..We..I mean, Mr Carson and I..."
"That's all right...You really don't need to explain anything to me, just tell me-did you spent the night with Mr Carson?"
"Yes, I did...I'm not going to lie to you...We spent this night together in the Blue Room..I hope you won't think of me as the fallen woman..."
"Mrs Hughes...I would never think that...You are one of the finest woman that I know...You love Mr Carson and he loves you, you are about to get marry soon...It's not my place to judge you..."
"Thank you for those kind words...They mean a lot to me..."
"But I have know..How was it?"
"Mrs Patmore! I ask you!"
"I was just kidding...Stay calm...I know how discret you are...Too bad..I was hoping to know some interesting details about Mr Carson..."
"You can dream about it! I won't tell anything...I have a favor to ask you...I will have to leave for about an hour, during lunch time..I have to meet Joe and tell him that I won't accept his offer...Would you be so kind to check if everything is all right in the house?"
"Of course I will. No problem with that..But are you going there alone? You think it is safe?"
"Why wouldn't it be? Joe is a kind, nice man..He will understand..."
"I'm not so sure about that...Men don't like when we hurt their pride..."
"I'm sure it will be fine.."
"Perhaps you should...You should go there with Mr Carson..."
"He suggested it, but I prefer to do this on my own...That's why I sent a message to Joe, asking him to meet me at lunch time...Charles will be busy then..I mean Mr Carson.."
"As you prefer...You are meeting with him in the pub?"
"No, we are meeting in the park, near the graveyard..."
"What an appropriate place to give someone a bad news!"
"It is...He will have to deal with it...Now, I must get on with my work.."
"Me too. I will make sure that everything will function properly while you are gone..."
Elsie smiled seeing her dear friend leaving...She wouldn't expect that she could take the news so easily..It was good to have a friend like that...
During the brekfast Charles was happier and more relaxed, then he usually was and whenever his eyes met hers, a warm smile brightened up his face...Elsie was barely stopping herself from touching his hand or making some other gesture, which would indicate how much she loved him...
She noticed his sloppy eyes, but she also noticed the eye blinkings that Miss O'Brien and Thomas were exchanging every once in a while...She decided not to think about it too much and she went back to her duties, soon after the breakfast. The forenoon has passed rather quickly and when the lunch hour struck, she went to meet Joe, asking Mrs Patmore one more time, to havean eye on everything...
Joe was already in the park and he was smiling from afar, when he saw her. Her heart clenched a bit, when she realized, how much she will hurt him today...She reciprocated the smile and neared Joe slowly..
"Good morning Elsie or should I say good afternoon."
"Hello Joe. Nice to see you again."
"You look lovely Elsie, but that's nothing new...I couldn't wait till we meet again.."
"Can we please go sit on the bench Joe? We need to talk.."
"Of course Elsie..Follow you..."
Elsie sat on the bench, smiling to Joe nervously...It was not easy to break this man's heart for the second time...She would rather avoid it, but that was not possible...
"Joe...The thing is that...I've been thinking about your proposal and I'm here with an answer, as I promised you..."
"I'm all ears Elsie..What is your answer?"
"I'm afraid that I have to refuse your offer Joe...I can't marry you..."
"No Elsie! No...Not this again...Why? What is the reason? I was sure, that this time you will agree.."
"I was very close to agree to your offer Joe, but things have changed since our last meeting...Very much...I'm not a good liar, so I won't make up a non-existing reasons and I will just tell you the truth...I can't marry you, because I'm in love with somebody else and I intend to marry the man..."
"But..I don't understand Elsie...You fell in love with someone since our last meeting? How is it possible?"
"Joe...I should have been honest with you from the beginning. I didn't fall in love with somebody else...I was already in love when we met..This is my friend from the Abbey, who works with me. He is the butler. His name is Charles Carson. We know each other for twenty years now and I was always in love with him...But until few days ago, I didn't think, that he will propose to me...But yet he did and because of that, I can't accept your offer..."
"Let me get this straight Elsie...So you agreed to meet me and you agreed to think about my proposal, even though you were in love with another man?"
"I know it was a bad thing Joe...I'm really sorry...I don't want to break your heart, but this is a long story...You see...Few days ago, I was convinced, that Charles and I..Mr Carson that is, that we will never be together and now..I know we will..That doesn't justify my actions of course, but I was only trying.."
"You were only trying to leave yourself another option Elsie...Let's be honest...I was the second choice of yours..."
"I'm sorry Joe...I know that I acted awful, but..."
"And if he hadn't proposed to you, you would have accepted me and pretend that you were in love with me? Is that how would it look like?"
"I don't know Joe...That's a question that will remain unanswered forever..."
"But...Isn't this like forbidden for butlers and housekeepers to get marry? Won't you have to leave sevice?"
"Yes, we will have to leave service...Charles was trying to talk to His Lordship and convinced him to let us stay, as a married couple, but he said no...So we are to leave Downton and we have to find a house and a place to live..."
"You are ready to disrupt your whole life for that man? To reject everything I have to offer to you- a nice cottage, a great deal of cash and calm life, within the people you grew up with? Who is this man Elsie? That you are ready to turn your world around for him?"
"Joe...He is the love of my life...He is the first man that I loved and the last one..."
"I see...So you never loved me..."
"Joe..Please don't make me say things that will hurt you...I want to be honest with you, but I know how that hurts you..."
"It does...I've loved you Elsie...Always...I only married Ivy, because you didn't want me and I was not strong enough to live a lonely life..But all those years, I thought about you, I've dreamed about you...Even though it was forbidden...And when Ivy died...Few days after her funeral, I was already making a plan to ask you to marry me...I so wanted to grow old with you...To live happily ever after...I know, it sounds like a fairy-tale, but this is how I saw it...Forgive me.."
"I have nothing to forgive you Joe...I'm the one who should be asking forgivness...I've behaved badly and I hope that you will be able to forget that..."
"It would mean to forget you and that is not possible Elsie...If you ever change your mind, you can always come to me...I will be waiting for you for the rest of my life..."-Joe took her hand in his and kissed it gently...In this touching moment, neither of them has noticed, that Charles was walking their way, with not a happy look on his face...Alarmed by Mrs Patmore, he decided to look for Elsie, as he didn't want her to be with that man-Joe Burns, even a minute longer than it was necessary...
"Charles! What are you doing here? I thought that you were serving lunch.."
"I came to look for you...You were suppose to wait for me Elsie...Mr Burns, can you please let go off my fiancee's hand?"
"Yes of course Mr Carson...We were just..."
"I know what I saw Mr Burns...There is no reason for your explanation..."
"Charles! Please...Behave yourself!"
"That's all right Elsie...Mr Carson has a right to be nervous...I know I would be, if you were my fiancee and I saw you in this situation with the other man.."
"But she is not your fiancee Mr Burns...She is my fiancee and please don't you ever forget it..."
"Believe me Mr Carson...I will never forget it...And please, let me just say to you-you are the luckiest man in the world...I wish you both a long and happy life..."-Joe reached his hand, to shake Charles's hand and he let go of Elsie's hand, which he was holding possesively...He shook Joe Burns's hand and Elsie stood next to them, watching in amazement as two, the most important men of her life, were shaking hands...
"Thank you very much...A wish you happiness too Mr Burns...Elsie, we should get back now, we are needed in the house..."
"I believe we are...Goodbye Joe...Thank you for everything..."
"Thank you Elsie...Goodbye..I hope you will be very happy."
Joe left towards the inn and Charles offered Elsie's his hand, as they headed in opposing direction...When they were far enough, to be sure that Joe didn't hear them, Charles asked:
"What was he thanking you for Elsie...?"
"For a meeting, for a reminiscence of the good, old days Charles..There is no need for you to be jealous..."
There is every need Elsie...You belong to me..You know that, don't you? I will never let any other man take you away from me..."
"My silly, old, jealous fool..I love you, you know that?"-Elsie stopped in the middle of the road and she kissed him on the cheek...
"Elsie..I'm not sure if it's proper, we are..."
"I don't care Charles...I love you and I want the whole world to know that..."
"I love you too..."-Charles was pretending to have a severe face, but in reality, he was grinning from joy, hearing those beautiful words from his fiancee and future wife...
Later, in the evening...
Elsie was in her sitting room, waiting for Charles...He was summoned upstairs, by Lord Grantham and she was wondering, what that might be at such late hour...When he entered the room and she saw his face, she knew that something very wrong must have happened, as he was clearly devastated...
"Charles honey, what's the matter? What happened?"
"I...I just spoke to His Lordship..He told me, that he was informed, that you and me were doing some forbidden shenanigans in the middle of the night and because of that, he asks both of us, to leave as soon as possible, he has already found our replacement..."
"What a piece of..."
"Elsie! Please..Do not speak ill of..."
"All right..I will stay quiet...Oh my love...This must be awful for you..Come to me..."
Charles came closer to Elsie and she hugged him, pouring all her strenght and love in him...He was shaking from emotions and she was focused only on soothing him...
"I'm sorry Elsie...I shouldn't be so shaken...But this house...So many years of service..."
"Charles..I want you to listen to me carefully...We were both serving in this house for a long time. We were doing the best we could and nobody can say anything bad about our work...But it's over now... This life has ended for us...We will get marry, find a place to live and another job and we will go on with our lives...I'm with you..For better and for worse...Forever...We are in this together..."
"We are Elsie...I thank God for you...I wouldn't know what to do with my life without you...Thank you for your love..."
"I'm thanking you for your love Charles...If it wasn't for me, you could still live and serve in the Abbey..."
"Elsie...I wouldn't want it any other way...It is you that I care about..Only you..."
Elsie's eyes filled with tears, as she neared her lips to his and gave him the most tender kiss ever...She later placed her head on his chest and they stood in her sitting room, cuddling, frightened, but at the same time ready to start their new life...
That's all for today's chapter guys...A lot of talking..Not like in the last chapter ;-) I was wondering, if I should write a scene where Charles would punch Joe, but in the end, I decided to give this scene a peaceful ending...Since yesterday, I feel that the whole world is calmer and full of love and it is reflected in the chapter..I will say no more ;-) Hope you liked it a bit...Sorry for any errors...In the next one, they will start a preparations to their new life..
Please leave a review if you wish and stay safe! See you soon!