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Charles heaved a sigh of relief as they neared the servants' entrance. He was exhausted and could only imagine how Elsie was feeling. Everyone should have gone up by now, so he would be able to tend to Mrs. Hughes in peace. Just as this thought crossed his mind, the door swung open and they were approached by a smug looking Thomas.

Thomas began to smirk as he watched them cling to each other.

"What is this Mr. Carson? Neglecting your duties for a little stroll through the…" the smirk immediately dropped from his face as he took in the state of Mrs. Hughes.

"What happened? Is she alright?" He stepped forward, unsure of what he should do.

Shocked at the worry in the voice of the normally smug footman, Charles paused before he spoke. "Thomas, help me here. Mrs. Hughes has an injured ankle."

The butler and under butler worked together and quickly had Mrs. Hughes settled in a chair in her sitting room. With both men stood in front of her, Elsie leant forward, wincing as she did so and pulled off her shoe. They were met with the sight of a badly swollen ankle. "I'll get some ice," Thomas offered, and was soon out of sight.

Charles stared at the empty doorway for a few moments, still surprised at the actions of the under butler. He should have guessed that the one person to cause Thomas to show some tender emotions was the woman sitting before him. She had the same effect on him after all.

He turned back to Elsie who was taking stock of her injuries.

She was the first to speak, "Not as bad as it could be, though I fear I will be sore for a while."

"You must take some time to recover properly."

"That's not necessary." His gazed snapped to her form, but she was focused on her ankle.

He heard Thomas' footsteps in the hall and met him at the door. The former footman had a towel slung over his arm, a bowl of water in one hand and cloth wrapped ice in the other.

Charles took the items from him. "Thank you Thomas, you've been a great help."

Ignoring the praise, he sidestepped the butler and approached the injured housekeeper.

"Mrs. Hughes, are you well?"

She dismissed him with a wave, "I am fine Thomas, but I do appreciate your efforts. You should get some rest." He turned to Mr. Carson, an expression of concern on his face. He returned his gaze to the object of his concern when he felt a warm hand on his arm. He saw her swollen cheek and his concern deepened. She patted his arm and gave him a smile.

"Thomas, really, I will be fine. I would appreciate if you- if you could keep this to yourself for the time being."

He nodded and stepped back, "of course, of course I will. I'll say good night then." Mr. Carson walked him to the door. When they reached the hall, Thomas lowered his voice and addressed the butler.

"Mr. Carson, if there's anything I can help with, please let me know."

Charles cleared his throat, his emotions still near the surface. "Thank you Thomas, I'll do that." The under butler nodded his acknowledgment and made his way down the hall.

Charles re-entered the sitting room and shut the door, suddenly unsure of how he should act. Now that they were in a safe, familiar place he didn't know if she would want him nearby, if he should be allowed to touch her. She may want some space after what she had been through, but he couldn't find it in himself to leave.

By the time he turned back to her, Elsie had removed her stocking and he was confronted with the most beautiful calf he had ever seen. He steeled himself and stepped forward with the ice.

She was startled by his movements and cursed her anxiety. "Thank you," she placed her hand on the cloth containing the ice, but he kept it clasped in his hand.

"Just give me a moment, I'll do it." He set the ice down on the floor and dipped the corner of the towel into the bowl of water. He moved to wipe the blood off her face but she jerked back out of his reach.

She snapped at him "I said I am fine, I can do it!"

She immediately regretted her words at the stricken look on his face. He jumped back and was almost the entire room away.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes. I'd never want to make you feel unsafe."

She placed her face in her hands, taking a moment to compose herself. She raised her head and took in her man standing across the room. "It's not that, it would never be that." She shook her head. "You must know I could never feel unsafe with you." He still looked so uncertain that she reached out to him. "Come here. Please." He still didn't move from his spot. Her heart melted at the sight of him, her voice softened. "Charles darling please, I need to explain."

He couldn't resist, and slowly stepped towards her, taking her hand in his.

She continued, "Charles, so much worse happens, has happened to women." He still looked confused so she went on. "It feels wrong to – to feel remorse or, accept help-"

"But-"

"please let me finish." He nodded. "It feels wrong to accept support when there are others who experience worse. They experience worse and receive no support whatsoever. Their hurt is never acknowledged."

"I still don't understand." She patted his hand.

"I know, and I'm not in a position to fully explain."

"Elsie – I mean, Mrs. Hughes. May I use your Christian name?" She smiled.

"Why ask now? You've used it several times tonight already." He frowned at her words realizing that she was correct, but softened his expression as he took in her mischievous smile. She was teasing him.

"Of course you can, but only if I'm allowed to use yours." The smile on his face now matched hers.

"I guess that can be allowed." He knelt before her so they were face to face. "You need to know how much you deserve to be cherished, how special you are."

Her cheeks flushed and she diverted her gaze chuckling with embarrassment. "Really Charles, is there a need to be so sentimental?"

Kneeling before her, he caressed her cheek for the second time that night. Her eyes locked with his as a serious expression settled on his face. "Yes. There's every need."

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think.

I realize this may be moving a bit slow, but I've always disliked time jumps that gloss over difficult emotional scenes. I'll try to pick up the pace after this one.