Mad
The ride and picnic had been Charles Blake's idea. Her old friend was in the area for a few days and, although he knew she was well and truly in love with Henry Talbot, he couldn't resist the opportunity of sharing time with a woman he found not only beautiful, but clever and entertaining.
Charles was certainly no stranger to the lands that belonged to the Grantham estate, but Mary was sure she had never shown him the Deer Lady's Lake, an obscure loch located in a woody area on the southern edge of the estate. She herself hadn't visited the area since she was a teenager. In her childhood it had been a destination for dares given its tie to the mysterious and terrifying Deer Lady. The legend, certainly born of the drunken imaginings of a some villager long ago, told of a mystical creature, the upper half of her body being that of a beautiful woman, her lower half that of a doe, who roamed the wood looking for innocent victims to capture and drag to the lake to be fed to the monster that lurked in its depths.
"And is there some sort of defense we can mount if we see this deer woman?" Charles and Mary were resting the horses with a walk after a spirited race from the stables to the edge of the woods.
"She is "The Deer Lady," Charles. Show her some respect. And no, I don't believe there is any particular means of fighting her given that she doesn't exist."
Charles gave her a grin, "Very well. I would hate to ruin our bottle of champagne having to bash some centaur woman over the head."
"It is a very good bottle, Charles. I would let her drag you off before I would let a drop be wasted."
"Of all your qualities, I believe your priorities may be your most attractive."
He was being treated to one of her patented cool Lady Mary smiles when they heard laughter and voices in the distance.
Charles shot her a playful look of surprise, "Perhaps we are in luck and she has already found her victim."
"Shhh!" Mary waved him into silence before whispering, "I think I recognize them." They halted the horses and stood still as the voices carried over the breeze once more. "Carson and Mrs. Carson."
"The old butler and housekeeper?"
Mary smiled, "Former butler and housekeeper, but yes." She dismounted and handed her reins to Charles. " Wait here. I'll be back."
She had only to venture about fifty yards into the dense woods before she had a clear view of the small lake and its inhabitants. She instantly identified the salt and pepper hair of Charles Carson, his bare shoulders visible just above the water line. She had taken a few steps into a bank of dense ferns when she glanced to her right and suddenly caught sight of Mrs. Carson, the water only up to her knees as she made her way through the shallows. Mary almost lost her footing as she took in the completely naked form of the woman with whom she had long associated corsets and black crinoline. She was surprised by the trim, yet voluptuous figure the older woman possessed, a small wave of happiness washing over her at the thought of Carson having such a lovely partner. As Mrs. Carson made her way towards her smiling husband, Mary looked back in the distance and saw two bicycles leaning against a large tree, the edge of a quilt laid over the ground visible on the other side of the trunk.
She took one last look at the happy, splashing couple before turning and making a dash back towards a waiting Charles Blake.
"Oh good. You weren't dragged into the lake by the centaur."
Mary was out of breath when she reached him, but a wicked smile crossed her lips as she fought to form the words, "Naked. They are swimming naked."
Charles burst into laughter, "What? The butler and housekeeper? The old couple? Skinny dipping?!" Mary fed off his infectious laughter as Charles climbed down from his horse. "This I have to see."
Their horses secured, Mary and Charles jogged through the woods, slowing down and bending over as they reached the bank of ferns just in time to see the glaring white cheeks of Charles Carson's bottom break through the surface of the water as he dove forward.
Mary fell to her own bottom amid the foliage, her hands over her eyes as she whispered, "I can never unsee that."
Charles squatted beside her, his hands covering his mouth to conceal his laughter before he pulled them away to whisper, "I think we have seen the monster who lives in the bottom of the lake." Mary punched his arm as she struggled to stifle her own giggles. Charles placed his hand on her shoulder, "Did you see the bicycles by the tree?"
Mary gave him a puzzled look, but shook her head yes, "There's a blanket behind the tree. They must have had a picnic. Why?"
Charles stood, but remained bent over as he offered her his hand, "I have an idea. Wait here."
As Charles made the quick journey back towards the horses, Mary returned her attention to the couple in the water. Spared any more sightings of Carson's behind, she did witness the very sweet interactions of the two lovers as they splashed and swam, occasionally embracing and sharing a kiss. Mary found herself unable to shake the broad smile that crossed her lips, delighting in the obvious happiness of the pair.
Charles pulled her from her reverie as he grabbed her hand, "Come on,"
They had taken a few steps towards the Carson's belongings when Mary suddenly stopped, "This is mad. We can't. Suppose they see us."
Charles gave her his most winning grin, "It isn't mad. It's…fun. And besides, they are the ones who are naked, Mary. Are you really worried about us being caught?"
She could deny neither his logic, nor his handsome smile, "Very well."
They slowly crept behind the dense bank of ferns until they reached a small clearing of ten feet that separated them from the blanket behind the tree. If either of the Carsons glanced up towards the bank when they ran through the clearing, Mary and Charles would be immediately spotted.
"Wait…" Charles whispered, his grip tightening around her hand. As if planned, both Mr. and Mrs. Carson simultaneously dove beneath the surface allowing Charles and Mary to sprint behind the wide trunk. Safely hidden, Mary noticed the bottle of champagne in Charles' hand.
"That was for our picnic," Mary hissed in a loud whisper.
"I'll buy you a case to make up for it," Charles whispered back, gently placing the bottle of champagne against a large basket that they assumed held the Carson's picnic provisions. Peaking out at the swimmers from behind the tree, Charles saw a chance to escape, but turned to find Mary was no longer behind him. She looked up from a small patch of wildflowers just past the blanket as Charles hissed, "What are you doing?"
She batted her hand at him and smiled, "Just keep a look out." A small bouquet of bluebells and Queen Anne's lace gathered, she quickly unfolded all of the Carson's clothes, laying out their respective outfits over the blanket so that Mr. Carson's attire lay beside Mrs. Carson's, the left sleeve of his shirt and the right sleeve of her dress touching as if holding hands. She finished the tableau by placing the posy on top of the overlapping cuffs and slipping the champagne bottle in what would be Carson's crooked arm, the lower half of the sleeve folded over as if holding the vessel.
"Are you quite finished?" Charles teased, but in fact he found her gesture endearing.
Mary began to cross towards him, but stopped as an idea struck her. "Almost. Keep watching." She found a small stick and set to her final task. Finished, she made her way behind him and looked over his shoulder, "Coast clear?" They saw their chance as Mr. Carson suddenly pulled Mrs. Carson to him. The passionate kiss that the husband gave his wife provided them ample time to rush back to the protection of the fern bank.
They took one more look at the couple before heading back to their horses. Charles gazed at Mary, "Will you have that with Talbot?"
She heard Mrs. Carson let out a sudden squeal which was met by hearty laughter from her husband, their obvious joy as warm and radiant as the sun that shone down on them. "By God I hope so."
Elsie and Charles held hands, continuing their practice of steadying one another, as they emerged from the shining waters of the lake and made their way back towards their picnic blanket. Charles was the first to notice the scene that had awaited them behind the tree.
"Did you do this?"
Elsie looked down, a gasp escaping her lips, "What on earth? No! I didn't do this!"
They quickly looked around, searching frantically for any stirrings or movement, but found only a few fluttering butterflies and a magpie in the tree to be their company.
Charles turned back to her, "Are you sure you didn't? You aren't teasing me?"
"Charles Carson, I did nothing of the kind." Elsie moved around to the other side of the blanket, her eyes spying the flowers. "Champagne and flowers. Well, whoever did this was kind. They could have stolen our clothes instead of going to this trouble."
"But they obviously saw us…out there…with no clothes."
Elsie didn't reply as she was distracted by something she saw in the dirt next to her feet.
Charles gave her a quizzical look, "What is it?"
Fearing Charles might keel over from sheer embarrassment if he saw what was on the ground, she conjured a bright smile, assuring him, "Nothing. Nothing at all." Distracting him with a sudden embrace and kiss, she brushed her bare feet over the ground, erasing any sign of the message that had read:
You are both mad- and wonderful.
Enjoy the champagne- L.M.C.