"You know he'll never make the first move!" said Beryl over a late night glass of port. "If you don't want to be sat in that parlour of yours, discussing Lady Mary and Mr. George, on Valentine's Day, you'll have to take that bull-headed butler by the horns!" Elsie smiled as she remembered their fit of giggles but Beryl was right. If ever he was to be shifted off his davit of propriety, it would fall to her. Leaving him busy with the staff Valentines, she put her plan into motion. What happens next?
She'd never considered herself the romantic type, but when it came down to it she had to hand it to herself, her ability to plan and organise had contributed to a perfect end to Valentines day.
The day had been ever the same as every Valentines day, younger staff donned silly grins for the majority of the day, besides those that spent it moping from receiving no word from a sweetheart. Realistically they should have come down hard on them , keeping up the rule of no callers or romance between staff but they just, couldn't, not on the day of love, even Mr Carson seemed unable to tell them to stop.
After finally shooing them all off to their beds, and sending up a silent prayer that they'd stay there tonight, Elsie put her plan into order.
Turning off the electric light she'd opted for the fire and an assortment of candles to provide a dim light throughout the room that flickered off the walls, she'd always found this lighting made her a little easier on the lines, the wrinkles and grey hairs of recent years faded away.
Instead of wine she'd gone for two snifters of brandy, sitting on the table in front of her settee, these were joined by a box of chocolates wrapped in a blue ribbon.
She'd thought about changing into something less severe than her housekeeper dress, but realised there was seldom point as she hardly had anything more revealing and attune to a mans taste, and nothing of remote finery. She would have to stay in her black. However she had time to loosen her hair at the sides, letting a few tendrils fall beside her ears.
Sitting slightly nervously on her settee, she fiddled with her hands in her lap as she waited, the clock had already struck eleven and he wasn't yet here. It was some forty minutes later when he finally did come to her sitting room and by then, Elsie was curled up, and fast asleep.
He smiled softly at the relaxed image of her sleeping form, the slow rising and falling of her chest, her nose twitching ever so slightly and the smallest of smiles on her lips. He took in the change to her room; the fire had burned down, including the majority of candles, her brandy had been slightly drunk whilst his still stood untouched as were the chocolates.
After taking a swig of his brandy, he took the blanket from the back of the settee and laid it over her, tucking it around her and placing the softest of kisses to her forehead,
"Sleep well my love"
Placing a card atop the chocolates he took one final look at his sleeping sweetheart and left. The sound of the door clicking shut brought a wider smile to her face; maybe neither of them needed to make the first move to know.