Here it is.

Disclaimer: They are still not mine but I treasure them as if they were my own.

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Once they had made their way off the Downton estate, Mr. Carson offered Mrs. Hughes his arm and they made their way to the village in companionable silence. This silence gave Charles to think. He had never thought anything of the fact that he would so easily offer Mrs. Hughes his arm and she always so easily slipped her arm into his arm even though he would never dream of doing this with anyone else. It would not have been proper. Maybe it wasn't proper for them to do this but somehow it never felt that way. He hastened to admit it but they just seemed to fit together.

He was grateful for the sunshine that was accompanying them on their walk. It was a lovely spring day and as they approached the village, he spotted that one of the benches that seemed to line the edge of the village was free.

'I don't know about you, Mrs. Hughes, but I think that we would be silly to not take advantage of the weather and that free bench to enjoy our little lunch'

'Well, we wouldn't want to be silly, would we?' She said with an arched eyebrow. He enjoyed the humour that was coming back into her Scottish brogue 'Although I don't think I could last on just a little lunch'

He laughed; a full-bodied laugh and he couldn't contain it. It was a wonderful feeling and this gave him the confidence he had been lacking.

They set themselves up and started to unpack everything.

'I'm glad to see your compliments were worth it because I'm famished'

She'd known. He looked at her to see a coy grin on her face. Well if that's the way she wanted to play it..

'Well, Mrs. Hughes, I don't know what you mean. I simply asked Mrs. Patmore very kindly if she would out her unmatched skill to work by giving the best of the leftovers'

Her laughter rang out over the quiet country air. It was a wonderful thing to hear. It had been so long since he had heard laugh like this. It gave him hope that she was going to pull through whatever had been holding her back.

They settled into the lovely spread that was their little picnic. He knew that he would only be able to ask her the questions that he had spent the last few days thinking about whilst they were both distracted by the food. He stared down into his hands as he began to finally speak his thoughts.

'Mr. Hughes, I must admit that I had an ulterior motive for asking you to accompany me today and I hope you won't feel me to intrusive but it is just that I know that something has been bothering you, it's not that it has affected your work but I can see the it has had on you, when I look into your eyes I can see the sadness and I would just like you to know that you can tell me whatever it is that has been bothering you'

He finally allowed himself to look at her. She was wiping the tear that had escaped her eyes. He wanted to reach and take her hand so badly but knew that it would probably scare her. When she knew he wasn't going to continue without some sort of response from her, she sort of snorted.

'Nothing gets past you, Mr. Carson, does it?' Bitterness rife in her tone 'Oh, it's nothing that I haven't felt before. I suppose it has lasted a little longer this time but this last week I have started to feel a bit better'

'I can't help but feel there is something else that you're not saying and trust me, I know how devastating it can be to feel you have to keep something to yourself'

This seemed to floor her because she didn't answer him straightaway. A silence hung in the air that he didn't feel like breaking and eventually it her voice that was the brave one.

'Mr. Carson I have appreciated the way you have always treated me like a friend through all these years of service but I must admit that going through the trail made me realise what I have missed'

'And what's that?' It was what he was dying to find out and was hanging on her every word.

'It doesn't matter now'

'Now, you and I both know that is not true Elsie' He had said her name. He hadn't meant to but it just came out. He knew he was asking her a very personal question and it would have been ludicrous to use her formal. Perhaps the time for formality had passed. Deep down Charles was losing his battle against his true emotions.

'How Charles? How do you know how I feel?'

'Well actually don't know how you felt but I know how I feel and I know that I am not very good at being honest about how I feel and I know that it is not a good feeling! That's all'

'Well how do you feel Charles?'

That was it. The question he had dreaded. Today was meant to be about her and somehow it had ended up being about him. He had always avoided this so successfully in the past but maybe now was the right time to tell her. They were away from house so no-one else would have known what he said and she could deny it if she wanted.

'Well for a very long time I tried to deny it and pretend it wasn't real but every day I am grateful that I get to spend it with you and our meetings at the end of the day are when I am most at ease. Selfishly, it was when you decided that you could no longer meet with me that I was spurred into action. I wanted to make you feel better but I also wanted to get back to that. I suppose, if I am honest, you are the only person who I have felt that I loved and even as we were walking over here, I couldn't help but feel we fit together. I'm sorry if this makes you feel uncomfortable, you can pretend that I didn't say anything if you wish'

'Charles don't you dare suggest such a thing. I'm just, well; I don't know what to say. I never thought that you felt like this, that you could even feel the same' He stared at her in disbelief. He held his hand out to her and she took it in her own. The tears began to fall but it was tears of relief 'If I am honest, the reason I have been so down is because I just wished that would give me a hug, it's silly I know but I just wanted someone to comfort me but you were the only that I knew could do that'

He tentatively moved beside her and put his arm around her. Both still somewhat stunned by their respective revelations. The question was what to do next, Charles thought.

'Elsie, maybe this seems silly but I'm old-fashioned and it has been a very long time since I've let myself act this way. I was wondering if you would let me court you'

'Well, I thought that was what you had been doing but perhaps it's time for the two of us to just stop thinking about everything so much and maybe just talk more often and more honestly whatever that means' She snuggled into him as she said this and he didn't know what to do with himself. He hadn't felt this happy in such a long time. There was only one thing he could think to say.

'I love you Elsie' He couldn't believe he actually said it. She turned to look at him. It seemed like she was studying him for an entirety and then she brought her face so impossibly close to him. He closed the space between them and their lips met. He couldn't believe it but quickly he couldn't even think as he gave in to his heart.

Finally.

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The End.

I am so very grateful to those of you that have followed this story and reviewed it. I can't believe I finally wrote a multi-chaptered story and finished it. Your reviews really helped and I hope you enjoyed the ending!

Thanks!