What followed was one of the busiest and happiest times in both of their lives. Announcements were made, plans were sketched, replacements were found and trained. They'd told Lord and Lady Grantham together.
"Leaving, Carson?" Lord Grantham exclaimed.
"I am sorry to leave, my Lord," he replied honestly. "But I can no longer carry out my duties in the way Downton and you deserve."
After a few moments of huffing, Lord Grantham settled enough to say what was expected of him.
"Carson, I hope you know how sorry we are to see you go. But, I understand your decision and I appreciate your consideration for our family, as always."
Though he didn't know it, Lord Grantham couldn't have paid Charles Carson a higher compliment. He'd devoted his life to a family that was not his blood. Knowing that his caring was appreciated was the best possible payment he could have received. The tears shining in his eyes embarrassed him beyond words.
"And we will of course offer you a cottage on the estate and help you in any way we can," he said.
"That won't be necessary, my Lord," Carson tried to continue with the rest of their news, but Lord Grantham interrupted him.
"Well, we insist on helping in some way, don't we, Cora?" he said, looking to his wife.
"Of course!" she readily agreed. "You must let me do something, even if it's to help pick the window dressings."
"Well," Mr. Carson started, looking to Mrs. Hughes for help.
"I'll be leaving with him," Mrs. Hughes stated plainly.
There was silence as both Lord and Lady Grantham looked in shock to the heads of their household.
Lord Grantham broke the silence with a shout, "What?! Why?! What on earth is going on downstairs?!"
Mrs. Hughes took an involuntary step backward at the sheer volume of his voice. Mr. Carson reached a hand to her arm while simultaneously stepping slightly in front of her. Fury was on his face for his employer to see. The rush of affection she felt for him as he shielded her was entirely unexpected. She was glad that she didn't need to say anything at the moment because it took her some time to get used to the new sensation. She'd always cared for Mr. Carson, but his proposal was paving the way for feelings, long buried and ignored, to surface. It would most definitely take some getting used to.
Before the men could say anything more that they might regret, Lady Grantham took firm hold of her husband's arm. With one look at Mr. Carson's and Mrs. Hughes's faces, she instantly knew more than anyone in the room. They loved one another.
"Robert," she said softly but firmly. With her eyes, she implored him to be reasonable.
And he was. He wished them both well and managed to sound vaguely sincere.
They'd decided that they would make no more announcements. Knowing that the people upstairs would be gossiping about it, they were certain that one servant or another would figure it out in good time. If not, their replacements arriving would certainly do the trick. Though Mrs. Hughes did tell Mrs. Patmore and Anna directly. Surprised and thrilled, the two women wished them both all the happiness in the world. Questions were on the tips of their tongues: Are you marrying for love? For convenience? Has this been going on long?
They were, of course, too polite to ask.
Together, Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes picked out their home.
"I'd like to stay in the village, if it's alright with you, Mrs. Hughes. Just in case anyone is ever inclined to visit," he said with a smile. "Or if you'd prefer to be farther away, I think Ripon would be suitable."
"No, the village sounds perfect, Mr. Carson," she agreed amiably.
Unable to get time off together, he'd gone to visit their prospective homes alone. In as much detail as he could, he tried to describe the possibilities.
"And that one has a nice fence round the front garden," he was explaining.
She waited a beat or two before asking, "They were all two stories, then?"
He thought a moment. "Yes. Yes, they were."
She smiled kindly at him, "Do you think that perhaps one floor might be best?"
Confused as to why she would want a lesser home, he asked, "Why?"
"Your knees, Mr. Carson," she said as she tapped gently on his knee with one finger.
He was silent for a moment, surprised at how dim he was and how very kind and thoughtful his future wife was. The almost electric sensation caused by her finger on his knee dissipated quickly after traveling the full length of his body.
"Of course, Mrs. Hughes," he finally managed. "Thank you for thinking of it. Truly. I will try again another day," he sighed ruefully at the wasted half-day.
"It's all right, Mr. Carson," she said, unperturbed. "Maybe next time we'll be able to go together."
"Maybe so," he smiled, looking into her eyes.
And then there was the moment they were confronted by their staff.
The staff were all sitting down for luncheon.
"Is it true, Mr. Carson?" Jimmy asked, bursting with the verve of a fishwife in possession of a juicy piece of gossip.
"Is what true, James?" he boomed in his most intimidating voice, knowing precisely what the young man was asking.
A little bit of wind taken out of his sails, Jimmy continued, uncertain, "Are you and Mrs. Hughes leaving? To get married?" By the time he finished his questions, he was filled with confident glee once more.
Mr. Carson stared Jimmy down until the smirk left the footman's face. Mrs. Hughes looked straight ahead, continuing with her meal, though she was the only one still eating.
"Yes, James," Mr. Carson replied, jaw twitching. "Our replacements will be trained by the end of the summer."
The maids all seemed to inhale collectively, about to let loose with their exclamations.
"Eat!" Mr. Carson commanded, his voice shaking the bell strings behind him. "You've all got work to be getting on with!"
It would have been difficult to explain to a person not in service, but their existence consisted of next to no privacy. Because of this, Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes were intensely private people when they could be. They both closely guarded their upcoming marriage and their future life together. Certainly, neither wanted to hear any questions from the young people's naive lips. So profoundly grateful that he had shut down the conversation, she risked giving him a small, thankful smile. His face completely changed when he looked at her and gave her a smile back.
Everyone at the table was flabbergasted.
And after finding just the right home, they picked out their furniture. Others such as Anna, Mr. Bates, Mrs. Patmore, and Daisy helped prepare their new home while the housekeeper and butler were busy training their replacements and planning for the next part of their lives.
"But this will take up the entire sitting room!" he exclaimed.
"There's plenty of room," she argued.
"These larger pieces just don't make sense for a modest home," he was honestly confused.
Visions danced in her head of the two of them, perhaps sitting very closely, on the uncommonly large pieces.
"Our home," she paused to wait for the flush caused by that phrase to melt away, "is more than modest, as you know. And...I want them," she finished softly. There was nothing in her face to show that she was arguing, unhappy, or angry. And she wasn't. One of the things he loved about women, this one in particular, was their mystery. They always seemed to know just that much more than he did. They were always sharing secrets. And they always seemed to be hiding something wonderful just underneath their calm facades.
"Well, alright then," he agreed, not upset about the decision, but clearly baffled.
And after everything was as settled as it could be, there was the wedding.
The registrar was a kindly, white-haired man and he smiled fondly at the two of them as they repeated his words back to him. Anna and Mr. Bates were the only other two in attendance. The ceremony was short and it ended after the exchanging of the rings. There were several reasons why they had chosen to forego the customary kiss at the end: their desire for privacy, the fact that this was simply at the registrar's office and not in a church, and, most of all, if there was to be kissing — and neither was remotely sure at this point that there would be — their first kiss was certainly not going to be in public.