A/N: I'm really glad that ya'll think that I was able to capture Lady Violet so completely. I did have fun writing that part of the story. Now you'll get to read the rest of the scene in the kitchen before moving on to the final piece of the epilogue.

Disclaimer: As usual…they still belong to Mr. Fellowes and I still have them out on loan for my story. No copyright infringement intended and I gain nothing but personal pleasure from writing my stories.

The Middle of 'The Epilogue'

Richard returned to the kitchen to find Charles and Elsie arguing quietly while Isobel looked on. He took a seat at the table and smoothed his hand down her back. She leaned into him as they watched and listened.

"Elsie! You do not need to do this!"

"She's right, Charles. If I don't, he will be free to assault to next woman who will not have you and Richard around to rescue her."

Charles turned away from her and muttered, "You mean she won't have Richard…"

"Don't tell me what I mean, Charles Carson," she said firmly as she took him by the arms and turned him to look at her. "I saw what you did last night…you were ready to put him through that plate glass wall and Richard's intervention was probably the only thing that saved him."

"But I should have known…you shouldn't have even had to…" he trailed off.

"That was my choice, Charles…not to tell you what was going on…just as this is my choice."

Richard pulled Isobel closer and kissed her temple and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Charles…you and Elsie really need to get away and discuss these issues. I have a place up in the Lakes District where you wouldn't be disturbed."

"But Richard!" exclaimed Charles.

"But what?" replied Richard with the same edge to his voice.

"You told me that you were going to take Isobel up there this weekend," he looked apologetically at Isobel for spoiling the surprise.

Richard looked directly into Isobel's eyes so that she would understand. "I had planned to ask Isobel to go up there with me this weekend…and if I am a very lucky man, I will have many opportunities in the future to take her up there."

Isobel leaned over to place a soft kiss on his mouth and said, "I think you will find that you are indeed a very lucky man."

Richard looked up to see a frown on Charles face, "What would it take to convince you?"

"This was to be a first weekend away for you and Isobel and we'll not let this ruin it for you," said Charles quietly pulling Elsie to his chest.

Richard looked from Elsie to Isobel and then up at Charles. "What about a compromise, isn't that what mediating and negotiating is all about my legal liege?"

Charles looked at the man over the top of Elsie's head. "Go on."

"Isobel and I still have to work this week and I wasn't planning on leaving London until Saturday morning. Why don't you and Elsie go up this afternoon? You'll have tonight and all day Friday to work things out and Isobel and I will come up on Saturday."

"But Richard," began Elsie.

"No buts…we can walk the lake," he said and then smirked and gave Elsie a huge wink, "Charles and Isobel can cook dinner…oh, I can even show you that antique shop I was talking about. Charles said you were looking for an antique sideboard for the dining room and if you want something interesting, Boardman's Antiques is the place to go!"

"Charles," said Elsie pulling herself tight against his chest, "It might be nice to get away, even just for a couple of days until Richard and Isobel arrive."

"No, that's not the deal," said Richard firmly, "either you stay the weekend or none of us go!"

"Now you're beginning to sound like two schoolboys arguing over the playground toys," scoffed Isobel. "Elsie, you and Charles need the time away and we always have a good time whenever the four of us go out together so I don't see what the problem is."

"Neither do I," said Elsie as she pulled away and walked over to take a chair at the table.

"Alright, alright," said Charles holding his hands up in surrender. "We'll go to the Lakes District and stay the weekend."

"Good decision," replied Richard with a smile at Elsie. He got up and walked over to the counter to retrieve his keychain so that he could give the cabin key to Charles. Looking down, he commented, "I hope someone can figure out this mess with the cellphones."

"What mess with the cellphones?" exclaimed Elsie in a panic as they all gathered around the charging pad where she had deposited their phones the night before. Suddenly she realized the problem, they all had the same model of smartphone and you couldn't tell whose was whose just by looking at them.

Elsie took a closer look at one of them and said, "This one's mine."

"How can you tell? They all look alike to me," said Charles looking at the charging pad in wonder.

"Remember when that carving knife fell off the platter and onto the charging pad? It left this knick in the edge of my cellphone." She tilted the phone so that they all could see the small gouge. She then turned the phone over and pressed the speed dial for Charles phone.

My love is like a red, red rose that's newly sprung in June

O my love is like a melodie that's sweetly play'd in tune

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, so deep in love am I

And I will love thee still, my dear, till a' the seas gang dry

Elsie reached in and picked up the phone that began to play and they listened as the last tones rang away. She smiled up at Charles and stretched up to kiss him on the cheek as she handed him his phone. She turned to Isobel and Richard, "Now it's your turn. Pick up one of the phones and dial the number."

They all watched as Richard's ears turned pink and he started to pick up both of the remaining cellphones. "We can sort ours out later," he mumbled, reaching over to place them in Isobel's handbag. Suddenly, one of the phones began to ring with the standard company jingle.

"That's Richard's cellphone," cried Elsie gleefully. She grabbed Isobel's silent cellphone from his hand, pulled up the contact list and punched the button for Richard's number.

O' where are you my love, where are you my dear, the nights are so lonely without you.
O' where are you my heart, where are you my life, I'm longing to feel you, beside me.

The room was silent for several long moments and finally Richard whispered, "I miss you when you're not with me." Isobel put her arms around his neck and rewarded him with a soft sweet kiss.

Elsie felt Charles hand steal around her waist and give her a small squeeze as they watched the loving exchange between their friends. Then she playfully called out, "Your turn Richard!" He turned a puzzled look on her. "Aren't you even curious as to what Isobel has set for your ringtone?"

Isobel smiled smugly and took his phone from him to punch in her own number.

O' are you coming my dear, are you coming my dear, soft are the lips that are waiting.
I long to hear your sweet words, to feel your caress, and just hear you say, I love you.

"Why are you surprised that I should choose the same song? I know it is your favorite," responded Isobel to Richard's surprised look. He pulled her close again to plant a soft kiss on her temple and murmur, "I love you."

"All this romance is making me a little queasy," chuckled Charles as he started to set his cellphone back on the charging pad.

"Hang on a minute," said Richard with a skeptical note in his voice. "We've only heard three ringtones this morning and there are four cellphones here. Charles, would you do the honors?"

Charles looked down at the cellphone in his hand and it finally dawned on him what Richard was referring to when Elsie tried to grab the phone from him. "Ah, ah, my love," he said holding the phone out of reach over her head. "What's good for the gander, ought to be good for the goose as well!" He smiled down at her as his thumb hit the speed dial button for Elsie on his phone.

Bha mise làn aoibhneis nuair fhuair mi cheud phòg,
Bho'n chaileig ghrinn uasail tha aighearach òg.
'S e mo mhiann is mo dhùrachd, cho fad 's bhios mi beò,
A bhi pòsd' ris a' ghruagaich tha suairc agus còir.

Isobel looked over at Elsie who stood with her head bowed studying the floor between her feet. "Elsie, it's beautiful. What does it mean?"

Richard was the one who finally broke the silence, "The translation goes something like this…"

Do you remember that moment of bliss,
So fondly embracing, the thrill of that kiss?
Since then you are mine, dear, the choice of my heart;
My promise I'll give you, that we'll never part.

Still standing behind her, Charles looked down at the top of her head and slid his left hand beneath hers so that it rested on top of his on the countertop. Together the platinum bands that they wore gleamed in the light. He had given her an engagement ring for Valentine's Day but she rarely wore it when they were working, preferring the lower profile of the channel set sapphires in the band, or so she said. He knew that she felt the same way he did…that they were married in every other way and wearing their bands symbolized that commitment. He felt her squeeze his hand in acknowledgement of his silent promise.

"Must be the celtic blood in us, lassie," said Richard with a smile. "We tend to get maudlin when we're feeling romantic." Elsie laughed and the quiet mood was broken. "That's settled then, here's the key to the cabin and I'll have my secretary send the map file to Elsie's cellphone."

"You know something, Isobel," began Charles with an impish grin, "He's smarter than he looks!"

"Very funny!" exclaimed Richard. "Is that the time? I really must be going, I have a meeting in a hour!"

"I hope you're not going dressed like that!" teased Elsie.

Richard looked down at what he was wearing and laughed. "It would be making a fashion statement! But no, I have clean clothes at Isobel's that actually fit me…" He trailed off raising an eyebrow at Charles.

"It's not my fault you were undernourished as a child," replied Charles with a shrug of his shoulders.

Richard grimaced at the joke and turned to take the stairs two at a time to catch up with Isobel and change back into what he wore last night. Fifteen minutes later the two couples stood at the foot of the stairs.

"Lassie, you'll be alright?" Richard held Elsie in his arms and kissed her on the forehead when she nodded silently. "Charles, you'll go up to the cabin this afternoon?" Charles nodded silently too. "It will be alright, and you know that we're here for you no matter what the two of you decide." Richard suddenly reached out and pulled Charles into a bear hug. It wasn't something that either man was prone to doing but the moment seemed to call for more than a handshake or a punch on the arm. Charles slowly put his arms around Richard's shoulders and whispered, "Thank you, my friend."

Isobel stepped up when the two men broke apart. "We'll see you on Saturday then," she said putting her arms around Charles' waist as he leaned down to give her a hug. "Take care," she said to Elsie and turned towards to the front door.

"Isobel?" came Elsie's voice softly behind her and she turned to find her arms suddenly full of Scottish negotiator. "Shush, now," she said soothingly, "Everything's going to be alright." When Elsie pulled away, Isobel reached up to wipe a tear from her new friend's cheek. "There's sure to be a vintage clothing store near the antique shop, we'll go play dress up while the boys are looking at furniture." Elsie smiled shyly and nodded her head.

-o O o-

Charles and Elsie waved from the doorway as Richard's car pulled away from the curb. "Well, Elsie, my love," said Charles as they walked up the staircase arm in arm, "I suppose we should shower and change and get packed for the weekend."

"Race you for the first the shower?" asked Elsie looking up at him.

"I thought we might conserve a bit of water by showering together…" he trailed off as her hand drifted down to squeeze his bottom. "Race you to see who gets to stand under the showerhead!"

Elsie giggled as she pushed him aside to run up the stairs ahead of him and heard his laughter ring out behind her.

A/N2: I didn't want to spoil the surprise of the ringtones before you got a chance to read it for yourself so I'll give credit now - Internet research designated all of these songs to be 'Scottish Folk Songs' and most are not copyrighted and can be used freely without credit or citation:

Charles' ringtone for Elsie is the classic – "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose" from the Robert Burns poem

Richard and Isobel's ringtones for each other both come from a song copyrighted by Bob Ferguson in 2008 – "O, Where Are You My Love"

And finally, Elsie's ringtone for Charles is a gaelic piece – "Cailin mo rùin-sa (Dearest my own one)"

NOTE: I know that this story is titled "Irish Ringtones" and centers around events on St. Paddy's Day…and that's why the use of 'folk songs' for ringtones…but let's face it, these two couples have strong ties to Scotland and would not likely use Irish folk songs to represent the ones they love… so there you have it! ;-)