A/N: Okay…the blackmail reviews for the last chapter were enough to convince me that ya'll REALLY wanted another chapter with some Chelsie Fluff in it…UNFORTUNATELY…I started with Chelsie Fluff…sailed right past Chelsie Lemonade…and ended up with plain old Chelsie smut! ;-) And because I was a bad Batwings with the smut, I promise you'll all get a chapter nine to include Richard and Isobel, vintage dressup and antiquing!

Gotta' to give a shout out to my 'anonymouses'…Janey and Nomoretears for their reviews!

Disclaimer: Still not mine…still don't make no money…still don't intend to infringe on anyone's copyright, least of all that of Mr. Fellowes!

The 'For Really and Truly' Epilogue

Charles woke shivering and confused in the dark. He could see the last embers of a fire burning from his position, lying on his side on the sofa. He started to turn onto his back and realized that Elsie was lying sandwiched between him and the back of the sofa. Memories of arriving at Richard's cabin in the Lakes District came flooding back to him as he slowly and gently released himself from Elsie's embrace. He sat on the floor beside the sofa to study her face in the faint glow from the fireplace.

He never tired of watching the color of her hair change in the flickering firelight. The infinite shades of red and brown and burgundy fascinated him even more when he would catch her standing in the sunshine on a warm summer's day. He hoped that the weather would be clear enough for them to walk one of the park paths tomorrow so that he could hold her hand and listen as she hummed to herself as was her habit when they walked out of doors.

He was troubled by the dark shadows under her eyes but recognized that they were due to the fact that she'd not been sleeping well lately. And now that he knew the reason why, he was going to do his best to insure that she rested well in future and hopefully it wouldn't be long before those dark circles were a thing of the past.

He smiled when he noticed the small smirk that graced her lips as if she were dreaming of something funny. He reached out to smooth away the small furrow that was the only thing marring her perfect forehead. She reached up in her sleep to clasp his thumb and pull his hand down to nestle it beneath her cheek. She turned her nose against his skin and took in a deep breath as though breathing in his scent and murmured "I love you" in her sleep.

"I love you too, Elsie Hughes," he said softly and leaned down to kiss her cheek. She started to turn over and he took advantage of the movement to gather her up in his arms so that he could carry her into the bedroom. He saw that she had turned down the covers when she was changing into her pyjamas earlier so he laid her gently down in the middle of the bed and quickly stripped down to his undershorts before spooning close behind and pulling the covers over both of them.

-o O o-

This time when he woke, sunshine was streaming in through the window and someone was pushing him over in the bed. By the time he realized what was happening, Elsie had removed his shorts and was lying with her arms and legs wrapped around him, nuzzling his neck.

"A little hungry this morning, love?" he asked with a smirk that quickly turned to a moan when she bit down on his collarbone.

She raised herself up with her forearms on his chest and pouted playfully, "You wouldn't let me scratch your itch last night and now I have an itch of my own that needs tending."

"Is that so," he said with a raised eyebrow as his hands slid up over her bottom to stroke her back beneath her pyjama shirt. "How am I supposed to scratch your itch with all these fleece coverings?"

She grinned wickedly at him and sat up to straddle his hips. She batted his hands away when he reached up to unfasten her buttons. A flicker of uncertainty passed over his face and he lay back upon the pillows, hands lying slightly clenched with the effort not to reach out and touch her. It took only a moment for her to realize that he was letting her take the lead, to dictate when and where and how much he could touch her. She knew it would likely be awhile before she would want for him to take her over her desk in the office at lunchtime but she was damned if she was going to let that bastard Branson ruin all aspects of their lovelife.

Usually when they spent the morning playing in bed, their lovemaking was ardent and active and bordered on aggressive, depending on how the rest of the week had gone. Lost in her own thoughts about how to recapture that playfulness, she slowly unfastened the buttons on her pyjama shirt and started to shrug it off her shoulders when she heard a low moan below her. His eyes had fluttered closed and his hips rolled just enough that she could feel the first stirrings of his arousal. He still had not reached out to touch her and she could feel the tension in his legs as he tried to still himself beneath her. Well...she thought to herself...there was but one solution if he would not touch her...

He felt her hips wriggle against his growing manhood and the feel of the soft fleece about drove him mad with desire. He groaned softly and opened his eyes to find her slowly sliding her pyjama shirt off of her arms. Her hands smoothed lightly over her breasts. He could see the peaks forming and longed to replace her fingertips with the tip of his tongue. He could already taste the salty sweetness as if he were suckling each one in turn. His hands moved closer to her knees but still he would not touch her, not until she reached out for him first.

The sound of her soft moans caused chills to run up and down his spine and the sudden hitch in her breathing when she pinched her right nipple caused a massive twitch in his groin and he knew as soon as the smug smile appeared on her face that she was teasing him on purpose. He relaxed just a bit which was rather difficult given his heightened state of arousal. Her hands smoothed down over her ribcage and across her belly but the move that had him completely undone was watching her hands slip beneath the elastic waistband of her pyjama bottoms so the she could touch her most intimate places.

He surprised himself at the intensity of his reaction. He wanted to be the one to touch her in those places, to coax those wonderful sounds from the back of her throat. He growled and sat up to take her in his arms and kiss her hungrily. His arms tightened around her, holding her firmly against his chest when his lips left hers to bite and taste the skin along the top of her shoulder.

Her arms slipped around his neck as she gasped in his ear, "Yes, Charles! Please!"

He leaned forward to lay her down between his knees and shifted her legs up against his chest so that he could slide the last of her clothing off and toss it towards the chair in the corner. He knew that it would take but a few strokes to send him flying into oblivion so he breathed deeply and smoothed his hands down the outsides of her thighs thinking he could tease her for a bit to calm himself.

This time it was she who growled and sat up to kiss him. She reached down and pulled firmly on his manhood, the sensation almost sending him over the edge. She bit down on his lower lip and pulled back to coax him to follow her back onto the bed. He didn't need convincing to shift her up in the bed so that he could position himself between her legs. He thrust into her wildly and lost complete control when she called out his name and began to tremble uncontrollably in his arms.

It was the soothing sound of her voice and the tender touch of her hand stroking his temple that finally brought him back down to earth. It took every ounce of energy he could muster to raise his head to look at her with a sheepish grin on his face.

"That was amazing, love," she said with a smile.

"You were pretty amazing yourself," he said with a groan and let his head drop to her chest with a thump.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, love," he said without moving, "I'm absolutely knackered!"

"So late lunch with Richard and Isobel is out?" she asked with a smirk.

"What!?" his head jerked up and he finally raised himself up on his elbows. "They're not due until tomorrow."

"I called Anna early this morning and found out that they were our Friday afternoon meeting. I texted Richard and told him the coast was clear if they wanted to come up today and his response was to meet them in the village square at three o'clock this afternoon for lunch and antiquing."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement and rolled over onto his back with a soft groan. "What time is it now?" he asked.

"Half-ten, would a cup of tea and some toast help revive you?" she giggled and snuggled against his side to kiss his jaw. His hand traced lazy circles across the small of her back for a few moments before he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. "I'll bring it to you," she exclaimed and tried to draw him back into the bed.

He laughed and reached over to gently massage her breast. "I think the blood is finally returning to my other limbs and I prefer my toast lightly browned and not charcoaled, my dear." His hand trailed down her arm to grasp her wrist and pull her up beside him. "Come on, you can put the kettle on while I see if perhaps there's a loaf of bread in the freezer. He held her dressing gown for her and slipped his arms around her from behind to tie the waist. He rocked her gently for a few moments with his lips planted in her hair. He pulled his own gown over his shoulders and she trailed her fingers through the triangle of wiry hairs below his navel before pulling his gown closed and tying a firm knot.

They padded out to the kitchen together and each went about their own task. Elsie had wet the tea and set the small table when Charles walked over with a plateful of toast and a pot of marmalade that he'd found in the refrigerator. They sat and ate in a companiable silence with Charles' hand absentmindedly rubbing her knee under the table.

She started to get up and clear the dishes when he pulled her over into his lap. "Before Richard and Isobel get here this afternoon...you and I are okay aren't we?" he asked.

"We're fine, Charles," she said with a quick kiss to his forehead. "I love you and I trust you implicitly. I hope you understand that." His chest rose in a deep sigh. "What's the matter?"

"I...I guess that I'm afraid that I might do something that would remind you..."

"Charles...Tom Branson frightened me but he didn't really hurt me..."

"Thanks to Richard," he muttered. She grabbed his chin and turned him to face her.

"I know it didn't seem like I was in any sane frame of mind that night but I did see what happened. Richard stood frozen in shock just as you did...but it was you who moved first...it was you who backed Branson up against the wall. Richard didn't save me, he saved you...he saved you from possibly losing your job or being brought up on charges if his Lordship had sided with Branson."

Charles eyebrows rose in surprise, "I guess you could be right when you look at it from that point of view."

"I would have thought by now you would realize that I'm always right," she teased with a light clip to the side of his head. The serious look returned to her face as she continued, "And I don't want you to be afraid to touch me...or to tease me...and when I need a right good rollicking, I expect you to give it to me...without my having to beg!"

"I thought you liked it when I made you beg," he sais seductively. He pulled her close and ran his tongue along the shell of her ear sending shivers down her spine.

"Mmm...what time is it?" she murmured and melted into his arms.

"I think we might just have time for a right good rollicking in the shower," he whispered as he gathered her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.