A/N: This is one of those stories where the characters and the storyline took on a life of their own and so this story has continued to grow…but alas, all good things must come to an end. Especially if I am to finish 'A Father's Heart' and write future Ringtones Adventures! So here we have well and truly arrived at the final chapter. I hope that it answers some of the questions or nagging issues that some of you had.
Disclaimer: They still belong to Mr. Fellowes and ITV, I've only just borrowed them to tell my St. Paddy's Day tale. No copyright infringement was intended and I make no monetary gain from finishing this story.
The 'FINAL' Epilogue (Cross my Heart!)
There was indeed a vintage clothing store in the village and it was located adjacent to the antique shop. Turns out it was a joint business venture of a brother –sister team, he the antiques expert and she the vintage fashion expert. When they entered the shop, Elsie was immediately drawn to the rack of Edwardian and World War I era coats that were arranged in a rainbow of colors against the back wall.
"Oh, Isobel," sighed Elsie as she reached out to run her fingers down the sleeves of several of the coats to get a feel of the fabrics. "Aren't they just to die for?!"
"Charles gave me specific instructions not to let you near the coats," laughed Isobel. "Besides, I've seen the collection of coats in the closet in your spare room and I think I'd have to side with Charles on this one."
Elsie glared over her shoulder for a moment and then turned back to the rack with a wistful expression on her face. "It wouldn't hurt to try them on, would it?" she asked softly.
"I guess not," giggled Isobel as she reached out for a dark green coat at the same time that Elsie reached for the same coat. The two women playfully squinted daggers at each and then burst out laughing. "With the auburn and burgundy highlights in your hair, the green would look much better on you," said Isobel still laughing and swiping at a tear that had started down her cheek.
Emily Boardman had been watching the two women from across the shop and was smiling at the easy camaraderie between them. She walked to the rack beside Isobel and slipped a dark maroon coat off the hanger before speaking, "I think this one would be just lovely with your dark blonde hair and brown eyes, Ms…"
"Crawley, Isobel Crawley," she replied, "Thank you." She slipped her arms into the coat and reached down to fasten the buttons. When she turned to show it to Elsie her breath was taken away. It seemed that no matter what Elsie wore, she always looked spectacular. "Elsie with that cloche hat on, you look like you could have stepped out of a 1920's ladies journal."
"I have to say, it feels good as well," said Elsie as she wandered over to a free-standing mirror to take a look. She had to admit that the coat looked very good on her. "Yes, well…we're just trying on coats today, aren't we?" She shrugged out of the coat and Emily reached out to take it from her. Being the smart saleswoman that she was, she set it off to the side along with the hat, just in case Elsie changed her mind. Isobel, being the smart saleswoman that she was, noticed and smiled at Emily, nodding her head in approval.
They had tried on and modeled another half dozen coats each when the bell over the shop door rang and the sound of a deep baritone voice came from behind.
"Step away from the coats and no one gets hurt," Charles chuckled as Isobel whipped around with a guilty look on her face. "Where's Elsie? Hiding from me?"
"No, Emily asked her to try on a new acquisition that was a small size and she hadn't been able to find anyone who could fit into it," replied Isobel suddenly looking nervous.
"What is it, a coat?" asked Charles as Richard reached out to help Isobel out of the coat she was trying on.
"It's a…well, it's…uh…" Isobel stuttered as she looked to Richard for support.
"Isobel," began Elsie as she appeared at the top of the three steps leading down into the shop. She stopped short when she Charles standing there.
Charles looked up and suddenly felt weak in the knees. He had never seen Elsie wearing anything like the dress that Emily was busy fussing over and arranging the train to wrap around Elsie's ankles and spread out like a cascade of silk and beads down the steps. The gown was cream colored satin cut to gently hug the curves of her breasts and hips before falling to the floor at her feet. There was a small spray of beading at the bottom of the neckline and at the shoulders where straps widened into beaded sashes that then plunged down to a deep-V baring her back and stopping just short of the curve where her spine met her bottom. The beading then sprayed out across the back of the gown and the six-foot train.
Elsie was suddenly nervous at trying on a wedding gown when she and Charles hadn't even set a date for their own wedding yet. She had dropped her gaze to the cascade of fabric on the steps and her head snapped up suddenly at the sound of his voice.
"No!" he nearly shouted at Emily as she stepped up beside Elsie to place a close fitting lace cap and veil on top of her head. "Elsie, please?" he pleaded, his voice quivering with emotion. Elsie watched as he carefully navigated his way around the beaded train to come and stand next to her. "Elsie, you look absolutely stunning…your skin…your eyes…your hair…" he reached out to brush a stray curl off of her forehead. "Please don't cover your hair," he whispered hoarsely.
Elsie reached up to smooth his cheek and then she stretched up to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Charles, don't worry…I promise I won't seriously start looking at wedding gowns until we set a date."
"Then perhaps we should set one," he said quietly. "I would not have imagined that you could look any more beautiful than you already do." He saw the doubt in her eyes and took her by the hand to lead her down the steps to the mirror that she'd been using earlier to try on coats. She had to admit that the gown fit well and set off the color of her skin and hair but what finally convinced her was the look in Charles eyes as they wandered up and down her figure before finally coming to meet her gaze in the mirror, alight and alive with his love and desire for her and her alone. They turned to each other and he took her in his arms and covered her mouth with a tender slow kiss. It was several long moments later when the sound of Richard clearing his throat finally sank in and they pulled slowly apart.
"You should see a doctor about that throat, Richard," chuckled Charles as he stepped back so that Elsie could navigate the path back to the dressing rooms. Isobel followed close behind holding the train to keep her from tripping.
Emily met them at the top of the steps holding several small items in her hands. "I found these in the accessories case and I think they would really set off the beading on that gown," she said. Charles held out his hand to take the pieces from her so that she could fasten the web of jet and amber beads around Elsie's throat. There was a bracelet and drop earrings to match and finally, Emily reached over to take a beaded satin band from his hands and tied it around her head. Isobel had rearranged the train to cascade down the steps again and when Emily was finished, they all stood back to see the final effects.
"Lassie, if the big lug won't marry you," said Richard with a warm smile on his face, "I'll be more than happy to step in."
"Excuse me?" exclaimed Isobel turning to look askance at him.
"I'm sorry, love," he said shaking his head as if from a daze, "She must have bewitched me with her beauty."
"Now that I could very well believe," said Isobel turning to beam up at Elsie and Charles. Richard moved up behind her and she relaxed into the circle of his arms.
Charles reached out and took Elsie's hands in both of his and said softly, "You are the most beautiful woman I know and I love you with all of my heart. I want to marry you and I want you to wear this dress when we get married."
"Charles, love," she said stepping closer to him, "Don't you think we ought to talk about this and perhaps set a date first?"
"Then perhaps you should get changed so that we can go home and talk," he said. Elsie smiled and turned to have Emily assist with removing the jewelry and accessories before she went to the dressing room.
Charles looked over and saw Richard and Isobel smiling and whispering to each other so he walked back to the cash register to speak with Emily about purchasing the dress. He sensed rather than heard Richard and Isobel walk up behind him.
Richard spoke when Emily started to ring up the jewelry and accessories, "Charles, Isobel and I have discussed it and we would like to give those to you and Elsie as an engagement gift."
"That's very kind of you but technically, we weren't even friends when Elsie and I were engaged," laughed Charles.
"Perhaps not, but we are friends now and it would make us both very happy if you would accept our gift," said Isobel reaching out to squeeze his hand.
Charles bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "Thank you." Isobel slipped her arms around his waist to give him an affectionate squeeze. Elsie appeared beside him and linked her arm through his. Emily finished placing everything carefully into padded boxes and wrapped the gown in special acetate free tissue to box it up.
"Where's my coat?" asked Elsie
"I think you left it in the car, love," said Charles as he looked around the room.
"No, the green coat and the cloche hat," she said.
"Elsie…" said Charles with a warning note in his voice, "I thought we agreed that you have plenty of coats that you hardly even get to wear throughout the year."
"But Charles…" she playfully pouted and punched him on the shoulder. Then she took his hand in hers and started to rub her shoulder against his like a cat smoothing its fur. She looked up at him from under her thick eyelashes and knew she had him when the corner of his mouth twitched and his eyes started to twinkle.
"Why is it I can deny you nothing?" he asked smiling down at her.
"Because you love me?" she reached up and kissed his cheek as Emily wrapped and boxed the coat and hat.
"Let's get you out of here before it costs me any more money!" Charles exclaimed as he gathered up the boxes and parcels.
-o O o-
Charles helped Richard with the two large cartons of supplies that they had brought with them from London while Isobel carried what looked like a small cake box into the cabin. Richard walked over to set a fire in the fireplace while Charles began to unpack the box that he'd brought in.
"I've already informed Isobel that there is an unwritten rule in the cabin regarding being comfortable in the evenings when sitting around the fire," said Richard as he stood from the fireplace and took the bottle of red wine and the corkscrew that Isobel held out to him.
"Yes, he tells me that flannel pyjamas and dressing gowns with fuzzy slippers are the dress code in the evenings," she said raising a skeptical eyebrow at him.
He filled another wineglass before he said softy, "Vivianne always stayed warmer and was more comfortable when she would change into her pyjamas in the evenings." He paused for a moment, staring into the bottom of the wineglass in his hand. He looked up when felt Isobel's hand caressing his cheek and saw the understanding and warmth in her eyes. He leaned forward to kiss her softly on the temple before handing her a glass of wine.
Elsie watched the exchange for a moment and then stood and stretched. "I'm all for getting out of some of this lycra and spandex for the evening!" She yawned and walked off into the bedroom to change.
"I think I'll do the same," responded Isobel setting her wineglass down on the side table and heading to the opposite bedroom.
Richard walked into the kitchen and saw Charles staring down at the collection of items that he'd removed from the box. Looking up with a suspicious smirk, he cocked an eyebrow at Richard.
"Oysters, chocolate, pineapple…honey?"
Richard's ears turned bright pink and he quickly busied himself with the other supplies.
Watching Richard unpack the other carton, Charles finally said, "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that the asparagus and the couscous was planned for a romantic dinner but the other? Feels like a prelude to a very romantic rendezvous."
The blush quickly spread from Richard's ears to the rest of his face. "Alright, I'll admit it…that was the original plan. But things changed."
"Elsie and I can go home tomorrow morning…"
"No!" interrupted Richard, "The new plan was for you and Elsie to have some time alone to be together and work through any issues that you or she may have." Richard opened the cupboard door behind him to begin putting away the supplies. "Why did you call us up here early?"
"I didn't," said Charles with a shake of his head. "Elsie had texted you before I was even awake this morning."
"Any idea why she would do that?"
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," said Elsie with a pout as she walked up beside Richard.
"I'm sorry, lassie," he said apologetically. He put one arm around her shoulders and gave her a soft peck on the temple. "Come on, let's go get comfortable and you can tell me why you asked us to come up early."
Charles sat down in one of the armchairs and settled Elsie into his lap. He pulled the ottoman over with his foot and they both stretched their legs out such that Elsie was reclined against his chest with her head nestled in the crook of his neck.
Richard sat in the corner of the sofa and when he was able to catch Elsie's eye, he raised a questioning brow to let her know that he was still waiting for an answer.
"Charles and I worked out what we needed to…and I guess…I was feeling a bit guilty about you giving up your weekend with Isobel." She finished quickly and buried her face in Charles' chest for a moment. He could feel the sudden tension in her shoulders and her back and started to smooth his hand gently up and down.
"You guess?" asked Richard with a hint of skepticism in his voice.
"Who guesses what?" asked Isobel brightly as she walked into the room and took a seat in the opposite corner of the sofa from Richard.
"I was asking Elsie why she texted us to come up early and she said that she guesses that she was feeling guilty about de-railing our weekend." Richard shifted to the middle of the sofa and then stretched himself out along its length with his head pillowed on Isobel's thigh. Isobel began to stroke her fingers along his temple and through the hair behind his ears. "Belle, I'll be asleep in five minutes if you keep that up."
"Oh! So you think you'll stay awake two more minutes than you usually do?" she teased him. Richard reached up and drew her hand to his mouth and playfully bit the side of her palm. Isobel pulled quickly away and batted him on the shoulder before returning to her gentle touches.
"See!" exclaimed Elsie sitting up straight, "you could be alone and having a romantic and playful weekend together."
"And that's what you and Charles were supposed to be doing," declared Richard propping himself up on one elbow to take a sip of wine from Isobel's glass.
Charles had been listening to the two of them going back and forth and he could feel the tension winding up in Elsie's thin frame. "You've gone all tense, Elsie love. What is it that you're not saying?" She kept her eyes glued to her hands as they toyed with one of the buttons on the front of his shirt.
"I didn't want for us to be alone anymore…"
Charles sat frozen for a few moments before asking, "You aren't afraid to be alone with me…are you?"
She looked up at him with a wide eyed expression that quickly turned to a teasing smirk. "Do you really need to ask that?" Then she leaned in and whispered in his ear so that only he could hear, "After last night…and this morning?" It was Charles' turn to blush a deep red as he coughed and cleared his throat.
"You should really see a doctor about that throat, Charles," said Richard taking the opportunity to return the jibe from earlier in the afternoon.
Elsie smiled and reached out to cup Charles' cheek as she leaned in to plant a soft quick kiss on his mouth. She turned to catch Richard and Isobel exchanging soft caresses. "I was up early, having a cup of tea and something that Isobel said yesterday morning came back to me." She smiled and continued, "You said that the good feelings and memories would replace the bad. And somehow, I just felt that we…both of us…needed to spend the weekend with the two of you." She could see by the puzzled looks on everyone's faces that she still had not been clear. "You were right, Isobel. We always have a good time when we are with you and Richard and I wanted for things to be as normal as possible. For us to do the things that we might have done had we been in London…like having lunch and going shopping." Both Isobel and Richard smiled and nodded in understanding.
"Exactly how often do you and Isobel go shopping for wedding gowns?" asked Charles' playfully. "You might want to watch out for that one, Richard."
"I'll keep that in mind, speaking of weddings," replied Richard as he rose to refill the wineglasses. "I really would like to show the two of you a spot that you may want to consider for your wedding." He sat down next to Isobel and she noticed that he had left a gap between them. He looked over at her with eyes that implored her to understand before he turned to speak to Charles and Elsie, "It is where Vivianne and I were married. Our marriage was a long and happy one and Vivianne always said that she could feel the positive energy flowing whenever we would walk out there." He dropped his gaze to stare at his hands clasped in his lap. He saw Isobel's hands before he felt them slip between his so that she could intertwine their fingers. He looked up and again saw the love and understanding in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Isobel. I had no idea that so many memories would come bubbling up."
"It's alright, Richard," she said quietly, "It will be the same for me when we stay at the house in Manchester next week."
"I convinced her to stay here with me a couple of extra days in exchange for traveling straight to Manchester so she could check in at the boutique," responded Richard to the surprised looks on Elsie and Charles' faces. Isobel leaned into him to tuck her head under his chin as his arms went around her.
"So what is this place where you were married?" asked Elsie settling back against Charles' chest.
"It's actually an ancient druid ceremonial site. It is in an open area within the park and has a stone altar. A lot of couples have been married there during the summer months and that's why I wanted to show it to you, before you set a date for your wedding."
"How is the weather out here during the summer?" asked Charles.
"I'll admit that it can be rather contrary but the park allows for a small marquee to be set up for the ceremony and you could have the reception at Marcel's…you could even stay here for your honeymoon if you wanted to."
"I think we're beginning to get the cart before the horse just a bit," chuckled Charles. "We'll walk out and take a look at the site tomorrow as you suggested and then perhaps Elsie and I will sit down with a calendar and decide exactly when we might have the time."
"I've been afraid that we might end up having it at the office," said Elsie with a huge yawn, "So that we can squeeze it in between board meetings."
"I think perhaps I'd best cart this one off to bed," said Charles as she slapped him on the chest in protest. He pushed the ottoman away with his foot and steadied her as she rose to her feet with a stretch and another yawn.
"Good night, Richard," said Elsie sleepily. Richard rose to give her a hug and placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead.
"Pleasant dreams, lassie," he said with a wink.
Elsie turned to find Isobel wrapped up in Charles' arms as they said their goodnights.
Isobel reached out to take hold of Elsie's hand, not wanting to overwhelm the younger woman and was again surprised when Elsie herself gave a gentle tug and wrapped her arms around Isobel's waist in a gentle embrace.
"You've been so patient and so kind to me," said Elsie quietly, "even when I've not been very warm and inviting in return."
"It takes some people a wee bit longer to warm up," whispered Isobel, enjoying the contact with her new friend. "Off with you both now. Charles, I want you bright eyed and bushy tailed to help me with breakfast in the morning!"
"Yes, ma'am!" he said quickly, standing to attention with a salute.
"Come on, soldier boy, time for bed," said Elsie with a smile as she took him by the hand and led him off to their bedroom.
When the door had closed behind them, Richard turned and took both of Isobel's hands in his.
"Belle, I'm sorry that Vivianne seems to be occupying so many of my thoughts tonight," he said softly, bending his head to kiss the backs of both of her hands.
"Richard, it is alright. You were married to her for almost thirty years, it is to be expected," she replied and stepped in closer to slide her arms around his waist. "Especially in a place that holds so much emotion for the both of you."
He sighed and pulled her against his chest and whispered into her hair, "You're the first woman that I've brought here since she died."
Isobel pulled back to look him in the face, "Really?"
"Yes…you're the only woman I've ever wanted to bring here," he smiled at her and leaned in to kiss the end of her nose.
"Richard, you're a very kind hearted and sentimental soul and I love you for it," she said firmly. "I'll be excited to see the place where you and Vivianne were married and I think that it's very special that you want to share that with me and with Charles and Elsie."
He saw only love and honesty when he looked into her eyes and felt the need to kiss her deeply. "Are you ready for bed?" he asked when he finally pulled away.
"Not quite yet, love," she said, still a bit breathless from his kiss. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "I could with a bit of a fireside snog…if you don't mind."
"I don't mind a bit," he said with a boyish grin spreading slowly across his face. He turned off all the lamps and the two settled on the sofa in the firelight…and for a time, they were alone, at the center of the universe.
The End
(for real)