It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
A/N: It's been a long time since I have posted. A chapter has been sitting half-written and then … life. Here it is and I'm not completely happy with it, but nevertheless, let's see what Charles gifted Elsie for Christmas. Thank you for continuing with this story. X
A/N: Italics are a flashback. Please pardon any errors.
"And you hadn't suspected a thing?" Bill asks as he slices through the perfectly cooked turkey that his wife has presented to their little family.
"Not a thing, I tell you," Elsie laughs with tears of joy in her eyes. She reaches over to Charles and places her hand over his squeezing it firmly. From her vantage point across the table, Beryl chuckles at how pleased Charles seems with himself, a smug look of satisfaction at keeping a secret from Elsie, playing about his lips.
"I've never seen her at a loss for words," Charles laughs, low as Elsie looks up to him, her eyes narrowing with mock annoyance before she leans up to kiss his cheek.
"Well, tell us all about it then," Beryl chimes in as she passes the bowl of potatoes to William who eagerly accepts it and scoops a large spoonful onto his plate.
"Go on then. Open it."
Elsie carefully pulls off the shiny bow and slips her fingernail underneath the perfect seam of the paper and allows it to fall away. As she opens the box, her eyes narrow in concentration as she withdraws the beautiful silver tobacco box that Charles had purchased the night before. Elsie lifts the ornate box away from the gift box and examines it closely and as she smoothes a fingertip across the engraving of the peasant woman and the inscription, she turns to him and smiles.
"Tremblez Tyrans. Tremble Tyrants. As well they should," she quips, poking a sharp finger into his chest. Charles tightens his grip on her hip and pulls her in close.
"I am not a tyrant!" His protest is met with a grin and then a skeptical eye.
"No, but you can be a bit stubborn," she insists. "Which brings me back to the matter at hand."
"Open the box," he insists firmly. Charles has cut her off again much to her annoyance, but she acquiesces and lifts the lid of the box. Eyes narrowed into concentration and her bottom lip rolled between her teeth, she pulls forth the patinaed key from the box.
"A key?"
"It's not just any key Elsie," he begins to explain as he takes the key between his thumb and forefinger. "This key is the original key to the cottage. It's quite old and I thought that you would like it. You can put it on your key fob if you like."
"It's a wonderful gift darling. And the box is beautiful. An antique and no doubt much too expensive. I shall treasure them both," Elsie purrs as she places the key back inside the box and set it aside on the coffee table. She reaches for a rather awkwardly wrapped present she had placed under the tree.
"Just a minute," Charles calls as he pulls her back into his embrace.
"But it's your turn," Elsie insists.
"Ladies first my dear and you've not received everything I have for you".
"That sounds quite naughty Mr. Carson," Elsie replies with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smirk to which all Charles manages is a low growl and some very well-placed kisses and nibbles along his beloved's neck and jaw.
"Now," he whispers into her ear, "look into the silver box again. I think there may be something else."
"Honestly, Charles, the key and the box itself are more than enough," Elsie assures him though she does as she's been asked. What she thought was just ppaper lining the bottom of the box is in fact an envelope.
The flap of the envelope frees as Elsie slips her fingernail just underneath and from inside she retrieves two pieces of paper. Her heart skips a beat, because she soon realizes that Charles has been plotting something.
"These look 'official'," she murmurs quietly as she opens the folded pages to find the first one a very familiar type of document; the second, she's less familiar with, but her knowledge of what it means is innate.
"They are if you want them to be," Charles replies lowly, his hold on her tightening as he leans into her.
"What exactly is this Charlie?"
"This my dear Elsie, is the first page to the new deed to the cottage. It has both our names on it and it is my wedding present to you."
"Wedding present?" Elsie exclaims looking at Charles as if he's gone round the bend before she kisses him soundly. "I want to spend our wedding night there. In our own home. Our own home! I can't wrap my head around this. That's why you gave me the key?"
"Indeed it is," Charles replies as he tiptoes his fingers up her thigh. "Now, we have a home that is ours together. That you can go to when you need to write, then when the city is too much, we can pack it in and flee to the countryside. Just us."
"You said it's a wedding present." Charles smiles; his girl isn't one who misses much. "But it's only just Christmas."
"The silver tobacco box and the key are your Christmas gifts. The cottage is your wedding present. I just finalized the contracts buying it from mum and dad two weeks ago. I am happy to say I think I got a good price," Charles lips turn upward into a boyish smile as he chuckles before turning serious. "But this little paper," he gestures to the one from the archbishop, "this is the one that makes the cottage your wedding present."
Heart racing and with a deep breath, Elsie examines the special license from the archbishop's office. "It's valid for two weeks," Charles continues. "The Dowager helped me to obtain it and if you agree … "
"Yes! Of course I agree!" Elsie thinks for a moment before continuing. "Is this why you've put me off about moving the wedding date?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise."
"Well, I'm all agog I freely admit it." Elsie is, even by her own admission, very rarely left speechless, yet Charles has managed to leave her so just now.
"We are settled then? A New Year's Eve wedding?"
"Yes, but can we plan it so soon?"
"If you wish, and only if you wish, the Dowager has gifted us the Abbey as a venue for the reception and some of the rooms for our guests. And," he adds, treading lightly, "remember, my mother is her event planner, so she can put together whatever is your heart's desire on a moment's notice."
Elsie pauses a moment, running her fingertip across the sharp corner of the page she's holding before she speaks. It's all very much what she wanted; the wedding sooner rather than later, the wedding in the ancient country church with all their friends in attendance, and a blissful wedding night enjoyed at the cottage.
"Els, if it is too much, too soon …"
"No, it's not," Elsie reassures Charles with a caress to his cheek and a gentle kiss to his lips. "It is perfect."
"So Auntie let me see if I understand this right," William muses as he shoves a mouthful of honey-roasted carrots into his mouth, "You got a house and a fairy tale wedding at a castle for Christmas?" Elsie responds with a tight nod and a smile as chews a bite of food. William hums in assessment before his next question. "And Charlie got an autographed cricket bat. Hmm. Seems a little unfair." If Charles hadn't known better he'd be affronted, but the William's gentle teasing hasn't gone unnoticed, even though Bill glares down the table at his son.
"Well," Charles replies as he dredges a spoon through potatoes and gravy, "it's not as if I'm left out of the picture and the bat was signed by none other than Wally Hammond."
"Well then, I suppose you're even," William deadpans.
"Hey there," Elsie protests as the boys at the table burst into laughter. William pushes out his chair and moves to the other side of the table to give Elsie hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You're forgiven," she tells him as he makes his way back around to his seat.
"So if Elsie is 'Auntie,' you'll be 'Uncle' hmm," William offers to Charles.
"Well, William, you don't have to call me anything other than Charles or maybe Charlie," Charles replies kindly obviously touched that William, a teenager, has given any thought to the subject of bestowing a familial title on him.
"I think …" William looks up and pauses thoughtfully, "I think Uncle Charlie, if that's all right with you. Dad doesn't have any brothers and mum only has sisters, so it'll be nice to have an uncle around. Won't feel so outnumbered," he teases as he nods to Beryl and then to Elsie.
Charles heart swells at the thought of this new family of his. Alone on his own, with a few friendships and a small family, the notion that he has gained family and friends because of Elsie is almost overwhelming. He looks over to Elsie hears her discussing wedding plans with Beryl and his heart leaps. Looking to William and Bill as they are discussing what games they have arranged for after lunch he heart swells. This is family, he thinks. This is my family.
TBC...
Thank you so much for reading. The next chapter is almost completely written so hopefully it will not be months in between posting. ;) If you are inclined a word of review is always appreciated.