STAY WITH ME-6
Hello everyone. Thank you very much for all your wonderful reviews. It was so nice to read them all. I know, that some of you have been really impatient about Elsie's conversation with Charles and after long anticipation, that chapter has finally arrived. Needless to say, this will be the ending one for this story. Hope you will like it ;-)
Charles was aware, that what Mrs Patmore told him was true. There were already few people in this house who didn't hesitate to let Elsie know, how precious she was for them all- from the lowest staff, to Mrs Patmore, but so far, even though Elsie knew, that she was important, that certainly didn't stop her from changing her plans.
As far as he was aware of it, she was still going to marry Joe Burns.
He didn't know that man personally, but he would be ready to kill him, for wanting to take Elsie away from him. Elsie knew him since childhood, but Charles felt, that it didn't matter. He was not the love of her life, she belonged with him and even though it was really a difficult task, as he wasn't totally sure, if his predictions were true, he decided to talk to her and confess her, how he really felt about that situation.
He was hoping, that what he wants to say to her, will change her mind and that they can build a happy future together, as husband and wife, because that was exactly what he wanted them to be. He was still having second thoughts, being afraid, that maybe he will make a fool of himself in her eyes, if it will turn out, that she does not share his feelings, but then the reflection came, that even if she will reject him and move away, they will not live and work in the same house no more, so it won't really matter, because he will not have to look in her eyes everyday.
However that was the worst case scenario. He felt ache in his heart, thinking, that she may want to stay with Joe Burns, after what he will confess to her...This was a possibility, that he didn't want to take into consideration.
There wasn't much time left, as he knew, that only few days were dividing them from her departure. He decided to talk to her tonight...
He took the bottle of her favorite Sherry and knocked her door gently, after all the rest of the staff already headed upstairs...She didn't react to that knock, so he simply entered her sitting room, just to find her sitting on the window sill, looking in the darkness, being in a land dreams...
He cleared his throat and that made her come back from this state...
"Mr Carson...I didn't expect to see you here..."
"I am sorry Mrs Hughes, am I disturbing you?"
"No, of course you are not, please do come in..."
"Thank you. You seemed to be far away from here"
"That is true...I was thinking about some things, wondering, but I'm more than happy, to have some Sherry with you...Are you done with your duties for today?"
"Luckily I am...It's been quite a long time, since we had our usual, evening Sherry together..."
"I've been quite busy recently"
"I noticed...There are some big changes, that are ahead of you..."
"Yes indeed Mr Carson, although I'm not quite sure, what kind of changes it will be..."
"I am not following you.."
"Oh nevermind, let's not talk about it right now, how have you been recently?"
Charles looked at her surprised...She seemed to be in totally chaotic frame of mind tonight...Like there were some tough decisions ahead of her, she was here in body, but not in spirit...He didn't want to change the subject, in fact, that was exactly what he wanted to talk about with her, so he sensed, that he should gently brought the topic back...
"Nothing new really, working and working, all days seems to be the same, almost no surprises...Well, maybe with one exception..."
"And what is the exception?"
"That I witnessed your conversation with Daisy few days ago and I was touched, with the way she was able to express her feelings about your presence in this house..."
Elsie blushed violently, she didn't know, that he heard that...How was it possible?
"I..I wasn't aware that you heard that..I thought that nobody was here when we were talking..."
"I was still in my pantry...There is no need to be embarrassed Mrs Hughes...That was really a touching exchange..."
"Yes it was...Till now I thought, that Daisy was just young, foolish girl, incapable of having any sort of feelings and suddenly I found out, that she really cares about me...That was nice..."
"Was there anyone else in the household, who expressed the same kind of appreciation for you?"
Elsie was flabbergasted...Why all the sudden he was asking those questions? He seemed to not care at all about her life and her decisions and now this? She was really curious, where he was going with this and she decided, as always, that she will be honest with him...
"Actually it was not only Daisy. I had the same conversation with William and I heard similar arguments..."
"William is a smart boy, I always thought so...Was there someone else?"
"Mrs Patmore, which was quite a surprise for me, as I didn't realize before, that she considered me her friend..It was nice to know, that I mean so much for the people in this house, at least for some.."
That subtle allusion made him blush...He wasn't sure, what to think about that...
"Mrs Patmore showed, that she has a softer side, that is indeed surprising, was there someone else?"
Now Elsie really started to be annoyed with his questions, what was he getting into, what was his goal?
"Mr Carson, as much as I like talking to you, I have to admit, that I'm quite surprised with your questions and I don't understand the nature of your inquisitivenessTill now, I had the feeling that you weren't particularly interested with my life, especially the changes in my life...Am I right?"
Charles blushed again, he understood, that his need of prolonging the crucial moment, was not a good idea and that it was time to uncover his true intentions...
"Mrs Hughes I'm very sorry..I didn't want to seem tactless...But you are very wrong about me, thinking that I have no interest in your life. In fact it's quite the opposite...I was always interested with you..And now, especially now, when your life has changed..."
"You didn't seem to be Mr Carson, when I told you about my meeting with my old friend and later about my engagement, you took it indifferently, like you didn't care about it at all..."
"But that's not true Mrs Hughes...I did care...Although I tried to act like I didn't..I had to hide my real emotions..."
"I'm not sure that I understand Mr Carson...Your true emotions? What were your true emotions?"- Elsie asked, feeling that her throat was dry..
"Sadness, anger, jealousy, disappointment..."
Elsie's eyes were getting more and more wider...She was in such shock, that she wasn't sure, if she understood him correctly...
"Disappointment? About what?"
"Disappointment about the fact, that a man from your youth came here unexpectedly and done something, which I wanted to do for a very long time...That he, without any effort, has managed to convince you to become his wife, that he he was brave enough to fight for you, for his happiness with you and finally, because you agreed at once, like you had no second thoughts..."
"But I did have second thoughts, in fact I still have them, but I'm really confused now...Mr Carson, are you trying to tell me something?"
Elsie's face became pale, her heart was pounding like crazy and her hand, in which she held her drink, was shivering so much, that she put the glass away...She was glad, that she was sitting in the chair, otherwise she would definitely not be able to stand straight, as her legs would fail her...
Charles knew, that it was now or never, his first and only chance to get Elsie back...Without hesitating, he neared the armchair that she was sitting on and he got on his knees...He took her hand in his, marveling with the softness of her skin and he looked at her, with the eyes of an asking puppy, which could also be described, as an eyes of a man madly in love...
"Yes Mrs Hughes...I'm trying to tell you something, for a very long time and as always, I'm not doing a very good job...I'm trying to ask you, to not to marry Joe Burns...I know, that I don't have a right to do that, you know him longer and it's possible, that you want to become his wife, but please, don't do that...Dont' leave us, the house, our colleagues and me...Stay, please stay with us...Stay with me..."
He kissed her hand so gently and his eyes were so full of hope, that Elsie's heart has melted in a moment...She had her doubts before, even though initially she thought, that such change in life would be a good one for her, after talking to her downstairs colleagues, she started to change her mind slowly, but she didn't expect, that she will hear this...Words that she has been waiting for...
"Mr Carson...Charles..."-the way she rolled his name on her tongue, made him shiver and he kissed her hand again...She touched his face with reverence and hot waves went through his body...Her touch was everything...He knew now, that he would have given everything in his life-his job, his position, everything, just that he could be touched by her till the end of his life...He noticed tears in the corner of her eyes.."I never wanted to marry Joe...I only agreed, because I thought, that you don't care about me and that you will never have feelings for me, like I had them for you..."
"Mrs Hughes..Elsie...I always had feelings for you...Ever since I can remember...But I was a fool, thinking that I have time to confess those feelings to you...Until he came and almost took you away from me...Will you stay Elsie, please? I love you so much..."
"Of course I will stay...I love you too...I have loved you for so long and I was so hurt, by your lack of action, that I thought that going away with other man will let me forget you...But now I know, that it would not be possible...I would never be able to forget you..."
Elsie gently slid out her hand from his and she stroke his face...He got a little higher from his knees. Just so their faces could be on the same level...They both knew, what they wanted to happen and it did...
They finally kissed each other...After all those years of secret love, of hiding their true feelings, of dreaming about this moment...Their lips connected, to express all the love, which they had for each other for such a long time...They were not aware, of how long it lasted, maybe short, maybe long. In reality, it was too short for their liking and too long to called it decent...
When they finally parted, they looked at each other with love, still gently touching their faces...There were so many things to say, but for this moment, the most important was to show themselves as much tenderness as possible, in those simple, loving gestures...
It was a perfect moment to stay silent, but Charles wanted to be sure, that his mission was complete...
"Elsie...So there isn't going to be any wedding?"
"There will be a wedding, but you will be the groom, if you will have me as your wife..."
"Of course I will have you...Can we do it tomorrow?"
"I'm afraid, that it will take a little longer than that, but this day will come Charles...I promise..Nothing or nobody, will be able to part us..."
"Nothing Elsie and certainly nobody..."
That's all for today folks...Yup, this time I decided, that Elsie will be the one to propose to Charles ;-) Just for fun, luckily he accepted...This is how it should have been in the series...It would be so much fun, if they got married in the beginning of the show and not in the end..Poor Joe, he will have a major shock soon ;-) Thanks for reading the chapter and the whole story and all the wonderful reviews that you have written. I love them all. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Take care and see you soon!