They were kissing passionately now, their hands beginning to roam about each other's bodies. Somewhere in the back of Elsie's mind was the worry that she would do something wrong, or that she would not please her husband, but for the most part her apprehensions had fled and all she could think about was the moment she was in. Her fingers found their way to Charles's necktie and she fiddled with the knot absentmindedly as she kissed him. There had been many nights when she had sat in his pantry with him, wishing she could untie his tie for him. Mostly she just thought he must be uncomfortable in that white collar and tie after a long day of work, but there was a part of her that wished for the warmth of an accidental brush of her fingers against his chest or neck, a part of her that wanted to see what he looked like without that restrictive bit of his uniform. Even when he was ill and she visited him in his bedroom, he buttoned his pajamas up to his chin. She had often wondered if he always slept like that or if he had been trying to protect her modesty. Now they were married and she could take off his tie, his collar, his shirt, and his ... but she was getting ahead of herself. Charles's lips and tongue were distracting her so much that her hands had abandoned the attempt to untie the tie and were now pulling him closer to her by tugging at his lapels.

"Elsie," he murmured. "Oh, my beautiful Elsie."

"Charles."

"Yes?"

"What should I do next?" she whispered. "I want... that is, I would like to..." Elsie blushed; she wasn't quite sure what to say.

"You would like to...?"

"I..." She took a deep breath. "I want you. And I want to do everything right." Elsie's hands were trembling again.

"I'm sure you will, dearest," Charles told her in a comforting tone.

"But you can't be sure," she persisted. "I've never done this before." Elsie was beginning to wish she had gone to Anna for advice. It would have been an excruciating conversation for both of them, but perhaps worth the embarrassment.

"Elsie, sit down for a moment." Charles sat down and patted the bed beside him. She obeyed. "We're going to... be together now. But then we will be again tomorrow, perhaps more than once, and the day after that, and so on. It will be different every time, but as long as you are you, it will be wonderful. You needn't worry that you won't please me, love, or that you'll do something wrong. I can assure you that it's just not possible."

Elsie smiled up at him. "That was quite a speech, Charles."

"Yes, well, enough of all that, Elsie," he replied. "Just kiss me."

They leaned in to each other and their lips met. When they pulled apart, Elsie's fingers went to Charles's tie again, and she managed to loosen it a bit, while his hands began to unfasten the buttons of her blouse. She pulled the tie from around his neck and tossed it to the floor before starting on his collar. Once she had removed it, she undid the top two buttons of his shirt and touched the newly exposed skin with her fingertips. Charles watched her, mesmerized at her apparent fascination with this part of him. Her breathing was fast and ragged as she stretched up to kiss the hollow between his collarbones.

"I've always wanted to do that," Elsie whispered. "I've never seen that part of you before."

Charles laughed shakily. "Please do it again anytime you like," he murmured. "Would you lie down on the bed, Elsie? There's something I've been thinking about, too."

"All right," she agreed.

When she was comfortable, Charles slowly removed her shoes and then ran both of his hands slowly up one of her legs, unfastened her stocking, and rolled it down to her foot. Elsie sighed and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his hands on her calves, her thighs. Once he had dropped the stocking to the floor, he did the same with the other leg. Charles perched on the side of the bed beside her feet and began to caress her ankles with his hands. "They feel just as lovely as they look," he rumbled, his eyes twinkling. He placed a kiss on each ankle and ran his hands under her skirt and slowly up one of her legs. He touched her in a way that made her whimper, first from uncertainty, then from pleasure. She wanted something more, but she didn't want him to stop.

Soon, however, he did stop, and Elsie opened her eyes, only to find her husband hovering over her. They kissed, open-mouthed, and things moved much more quickly from there. Their clothes, along with Elsie's hairpins, were all gradually discarded, strewn over the floor and the bed, as they slowly peeled away each layer that separated them. They exchanged kisses and caresses both bold and shy, each beginning to learn what gave the other pleasure.

Elsie had known there would be some relief from the delicious tension that seemed to build between her and Charles whenever they were together. She had known it would feel good. But as she lay on her back with her husband between her thighs, moving rhythmically within her, she knew that 'good' didn't even begin to describe what she was experiencing. Elsie hadn't previously been aware that there was any feeling on earth quite so exquisite and she wrapped her legs around him, moaning her encouragement as he steadily increased his pace.

Charles's madness of the summer was nothing compared to the madness he now felt as he made love to his wife for the first time. She was soft and pliant beneath him, but she panted his name and tried to pull him closer to her; she wanted him. Charles had known that she could not do otherwise than please him, and that she would be beautiful. Her response, however, was something he had not counted on, and while it overwhelmed him, it also drove him on. It was she who had set him on fire and only she could quench the flame.

It took a few minutes for them to come down to earth after they had both reached the peak, but before long they drifted off to sleep, tangled up together on top of the blanket.

#####

It was dark outside by the time Elsie awoke, ravenous. Dinner was prepared and waiting downstairs, but she was so comfortable she didn't want to move. Charles was still asleep, curled up against her, his arm draped heavily across her stomach. She turned her head to watch him sleep. Elsie smiled at what a sweet picture he made. His hair was mussed, a few unruly pieces of it sticking out in several different directions, and that one curly lock falling over his brow. Charles looked so peaceful at rest, and the combination of the slight smile on his lips and his messy hair made her think of a mischievous boy. When he opened his twinkling eyes suddenly to return Elsie's gaze, he still gave the impression of mischief, though now he looked decidedly less boyish. Elsie shivered.

"Are you cold, love?" he asked sleepily.

"No," she answered. "Just hungry. Aren't you?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Where is your lady's maid? Isn't she supposed to bring us dinner in bed?"

Elsie laughed at him. "You'd like a lady's maid to find you in my bed? Like this?" she asked. "She would probably be so shocked by the sight of us in such a state that she'd drop the tray on the floor. We didn't even turn down the bed, Charles!"

Charles chuckled and raised himself up on his elbow to look around the room. The sight of their clothing scattered all over the bed and the floor and his naked and smiling wife beside him gave him a sense of pride and contentment. He sighed happily and lay back down, resting his head on her breast and shifting to find the most comfortable position. "Ow!" Charles sat up suddenly, reaching for his side.

Elsie frowned. "What's wrong, Charles?"

He brought his hand out in front of him and chuckled. Between his finger and thumb was one of Elsie's hairpins.

She laughed as well. "I'm afraid those pins have gotten everywhere."

Charles tossed the hairpin on the floor and curled up against her once more. "Your hair is beautiful, Elsie," he breathed in her ear.

Elsie smiled and reached out to toy with the stray curl that fell across his forehead. "I like this curl," she told him. "I always have. It makes you look so… Well, I don't know what exactly, but I like it."

Charles grunted. "I'm glad someone likes it, though I can't say I do. It takes a great deal of pomade to keep it in place all day."

"You needn't slick it down anymore if you don't want to, Charles," Elsie pointed out. "You're retired now."

Charles kissed Elsie's cheek. "I suppose that's true." He moved his lips from her cheek to her ear and then down her neck. "But now I know you like it so much, I might want to leave it for only you to see."

Elsie had enjoyed the sound of Charles's voice almost since the day they had met, when she first arrived at Downton. In recent days she had found that when he spoke or whispered in her ear it was difficult to think of anything but him and how close he was to her. Now he was speaking quiet words of love in her ear and caressing her body lightly with his fingers. Her breathing grew erratic and her hand caressed his chest. Somehow, without her having been aware of it, he had pulled her tightly against him and was kissing her mouth urgently. She pulled away for a moment. "Dinner," she murmured distractedly. "Hungry."

"Yes, Elsie," he agreed, his voice even deeper than usual. "Very hungry."

She sighed and gave in with little thought to her stomach. Dinner could wait. Making love could not.

#####

Elsie padded around the kitchen in her dressing gown, her feet bare and her hair loose and tangled. After she had cleaned up the broken saucer from a few hours earlier, she put a kettle on to boil and opened the basket of food, knowing she would find a variety of delicacies to choose from. She had no doubt that Mrs. Patmore and her maids had taken great care in this particular case. Elsie really was famished now, so she didn't even wait for the tea to be ready before she ate a few chocolate biscuits and a slice of cheese. She had left Charles half-asleep upstairs, but she was too hungry to stay in bed any longer. She suspected he wouldn't be far behind her. Sure enough, just before the kettle boiled, he appeared in the kitchen and went straight to the basket of food.

"I can see you're ahead of me, Mrs. Carson," he said, finding that she had already taken some things out.

"I'm starving, Charles," she told him. "But you needn't worry. I didn't eat all of the chocolate biscuits." She poured boiling water over the tea leaves and set the tray on the table beside their basket.

Charles was already choosing things out of the basket for their meal. "Would you get us some plates, Elsie?"

"Of course. It looks delicious, doesn't it? Mrs. Patmore outdid herself."

"It was Daisy, actually," Charles commented.

"Oh?" Elsie was curious.

"Yes," he told her. "She asked Mrs. Patmore particularly to be allowed to put this together for us."

"Well that was very sweet of her. Do you know why?" she asked.

"No, I don't," Charles replied. "I would guess that she misses you, Elsie, and this was a way for her to do something special for you."

"What's this, then?" Elsie held a small envelope in her hand. "It was in the basket."

Charles took it from her. "It's addressed to us."

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?"

Charles shrugged and tore the envelope open as neatly as was possible without his letter opener. Elsie went back to setting out their meal while he read the note. Before long she had everything ready and had set the basket aside. She turned back to her husband and found him still peering down at the small sheet of paper in his hand. He had a slight smile on his face and he looked mildly bemused.

"I wondered all summer if we'd been seen," Charles remarked. "It seemed a minor miracle that there weren't any remarks on it." He chuckled.

"What are you talking about?" Elsie wanted to know.

Charles handed her the letter.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Carson,

Congratulations on your marriage. I hope you enjoy the treats in this basket and that you have a nice holiday in London.

I was sitting with Mrs. Patmore at the seaside when we saw you holding hands and wading in the sea. She asked me not to tell anyone and I haven't. I know some people wouldn't understand. It made me glad then to see you both enjoying the water and the sunshine. It makes me glad now to know that you'll always take care of each other.

Thank you for taking care of me and all the others at Downton.

Yours truly,

Daisy Mason

"You see?" Elsie commented, smiling at her husband. "She's going to miss you, too."

Charles tried to look skeptical, but he hadn't been able to dismiss the little grin from his face since he had read Daisy's note. "Whatever you say, Elsie." He kissed her hair and then gestured to the table. "Didn't you say you were hungry?"

"I certainly did."

"Then you'd better sit down and have some dinner before I eat everything myself."

Elsie laughed and they sat down to their first meal together in their own home.

To be continued…

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