He was fast asleep by the time she finally came to bed. Sitting in bed, looking worriedly down at her slumbering husband she wondered how he could sleep so well when things had suddenly gone so wrong between them. How could he so easily dream when it felt like they were spiraling apart.

Finally unable to contain herself a moment longer and deciding that if sleep would not come to her he should not enjoy it either, she pushed on his arm gently to wake him.

"Charles."

He stirred slightly but refused to awaken.

"Charles!" She said, louder this time, pushing on him more firmly, her annoyance only increasing.

"Elsie, go to sleep. We've got to be up in a few hours." He mumbled, rolling onto his side and scooting away from her.

"Charles Edward Carson I swear if you do not get up and speak to me right now I shall walk out of this bedroom and never step foot in it again!"

At that Charles sat bolt upright, pushing himself up to lean against the headboard and rubbing his eyes to look at her fully. He felt a pang in his heart when he noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Elsie, my darling." He said, gently reaching a hand out to wipe her tears.

"No!" She yelled, moving away from him as best the bed would allow. "Don't you dare try to comfort me when its you who made me this way."

"I'm sorry Elsie." He said laying his hands on the blanket before him, unsure what to do or say.

"Why Charles? Just tell me why? We've been so happy and now all of the sudden you are pushing me away like you used to do. I don't understand it. Just because I touched your arm at the breakfast table. It doesn't make sense!"

"I'm sorry but believe me its not you."

"Really? It bloody well feels like it. Do you regret this? Do you regret our marriage?" She asked, silent tears rolling down her cheeks unchecked.

"No! Elsie please believe me I could never regret our marriage. Its because I love you so much I pull away." He said taking her hands between his, squeezing them tightly trying to reassure her of his love.

"What?" she whispered, letting him hold her hands but refusing to look at him.

"Elsie, I've never known such love. I've never known such passion and desire before. When we touch…its like my entire body gets set on fire."

She turned her head away from him, blushing at his words.

"Truly when you touched my arm at breakfast I felt a heat over come me that was most unsuitable for a butler. And then I got angry Elsie. I got very very angry. This job has meant so much to me for so long but now I find it is the one thing that keeps me from what I truly want most in the world…which is you."

"We are together every day Charles, practically all day every day." She said finally looking at him, discovering similar silent tears welling in his eyes.

"But we are together like coworkers every day, not husband and wife. I cant kiss you on the cheek as I pass behind you, I cant put my hand on your waist as we go through a door. I cant touch you the way I want to touch you, because if I had my way I would touch you all day every day. And I cant. I can barely spend a few hours secluded with you and those bloody hours are meant to be sleeping! If we worked in a factory or a shop we could have weekends off, we could come home and be done before the sun was completely down. Instead we are up at sunrise and barely to bed before it rises again. We get a half day off once a week and never together. Never ever together and that angers me beyond belief. We could never take a trip to York together, the house would fall apart without at least one of us. We couldn't go away for the weekend to visit your sister. I cant be the husband you deserve because of this damn job and I'm so mad."

"Oh Charles," she said, brushing away the tears from his cheeks, "I know its hard but some day we will retire and we can be exactly how we like. This is only temporary."

"But Elsie, if I die tomorrow I will always regret the many hours we have spent not kissing, not making love, not touching." He said pulling her to his chest.

"Charles, we could have a lifetime together and it wouldn't be enough."

"Have you ever wondered why in bed at night just the action of you touching my hand leads to such passion? I spent so much time in my life not touching you, trying to not think about the beautiful curves beneath your uniform or the softness of your lips. But now…now I can never go back to that and the heat of your skin sets me completely afire. Sometimes all I can think of when you touch me is how badly I want you."

"Oh Charles, you make me blush." Elsie whispered.

"Does it make sense now, why I cant touch you downstairs? My reaction was a bit extreme and I'm sorry about that but I lose my mind when we touch and every where outside this room I have to be a butler and not a husband."

"I understand Charles. We must simply make sure that we get all of our caresses and kisses in while we are here in our bed, enough to tide my amorous husband over until we can return to it again."

With that Charles reached down and pushed his lips against the eager lips of his loving wife.