Honeymoon

So here we are, no longer Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson, but the Carson's…Charlie and Elsie. Nawwww.

As he woke, the first thing he noticed was the warmth of the early morning sun dancing across his back. He felt warm and steady he observed next. His reason, he decided was the soft body snuggled next to his. Her bare back rested against his chest, his arms were securely wrapped around her. Her head rested on one of them. The cotton sheet was tangled around them. He also observed, with a slight blush, that they were both still naked.

He listened to Elsie's soft breathing, slow and even and he knew she was still asleep. The light told him they had plenty of time before their ten o'clock train. They were mere minutes from the station anyway.

He took a deep breath, smelling her hair resting just below his nose. He gradually became aware that his hand was resting against her bare stomach, just below her soft breasts. He smiled, shifting his hand slightly to stroke his thumb underneath one. She shifted slightly, sighing in her sleep, but her breathing evened out again and she didn't wake. His right arm was underneath her, wrapped round her body and the fingers of her own right hand were laced in his.

Slowly he opened his eyes and looked down at her. He couldn't quite see her face, but he didn't want to disturb her yet. She'd pulled the sheet up to her chin and was still gripping it tightly with her left hand. The shiny silver ring he placed there yesterday glinted at him in the sunlight. He shifted his head slightly to see the clock on the bedside cabinet. Seven thirty. He smiled, pressing his lips down against her bare shoulder. She sighed. He did it again. He moved his other hand along her stomach again and she let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a purr. She curled back into him slightly as he continued his attentions. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he noticed her breath had shortened somewhat.

'Morning' he whispered. She lifted her hand in his and pressed his knuckles to her lips.

'Hello' she said softly, her voice not quiet awake, she turned her head so she could blink sleepily at him. He kissed her forehead. 'I was having the loveliest dream.' She continued, her voice growing a little stronger.

'Tell me about it.' He said as she turned her head back to resting on his arm and shifted against him, her eyes closing again. The feeling of the movement of his bare skin against hers gave her goosebumps and she shivered slightly.

'We were standing outside the church in the village and you were kissing me and it was snowing rose petals. Then we were lying in soft clouds and you were kissing me in all sorts of nice places.' He chuckled, letting the hand on her stomach trail down to the top of her thigh.

'I think those things might have all happened, love.'

'I hope so. They were very nice.' He stroked her leg gently and she ran her cool foot against his warmer leg.

'I can have a look for some more places to kiss if you'd like.' He murmured against her neck. She groaned arching her back into him.

'I'm all yours.'

By nine o'clock they were sat in the dining room, blushing slightly each time they caught one another's gaze. Eventually they had managed to disentangle themselves from the bedsheets, make thorough use of the large bathtub and dress for the remainder of their journey to Scarborough.

Charlie took a bite of his toast while she sipped her tea.

'I'm looking forward to seeing the sea.' He said, attempting some sort of normal conversation. He was worried they were beginning to look a little silly just smiling and blushing at each other. He was sure everyone in the dining room would be able to guess what they had been up to. She nodded.

'Brighton seems a long time ago now.' She lay her hand on the table and he reached across to rest his in it. She ran her thumb over his fingers. 'Can we leave our things at the hotel and go straight to the sea?' she asked. He nodded.

'I was hoping you'd say that. It looks like it's going to be a nice day. We can sit on the sand with ice creams afterwards.' She smiled, satisfied they were in agreement.

They leisurely grazed through toast, poached eggs and bacon and two pots of tea before they headed, hand in hand, down to the station.

By sunset, they had spent the entire day meandering to and from the beach. They had paddled in the sea, had sandwiches in a small cafe and sat on a wall overlooking the sea front with ice creams. They had changed for dinner and eaten in the hotel's dining room, before watching the sunset with their feet in the sea facing the seafront town.

Their entire week followed a similar pattern. Each day began with a paddle in the sea and ended with a sunset walk on the beach, possibly another paddle, before they returned to the hotel to make love.

Elsie wasn't entirely sure how normal it was to want her husband every day, or how ladylike it was to have admitted it to him on their final night; but she didn't particularly care. She was happy he was very clear about how much she pleased him and she was happy that being intimate with him wasn't nearly as terrifying as she had worried it could have been. In fact, she was very pleased to discover Charlie wanted to make sure she enjoyed it just as much as he did.

On their final morning they stood in the sea, hand in hand, their shoes discarded safely on the sand away from the tide.

'I don't want to leave.' He said, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. 'I've enjoyed having you all to myself this week. I'm not sure I'm ready to share you again yet.' She smiled.

'I know the feeling.'

'Perhaps we could make a bit of time here and there. Maybe have dinner on our own sometimes.'

'That would be nice. We'll have to see what the decision was about where we're going to live.'

'His Lordship mentioned the few estate cottages that they were doing up, but I don't think any of them sound habitable yet.' He felt Elsie sigh next to him. He knew what she was thinking before she even voiced it.

'We'll have to come up with something. I'm not sure I want to have the conversation with anyone else, but I don't fancy waking up alone again.' He smiled.

'Neither am I. We'll come up with something. I know the lady who has the key to the dividing door. I'm sure I can smuggle you into my room if nothing else.' She beamed up at him.

'As long as you promise I won't end up on the floor because the bed is too small.'

'I'll hold on tight to you, don't you worry about that, Love.' And to illustrate his point, he pulled her into his arms.

Reluctantly, they ambled to the train station for their return journey. Once seated, again in first class curtesy of the Dowager Countess, Elsie relaxed into Charlie's side. As they were alone, she'd slipped off her hat and rested her head on his shoulder.

'Thank you for a lovely week.' She said as she felt his arm slip comfortably round her shoulders again.

'You're welcome. Thank you for making it lovely. I don't think I would have enjoyed it quite so much without you.' Elsie laughed.

'You'd have looked a bit silly on your honeymoon without you wife, Charlie.'

'Hmm.' He nodded. 'Probably.' They sat in companionable silence for a while as the countryside sped past them. 'When's our next trip to the seaside then?' he asked.

'Soon. Preferably soon.' She paused thinking for a moment. 'Becky lives in Lytham St. Anne's perhaps we could go there. You don't have to meet her if you don't want to, she's not exactly easy, but I've rather neglected her lately. It would be a good excuse for a trip at any rate.' Charlie slipped his hand into hers.

'Of course I'd like to meet her, if that's all right of course. Perhaps afterwards we could take a trip up to Scotland and put our feet in the sea up there too. We'd have all four sides of the country done then.' Elsie laughed.

'You daft man. Have you ever been to the far North of Scotland?'

'No, I've been to Edinburgh, but that's it.'

'Well, if you want to keep your toes, perhaps paddling in the sea right up there's not such a wise decision. It can be a wee bit nippy.' He chuckled.

'Fair enough. I wouldn't mind a visit anyway. I'd like to see you in your native habitat.'

They changed trains again in York, for Downton, using the thirty minute change over time for a much needed cup of tea.

'I've been thinking.' Elsie said, as the view out of the train window gradually became more familiar. 'They're all going to struggle calling me Mrs Carson aren't they?'

'Probably.' He paused, 'Would you rather not be Mrs Carson?' She shifted in her seat and took his hands, urging him to face her.

'I can assure you, my darling husband, that I will never regret being Mrs Carson. Do you understand?' he nodded. 'You wanted to be stuck with me, so that's what you're getting.' He pulled her to him and kissed her gently.

'I think we can probably manage being Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes at work, Mr and Mrs Carson in the village,' he paused, smiling lovingly at her. 'And Charlie and Elsie at home or wherever we manage to find to sleep.'

'I was hoping Charlie and Elise would manage a little more than sleeping.' She teased.

'Oh good, I was worried you might be going off me.'

'Never.'