A/N: For those who don't know, MLK Jr.'s birthday (observed) is a legal holiday in most states in the US, hence the long weekend on which we're beginning.

The first scene in this chapter is a student support meeting. This is a pretty common practice in public schools and involves teachers, counselors, administrators (and usually the school nurse) meeting to get updates on students who are struggling with emotional and health-related issues. Confidentiality is expected amongst teaching staff, and so it is not completely unheard of to have staff from various grade levels in on these meetings, even if they don't teach all of the students being discussed; however, in more delicate cases, only those in a "need to know" situation will be part of the discussion. You will see both here.

My thanks to brenna-louise for feedback and proofing, and a shout-out to chelsie fan for helping with birthday details. :)

xx

CSotA

Tuesday, Jan 19, 2015

"Feels like we didn't even have a long weekend," Elsie grumbled, plopping down in one of the seats at the conference table.

"I know. New Year's seems like it was months ago," Phyllis said softly.

Elsie didn't miss the sparkle in the woman's eyes. "And where did you spend the morning after the party?" she whispered, causing Phyllis to blush furiously.

"Elsie! Not here," she whispered back, glancing at the door. But, as no one else had arrived for the meeting yet, she added, "Not at my house. But nothing happened … well, not that, anyhow. We talked and … stuff."

"All at your own pace, my dear."

As if by divine intervention, Joseph Molesley entered the room at just that very moment. He appeared his usual, quiet self, but had a smile about his face that Elsie rarely ever remembered seeing before.

"Morning, Joseph," she said. "Edith's left some treats in the corner."

"Oh, good," he sighed, heading right for the danish. "Although I must say, I don't think there's enough caffeine or sugar in this school to get through this day." He refilled his travel mug with two tea bags and hot water, took two pastries from the tray, and sat a few seats down from Phyllis.

Over the next five minutes they were joined by two teachers from grade six, Sarah O'Brien, and Edith.

"Okay, everyone settled?" Edith asked, receiving nods from everyone present. "Then let's go. First up?"

"I'll go first," Joseph spoke up, pulling a report out and passing copies around the table.

"Daisy Carson. She's making remarkable progress lately, doing very well in class. She's made some friends, who are used to the way in which she communicates, and they've been pretty receptive to her methods. I did hear some of them mentioning that she talks to Marigold now and – oddly – one of the older boys?" He looked to Phyllis for clarification, and she nodded.

"Yes, Tommy Barrow." One of the sixth grade teachers raised her eyebrow at that. "We'll actually be getting to him in a bit," Phyllis added.

"Really? How interesting. Well, Sarah and I are seeing good effort, I think?" He looked pointedly at Sarah, who nodded reluctantly and sighed.

"Her scores are fine, I'll give her that, but it's very difficult to accommodate her unwillingness to speak, particularly when my class requires that the children read and discuss books," she said sharply. "Allowing her to write everything out is very time consuming, both for me and for her. If she's begun speaking to people, then I don't see why she just can't speak to me."

Elsie made a strangled-sounding attempt to not laugh at that, which went unnoticed by no one.

"Something to add, Elsie?" Sarah asked, a peculiar look on her face. "After all, it's no secret you have a soft spot for the girl."

"Sarah," Joseph admonished quietly.

"No, it's quite alright," Elsie said, smiling brightly. "Sarah is correct – it is quite a time-consuming job making the types of accommodations that Daisy requires. Which is why it's such a good thing for the Carsons that Daisy has a 504 plan, to be sure she's getting the best classroom experience she can have." And to be sure you are legally bound to do your damn job, she added silently.

"Of course," Sarah replied, her saccharine-sweet tone not fooling anyone at the table. "I will say this: Daisy seems to be rather fond of you, Elsie. How fortunate for her that you've become so … close … these past couple of months."

Edith wanted to jump in and say something, but the gentle toe-tap that Elsie gave her under the table stopped her cold. Instead, she sat back in her chair to watch this unfold, knowing Elsie could keep her cool and put Sarah in her place, when warranted.

"Oh, I don't know about that, Sarah. I think it's rather fortunate for me. Daisy is so very sweet, which you'll discover if you actually take the time to get to know her."

But Sarah was not to be deterred. "I imagine the situation is also fortunate for her father."

Joseph gasped slightly and looked at his teammate, shaking his head slowly as if to say, Sarah … don't.

"You were rather intimate at the New Year's Eve party, now, weren't you?" Sarah continued.

Elsie pursed her lips and took a second to formulate a reply. She was acutely aware of the tension in the room, and also of the attention of the two sixth-grade teachers who, up to this moment, had likely not been aware of anything going on between Elsie and Charles as they both happened to live out of town. In the end, she decided to ignore any comment about Charles.

"As I said, it's not terribly difficult to win the girl's affection, Sarah. One merely has to pay more than a shred of attention to her to notice that she's kind, sincere, quite intelligent … and ever so perceptive of others' opinions of her."

"But you don't deny that you have a special relationship with her," Sarah pushed.

"I don't see what business that is of yours. It certainly has no bearing on this meeting," Elsie answered, quickly losing her patience.

"Oh, I'd say it does, Elsie," Joseph interrupted, and five sets of disbelieving eyes zoomed to look at him.

"How so?" Elsie asked, unsure she wanted to hear the answer. Joseph Molesley was almost always on her side, and he rarely challenged Sarah publicly. Elsie she wasn't sure where his train of thought was headed.

"Well, in my opinion, it improves Daisy's chance of success and of overcoming her anxieties if she's more comfortable coming to school every day, doesn't it? If she feels like she has allies inside of the school, then that will produce a positive effect on her, and so your relationship with her does have a bearing on our discussion – in the best way possible. If that little girl can get to school every day and find people with whom she's at ease just being herself, then bully for her, I say," Joseph added, looking intently at the report in his hand and avoiding the seething glare coming from his neighbor.

"Well said, Joseph. Alright, so we're agreed that Daisy is progressing well?" Edith asked, receiving nods from Phyllis, Elsie, Joseph and, eventually, Sarah.

"Wonderful. Grade three is otherwise moving along well?"

"Absolutely," Joseph replied.

"Alright, then, you are both free to go," Edith said, smiling. "Thank you so much for the report, Joseph, and to both of you for being here."

They got up and left, Sarah turning in the opposite direction from the one in which Joseph was heading as soon as she was free of the doorway.

"She's a piece of work, that one," muttered Mr. Levinson, one of the sixth-grade teachers.

"Up next," Edith said, ignoring the comment, "is Tommy Barrow. Elsie, would you mind closing the door, please?" she added, noting that Joseph had left it open. Elsie complied, then returned to her seat.

"Alright," Edith sighed, opening a manila file folder and glancing at the papers inside of it. "So the authorities have been in touch. Child and Family Services worked with them to investigate the report Elsie and I filed last month. After an interview with Mrs. Barrow, and given Mr. Barrow's absence from the home, they found no conclusive evidence to prove a pattern of abuse. Tommy refused to say much to any of them, he had no marks on his person that were indicative of a pattern of abuse, and his mother refused a physical examination – which is her right, given that they were there to investigate only Tommy."

Edith closed the file and tossed it into the middle of the table, blowing a frustrated sigh through her lips. "I'm at a loss, folks. We know it's happening, but the man's gone so often that we can't prove a damn thing," she said.

"Tommy seems different when his father's gone, that's for sure," Mr. Levinson added, nodding. "It's too bad they can't use that as evidence. He's doing better in school, and he's been kinder to the other kids in class lately." He looked over at Elsie and smiled, knowing from something Tommy had written in his English journal that the boy was helping out at the farm … but unwilling to announce that to the group. Elsie smiled faintly and gave the slightest of nods, acknowledging the sentiment.

"I hope that continues regardless," Phyllis added, reaching for the file to add to the already thick volume she had for Tommy in her office. "I'd like to pull him in for some one-on-one counseling, if possible. Do you think his mother would agree this time?" she asked to the group at large. "She's declined in the past, but I think that was due to influence from Tommy's father."

"I think she might," Elsie said softly. "I'd be happy to follow up on that if you like, Edith?"

"Absolutely – thanks, Elsie. Okay, anyone else for today?" she asked.

Everyone shook their heads. Student support met weekly, and rotated through about two dozen children on a monthly basis, but Daisy and Tommy were the most frequent topics of conversation.

"Alright then, that's all, folks. Enjoy the rest of your day," Edith said, rising from her chair as everyone else followed suit. "Elsie," she added, "can you stay for a moment?"

"Sure," Elsie said, sitting back down.

Edith followed everyone to the door and then closed it behind them once they'd left. She returned to the table and sat across from Elsie, a smile on her face as she rested her forearms on the table.

"How's the party plan coming?" she said, and Elsie giggled.

"Wonderful. He has no idea at all what's going on. Your Granny has been so wonderful – almost too wonderful, I must say. She's very …" Elsie trailed off, not wanting to be offensive.

"Pushy? Her way or the highway? Doesn't take no for an answer?" Edith offered, and Elsie laughed.

"Yes! One or more of those. She insisted on paying for everything, which is most certainly unnecessary," Elsie began, but Edith reached out and patted her friend on the hand, silencing her.

"You'll lose that battle, I can assure you. Uncle Charlie is like another son to her, and she will treat him just like she treats my father. Nothing is too good for her boys."

"I know. It's nothing like the weekend I had planned, but I suppose I knew that would happen when you mentioned it to her." Elsie shot her Edith a nasty look.

"I'm sorry! She asked if there were plans, and I couldn't very well lie!"

"I suppose not," Elsie acknowledged. "So I'll have coverage for Thursday and Friday? No problems with the school board given that it's right before break?"

"None at all. I've got Mrs. Glenn coming in."

"Oh, excellent – she's really wonderful, and the kids love her."

"Fabulous! Do you think he suspects?" Edith asked.

"Not at all," Elsie said. "Well, I should amend that. I am positive that he thinks we're doing something to celebrate his birthday, yes. I mean, really, one doesn't turn fifty every day. But does he suspect he'll be doing it in England? Not on your life!"

Sunday, February 8, 2015

"You must be kidding." Charles was staring at Elsie across his dining room table, his jaw resting almost on his plate. A box similar in shape to a glove box was open on the table beside his glass, an envelope with airline tickets peeking out from the crumpled, red tissue paper. Beside him, Daisy was twittering with glee, the secret out at last. "This is some kind of prank."

"No," Elsie smiled, shaking her head. "It's not."

"It must be. Because, Elsie, this … this is ridiculous."

She was a bit taken aback, as the look on her face illustrated. "Um … excuse me?"

"Well, it is! We cannot possibly do this, Elsie! You can't do this! Or Daisy – what about school? Those," he said, pointing to the tickets, "are for the Thursday before you're even on break!"

He knew as soon as he was halfway through that set of statements that he was in trouble but, just in case there was any question, the fire now coming from her icy, blue eyes clarified her position.

"I'm sorry," she said in an almost-whisper that spoke much about her current emotional state, so quickly changed that, if he'd blinked, Charles may have missed it, "but when – exactly – were you put in charge of my time off? Because the last time I checked, Edith was my boss, and not you.

"And for your information, Charles, my plan was to take you away for the weekend, with Daisy, from Friday afternoon to Sunday night – up north, Bar Harbor, I thought. Nice Valentine's Day celebration, I thought; lovely way to spend your birthday - nice and quiet, I thought. And then Violet had to go and ask Edith what we had planned, and so - naturally - Edith was forced to tell her, and now we're all traipsing to London for a week!"

She paused to catch her breath but put her hand up, indicating in that he was not allowed to speak. "Oh, I'm sorry - we're traveling to England if it suits you. But perhaps I shouldn't go. I do have to work."

"Oh," he gasped, the light dawning. "Elsie, I'm- "

"Don't. Just … just give me a minute, alright?" She got up and grabbed the dirty dishes off the table, bringing them into the kitchen as Max trotted along behind her.

Charles looked over to Daisy, who just stared at him as she shook her head slowly. The incredulity in her eyes almost screamed at him: What kind of fool are you?

"Somehow, petal, I get the feeling that this 'surprise' wasn't supposed to go quite this way?"

"No, I don't think so," she said slowly, quietly. "You'd better be really sorry, Papa. She does not look happy."

"She has every right to be angry with me, the way I spoke to her."

Max came back into the dining room and Daisy reached down to scratch his ears. "I don't know, Papa … I think she's more sad than angry. You sounded like you don't want to go, or like you don't want Elsie to go, anyhow."

"Hm." He got up and headed into the kitchen … slowly.

What the hell were you thinking, Charles? He couldn't believe he'd been so ridiculous about such an amazing surprise.

Elsie was standing at the sink, scrubbing off their dishes even though he had a perfectly good dishwasher. The sink was full of water so hot steam was rising from it in waves, and he noticed how it was curling the wisps of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. He wasn't sure how she wasn't burning herself in the water, actually. He moved up behind her and reached out to put his hands on her arms, laying them over her rolled-up cuffs and letting his fingertips press gently into her forearms.

"Stop, please," he said quietly.

She sighed, pulled her hands from the water, and reached for the dish towel.

"I'm sorry you aren't happy with the plan, Charles, but it was not my decision. And it was meant to be a wonderful surprise, you know."

"I do know. And I am happy. And I'm sorry for saying what I said about your job. That was uncalled for."

"It was," she agreed, turning to look him in the eyes. "And the travel schedule wasn't my idea, either – Violet and Edith informed me of it last week."

"So … I'm having a Crawley bash for my birthday, am I?"

She gave him a half smile and chuckled. "Yes, it does appear that way. I'm sorry. I wanted to do something special for your birthday, but this was not what I had envisioned."

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are you going to be there? With my lovely little girl?"

She smiled brightly at that. "I am, apparently. Assuming my boss allows the time off - oh, wait, she virtually planned the whole thing with her Granny," she said, a bit of snark still in her tone, "so it would appear I'm fine."

He looked properly chastised, then bent to kiss her nose. "Well, if you will both be there, then it will be very, very special, indeed."

Elsie sighed deeply, lips pursed, and shook her head. "It's a good thing I love you, you know."

"So … I'm forgiven?"

"For now," she said. "Just make sure you're a good flying companion, alright?"

"I'm the best," he replied with a wink. "I sleep the whole way."

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Charles evidently hadn't been kidding – he was planning to sleep the entire way. This amazed Elsie, given how terrified his daughter was, and she found that she was a little annoyed by it. She tried to let it go, though, given that he was only in the seat across the aisle because Daisy had requested to sit alongside Elsie, not her Papa.

"Daisy, are you alright?" Elsie asked, seeing the look on Daisy's face as they took their seats. Daisy nodded, but Elsie ignored it.

"Just hold my hand, and you'll be fine," Elsie encouraged, reaching over the wall between their seats. Violet had – of course – booked them first-class seats for both flights, but Elsie was cursing the woman for it right now; the seats were almost self-contained, and Daisy was rather nervous given that their Portland to New York flight had been fraught with turbulence.

Elsie looked over at Charles, still a bit irritated with him for trying to sleep (which is horrible of you, Els, because one must sleep heading over). But, when she cast her eyes upon him, she just couldn't be angry as she took in the image of him tucked under a blanket, head on his pillow, headphones on, and absolutely exhausted because he hadn't slept at all the previous night.

And that's not even my fault this time, she thought with a smirk. He just left his packing to the last minute. Who'd have thought?

She felt Daisy squeeze her hand and she squeezed it right back. They were almost at altitude now, thankfully, and at least the sleeping accommodations in first-class would allow them to lie in an actual 'bed.' Elsie had two plans for this flight: glass of wine, then sleep.

"I'm alright now, I think," Daisy said quietly.

"Good."

Just then, the seatbelt light clicked off and Elsie unbuckled, knelt on her seat, and peered over at Daisy. "Why don't you grab your toothbrush and hairbrush and I'll head back to the loo with you, alright? If we take care of that now, then you'll be good to go until we land in the morning." She smiled fondly at Daisy, who nodded in agreement and then searched through her backpack for the requested items.

Elsie was so grateful for the smooth conditions of the flight now that they were up and over the ocean. She waited in the corridor for Daisy to finish in the lavatory and then walked her back to their seats, where Elsie quickly helped her to braid her hair and get comfortable.

"All set?" she asked, and Daisy smiled.

"Almost."

Elsie watched Daisy fish through the bag again before pulling out a well-loved stuffed horse.

"Fred looks tired, too," Elsie commented, and Daisy giggled. "How about you tuck him in just here," she added, fluffing up a blanket "bed" for the horse.

"'Night, Elsie," Daisy yawned.

"Good night, sweetheart."

Elsie walked back to her own seat just as the flight attendant was making her way down with the drink cart.

"Something to drink, Madam?"

"Yes, please – white wine would be wonderful. Ice on the side, please?" Elsie asked.

The woman nodded and handed over the glasses and wine. "Your daughter is lovely, and very polite," she commented.

Elsie opened her mouth to explain, then clamped it shut for a second. "Thank you," she finally managed, a small smile playing about her mouth.

The flight attendant nodded and made her way down to the next seat.

On the other side of the wall, Daisy smiled brightly. She rolled over and tucked her fists up under her chin, falling fast asleep within minutes, dreaming of afternoons spent on Elsie's farm and feeling very happy, indeed.

Friday, February 13, 2014

"Elsie!" Cora called, waving frantically over the crowd. "We're over here!"

"Charlie, there," she pointed, reaching down to hold Daisy's hand. The drawback to landing at Heathrow on a Friday morning, she now remembered, was the immense amount of people they had to contend with. They'd been ferreted through all the lines quickly enough, thankfully, but the mob scene by the luggage was insane.

"Go on ahead, and I'll grab the bags," he said, kissing her cheek. "Get Daisy out of here."

"Let's go, then, before he changes his mind!" Elsie winked at Daisy, and off they went.

"Daisy, how wonderful you look!" Cora gushed, crouching down to receive a wonderful hug.

"Hi," Daisy whispered, causing Cora to gasp slightly.

"Well, then," she said, "how about that? Where is your Papa?"

But it was Elsie who answered instead, not wanting Daisy to feel pressured at all. "Charles is taking care of the luggage. Did you drive here yourself?" she asked, looking around for Robert.

Cora laughed lightly. "Oh, don't be ridiculous – I'd be a mess driving in London. No, Mama planned to send a car to fetch you; I, however, refused to stay behind and wait. So I'm your welcome wagon, and the rest are waiting at the house."

'The house,' she calls it. Of course.

"I'm a bit nervous about seeing it, I don't mind admitting," Elsie said. "The photos alone are rather daunting."

"It's just a house, Elsie," Cora said, attempting to reassure her.

"With about a million rooms! How in the world will I find my way about? I'm a farm girl, Cora."

She looked over at where Charles was standing and took a moment to watch him, her lip tucked underneath her teeth once again. "I know nothing about that high society world of yours – of his," she whispered.

Cora reached out and squeezed her hand. "Neither did I, really, when I met Robert. Please try not to worry. We don't use the entire house – heaven knows how we'd ever manage to heat it! Once you're familiar with the main rooms, you'll be fine. We're actually quite modern!"

Elsie didn't believe a word of it, but she nodded.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Elsie was speechless at the size of the Crawleys' sprawling estate, but Cora had been right; the parts of the house that they used were large but tastefully decorated, modernized and yet soft in ways that didn't reflect the outward appearance of the building itself.

Charles couldn't wait to show her the library, which he knew she'd fall in love with instantly.

"Oh," she gasped, stopping ten steps past the door. "I can just sleep in here, if you like," she added, running her fingertips over the gilded spines of books by her side.

"Hmm … tempting, but no. The sofa isn't terribly comfortable, and I'd much rather have you in my arms, thanks."

Elsie whipped her head around. "Surely you're joking! They've not placed us in the same room?"

"Why not?"

"Um, because Daisy's with us? Charles, really," she said, exasperated.

"She and Marigold will be in the nursery wing," he said. "It's on the other side of the house, practically."

"The nursery wing? You've got to be kidding me."

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. They each have their own room, of course. Daisy couldn't wait to get here – hers overlooks the stables," he added, and Elsie smiled.

"Well, what girl wouldn't like that? But really … the same room? With your family here? Oh, my God … with Violet here?" She blushed, making Charles laugh softly.

"It was her idea. She still lives here, you know."

Elsie rolled her eyes and moved over to hug him.

"Why am I not surprised?" she murmured into the arm of his sweater. "Why am I not surprised at all?"

He ran his hand soothingly up and down her spine until he felt her tension dissipate. "You'll be fine, Els. They're just like everyone else."

"Right. Just keep telling me that repeatedly over the course of the next week."

They headed down for luncheon, and then the rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking and relaxing. Before dinner, Robert offered to give Elsie a tour of the grounds. She was happy for the opportunity to spend some time one-on-one with him, and found him to be a kind man who was proud of his home, to be sure, but who spent most of their time together regaling her with stories of his family and, by extension, of Charles.

Elsie loved having other people's perspectives on Charles; she had Edith back in Misty Cove, of course, but that was about it. She and Mary weren't exactly on speaking terms lately, and she was dreading the elder daughter's arrival tomorrow. Perhaps the only thing she was dreading more was that Mary would be accompanied by her husband.

"It's so beautiful," Elsie gushed, looking out over the estate. "Even in winter, it's just so amazingly beautiful."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me to keep it in the family. It'll belong to Mary and Edith one day, I suppose. I don't think they quite see the beauty of it, though," Robert said sadly.

"I don't know about Mary," Elsie replied tactfully, "but I know Edith loves it very much."

Robert turned to contemplate Elsie, this woman who had captured his best friend's heart so completely. That she was a close confidante of his youngest daughter was an added bonus.

"Does she? I had no idea, really."

Elsie nodded. "Yes, it was she who'd shown me photos of it, originally. She simply glowed when she described the history of the place, and the changes you and Cora have made since you've been married."

"I'm glad you told me that," he said after a minute. "I'm not sure why it matters so much, but it does."

Elsie turned to face him fully. "It matters because you're a kind man, Robert, and you want your daughters to be happy, and you want them to value the things that you value. I'd say Edith does, in my opinion."

He hummed. "You're quite close to her, I know. Helping her through that horrid time with Michael …" he trailed off, getting lost in his memories for a moment. "I can't tell you how much it meant to us that you were there for her."

"Edith is very dear to me, Robert," she said quietly.

"Yes. It's funny, you know. You're here with Charles and Daisy, for what I am sure will be the first of many, many times, yet I feel in some ways as if you've been on the periphery of my family for years. I'm glad to have a chance to get to know you better."

Elsie smiled brilliantly and tilted her head. "Likewise. Thank you."

They headed in to get ready for dinner, which was to be blessedly casual. The girls were in one of the parlours, where an enormous television had been set up along with several movies to choose from and a pizza on the table. Elsie and Charles stopped in to see them on their way to the dining room.

"Gee, I wonder which they'll pick?" Charles murmured in Elsie's ear, seeing a rather familiar yellow character peeking up from the pile of covers.

"Oh, I've no idea at all," she giggled as Marigold reached for that very box and squealed.

"Alright, now – well behaved, not too much popcorn, and bedtime when Auntie Cora says, yes?" Charles said to Daisy.

"Yes, Papa, we'll be good," Daisy answered. She ran over to kiss and hug him goodnight, and hugged Elsie as well.

"Sleep well, Daisy. See you at breakfast, okay?"

Daisy nodded, then ran back to her seat as Marigold put the movie in. Charles and Elsie made their way to the dining room, where they enjoyed a lovely meal with Robert, Cora, Violet, and Edith. After about three hours of talking, drinking, laughing, and storytelling, Edith yawned widely.

"I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm exhausted. I'd like to call Bertie before heading to bed," she said, rising from her seat as the others followed suit.

"It's a shame he couldn't come," Cora said, and Edith nodded.

"Let's go," Charles whispered, holding the door open for Elsie. "Good night, everyone."

"Good night, you two," Cora said with a wink.

Elsie and Charles walked hand in hand up to the corridor to their room – or, rather, rooms, as they'd been assigned to a suite with a bedroom, attached en suite, and sitting room. Ten minutes later, they were ready for bed.

"This is just spectacular," Elsie gushed, standing by the window and pulling the gauze curtain aside to look out. "The stars … they're so bright, Charles. And the moon is almost full!"

He joined her at the window and peered out at the view, almost ethereal in how the moonlight bounced off the trees in the distance, giving them a soft glow.

"Mmm," Elsie murmured as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. "And how shall we celebrate your last day in your forties?" she teased.

"Oh, I think I have an idea," he said, and his voice rumbling through her back sent a shiver down her spine. "Care to help me with that? I can assure you, we are most alone in this corridor."

Elsie turned in his arms. "Are we truly?"

"Oh, yes. This is the guest area. The family are on the other side of the grand staircase. I thought you got the grand tour earlier?" he teased.

"Well, then, Mr. Carson," she replied softly, licking her lips as she reached for the tie on his bathrobe, "why don't you show me that lovely bed over there?"

"That bed?" he asked, pointing to it, and she smiled.

"That's the one," she replied playfully. "After all, you have a Valentine's Day birthday, and it's your fiftieth at that," she purred, running her fingernails over his stomach. "I think it should be celebrated in the most special of ways, don't you?"

Charles reached down and swept her up in his arms, causing a lovely laugh to cross her lips. He deposited her on the bed and lay on his side next to her, running his fingers playfully over the sash of her own robe, noting with interest that she appeared to have nothing on underneath it.

"Why don't you show me what you had in mind?" he asked breathlessly.

She pushed him over onto his back and knelt beside him, running her fingers up and down his thigh with one hand as she peeled away his robe with the other.

"Well," she said, leaning over until their lips were almost touching, "it does involve a great deal of … kisses."

He lifted his head to meet her lips with his own, but she backed away quickly and shook her head.

"Oh, no, love … not there," she murmured. She placed her lips to his collarbone, kissing and suckling on the sensitive skin where his neck met his shoulder, and moved her way slowly down his torso.

"Oh," he gasped, then cleared his throat. "I see what you mean."

Really, he thought, who am I to argue?

I'm not entirely happy with parts of this, but some people (ahem lbiscuit5) keep pushing for faster updates. Please let me know what you all thought. Up next is the actual party. xx