B&B OF LOVE AND FUN-10

Hello all. Thank you for all your reviews. I'm happy that you like this story so much. Sorry about updating at such untypical time, but because I have some plans for the afternoon, I had to update a little earlier than usual. Hope you will like this chapter...

Elsie just brought tea to Charles and she made sure, that he was covered tightly with the blanket. They had absolute madhouse yesterday. When Charles tried to carry her through the threshold, his back refused to cooperate and it hurt so much, that he wasn't able to walk on his own. Elsie knew, that she needed help to get him safely to the cottage and she left him in the B&B and ran to Downton, asking Thomas and Andy to help her walk Charles to the cottage.

With the help of those two, they safely led Charles home and put him on the sofa in the living room, because he needed to lie on the harder foundation and their bed was much softer. Anyway, there was no point of carrying him upstairs, given the state in which he was in.

Elsie was extremely grateful to Thomas and Andy. Charles had to sleep on the sofa, but Elsie was checking on him few times during the night, making sure that he was comfortable, helping him to turn on the other side, or giving him something to drink.

Now she watched his tired face, with puppy eyes, looking at her, like he wanted to apologize for being that silly.

"Charlie, do you need anything else? Maybe another cushion to get your head a little higher?"

"No, thank you Elsie...I have everything I need...Elsie...Tell me...What have you told Thomas and Andy yesterday? How did you explain my back problem? I was in too much pain yesterday to ask.."

"Don't worry Charlie...When I was running to the Abbey, I made up a story, about you bending down to pick the keys, which had fallen on the floor. I told them, that when you did, you have strained your back."

"Did they believe you?"

"I have no idea, but they were very helpful. I wouldn't be able to lift you on my own and walk you back to the cottage..."

"That's true...I'm too heavy for you..."

"I hope, that this will ultimately convince you, that such things as carrying me through the threshold are beyond your reach...No more of that..!"

"I guess it will, although I just wanted to do a nice and romantic thing for you..."

"Charlie..."-Elsie stroke his face tenderly..."You have done enough romantic and nice things for me...You bought Brouncker Road for both of us, even though I didn't have any money and now you bought this house-for you, me and Mrs Patmore...You don't need to convince me, that you are a good husband, because I know that already.."

"Thank you Elsie...You are sweet...It's just that you are such a wonderful wife-kind, understanding, tolerant to my constant nagging and annoying habits...I wanted to show you, that I can be more than a pompous, old grump. That I can be loving and romantic..."

"You showed that to me quite a few times already sweetie...Especially in the privacy of our own bedroom and that is all I need..."-Elsie bend down and gave Charles a sweet kiss in the lips... Charles's face lighten up with a smile of content...

"Oh Els...I love you so much..."

"I love you too Charlie...But now I need to leave you for a while."

"What? You want to leave me here all by myself? In such condition?...I don't think that it's a good idea..."

"Relax Charlie...Just for an hour...Mrs Patmore has some wonderful remedy for back problems- very effective balm and she promised to give it to me, so I will just go to the Abbey for a while...I will be back very soon. Try to get some sleep sweetheart and before you know it, I will come back..."

"All right, but please hurry...I may need something and..."

"Charlie...You wanted to show me, that you can be something else than just a nagging husband..."

"Yes, you are right love...I'm being quiet now..."

"I'm leaving you a large cup of tea, biscuits are on the table..Get some rest..."

"I will try.."

At the Abbey...

Mrs Patmore just brought Elsie the balm, that she promise to give her..Ever since she walked into the room, Elsie noticed, how amused she was with all this...Elsie suspected, that this is going to be another one of those difficult conversations...

"Here you go Mrs Hughes...You can rub him with it three times a day. It has warming effect and it helps wonderfully with all the back problems. I tested this on myself...It has not been used yet, I just bought it last week..."

"Thank you very much Mrs Patmore...I'm sure it will help...It's a little better today, but yesterday it was quite a debacle..."

"Speaking of which- since I helped you with this, I would like to hear the real reason behind this whole thing...Because I surely didn't believe for a second, that Mr Carson hurt his back trying to pick the keys from the floor...Highly unlikely story...So what's the real reason? What in the name of our Lord you two were doing out there yesterday, in our new B&B? "

"Nothing of that sort Mrs Patmore...I know very well this crazy imagination of yours and I know, that you would like to hear that we were doing something wild, but it was not like that at all..."

"I would think, that you were willing to try the bed, but since we don't have our furniture there yet, it must have been something else...Oh come on Mrs Hughes, you are my friend, made my day and tell me what really happened there..."

"All right, I give up...I will tell you, but please...You need to promise, that you will not tell that to anyone, especially to Charles...He would die of shame, if he knew that you know..."

"I cross my heart- I will not tell that to a single soul, after all we are partners..."

"No doubt about it...Well you see, it was like that...We were so happy and excited about buying a B&B and we were so caught up in the moment, that Charles, not being totally himself, wanted to do something romantic and carry me through the threshold of our bedroom. Unfortunately, he only managed to do three steps and...Mrs Patmore you are awful!"

Mrs Patmore was laughing so hard, that tears started to flown on her face...She needed a moment to calm down and be able to speak again...

"I'm sorry Mrs Hughes...Really...I didn't mean to offend you or Mr Carson, or made fun of his misery, it's just I tried to imagine this and I couldn't stop laughing..."

"I can see that..."

"I know Mr Carson for so long and I have seen him in different life situations, but this...I never thought of him as a romantic type of man..."

"To tell you the truth, it was shocking for me too...But I think, that this adventure gave him a good lesson about being romantic at our age and convinced him, that it's not entirely a good idea..."

"I believe that he will remember it for the rest of his life...One thing is certain..."

"What's that?"

"That living under one roof with you two, will be a very interesting adventure and I simply cannot wait for this..."

"Mrs Patmore...We will try not to disappoint you too much..."

"No chances of that happening..."

That's all for today...A little shorter chapter than usual, but still a chapter...I'm guessing, that Mrs Patmore had a really good time, joking about those two, as she usually does...Charles found out, that being romantic can cause him harm, so he should try to limit it in the future, but not that much, because after all its a B&B of love and fun ;-) Hope you had a nice time reading this chapter. Have a safe and happy Sunday!