A/N: Thank you all for coming back to this story and checking out this chapter. I am thrilled to finally have it ready for you all, and I hope you enjoy it! I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, but hopefully I can get chapter seven up without too much delay. I would like to thank Savannah (aka TheValetAndTheMaid) for helping me brainstorm for this chapter and being a source of encouragement for me. I really appreciate it, and I don't think I would have this ready today had it not been for her. Now, into the story! Thanks for reading and reviewing if you have time.

Chapter Six

January 8, 1891

The couple had let everyone know of their plans to marry only a few days into the New Year and had begun planning for a wedding almost immediately. Now, a date had been decided for them to marry, which was only two months away. They had a lot to do and to talk about still before then. Most importantly for Elsie was talking to Lily about what to expect now that she would be marrying into the family.

Before it would be time to check the linens, Elsie took a spare moment to pull Lily into her sitting room for a chat. As Lily sat down and made herself comfortable on the settee, Elsie handed her some hot cocoa to help keep her warm as she sat down next to her with a cup of tea. They sat and sipped their drinks in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Elsie spoke.

"Lily, you know your dad has me to marry him," Elsie began tentatively. Lily nodded, so Elsie continued. "Do you understand what all that means?"

"Dad said you're going to move into the cottage with us, and he said I'm going to stay with Auntie Leslie for a bit after the wedding so you can go on a holiday together."

"Yes, that's true. Is that okay with you? You won't mind me moving in with you?"

Lily shook her head. "No, I want you with us. We could have breakfast together sometimes, so I don't have to eat with the babies. Can you cook breakfast? Dad never makes anything but eggs."

Elsie chuckled slightly. "Yes, we can have french toast and bacon. What do you say about that?"

"Yay! Thank you, Mrs. Hughes," she squealed slightly and hugged the housekeeper.

"You're welcome, love," she said with a smile, brushing a loose curl behind the girl's ear.

"I want you to know if you ever need anything, you can come to me for help. I may not be your real mum, but I will try my best to be the stepmum you need and deserve."

Lily nodded appreciatively as she took in Elsie's words, "What should I call you? I mean, if you're going to be my stepmum, should I call you mummy?"

"What would you like to call me?" Elsie asked sweetly, trying to affirm whatever Lily's feelings may be on the matter.

"Mum died when I was four," Lily said, thinking aloud as she processed her feelings on the subject, "I think I'd like to have a mum again."

Elsie smiled and nodded as she wrapped her arm around the girl. "If that is what you want, I will gladly accept it. If you don't like it, you can always call me Elsie. I'm fine with whatever you are comfortable with, my girl."

Lily leaned into her side and nodded. "Yes, mum it is. And keep calling me your girl. I like that."

Elsie pressed a kiss to the top of her head and felt warmth flood her heart. She may have only met Lily when she was 5 years old, but she loved her as if she had known her from the very beginning. "Well then, my girl, I have one more important question for you? And it's a big one."

Lily looked up eagerly, her curious mind desperate to know what Elsie was going to say.

"Would you do the honor of being a flower girl at the wedding? Your dad mentioned a dress in a lovely shop window you could wear for it."

Lily knew the exact dress Elsie was alluding to. It was a very light shade of pink, with little cream-colored flowers embroidered on the trim of the sleeves. She pictured herself wearing it with white tights underneath and a white long sleeve underneath if it was cold out. She had stared at it in the window for weeks whenever her dad took her out for Christmas shopping, and she had even asked him if she could have it for her Christmas present. He had said no and said it was too expensive at the time, but now she understood he had been saving it as a surprise for later. She was filled to the brim with excitement, and she bounced lightly in her seat. "Please, please, can I be the flower girl and wear the pink dress from the shop window? Please?"

"Yes, my girl. Of course you can," Elsie assured her, and put a gentle hand on her knee to settle her bouncing. "Your dad thinks Miss Mary should also be a flower girl since she is his goddaughter. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, and she can wear a pink and cream dress too!" she said excitedly. Elsie chuckled. This little girl was obsessed with fashion, and Elsie couldn't blame her. She had seen the dress Charles had bought, and it really was beautiful. She knew Lily would look gorgeous in it, and she couldn't wait till the day would come where they would become a family officially.

"That's the plan, sweetpea. Your father has already looked into it with the dressmaker." Lily's eyes lit up with happiness at that statement and she wrapped her arms around Elsie's neck for one last hug. Elsie held her close for a moment longer before untangling herself from Lily. "Now, I have to get on, but you can stay in here and finish your cocoa. You'll need to be all warm inside before your dad comes to take you out to the gardens."

Elsie rose and began to make her way to the door. She stopped when she heard a small voice.

"Mum?"

She turned her head around and gave Lily a smile. "Yes, my girl?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see if it would work," Lily revealed.

"Of course it will. I'm always here, Lily."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Elsie gave Lily a sincere smile and blew her a tiny kiss. "Come find me if you need something. Otherwise, enjoy your afternoon with your dad. Love you, sweetpea."

"Love you too."

With that, Elsie exited the room, her heart bursting with love for Lily and pride that she would soon get to call such an incredible little girl her daughter. She was thrilled to not only be embarking on a new chapter of her life with the man of her dreams but also with his beautiful, kind, and thoughtful daughter.

March 10, 1891

Charles stood proudly at the top of the aisle waiting for the procession to begin. He and Elsie had decided for the flower girls and ring bearer to enter first so that they could begin as soon as she came forward. They didn't want to delay the moment by putting the processional after her entrance because they were too excited to be wed. He fidgeted slightly with his boutonniere as he waited for the music to start. It was a heather and thistle boutonniere chosen to honor Elsie's Scottish roots, and its color stood out nicely against his black wedding outfit.

Charles's smile grew as he heard the music begin and watched as Mary appeared at the bottom of the aisle in her little pink dress with her basket of white rose petals. She looked briefly behind her at her Nanny who nodded, so she began walking down the aisle and tossing the petals with a huge grin on her face. She knew she had an important job to do, and she was all too happy to oblige.

As Mary made her way down the aisle, small choruses of "aww" could be heard as she threw the petals and tried to get them in just the right places. It was adorable how focused she was on her task, and Charles was so proud of his goddaughter. He knew that attention to detail would serve her well later in life, and he was honored that such a beautiful and smart girl was chosen to be his goddaughter.

He gave her a smile and a nod as she got closer to him and eventually a wink when she stood in front of him at the top of the aisle. Nanny had followed behind carrying little Edith in a matching outfit, and she gently ushered Mary to sit beside her parents on the front row. Once they began settling in their seats, Charles looked up with pride as he watched Lily make her way down the aisle. She also had a basket of white rose petals, although she didn't toss them as Mary had done enough tossing for the both of them.

Lily walked gracefully, and she looked so grown up. The pink dress looked beautiful on her, and it went beautifully with the Edmondston's Chickweed flowers that had been braided throughout her hair as another homage to Scotland. Charles was so proud of his daughter as she walked like a young lady down the aisle. He gave her a wink too as she crossed in front of him and went to stand at the front next to Elsie's aunt Faye and her husband who were serving as witnesses for the ceremony.

Lily was followed by Kenneth Blakewell, the seven-year-old son of the local grocers. Charles and Elsie had both developed relationships with the Blakewells through their work at Downton, and they had grown fond of the young boy and asked him to be the ringbearer in lieu of offending one of Elsie's cousins had they not been chosen. She had also opted not to have any bridesmaids because she wasn't close to many of her other cousins or aunts and didn't want to offend anyone by not picking them. This meant Kenneth was the last to enter before Elsie appeared in the entryway to the church.

The wedding march began, and the crowd rose as Elsie began her trip up the aisle. She was clinging tightly to her bouquet due to a combination of nerves and excitement. She didn't even realize she was slightly crushing the stems of the purple heather and little white and green wildflowers that made up her bouquet. The color popped in front of the white of her dress, and she looked absolutely beautiful.

She had spent the past two months making her dress herself. She had wanted to save money by not commissioning a dressmaker, and she also wanted to be the one in charge of making sure all the small details were just right. It was an all white dress with a short train, and she had chosen beautiful lace to go around the collar and wrists. She had chosen small pearl-like buttons to go down the front of the bodice, and matched their cream color to the thread she had used to embroider flowers which matched the flowers on Lily's dress over each sleeve. As she walked down the aisle, however, none of those details mattered. Charles was so focused on the smile on her face. She was absolutely beaming with delight, and she had a glow about her that was undeniable. There was no doubt she wanted to marry him, and he wanted to marry her.

Tears sprung up behind his eyes, and he did his best not to let them shed. But Elsie saw that his eyes were a bit wet, and she felt emotional as she realized just how eager he was to become her husband. Happy tears sprung up behind her eyes too, and they both looked at each other with so much joy. As she reached the end of the aisle, she took a gentle hold of his hand, and he helped her step up so they could begin. As the vicar cleared his throat and began saying the invocation, they gave each other's hand a gentle squeeze full of love and support. They were ready to begin the next chapter of their lives. They were ready to be husband and wife.

"I, Elsie May Hughes take thee Charles Earnest Carson, to be my lawfully wedded husband," she repeated after the vicar as she looked up into her husband's eyes, which were shining lightly with tears.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," said the vicar. Charles didn't need any encouragement as he leaned down and kissed Elsie tenderly. He then took her hand, and they began to process down the aisle as everyone rose to watch them exit the church.

"Hello, my wife," Charles whispered quietly, giving Elsie's hand a gentle squeeze. His smile reached his eyes, and they crinkled a little bit. Elsie's eyes immediately did the same when she saw the joy on her husband's face.

"Hello, my husband," she said back with a slight giddy giggle. She was beyond happy to finally be married to this man by her side. She was a Carson now, and she couldn't be more ecstatic.

The reception was at the schoolhouse immediately following the ceremony. Elsie had pushed Charles to try this new thing called "brunch." The menu she had chosen was full of breakfast items with a few additional savory items, and they were serving alcohol. While there was no cake because Elsie felt it an extravagant thing to spend money on and wanted to save for the honeymoon, there were several sweets in addition to the crepes offered with the brunch.

Growing up in Harrogate meant Charles was inclined to enjoy Yorkshire foods, so Elsie had chosen Yorkshire pudding and Rhubarb pie to honor her husband's roots along with the gin that would be served to drink. She also couldn't resist asking the new chef at Downton, Mrs. Patmore, to make eclairs because those were her favorite sweet at the moment. When they had been planning the menu, Charles had teased Elsie for having three dessert options, but as she glanced over to him as he filled up his plate from the buffet, she couldn't help but chuckle when she saw a little bit of each on his plate.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked as she snuck up behind him as he made his way over to a table with his plate.

"Most certainly," Charles confirmed, setting his plate down and turning so he could take his wife in his arms and press a quick kiss to her cheek. "How is my lovely wife doing?"

"Grand," she answered before teasing him a little, "I'm enjoying those eclairs you didn't want to add to the menu but now seem to be enjoying as well."

He shrugged slightly in response to her jest. "What can I say? They're tasty."

"I told you!"

"Well, you were right. There, does that please you?"

"It certainly does," she answered with a satisfied smirk on her face. "I'm glad I married a man who can admit when he's wrong."

"I'm glad you agreed to marry me, Els. Now, you're stuck with me. Is that okay with you?" he said, wrapping his arms around her and placing a brief kiss to her lips.

"Well, three's a bit of a crowd, but I'm sure Lily and I can learn to live with you," she said in a teasing tone.

Charles scoffed in mock offense before kissing her once more. "I love you, you know that?"

"Yes, and I love you too," she replied with one final kiss.

"Good," Charles said. "Because no other man would put up with your teasing as well as I do, so you better consider yourself lucky you wound up with me," he joked.

"Oh, I do, Charlie Carson. I most certainly do," she said, laughing as she linked her arm with his.

As they were standing and receiving congratulations from their wedding guests, they were approached by the Earl and Countess. "We wanted to wish you well and say thank you again for including Mary in the festivities. We know she enjoyed herself, and we were very proud to watch her and grateful to you for suggesting it," Robert said.

"I honestly couldn't imagine today without her in it, m'lord," Charles stated. Robert nodded appreciatively at his words. It was no secret that he admired how much Charles loved and guided Mary. He was glad his firstborn had so many people who looked out for her and were willing to ensure her wellbeing.

"Well congratulations again, and we look forward to seeing what the future has in store for you both," Cora said with a kind smile. "Enjoy your honeymoon, and we'll see you soon."

"Thank you, m'lady," Elsie replied.

When they arrived at their hotel in York that evening and were shown to their room, Charles set their cases down and swooped Elsie up into his arms before she could even register what was happening. When she realized what was happening, she smiled for a second before the rational side of her brain kicked in and she felt the need to protest. She was a grown woman, and as much as she appreciated the grand gesture, she didn't want Charles getting hurt. Fortunately for both of them, Charles was skilled at lifting things properly because of all the wine deliveries he handled at the abbey.

"Oh, put me down you daft fool," Elsie scolded. "I'm too heavy. You'll hurt yourself."

"No, I won't, Els. You're light as a feather, and besides, I want to do things properly."

"I won't drop you if that's what you're worried about," he teased as he turned the doorknob. With that, he carried her over the threshold and walked over to the bed where he set her down gingerly. "See, you made it all in one piece," he joked as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"You silly man," she laughed, giving his forearm a playful swat. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mrs. Carson."

Elsie's eyes lit up at hearing her married name for the first time. She was overjoyed to finally be married to the man of her dreams. She tilted her head up and kissed him, letting her tongue trace over his lips and ask for entrance. The kiss lingered a moment more before it broke and smiles appeared on both their faces. Charles quickly went to fetch their suitcases from the hallway so they could settle in for their first night as a married couple. Elsie knew that tonight would be the most perfect night to start their lives together, and she couldn't wait for the honeymoon.