FASCINATION, FIRE AND FEAR-5
Hi everyone. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. Reading them makes me happy. I left you all in a cliffhanger moment and during the crucial conversation, so now it's time to finish. I sincerely hope that you will like it.
"Elsie you need to tell me everything. I want to know what happened with our marriage, we were so perfectly happy before and now?"
"All right Charles, but look at the sky, it's going to rain soon. We need to search for some place to hide."
"You think so? It doesn't look that bad to me..."
"Believe me...I know the weather of Scotland very well..."
"Of course you do..."
"But where will we go? I do not want to discuss our private matters in the presence of my family..."
"Elsie, I booked a room at the edge of the village. We can go there. It's not very far."
"Let's go then.."
They paced towards the village and very soon, they found themselves in the room, that Charles rented. When they closed the doors behind them, Charles surprised Elsie, taking her in his arms and cuddling her closely...He kissed her hair gently and she let him do it...
"Charles, I..."
"Elsie, we will talk in a moment, just let me do it, please...I missed you so much..."
"I missed you too..."
They stood for few more moments, enjoying the closeness, that they both needed...Elsie knew, that there was a difficult conversation ahead of them, but for now, she felt so well taken care of in his arms... She would gladly stay there forever...
After a while they separated and she sat on the edge of the bed, Charles followed her, picking up the handkerchief, which she dropped on the floor.
"Here you are Elsie...You've lost your handkerchief again...It seems to be your constant habit..."
"Is it really? I hadn't noticed..."
"Well, I did...I never told you this before, but back in the old days, when I used to do the season in London with the family, I often didn't return the handkerchief that you dropped, but I was taking it with me to London.."
"And why would you do that Charlie?"
"Because it smelled like you and when I was taking it with me, I felt like I had a part of you with me. This helped me to survive those dreadful months, when we were separated..."
Elsie felt, that her heart was floded with love, when she heard that unexpected confession...It was so sweet and touching, that Charles would do a thing like that...He might have been grumpy and unbearable, but deep inside, he had a warm and loving heart...
"Oh Charles...That is so sweet...I have to confess something to you too..."
"What is it Elsie?"
"When you were going away each year, I didn't tell the maids to change sheets in your room, at least not for a while...When everyone were going to sleep, I used to sneak to your room and I was lying on your bed, because it smelled like you and I felt like you were close..."
"Elsie, that's touching...How did we survive all those years, being separated each year for few months? I now felt like we were coming back to that again...My heart aches...Elsie...Why did you go away? Why are you rejecting me recently? What has changed?"
"Charles...I don't even know where to start...I married you from love, you know that...Great love, which I felt for many years and slowly started to loose hope to ever make it real...Our marriage was my dreams coming true, everything was perfect in the beginning.."
"I agree, it was...So what changed now? What have I done?"
"Charles...Please don't think, that I'm being foolish or sentimental, but I thought, that once we will marry, I will be the most important part of your life...Number one..."
"You are Elsie!"
"Am I really? Then why is it, that whenever the blessed Lady Mary needs you in the house, you are throwing everything away and running to the Abbey?"
"I don't recall doing such thing..I'm not sure.."
"But I am...I took notes in my diary, of how many times you have changed our plans, that we made together, even on our days off, to run to the house, just because she suddenly needed you...I would understand, if it was really something important, but usually those are silly and unsignificant things..."
"Elsie, I'm really sorry, I wasn't even aware, that you see it that way, let alone that I let you you down so many times..."
"You have Charles...I can understand, that it is difficult for Lady Mary to acknowledge that you are a married man now...She has always been selfish, with no respect for other people's wishes, starting from the preparations to our wedding, but you? All those years, I had to bear, that she was having you curled around her finger, because I was not your wife back then, but now?"
"Elsie...There are some people, who are saying that you have curled me around your finger..."
"Ah...Mrs Patmore...Maybe I did, but not on such scale as Lady Mary...Charles...You are not only retired now, you don't belong to the Abbey and Lady Mary anymore...You don't have to be afraid, that she will sack you, or something else...You can be your own man. But obviously, you have got so used to that, that you don't want to stop with this..."
"Elsie, I'm so sorry...Really...You are right. I was used to make her wishes come true, she was always my favorite...You knew that...I never realized, that you were so jealous, I thought that you just didn't like her..."
"I didn't like her and I still don't...And yes, I was jealous...I can admit it freely now...I couldn't do it earlier, because I was afraid, that if I will tell you this, you will know the reason of my jealousy...You know it now...I love you and I don't want any other woman to be number one in your life...Only me. Do you think, that it is possible for you to put her off the pedestal?"
"Yes Elsie, I promise...I mean, I will still help her if she needs it, but not when this will interfere with our plans..."
"Can I have that in writing?"
"Of course, just give me something to write..."
"Charles, I was only joking! I know that you are a man of honor and I believe your word...I'm not asking you to give up contacts with Lady Mary, I just want to be the most important one for you.."
"Elsie, I love you...From now on everything will be different...I'm so relieved..."
"Relieved? Why Charles?"
"Because when you started to back away from me, I was so afraid, that you don't love me anymore... That you were regretting your decision. That I was such awful and nagging husband, that you had enough.."
"Well Charlie, you are pretty demanding...But I got used to that by now and I know, that a little bit of nagging is just a part of who you are and I love you all...Even your grumpiness..."
"You really do?"
"Honestly...You are my beloved husband, I wouldn't trade you for anyone else, but now, after all the years of your devotion to the Abbey and Lady Mary, I want to see your devotion to me...I think, that I've been patient and waited long enough..."
"You have...Elsie...I have an idea? Can we stay here for few days, just to relive our honeymoon?"
"But don't you have to be at the Abbey? I thought, that Lady Mary will have some important guests next week and wants you to be there..."
"I will telephone and tell her, that unfortunately she has to deal without me, because now, I'm with my wife, the most important person in my life..."
Elsie smiled, seeing that Charles understood exactly what she meant and now, there were no obstacles for them to have some quiet, happy moments together...
"In that case Charlie, we will stay for few more days, I will introduce you to my family and friends, we will spend wonderful days in my home village."
"And what about our nights Elsie? Will they be wonderful too?"-Charles innocently asked, with flirtatious voice...
"Let me put it this way Charlie, keep the room, as we will definitely need some privacy at night..."
Charles's blessiful face, was the answer that Elsie wanted to see, after her decisive statement...
That's all for this chapter lovelies...Let's blame everything on Lady Mary... Because she is the bad one ;-) Seriously, I always thought, that Elsie may find it difficult to bear, after she got married, that Mary was still present in Charles's life...Too much if you ask me...Now I have to ask you something- should I just finish here, or do we want few nice days in Scotland with Chelsie? It's your decision. Thanks for reading and have a great week!