The Cottage.
Charles was mesmerised by the sight before his eyes. His pretty Elsie, painted in the warm colors of the fire that radiated from the fireplace. The way she stood here ... in this room ... He couldn't have imagined it any more beautiful. He didn't realise that Elsie was asking him a question, he was so captivated by her appearance.
"If only there were colour photographs.", Charles thought to himself, shaking his head at this absurd thought (fool!). She noticed his dreamy, cosy and proud stare and tried to intensify her eye contact with Charles by leaning forward a little.
"Charles! What are you doing here?", Elsie asked forcefully to bring him back from his thoughts.
He awoke from his trance and replied: "I didn't feel comfortable knowing you were here alone. That's why I asked Lord Grantham for permission to spend the next few nights here. I don't want to impose myself on you and take away your promised time of rest, but I want you not to feel alone and to know that someone is here if you need help. You won't even notice me. Tomorrow morning, one of the errand boys will wake me up on his way to the Abbey."
Elsie felt a little taken by surprise, almost harassed by his forced presence, but at the same time she was touched by the gesture, which brought an indulgent grin to her face. He wished even more fervently for a color photograph of this moment. (Silly boy!)
"Is there enough room for both of us here in the cottage? Where are we going to sleep?" Elsie wanted to know.
"We'll find enough room. There's only one bedroom and it's on the upper floor. But it has a balcony and an adjoining bathroom. There's a large bathtub in it, so I imagine you'll be able to relax in it over the next few days. I know the cottage isn't very big, but I thought we could extend it with a small guest room one day. The kitchen is opposite the living room. It's well equipped with a ... ."
"Charles, I'm very tired already." Elsie was surprised at how well informed he was about the cottage, but because of her tiredness she could no longer follow his words and interrupted him. It was simply enough for today.
Charles stopped talking and nodded to her. He went out of the door to make room for her to go through, as he always did with the Granthams. The only difference was that he didn't do it for reasons of profession or honour, but out of pure love and affection for her. Elsie left the room and headed for her suitcase. She reached for it, but Charles was quicker. Elsie understood his courteous gesture and let him carry the suitcase. They both went upstairs, Charles leading the way and guiding Elsie straight to the door that led to the bedroom. Elsie was grateful that she didn't have to make any more detours to get to a bed. It was a pretty, heavy wooden door with small, delicate engravings, in front of which Elsie now stood. Charles stood beside her, still holding the suitcase, and watched Elsie's expression meticulously as she got her first glimpse of the bedroom after opening the door. His heart tugged painfully as he watched her slowly enter the room. He had imagined it all very differently. She was to discover all this under completely different circumstances.
Elsie entered the room and stopped in the middle of the room, turned round and let her gaze wander, she liked it. She had never slept in such a nicely furnished room. It was a lot bigger than her attic room in the Abbey, and the bed on the right-hand side of the room was at least twice as big. Next to the bed were small matching bedside tables with electric reading lamps on them. Opposite the bedroom door was the balcony. Elsie spotted the door to the left of the wardrobe, which must lead to the bathroom. She turned back to Charles, who still hadn't entered the room and was still standing in the doorway with her suitcase in his hand, just watching her as she made her discovery.
"But where will you sleep then?" Elsie asked anxiously, which did not go unnoticed by Charles and made his heart leap for joy.
"I'll sleep in the living room. The sofa will be enough for me." Elsie actually had to swallow a grin. The image that arose in her mind was too funny. Charles couldn't seriously be convinced that he would have room on the sofa (silly man!). But this trait was one of the reasons why she fell in love with him. The fact that he was so convinced of his views that he suppressed all logic of natural thinking just so that his ideas would fit, had secretly made her smile for many years. But she was too tired to talk to him about alternatives or even think about them. Charles entered and placed the suitcase on the bed. He said goodbye with a kiss on her cheek and left the room.
Now alone in the room, Elsie opened her suitcase and took out only the essentials: Nightgown, towel and toiletries. The rest stayed in the suitcase for today, which she put in front of the wardrobe and would organise tomorrow. She entered the bathroom with her things and began to undo her hair, combing it and plaiting it into a long plait that hung over the side of her shoulder.
She then took off her chatelaine, strangely more reverently than she had ever done in years, and placed it on a small dresser in the bathroom. Looking dreamily at her key chains, Elsie undid the many buttons of her dress, took it off and hung it over the bath. After removing her corset, stockings and underwear, she slipped into her nightgown. She was now ready to wash her face and brush her teeth.
Dressed for bed, she left the bathroom and went straight to bed. As she lay there covered up, she admitted to herself that she really felt better knowing that Charles was with her in the cottage. Exhausted and free of thoughts, she quickly fell asleep.
_C&E_
The next morning, Elsie woke up in a room flooded with sunlight. The many rays of sunshine in her room were due to the glass balcony doors. She wasn't used to so much brightness in her bedroom at the Abbey. She savoured the rare moment, even though she was aware of the fact why she was lying here.
Elsie wondered whether she should turn round again and close her eyes after stretching out in pleasure. But she quickly discarded the idea when she realised that her stomach was pinching a little and would not allow her to relax any further. So she decided to get up and find something to eat. She really hadn't thought about a piece of bread and meat last night. But before she went to her suitcase to get her dressing gown, she opened a balcony door and took the few steps to the railing. Her feet transmitted the freshness of the morning to her whole body. She got goose bumps and savoured the sensation of feeling herself. She let her gaze wander over fields, a distant farm and some treetops; she felt reminded of Scotland. It was a wonderfully endless view, Elsie took a few deep breaths and then made her way to her suitcase. She heaved it onto the mattress and took out her dressing gown, which she immediately pulled on over her nightdress. Barefoot, she went downstairs to see if she could at least find some tea in the kitchen to make before she went to Mr. Bakewell's in the village.
_C&E_
Once downstairs, she took the door which, according to Charles, led into the kitchen.
Elsie entered the elongated room and saw a large, dark cooker, some pots and a sink. At the back was a round wooden dining table, which stood pretty much opposite the cooker ... a dining table on which there was a woven wicker basket with a folded piece of paper leaning against it. Curious, Elsie tiptoed with her bare feet to the basket and peered inside before reaching for the note. She saw a jug, a small bottle of milk, some fresh fruit and vegetables, bread and butter, as well as two eggs and a small piece of ham and cheese.
Curious, she turned to the note and unfolded it:
"Asked Mrs. Patmore yesterday to give Samuel something to eat when he sets off to wake me up.
All my love
- C"
Elsie was grateful for Charles' foresight and looked for some utensils from the kitchen so that she could prepare a small breakfast from the basket. While looking for plates, cups and cutlery, she stumbled across a bundle of striped fabric in the hanging cupboard above the sink, on which lay a comb, a towel and a small jar of pomade; perplexed, Elsie closed it again and tried her luck in another cupboard. She soon found everything she needed.
She wouldn't cook the eggs, she didn't really feel like standing in front of the stove right now. A slice of bread with butter and a piece of cheese was enough for her. She poured tea, which was still warm, from the pot into her cup and added a dash of milk.
Well fortified from breakfast, she put the groceries away and curiously went into the living room.
Charles left no trace. Elsie wasn't sure what she actually thought (hoped) to find, but there was not a single sign that Charles had spent a night here.
_C&E_
Due to the short, exhausting night before, Charles slept like a rock on the far too small sofa (so he was right after all!). And he felt like one when he was woken by a knock on the window pane: Hard as a rock. As he tried to get up from the sofa, his back and neck made a few cracking noises and he couldn't help but think of the wood burning in the fireplace yesterday. "Some logs would have been jealous.", he thought to himself as he finally sat upright and looked at the last glowing remains in the fireplace.
Charles walked stiffly to the front door and wished Samuel a good morning.
"Good morning, Mr. Carson. It's half past four, Mr. Carson. Just as you requested yesterday, Mr. Carson. Here's your basket, Mr. Carson." Samuel pressed the basket into Charles' hand, visibly nervous. It was an unusual task for an errand boy to wake the head butler in this way.
"Thank you, Samuel." Charles took the basket and immediately put it down at the kitchen table. He then went back into the living room and quickly put on his livery and adjusted himself as best he could using the sink in the kitchen. In the meantime, he stowed his things in the cupboard above the sink. Before leaving the cottage, he wrote a few lines to Elsie on a piece of paper, which he then folded and leant against the basket on the dining table.
_C&E_
Elsie left the living room and went back to the bedroom to get changed, her feet were quite cold by now.
After putting her hair up and getting dressed, she set about clearing out her suitcase. She put everything she had brought with her in the wardrobe, pushed the empty suitcase under the bed frame and then sat down on the mattress. She didn't really know what to do now, she didn't normally have that much free time. After thinking about it for a while, she decided to go for a walk. So she put on her coat and pinned her hat to her hair.
Elsie walked along a narrow path between green fields and finely flowering shrubs; spring had not been in the country for long, but she was already enjoying the delicate messengers. Only a few pedestrians crossed her path, which suited her just fine. She didn't always want to be torn from her thoughts by polite greetings. Elsie spotted a wooden bench in the distance and as soon as she reached it, she sat down on it and looked at the field opposite her. After a few deep breaths, she closed her eyes and only perceived her surroundings through her ears. Shortly afterwards, the oppressive events of the last few days crept back into her mind. When she thought about it, it seemed impossible that she could ever forgive Charles. But she also realised that she loved him too much, that he meant too much to her for her not to be able to forgive him. Elsie thought of Mr. Molesley's words again and trusted in time. So she decided to push her thoughts to one side and opened her eyes again. She lingered briefly on the bench, savouring the sun on her face, was happy about one or two bees flying past her and then made her way back to the cottage.
Once there, she inspected the still undiscovered rooms of the cottage. Elsie really liked the little house. It had everything you needed to live a happy life.
When it was lunchtime, she took a piece of cheese from the fridge and ate it with a slice of bread, then grabbed an apple. She still didn't feel like cooking and was content with what was available, so she saved herself the trip to the village to the local supplier. She didn't think it was tragic to have a simple meal plan for a few days, even if it was extremely simple. As she chewed, she looked at the beautiful bundt pan hanging on the wall.
The day flowed by. Elsie enjoyed the constant peace, enjoyed the feeling of being expendable, treated herself to a long bath in the afternoon and kept thinking about Charles and the last few days.
Even though she didn't have much to do today, she felt tired early in the evening; the last few days had been very tiring. So she allowed herself to slip into her nightgown at an unusually early hour and snuggle up in bed with a book. As her tiredness began to set in, she put the book on the bedside table and turned off the light. She fell asleep without seeing Charles.
_C&E_
When Charles reached the cottage it was already late in the evening and Elsie had been asleep for a while when he entered the entrance area. Exhausted to the bone, he took off his livery, quickly got ready for bed in the kitchen, and lay down on the sofa as best he could.
_C&E_
Elsie spent the next day in a similar way.
In the morning there was no sign of Charles again. This made her feel a little disappointed and she began to miss Charles, realising that her hurt seemed to fade into the background. She would have liked to have seen him, even if only briefly.
After a long walk, Elsie didn't take a relaxing bath today, but made her way to Mr. Bakewell's after picking up her purse and wallet. She felt like baking a bundt cake today and needed a few more ingredients.
Later, while she waited for the cake to be ready in the oven, she allowed herself to daydream. She imagined what it would be like to live here with Charles, to share her everyday life with him. She liked the idea of lying in bed together upstairs, looking out of the balcony doors and watching the clouds go by. A scene even flashed through her mind in which she saw Charles bent over the small vegetable patch she had discovered next to the cottage yesterday. Perhaps he would be a keen amateur gardener.
_C&E_
Charles arrived at the cottage late at night today. He was exhausted from the last few days and could hardly stand on his feet, so he didn't go after the strange odour he detected. It was a pleasant feeling for Elsie to finally know he was here. She felt complete knowing that he was under the same roof as her. She realised a few years ago that she disliked it when he slept elsewhere: she was more unbalanced when Charles travelled to London with the family for the ball season. It was always a never-ending time for her.
Elsie waited in bed and continued reading her book, leaving the bedroom door open so that she would be sure to notice when Charles came through the front door. When the time came and Charles pushed the key into the lock to unlock the door, she hurried silently to the staircase and listened spellbound in the dark to find out what Charles was going to do.
She heard him lock the door behind him, let out a liberating sigh (which, to Elsie's surprise, gave her goose bumps, as she had had to do without his deep voice for too long) and take a few steps. Elsie surmised that he was going into the living room, at least that's what she would have perceived from his steps.
When she heard nothing for a few seconds, she crept down the stairs and straight to the living room door. This was open a crack (lucky her), allowing Elsie to take a few looks into the room.
She saw Charles sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, his shoulders slumped disconsolately. He looked very upset and exhausted. Elsie sensed that he was also suffering terribly from the situation, that he also felt lonely, that he was also exposed to fears. She was not alone in her pain, Charles was an ally.
The days must have been incredibly exhausting for him, with the stressful working day adding to all his suffering. He had to make sure that everything went back to normal and that his cancelled wedding had no impact on the Grantham family's everyday life.
Elsie saw Charles tilt his head back and his face contorted almost in pain. His chest was now bouncing up and down rhythmically and a tear silently escaped from the corner of his eye and made its way behind to his ear. He looked as if he had given up.
She pushed the door open unnoticed and crept over to Charles on the sofa. It was only when Elsie dried his tears with a gentle touch that he realised she was here. She snuggled up against his side and pulled her feet up towards her.
She realised that he was too insecure to take the initiative, so she quickly took his arm and put it around her. Her head was now resting on his chest, she could hear his heart beating and noticed how it slowly relaxed.
Charles glanced intuitively at the fireplace when he realised that there was no fire burning yet and noticed a delicate bouquet of flowers on the little table next to the sofa.
"Do you like them? I picked them for you today while I was walking." Elsie explained to him as she followed his gaze. "It's only a small bouquet because there aren't many flowers to be found yet. And I wanted to leave a few for the hungry bees."
Charles was touched by this gesture, but couldn't respond because of his tiredness, and instead placed a small kiss in her hair to thank her.
„Charles, come up to bed with me." Elsie saw the enraptured look on his face and explained emphatically: „You're completely exhausted, you can't stand another night on the sofa. We're both adults and should be able to handle lying next to each other." Elsie disentangled herself from his arm, stood up and held out her hand to him invitingly. „Besides, nobody needs to know.", added Elsie.
Charles was completely mesmerised by Elsie's being. She was more stunning than ever as she stood in front of him: a slight smile, her great, long plaited braid, in her simple, white nightgown. He had never seen her like this before. If he wasn't already speechless, he would be now at the latest. His Elsie looked in the simplest of outfits even prettier than she already did. He loved her so much.
He gratefully took her hand and followed her into the bedroom.