The Butler's Move.

Elsie let the door slide shut behind her with a click! and stopped just behind it. To her surprise, she couldn't see anyone else in the room except Charles. He was standing upright in front of his desk, having already put down the pieces of paper he had been holding in his hand. Miss Baxter was not here.

"I'm waiting."

And Elsie knew what for. Charles was waiting for an explanation of the dismissive behaviour she had carried with her since waking up. However, she could no longer expect him to ask patiently what was going on. He had already tried to talk to her about it this morning on the way to work.

Elsie remained silent. But not out of spite at the moment, but rather because she didn't know how to start without feeling stupid. Strangely enough, her thoughts seemed stupid when she thought about having to say them here and now. Or was it fear that was holding her back? Fear that Charles and Miss Baxter might ...

„Well!", Charles interrupted her thoughts. Elsie looked at him and realised how much he was trying to be patient, but was already very close to the end.

Elsie clasped her hands behind her back and slumped against the door.

„You were talking in your sleep tonight." Elsie tried to suppress the trembling in her voice, she didn't want to appear insecure under any circumstances.

Charles's stern expression gave way to a perplexed one. He hadn't expected this reproach. Elsie could see the furrow between his eyebrows turn into a disbelieving frown. He closed his eyes and shook his head in confusion. He needed more explanation.

„What do you mean?", he asked, looking at her again.

„You were talking tonight. You were talking about ... ." Elsie's voice broke off. Elsie's insecurity was coming through after all.

„What did I say? Tell me!", hissed the butler through his teeth. Charles finally wanted to know what had got into his wife.

Elsies let her gaze wander from his eyes to his feet. It was a lot easier for her to broach the subject when she didn't have to make eye contact with Charles. She took a deep breath and began to speak with a heavy heart.

„That you and Miss Baxter share a secret. And that you must take care to be very discreet so that no one finds out."

Charles looked at her waiting. For Elsie, however, it seemed that enough had been said. He thought.

„And you think...?", Charles frowned, bending down a little to draw Elsie's gaze from his shoes back to his face. Irritated by his movement, Elsie actually looked up.

„I don't know what to think. I only know what I want to think. When I think of our time together, my fears seem ridiculous, even absurd. But if I give your words meaning, then it's obvious what I should think."

Charles stood there and looked at his wife. Although she refused to let him see it, Elsie looked very upset. Charles knew the oppressive feeling of fear eating away your heart and leaving nothing but sadness behind.

„Well, I don't know what to think either. I have reason to be angry with you. But I'm not. I don't want to be, Elsie. I once had my heart ripped out in a similar way by Charlie and Alice. Be sure I could never do that to you. And just a few weeks ago, on our honeymoon, I had to live with the fear of another rival. To think I could do something so despicable could make me angry!" A small smile of relief appeared on his lips.

Elsie looked uncertainly into his eyes and scrutinised his features carefully, because she was surprised that Charles didn't get angry.

„Then you and Miss Baxter are not ... ?"

„Elsie, no, we are not. I would never even think of it. You're the one I want. You've been fulfilling me for years. I love you." He slowly walked towards Elsie.

Elsie marvelled at how easily Charles said the words and secretly envied him a little for it. Elsie watched Charles as he came closer.

„Has that still not sunk into you?" Charles was now standing close to her. She looked up at him with moist eyes. He tapped his index finger lightly against the spot on her chest where her heart was. „I confess, I'm relieved it's only that which bothers you.", he continued to whisper.

Elsie felt offended. What did he mean by 'just'?

Charles began to run his index finger slowly up Elsie's body, watching it meticulously as it left the sewn-on intricacies of her dress behind and reached the silky skin of her neck. It almost seemed as if he was jealous of his finger, being able to touch his wife. He continued to watch it as it slowly travelled over the pulsating spot on her neck to her chin. Meanwhile he touched some freckles that he would have liked to caress. From her chin, his finger travelled further up to her soft lips. He traced them. Thoughtfully. Tenderly. Arousing.

Elsie didn't take her eyes off Charles and noticed how he dreamily followed his finger. She savoured this agonizingly slow touch, it sent a tingling desire through her. Charles' covetous, brash look made Elsie's heart race. He left no doubt about how much he liked touching her.

Charles' hand clasped Elsie's back and pulled her towards him with a surprising jerk. The momentum made itself felt on the chains of the chatelaine with a lovely rattle. He loved feeling his wife's body through the tight corset, by that she seemed so unattainable and so forbidden. Charles bent down to her and was about to kiss her. Elsie brought her lips slightly towards him and opened them slightly. But before their lips touched, Charles paused and whispered to her: „I thought it was something serious that had upset you. However, convincing you to love you is something I do with joy."

The sentence was barely finished before his lips were on hers. His tongue quickly gained entry and began a lustful dance. Elsie began to moan with release and wrapped her arms around his neck. The usually so tough housekeeper couldn not have resisted the butler's close proximity any longer. When Charles and Elsie needed a few deep breaths of oxygen, Charles pulled back a little so that he could kiss her again.

Only when the kiss was over did Elsie's heart drop. As Charles slowly released his lips from hers, she was able to let go of the tension she had been carrying with her since this morning.

Elsie began to sob with relief and buried her face in his livery, her hands clutching his lapels. She inhaled his scent, felt the pressure of his arms around her and noticed the warmth radiating from him. Elsie began to relax. She felt stupid. - Like an inexperienced girl who didn't know how to play the game of life.

Charles held her in silence and gave her the moment she seemed to need. He placed a precious kiss on the top of her head and managed to make time stand still for a few moments.

„Now let me tell you what was going through my mind so strongly that I even seem to be dreaming about it." Charles realised that Elsie was tensing up again. He rocked Elsie a little from one leg to the other, trying to relax her again.

„I asked Miss Baxter to help me with an appointment with a photographer. You know I promised you I would make up for our failed visit to Monsieur Foudre."

Elsie nodded, signalling that she could follow him.

Charles continued: „When you were so seriously ill, I would have liked to have carried a smile from you with me. In the end, I liked the idea of having a photo of us smiling. So I asked Miss Baxter to keep her eyes open as long as she stays in London with Lady Grantham. Our old-fashioned photographer here would not approve of such a motif. And as it was to be a surprise, I naturally wanted Miss Baxter and I to be as discreet as possible. But since you are always in control, and it is impossible to keep secrets from you, nothing came of it."

Elsie felt more stupid than ever. She pressed her face even harder against Charles' chest. She wanted to disappear into the ground in shame.

He heard something.

„Excuse me?" Charles asked.

Elsie repeated her words, but Charles was still unable to understand her mumbling.

„I'll off you."

Charles looked over Elsie and stared blankly into space.

„I still haven't understood a word, Elsie." So close to Charles's chest, his words vibrated wonderfully in Elsie's ear.

Lifting her mouth a little from his chest, but still keeping her forehead leaning against him, she repeated: „Isle of you."

„What do you mean by that? Do you want me to lose weight?" Charles felt it was a rather inappropriate moment to talk about his weight.

Elsie giggled and shook her head. My old booby. She looked up at him and repeated in clear words and that wonderful Scottish accent:

„I said I-love-you."

Charles didn't move. He gazed sentimentally deep into her blue eyes. Just as he would never have expected to talk about his weight, he would never have imagined that his stubborn wife would tell him she loved him when they were standing in the hallway just a moment ago.

Charles took Elsie's cheek in his hand and grinned at her. His thumb stroked her skin tenderly. He felt a renewed desire to kiss her. But before Charles could get close, she pulled at his lapel and pulled him towards her.

„I'm sorry, Charlie.", she confessed as she paused the kiss.

But Charles didn't want a break and pressed his lips to hers again. He pushed her back passionately until Elsie hit the door.

The kiss became more unrestrained, more uncontrolled and demanded more.

Charles' hand gathered up her skirt, slid it up her soft thigh and travelled purposefully to her bottom. He gripped her whole buttock and kneaded it lustfully. Elsie realised how her womanhood was beginning to pull.

Elsie enjoyed his touches and Charles enjoyed his effect on his wife. He loved bringing his wife to this state. Seeing her like this excited him. Elsie rewarded him by breathing faster, making her breasts bounce up and down.

His hand travelled from her bottom to her pleasure spot.

„I'm sorry, Charlie." Elsie breathed with her chin up and her cheeks red. Charles nibbled and sucked on her neck while he massaged her through her pants with his hand. „I'm so sorry."

Charles realised how Elsie was enjoying his touch more and more, through her underwear he could clearly feel that Elsie was wet. Not much longer and she would reach her climax. He played around her pearl over the fabric. She would love to feel him inside her now. Charles kissed her again and pushed the pants aside. He moaned with excitement as he felt his wife's wet, hot slit. He stroked it backwards and penetrated her with two fingers, placing his thumb on her mound of pleasure. Elsie reared up and bit her lower lip to keep from making a sound. The play of his wife in ecstasy in front of Charles was taking his mind away. Elsie began to whimper and Charles realised that Elsie would be coming soon. A few more movements and she would go over the cliff, he was sure. But Charles didn't let it get that far. He kissed her once more and forced himself to withdraw his hand. He took a step back.

Charles watched as Elsie opened her eyes questioningly. Out of breath, she waited for an answer.

„Oh, Elsie less, just because I am not upset doesn't mean I'm going to let your suspicions go unpunished." Charles said with a malicious grin and left his pantry without touching Elsie again.

Elsie slammed the door behind him as if struck by lightning and leaned against it again. There was no way she could be seen in this condition.

Unsatisfied but overjoyed, Elsie waited for her pulse to return to normal. Elsie looked up at the ceiling and began to giggle. She could really be sure of his feelings and never doubted them again.

My dears!
It's amazing! Look at how many words I've already written. Everyone who has accompanied me (Charles and Elsie, rather) on this journey deserves a huge thank you.
And everyone who has written me a few words in return makes me very happy. Hearing your thoughts and opinions is almost the best thing about writing. Thank you so so much!

I think our favourite protagonists will get a letter in the next chapter. Let's see who might write to them? Hopefully some good news ... But after the wild last few chapters, I think they deserve some peace and quiet, don't you?

See you soon! :-)