"I will throttle that woman!" Elsie shouted.

"What are you talking about? What woman?" Charles asked confused.

"Mrs. Patmore has locked us inside." Elsie said, still trying to push at the door.

"Its for your own good!" Mrs. Patmore called from the other side of the door, secretly hoping she hadn't made a terrible mistake.

"Mrs. Patmore," Elsie commanded, "open this door right now!"

"No! Not until you two talk."

"Mrs. Patmore if you don't open this door this instant I…I…I'll have you fired!"

"Do your worst Mrs. Hughes. I'd happily lose my job if it means seeing my two closest friends in the world happy again."

With that Mrs. Patmore turned on her heels and walked away from the door.

"That woman is the most insufferable-" Elsie began.

"There is no point yelling about it now. We're stuck here until Her Highness decides to free us."

"Fine, then you can sit and relax while I continue with my work." She said turning and going back to her desk.

"Fine." He said sitting at her small table.

They sat in silence for a time. Elsie scratching away at her ledgers and Charles sat with his arms crossed at his chest, glancing around the room.

"Where is your photo?" He asked suddenly, noting it missing from its place on her desk.

"What?"

"The photo of you and your sister. It's missing."

Elsie put her pen down and took a deep breath.

"It was damaged."

"What? When?"

"It happened the day there was a flood in my office."

"When was there a flood in your office?" Charles asked, all this being new information to him.

"Suddenly you are full of questions? You didn't seem to care that much about what was happening with me when Molly was around." Elsie said with air of bitterness about her.

"Ah, so I take it this happened when I was ill."

"It was the night we had roast duck. I had attempted to tell you about my day but you were waylaid by dreams of your dinner."

"Elsie that isn't-" Charles started.

"Don't you dare tell me that isn't fair Charles Carson. Don't you dare!" Elsie yelled, turning to face him fully. Thunder in her face.

"You have put me through weeks of misery-"

"I thought we had worked that out?" Charles said completely bewildered.

"Well clearly we haven't since at the first opportunity to spend time together you decide to take a bloody nap!"

"So that is what has upset you-"

"That and a hundred other things I don't want to discuss right now!" She said turning back to her desk.

"A hundred? Really?" He asked incredulously.

Elsie looked down at her ledgers for a moment trying to control herself. Tears began pooling at the corners of her eyes but she blinked them away. It hurt. It hurt so terribly. To love him so powerfully but to be so wounded by him. She'd avoided loving him for so long, if she had known it would come with this kind of pain she might have kept him at a distance. She would have told him they could be good friends and no more. But she hadn't. And now she felt her heart breaking for the sorrow she felt.

"Why did it take you so long to come find me?" She asked, a quiver in her voice.

"I…I didn't think you wanted to see me. I sat at home waiting, thinking, agonizing. I put my hat and coat on a dozen times before I finally came here to find you."

She couldn't respond. She only looked down at her ledgers, watching the numbers get blurry as tears came to her eyes.

"I should have realized," he said cautiously, "that a picnic wasn't a good idea."

"It wasn't a terrible idea. It was just…terribly timed."

"I thought you'd want to get out of the house for a bit." He offered by way of explanation.

"You mean the house I've hardly seen for weeks?" She countered

He paused at her comment. He realized it was him who had wanted to get out of the house, to get some time away. Once again he'd put his needs ahead of hers.

"What did you want to do?" He asked.

She hesitated for a moment.

"I don't know…" she trailed off.

"I doubt that. Elsie Hughes has hardly ever been without a plan." He said, trying to make the mood lighter.

"Well I didn't…"

"If you really had no idea what you wanted to do with the day then why are you so angry-"

"Fine!" Elsie shouted, "I wanted to stay in bed and make love!" She yelled turning to look at him.

Immediately he turned red in the face.

"Oh…" He said quietly.

"Oh? Is that all you have to say?" She asked angrily.

"I…I…" He stuttered.

"All I wanted to do today was lie in bed with my husband. To kiss and cuddle and make love and forget about everyone else in the world. That is what I wanted! We've been apart for weeks and all I wanted to do was feel connected to you again."

"I see." He replied sheepishly.

"But you insisted on going out for a picnic…"

"And then I suggested I take a nap…"

"Yes, a very flattering thing for any wife." She replied bitterly. "I know…I know I'm not much to look at." She said slowly. "But…after all this time we've been together…and all the time we'd been apart recently that…"

"Oh Elsie, you're the most beautiful-" He said softly.

"That perhaps you might want me again as much as I wanted you."

"I do," he said swiftly, "At least I want to want to."

"Want to want to? What on earth does that mean Charles?" She said, tears still clouding her eyes.

"I'm…It had occurred to me that perhaps a more…intimate reunion might be nice." He said looking down at his hands.

"But?" She asked.

"But…" He stumbled, unsure how to phrase it best.

"Charles, please just say it. Nothing you say will make me feel worse than I do right now."

"I don't want you to feel bad Elsie." He said, taking a deep breath, "But I was worried. Scared even. I was scared that if we were…physical again in that way. In the way you like…and I like as well mind. I was worried I might hurt my back again."

"I see." Elsie said after a moment. "I suppose that makes sense. It was terribly painful for you-"

"God woman, its not the pain I'm worried about. I'd feel that pain a thousand times over if that's what I needed to do to be with you. I'm worried about what happened after. About the unkind way I treated you, about how jealous you were over Molly. For God's sake woman you nearly left me! Do you think I want to go through that again? Do you think I ever want to cause you that kind of pain again? Do you think I ever want to feel the fear I did when I thought my world was ending?" He was practically shouting at her by the end, his face red, gasping for air after pushing the words out frantically.

Elsie looked into his earnest face, saw the fear and worry in his eyes. She quickly got up and rushed over to her husband, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pushing his head towards her chest. Squeezing him with a strength neither knew she had.