A/N: This is the bit where I beg forgiveness for my absence and promise to do better. And beg for reviews which mean so much to me.

Rarely in his life had Charles Carson found himself giggling, in fact he couldn't recall giggling at all in the past twenty years as his wife pulled him down the hallway towards their bridal suite, their bridal bed.

Somehow now he couldn't stop himself from giggling.

Giggling as she stumbled over her skirts in her haste.

Giggling as her thumb rubbed his hand in tender circles as she pulled him behind her.

Giggling as his hands tickled her waist as she fumbled getting the key in the lock.

The giggling stopped however when they tumbled into their room, ready to pounce upon one another only to find two chamber maids giggling themselves.

It was a sudden stalemate as Charles and Elsie stood motionless by the door. The two maids quickly donned faces of neutrality as they explained they had just come to change the linens and were almost done.

Charles felt his face flush.

"Um…my wife…she has a headache." He said, as awkward way of explanation.

Elsie turned sharply to look at him, unsure what had prompted him to tell a lie. Surely it didn't matter to the maids why they were returning to their room. It was none of their concern.

"Of course sir." One of the maids said turning from the couple to deposit the last of the linens upon their trolley.

"All finished." The other maid declared with a smile. As the two filed past the couple Elsie saw a slight smirk from one of them.

Charles and Elsie both looked down into the trolley as it passed and to their mutual horror they noticed a white sheet with a subtle stain of blood.

Once the door was closed the two pulled away from each other to opposite ends of the room.

The silence was almost unbearable. The lust that Elsie had suddenly felt at the breakfast table was gone and replaced by another emotion. One she didn't fully know. It felt as though she was on the cusp of knocking her husband about the head or smothering him in kisses and was torn as to which to concede to.

"Why on earth…" She began but trailed off.

"Why was there-" He began just as she finished.

"Charlie, why did you tell them I had a headache?" She asked.

"Well…I…I suppose I wanted to give them some explanation as to why we were returning to our room."

"And what business-" She began.

"Why was there blood?" He asked, gravely concerned.

"What?" she replied.

"We both saw it, there was blood on the sheets. I asked if you were okay, are you hurt?" He asked, his voice plagued with guilt.

"Charlie…" she began, unsure how to explain without causing them both embarrassment. "I'm not hurt. Its…it's a common enough thing for women-"

"Dr. Clarkson didn't warn me about that, that every time we…well…we…that you could bleed after." He said in utter horror. How could he have not known? As his mind began plotting how much it would cost them to get their own private linens laundered, or replaced if need be, he didn't notice the look on his brides face.

"It doesn't happen every time, just…the first time." She said, looking at the floor.

"Oh well….that's a relief then." He said feeling at ease again then it hit him. "Oh God!" he shouted, horrified.

"What?!" Elsie exclaimed rushing to his side at the sudden outburst.

"Does that mean…they know?" He asked.

"What are you shouting about?" Elsie asked, getting frustrated with her husband.

"Do those maids know then that…that last night was…what it was?"

"What does it matter if they do?" she asked.

"It matters."

"Why?"

"I cant believe this. We need to find a new hotel. Lord Grantham was kind enough to find us this but I have plenty of money in savings, we can find a bank. They have banks in Scarborough right? I'll withdraw a small amount and we can find another hotel. But what will his lordship think if he finds out?"

"Charles Carson we are not changing hotels!" Elsie shouted, hands firmly on her hips. "You are being utterly ridiculous Charles, it doesn't matter what those maids think. We've done nothing wrong, nothing at all."

"But…" Charles said meekly.

"Unless that is…do you…do you think we've done something wrong?" She asked, suddenly feeling her heart drop into her stomach.

"I…I…" he began, unsure what to say.

They stood in silence, Elsie getting angrier, as Charles struggled to find the words. The right words. He knew she was upset but couldn't she see his point? She knew what maids were like, before the end of the afternoon every employee of the hotel would know that they were newly married, that they'd been virgins. Or at least that she had been. It was too much. They had no right to know as much about them as they did now. He needed to get Elsie out of there. To protect her from the wagging of idle tongues.

"Get out." Elsie finally said.

"What?" Charles asked in shock.

"Get out now."

"And go where?" he asked.

"If we were back at Downton I would suggest your pantry however at this moment I don't particularly care where you go, I just want you to go now."

"Elsie, don't be ridiculous. This is our honeymoon."

With that Elsie turned and stormed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

As Charles got up to follow after her a slight knock came from the bedroom door.

Charles opened it to find a room service cart with a note from Lord Grantham and a bottle of champagne.

Horrified again he pulled the cart into the room.

"Elsie, please come out." He called. After fifteen minutes with no response he begrudgingly left their hotel room, praying silently that he wasn't also leaving his marriage.

She stayed in the bathroom for almost an hour after he left. Afraid that at any moment he would return and see her tear stained cheeks. When finally she did emerge she was surprised to find the trolley with champagne in their room. It was a painful reminder of all the hope they'd for their honeymoon. Though now it all seemed to be going wrong. And so soon. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she contemplated going out to find him. She'd thrown him out, hadn't really told him when to return. Or even if he should return.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine. That it could all be over. That perhaps he was on a train back to Downton. That perhaps they had both failed at something they wanted so badly.

She knew then she couldn't just lay back and wait for the fates to decide her future. She needed to find her husband.

After almost two hours of scouring the boardwalk and the beach Elsie returned to their hotel room exhausted and on the brink of collapse.

With every step her heart broke a little more, with every silhouette that wasn't his she felt her spirit darkening. She was kicking herself for throwing him out. For yelling. For getting upset.

Near tears she walked back into the hotel room, the room where they had crossed the final barrier between husband and wife. Between man and woman.

Walking slowly into the room she gasped at the figure of her husband sat stock still on the bed, his hat in hands.

For a moment neither spoke. Each taking in the appearance of the other. She looked tired and sad, he simply looked distraught.

"I thought you had left." He said finally.

"Without my luggage?" She replied.

"I hadn't noticed." He said, indicating the undisturbed dresser across the room which contained all their belongings.

"And without my wedding dress?" She said.

"I thought you had left Scarborough without your husband, I was less concerned with the dress." He replied.

"I'm sorry I told you to go." She said.

"I'm sorry I ruined everything."

"You've not ruined everything."

"Havent I?" He asked, almost afraid to hope.

"But I do want to know why you were so uncomfortable before. I want to know why the opinions of two maids matters so much." She said moving to sit next to him on the bed.

"I don't know." He said simply.

"Well that isn't good enough Charles. Yesterday…yesterday was the most wonderful day of my life and last night…last night when we made love. It was…it was everything really. It was the most wonderful thing. To finally become one. I woke up this morning so incredibly happy and in love. I'd happily tell the King of England I'm in love. Everything felt perfect. Then we came back and you got so upset and suddenly…well…it felt like everything was tainted. Like you were ashamed. Ashamed of us, of what we had done. And suddenly this thing…this thing that I'd been so worried about, then found such joy in had become twisted and dirty. It broke my heart-"

"Oh Elsie!" He cried out, taking hold of her hands in his. Holding them gently to his chest.

"No, please, never let anything make you feel that way." He said frantically. "What we shared last night was perfection. It was the most wonderful, magical thing and I would never want anything to make you feel otherwise. I don't…I don't know exactly why I got so upset. I suppose…before I was the butler I was a footman, before that I was on the stage. I've heard how people talk about these types of things…how they talk about people and I just…I couldn't imagine having anyone talk about us the way I've heard others talk."

"It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks Charlie." She said, noting the smile on his face at the switch in his name. "All that matters is that we love each other and that we are happy, hm?"

"Yes. Can you forgive me?" He asked.

"Charlie, can you recall a time in the past twenty years when I haven't forgiven you?"

"No," he admitted with a smile, "though I can think of a number of occasions when I didn't deserve your forgiveness."

"Deserved or not you earned my love and that is all that matters right now." She stated, gently pressing her lips to his in a sweet kiss.