A/N Thank you so much for all your support throughout the posting of this story. You've been unbelievably kind and supportive, and I can't adequately express my gratitude.

Special thanks to royal-lover, who proposed the original prompt on tumblr.

Here's the last chapter. Enjoy!

December 24, 1925

As the threesome entered the lobby of the Netherby hotel, where they'd chosen to have their Christmas Eve luncheon, Becky looked around in wonder. The already opulent atrium was decorated even more lavishly for Christmas. "Elsie! This is so fancy! I've never seen anything like it! And we're to dine here?!" she exclaimed happily. Then she paused for a moment, seemingly pondering something, before asking, "Are we rich?"

Elsie laughed, and so did Charles. "No, Becky, love, we're not rich," said Elsie. "But we've just enough money to be able to afford a nice little treat now and then, for a special occasion."

"And my two favorite girls certainly do deserve a treat! And this certainly is a special occasion!" Charles added.

Exchanging smiles, nods, and holiday greetings with everyone they encountered, they made their way to the coatroom and left their coats with the attendant, after which time they proceeded across the lobby and down the corridor to the hotel's restaurant, with Charles proudly holding one Hughes sister on each arm.

"Have I told you both how lovely you look this afternoon?" asked Charles as they walked. "All the other men will be jealous of me."

Becky giggled. "Charles, you're silly."

"Maybe I am," he said, "but you're still very pretty."

Elsie just smiled.

A few steps later, they arrived at the restaurant's entrance, and Becky looked around again in awe at her glittering surroundings. Charles spoke before the maître d'hôtel' could greet them. Wasting no time on an exchange of niceties, Charles announced, "We've a reservation for three under the name 'Carson.'"

"Of course. I remember you from when you were last here. Welcome back, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes. I see you've brought a friend with you this afternoon," said their host, with a false cordiality.

For the sake of courtesy, Elsie introduced Becky to the man. "More than a friend, in fact. This is my sister, Miss Hughes."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Becky said politely.

"And you as well, Miss Hughes," he responded. "Now, if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your table."

He led them to the same table Charles and Elsie had occupied on their previous visit; only this time the table boasted a third chair. Their host pulled out Becky's chair for her while Charles helped Elsie to be seated.

"Your restaurant is very pretty," Becky told the maître d'hôtel as he pushed her chair back in. "I like the decorations."

"Thank you ma'am," he replied. While it might have been unusual for a restaurant patron to compliment the maître d'hôtel on the establishment's holiday décor, he covered smoothly. "Well, then," he said as a waiter approached the table. "If you'll excuse me, I'll leave you in Gerald's capable hands. I wish you a pleasant meal, Miss Hughes. And a Happy Christmas to you all." He looked around the table, acknowledging the others with a nod. "Mr. Carson. Mrs. Hughes."

"Thank you. But actually … it's Mrs. Carson now," Elsie corrected him, wiggling her ring finger ever so slightly to draw his attention to her wedding band.

"Oh, indeed?! May I offer my congratulations to you both?" the man said, managing to sound almost suitably sincere and enthusiastic.

Charles covered Elsie's hand with his own, and they smiled blissfully at each other, neither caring in the least whether their host's words actually were sincere or enthusiastic.

The young waiter – Gerald, as his superior had called him – arrived, and the maître d'hôtel departed, with Becky calling an exuberant "Happy Christmas!" after him.

Charles ordered a bottle of doux champagne, thinking its sweeter taste would appeal more to Becky's inexperienced palate than would the acquired taste of any of the drier varieties he might otherwise have chosen for Elsie and himself, and Gerald left the trio to study their menus. Elsie helped Becky choose an entrée, and when Gerald returned to pour the champagne, the hungry diners ordered their meals.

"To my new family," offered Charles, holding up his glass with a slightly wobbly hand.

"To our new family," Elsie amended, lifting her own flute.

"And to Christmas!" added Becky, raising her glass a little too energetically and splashing a few drops in the process.

Charles and Elsie laughed happily at seeing Becky's glee. Her joy was infectious.

The Carson-Hughes family enjoyed their celebratory luncheon and then paid a visit to the house on Brouncker Road. (On discovering that the Carsons owned another, bigger house in addition to their cottage, Becky had been convinced that they really were rich.) Once Charles and Elsie had become engaged, they'd abandoned their previous plan to have Elsie live at the house and manage it. Instead, they'd hired one of Downton's former housemaids, Jane Moorsum, a widowed mother, to run the house on Brouncker Road as a women's boarding house. Renovations had just been completed, and the first boarders would take up residence after the start of the new year. Currently, the only occupants were Jane, who had only recently moved in and was getting the place in order, and her son Freddie, who was home from university on holiday. Jane and Freddie were happy to see their visitors and to meet Becky, and Becky was happy to meet some new friends and to see the "other house."

After a brief visit with the Moorsums, the happy little family headed home to their cottage, and soon they found themselves ensconced happily in their parlor in front of a roaring fire. Because they'd eaten a large meal earlier, they opted to have a light dinner, consisting of some nibbly bits and sweets, which they ate while seated on the sofa and chairs in the sitting room rather than at the kitchen table. They'd been invited to the abbey for dinner, but they'd politely declined, explaining that they wanted to spend their first Christmas Eve together as a family quietly in their own home. They'd promised, however, to visit the big house to see everyone on Christmas Day.

After some biscuits and a cup of hot chocolate, Becky was tired, and Elsie helped her get settled into bed while Charles cleared away the dishes and stoked the fire. Becky had been with Elsie and Charles for only a few days, but already, she liked her new home, her new bedroom, and her new family. She felt comfortable with her sister and new brother-in-law, to whom she'd taken an immediate liking as soon as she'd met him.

Once she'd tucked Becky in, Elsie returned to find Charles waiting for her on the settee, and she sat down and nestled herself cozily against him.

"All sorted, then?" he asked as he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

"Yes. She's pretty excited about tomorrow, but I think she's tired enough that she'll fall asleep easily. Maybe she already has, by now," Elsie told him.

"Good. I'm glad." He paused for a moment to consider. "Do you think she's happy here?" he wanted to know.

"Of course she is, you daft man! Can't you tell? You make us both very happy."

"Well, I'm pleased to hear it. I'm happy, too."

They smiled at each other and sat in silence for a time, simply enjoying each other's warm presence. After a few minutes, Charles spoke seriously.

"I want to tell you something, and it might sound strange at first, but hear me out, please," he began.

"All right," Elsie agreed, looking up at him curiously.

He held out his hands, which trembled in front of him. "Last year, when the trembling set in, I looked at it as a curse, something terrible, from which no good could come. But I was wrong. It's certainly a burden, an unpleasant difficulty … but in a way, it's been a blessing. And plenty of good has come from it. You see, while I hate to think that looking after me makes more work for you, it's served to show me the depth of your love for me. I never needed more proof, of course; you've always cared for me. But sometimes I'm amazed at how much you love me. It humbles me to know that despite my infirmity, you've chosen to devote your life to me, and for that, I'm grateful."

"Oh, my darling! I could say the same of you. I never dreamed a man could love me as much as you do. But the way you care for me – and for Becky … " Elsie trailed off with tears in her eyes. She paused for a moment before continuing. "When I was young, my mother told me something I've never forgotten. I once asked her why God would allow Becky to be born the way she was – to allow her – to allow us – to have such a difficult life. And my mother explained to me that when bad things happen, they're not punishments or burdens. They're simply opportunities for people to show great love for each other. If life never had any trials, then no one would ever have to make a sacrifice for anyone else. But true love is sacrificial."

"Your mother was a wise woman. And so are you." He leaned over to kiss her cheek.

As they cuddled against one another, Elsie dozed off, and Charles sat happily holding her and watching her. He took her hand and lifted it to kiss her fingers. As he pondered thoughts of blessings and burdens, he studied his wife's wedding ring and recalled the previous Christmas Eve, when he held the same ring in his shaky hands with a heavy heart, lamenting that he would never be able to offer it to her. At that time, he hadn't wanted to burden her, and he hadn't believed that Elsie might love him enough to accept him with all his faults and his physical infirmity. But then she'd proven him wrong, gladly taking up his burden as her own, and he'd grown to love her ever more with each passing day.

He was also grateful that he was able to help Elsie with Becky. Becky herself was blessing better than he could have imagined: in addition to gaining a wife, he'd gained a sister-in-law, as well – one whom he adored beyond measure, even having known her for such a short time. But supporting Becky financially and looking after her daily needs certainly were burdens, and Charles felt privileged to be able ease Elsie's hardships – and to allow her the chance to live with her sister after years of separation. Fortunately, Becky was mostly self-sufficient: she could feed, dress, and wash herself, and she didn't require constant attention or supervision. But she couldn't be left alone for long periods, and she certainly couldn't hold gainful employment or support herself financially. Still, Charles knew he had the better end of the bargain: caring for Becky and Elsie with money and practical needs was a small price to pay in exchange for the honor and privilege of caring for them with the love in his heart. A year prior, in his lonely room at Downton Abbey, Charles had wondered why the benevolent God in whom he believed would allow him to be so afflicted and to feel such sorrow. But on this night, this wonderful night, with his beloved sister-in-law slumbering happily in her bed and his beloved wife asleep in his arms, Charles Carson felt no affliction or sorrow. He drifted off to sleep himself, feeling only gratitude, happiness, and love.

A/N Once again, I thank you all for your tremendous support from the beginning of this story all the way to the end. I'm so grateful for your kindness. Please leave one last review to let me know what you think of this last chapter and of the story as a whole.