Timeless

Elsie watched silently and with adoration as her husband spread the blanket out across the lush, green grass. He had been correct, of course. The view from this point had been nothing short of spectacular, and she still stood in awe as she looked across the sloping fields towards the city center which was in the near distance. She could make out a few of buildings they had visited during their week in London, recalling to mind images and snatches of conversations they'd had during their holiday.

"Going to stand there admiring the view all afternoon?" he asked from the comfort of the blanket. He had already removed one shoe and sock and was working on untying the laces of the other.

She stepped closer to him and ran her fingers through his hair, drawing his head to rest gently against her thigh. "Just taking it all in, Charlie. You were right. It's beautiful up here. Well worth the fare for the taxi ride."

His fingertips caressed her ankle as he rested gently against her side, giving her as much time as she needed to commit the scenery and the place to memory. "I'm glad you approve. When I first started planning this little getaway, this was one of the first places I jotted down on my list. There's just something special about seeing the city from the top of Primrose Hill to put it all in to perspective." He realized, of course, how ridiculous that might sound to anyone else, but his Elsie … she understood him and loved him.

Elsie leaned over and kissed the top of his head before settling down on the blanket beside him, starting to remove her own shoes and stockings. "It's beautiful, and I'm glad you saved this surprise for our last day here. Having seen and walked through much of the city, it's lovely to see it from a distance like this. However did you find this place? It's certainly not somewhere you could have walked to on a half day from the house?"

"Years of spending months in London afforded me with an opportunity to explore a great deal of the city and surrounding parks. It also helps that the family likes to take picnics and other butlers share their favorite locations from time to time. Mr. Standhope from the Chartwell household is the one who told me about this place. He used to bring his housekeeper here when they could slip away for a bit."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek sweetly. "Must be something about butlers that makes housekeepers swoon." She shifted once again on the blanket and placed her head in his lap and looked up into his dark brown eyes. "Could be the rigid nature of their demeanor, so firm and yet yielding to the right person. Perhaps it's the livery … a handsome man in uniform, even a livery, can be quite the catch." She reached up and let her fingers dance across his cheek and down the side of his neck until they reached his starched collar. "Or, maybe it's a special day by the seaside that sets in motion a series of revelations and confessions that draws two people together."

Charles leaned down and captured her lips with his, not caring if there were others on the hilltop or if they took any notice of him kissing his wife. Being married to Elsie had taught him a great many things, one of which was to open up and more freely express himself. He'd never had a problem showering her with love and attention in the privacy of their own home, especially not in their bedroom or at least behind closed doors, but it had taken him a little longer to realize that there was something special about holding her hand in public, placing a little peck to her cheek or lips, and wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked. And it made her so happy whenever he did any of those things that he just couldn't resist the temptation any longer. The smile on her face whenever you plucked up the courage to display any of one of those signs of affection was all the reward he needed and the incentive to do them more often.

"Mmm, Mr. Carson! It's a good thing we're already married or you'd have to make an honest woman out of me after this week," she teased when the kiss ended. "I have never enjoyed a week more, except for maybe our days away for our honeymoon."

He began to carefully unpin her hair, collecting the little pins and putting them in his shoe so he didn't lose a single one. "Those were some of my best days, too, but I think this week has been even more special." She looked at him with a question in her eyes, silently asking him to explain. "Well, you see, our honeymoon was lovely, but we were both so nervous and not yet settled in to married life. There were so many … moments … that we still had to work through," he said, coughing a little to cover his embarrassment at the memory of some of those early days together as husband and wife. "Now, though, we're properly married. I like to think I can anticipate what you need or want, when and where, and everything just seems to click in to place."

She closed her eyes as his fingers threaded through her hair, now streaked with a few strands of silver. He gently massaged her scalp as his voice washed over her. "Indeed. Like right now, you're wooing me with your words and touches without even trying. That's a skill most women would love to say that their man possesses."

He smiled with a little bit of pride. "Nothing skillful about it, love. It comes naturally when you're as in love with your wife as I am with mine." He tapped the end of her nose and watched as she slowly opened her eyes, squinting a little at the sunlight overhead. "But, I'm grateful you believe me to have such abilities. I will strive to never disappoint you."

"I don't think you could. This entire week has been wonderful, and to know that you planned it all with me in mind has been the greatest gift. I've seen and done things this week that I never dared to dream of being possible before marrying you."

To Charles, those words meant more than any material possession Elsie could have given him. When he'd started planning this little trip, he'd made countless lists of places and things he wanted to show her in London. The list had been edited and expanded numerous times before he had finally settled on a few things each day, highlights of the city, as it were. But with each addition or deletion to and from the list, Elsie and her enjoyment of the time had been key. He wanted to show her all the best bits of the city but only those she would find interesting and enjoyable.

"What was your favorite thing this week?" He was curious to hear if his predictions were correct. A wicked smile curled about her lips and Charles recognized that cheeky little grin, the one that spoke of their evening activities instead of those in broad daylight. "Aside from the hotel and our enjoyment of the large tub and comfortable bed …"

"Ah, well since you added that disclaimer," she said with a contagious laugh. "That's rather hard to say because I enjoyed everything we've seen and done. Hatchard's bookshop was beautiful, and I could have spent an entire day perusing their shelves. The lights at Piccadilly at night were pretty, and the stroll along the Thames and the boat right up to Greenwich were so relaxing and peaceful. And then there was Hamley's. I hope Miss Sybbie will enjoy the doll we bought her from there. I still can't believe how much it favored her."

"And you. You know, for you two not to be related in any way, you could easily pass as grandmother and granddaughter. And her love for you knows no bounds, my dear."

"She adores you, too. She's going to be so excited with the Peter Pan book. You'd better start working on those voices now, Charlie. Thankfully, Tinkerbell doesn't say anything so at least you can't make her Scottish," she teased, giving his thigh a playful pinch as she laughed lightly.

"Maybe not, but don't forget that there are other females in the book. Wendy Moira Angela Darling, for example, and there are mermaids."

"A Scottish mermaid, Charlie? Really? You'd do better giving her an American accent."

He scoffed and shook his head. "No, my characters will be English or Scottish, as befits the storytellers, thank you very much."

She sat up and pulled him into a fierce kiss. "I do love you, Charlie Carson!"

"Considering the things we've been up to this week, I'd be worried if you didn't love me, and more than a little concerned."

She leaned in to his side and rested her head on his shoulder. "You know Mrs. Patmore is going to quiz me when we have tea next week. Are you sure you wouldn't like to join us, just this once?"

"Absolutely not. I'm not sure my blood pressure could handle the inquisition. Hopefully, she's getting better about refraining from asking questions of a sensitive nature." His eyebrows rose as his head dipped a little lower.

"Better in some respects, but she still likes to tease. But you've nothing to fear. I cherish our private and intimate moments as much as you so those details will remain our secret, my love. I'll simply tell her about our outings during the day, maybe the fancy dinner at Claridge's, the theatre, the London Zoo, nothing that would cause either of us any embarrassment."

"And what will you tell her of Primrose Hill?" he whispered against her temple. "Will you tell her how I convinced you to remove your shoes and stockings, recline with me on a blanket as we watched the sun set, kissed you sweetly beneath the stars?"

"Depends on what happens after that," she answered, her lips brushing the shell of his ear as she whispered her answer.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her to his side, holding her close and enjoying the comfortable silence that had slipped around them. They cuddled together and listened to the sounds all around them: children giggling in the distance, a man with a squeaky cart selling vanilla ices, dogs barking as they chased each other through the fields. These were the types of moments they'd come to treasure since her retirement …. complete relaxation and happiness.

"I do know one thing I'm going to tell Mrs. Patmore about my week here in London."

"Oh yes, what's that love?" He was more than a little excited to hear what she so eagerly wanted to share with her friend, hoping it was something special he had planned for her.

She turned her head and waited until he was looking at her, eye to eye, before she answered. "I'm going to tell her that I spent the most remarkable week with my wonderful husband in a city that is now close to both of our hearts. Seeing London through your eyes has been refreshing and enjoyable. I'm a lucky woman, and I want you to know that I love and appreciate you."

He kissed her softly, a mere peck on the lips but there was a promise of so much more love in store for her once they returned to their hotel. "It makes me so proud to hear that you've enjoyed yourself this week. I've wanted to take you on this trip since you first announced your retirement, and I can't believe it's over already."

"We can always come back. Maybe next time, we can come back at Christmas. I bet London is beautiful with all the decorations and lights."

"I'm sure it is, and we will plan that trip together. Now that you have more of a sense of the city and what it has to offer, I'd love your input on things to see and do here."

"I can tell you one thing I don't need to see again and that's the London Zoo."

Charles burst out laughing until tears were streaming down his face and his sides began to ache.

"It's not funny, Charlie! I think I scared you and half the patrons when I screamed."

"You certainly made an impression on that little goat in the petting zoo. I think he wee'd a little but then he seemed to warm back up to you."

"By that point, I wanted nothing more to do with the cheeky little devil. Honestly, if he'd wanted my attention or the food I was offering to his friend, he could have simply walked over. There was no need for his shenanigans."

"But … your scream … Elsie, I swear I never want to hear that sound coming from your lips again. I almost had a heart attack, and I was watching the whole thing unfold."

"He baaaa'd in my ear, Charles Carson! That's enough to scare the wits out of any woman, especially if she's not expecting it. And it was loud!"

"As was your scream," he said, trying to regain some sense of composure.

"Keep laughing, husband, and I'll tell Mrs. Patmore that it was YOU that "baaaaa'd" in my ear and made me scream. I'm sure she'd have more than a few questions for you after hearing that, though I'm not sure she'd ever pluck up the courage to ask either of us what sort of games or roleplaying we were doing to entertain that scenario."

At that thought, Charles sobered up completely. "Right, no return trips to the zoo. Duly noted, my Scottish dragon. Anything else?"

"Just one wee favor, if you don't mind."

"Anything within my power, my love, you know that. Name it and it's yours."

"Let's pack up here and go back the hotel. I'd like to enjoy a nice bath with you and a bottle of wine, maybe some soft music, and see where the evening takes us. We have to go home tomorrow, so let's enjoy what little bit of time we have left here."

He placed a soft kiss to the sensitive skin beneath her ear. "We have all the time in the world, my darling girl. That's one of the advantages of being retired … we've nothing to dictate our days and nights. Tomorrow, when we return to the cottage, I will still be the same Charlie Carson there that I am here while we're in London. And you, you'll still be my beautiful wife and the woman who puts this smile on my face each and every day."

She drew his face down to hers and kissed him soundly on the lips, holding him tightly in her embrace. "Take me home, Charlie Carson. We have a future to plan … together!"

A/N: So, this is a PSA to remind you to BRUSH YOUR TEETH after reading this sugar coated chapter! Sorry, it's Christmas and it couldn't be helped. Special shout out to my London travel buddy, Csota, and an awesome friend who inspired a certain part of this story. It was too good not to include that little morsel. Hatchard's and Hamley's are real places (make sure to visit when you're in London) and they've been around since the early 1900's. There were lights in Piccadilly around this time, true story! And, a HUGE thank you to each and every reviewer. You will never know how much your kindness and enthusiasm have helped me over the last few months. You guys are fantastic, and I heart you all! Looking forward to many more Chelsie adventures with you in 2019, especially with the release of the movie. Chelsie On!