Just a two-shot accompanying M-ness for 'Busted'. Because you really didn't think I could have them in an inn without a bit of smut, did you? Batwings79 was inspired to provide the appropriate parallel activity for Richard and Isobel entitled "Behind Closed Doors". So be sure to check that out as well.

Disclaimer: Still don't belong to me.

Charles and Elsie made their way to the washrooms and back thankfully without running into Mrs. Bird and Mr. Molesley or anyone else for that matter. When they returned, Charles lay down with his back against the headboard and coaxed Elsie to lean against his chest between his legs. He began to trace lazy circles on her abdomen through her nightdress, grazing the underside of her breasts with the edge of his thumb. Nibbling his way gradually down her neck, he found the spot behind her left ear that she found so distracting. She sighed for a moment then twisted her neck away from his lips. Puzzled but determined, he lifted his hand to the neck of her nightdress and began to loosen the top buttons tracing her neck with the tips of his fingers as her skin was revealed. She leaned into his touch momentarily before pulling her head back.

"Charles," she hissed, "Not now."

"Elsie," he said, "What on earth is the matter?"

"It's just that-," she said as she turned in his arms to look at him, "I can't. Not with them here."

He sat up to look at her in astonishment, "Why in the world should that make any difference? For goodness sake, they're halfway down the hall and on the other side! I doubt they'll hear anything unless my performance is quite a bit better than it's ever been."

"Charles," she admonished with a roll of her eyes then continued quietly, "I can't explain why, it just does!"

"Dear wife," he began again soothingly, "we come here each year so that we can have the freedom to enjoy each other without having to restrain ourselves. Do you really want to forgo that?"

"Dear husband," she answered back just as patronizingly, "it's not that I don't want to enjoy you, and I certainly enjoy the lack of restraint. I just can't help thinking about them just down the hall."

He glared first at the door and then her for a moment, "This is ridiculous!"

Falling back at her side, he hit his head on the headboard with a loud thump, "Ow!"

"Charles," she exclaimed, "Are you alright?"

"No!" he grimaced in pain as he rubbed the back of his head, "Am I bleeding?"

She looked at him in amusement for a moment and said, "Well, at least there's a doctor just down the hall."

He opened one eye to glare at her again and began to chuckle then laugh wholeheartedly.

She joined him after a moment and laid her head on his chest, still laughing. After a few moments, she said, "I'm sorry. It's just distracting."

"Elsie, dear," he whispered into her hair as he stroked her shoulder blade with his thumb, "we've made love in my room, in yours, in your sitting room, and in my pantry. Almost every time there's been someone we know just a room away. I still fail to understand why it matters this time."

"Because this time, they know exactly what we're up to, I suppose," she said, playing with the buttons on his pyjamas.

He grunted, "Would it be forward of me to go beg them to find another inn?"

"Don't you dare!" she said, sitting up to look at him, "It's probably difficult enough for Isobel knowing that we're here as well. Besides, you might interrupt."

He laughed again, "Serve them right. Ruining our holiday. Although, I'd prefer not to think about that, thank you very much."

"And now you see my dilemma," she nodded against his chest sadly, "I really don't want to disappoint you."

"Who said I'm disappointed?" he asked then continued at her level look, "Well, I am disappointed, but I enjoy being able to lie here with you in my arms almost as much."

"Liar," she smiled as she kissed him on the corner of his mouth.

"I said 'almost'," he defended himself before drawing her closer to his chest.

After a few moments of her stroking his chest through the opening of his pyjamas and him rubbing her back gently, she asked quietly, "Do you remember our first time here?"

"I'm not quite senile yet, dear," he answered wryly, "And even if I were, I don't think I would forget those four days, especially seeing where they ended," he added, lifting her left hand to his mouth to kiss the ring there.

Turning her hand over, she cupped his cheek in her hand and traced his lips lightly with her thumb. He kissed it, letting his tongue flick out against the tip.

"You were so reverent," she said smiling at his lips, "As though you couldn't believe I was here."

"Elsie, love, I'd never made love in a bed before. I'm not sure that you could even call any of those times against the wall behind dance halls or in corners making love. It was important to me that it be different with you because you're different. I've never been a lucky man, but I think with you I won the grand prize," he finished by smiling against her hand and kissing her wrist.

"Flatterer," she said with a roll of her eyes, "A very wrinkled grand prize."

"Flatterer; am I?" he asked with slight offense, "Lie back, love, and I'll tell you how you look."

She lay back against the pillow, and he rose on his elbow over her. Placing her hand on his arm she gazed up at him with a breathless nervousness.

Smiling down at her reassuringly, he trailed the tips of his fingers over the edge of her hair, pushing stray strands behind her ear, "First, we have hair the color of claret. It's amazing that something as ordinary as pouring wine can make me think of how your hair spills over your shoulder while you're making love to me."

He bent to kiss her temple and was delighted to hear her soft gasp. Not letting himself be distracted from his mission, he brushed his lips over the faint lines at the corners of her eyes, "Here we have lines that years of smiling have brought to your face. I can never look at these without hearing you laugh in delight. And of course they lead to those very expressive eyes. More blue than a summer day when you're happy, but they darken like a storm is on the way when you're angry or when you're filled with desire."

She started to speak, but he cut her off with a soft kiss before pulling his head back to continue his perusal, "It's my turn to speak, love, and yours to listen. You've always said my voice makes you melt. Let's see if that's true. Have I told you before how much I enjoy watching your mouth when you talk? I confess that at times I miss what you say because I'm imagining kissing your lips or seeing them wrapped around me giving me pleasure."

Her cheeks tinted faintly and he leaned down to kiss the blushes there before lifting his hand to the buttons of her nightdress. She pulled back slightly surprised, and he said soothingly, "Now, you want me to describe you. I can hardly do that if I can't see you, can I?"

He saw by her eyes and the soft smile playing at her lips that she suspected where this was going, but she relaxed and gave a short, quick nod.

His heart lifted in triumph as he loosened the buttons at the neck of her nightdress. He let just the tips of his fingers brush across her skin. His determination to seduce her with just his words had grown. "Now we have the beautiful neck that your lovely face rests above. So white, it begs to be kissed. Your new dresses are still very distracting, although I'm becoming a little more used to the sight. Did you know that when you're very angry, as I somehow seem able to make you, that these muscles grow tight and I can actually see your pulse beating rapidly just here?" He motioned to her pulse point, fingers so close to her skin she could feel their warmth brushing across her neck.

Fingers working at the buttons of her nightdress again, he glanced up toward her eyes which were half-closed, and he noticed that her lips were parted slightly to release quick, short breaths. Looking down to where he had pushed her nightdress aside, he was pleased to see her chest rising and falling quickly. A slight flush was spreading down her neck only to rise up the swell of her breasts. His own breath caught when he saw that her nipples were tight and hard where he had pulled her nightdress away. Clearing his throat, he said in a voice hoarsening with desire, "And your breasts which fit my hands perfectly. I love the way your breasts rise when you take a deep breath and the feel of them pressed against me when I'm holding you. When you fasten your corset, they push forward delightfully. I enjoy watching you dress almost as much as I enjoy watching you undress. Although seeing you lying here, the nipples are so rosy and inviting," he finished breathlessly.

Unable to restrain himself, he bent to draw first one and then the other nipple into his mouth, letting his tongue swirl around and flick across the tip. He was gratified to hear her low moan and feel her hand in his hair clutching him to her breast. Mentally shaking himself, he pulled back reluctantly and urged her to sit up so that he could draw her nightdress over her head. She hesitated only a moment before allowing him to remove her nightdress and then made a movement to draw him into her arms. He pulled back, shaking his head and whispering hoarsely, "No, Elsie, I want to finish looking at you."

She gave a frustrated sigh, and then lay back on the bed with a self-satisfied smile, spreading her arms and legs apart. She must have noticed how much his perusal was affecting him as well as her. Knowing that he couldn't resist his urges much longer, he let his eyes trail down her arms to her hands. "You have such strong arms and hands," he said appreciatively, "but still I've seen them sooth a homesick maid or boy. And I've felt them grabbing my back to draw me closer and faster when you're near your release. Sometimes I imagine them on my back or stroking me when you're knitting at night, needles clicking through the yarn."

Eyes trailing lower, he let them skip over her center but noticed her moist curls almost peripherally just as he registered the smell of her growing arousal. Trailing his eyes down her legs, he said, "And your legs are so strong and shaped perfectly. They also seem to be the perfect length to wrap around my waist."

Finally, she sat up and reached for his night shirt, popping at least three buttons as she tried frantically to remove it. He pulled it over his head in one motion and felt her small, strong hands at the fastenings of his pyjama trousers. She had the tie loose and trousers pushed down onto his hips by the time he could reach down to help, "Now, Charles," she rasped against his cheek, "Please, now."

He had his trousers off in a moment and entered her with one swift, long thrust. True to his prediction, she wrapped her legs around his waist and raked her fingers down his back. His lips captured her neck before pulling back so that he could watch the storms play across her eyes. She cried out and shuddered against him in pleasure before dropping her lips to his neck to nip and suckle at the skin there. His own release building, he quickened his pace and deepened his thrusts until fireworks exploded behind his eyes, and he could barely hear his own roar of release for the rushing of blood in his ears.

Holding himself above her as long as he could stand, he kissed her gently, sucking her tongue and lip into his mouth. He dropped to her side after several long, sweet moments. His head rested just above her shoulder, and he placed kisses there as he caught his breath. Arm draped heavily over her waist, he drew her closer to his side. She grasped the hand at her waist with her own and began to stroke the tiny hairs on the back of his wrist.

"Charles, that was," she began breathlessly, "I can't-, I never knew you saw me that way."

Lifting his head wearily to gaze at her, he smiled, "I take it you forgot about them enough to enjoy yourself."

She laughed softly, "I believe you know that I did. Thank you."

He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a loud growl from his stomach answered by one from hers. Chuckling, he said, "Perhaps I should check for the sandwiches."

"Perhaps you should," she smiled, "but put your trousers and robe on. I don't want anyone seeing what belongs to me."

He smiled down at her and then rose to pull his trousers and robe on quickly, wrapping it tight around him. Walking quickly over to the door, he stuck his head out and was satisfied to see the cart with sandwiches, fruit, and beer on a tray. He heard a door open down the hall and saw Richard's head poke out as well. The doctor's usually impeccable hair was sticking up on both sides and the back; even his neat little mustache looked rumpled. Charles merely grinned at him before pulling his sandwich-laden cart into his room.

Elsie looked over at him curiously, "Charles, that smile can't just be for the sandwiches."

"No," he smiled and lifted his eyebrows at her, bringing the tray over to the bed, "It would seem that Mrs. Crawley overcame any reluctance. I just saw Richard pulling a cart of sandwiches into his room, and he looked very satisfied and used. Grinned at me like a Cheshire cat."

She laughed. "He was probably grinning because of this," she said, motioning to his neck.

He rose quickly to look in the mirror before turning back to the bed in exasperation, "Well, thank goodness for high collars. Elsie, when are you going to learn that you must go a little lower?"

She looked at him enigmatically, "Believe me Charles; I have every intention of leaving my mark lower, much lower."

He took a quick swallow of beer to quench his suddenly dry mouth.

Reviews are appreciated as always.