Souderton Abbey

Chapter 8

It was now Sunday night, and early the next morning the Hemmings would be leaving. Niall and Harry were currently being butlers at dinner and Niall had to admit he felt more confident in himself after what Hayley said to him this morning. As he poured some more cider into Carrie's glass, they both quickly looked at each other and smiled without opening their mouths before anyone could notice. Niall then turned to his side and refilled Charles' glass as he was sitting right next to her.

After refilling their glasses Niall moved back to his usual spot next to Mr. Dates as Harry walked in with dessert for tonight. All the plates were already cleared from the main meal and Harry sat the new tray on the table small table at the end of the room. He carefully lifted the top cover with his glove covered hand and soon found Niall at his side to help him bring the dessert to the table.

"I wonder if one day we will ever have dessert like this in the servant's hall." Harry chuckled at his own remark as he took one plate in each hand with a chocolate soufflé on it. Niall laughed along with his roommate as he picked up plates in each hand too.

"Only if an event gets cancelled and the family suddenly loses their appetite." Harry laughed as they both turned around from their table and made there way over to give dessert to both the Barlows and Hemmings.

"I really do wish you guys had a nice time here this weekend. I can't believe you have to leave in the morning." Mr. Barlow frowned at the thought of his good friend and cousin leaving so soon. In his eyes this weekend went by so quickly this time during their stay.

"We had a great time here like always. Your hospitality has always been the best." The two older cousins smiled at eachother while their wives were in a deep conversation about the gossip around England at this time. Amanda was talking with her brother as Carrie kept making little faces at Niall that nobody else could notice to try and throw him off. He managed to hide his chuckles but not his smile. It wasn't until she bit her lip that he really couldn't hide his expression of surprise and in an act of revenge he smugly winked at her before he set down a plate in front of her.

The night went well and everyone was tired but happy as they made their way up to their rooms. Hayley was already in Carrie's room when she came in to get ready for bed. She had Carrie's nightgown already laid on the bed and stood behind Carrie when she sat down in her desk chair to help her get all the Bobby pins out of her hair. Carrie was still a but giddy after tonight's dinner between her and Niall and found it hard to stop herself from occasionally laughing when she remained his face when she bit her lip.

"So I take it dinner went well, Lady Carrie." This time Hayley laughed along with Carrie before Carrie had a chance to respond.

"It went great, actually. Turns out Amanda has a soft spot for horses." Carrie didn't want to tell Hayley about what happened with Niall, or at least not yet. She somehow felt it would ruin the fun of she told Hayley everything considering she already told her about the possible 'date' tomorrow. At the time, she just couldn't hide her excitement and needed a friend to act like a typical girl with.

"Oh really? I didn't know she had a soft spot for anything." They both continued to laugh at Hayley's bold remark. They continued to laugh and talk as Hayley braided Carrie's for bed and help her into her nightgown for that night.

As Niall was walking back to Charles' room with the tea that he asked for, he heard their laughter as he passed Carrie's room. He shook his head at the possibilities of things they could be laughing about as he approached Charles' door and knocked. The door swiftly opened revealing a shirtless Charles which was actually quite surprising considering he was fully clothed in his pajamas when Niall left.

Charles let Niall in the room and Niall set the tea down on the table next Charles bed. Niall curiosity continued to grow with every second as he poured tea into a teacup for Charles. "Was there something wrong with you pajamas, Charles?"

Charles only laughed trying to show off his abs before he responded. "No there was nothing wrong. I just felt a bit restricted and I have to admit it is kind of hot in here."

Niall personally thought the temperature in the house was perfect but just brushed it aside. "Niall, is me being shirtless a problem?" The young butler had to admit he felt weird with him being shirtless which is odd because he usually doesn't care if another man is shirtless around him, but he couldn't say that to the man he technically works for.

"Of course not, sir. I was just curious." Niall walked over to the bed to pick up the nightshirt that seemed unneeded and when he turned around to hang it up, He bumped into Charles accidentally. Niall was confused as to why he was so close to him and his confusion continued to increase as Charles slyly smiled.

"Like what you see?" Niall had no idea what he was talking about until he felt a pair if rough lips upon his own. He kept his eyes open in realization and never moved his lips as Charles pulled back and continued to smile at him.

Notes

please dont yell at me I promise Niall wont magically turn gay it's not that type of story but it will majorly contribute to the story
I owe you guys a major apology that i havent updated becasue I have midterms and I had a concussion so i could look at anything that lights up for two weeks but now I'm back I really will try to update!
Thank you for reading!