"James! What on EARTH are you doing," Carson bellowed as he rounded the corner to find Jimmy sitting half asleep in his seat, the table before him sagging with the weight of silver needing to be polished. Startled, Jimmy lurched forward and jammed his knee hard against one of the table legs.

"Mr. Carson, I-," he began, holding his knee and wincing.

"I know what's going on, and I also know that it is NOT what you are being paid to do," he snapped back at him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Carson, I simply nodded off for just a moment," Jimmy tried to explain.

"NO excuses! Get to work immediately, or it'll be your head!" Carson turned to leave the room, rounding the corner to find Mrs. Hughes giving him her signature look. "Please, Mrs. Hughes, I know what you're about to say, and I'm afraid I must ask you not to say it." His face was still red from shouting moments earlier, and his blood pressure was spiking. He turned to head for his pantry, for he needed to sit for a moment.

"I just wish you wouldn't be so hard on him all the time, Mr. Carson. He may not be known for his abilities to think before taking action, but he's still a good lad," she remarked, following him down the hall.

"That may be so, but when one of my footmen is failing to complete the duties expected of them, I think that I have the right to give them a good tongue-lashing," he snapped, coming round his desk to have a seat. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. After a few moments, he had almost forgotten she was there.

She stood there in silence, immediately forgetting their little argument as she got a glimpse of a very tired man with his guard down, a sight which was rare to see. She allowed herself the chance to study his face, her eyes following the lines that had set in over years of constant stress, but she allowed a smile to play across her lips as she admired how handsome he was. Stop that, she thought, that's dangerous thinking. Although her heart beat faster whenever she saw him, she could never tell him that. She knew that she loved him, she had known for years, but there was just too much at risk to bring such affections to attention.

A floor board creaked, and his eyes opened, and there she was, Elsie Hughes, standing before him. Their eyes locked, and her face quickly grew red with the embarrassment of being caught staring at him. "Was there anything I can help you with, Mrs. Hughes?"

The blush in her cheeks spread to her neck now, and his eyes followed until her dress collar obscured further view. He mentally slapped himself as he realized how inappropriate he was being, but he found himself struggling to care. Since he had first laid eyes on her, he knew that she would be the one to steal his heart, and he learned this to be true, but he could never reveal his true feelings to her. If he were to let his guard down… No, he was not going to go through that again. He had already lost himself in a woman once before, and she left him heartbroken and hollow for years until the truth had finally risen to the surface. It had been too late, for it wasn't until after Alice's death that he had learned of her true feelings. He had suffered for too long to go through that again, so he reminded himself once more that the woman before him was off limits. It wasn't until he heard her voice raise that he realized she had been speaking to him. "Mr. Carson!"

"Terribly sorry, Mrs. Hughes, I lost myself for a moment," he admitted sheepishly, now his turn to blush.

"I said, I was wondering if you had selected the wine for Saturday's dinner!" She was annoyed, and she had her hand on her hip, and he would have given anything for it to be his hand instead.

"I have indeed, and I assume that you have seen to the menus," he questioned, attempting to make himself sound as steady as possible, for having her so close was really beginning to work on his nerves. As much as he hated to admit it, he really wished that she would leave him be, for he was finding it harder and harder to control himself. If she didn't go soon, he would undoubtedly do something stupid, and he wasn't prepared to deal with the repercussions of that.

She struggled not to smile at him as she watched the emotions flicker across his expressions. She knew that he was getting uncomfortable, but it was one of her guilty pleasures to push his buttons until he was finally readable. He squirmed in his seat, and although her heart squeezed in her love for the man before her, she managed to answer with a simple, "Yes, they were finished this morning, but I still need to talk to Her Ladyship about the sleeping arrangements for the guests."

"Then you should probably see to that now. I shall be waiting for the wine delivery, they should arrive by three, so send someone to fetch me. I think I'll take a walk down to the village, and pick up a few things." He stood to put on his overcoat and hat then turned to her, "Anything that I can bring back for you, Mrs. Hughes?"

"No, thank you, Mr. Carson, though I appreciate the offer. I'll manage," and with that she turned and walked out the door, finally allowing herself to smile as her back was to him. She took a deep breath and tried to wipe her emotions from her mind as she set a course to go speak with Her Ladyship. Carson took a moment to brace himself against the wall as he let his feelings for her wash over him. He sighed and looked at his pocket watch. He was going to need a long walk.