Turning the handle, she softly opened the front door of their little flat.

"Joseph? Darling? I'm home."

She had her coat halfway off by the time he appeared in the entrance way, in his shirtsleeves and trousers. Without her asking, or without asking her, he moved seamlessly to take the coat the rest of the way of an hang it up behind her on the wall.

"How was it?" he asked her, turning back to her, embracing her briefly and kissing her cheek.

Today she had nervous set off to meet the owner of a wholesale supplier who had seen some of the needlework she'd done for his wife and been very impressed, more than impressed. He'd made enquiries, and come round to the room she hired where she did mending, an more lately more adventurous designing, for some of the grander ladies in York.

"Tell me about you first," she told him, holding him gently at arms length, with her hands spanning out on the front of his shirt, "How was your interview?"

"Short," he replied, his voice betraying his dismay.

"Oh darling," she murmured, stroking his chest softly, "I'm sorry."

"Never mind," he replied bravely, "It seems that they'd already chosen someone, or as good as. I would have had to have been exceptional, and, well, that wasn't going to happen."

"Don't say that," she murmured fiercely to him, standing up on her toes and pressing her lips quickly to his, "You are exceptional. That's why I married you. And you're a good valet," she smirked just a little bit, "I've never seen a man take off a shirt faster than you can. And that's the truth."

A little smile did break onto his lips at that moment. Her arms looped gently around his neck, her thumb stroking the back of his head. He smiled his thanks at her.

"How was your day?" he asked her again, "What did they say to you?"

She looked up at him almost shyly.

"They're going to invest in me," she told him.

"Really?" he asked, his arms tightening in surprise around her and then loosening with relief as he relaxed and pulled her closer to him, his delight showing as he realised what this meant, "Oh my darling, Phyllis!" He hugged her tightly to him. She was wearing he smartest black dress but she didn't care, she hugged him back as hard as she could, "As much as you expected him to?" he asked her.

"I didn't expect anything," she said, "Not really. But the amount I wondered about-… He's going to give me half as much again."

He looked simply blown away.

"They must have really liked your work," he told her, "I knew they would; didn't I say?"

"Yes, you did," she replied, with a soft smile, "Several times. I think it was my dress designs they really liked."

He buried his face against her hair, kissing her forehead.

"I'm so proud of you," he told her.

"I'd never have approached them if you hadn't told me I should," she replied, "I'd never have started my own business at all."

She leant up again, kissing him tenderly, thanking him silently.

"You know what this means?" she told him a moment later, "I thought about it on the way home. I'll be able to get a proper shop, on the street with a big window and lots of dresses hanging up and everything, not just a little room up the stairs where I do my mending."

"You're right," he replied, "Quite a big one too, I imagine."

"Yes," she agreed, "It'll be too much work for me to do by myself."

There was silence for a moment. He raised his eyebrow at the way she was looking at him, expectantly, with a hint of a smile.

"Are you offering me a job, Phyllis?" he asked her cautiously.

"Well, why not?" she asked him, "There's no one who I'd rather work with. No one else who would always be there to remind me why I started this."

"I've never run a shop before," he told her, "But I'm not sure how I'm supposed to refuse, when you ask me like that."

She beamed up at him.

"Don't refuse me, then," she told him, "You'll be fine. Running a shop isn't too hard. You'll be good at it."

"I hope so," he replied, "Or you'll be wanting to fire me."

"Alright, my love," she told him gently, "This is me we're talking about, not Mr. Carson. God, I can't believe this," she murmured, "I never thought I'd ever be employing people!"

She rested her head softly against his chest.

"I couldn't have done this without you," she murmured to him, "And there's no one else I want to do this with."

"I know," he replied softly, "But thank you."