Author's usual notes and disclaimer: I don't own any of the original characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC. I have borrowed the characters from the TV-Show and solely own the ideas of my stories and the developments I've let them go through.

Please write a PM if I did something terribly wrong. Thanks!

Please read and review! More thanks!

Author's notes and summary: Since I'm stuck with something else I've dug out another note that partly had been written into some fluid text earlier. I completed it now but it's still only a one-shot. A few thoughts about how Barbara would learn to cope with a butler being around. The thoughts turned into a small part of the Emerald Series, set straight after Home/SSTT. Enjoy...

.

A Butler's Approval

.

While Thomas was on his way to the kitchen Winston still stood there on the doormat like a pillar of salt. He was absolutely stunned.

Barbara patted his upper arm. "Come on in, Winnie, you could have something stronger than tea, if you want."

...

He dumbly nodded. Barbara asked him in and Winston, still looking like he had seen a green unicorn with rainbow coloured bat wings, followed. Thomas already was in the living room and poured three glasses of whisky when Denton came down. He met with Barbara.

"Is there anything else I can do fo-" His eyes fell on the DC. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Havers, I thought I've heard Detective Constable Nkata leaving."

The butler had an agreement with Master Lynley that he won't show up too often when somebody from work was there because they often felt uncomfortable with a butler around. Even Barbara only got a bit used to him until now. A fact that probably was caused by his way of calling her Ms Havers, like she had asked him to, and not milady like he normally would have since she was Tommy's lady-friend and therefore had to be treated as a family member.

"Everything's fine, Mr Denton." Barbara said. She always called him Mr Denton and not just Denton since she in her opinion this was more polite. "You can call it a night, thank you."

In the doorframe to his living room Tommy had observed how she had given his butler a polite smile while she - there was no other word for it - dismissed him very gracefully. A certain feeling of pride crept into his chest seeing that she meanwhile was acting so easy with his servant. When Denton had disappeared and Nkata had passed him Thomas bent down to Barbara and with his lips brushing her earlobe he whispered: "He will call you milady one day."

"Bollocks!" She blanched first, and then she blushed. One thing she still had to get used to was Thomas' tender way of mentioning a shared future.

The glasses clinked lightly when Winston helped himself so Thomas followed him leaving a baffled Barbara in the hall.

Was that a proposal? she anxiously thought. Her heart pounded loudly against her ribcage.

The men already sat on the sofa when Barbara entered the room after she had calmed down her breath. Winston was just turning his head to his boss with a hint of a grin. "I've supposed something, Sir, but honestly - this seemed too unimaginable for me so I've actually dismissed the idea."

"Unimaginable?" His boss arched an eyebrow.

"Well, you two were close, very close, for a while now but I never thought one of you would find the courage to make the next step." then his grin grew even wider and he turned towards Barbara. "I really wonder how that could have happened. And when and where and how those New Year's holidays were. And how on earth you had managed to keep it a secret."

Tommy just smiled at Barbara who took the third glass and raised it. "I'll tell you, Winnie, but first: Cheers. To your great detective work-" they all chuckled at that. "and an even better hiding by the delinquents."

And then they sat down again and she told him almost their entire story from the start shortly before Christmas up to the New Year's ball, ending with the first days back at home, the solved cases and the request to keep it a secret. "We're not yet ready to make it public and I don't want to have to work with somebody else at the moment."

"Of course, Barbie," Winnie grinned. "I do understand that completely. But feel observed from now on."

After Winston finally had left for home Thomas and Barbara returned to the sofa and cuddled a bit.

"I'm so glad we've finally told him." she smiled. "I only hope he will keep his mouth shut."

"I have no doubts about that."

Then she sighed.

"What is it, Sweetie?"

Barbara sighed again. "Ah, well... those weeks had been so carefree - and so busy with the two cases - the entire time I haven't thought about my mum at all."

Her mother had died last year in spring and though it was a while ago now and somehow a loss with relief, with her terminal dementia and her slowly deceasing mind and body, it still was a loss.

"I believe she would be happy for you." Thomas gave Barbara a kiss on the head. She answered it with a snorted short laugh.

"I doubt that she would have understood. And if so she would've forgotten it one second later." She sighed again. "I even doubt that she would have been happy for me when she still wasn't suffering from dementia. She probably would have agreed with my dad and accused me for forgetting where I come from. I probably would have been told I shouldn't mingle with your lot. In addition to the fact that they always disliked it when I had a boyfriend and had spent time away from home. Time away from Terry. Time away and not able to help with the household while they pampered my brother. Not that I would have begrudged him their attention but it wasn't easy for me with my busy life to keep friends that way. Not to mention the lack of boyfriends."

Squeezing her shoulders reassuringly Thomas smiled. "We'll pay a visit to her grave, so you can introduce me."

Then he sensed it was time to distract her from those dark thoughts. "That is if you would say that I am your boyfriend..."

"Of course you are, you cheeky bloke." Thomas shrieked when she poked her finger hard into his ribcage.

"Then you are my girlfriend, aren't you? It sounds so innocent." He merrily chuckled. "And you are all but innocent." His chuckle now had turned into a very juicy grin.

Playfully they accused each other to be overly lustful, too sex-minded, indecently unbridled or shamelessly frivolous. One by one, the removal accompanied by kisses, caresses and more whispers, their clothes shared the files and pictures on the floor and the coffee table. Still in warm socks they languidly made love on the sofa. Afterwards they just sat there cuddling and Barbara almost fell asleep in his lap with her head on his naked chest and his arms lovingly embracing her.

Thomas let his head fall onto the backrest and wondered if she could hear it too. Denton's bedroom was straight above them and he was shuffling around, probably returning from the bathroom. Barbara had become quite adjusted with the situation that there was someone in the house that was not family or friends but this had been the first time she had accepted following the rising heat between them both right where the spark had been ignited. This had been the first time after Denton had returned from his holidays that she had not insisted on moving to Thomas' bedroom. Or his bathroom.

A big satisfied grin plastered his face. She's a natural countess! he thought and squeezed her.

"He!" Barbara objected. "I was just falling asleep, Tom!"

"Shouldn't we go to bed before Denton is bustling in the kitchen with our breakfast?" he teased her.

This made her jump. While her face blushed she quickly put on her T-shirt and collected her things. "Oh, gosh, what if he had-"

Thomas stopped her with a kiss. "Keep calm, sweetie, he hadn't. And if so, he never would admit it nor would he drop one single word. He's our butler."

"Your!"

"Our! And you are more used to his presence than you might realise. But that's no wonder - he really likes you." he told her still holding her close to him. "He never had said any words about my choice of women, not a good, and unfortunately not even a bad word when I've been a stupid idiot once more. But a few weeks ago, you were in Newcastle on this seminar and I've just had called you before breakfast, he sort of gave me an approval. He had put down the teapot and looked me seriously in the eyes." Tommy made a serious face like Denton and mimicked his voice. "'If I may say so, Sir,' he had said, 'Miss Havers is a very nice person. I really do like her.' And then he had continued his work as if nothing strange had happened. I was so proud of you I didn't know how to react. I said something stupid like 'Oh, I like her too, Denton.' and he actually chuckled with raised eyebrows. Imagine! He had arched his eyebrows! And I've never seen him chuckling before."

Thomas laughed. During his little speech Barbara had coyly looked to the floor before she now raised her head and cheekily nodded at him. "Yah, well, I think I like you too." And with an approving look across his still naked body she added that it was not only physical. "Although I have to admit that it's a nice bonus p-"

His lips were on hers before she could finish and his hands were on her naked bum before she could escape him.

"Maybe one day we'll get you a lady's maid, hm?" he suggested onto her lips.

"Bullshit!" she groaned. "I'm a grown up girl, I can put on my clothes on my own and I don't want-"

His fingers gently slid up across her naked bottom which made her gasp and his grin was more than broad. "Well, it doesn't feel that way." After another deep kiss he added that he would not say he disapproved that she had tried to dress on her own but he really would like to help her get properly undressed. "I won't leave that joy to our butler!"

Tommy earned a playful slap on his upper arm but Barbara made up for it by giving him a hot desperate kiss pulling him towards the door. This time they made it into the bedroom.

.

.