When he lost the first pair, Shelagh blushed.
"Shelagh, have you seen my cufflinks? The square ones? I can't find them anywhere," Patrick asked. "I have plenty of them, so it doesn't matter if they're gone."
Patting the pillows into place as she made their bed, she replied, "Look in your waistcoat pocket, dearest."
He reached into the small pocket and unearthed two square golden cufflinks. "You are amazing. How on earth did you know they'd be there?" He stepped towards her, holding them out.
"Promise not to laugh at me?" she asked. "Back when we did deliveries together, I noticed that you would place them there before you rolled up your sleeves."
Patrick titled his head and grinned at her. "You were watching me," he said roguishly.
Her face flushed as she answered. "I should have been paying more attention to my prayer-book."
Placing his hands on her hips, Patrick pulled Shelagh close. "I'm glad you didn't."
When he lost the next pair, Shelagh found them by the kitchen sink and mildly handed them to her husband as he came down the stairs.
The third time it happened, in as many weeks, mind you, Shelagh finally found them in the laundry bin. "Oh, they would have been crushed in the mangle," she said, annoyed.
The fifth time, well, they never did find that pair.
By the sixth time, Shelagh decided to try to teach Patrick a lesson. She knew he was a busy man, often distracted by the demands of others. But it really wouldn't do to lose every pair! For the next few weeks, every time she found a lost pair, she would hold on to them. By the time spring was nearly over, she had amassed quite a collection.
The tables were turned, one day in late Spring in a way that made Shelagh blush again. Running the Hoover over the sitting room, she removed the cushions from the sofa for the weekly clean. Staring up at her were two gold knot cufflinks.
"How on earth-" she began, then stopped suddenly. She knew exactly how the got there. And she was going to have to come clean with Patrick.
After Tim went up to bed that night, she stood in front of Patrick sheepishly. He looked up from his book, a curious expression on his face. "Shelagh? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. I owe you an apology."
"Apology? What for?" he put his book down on the table beside him.
"I was sharp with you this morning when you couldn't find your cufflinks, and I shouldn't have been."
"Oh, that. Never mind, I can't seem to keep track of them. I probably should switch to button cuffs." He smiled. "It's not a big deal, sweetheart."
"I found them today." She held out her open palm, revealing the two knots.
He picked them up from her hand. "Where did you find them?"
"Behind the sofa cushions." She could feel the blush begin.
"The sofa cushions? How in earth-" he began, then stopped as a grin spread over his face. His eyebrows climbed high on his forehead. "This is your doing."
Her face was beet red, now. "Patrick, don't tease."
He pulled her down on his lap. "I'm afraid I must, my love. I've taken my medicine, now it's your turn. I was minding my own business, cufflinks safe and sound, when you just had to see my forearms."
"Patrick!" she whimpered into his shoulder.
Her husband continued, relentlessly. "Right here on the sofa. Shameless woman. Nearly lost me a perfectly good set of cufflinks. My favorite pair, I'll have you know."
She looked up then. "You hate that pair. You were only wearing them because you had lost every other pair!"
"Which you've been hoarding, now, admit it." He was enjoying this immensely. "So, what shall be your forfeit?" he demanded.
Shelagh was starting to recover. "You were just as much to blame as I was. You certainly didn't give the poor things a moment's thought."
Patrick was starting something else, altogether. "Hmmm...Perhaps you could help me lose today's pair?"