Gwen sat at her desk in Mr Bromidge's outer office. The other secretary had gone for lunch and Gwen could then go when she got back. The two of them worked hard and well together, this meant they had often finished all their work by the early afternoon, even though the mornings were hectic. Gwen had got her bag so she could go immediately Sally got back. She looked around the office and her eyes landed on the photo montage which had been given to her as a leaving present from everyone at Downton. The memories it captured were very dear to Gwen. One photo had been taken by her neighbour, who had a camera, on the day she left home to work at Downton. She had been standing between her parents, her legs nervously shaking. Another was an official photo of the staff which had been commissioned by Lord Grantham. There was a lovely one of her and Anna sitting outside one year when the family were in London. Her favourite though, had been taken one Christmas. William had his arm round her and they were both pulling stupid faces. It was probably the most embarrassing but she loved it.
Christmas that year had been great, although Sybil had discovered mistletoe and had insisted that it be strung up all over the house. It had taken a whole day, balancing on top of a step ladder to put it up and then a week of avoiding standing under the blasted stuff! She had been lucky. The only person she'd had to kiss was William. Miss O'Brien had continuously been caught out, but then she had not helped to put it up so she didn't know the mistletoe hotspots.
Gwen had been going into the dining room to clear up after dinner; William was just leaving the room. They met in the doorway, a large sprig above them. Gwen felt herself blushing but Anna had been there and all the staff were making sure that everyone followed the tradition, so no avoiding it. Gwen tilted her face up to quickly peck William's cheek, he had been going for the same approach but instead of each other's cheek, their lips met. The moment was fleeting and they were both back to their jobs before the reality of it sank in for either of them.
The photo had been taken the next day. Lord Grantham gave the staff Boxing Day off, although Miss O'Brien and Anna still had to dress the ladies, Mr Watson had to see to His Lordship and Mrs Patmore had to ensure that they had enough to eat, but the rest of the day was their own. They were allowed to go home but it was fun staying at Downton. To Mrs Patmore's distress everyone joined her in the kitchen baking various treats; traditional to their own homes. For Gwen this was gingerbread. After a large lunch they had all played charades. Gwen and William were paired as a team. Soon everyone was in stitches; Mrs Patmore and her kitchen maid were trying to act out 'Persuasion' and the cook was silently yelling at the girl, supposedly persuading her to do things. The afternoon progressed to eating more cakes and ended with William playing carols and everyone singing.
Soon the numbers were depleting. Mr Watson, Anna and Miss O'Brien went to assist the family upstairs. Mrs Patmore was frantically cleaning pans. Thomas had vanished-probably gone for another fag. Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson had gone to check the stores and prepare for the next day, which usually meant a long discussion in either his pantry or her sitting room. That left Gwen standing next to William by the piano. "We should play a duet" he slid along the seat to make room for her. "I…I'm not sure that I know any" She sat down anyway. He started listing songs which most people knew and eventually they discovered one they could both play. It didn't go well but it was fun, the song ended and William looked at her. For a moment she thought he might kiss her again, but instead he said "Thank you Gwen. I'd been dreading Christmas, the first away from home," he looked at the black and white keys in front of him as he quietly admitted his feelings "but you've made it such fun. Honestly. Thank you." "We helped each other through it. I was worried as well" She laughed nervously before looking up into his eyes again. She'd never noticed how clear they were.
Sally walked into the office to find Gwen staring dreamily out of the window. "Somewhere nice?" she teasingly asked the young girl. Gwen jumped, "I was actually" she took her bag, crossed the office and walked out onto the street. That had all been before Daisy had turned up as kitchen maid and before Gwen bought her typewriter. They still looked out for each other but they had drifted apart. As she entered the little tea shop Gwen couldn't help wondering about what could have happened between them. She sat down with her lunch, finally aware of what had been bothering her lately: She was missing William.