A/N Before the servant's ball at the end of S2, Lord Grantham and Matthew share a drink to help them 'face the coming ordeal.' I like to think some of their conversation went missing somehow. Lots of lines by mr Fellowes, and a few words by me.

Lord Grantham poured both himself and Matthew a finger's worth of scotch.

'Is there anyone in particular I will have to dance with?' Matthew asked.

'Well, Cora opens the ball with Carson.'

Matthew laughed, the very gentlemanly butler would no doubt perform well.

'Not cousin Violet?' he wondered.

'No, not since my father died. She usually dances with my valet, but we dropped that after Bates came here…. perhaps Thomas will do the honour now.'

'Well, he certainly has the guts for it.'

'And after that I join in with Mrs Hughes.'

'Aren't you the lucky one,' Matthew grinned. 'Quite the price, the old maid.'

Lord Grantham sipped his whisky and thought for a moment.

'Actually, my dear chap,' he said slowly, 'I happen to admire our Mrs. Hughes somewhat.'

Matthew looked up to see the Earl lost in thoughts.

'That woman,' Lord Grantham said almost to himself, 'grew up on a farm with one foot in the dirt, if not both. Poorer than poor they were. But she managed to get away.'

He smiled at his heir.

'When she became a scullery maid at fifteen she was almost illiterate, Matthew. But she wanted to move on and she asked the butler there to teach her to read and write properly.'

'I had no idea.' Matthew was genially surprised.

'You may believe her just a buttoned up old maid, but she has a brain and she realised there's more than living in a stable like her poor mother did. So she refused all offers of marriage to farmers, and now she's reached the highest position a woman in service can reach. She did it all by herself and she does it extremely well.'

'I see,' Matthew mumbled, feeling somewhat ashamed.

'But how did you learn all that about her past?'

'The Dowager Countess inquired after she applied and found out. In fact, after that she urged us to hire her. And there it is.'

'I see.'

'Very well. So as I said, I will join with Mrs Hughes. And I suppose after that it would be appropriate if you were to partner Miss O'Brien.'

Matthew swallowed.

'Crikey...,' he muttered under his breath.

'Indeed,' Lord Grantham said, hiding a smile by finishing his whisky.

That's it, please review! It's a first try…

x george